The Glass Rose
Mirrors and Word Puke
"Hello?"
Adelai's voice carried far across the room.
The room was much bigger than she remembered. She squinted to see the end.
"Anyone there?" She cupped her hands around her mouth and gave a loud whoop.
Her echoes bounced off the walls, but no one answered. Defeated, she let her arms drop to her sides and gave a loud sigh.
She kicked at the floor and watched a small pebble skid across the cold ground. She picked it up and stared down at it.
She rubbed her thumb against the cool rock. She looked across the room, swung her arm back, and chucked the pebble toward the opposite end. She listened as it landed with a small thud.
"Ah, fuck it." She followed her natural instinct and sat down cross legged on the floor. The ground was dirtier now, as if a lot of other people had been there. She ran her hand along the rough floor, feeling the imprints of imaginary people that had never been... alive. At least that's what she thought. That's why she was there, wasn't it? She was dead. Gone. Pushing up daisies.
Wasn't she?
That was when she woke up.
Addie's eyes fluttered open. The first thing she saw was the sunlight streaming in through her window. She sighed in relief, glad to be gone from the window-less box of a room. She settled back into her pillow.
Then she remembered what day it was.
Addie groaned and stared at her clock. 7:15. That gave her 15 minutes.
She threw the covers off of herself and swung her feet over the side of the bed.
Humming, Addie dug through her drawers for something to wear.
What would one wear on the first day at a new school?
Addie had no idea. She hadn't gone to a public school since she was 12 years old.
She decided on a gray, logo-less shirt she had found at a thrift store back in California. She pulled on a pair of worn jeans and threw on her sneakers. She then remembered she was in New Jersey. She grabbed a hoody from her laundry basket.
She snatched up her bag and made her way downstairs. She threw it on the couch as she entered the bathroom.
A note was taped to the mirror. Addie leaned over the sink.
Addie: I got a call this morning for a job interview. I'm sorry I couldn't be here for you, especially on a day like this! I'll make it up to you after school. I promise. xx Angie.
Addie tore the note off of the mirror and crumpled it up. A face was staring back at her.
The girl in the mirror cocked her head. Her face was blank, concealing all emotions behind her bright green eyes, but even those were dulled from their once twinkling state.
Addie wondered whether the girl behind the mirror was happier than she was.
She wondered if the girl behind the mirror had friends and did fun things together like real friends do.
She wondered if the girl behind the mirror had a mother and a father who took care of her and kissed her cheek every night. She wondered if she told them of the sweet dreams she had while her mother cooked breakfast and her father read the paper.
To live in a world like that.
Addie found that she was running her finger along the cool glass. She jerked her hand away and frowned.
"Your hair looks like shit." She told the girl. She watched as the girl grabbed a hairbrush and ran it through her long, loose curls. It looked a little better.
Addie realized that she was wasting time. She went into the kitchen and grabbed a packet of Pop Tarts.
Addie grabbed her book bag and slammed the door behind her. The cool October air brushed against her cheeks as Addie walked down the sidewalk toward the high school. She was glad she was within walking distance of the school. That meant she didn't have to go through the stares on a long ride on a crowded bus.
She ripped open the packet with her teeth and pulled out a Pop Tart. She sunk her teeth into it and chewed slowly, all the while noticing how cold New Jersey was. She was so used to greeting the golden sun every morning. The gray overcast made the place kind of depressing.
It gets better.
Her aunt's words echoed in her head.
"Better my ass." Addie muttered as a cold wind bit into her face. She zipped up her hoody and continued chewing on her Pop Tart.
She wondered what high school would be like. She had been homeschooled for nearly 5 years.
Addie stopped.
What if that was wierd? What if people found that freak-ish?
She chewed on the last of her first Pop Tart and started on the other one. She continued walking.
She decided she would not speak to anyone that day, in fear of saying something stupid. She would see what the place was like. Then she would do whatever she thought safe.
She was nearly a block away from the school when she noticed someone was behind her.
Don't look back, was her first thought. Then she realized she was being paranoid. She turned her head to the side and glanced behind her.
A young man about her age was walking and staring at the sky. It was a wonder he didn't slip on an ice patch. His hair was rather large, bouncing with every step he took. Addie couldn't help but smile.
One second, Addie was looking behind her. The next second, she was falling to the ground. The second after that, Addie was on her back, staring up at the sky.
"Oh." She said as she realized what the young man was staring at. The sun was actually attempting to poke through the gray clouds.
"Are you okay?"
Addie tilted her head. The man was standing above her, staring down at her.
She realized she had fallen.
"Oh!" Addie sat up and rubbed her head. "Yeah, I'm okay. Shit. Ah, fuck, I'm okay."
Frustrated, Addie stood up and shook the ice from her hair. She could see how embarassing the situation was.
"Um.." The man stared at her. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, yeah." She said. "I just suck at walking and thinking at the same time. You know, when you're just out walking, and you start thinking about stuff and you stop paying attention? And you're not really aware that you're still out here? In the real world? You know? Like you've gone into some other world in your head, that's just for--"
Addie realized she was rambling. And that the man's eye were twinkling with amusement.
"Shit." She mumbled.
She turned around and stomped away.
"The school's over there." The young man pointed out.
Addie turned around and stomped the other way, her cheeks flaming with embarassment.
