Chapter 63: Sisterly Sabotage
In Maria's bedroom, in front of the full-length mirror, light and shadow twisted.
Ripples spread from the mirror's center, and Alan—holding Edward's hand—stepped from the mirror world back into reality.
"God, fresh air," Alan stretched, using Maria's body to make a very relaxed, almost provocative movement.
Her skirt swayed with the motion, revealing a glimpse of pale leg.
At that moment, in the gray-silver space inside the mirror, the real Maria was huddled in a corner, hugging her knees, watching everything outside with desperate longing.
When she'd seen her body—controlled by her sister Alan—going through that intense battle with Edward, her heart had been full of worry and fear.
And when she'd watched Edward, like some avenging angel, turn that nightmare monster into dust, then heal Nancy with impossible power, her heart had filled with indescribable admiration and awe.
But now, those complex emotions were rapidly being replaced by something else—mortification and... a bitter twinge of jealousy.
She watched as Alan, after stretching, didn't immediately switch back. Instead, she turned and walked right up to Edward.
Because of the height difference, Alan had to tilt her head up to look at him.
She stared intently, and in those eyes that belonged to Maria—which should have been shy and innocent—there now gleamed a bold, direct confidence that Maria herself had never possessed.
She reached up and casually straightened Edward's slightly rumpled collar.
Her fingers were light, carrying the warmth of a teenage girl, brushing across his neck.
"After a fight, your clothes are all messed up." Her voice dropped slightly, taking on a husky, suggestive tone. "You know, we saved the whole damn town, and that Lieutenant only bought us a roast turkey dinner. That's pretty cheap, don't you think?"
"I thought it was fine," Edward said, not moving away from her touch.
"Tsk, you're no fun." Alan pouted, but her fingers slid down from his collar to rest on his chest, tracing lazy circles with her fingertips. "You should say the real reward is something way better than just dinner."
Maria, inside the mirror, was completely frozen in horror.
Sister... what is Sister DOING?!
That's MY body!
How can she use my body to do such... such intimate things with Edward! And say stuff like that!
Maria felt like her face was hot enough to cook an egg on.
In the mirror world, she was just a disembodied consciousness, only able to watch helplessly.
A crushing sense of shame and a weird feeling of being... what did people call it online? NTR'd? That feeling washed over her, making her want to disappear into the floor.
What made it even worse was that Edward... he wasn't stopping her!
He was just standing there, letting Sister use my hands to touch his chest!
Does he... does he actually like that type? Forward, bold, and a little dangerous?
In an instant, a thousand chaotic thoughts exploded in Maria's mind.
She looked at that confident, flirty version of "herself" outside the mirror, then at her own shy, blushing self cowering in the corner inside it. An overwhelming sense of inadequacy crashed over her.
"Alright, quit messing around," Edward finally spoke, gently catching Alan's wandering hand. "If you keep this up, your sister's gonna have a breakdown in there."
Alan's movements paused, then she let out a laugh.
She glanced back at the mirror and stuck her tongue out at the red-faced, teary-eyed Maria inside.
"You're such a buzzkill. It was just a joke." She stepped back, releasing his hand. "Fine, fine, I'll stop torturing her. Switching back now."
The moment she spoke, Maria felt a powerful pull, and the scene spun wildly. When she regained her bearings, she was back in her own body.
The feeling of solid ground was so real—the familiar room, the familiar air, and... Edward, standing right in front of her.
Alan's soul had returned to the mirror, where she stood with arms crossed, looking supremely amused.
"I..." Maria started to speak, but her voice came out shaky, and her face still felt like it was on fire.
She couldn't look at Edward at all, just stared down at her sneakers.
Everything that had just happened felt like it had happened to her directly.
The texture of his collar under her fingertips, the warmth of his neck, even the firmness of his chest... all those sensations were burned into her nerve endings.
I'm never going to recover from this...
"It's getting late. I should head back," Edward's voice cut through the awkward silence.
"Oh! Um, yeah, okay." Maria jumped like a startled cat, then immediately looked back down. "Be... be careful getting home."
"Will do." Edward turned toward the window. Before pulling back the curtain, he paused and looked back. "By the way, Maria."
"Y-yeah?"
"Your sister was right. You were pretty badass back there."
With that, he opened the window and dropped smoothly out of the second-floor opening.
A moment later, the distinctive rumble of the Fenrir's engine roared to life below, then faded quickly into the night.
Maria stood frozen, Edward's last words replaying on loop in her head.
"You were pretty badass..."
He'd said "you," not "your sister."
An indescribable joy and warmth, like electricity, shot through her entire body, instantly washing away all the embarrassment from before. The corners of her mouth turned up uncontrollably, and she felt like she might actually float off the ground.
"Hmph, he's got good taste," Alan's voice drifted from the mirror. "But little Maria, you need to step up your game, or next time I really won't give the body back, you know?"
Maria's face immediately flushed bright red again, and she rushed to the mirror, shouting, "ALAN!"
Edward roared down the empty street on the Fenrir.
The evening breeze felt cool against his face, and he couldn't help but smile slightly.
Sisters, he thought with amusement. Never a dull moment.
The bike's headlight cut through the gathering darkness as he headed home, leaving the chaos of Springwood—and Alan's teasing—in his rearview mirror.
For now.
Connor Residence - 9:47 PM
Edward pulled into the driveway, killed the engine, and walked through the front door.
The house was quiet. Mr. and Mrs. Connor had already turned in for the night.
But three pairs of eyes immediately locked onto him from the living room.
Lily, Emma, and Esther sat on the couch in an unnervingly perfect row, all staring at him with identical expressions of innocent curiosity.
"Welcome home, big brother," they said in perfect unison.
Edward paused, hand still on the doorknob.
"...Why do you three look like you're planning something?"
"We're not planning anything," Lily said sweetly.
"We've just been very good," Emma added in her flat, clinical tone.
"Very, very good," Esther finished with an angelic smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
Edward looked at the three of them, then sighed.
"I need a beer," he muttered, heading for the kitchen.
Behind him, he heard Lily whisper, "I told you that would work."
Yep, Edward thought. Never a dull moment.
[Chapter Rewards]
500 Power Stones unlock 2 chapters
10 Reviews unlock 1 chapter
Hope you enjoyed the chapter.
20+ chapters ahead on P2treon DarkFoxx