Finding Fate

The Imitation Game

Xavier got up from his seat and paced around his bedroom. Side to side, left to right, it felt like hours before he finally came to a stop. After taking a deep breath Xavier calmed himself. He opened his eyes in front of the mirror that was pinned on his wall. Looking into the mirror Xavier studied his expression. He looked calm, but troubled to an extent. Xavier scowled at his appearance. He thought to himself as time ticked on. He sat on the floor, starring into the looking glass. Mindless and content.

Xavier found himself at a loss for words. An overwhelming feeling started swelling up inside him. His heart ached and his calm expression faded into a scowl. 'Why...why couldn't I have been one of a kind? Why couldn't I have been born with my own birthday?' He thought to himself with a lack of self-esteem. 'Ve share everything. A home, and birth date, even a face....how have I stayed sane knowing that I'm just an imitation of something more loved.' His mind clouded with thoughts. 'Just a mirror image of something I could never be.' He starred into his reflection's eyes.

'Once, just once I wish I felt like my own person.' He pulled with his lip ring. The longer Xavier sat there the more emotionally unstable he became. Anger built and built inside of him. Trying to keep it contained became a struggle. He stood from his position and growled. He clinched his fist. ' Why am I forced to imitate my superior? How do I win this imitation game?' His eyes filled with tears of anger. Holding him back would have been useless, it was just a matter of time before he would lash out. Xavier growled and watched tears run down his pale freckled cheeks.

Without thinking, not a thought in his mind, he struck the looking glass with severe strength. The mirror shattered into pieces and fell at his feet. Blood spilled from his hand, streaming down his arm staining his white shirt. He watched himself bleed and his eyes widened. Xavier winced with pain as he moved frantically across the room looking for something to stop the bleeding. He beat on the wall and yelled,"John! John! Help!" He leaned against the wall taking deep breaths. John rushed into the room. "What now?" He took one look inside the room and sighed. "One moment." He grabbed his bag and sat it next to Xavier with a loud thump. He shifted through his things until he found a cloth and what looked like an old flask.

"This will hurt. A lot." John grabbed Xavier's arm and rolled up his sleeve. He pulled off the top of the flask with his teeth and wiped away the blood with a cloth. He had a small smirk on his face before he poured the liquid onto his arm. Xavier winced. "What the heck is that!?" "Nothing that need concern you."he snapped before capping the flask and throwing it in his bag.

John searched through the luggage until he came across a roll of bandages. He sighed and wrapped Xavier's arm carefully. Xavier squirmed in discomfort. "Stop moving would ya?" He growled as he secured the end of the bandage. "Sorry." Xavier looked to the ground. John looked over his shoulder at the broken mirror. "Bad day kid?" He smiled. Xavier looked up at him and cracked a smile. "Nah...just clumsy." John nodded, "your friend is nice. I hope things work out." "Me too." Xavier mumbled. "Hopefully I can make a move soon. I have a record for being to late. Somehow Luke always finds a way to get to them first." He sighed. "But I really like this one, she's special."

John tried to keep his mouth shut. "Maybe, you should just ask her out tomorrow?" He worked at encouraging Xavier. He was never really good at it, but he tried. Xavier smiled. "I might. Oh and thanks for the help doc..." "Any time Xavier." John tilted his fedora and walked out of the room. Xavier looked down at the bag, John had left it behind. Inside was a poorly colored, obviously older, photo. It was framed and showed John standing next to a women with dark brown hair and honey brown eyes.

Xavier picked up the frame. The glass was cracked, but he obviously never put the effort in to replace it. On the back there was an engraving. 'May time bless our lives. With love, Amber.' Xavier studied the picture. It looked like it was over 50 years old, 'but how is that possible?' Xavier thought to himself as he sat it back inside the bag. Xavier picked up the bag and sat it in front of John's door.

Xavier looked at his doctored hand and smiled. He walked back in to his room and gathered the bloody shards of the looking glass off of his floor. He threw them into the garbage can and fell back onto his bed. It was late in the afternoon. Dinner would probably be starting soon, but Xavier didn't care. He wanted to avoid setting eyes upon his double for as long as logically possible. He felt as if he could sleep for days. Before he knew it he had drifted to sleep. As the hours ticked by there was peace that sat upon his room, upon his mind, and upon his heart.

For once in Xavier's life he felt free. Like where he was trapped before was torn away to release him. He felt like he was finally free of his brother's shadow. Like he was free to be his own person. Like the imitation game had finally come to an end....but the end was only the beginning.