My name is Astrid, but my friends call me Riri. I have naturally long, wavy, dark-purplish hair, simple brown eyes, and I’m a little above the average height for women.

I grew up in an old-fashioned household where my achievements, whether big or small, were always overlooked. I was expected to follow my parents’ wishes without question. I have been an obedient and perfect daughter just to make them happy. Constantly prioritizing their feelings over my own. They believed that I would be successful on the path they chose for me. But then one day, a realization hit me: I wanted to put myself first. I wanted to make the decisions for my own life and not follow the path they had laid out for me. So, I took a turn and never looked back.

After my 18th birthday, I took the admissions test, left home, and found myself a small apartment that was a few blocks away from the university I attended. Fortunately, my savings were enough to cover the first month of living alone until I got a part-time job at a nearby coffee shop.

Life was tough, but I adapted.

At first, I struggled to live on my own, but I got through it with the help of the friends I made at the university. Frankly, I only have three close friends: Dex, Mira, and Bren. I met Dex and Bren during our first year; we had a few classes together and shared the same break times, which led us to hang out even on days when we didn't have classes. As for Mira, I met her at an event hosted by our organization. She was incredibly outgoing. I didn’t need to match her energy to get along with her; I could simply stay by her side and listen to everything that she had to say. I am grateful to have met these amazing people. In the midst of loneliness, they have become my guides, helping me move forward and enjoy life as it is.

…

Today is Friday, August 7th, a day before my 20th birthday. I woke up from a strange dream about a goddess banished to a distant land.

‘Hmmm, why do I feel sad just remembering it?’ I thought while looking at myself in the bathroom mirror.

But I didn’t want to dwell on it. So, I started with my daily routine and headed out to grab a coffee before going to the university.

…

After scanning my ID at the entrance, Mira tapped my shoulder and greeted me with a big smile on her face. She then asked about my plans for my birthday.

“I plan to go to work and earn money.” I replied.

Her face fell, clearly irritated. She knew I didn’t celebrate my birthday when I was still at my parents' house; for them, it was not the kind of thing that needed to be celebrated. Ever since Mira learned about this, she’s always made sure I get even a small celebration for my birthday.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

I held her hand and told her it was fine not to have anything this year. But then she responded firmly, “It’s not fine! You only study and work; you need to have some fun from time to time, Riri.”

I stayed silent and continued walking.

“How about this? I’ll treat you later to a drink; we’ll be back before midnight, I promise. Pleaseeee, I want to spend time with you.” she added, making a puppy face and clinging to my arms as we walked.

“Alright, but I really need to be back before midnight because I have an early shift tomorrow.”

“Yes! love you, Riri!” she hugged me, and we smiled at each other as we headed into our classroom.

…

Time passed, and we were on our way home from the bar. I was driving Mira’s car because she was too drunk to drive. We arrived at the parking lot basement of Mira’s condo; from there, I carried her on my back and took her into her room.

I laid her on the bed, took off her shoes, and wiped off her makeup. Once everything was settled, I said goodbye and thanked Mira for the wonderful night, even though I knew she wouldn’t remember it. I locked the door and left her place.

Mira’s condo and my apartment are close by, so I decided to walk and just enjoy the cold breeze brushing against my face. I looked up at the night sky and saw a shooting star passing by. I stopped walking, closed my eyes, and put my hands together to pray, “I wish something good happens from now on, moving forward.” I smiled, opened my eyes, and continued walking home.

…

I was climbing up the stairs to my apartment complex when my phone rang. I checked who it was and immediately answered when I read ‘Bren’ on top of my phone screen.

“Hey, where did you go?”

"Why? Did something happen?”

“Well, we went to your apartment, but you were not there.”

“Sorry, I was with Mira.” I replied.

“It’s fine; we left your gift in front of your apartment. We wanted to wish you a ‘Happy Birthday’ in person, but we needed to go back immediately after dropping off your present.”

“Thank you for the gifts. I’m heading up to my apartment now. I’ll chat with you guys later when I open your gifts. Take care, bye.”

When I reached my apartment door, I saw a box with a note, ‘Happy Birthday, Riri! We hope all the good things come to you in the years ahead.’ The thought of having amazing friends made me smile.

I was about to open my door when I got startled by my phone's alarm. It was August 8th, and as of that day, I was officially 20 years old.

I then turned the knob on my apartment door, and to my surprise, there was a full-body mirror facing me. It was a vintage gold mirror with a swirly design on the frame. I almost shouted my lungs out when I saw my reflection after opening the door.

I gasped and asked myself, “Is this one of Dex and Bren’s gifts? What pranksters. But how did they manage to put it inside my apartment?”

Exhausted from the day’s event, I didn’t think much of it anymore. But when I touched the sides when I was about to set it aside, the reflection in the mirror changed to show a field of flowers. At first, I thought I was hallucinating. Curious, I bent down to bring my face closer to the mirror to inspect what was happening with it.

“Wow, is this a live painting? Do they already have the technology to do this? How were they able to afford this?” I wondered, still puzzled by the thing in front of me.

When I was about to stand up, I got dizzy, lost my balance, and fell straight inside the mirror.

Everything happened so fast that I had no time to think about what was happening to me. The last thing I remember was-

I was falling from the sky …

screaming my lungs out …

then I landed and passed out.

To be continued.