Mirror, Mirror

Chapter 11: Trapped

The next door led into a dark, empty room. No mirrors this time. Actually, there was nothing. Not even a light. I stumbled around in the dark, tracing the walls with my fingertips, trying to find an opening or at least something besides smooth, cold stone. Come to think of it, the room was really cold, too. Shaya had taken my boots and cloak, so all I had was my thin black dress. Every time I took a step, the glass and splinters cut deeper into my foot. I wanted to sit on the floor and cry. But I had to find a way out.

I walked in circle after circle, tracing my hand up and down the wall, looking for a switch, a button, a door, a window, anything. Finally my fingers found something: a small hole. I could stick my finger through it. I began to frantically scratch at the wall, breaking my fingernails. I couldn't do anything to the stone walls. I began to pace the room, forward and backward, my palm slapping the wall so I knew I'd reached the other side.

I suddenly tripped over a tight wire that I hadn't noticed before. The room flooded with light, and I squinted at the red trail tracing around the perimeter of the room. I immediately got to work picking glass and splinters out of my bleeding feet.

I noticed a steel door that I was sure hadn't been there before. I ran up to it and pushed it open.

It led into a hall of mirrors with one thing reflected in them.

A clock, ticking down the time I had left before I was stuck in Acacia forever.

This room was different. It was well lighted with plenty of windows showing the wintry outdoors. Heavy metal bars covered the windows, but they were teasing at a way out. I tried to open the steel door I'd just come out of. Of course it was locked.

The clock ticked loudly and announced to me that I had five hours left before I would be stuck in Acacia. How could there only be five hours? I remember the crystal ball telling me that I had a whole day left...until seven tonight! Or maybe a day was less over here...

All the extra, silent time was driving me crazy. I couldn't stand waiting here, waiting for someone to rescue me. If I was going to escape, I'd have to do it myself.

I thought back to the two dreams I'd had before...the one where Joven and Shaya both teamed up against me, and the one where Joven sent a fire-eagle to kill me.

Maybe those dreams were telling me something. Maybe there was no "good" side over here, in the world across the mirror.

Maybe there was just Joven's side or Shaya's side.

And now there was another side.

Mine.

I wasn't going to team up with either Shaya or Joven. They had both lied to me, and I didn't know who to believe any more. But they'd both told me about how I had the most powerful magic in all of Acacia and Mauvent. If that was true, I could easily win in a battle against either of them.

Or both of them.

The thought made me smile. I had powers. I was the strongest.

I could break out of here! Why didn't I think of that before? I kicked myself mentally for being so stupid. I had no idea how to use my powers, but I had five hours to figure out how.

Wait. I can't fight a battle against two powerful kingdoms in five hours. I'd have to go back through the mirror for four days, then come back and help solve everything.

I closed my eyes and cleared my mind of all thoughts but one. Placing both my hands on one of the mirrors, I whispered softly to it.

"I want to go home."

To my surprise, I felt myself falling back over, until I tumbled out on the other side. In my room. There was my bed, with my mother sitting on it, sobbing.

"Mom!" I yelled. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed her.

"Cassandra! Cass, honey, you're here..." She began to cry even harder. "I can't believe it, you're back! Cassie! I missed you!" She proceeded to squeeze the life out of me.

"I missed you too, Mom. But I have quite a story to tell..."

"Cass, your father and I-we know about the mirror. After you left, we both had a strange dream, where a fairy was telling us that you were okay, you were in a magical place. At first we put it off as just being crazy..."

"No, but you're not crazy! It's all true! It is real!"

"You didn't let me finish," she laughed. "We kept having the same dream, over and over. Eventually we just accepted that maybe it could be possible...it was our only hope. And now you're back...honey, you gave us such a fright..."

"I know, and I'm sorry. I have to stay here for four days-"

"Only four?" my mother said, cutting me off. "Why?"

"I need to help Mauvent and Acacia, Mom. I guess I'm kinda like...the queen or something."

"Cassandra, you can't go back there."

"Mom! I have to!"

"Your little fairy-tale world will be fine without you, okay? They can solve their own problems."

"Mom! They need me!"

"No, honey. You're staying in your own world."

"Mom-"

"No more arguments. It's final." She gave me a long, sad look. "I'm sorry, Cass, but it's for your safety."

"Mom...you don't understand..."

She sighed. "Cass, I understand more than you think. I've been to Oceania."

"It's Acacia and Mauvent now, Mom. They split up."

"I know, Cass. I was in the middle of that war. After that war, well..." She paused and shook her head. "Magic wars get ugly, Cassie. They don't just kill people, they destroy a land. Mauvais and Acacia had to be built out of Oceania's ashes. After a magic war, you don't recognize anything. It's just burned, blackened land."

"What happened after that war?" I whispered.

"I broke apart the mirror and burned it. I swore to never go back. And that's why I can't let you go. Especially not in the middle of a war."

"But don't you want to stop Mauvais and Acacia from becoming ashes? I can help them!"

"I thought I could stop Oceania's war, Cass. But no matter how much magic you have, it's never a match for the huge armies. Besides, magic there usually does more harm than good."

"Couldn't they just use magic to restore the land?"

"That's not how it works, I'm afraid."

"Then how does it work?"

"Every time you use magic, even for little things, something dies. The only way that you can have enough power to perform magic is by taking all the life out of something and using their energy to perform magic."

"So when I used magic to come back here..."

"Something died. Maybe just a bird or tree. But the more magic you do, the more life you need to perform it. That's why magic wars are so dangerous."

I sank to the ground. "Isn't there any way I can help?"

My mother smiled thinly. "Don't go back. Destroy the mirror."

I looked at the plain, wood-framed mirror sadly.

"It's your choice, Cass. But..."

She didn't need to finish. I already knew what the right thing to do was.

The problem was, I wasn't going to do it.

***

A/N: Whoo! Another part!

Hope you are not utterly, completely confused at this point. If you are, comment and let me know and I'll revise the story...I feel like it's super confusing right now.

I will edit the whole thing once I finish.

Anyway, love if you're commenting, reading, or voting!

Till next time!

-Kaylin