Chapter 2
"Earlier at the dinner table, Dad rushed to the bathroom because he wasn't feeling well, and Luna went to the bedroom to fix her smudged lipstick. Don't you remember any of that?" I asked anxiously.
My mom looked confused, growing more puzzled by the second.
She asked, "Are you playing riddles with me on the first day of the year?
"They never left the table, you know."
I rambled on, explaining everything from beginning to end, my theories, the whole story, and all those forbidden rules about the mirror.
After listening to me go on and on, my mom finally lost her patience.
"Go play somewhere else," she said. "I need to wash the dishes. Stop with all this weird stuff."
My mom shooed me out of the kitchen, leaving me totally confused.
She wasn't pretending. She genuinely believed what she said.
My mind was reeling.
So, was I supposed to accept that 80-year-old strange man as my father?
And should I treat that young woman around my age as my uncle's wife?
This whole situation was beyond absurd. It was utterly baffling.
The living room was lively, and nobody seemed to find it odd to treat a wrinkled old man like one of their own.
Olivia and Uncle Derek were all smiles and sweetness. She was barely twenty, and he was pushing fifty, but nobody batted an eye.
By the front door, my dad's briefcase was still sitting there, just where he'd tossed it when he got home.
His leather shoes were right next to it.
Then it hit me.
My eyes widened in realization.
Right. A person could change completely, but everyday items like these couldn't just transform too, could they?
With that thought, I rushed into my bedroom and practically threw myself into the closet.
Olivia followed, looking super curious.
"Joyce, what are you doing?" she asked. "Come watch the New Year show with us."
She started to walk in, heading straight for me.
Panicked, I quickly shouted, "Wait, don't come in yet!"
Olivia gave me a puzzled look. "What's wrong?"
I was startled.
What if she accidentally looked in the mirror on her way in and ended up turning into someone else, too?
I hurriedly grabbed some clothes and carefully draped them over the mirror next to the bed.
"Alright, you can come in now. Just make sure you don't mess with the mirror," I said.
Olivia glanced at the chaotic closet, curiosity written all over her face.
"Hey, the New Year show is starting soon, everyone's waiting for you. What are you looking for?" Olivia asked, a confused look on her face.
I had a grave look on my face.
"I'm searching for proof," I said. "You guys don't believe my dad turned into someone else, right? Let me grab his clothes. Those two are completely different in height and build. You'll definitely notice the difference."
While talking, I kept digging through the closet, searching for something.
The whole closet was packed with my mom's clothes. My dad's were barely there, just a few shoved in a plastic bag at the very bottom.
Found it.
Before I could even open the bag, Olivia suddenly handed me a photo.
"There's a family photo on the dressing table," she said. "Just compare it to your dad, and you'll see for yourself."
I smacked my forehead.
"Right," I exclaimed, "how could I forget about that?"
I took the photo from her with a quick thanks and looked down at it.
The next second, it felt like my blood turned to ice, and my whole body went rigid.
On the family photo, where my dad should've been standing, there was that bizarre old man instead.
Not willing to accept it, I desperately grabbed a magnifying glass and examined the photo up close.
But oddly enough, there was no sign of editing or tampering with the picture at all.
The photo was old and blurry. It was definitely a real picture, not edited or anything.
I was so stunned that I couldn't even speak.
I instinctively tossed the photo aside.
"Are you sure you grabbed this from the dressing table?" I asked Olivia.
Olivia jumped, startled.
She then said, "Y-Yeah, it was just sitting there on the table.
"If you don't believe me, just look. The frame's got dust on it."
I quickly picked up the photo and ran my finger over the frame.
Sure enough, there was a thick layer of dust on it.
That meant she definitely didn't just grab it out of nowhere. Only something that had been sitting on the table for ages would be this dirty.
My legs just gave out, and I fell straight to the floor.
Olivia hurried over, frantically grabbing me to keep me from hitting the floor.
"Joyce, are you okay? Is there something weird about the photo?"
I pointed at that weird old guy in the picture, staring her down.
"Just tell me, what do you see?" I asked, my voice tight with urgency.
Olivia looked unsure, stumbling over her words.
"I want the truth," I pressed.
"Uh... your dad, your mom, and you?" Olivia replied in a low voice.
"Can you describe my dad in detail?" I asked.
"He's wearing a gray cotton jacket and black jeans. His face is really wrinkled, and his hair looks like it's slicked back with gel," Olivia said.
What she described was indeed my father, but it was nothing like the one in the photo.
I stared hard at the family photo, my mind racing, trying to make sense of it.
To me, it was unmistakably that creepy old man from before, no doubt about it.
"Are you sure?" I asked, a hint of doubt in my voice.
She nodded firmly.
In that instant, it felt like all hope drained out of me.
Was I really hallucinating?
I rubbed my eyes until they were sore, but the face in the photo stayed the same.
What the hell was going on?
Was I losing my mind?