Ring Alert....(ON HOLD)

CHAPTER 3

The door in my room had somehow found its way into this room. Or maybe....The same doors were fitted in both.

The refreshingness of was attracting me. All my worries about the message and my mom vanished into thin air.

"Oh beautiful! I'm coming...let me through" and with that my hands felt the handle and pushed it downwards. Creek....

No brick wall!!!

"Kate?"

Oops....did I say that out loud?!!

"Can't you lower your voice? You woke me up"

"Mom is that you?!"

"Off course it's me dear. Who else would you find in my room?"

"B- bu- but m-mom.....are you alright? "

"As good as apple pie honey. But why are you asking? And how come I'm seeing your face in the morning. ...did the sun rise in the west or something?......it's usually you who sees my face in the morning, trying to wake you up. You're soo different today. I like this new face of yours - "

I cut her off. She clearly had a memory loss. Poor mom.

"Mom! It's you who's been acting different. Don't you remember anything from last night? Your face is literally dreadful and your clothes. .... did something happen to you after I left the party?", anxiety ran through my veins. I couldn't help but breakdown into a loud sob into my mother's lap. My cries muffled into her jeans. I couldn't bare to see her like this.

I think she must have thought I was having one of my emotional surges (I usually get them when I'm confused) which is part true but this time, I was mainly crying for mom.

And I was right....she did think so and gently patted my head. "Kate...my sweet-heart. It's ok. Just let it out. Is something wrong at school? Is that why you came here so early? Is that why you were in the bushes yesterday? Is that why you are babbling non-sense about me forgetting last night?"

Ok. That just made me angry from sad.

"Mom you think what I'm saying is nonsense? You seriously don't look fine to me and maybe you should see it for yourself in the mirror. A few hrs back you couldn't even understand a thing I was saying and you think I'm being nonsense."

That should have done it because she crisply got up and put her feet one by one on the cream coloured carpet. She lost her balance midway but managed to stay put and reached the mirror.

A copy of her appeared in front of her, only the opposite. I could sense her reaction at the filthy sight. "Oh dear", she said almost mutely.

I quickly ran into the tiny spot beside her and placed my hand onto her shoulder. "Kate...what happened to me?"

"That's what I've been asking."

She touched every corner of her face ten times. Her eyes moved up and down to see the wreck her body was in.

Suddenly, they diverted to my slightly fisted hand."what's in your hand?"

"Oh.......that's a- that's aaa nothing"

"Really? Show it then.", her tone shifted from sweet to demanding.

I was reluctant for her to see the message. What she went back to her shocked stage? You should show it Kate. Oh shut up inner voice. It won't do much harm. She might recall last night. Who knows?

I twirled a curl behind my ear with my sweaty fingers and forced the same to open my fist. Half heartedly, I shoved the chit onto my mother's palm. She gave my quick look and then set her eyes on the paper.

"Open it" I mumbled. I'm still scared she might faint.

Hearing my signal, she opened it and scanned the words within it.

"Garden midnight ring? Kate, where did u find this?"

"Well, I had gone for breakbreakfast downstairs, I waited for like an hour but no one came so finally, I came up and knocked on your door. I found you like this and then suddenly something came in through that broken window," I pointed my index finger at the far end of the room, "so I came in and read it. Rest you know....."

"I have a broken window in my room?! I'm damn sure it was a proper window before the party. "

"So you do remember last night?"

"In bits and pieces; not entirely though. But right now the point is the message, what does it mean and the WINDOW, HOW DID IT BREAK?!"

"Sadly, even I'm wondering the same things right now so I can't really answer you. I tried figuring the message out though but came up witg nothing. And as for the window, still a mystery."

My mom became quiet, she must be thinking. I didn't want to disturb her so I began humming inside my head with that tiny brain-voice.

So baby pull me closer, coz baby I'm worth it, ah ha I'm worth it, oh I'm radioactive I'm radioactive.

Woah......that came out wrong. Maybe I should just be silent.

Akward silence. This is what I call the thing that's been between me and mom for the past 10 mins. I stared at the mirror, trying to ignore the silence.
Sunrays hit the mirror and reflected straight into my eyes. I stretched a hand to my forehead and spun around for extra protection, when I saw there door open....how?

And then realisation seeped in me that it had opened this time unlike last night. I resisted my urge to run inside it. I couldn't possibly leave mom alone.

I turned back to face mom, who was busy fidling with her sparking ring. That was never there.

She pulled the ring right off, as if she had heard my thoughts, and handed it to me. I gazed at her in surprise.

"Wear it Kaitlin. I think I worked out the 'mystery of three' "

"Huh?"

"Garden midnight ring?", she raised her shoulders to show that was so obvious. Well maybe it was to her. She always likes to dramatise things. Whereas I, purely unimaginative, how would I understand?

"Off course." I didn't know what else to say.

"Wear it and go through the mirror."

"Mom, I can't exactly go through a solid, unless you never told me that I have superpowers from birth and suddenly remembered that I have. In that case, thank you for your kindness of keeping me away from awesomeness for 15yrs." There's my unimaginativeness.

"Just do what I say ok. Don't make ridiculous assumptions. Now, once you go, find any nearby garden and go there at midnight, today"

"So you're saying that someone threw that chit so that we could meet someone else in the middle of nowhere? Whose the one making ridiculous assumptions. "

"Kate! Didn't you understand about doing what I say? No more questions. And don't say we, it's all about you now, I can't come. There's only one ring."

Before I could say anything, she started speaking again, "You see that door's reflection in the mirror? That would take you to where you need to go. "

I stared blankly at her. I couldn't believe she actually remembered everything but refused to tell; rather neglected telling me.

Whatever she told me is so vague, I don't understand the ring nor the mirror. And how does mom know all these things.

"STOP thinking. Go. Don't waste time"

"Ok. Here goes nothing....1, 2, th--", my voice trailed off as I stepped inside the mirror.