Silent Pantomime

Chapter 18 | Don't look away

Chapter 18✨:

People who say that life isn't like a fairytale are lying. Fairytales aren't all happy go-lucky places, not all sweetness and light. Every fairytale has a bloody lining, each one has teeth and claws. Each fairytale has a dark side, and we are all living in it.

I decided to have a shower to try and see if I could wash away any confusion - which didn't work. I loved the water, it could normally solve all problems. If you want to hydrate? Drink water. If you want to lose weight? Drink water. If you want clear skin? Drink water. You hate a person? Drown them.

But no amount of one of the world's strongest forces could solve my problems.

I walked out of the shower and clambered to the mirror to wipe off the condensation that had steamed up the entire bathroom. The room was humid with mist and anger, and as I wiped the steam from the glass it almost immediately flared back into place. Groggily, I slashed at it again, seeing the claggy silhouette's fingers swirl along in unison to match mine. Yet once again, the steam refilled the mirror to block the reflection. I kept swiping at the glass, gradually moving my arm faster and faster, a sudden annoyance at my lack of control over it. I watched my hand move from left to right, left to right, left to right. I was enticed by the thin sheet of glass opposite me not doing what I wanted it to; so I scrambled at the glass, desperate for the steam to fade. I watched my hand mirroring my real one until it suddenly sliced in a different direction.

I jumped back in shock as I watched the condensation slowly crawl to the edge of the mirror and a girl stared back at me, staring with a strange kind of godless grin. I tilted my head to the side at the sight of the girl staring back at me, and gingerly took a step towards the glass. Slowly, I waved my hand in front of the mirror, barely allowing the tips of them to skim the glass. The girl's hand followed mine in unison, and I let out a small sigh in relief. I must have imagined it.

Suddenly a noise smacked, and I saw the girl lurch forwards to hit the mirror. Once again, I jumped back, letting a small scream escape my lips. Then the girl leaned back, stood upright, then looked at me smiling. She lifted her hands up in a surrender, and twirled her fingers back and forth as a small wave. I put my hand over my mouth, as I felt a small tremor begin to form from my core.

"Hey Hazel," she smirked at me. Her voice sounded similar to mine, but with an odd tone of raspy smoothness. I leaned forward slightly and looked at the girl, who also copied my every move. I touched the glass to meet her face with my hand, but her hand didn't follow. I leaned a bit further away took take a breath. I suddenly lurched forward and hit the glass with my fist.

But the girl didn't flinch.

"What the..." I murmured and leaned forward.

"You can't hurt me Hazel," she winked and I leaned forward once again to get a better look at her, hiding my shaking hands behind my back. I breathed heavily, forcing some steam to quickly fog up the glass, before the girl on the other side rubbed it off. I leaned silently for a second, looking at the girl's eyes, showing nothing but empty pools of darkness.

"Boo."

She suddenly whispered, causing me to jerk backwards as her laugh echoed the room.

"Who the hell are you?" I snapped at her and her laughter grew louder.

"Oh Hazel," she breathed out, after she was done with her hysterics, "You know exactly who I am."

I let out a sharp intake of breath and she put her hand on her heart in pretend shock. "What's your name?" I shakily asked her.

"What do you want it to be?" She leaned forward and I took a step closer to the mirror, still not sure what was real and what was fake.

"No, seriously I'm not joking. Who the hell are you?" I whined and shook my head at her, "Is this some kind of sick joke?"

The girl giggled, a lively but haunting sound. "I'm no joke Hazel."

I groaned and took another step closer, "Then who the hell are you?"

The girl smiled, "Well, what do you see?"

I stared at her before answering. She looked exactly like me except everything about her just seemed darker. Just a glitch in her demeanour. As if she had some kind of hidden streak I couldn't put my finger on - but she had the same eyes. Magic eyes that even stars would envy.

"You're beautiful," I finally whispered.

"No," she shook her head, "We're beautiful."

I smiled slightly and looked down, "So what's your name?" I asked again.

She looked hesitant for a second, "I think you can guess."

But I just shook my head.

She sighed slightly, "I'm Daisy. Daisy Huntley." But I shook my head again and turned away from her. "Don't look away from me Hazel!" She suddenly bellowed, causing me to flinch back around.

I gulped, feeling a lump forming in my throat. "Who are you really?" I demanded, this time more forcefully.

"I'm your new best friend," she grinned, crossing her arms.

"No." I immediately butted in, "Just no."

She leaned forward pressing both hands on the glass, looking at me with a hollow and grave stare. "What do you mean we aren't friends? I know everything about you. I know about what Oliver said to you, I know about Katherine and Annika, I know about your mum dying, I know about you making Ally off herself. I know about the letters." She pulled her hand off the glass and leaned on her hands.

"I can feel everything you do. Your sadness. Your guilt. That is what friends are for, they share your pain."

I looked at her and then reverted my eyes up to the ceiling. I didn't want to look at her. "That's impossible."

I didn't even need to look at her to know she was grinning, "After everything that's happened, this is impossible?" I

finally grew the courage to look at her, "Go away."

"You never minded me being here before."

"Who the hell are you?" I hissed and hit the glass, where nothing seemed to happen except a small crack formed at the top of the mirror. "My name is Gluttony," she smiled, as her eyes went from starry magic to a glassy black.

"Fuck off." I whispered and she let out that ear-piercing laugh. "Well wake up then Sleeping Beauty."

I suddenly shook awake, sweat pouring from my head. My wrist was still throbbing and I groaned in pain. My mind was spinning and I almost laughed - how cliché was it for it all to be a dream? I immediately snatched up my phone to see the time and a message from Cassidy came up.

"Meet me at the rink at 4 xx"

I shakily stood up to leave the house as it was almost four o'clock, but as I unlocked the camera to my phone to check I wasn't a mess, I could have sworn I saw her waving at me.