Status: This story will eventually be a full chaptered story. Keep an eye out.

Mirror, Mirror

02/02

“Crystal, wake up!” I heard a familiar voice yell at me and shake me.

I groaned and shook my head. “No, leave me alone. I want to go home,” I muttered and tried to dig my head deeper into something warm.

“You are home sweetie.” A soft hand reached forward and moved some hair from my face. I shuttered. “Come on wake up Crystal. I haven’t seen you all summer and you won’t even wake up to say hi to your best friend.”

I quickly opened my eyes and met with those familiar beautiful dark blue eyes I knew all to well. I smiled and gave Matty a hug. I just needed someone to hold me. It only felt minutes away that I was standing in front of two illuminated strangers in a dark room. Maybe it was a dream… Hopefully it was a dream.

Matty broke apart from me and showed me that wonderful smile, “Now there’s the Crystal I know.” Even though I don’t like Matty in that particular way I think he liked me in… that particular way.

He was beautiful. Captain of the baseball team. Yet he gave all the popularity up to hang out with a loser such as me.

I pretended a smile and sat straight up with my head on my hand. “Erg, headache. What happened yesterday?” I asked. Truthfully all I can only remember so little after I went into the mirror. I remember the small conversation I had with the two people. Then after the conversation was a lot of screaming from me and laughing from the two. Then the rest is a blank. I don’t even know how I got into my bed.

“Well your mom told me that she found you in the bathroom passed out. Apparently you fainted from anxiety. But, no need to be afraid anymore my friend. I’ve got a solution to your problem.” I stared at Matty as he took out something in his pocket.

“What are these and where did you get them?” I asked once he handed me a bottle of pills.

“They’ll help you get better.” He told me.

“But where did you get them?” I asked again.

“That’s not so important,” He muttered and looked past me.

I shook my head and set down the pills on my bed. “Matty, I want to get better as much as everyone else wants me to. But its just not possible. It’ll never happen. I cant do it.”

“Your so negative about it Crystal. You wont even try.”

“Matty, you don’t know how much I’ve tried! It never works. I just get worse and worse every single time I look into a mirror.”

“Why are you even scared Crystal? Its so childish. Its just a mirror. Nothings going to happen. Its just a reflection.” He said it like it was nothing. It wasn’t just anything. It was everything. No one understood. No one but me…

“You don’t know what its like Matt! Every time I look into a mirror the image scares me. Its not even my reflection. Its what’s behind the mirror. You don’t even know the half of it. Once you see the hands your breath starts to shorten. Then once you touch your face and realize the hands aren’t actually there, your heart beat starts to quicken. Finally when you hear the voices you think you’ve gone mad. It all happens to fast and you start to panic.” Just thinking about it made me scared. I started to bite my thumb nail, something I always did when I was frightened.

“No Crystal you have gone mad… That’s entirely insane. Just please. Take the pills or try to get cured. For me. For you best friend?” He asked and took my hand away from my mouth and into his.

I looked into his eyes as he looked into mine. I sighed and shook my head. I knew it wouldn’t work. But hey, its worth a shot, right?

~

“Okay Chris, you know the medication was approved by your doctor and your psychiatrist and your therapist both suggested the same method to cure you at home since you wont do it during sessions.” Matt talked on and on all day but I haven’t really been listening.

I really don’t want to do this. Its going to happen like it always does. But I wanted to do it for Matty. He was my best friend and I wanted to make him happy. I wanted to make my parents happy. I wanted Cristina to love me again. The only way I could do all that was get cured. As hard as it was, I was going to do it.

I smiled and shook my head when Matty finished. I took the pill he gave me and swallowed it with some water.

Matty smiled at me and encouraged me to take the mirror on the floor. “’Kay, now all you have to do is take one look in the mirror. Whatever you saw before, whatever you heard before shouldn’t be there. You shouldn’t feel panic or scared anymore. Just be calm, take deep breaths, and remember, they’re not real.”

I took a deep breath and took the full length mirror from the floor. I looked into the mirror and smiled. Yes, just as usual. Just me. No hands, no voices, no attack. Then I started to take it all in. The hands weren’t even there yet. I started to hyperventilate.

