Mirror // Van McCann

42. Change

I was surprised I got a good number of practice problems done. I needed something to distract my mind from all the horrible thoughts and they worked just fine. I figured it was time for a break so I stood up and walked around to stretch my legs. It still felt stuffy in the house so I put my jacket on and walked out the back door.

By now the leaves had fallen, leaving the trees bare. There was no color in the Fuller's yard. Everything was green and brown yet it was still beautiful to look at. I pulled a chair out and sat down. The cold seeped through my pants but eventually the heat from my body warmed the seat up. I put my hands in my pocket and closed my eyes temporarily. I could hear the wind rustling and the birds chirping. The back door opened snapping me out of my zen. I turned to see it was Van and my face lit up.

"What are you doing out here in the cold?" Van asked, taking a seat next to me. Now that he was closer, I could see how tired he was. Did he not sleep last night as well?

"I'm taking my break," I said, smiling. I brushed his hair out of his face. "Did you not sleep well last night? You look tired." The pad of my thumb brushed the bags under his eyes delicately. Even though he was tired, he still looked good. His freckles were more visible due to his face being pale but his eyes were still bright. He grabbed my hand and held it.

"No," he replied. "Did you?"

"I didn't sleep a wink but I took a nap around noon so I'm sort of functioning."

Van laughed. "A nap sounds good right now but I'll sleep early tonight."

"Did Amy head back?"

"Yeah."

"How did yesterday go? I heard your phone went off?" I asked.

Van chuckled. "Yeah, what a disaster! I forgot I set the volume up during band practice. It was Bondy who called. But anyways, what did Amy tell you? I don't wanna bore you by repeating what she said."

"She told me Adam knows about the mirror and is trying to find it. And he knows I'm not dead so he's determined to find me because if he finds me, he'll find the mirror."

Van nodded his head. "That's exactly what she told me so I have nothing new to add."

Just like Amy, I could tell he was holding something back but I didn't want to prod.

"There's nothing we can do about it this time, is there?" I asked.

"What d'you mean?"

"I mean there's nothing we can do to stop Adam this time, is there?"

"It's hard to say. You never know with him."

"You can be honest with me, Van. Is it bad this time?"

Van pressed his lips together. "It's bad but we don't know how bad. We have to prepare for the worst."

"The worst being...?"

"That Adam finds the mirror."

"But we can't let that happen."

"How are you going to stop him?"

I paused to think. "Can we hide the mirror?" I asked and Van started laughing. I swatted him. "Stop laughing, I'm serious!"

"Where are you going to hide a giant mirror?"

"I don't know...under the bed or something? Or put it in the basement all tucked away? Anywhere but in the middle of the room!"