In Pieces

2 | Mirror, Mirror |

My sight was gone! Pitch black!

I turned around, and then let out a long exhale. I hadn't gone blind. The world around me was still in full color.

There was something wrong—seriously wrong with the mirror, though. Why had it turned dark all of a sudden?

Buzzing... I leaned closer to the surface and tapped it. Did it buzz?

Was the mirror some kind of screen or something? If it was, there had to be a reset button somewhere. I traced my fingers on the golden carvings around the frame—but nothing. No buttons.

Mom would rain down hellfire if she found out I'd messed with her stuff.

What did you break this time? she'd snarl.

Nothing, Mom! Nothing...yet.

I leaned over the makeup table to haul the mirror forward. If the cables or batteries needed meddling, perhaps I could fix it—but the stupid frame was heavier than I thought, and my sweaty hands were getting slippery by the second.

Suddenly, something snapped. And before I could grasp it, the mirror hit my chest and crashed on the floor. Letting out a gasp, I rubbed the bruise above my heart and stepped away.

Huh, this was strange. There weren't any cables behind the frame—no batteries either.

Had the surface really gone black, or was I the one with loose screws?

I hurried to lift the mirror and leaned it against the makeup table. At least the surface wasn't dark anymore. It wasn't shattered either—only had a couple of deep cracks.

"Gio, Gio, Gio," I whispered hopelessly as I kneeled in front of my fractured reflections. What did that word even mean?

Suddenly, my reflections started to fluctuate. I backed away and rubbed my eyes, swearing never to wear mascara again. It had to be the mascara! There was no other logical explanation!

Could I dare touch the surface? I had to know if I was going crazy, right?

I reached for the mirror, my heart knocking against my rib cage, my palms sweatier than ever. My fingertips touched the cold, smooth glass, and left ripples...like water. Before I could gasp, my cracked images whirlpooled and sucked me in.

Okay, I was pretty sure I went blind now. It was as dark as hell.

Don't panic, don't you panic... I rose on my knees, panting.

"Hello?" My voice echoed in the vast space.

The air around me was heavy, smelling like wet carpet. My shaky hands glided against the velvety floor. Whereever I was, I wasn't in Mom's bedroom anymore.

Were my eyes even open? I blinked. Yes, they were.

Somewhere in the distance, faint light flowed through countless frames, leaving hues on the floor, illuminating their tight parameters.

"Mom? Lu-lucy?" I squeaked, squinting my eyes.

Where was I?

One hesitant step followed the other as I made my way to the closest source of light—and gasped when I saw mirrors hanging in midair. I walked around one—but nothing. It wasn't attached to anything!

"Hello? Somebody?"

Nothing.

"Anybody?"

Nobody. I was all alone.

My eyes caught three antique mirrors floating next to each other—identical to the one in Mom's bedroom. My feet slowly carried me there.

Just like every other mirror in this creepy place, those three mirrors illuminated their surroundings—only, they were terribly broken as if somebody had shuffled three broken glass pieces and stuck them on each frame. If I were at home, I'd gather those pieces, grab some glue and ensemble them back together. But I was...

Was I inside a mirror?

My broken reflections on each frame gasped with me. How was I supposed to get out of here?

I reached for the mirrors to find my balance. My reflections' arms raised with mine, and then—twitched!

Wait...what?

I stopped and squinted my eyes. Alaias in the mirrors stopped and then started looking at different directions!

This had to be a bad dream. A nightmare!

I took back a step. Three scared girls in the broken mirrors moved forward.

What was that silly word that got me here in the first place?

"Gio! Gio! Gio—"