I gazed down at my plate and sighed. There was only about a mouthful of mashed potatoes left on it. Although I hated meat loaf, I was starving. I went to get another helping.
Connor had finished his lunch by the time I got back to the table. I picked up my fork and took a stab at the meat loaf.
After I finished my lunch Connor sat with me for sometime, I think he realised I was having a bad day. “This is the worse day I have ever had!” I groaned as I put my head in my hands. “I can’t look. Is everyone still looking at me?”
“Well…not everyone,” Connor told me.
“I wish I were invisible,” I sighed.
“Jack!” Connor gasped.
“What?” I said lifting my head.
Connor stared off past my shoulders. The expression on his face gave me chills.
“Jack! Jack!” He called, “where are you?”
“What do you mean? I’m right here!”
“Where?” Asked Connor opening his eyes as wide as he could.
“Here!” I waved my hands in front of Connor’s face, but he didn’t seem to see them.
“Your wish,” he whispered, “it’s come true!”
“Pardon me!” I said half scared, but not trying to show Connor.
“Jack,” Connor said solemnly. “You’re invisible.”
My mouth went dry all of a sudden. Could it be? I waved my hands infront of my face; I could still see them. I glanced down at my feet; they were still there too.
“I can see myself,” I whispered. “Are you sure you can’t see me, Connor? Not even a little bit?”
Connors shoulders hunched in a jerky motion. A snorting noise came out of his nose. I stared at him, was he having some kind of a fit? Then he burst out laughing.
“Oh,” he gasped, “I really had you going!”
You are so funny,” I groaned.
“Sorry,” he apologised. “I just couldn’t resist. Oh the look on your face!”
I scowled and stood up. “Thanks a lot!” I said sarcastically.
I lowered my head and shuffled down the hall with Connor on my side. As I walked into class, I peered around. Brittany glanced up at me as I walked into class, then she lowered her eyes again quickly.
The rest of the day went slowly. Beads of sweat covered my forehead when I did not know how to solve the maths problem, which Ms. Beamus told me to solve on the board.
The home time bell rang just in time. I walked straight out with Connor. Mum wasn’t going to be in today and tomorrow, so I decided to sleep over at Connor’s. “Let’s explore my attic!” Exclaimed Connor. “Sure,” I said as we made our way up the steps and to the attic door. Connor squeaked open the attic door, switched on the light, and walked straight in, without any hesitation.
“Wow! Look at this,” gasped Connor. I swung around only to see Connor holding a beautiful, shining, sparkling, and fantastic mirror.
“Fantastic,” I exclaimed.
“It’s mine,” said Connor as he walked straight out of the attic door. I followed him down, through the hallway, and into his room. Connor placed the mirror right in front of us cleaning it with his hands.
“What does this carving say?” He questioned as he bent down to read it. He read it out aloud:
“Look carefully in the mirror,
For years and years
I’ve been frozen
However, you can set me free.
Kiss my lips
To bring me back
This is my only plea.”
The wind howled, sending shivers across my skin. I couldn’t move. I just kept staring at that pretty, sad-eyed face. How could this reflection seem so real?
“So why don’t you kiss it?” Connor teased.
“Huh?” I almost forgot he was there.
“Kiss the face,” Connor said. “Come on, do it.”
“That’s the dumbest thing you have ever asked me to do,” I grumbled.
“What’s the matter?” Connor poked me. “Are you afraid that it might come true?”
“No, why don’t you kiss her?” I snapped.
“Why are you scared?” Connor teased. “No!” I exclaimed, a bit scared but not trying to show Connor.
“So kiss her then.” I hated being teased, especially by my best friend. So I bent closer to the lips of the girl, I gripped Connors jacket as I gave her a kiss. My lips stuck to the mirror. I held tighter and tighter onto Connors jacket, when all of a sudden I was forced, pulled and sucked in.
I ended up in a dark cemetery, everything was quiet, and the wind was howling. I quickly swirled around to see if I was alone or not. There I was still holding on to Connors jacket. I was relieved, I wasn’t alone. The wind howled sending shivers across my skin, I couldn’t move. I just kept staring at a sign posted high, ‘Fear street Cemetery,’ it said. I read the words again. The gate behind us banged close. Connor and I tried to pull it open again, but it was heavy, big and stuck. “Were locked in forever!” I cried.
Connor was out of breath. Beads of sweat were rolling down our cheeks. “Her lips!” I gasped. “They were warm!”
“Let’s find another exit,” said Connor rushing off.
“Wait! Stop, please!” Cried a voice. This time we both heard it, a girl’s voice. Connor and I stopped and turned around slowly. In front of the Mausoleum stood a girl. My mouth dropped open as I stared at her. She beckoned to us with a large pale hand. She seemed our age, maybe a little older. She looked awful like the reflection I kissed in the mirror before I was sucked in the mirror.
