Mirror Mirror

Day Two

Cassie was already gone when Jaime awoke the next morning. There was a note sitting on the pillow, in the indent where her head was resting just a few short hours earlier. He picked it up and read it, smiling at her scratchy handwriting.

Early class today.

Call me later.

Love Cass.

Cassie might have morning classes, but his lectures didn't start until lunchtime. He nestled back down under the covers and stayed there for a while, enjoying the feel of the blankets against his skin. He closed his eyes, letting out a sigh. When he opened them again the alarm clock on the nightstand told him that an hour had passed. He must have fallen back to sleep.

Still, he was in no rush to get up. He glanced toward the window. It looked like a glorious New England day outside. His eyes roamed the room, and finally settled on the mirror propped against the wall. He studied it, the intricate carvings, the sculpted face sitting atop the frame. It really was a nice piece.

His eyes dropped to the glass. He could see himself lying in bed, the covers ruffled. A bright beam of sunlight sliced through the window blinds and splashed a dapple pattern on the wall behind him. It danced and shimmered as trees in the street outside moved in the breeze. He sat up, his eyes fixed on the mirror. The room looked different in reverse, like he was looking at a stranger's bedroom, only it was familiar at the same time.

A bird was singing outside, the rhythmic chirp drawing his attention toward the window for a moment. He listened for a few seconds, and then looked back toward the mirror.

Something was different now.

The room on the other side of the glass looked darker, as if storm clouds had moved in, blocking the sun. The bright pattern cast across the back wall of the room, behind the bed, was gone. Now the wall was an even tone of diffused light. The sudden change startled him. He glanced backward and up, expecting to see the same even tones, but the wall was still bathed in golden sunlight.

Jamie turned back to the mirror.

The dapple pattern of sunshine was back. The reflected room looked just like the real room once again. He scratched his head, confused, a frown furrowing his brow. He swung his legs from the bed and walked to the window, lifting one of the plastic blind slats and peering out. He studied the landscape for a moment, the street outside. Everything was bright and cheery, and the sky was a deep, seamless blue. If a cloud had passed by, it was gone now. He shrugged and turned back into the room, his mind turning to other things. For one, he was hungry, starving in fact.

As if to agree with this assessment, his stomach rumbled. He stepped around the bed and found some clean clothes. There was an awesome Bagel shop a few blocks away, and if he hurried, he could still get there before they sold out of all the good stuff.

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The college campus was bathed in late afternoon sunlight intertwined with long fingerlike shadows by the time Jamie got out of class. Parking was always an issue on the university grounds, at least around the lecture halls, so he'd left his car parked up at the rear of the apartment building, which meant he would have to either take the subway several blocks, or walk home. Since it was such a nice evening he decided to take the long way and use leg power.

As he walked, his mind turned to Cassie. She would be out of class by now for sure. He pulled his phone from the pocket of his jeans, his finger hovering over her number. Should he call her? He didn't want to disturb her if she was busy, but on the other hand he wanted to hear her voice. After a moment's hesitation, he pressed the call button and waited for her to answer.