If this was the way she was going to act all day, she was in for a shit load of trouble.
Adelai's voice carried far across the room.
The room was much bigger than she remembered. She squinted to see the end.
"Anyone there?" She cupped her hands around her mouth and gave a loud whoop.
Her echoes bounced off the walls, but no one answered. Defeated, she let her arms drop to her sides and gave a loud sigh.
She kicked at the floor and watched a small pebble skid across the cold ground. She picked it up and stared down at it.
She rubbed her thumb against the cool rock. She looked across the room, swung her arm back, and chucked the pebble toward the opposite end. She listened as it landed with a small thud.
"Ah, fuck it." She followed her natural instinct and sat down cross legged on the floor. The ground was dirtier now, as if a lot of other people had been there. She ran her hand along the rough floor, feeling the imprints of imaginary people that had never been... alive. At least that's what she thought. That's why she was there, wasn't it? She was dead. Gone. Pushing up daisies.
Wasn't she?
That was when she woke up.
Addie's eyes fluttered open. The first thing she saw was the sunlight streaming in through her window. She sighed in relief, glad to be gone from the window-less box of a room. She settled back into her pillow.
Then she remembered what day it was.
Addie groaned and stared at her clock. 7:15. That gave her 15 minutes.
She threw the covers off of herself and swung her feet over the side of the bed.
Humming, Addie dug through her drawers for something to wear.
What would one wear on the first day at a new school?
Addie had no idea. She hadn't gone to a public school since she was 12 years old.
She decided on a gray, logo-less shirt she had found at a thrift store back in California. She pulled on a pair of worn jeans and threw on her sneakers. She then remembered she was in New Jersey. She grabbed a hoody from her laundry basket.
She snatched up her bag and made her way downstairs. She threw it on the couch as she entered the bathroom.
A note was taped to the mirror. Addie leaned over the sink.
Addie: I got a call this morning for a job interview. I'm sorry I couldn't be here for you, especially on a day like this! I'll make it up to you after school. I promise. xx Angie.
Addie tore the note off of the mirror and crumpled it up. A face was staring back at her.
The girl in the mirror cocked her head. Her face was blank, concealing all emotions behind her bright green eyes, but even those were dulled from their once twinkling state.
Addie wondered whether the girl behind the mirror was happier than she was.
She wondered if the girl behind the mirror had friends and did fun things together like real friends do.
She wondered if the girl behind the mirror had a mother and a father who took care of her and kissed her cheek every night. She wondered if she told them of the sweet dreams she had while her mother cooked breakfast and her father read the paper.
To live in a world like that.
Addie found that she was running her finger along the cool glass. She jerked her hand away and frowned.
"Your hair looks like shit." She told the girl. She watched as the girl grabbed a hairbrush and ran it through her long, loose curls. It looked a little better.
Addie realized that she was wasting time. She went into the kitchen and grabbed a packet of Pop Tarts.
Addie grabbed her book bag and slammed the door behind her. The cool October air brushed against her cheeks as Addie walked down the sidewalk toward the high school. She was glad she was within walking distance of the school. That meant she didn't have to go through the stares on a long ride on a crowded bus.
She ripped open the packet with her teeth and pulled out a Pop Tart. She sunk her teeth into it and chewed slowly, all the while noticing how cold New Jersey was. She was so used to greeting the golden sun every morning. The gray overcast made the place kind of depressing.
It gets better.
Her aunt's words echoed in her head.
"Better my ass." Addie muttered as a cold wind bit into her face. She zipped up her hoody and continued chewing on her Pop Tart.
She wondered what high school would be like. She had been homeschooled for nearly 5 years.
Addie stopped.
What if that was wierd? What if people found that freak-ish?
She chewed on the last of her first Pop Tart and started on the other one. She continued walking.
She decided she would not speak to anyone that day, in fear of saying something stupid. She would see what the place was like. Then she would do whatever she thought safe.
She was nearly a block away from the school when she noticed someone was behind her.
Don't look back, was her first thought. Then she realized she was being paranoid. She turned her head to the side and glanced behind her.
A young man about her age was walking and staring at the sky. It was a wonder he didn't slip on an ice patch. His hair was rather large, bouncing with every step he took. Addie couldn't help but smile.
One second, Addie was looking behind her. The next second, she was falling to the ground. The second after that, Addie was on her back, staring up at the sky.
"Oh." She said as she realized what the young man was staring at. The sun was actually attempting to poke through the gray clouds.
"Are you okay?"
Addie tilted her head. The man was standing above her, staring down at her.
She realized she had fallen.
"Oh!" Addie sat up and rubbed her head. "Yeah, I'm okay. Shit. Ah, fuck, I'm okay."
Frustrated, Addie stood up and shook the ice from her hair. She could see how embarassing the situation was.
"Um.." The man stared at her. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, yeah." She said. "I just suck at walking and thinking at the same time. You know, when you're just out walking, and you start thinking about stuff and you stop paying attention? And you're not really aware that you're still out here? In the real world? You know? Like you've gone into some other world in your head, that's just for--"
Addie realized she was rambling. And that the man's eye were twinkling with amusement.
"Shit." She mumbled.
She turned around and stomped away.
"The school's over there." The young man pointed out.
Addie turned around and stomped the other way, her cheeks flaming with embarassment.
If this was the way she was going to act all day, she was in for a shit load of trouble.