Into the Phantasm Part 1: The Silver Mirror

Through the Mirror Part 1: An Average Sort of Day

Have you ever had an idea? A really special idea? A story, world, character or concept that just pops into your head one day that you can't stop thinking about? Or perhaps you're more interested in the ideas of others. The art they make. The stories they tell. The passion they give to the world. Have any of those ideas felt so real and so true that you could almost reach out and touch them? More importantly... have you ever wished you could?
What if you could meet the quirky little creatures you drew when you were young? What if you could ride dragons and fight monsters just like the heroes told of in storybooks? What if there was a place where every crazy idea that humans come up with... could be real? Would it be a dream come true... or a nightmare worth remembering? Well, believe it or not, such a place does exist.
You may think I'm completely off my rocker for saying it and hey, you're absolutely goddamn right about that. I've never even had a rocker! However, that doesn't make my words any less true... for far beyond the reaches of reality, there lies a realm known as: "The Phantasm."
Don't believe me? Well, by all means, leave this story where you found it. You're under no obligation to read it, so why bother? Pay it no heed and go about your life as if it never even existed... but for those with a more curious mind, I implore you to read on...
The Phantasm has many fantastical tales to tell, but in my opinion, none are more interesting than the story of how four ordinary young women changed the course of its history forever... but we've got a whole lotta chapters to go through before any of that malarkey happens.
    Wait, what do you mean you wanna know all that stuff now? Oh come on! This ain't part five, buddy, you're gonna have to be patient. You can't bake a cake by throwing an egg in the oven and hoping for the best so let's just focus on preparing the ingredients for now, k?
    Yeesh, attention spans nowadays...
    Ahem. Anyway, our story actually begins on a seemingly ordinary day in September, as Sarah Taylor, one of these soon-to-be heroes, is rudely awoken from her slumber, unbeknownst to the wondrous things she will bear witness to on her journey... into the Phantasm...

~~~

Sarah awoke with a start, sitting bolt upright in bed as a loud, screeching noise started to blare in her ears. "WAGH! W-What's happening?" she cried, searching for the source of the terrible sound... and realising that it was just her alarm clock. "Oh yeah... I'm supposed to wake myself up now because I'm 16. Ah, the pain of adult life, catching up with me already." She switched the infernal clock off and yawned.
"Hmm... now why exactly did I set that alarm today?" Sarah mused, clambering out of bed and accidentally stepping on some of her drawings that she'd scattered all over the floor the previous night. She leapt to one side and picked the pieces of paper up, making sure she hadn't ruined them. Thankfully, they were fine, so she put them back on the floor a little further away from her bed.
Sarah plodded over to her tatty calendar and checked the date. "Holy smokes!" she exclaimed. "Today is my first day of college! How did I manage to forget that?"
"You'd forget your own arm if it weren't attached to you," Sarah's Dad said from the door.
    "Oh, morning Dad," Sarah said. "I'm sorry, did I wake you up?"
    "Well if that alarm clock hadn't woken me, the random yelling would have done it."
    Sarah scratched the back of her head and chuckled. "Anyway, I should really start getting ready. I've got a college to go to!"
    "Have fun on your first day, sweetie." Sarah's Dad plodded out of the doorway. "I'm going back to bed..."
    Sarah took a few breaths to slap herself awake and got into gear. She shut the door and went to start getting dressed, grabbing some clothes from the bundle on the back of her desk chair. She'd only worn her navy-blue hoodie and leggings once so she chose them, making sure not to forget her little enamel pin with a lesbian flag on it. She wasn't about to leave the house without her lucky badge.
    Sarah rushed to the bathroom to brush her teeth and her hair. She would've put more effort into taming her messy locks but she'd tried and failed too many times to count. The last time, she barely made it out alive! A quick once over with a hairbrush was fine.
Sarah walked over to her mirror to check that she looked presentable enough. She clicked her fingers and pointed at her reflection. "Now that is one beautiful sight right there," Sarah said. "It's just a shame my hair is always so messy... I could also stand to lose a little weight... Have my hips always been so wide...?" Her face fell for a few seconds, then she slapped herself in the face. "Silence, body dysmorphia! You can't control this confident young woman!"
Sarah tore herself away from the mirror and went right back to it. She arranged everything she needed into her backpack and was about to go downstairs, but noticed that one of the anime figures on her shelf was crooked. "I swear, this room is such a mess," she complained, tiptoeing past the multitude of papers strewn across the floor to fix it. "There we go."
Sarah then zoomed out of her room, managed to trip over her own feet and tumbled all the way down the stairs, hitting the ground like a sack of rocks.
    "Are you okay!?" her Dad called from upstairs.
    "Yep!" Sarah exclaimed, standing up like nothing had happened. "Totally didn't fall down the stairs again if that's what you're thinking!"
    "Cool, just had to make sure you didn't die. Have fun at college, honey."
    Sarah dusted herself off and ran into the kitchen at top speed and slammed some bread into the toaster. She stared at the toaster while her bread cooked, tapping her fingers on the countertop. Eventually, the toast popped up, scaring Sarah half to death. She picked herself up from the floor, spread some peanut butter and jam on the toast, ate the toast, grabbed her backpack and walked out the door.
Sarah took a deep breath of the fresh, morning air and began the short walk to her bus stop.
    The sun had only just begun to rise, filling the sky with gold and the clouds with rosy pink. Sarah loved watching the sun. Whether rising or setting, it always made her feel calm and content. She was never sure why, but seeing such a beautiful sight made her optimistic about the day ahead. "I was a little nervous before, but I have a feeling today is gonna be great," she said, grinning to herself, "the start of a new adventure..."