The Face In the Mirror

I awoke to the distant coo of mourning doves. I lifted myself up, and a seething pain pulsed through my head. When I opened my eyes, the harsh light attacked my blurry vision. The first things I noticed were the grayish wood walls and the absence of my testing team’s voices.

…Eh? This can’t be the hub, right?

My eyes darted around the room I was in. Wood walls and flooring, with a single ray of light shining through the window above me. A small vanity in the corner, with a simple rectangular wardrobe placed beside it.

The room felt eerily simple. I noted the lack of colors and patterns. I reached up to massage my aching temples, hoping to recover from the strange disorientation I’d been feeling.

I can’t sit around and make myself late again. There’s a whole world to explore and characters to meet.

I pushed myself off the cold bed I’d been sitting on and stepped towards the splintered door ahead. As I neared the doorknob, colors moving in the vanity mirror caught my eye.

I turned to face it, and was met by someone I’d never seen before. Her face was pale and dainty, with light green hair that ended halfway down her neck. Purplish brown eyes stared back at me.

That’s… not me. Is… is that me?

Panic set in as I leaned towards the mirror, placing my hands on either side of my reflection’s bewildered face. I blinked three times, trying to regain my composure.

Okay, that definitely isn’t me. The forms didn’t say anything about a base avatar, so…

I stepped back, analyzing the person in the mirror. I struggled to remember any details I might’ve missed before entering the virtual reality pod. My late arrival flashed through my mind.

Maybe I missed something… or a lot of things.

I returned to the door and grabbed the handle. Pulling the door open, I was met with a bewildering sight.

“Uh… hello?”

In front of me was what appeared to be a cabin living room with two busy people walking around in a small kitchen. The taller one, a man with pale yellow hair and friendly eyes, turned to me with a calm smile. The shorter one, a woman with dark green hair and a tight frown, glanced over before going about her business.

“Good morning, groggy, you slept in again. Your mother had to collect the eggs herself, so you can imagine she’s not in the best mood right now.”

The green-haired woman slammed a pan on the stove, then quickly dumped a bowl of egg yolk inside. The pot sizzled loudly, and she glared at me from the corner of her eye.

“Uhh…”

The yellow-haired man gestured to a seat at the table. Unable to comprehend the situation, I reluctantly sat down and folded my hands on my lap.

Okay, let me see… I woke up in an avatar that isn’t mine, and that woman over there is my mother? Is this a bug?

I furrowed my brows, trying hard to remember what I’d been told about tech support. A searing pain took over, and my right hand snapped to my forehead.

“Faye? Faye, are you alright?”

My eyes moved to look at the man standing in the kitchen. A cold sweat ran down my neck, and I felt a pounding in my head and heart.

Faye…? That’s not right. Faye isn’t my username. But… It sounds so familiar. Hearing it…

Images began to flash in my mind. Birds in the sky, dozens of trees filled with ripe apples, and a small chicken coop. Small hands, bigger hands—the same pale hands now attached to my body.

Voices calling for someone named ‘Faye’ filled my ears, and I found myself becoming familiar with the sound. Faye’s aging face in the mirror became ingrained in my memory.

These memories aren’t mine, right? I’ve never been this person, but I feel as if I’ve lived this life.

No… this isn’t possible. This isn’t part of the game. I’m not ‘Faye.’ My name is…

The world began to spin rapidly, and loud voices called out to me as I felt my head hit the ground.

. . .

Doves soared through the bright blue sky above me. I watched them as they disappeared behind the trees, before turning back to my laundry. Stepping up on a wooden stool, I lifted drenched, clean tunics and affixed them to the clothesline.

After the clothes were properly hung, I rubbed my aching hands together. Five chores had been completed, and I still had a long day ahead of me.

I thought back to the day before, when a group of royal soldiers passed by the cabin. I remembered wishing I could join them, knowing full well that my weak stature would impede me.

I looked down at my aching hands, the flesh reddened by menial housework. An irritated sigh escaped my lips as I sluggishly made my way to the chicken coop.

My favorite hen Patsy sauntered over as I collected the eggs. I reached down to pat her, admiring her pure white feathers.

Suddenly, a loud noise like the crack of lightning sounded from above. Patsy and the other hens clucked frantically as they scrambled into the chicken coop. I jerked my head upward to find the source of the noise and witnessed a bright light stretching down from the heavens.

Curiosity got the better of me, and I ran into the forest. I halted as a strong force knocked me backward. The sore spot where my back hit the ground ached as I sat up, a frightening sight lying before me.

Collapsed on the ground was a glowing gray figure shaped like a woman. Its body warped strangely, spots of different colors flashing rapidly across its form. I called out to it, ready to run away at a moment’s notice. When the being failed to respond, I bent down near it. It barely had a face, and reminded me of the ghouls I’d seen in dusty old books.

Completely letting down my guard and giving in to impulse, I reached a hand towards its head. As my fingertips contacted its hair-shaped mass, a jolt of static shot up my arm.

A fuzzy haze overtook my mind, my eyes blurring as they rolled back in my head.