unwritten: Mara

It was my reflection... but it wasn't me. Her skin was pale, her expression colder, crueler - and her eyes glowed bright red. I took a shaky step backward, my eyes never leaving the mirror. My reflection didn't move. That's when I froze. She tilted her head - slow, deliberate - like a doll coming to life. Then suddenly- "Oh my gosh, just quit pretending already!" she snapped, stomping her foot. I flinched. The sound cracked through the silence like a gunshot, echoing in every direction. Her eyes locked onto mine. I couldn't move. There was something in her gaze - not anger, not hatred. Power. She was made of it. Radiating fear like heat off asphalt. She sighed, rolling her eyes with venomous boredom. "You're acting like she was your first kill," she said through gritted teeth. I just stared, my mouth open. Speechless. Because the worst part was... I wasn't sure she was wrong. After studying my expression, she smiled - slow and crooked - a satisfied grin that slithered down my spine. "Anyway," she said, casually brushing imaginary dust off her shoulder, "just thought it right to remind you of your most recent accidents before we note down your next one." My heart skipped. I furrowed my brow, searching her eyes - looking for any flicker of sarcasm, any crack in the madness. Nothing. **Mara Luther thought she was just another spoiled rich girl with a chaotic life. Then the world ripped everything from her hands. What rises from the ruins isn't a victim, but the long-buried truth: Mara is the reincarnation of an ancient empress whose return signals a storm the universe has been terrified of for centuries. Power is waking in her veins, old enemies are stirring, and destiny isn't offering her a crown... it's offering her a catastrophe.