Naila's Room - Nighttime
The room was dimly lit by candles, casting soft, dancing shadows across the walls. Naila sat in the middle of her bed, wrapped in a blanket, surrounded by her four best friends. They'd been trying to cheer her up for hours, telling silly stories, showing her funny videos, even letting her pick the music.
It had been weeks since that terrible morning. Weeks of therapy, of careful conversations, of watching Naila slowly piece herself back together. She was better now. Not fully healed, but better. And her friends made sure she knew she wasn't alone.
Naila reached for the small antique mirror she'd bought at the flea market last week. It was pretty ornate silver framing, slightly tarnished with age, with a small crack running through one corner. The seller had said it was from the 1920s. He'd also said some other things, but Naila hadn't really been listening.
Her fingers slipped.
The mirror hit the floor with a sharp CRACK.
"Oh no..." Naila stared at the shattered glass, her face pale. "The seller said... this mirror had... mystical properties..."
Alice waved her hand dismissively. "Pfft, it's just a myth! It's just an ugly mirror from a flea market! The seller was probably just trying to scam you."
But as Alice spoke, a sudden gust of wind whipped through the room. The candles flickered violently, one by one, until all five of them were extinguished.
Naila gasped.
Then she collapsed.
"NAILA!" Chima lunged forward, shaking her shoulder. "Naila! Wake up!"
For a few terrifying seconds, nothing happened. Naila lay completely still, her chest barely rising.
Then her eyes fluttered open.
Something was wrong.
The way she opened her eyes was different; slow, deliberate, almost seductive. A smirk curled across her lips, a smile that Naila had never worn in her entire shy, self-conscious life.
"Well, well, well..." Naila's voice came out differently too. Lower. Sultry. Purring. "Who are all these beautiful girls?"
Everyone froze.
Naila (normally so quiet, so timid) was looking at them with a gaze that was almost predatory. She bit her bottom lip, her eyes traveling over each of them with obvious interest.
Fatimah stepped forward carefully, her voice calm but wary. "Naila... are you okay?"
Naila (or whoever this was) stood up slowly, stretching with deliberate, sensual grace. "Naila? Who's that? I'm..." She paused, tilting her head as if searching for a memory. "I'm Violet. And I'm ready to party!"
Chima's jaw dropped. "What the—"
***
The Same Room - Moments Later
"Violet" (the spirit now inhabiting Naila's body) began exploring her new surroundings with obvious delight. She ran her fingers over Naila's books, picked up her stuffed animals, and twirled around the room like she'd been given the greatest gift imaginable.
Then she spotted Chima.
"Ooh," Violet purred, slinking toward her. She draped her arm around Chima's shoulder, leaning in close. "You, the feisty one... you're hot. I like you."
Chima shoved her off immediately, her face red with a mixture of anger and extreme discomfort. "HEY! DON'T TOUCH ME! WHO EVEN ARE YOU?!"
Violet laughed, a high, tinkling sound that was completely unlike Naila's quiet giggle. She turned her attention to Alice, who was backing away slowly. "And you... your energy is so chaotic. I love it! Let's cause some trouble together!"
Alice held up her hands in surrender. "Uh, no thanks! I'm already enough trouble on my own!"
Violet pouted dramatically, then looked at Fatimah. Her expression soured. "And you... the wise one. You're so BORING! Life is meant for FUN, not for being normal!"
Fatimah didn't rise to the bait. She kept her voice calm, measured. "Violet, or whoever you are. You need to leave. This isn't your body."
Violet turned her back dismissively. "Ugh, no way! I haven't felt human in so long. I want to..." She grinned wildly. "I want to DATE!"
Before anyone could stop her, she snatched Naila's phone off the nightstand and started swiping through dating apps.
"NO!" Alice lunged forward. "That's Naila's phone! People are going to get the wrong idea!"
"I don't care!" Violet cackled, typing frantically. "I'm going to find myself a handsome man!"
Chima grabbed Fatimah's arm. "We need to call an exorcist! Right now!"
Fatimah shook her head. "Wait. Let me try something first." She stepped toward Violet, her voice gentle but firm. "Violet. What do you want? What would make you leave?"
Violet paused, her expression shifting suddenly. The manic energy faded, replaced by something softer, sadder.
