The other side of the Mirror (boyxboy)

Chapter 16.

3 months later…

DPOV

“When I say duck, you duck!” Aabel screamed at me. I frowned and squeezed the pipe in my hands, looking at the disgusting volat in front of me. It was stuck in a construction site not far away from school, and we had to somehow render it unconscious, then drag it all the way to the Mirror and force it in.

That was … basically what we’ve been doing for three months. Skipping classes when we see or sense a volat, beat the 8hit out of it, then kick it in the portal-in-disguise; the one I broke. It took us a while to realize that the mirror was some sort of a parallel universe. It seemed to have some sort of an invisible barrier which kept the creatures from that world inside, and the creatures in my world – safe. When I saved Aabel, I somehow destroyed that barrier and now creatures from, let’s call it ‘World B’, began leaking into this world.

Our job? To become a substitute of the barrier which kept the balance.

“Look, that thing can free itself at any moment. I’m not running away.”

“It’s not about running away, it’s about living. It’s not worth dying over something like that, Devin .. just think with that little, thick head of yours.” He hissed. God, I suppose he was still mad about that one time when I didn’t run to safety and smacked the volat in my backyard with a slipper …

I sighed with a shaky breath and bit my lower lip, running towards the thing with the pipe in my hand. There was no way in hell that I’m running away. At first, I was scared. I was scared s**tless from these creatures. The first few weeks of hunting them were horrible, and I often dreamed nightmares which only Aabel could wake me up from.

Now? Now they’re not that scary anymore. Well, at least this one, which was still stuck.

“DEVIN, GET BACK!”

I ignored my friend’s shout and smacked the creature’s head with the pipe, dropping it the moment it broke from the impact. The pipe practically folded in two and I was forced to leave it behind, since it was no longer of use. That wasn’t my primary issue, though, and I regretted almost immediately that I didn’t listen to Aabel. I just hated when he was right, but … He was always right, and it was dangerous of me to ignore his words …

The creature had been pushed from the hit with the pipe and it somehow managed to free itself. Naturally, it sought vengeance, so it quickly ran towards me, screeching like a mad raven. I immediately felt my whole body tremble in fear and I fell on my backside, covering my eyes in horror. I didn’t wish to see my own death, I didn’t want to witness the creature’s teeth a moment before they eat my eyes out and rip my body.

Oh god, I am so sorry, Aabel, I will listen to you from now on …

My last moments consisted of myself, practically peeing my own pants from stress and screaming like a little baby as the monstrosity charged at me with a battle cry.

“I-I’M SORRY!” I managed to say, before everything went absolutely silent.

It was … a silence I’ve never heard before. Well, technically, you can’t hear silence, but still, it was something you didn’t ‘hear’ everyday. It was … peaceful. It was nice. It was calm.

“Done daydreaming?”

“E-eh?” I quickly opened my eyes and looked up, seeing none other but Aabel. I was so happy to see him close to me again, so happy to see his beautiful, turquoise eyes and that look on his face which I still couldn’t read …

He was standing in front of me, hands on either side lifted in mid air, as if trying to protect or hide me from something. At that moment, the silence had made me forgot about the creature which was about to attack me, but as I saw his Cheshire smile weaken, I felt my own heartbeat go quiet in shock. He … he didn’t, did he … ?

“I’m going to say this once, because you’re very, very persistent. Devin, are you listening?” He asked, standing at the same spot. He wasn’t moving an inch, and I was starting to wonder how did he manage to do that. Hell, he wasn’t even blinking! Bell was … amazing, in a way.

I nodded obediently at him, not quite sure what was going on, but to be honest, in these past three months, I’ve never had an idea what was the whole situation we were in.

“The world of reflections, aka my world, is inverted. The sky is red, the air is dirty, thick and black, the oxygen is replaced entirely by carbon dioxide, the sea is bloody and everything positive is turned into negative. That includes time. I want you to know, because you’ll be feeling slightly guilty, that everything which happened so far and which will be happening was and is meant to happen. You won’t remember this, because time for us has stopped, albeit just for a moment, and this practically hasn’t happened, but hopefully, your heart will be at ease. I will always be there to protect you, Devin, because you make negative turn to positive … You defy physic laws in my world, and I need you like I used to need carbon dioxide. Also, I want that pillow with the cartoon animal on it. That black thing, Mickey Mouse or whatever. I like him. ” Aabel smiled softly at me and leaned, looking into my eyes with his intense, turquoise gaze. I was practically melting under his dominance, and I couldn’t tell if I liked it or not … W-was it good to be dominated? How easy to dominate was I, anyway?

“What is it that you make me feel …?” He quietly breathed and before I could answer, his lips connected with mine and I instinctively closed my eyes, feeling my body tremble once more. I was more than shocked from his kiss, but this time, it wasn’t because of the sudden movement … it was because he was so … so unnaturally gentle and slow. My heart … is going crazy.

The moment I opened my eyes, I … found myself at the construction site. I was back in this place, and what seemed like minutes had actually been mere seconds. I felt like something very important happened during these very seconds, but I couldn’t recall anything. I just … a-ah, what was it? I mean, nothing could’ve happened, I was just standing here, trembling in fear from the volat which was preparing to attack me and-…

W-wait, what happened with the volat? Why was I still alive?!

I quickly lifted my gaze and tried to mentally-prepare for the sight of my own body ripped in pieces, yet … despite preparing for that moment, I still felt my heart stop from shock and my eyes fill with tears.

It was Bell in front of me, his eyes looking right at my own, but .. but lifeless. Aabel had been stabbed by the creature, instead of me …

He … He defended me …

“A..a-a…a…AABEL!”

The creature screeched from my own scream and, as if scared from the loud noise, pulled his pecker from the white-haired boy’s back and pushed him in my arms with its wings, flying away a moment after.

I was shaking. Shaking like never before, shaking like I was going to die. And I wanted to! I wanted to die, I didn’t care anymore. If I had to choose between myself and Aabel, I would choose to die than to watch my friend bleed in my hands …

“A-Aabel, please, n-no … I .. I can’t .. I-I don’t know what to do … Please, Aabel .. AABEL!” I was crying and stuttering over his body, holding him tightly, as if I was trying to stop the bleeding from the wound in his back with my own strong hugging.

He’s dying … He’s dying, and I don’t know what to do!