My mouth moved, but no words came out. “Its her!” I finally whispered.
She glided towards us. The wind whipped her blond hair around her face. Her eyes locked onto mine. They were the same colour as her velvet dress - a deep dark blue. She just kept staring at me with those sad blue eyes.
Who was she? Where did she come from? Was she a ghost?
I took a step back. I wanted to run. I wanted to run fast and never look back, but my feet were frozen to the spot.
“What do you want?” Connor demanded. She smiled. “My name is Luana. I came from a different town,” she told us calmly. “And a different place.”
She stared at me again. Tiny shivers ran up my spine, but I couldn’t say a word. “Hundreds of years ago my family and I were servants of a powerful sorcerer. Powerful and evil,” the girl continued. She paused and gazed off into space. “Connor nudged me with his elbow, “Sure, and I’m really from the planet Pluto,” he whispered to me.
Luana snapped back to attention. “Please don’t joke with me, I’m quite serious,” she said sternly. “Oh, sorry.” Connor pulled a patient look on his face, the one he puts on when he pretends to be sorry. “Tell us more.” Urged Connor. Luana went on. “This evil sorcerer caught me in his library, reading his spell books. He was furious. The secrets of his magic were not for a servant like me.” She paused for breath. I glanced uncertainly at Connor. He still had that patient look on his face. He wasn’t buying any of it.
“The sorcerer froze me into this mirror. I was to live my days there until someone freed me with a kiss.” She held her hand out to me. “Thank you. You saved me from an eternity frozen in the mirror.” I didn’t want to touch her. I didn’t want anything to do with her. It was all too spooky, but she kept holding her hand out to me. At last I grabbed it and gave it a quick squeeze. It was warm. She was definitely real not a ghost. I breathed a sigh of relief.
“Now I need your help once again,” she said. “Please help me get back to my time and my family, please.” Connor nudged me with his elbow. “Come on, Jack. Let’s get out of here.” He glanced at Luana. “I bet Penny Morris put you up to this trick.”
“It’s not a trick!” Cried Luana. “And I don’t know anyone named Penny Morris. Please believe me.”
“Lets go Jack.” Connor urged. He tugged on my arm.
I pulled away from him, “I don’t know.” I glanced around and then started walking after Connor again. We came to the Cemetery gates again, “Hey, Connor. We’ve come through the mirror. It’s a magical world, how do we get to our world again? In addition, remember the gates banged closed and now they’re stuck. What on earth are we going to do?” I exclaimed. “We have no choice now but to go back, do Luana's favour for her and tell her to give us a helping hand if she really has got powers.” Grumbled Connor.
We walked back to where we saw Luana and there she was standing there staring at us.
“Can you open the gates for us Luana, please? Pledged Connor. Luana laughed, “Aaah, I knew that you would come back to me,” she said giving another wicked laugh.
“How dare you laugh at us,” I shouted. Luana's eyes grew wider, “How dare you insult us,” You are only a girl and we are boys remember that!” I stammered.
Luana’s face went as red as a tomato, she picked up her fist and then lowered it, looked up into the night sky, the shining stars, closed her eyes and moved her lips without letting any words out. “Maybe she’s cursing us, or putting a spell on us,” whispered Connor in my ears. I gave him a little worried look. Luana gazed up at us. My face started to burn. I felt myself go red. My eyes grew wider, my nose started to tickle, my feet numb, and there I was again in a flash back in Connors room sitting by the mirror.
The grandfather clock struck 2:30 am as we appeared back in our real world.
“Thank God were back!” I was startled. “This mirror is bad luck. I’m not going to keep it in my attic after this,” said Connor.
I picked up Connors paperweight from near his desk tidy. It felt heavy in my hand. I spun my hand and then let go of the paperweight. It made a big noise and the mirror was in pieces. “Right!” Said Connor; “I’m not going to even put these smashed pieces in my dustbin. Come on! Let’s go to the waste disposal bins near my Aunt Doreen’s. Connor and I bent down picking up each piece, being careful not to even leave one. As we creeped out of the house it was three ‘o’ clock. The streetlights shone like the moon and everything was still.
I followed Connor straight to the disposal bins, dropped our bags in the bin, and then started walking back to Conner’s house. We were both too scared to even talk to each other.
On the way, back we saw something lying on the floor. As we drew closer and looked at it, we saw Luana’s face, the face I kissed in the mirror. It was a small piece of the mirror we must have dropped on the way to the waste disposal bins. “Run!” I said, “Stop!” Luana said from the mirror.
We swirled around only to hear her say,
“You can run,
However, you can’t hide!
You still haven’t escaped me!”
