Mirror, Mirror

Chapter 5: Nightmares and Doubts

Joven looked at me. "Wait, you never said you could go through the mirror! What about the curse? You're dead if you go there!"

I laughed. "Jove, thanks for worrying, but Shaya and I have got that all figured out. I'll stay in her house and train until I'm ready to defeat any evil that tries to attack me. And once I kill the dark fairy who cursed me, Demonia, I'll be free from the curse and able to travel in both worlds freely."

Joven looked at Shaya, who nodded to assure him that was true. "And you want me to come along?" he asked.

"Joven, of course I do! You're my best friend! And my only friend right now. What do you think Samantha Baron would say if I told her about this?"

He smiled. "I think she'd call the police and tell them you were mentally unstable."

I reached over and hugged Joven. "Thank you for believing me," I whispered.

I released him from the hug and he stood up. "When are we going...you know, across?"

"Tomorrow night. I have one more interview at seven, and we'll leave right after."

"Are you going to announce that you're leaving?"

"Yes. Maybe people will believe me if I disappear and show up a few days later."

Shaya suddenly piped up. "There are two things you need to know," she began. "One, the only mirror you can cross between worlds with is this mirror and my mirror on this side. These were the mirrors that were enchanted by our parents. Two, there is a limited amount of time you can stay here in Acacia-"

"Acacia?" asked Joven.

"My side," she said patiently. "Anyway, you can only stay here for three days before you have to go back to your world. Each week you must spend four days in your world, and if you want, three days here."

"Why?" I asked. I hadn't heard that part yet.

"If you spend even a minute too long in Acaria, the magic will make you forget about your world, and you'll be here forever."

"Well, that doesn't seem too hard-" Joven was cut off by Shaya finishing her explanation.

"Becasue you two are used to your world's time, you won't have any sense of time when you're across the mirror. For example, in Acacia, it's always dark, so you can't tell when one day starts and the next ends."

"So how will we know how to get back?" I asked. I didn't know about this part either.

"I'll give you two timed watches which will start buzzing when you have two hours to get back to your world. But you cannot lose them, or you will be stuck in Acacia. Forever." I looked at Shaya. She was dead serious.

She looked behind her. "I have to go, but I'll be back to guide you through the mirror tomorrow."

"Bye, Shaya," Joven and I choroused.

I looked at Joven. "I know you're thinking that this is a crazy idea, but you have to understand! I'm sick of being called a fake, or attention seeker. I need people to believe me!"

He laughed. "Actually I was just thinking about how hungry I am."

I smiled. "I'm hungry too! How about Chinese takeout?"

He grinned so wide I thought his head would crack open. "Exactly what I was thinking!"

We spent the rest of the night curled up on my mom's leather couches slurping shrimp lo mein out of takeout boxes with chopsticks. Joven had insisted on watching some super action movie, with tons of explosions and gunshots. When it was over, I grabbed a completely sappy romance movie and popped it into the ADX entertainment system. The ADX was another of my dad's billion-dollar inventions.

Joven groaned when he saw what I'd chosen. I punched his shoulder and snuggled under the down comforter. It seemed colder than usual that night, but I just thought I'd accidentally left a window open in the living room.

By the end of the movie there was ice forming on the edges of my comforter. I began to get a little creeped out, when all of the sudden I heard Shaya screaming.

"He's here! He's here! You have to go through the mirror now!"

Joven and I dashed upstairs. I shoved the door open and ran over to the mirror.

It was covered with ice, and I couldn't see or hear Shaya.

"Shaya! Shaya, how do we get through?" I screamed to the blank sheet of ice in front of me.

I couldn't hear anything but a single, crazy scream and one word from Shaya. "Run!"

I hit the ice, trying to break it away. I pressed my ear against it and strained for any sound. Nothing but silence.

"Joven?" I asked shakily. "Now what?"

I was interrupted by a terrible scratching sound, coming nearer and nearer to me.

The door burst open and standing in front of me was a giant dragon covered in frost.

"J-Joven..."

The dragon breathed some snowflakes out and I shrieked. Joven grabbed me and began shaking me.

"Andi! Are you okay? You were screaming!"

I opened my eyes and realized it was only a dream.

"Oh, sorry...I must have dropped off sometime during the movie..." I stared at the thin screen, noticing that the movie was off.

"What...where's the movie?"

"It's over..."

I checked my phone. Midnight.

"It's been over for three hours! Please don't tell me you were watching me!"

"What can I say? You're cute when you sleep."

"Joven, that's creepy."

"Um, Andi? I have something to ask you...I was going to do it at your birthday party, but..."

I laughed. "That didn't exactly go as planned."

He smiled. "Andi, um, well, we've been really good friends for a long time, and..." He paused for a second and took a deep breath. "I wanted to ask you if you'd be my girlfriend."

I stared at him for a second. "Are you being serious? Joven, I have wings!"

"I don't mind! I really like you, Andi. You're so much more...real than all of the other girls I know."

I was silent for awhile. Joven looked expectant, but after about a minute his face fell. "I got this for you," he muttered, pushing a black box toward me. "Think about it, Andi." He began to walk away.

"Wait! Joven, I would love to be your girlfriend."

"Really?"

"Really."

His face exploded into a smile and he ran over and hugged me.

***

A/N: Hello! The chapter I really want to write is coming up in a few parts...meh, I don't really know since I never plan my stories. It just makes them more real if I make them up as I go.

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