“Crystal take deep breaths. Its okay. There’s nothing wrong. I’m here.” Matty soothed me and rubbed my back. I took another deep breath and closed my eyes. Only slightly, for a minute. Then once I opened my eyes they were there again. My breathing became hard, ragged, and heavy.

My heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest. I was so scared. The hands covered my whole face. Choking me and protecting me once more. I could hear myself doing heaving breathing. I could hear Matt yelling at me, but nothing really made sense. Like I knew he was yelling at me but I couldn’t make the words.

I couldn’t take it anymore. I let out a scream and smashed the mirror. Then again, that didn’t stop the voices or the hands. More just kept coming and coming.

“Crystal. Come join us. Crystal!” I screamed again. I took a piece of glass and held it up to my face. I looked into the broken mirror and at my part reflection part hands part voices. Once again I touched the mirror. Once again I was taken into a black abyss…

~

This time I wasn’t even laying on the ground. Just standing. My heart was still pounding. My breath still heavy. I was still in panic mood. I squinted my eyes looking forward and only saw two illuminated figures again. They reached towards me.

“What’s going on?” I asked again. It felt like the hundredth time this week.

“Your home. First you left. So you must be punished, right?” The one on the left said. The one on the right shook its head.

“Punished, why?” I asked.

“Why else? You ran away Crystal. Come with us.” The two figures moved forward. I had no other choice but to follow them. That and I didn’t want to be left in the dark alone. “Sit.” I gave him a confused look, but of course they couldn’t see. It was nearly pitch black in here.

Then as soon as I thought the words pitch black entered my mind a row of bright lights turned on. I turned and saw the two figures. Man and another man. The two smiled at me.

“Your punishment.” The right one said and pointed forward. There was a mirror right in front of me. “Don’t look away. Or your next punishment might be worst then this.” My breathing was ragged again. The hands showed again. Then more and more and more came. I slowly made my hand go to my face. Not only were the hands in the mirror, the hands were actually on me.

I let out a ear wrecking scream. The two people behind me laughed and laughed. Like they were watching a comedy movie.

“No, this isn’t real. Your not real!” I yelled at them.

Suddenly they stopped their laughter, “But Crystal, we are real. Don’t you see? We’re real…” The two spoke, and so did a million other voices.

“No!” I yelled and clenched my hands on my head. The two let their heads back and laughed. “Your not real…” I whispered to myself.

“Crystal… Believe, were real.” The voices all spoke at once. Tears were racing down my face as I started to hiccup from the heavy breathing and clenching my chest because of my fast heart beat.

Next, I did the only thing I knew I could do. I took the mirror and smashed it to a million pieces. No that didn’t stop the voices or the hands. The hands were still circling me all over. Even without the mirror. I screamed again and took a piece of broken mirror I found on the floor using my hands.

I looked into the mirror and for the last time I seen my face. My eyes. My hair. My scared, terrified eyes. Then the hands. They were haunting. Scary… It was unbearable. I took the glass the and put it straight in my heart. Then all of a sudden the voices stopped. I didn’t feel anymore hands. I was right back in my room. I looked all around me and found what I was looking for, Matty in the corner crying.

I smiled and crawled over to him. Just as I though, there was nothing, there was never anything. It was all in my head. The mirror pieces were still scattered around on the carpeted floor. No glass in my heart though, it was just a hallucination.

“Matty…” I whispered.

Matt looked up at me with tears in his eyes and slight smile. “Crystal, your okay?” He asked. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t know that would happen. I should have never let you do it. I’m so sorry.”

I smiled and shook my head. “No Matty you cured me. I don’t see them anymore. Its fine. Everything is fine.”

“Oh thank God!” Matty yelled and attacked me with a hug. I hugged my best friend back. But I still couldn’t help but think.

They’re real. Even though it doesn’t seem real. Everyone has a fear. Sometimes the fears cant be cured, sometimes they can. But the truth is, no one knows what’s really behind the fear.