The Mom in the Mirror Wants to Take Me Away Novel – Chapter 1 My parents were so obsessed with my older sister, Chloe Miller, that they never realized I had another family living inside the mirror. It wasn’t until they came back from a three-day vacation with Chloe that they finally remembered they had another daughter at home. But when they rushed through the front door in a panic, expecting to find me starving or neglected… Instead, they found me clean, well-fed, and healthier than ever. Mom stared at me in shock, guilt flashing across her face. “You… took care of yourself all these days?” I shook my head. “I stayed inside the mirror. The mom and dad in there took care of me.” For a split second, disbelief flickered across both their faces. Then came the explosion. “You know Chloe only became autistic because we had you!” Mom screamed. “She barely talks to anyone except her dolls, and now you’re copying her? Making up some ridiculous mirror story just to compete for attention?” Years of exhaustion and resentment finally erupted, and all of it came crashing down on me.
They locked me inside my room. From the other side of the door, Mom’s voice cut through the darkness like a knife. “We’re already exhausted taking care of Chloe! We cannot look after two children who act strangely in this house. If you keep pretending to be crazy, then maybe you shouldn’t stay in this family at all!” Curled up in the corner, I cried so hard I could barely breathe. Then suddenly, a thin, withered hand reached out from the mirror and gently stroked my hair. “One more time,” the woman inside whispered softly. “If they abandon you again, Mommy will take you with us.” … The moment my bedroom door opened, Mirror Mom crawled backward into the glass. My real mother stood silently in the doorway. “We have guests coming over soon,” she said flatly. “Come help downstairs.” I followed behind her carefully, afraid to fall out of step. She handed me a stack of plastic dessert plates, and my eyes immediately drifted toward the giant cake sitting in the middle of the dining table. “Hurry up and cut the cake,” Mom urged impatiently. Halfway through slicing it, I suddenly realized what day it was.
Today was my birthday. So they did remember. My nose burned, and I quickly wiped my eyes before the tears could fall. For a moment, I remembered how things used to be before Chloe got sick. Back then, Mom and Dad were good to me too. Whenever they took Chloe shopping, they’d bring me pretty new clothes instead of forcing me to wear Chloe’s old hand-me-downs that never fit right. If I left with the family inside the mirror… Would they be sad? The fantasy shattered instantly. Mom clasped her hands together excitedly, her voice trembling with happiness. “Chloe finally called us Mom and Dad today. This is such a huge milestone! Once everyone gets here, maybe she’ll even talk to a few more people.” I froze. The smile slowly disappeared from my face. The doorbell rang. Relatives flooded into the house, surrounding Chloe like she was the center of the universe. “Chloe, I heard you’re talking now! Come on, sweetheart, say hi to Uncle Rick!” “And I’m Aunt Cheryl! Say my name and I’ll give you a huge present!” Under everyone’s eager attention, Chloe pressed her lips together nervously and twisted the hem of her dress without making a sound.
Dad noticed the excitement in the room starting to fade and quickly shot me a look. Help your sister. I squeezed through the crowd and smiled brightly. “Hi, Uncle Rick! Hi, Uncle Wayne! Aunt Cheryl! Here, let me get everyone some cake!” The relatives laughed as they accepted their slices. “Lily’s such a sweetheart. That little mouth of hers could charm anyone.” “If I had a daughter this adorable and talkative, I’d brag about her nonstop.” Only Aunt Cheryl looked unimpressed. “Oh please,” she said loudly. “That’s not charm. She’s obviously attention-seeking. My son was already learning coding at her age. Who cares if she knows how to greet people? Showing off in front of her autistic sister like this is honestly pathetic.” Mom’s expression immediately darkened. “Lily,” she snapped, “for once can you stop making everything about yourself? Chloe finally started speaking and you still have to steal the spotlight?” Dad’s smile vanished too. “Quit trying to get attention with these little tricks.” When he noticed I’d gone completely silent, Uncle Rick smirked at me. “So tell me, Lily. Who taught you how to fight for attention at such a young age?”