Mirroring

Makura

Makura had the same face shape, eyes, nose shape, cheeks, and body shape as Crystal, and also the exact same personality as Crystal. She was a duplicate of Crystal, like a clone of some sort.

Or that's what everyone thought.

Makura also shared a room with Crystal, but Crystal would never, ever know that. And Makura had the same room, the same design, furniture and arrangements in her room, which was actually in Crystal's. Even the view from the window was exactly the same, with fluttering snowflakes flying down. Her vanity set and decorations were completely identical to Crystal's, and so was her mattresses, pillow case, clothes, and practically everything else that people can see is identical to Crystal's one. And that isn't any coincidence.

Makura lived behind the mirror of Crystal's room, constantly looking over Crystal's amazingly large blue room. She lived in a mythical land that very few knew about, which was hidden constantly behind large mirrors behind people's rooms. They always lived in the humans' shadow - quite literally, because their first rule is to keep following the humans' actions behind the mirror - all done to keep the mysterious dimension secret. Few people noticed their subtle mistakes in the mirror - and less knew about who and what is behind the mirrors' reflection. Makura knew what the consequences were if the humans suspected that the figures behind their mirrors were not themselves, as humans cared so much about their own privacy at all times. If they ever suspected or found hints that the mirrors weren't just tools but a breach in their privacy, they wouldn't hesitate to destroy every single mirror they could set their hands on. But now Makura faces a bigger problem. Humans were now trying to replace large mirrors that hang on the wall with elegant vanity set mirrors, which Makura or any other inhabitant of this dimension can't enter. They do have the powers to enter reflective lakes or puddles or water, but vanity mirrors were too small and disconnected. The people in this dimension disappear when their mirrors disappear. And if their numbers disappear, their world will disappear. Forever.

Makura didn't know what happened to those who are unlucky enough to be living in a thrown away mirror or cracked mirror, and she didn't want to find out. Yet, a few weeks ago, one of Crystal's friends, Kimberly, had said they threw away their large mirror to be replaced by a vanity set mirror, and incidentally told Crystal that it was the newest trend. Even though Crystal was addicted to her large mirror since it was her 13th birthday present, she wouldn't hesitate to change it if it meant following the trend. For that, Makura was worried. Sometimes she longed to tell Crystal who she really was. But if she broke the rule, broke the law, she would be punished. And she would never get to return home. Her real home.

There was only one way to return to her real home.

It was the exam in the Mirroring Ceremony, where sixteen year olds finally got a chance to show everyone that they had the skills and ability to use their Mirroring magic on their own, without any help. In some ways it was almost like how sixteen year olds got their driving licence, except the stakes were not nearly so high. If they passed, they would be given a pathway to leave the dimension and never come back, or stay, if they wished. If they pass with flying colours, they are given a key to access the mirror dimension whenever they wish through a mirror, and exit it as freely. "The Reflection Committee", also known as the Mirroring Leaders, determine their scores. They were strict, though they all swore an oath to be fair. They were never corrupted, always wanting the best for their world.. Makura longed for the key, she longed for freedom.

She knows that every year, when a child was born, another was born with it, except just bearing the Mirroring skill of the mirror dimension inhabitants. Their skill is that they can think of any item existing in the world, focus on the item intensely, and create a realistic illusion from the image. The illusion, if strong enough and maintained long enough, has the same uses and texture of the real object. However, the mirrored object has a different colour than the original, and that is the colour of their power. This is their core power, their strongest, however, also the most difficult. They can also do illusion tricks such as duplicating and vanishing, yet however strong, both of them have a time limit. If Makura's duplication skill was strong enough, she can make the duplicated item feel the same as the original too, not just having the same looks. Vanishing only lasts thirty minutes, and it can turn something completely invisible. It is the easiest skill. The children born in the mirror dimension had the same features, and grew however their mirror sibling grew, taught to follow every thought and action they make. If their copy in the human world hurts themselves, they hurt themselves. If their copy in the human world got a scar, they would get a scar. They were tied with the child, tied with them until they reached 16 years old, which would be when Makura was set free. Free. The word was fresh as a daisy on Makura's tongue, but the thought was like the snowflakes falling from the sky, beautiful and yet so fragile. So delicate and easy to destroy. Permanently.

Makura sat on her - or Crystal's - soft canopy bed, her frown deepening with mingled exasperation and irritation as she recognized, right next to her bed, the dark red cover of Crystal's school book. Didn't she understand it pained her mother when she rebelled and refused rules? Of course Crystal wouldn't know, since she never travelled the mirrors and would never see Crystal's mothers true expressions, or the things she would mumble to herself of not being there for Crystal. It made Makura almost wish she could shove her way out of the barrier of the glass in between the two worlds and show Crystal everything she didn't appreciate. She could go anywhere, do anything, provided she did the basic jobs of doing her schoolwork; checking in with her mother. But even so, Crystal never bothered to do what she should do, and most of the time spent her precious, free time in her room, checking the mirror and doing her makeup and trying on clothes.

She picked it up and flipped through the pages, but it was scribbled in a language she couldn't understand, though most was just doodles of different clothes and accessories. Makura sighed. She didn't understand why Crystal was so rebellious, and longed to tell and warn her breaking the rules didn't make her any prettier than she was already - or "cooler". And she did try - a lot of times. She usually frowned upon something she didn't approve of - usually without anyone else knowing. It took all her nerve to break one of the most important rules in her history - but she knew it was worth it if Crystal behaved better - so she will have a better time mimicking her. Not that Crystal would ever know; humans were so draft and self centred they always didn't notice a thing, even if it was incredibly strange. Makura bet if an alien ship one day crashed into Crystal's house Crystal wouldn't think it was real. But she knew - deep down - Crystal wasn't the person she would want to mess with. She already wanted the new "trendy" vanity mirror, and if she realised something was wrong, Makura would probably be wiped from existence if the mirror she was inhabiting was destroyed. Their fates were tied until she was released. Tied until Makura was old enough to do the Mirroring Ceremony. Soon enough.

And if she failed... thoughts always haunted Makura.

Makura shook her head, banishing the thought. She would not fail at the Mirroring Ceremony. The judges won't fail her. And she won't be found breaking one of the most important rules in history.

She curled her hands at the red book in her hands, the homework Crystal had forgotten, preparing to duplicate it. Slowly, a copy of the book appeared, almost like being painted into the world. It's cover red, worn, and an exact duplicate of Crystal's homework. She looked inside. The pages were exactly the same - with doodles and words in another language.

See? She told herself. I won't fail. I practise every day.

Makura looked out the window again, almost imagining another world where she could be as free as the snowflakes fluttering. Somewhere that she wouldn't be forced to follow someone else due to the world she was born in, something she never chose.

Crystal is almost sixteen. On Saturday, it would be Crystal's sixteenth birthday. The birthday that would change Makura's life.