"I want..." She looked down at her hands (Naila's hands) and her voice dropped to a whisper. "I want one last dance. With a handsome man."
The room fell silent.
Alice's eyes lit up. "I've got it! I'll call Zhao! Wony's boyfriend! He'll help!"
"What?!" Wony shrieked. "Why my boyfriend?!"
"Because he's handsome and nice and he'll do it for us!"
"ALICE, NO—"
But Alice was already dialing.
***
The Same Room - 30 Minutes Later
Zhao stood in Naila's bedroom, looking utterly bewildered. Wony had dragged him there with minimal explanation, just "emergency, boyfriend duties, you have to dance with someone, don't ask questions."
Now he was staring at a girl he barely knew, who was looking at him like he was the most delicious meal she'd ever seen.
"Ooh," Violet purred, practically vibrating with excitement. "A HANDSOME one! Come on, let's dance!"
Zhao looked at Wony desperately. "What is happening?!"
Wony covered her face with her hands. "Just... just do it. Please. Trust me. You don't want to know more."
Alice put on an old, romantic song that sounded like it belonged in another era. Violet's eyes lit up.
"Perfect," she breathed. "Absolutely perfect."
She took Zhao's hands, pulling him into the center of the room. They began to dance an old-fashioned waltz, slow and graceful. Violet moved like she'd been dancing for centuries, her steps perfect, her expression one of pure bliss.
The others watched in stunned silence.
"She's... actually good," Chima whispered.
"She was probably a dancer when she was alive," Fatimah murmured back. "That's why she wanted this."
The song ended. Violet released Zhao's hands, a single tear rolling down her cheek.
"Thank you," she said softly, her voice barely audible. "I've been waiting for that for so long..."
She smiled at each of them, a genuine, grateful smile.
"I'm happy now. I can go."
Violet closed her eyes.
Naila collapsed.
For a terrifying moment, no one moved. Then Naila's eyes fluttered open. She blinked, looking around the room in confusion.
"My head hurts..." she mumbled, her voice back to normal. Her Naila voice: quiet, shy, and a little sleepy. "Why is everyone here? Why is Zhao here? Did I miss something?"
A collective exhale of relief.
"NAILA!" Chima threw her arms around her, squeezing so tight Naila squeaked.
"Chima... I can't... breathe..."
"You're back! You're actually back!"
Alice was already filming. "This is going in the group chat. We're calling this 'The Exorcism Diaries'."
Wony grabbed her boyfriend's arm. "Let's go. Now. Before anything else happens."
Zhao nodded, looking deeply traumatized. "I'm... I'm going to need therapy."
"Welcome to the club," Fatimah muttered.
***
The Same Room - Later
Naila sat on her bed, sipping water, as her friends explained what had happened. Her face cycled through various shades of horror.
"A ghost? In MY body?!"
"She called herself Violet," Fatimah said. "She seemed like she'd been trapped in that mirror for a long time."
"She wanted to DANCE with a HANDSOME man?" Naila buried her face in her hands. "That's so embarrassing! What if someone saw?!"
"Zhao saw," Wony said flatly. "My boyfriend saw you making eyes at him and trying to get him to dance with you."
"I am NEVER leaving this room again!"
Alice patted her shoulder. "Don't worry, Nail! Now you've got a cool story! You've been possessed! That's way more interesting than any of our other adventures!"
"This is not an ADVENTURE, Alice! This is a NIGHTMARE!"
Chima snorted. "Hey, at least you got a dance out of it. I got felt up by a ghost in my friend's body. I think I'm the real victim here."
"You're never going to let me forget that, are you?"
"NEVER."
Naila groaned, flopping backward onto her bed. "I'm so tired. Can I just... sleep for a week?"
"Sleep tight," Fatimah said, tucking the blanket around her. "And Naila? No more antique mirrors. Ever."
"Deal."
As her friends filed out, Naila closed her eyes. She could still feel a faint warmth in her chest, a lingering echo of Violet's joy.
She hoped Violet had found peace.
She also hoped she never, ever had to dance with her friend's boyfriend ever again.
Some things were just too weird, even for her group.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtonp0yWxAQ
and then Add to home screen.