Mirror, Mirror (On Hiatus)

Chapter Nine

The three of us were out of the prison in no time, being driven by the van we were taken in to get to our flat in London.  I wasn't so excited, despite the fact I would be home again soon, free to say whatever I wanted or do as I pleased.  ...Within reason.  The fact the Mirror was going to be stuck on that horrible side for however long... maybe being hurt or mistreated... that bothered me so much more than I thought it would have.  He sat across from us, but we hardly spoke--it was too sad, almost.

Since I was more aware of time, the journey back to our flat took a lot longer than I anticipated.  It made sense in a way; why would they keep "rebels" in a city?  People would find them eventually--just not easily.  It was a whole other matter if everyone was kept in the middle of nowhere, existing somewhere no one ever went.  Waiting to get back to the city was killer, though.  Especially when wondering and worrying.

Eventually, I felt I had to say something.  "What are you going to do?"

I didn't have to specify, he knew what I meant.   "What can I do?"

"Run away, maybe...  I don't know, but you can't spend forever there, can you?"

"I don't have much choice," the Mirror sighed.  "I almost wish they'd just left me behind."

I frowned.  "I don't want you to have to live like that..."

"It's just a way of life if you do the wrong thing--there's no escaping it."

"Can you try?" Dan asked. 

The Mirror laughed a bit.  "You wouldn't, why would I?"

"You seem like you'd be a bit more willing to, that's all."

"True.  I would make an honest attempt, but we live in a city.  The chance of getting out of there uncaptured is pretty low; there are too many people and too many police.  I'd probably be better off obeying the laws for now."

Quietness surrounded us; it wasn't entirely uncomfortable.

"I'm so sorry this is reality for you," I said.  "You don't deserve this, no one here does."

"I agree, that's why some people push back on the mirrors.  It's why some people try to find portals.  None of us want this, but there will never be enough of us to put an end to this."

"I'd say we should start a revolution, but I think that would cause more problems than the one at hand."

"Probably."  The silence resumed and I was trying to think of any way something could be worked out.  It wasn't fair at all, and I didn't want Dan--no, the Mirror of Dan--to be alone, or hurt, or suffering, or worse...  An unsettling feeling passed over me and I almost started to imagine it happening.   "Don't worry about me, though."

"W-what?"

"You're worrying, I can tell.  Don't concern yourself, just forget about this."

"We can't just forget this," Dan told the Mirror.

"Pretend it was a dream or something, I don't know.  I don't want you to keep thinking about this forever."

"It's a weird situation to be in--someone you care a lot about is on the other side of a mirror but you don't know what's happening," I replied.

"I don't really know what to think of the fact another me is dealing with living in a dainty cell for however long, either," Dan added.

The Miror hardly got one word in before the van stopped abruptly, making us fall off the seats and on to the floor.  Dan cursed and I groaned, but the Mirror didn't make much fuss about it.  "Do you think we're almost there?" I asked.