Castle (The Badlands Series) Book 1

Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Mirror Mirror

Emlyn couldn't believe her ears, rewrite people's happy endings? For entire world? It was an author's dream come true. She was happy to finally understand that much but she had one final room to face before she could get to Camilla according to Thunder.

Emlyn now faced a room of mirrors. The question was why mirrors? She stepped in front of one and looked at herself, except herself began talking to her through the mirror.

"You know you could just join Camilla and take over the world with her, wouldn't it be more interesting? Besides why should you be forced to save all these worthless people." This mirror self of her said and Emlyn was a bit taken aback by the absurdness of it and she looked at Stella.

"Stella? What is this?" Emlyn asked and Stella rubbed the back if her neck.

"They're mirrors that make you face yourself. The bad parts of yourself or the sad parts. They are tricky and they will do anything to lead you off your path." Stella replied and Emlyn glared at the mirror, she knew that's not who she was.

She headed around the mirrors looking for a door as mirrors shouted at her, trying to throw her off.

"Emlyn you know you can't do it; you are merely a human worth nothing, Camilla will disintegrate you in a second."

"You don't belong here, stop trying to fit in. No one will ever love you for you."

"You're just like your parents, worthless that's why they died you know. They failed and they died, and you'll die too, stop now and save yourself while you still can."

Emlyn turned around and punched the mirror watching it shatter below her, "That's not who I am." She told the object that no longer could reply. Emlyn swore she was going to go crazy in this place.

Stella had been silent the entire time, no one else could hear your mirrors words but you. She'd been busy facing her own mirrors and she was feeling just as terrible as Emlyn was about it.

Emlyn rounded a corner and a mirror stood in front of her that she was about to walk around but the mirror spoke to her with words that made her stop.

"Not all of us are the same." Emlyn turned and looked at the mirror and it continued, "Some of us represent the good side of you, like me."

"How do I know you represent the good side of me?" Emlyn questioned the mirror and it smiled gently at her.

"I can tell you the way out you just have to write it." The mirror replied and Emlyn was confused, and the mirror sensed that. "You see Emlyn you already know the way out, so show yourself the way."

Emlyn looked ahead of her and carefully began wishing she knew the way out, telling herself she already knew it. A single red light came out of her heart and began showing her the way.

The group followed it to a room filled with 5 mirrors. She knew this was a test and right as she was about to ask Stella or Thunder what they thought a wall came up blocking them from joining Emlyn.

"Stella!! Thunder!! Can you hear me? Are you guys Okay?" Emlyn shouted through the wall and Stella shouted back.

"We're fine, you'll have to continue on your own we've come as far as Camilla will let us. It's up to you now." Stella replied and Emlyn turned back to the mirrors, but Thunder shouted one last thing.

"They're the 5 mirrors of truth pick the right mirror to get out!" He said and Emlyn a stood in front of herself 5 times over.

The middle mirror began to speak, "We all represent a side of you, but only one of us is really you, which one do you think that is?"

She looked at all of them quietly as they all seemed to have a sinister smile, sadness, anger, happiness, love. The truth was Emlyn was all those things, this had to be a trick question.

Emlyn suddenly realized it was because she knew the answer immediately there was no other answer, "None of you are me, I'm me and that's the only me there is."

The mirrors lifted and Emlyn stepped forward to see a blonde-haired girl with bright red eyes, "Well, Well, congratulations! Welcome to your party, or rather your funeral!" Camilla lifted into the air and dark red lights swarmed around her and then shot right towards Emlyn.