The Broken Mirror

by Tshombe

  Her fearful whimpers were faint beneath her short, labored breaths.

  “I – I don’t want to die, Cassandra. Please, don’t… Please don’t do this.”

  “I’m not doing anything Eva. We did this! We found out why we were here and now it’s time for us sleep and dream… It’s the only way out of this castle, Eva.”

  “I don’t want to go, Cassandra. I don’t want to.”

  “Shhhh, Eva. I came here with you. Now it’s time that you come with me. It’s time to leave here.”

  The woman closed her eyes and silence overtook the room.

  The Angel

  The door to the apartment opened. The woman on the floor opened her eyes and saw a beautiful angel. The angel floated over to the woman and lifted her head from the vomit, tenderly cradling her head in her soft, dark wings. Through troubled breaths, the woman’s final words left her lips.

  “Please forgive me beautiful angel. You told me if I leapt from the tower window that you would catch me and take care of me forever… I – I knew you would catch me… I knew you would. Now I will be with you always. That’s what I was here for… To be with you.” The woman smiled looking off into the distance, “…there goes Shadow.”

  The angel kissed her gently on the forehead as she said her own goodbye.

  “My beloved sister Eva, I wish I could have told you that we were family, but I was forbidden to do so. You didn’t even know that you had succeeded in your quest of discovering who you are. You found your father and a sister that you didn’t even know you had. Charles was our father, Eva! Mama named you that. ‘Cassandra’ is who you were meant to be. This world created Eva, and you created Cassandra. I love you, sister.”

  She kissed the woman again then grabbed a nearby pillow and placed it underneath her head. At the door she stood for a moment looking at the remains of her family, her father and sister both dead on the floor, remembering times she shared with each. Then she turned and went back into the hallways in the house of Sam.

  Part Two

  The Family Friend

  The King

  Ethan lay in bed looking out at the oak tree he had climbed as a kid. It was the first day of his senior year in high school, his last moments as a boy in the adult world; he would now take his place among men. Smoothly reaching out to the night stand he grabbed his phone, turned off the unnecessary alarm and sat up in bed. Catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror Ethan could not help but admire the honey complexion staring back for a moment. His dark hair was perfectly cut, ready for his debut. He knew he was easy on the eyes and found it hard to resist his own baby blues when he caught his reflection. Breaking away from the mirror, he got up.

  The phone summoned his attention again. Barry was calling.

  “B, what’s up man? What’s going on?”

  “Coach said we have mandatory practice today after school. Are you prepared, Smith?” Barry said, changing his voice to mimic their coach. “Are you prepared to meet the challenges that face you on the field? It’s not a football field, it’s a battlefield and we are at war! Can you look your enemy in the eye and show no fear? Huh, Smith? Can you do that?”

  Ethan smiled at Barry’s impression of their coach.

  “Man, you’re nuts, B! I’ll see you at school, dude.”

  “E, Hold up. Can you come pick me up? Pulling up with my mom is lame. First impressions are everything and those freshman chicks have got to see me for who I am. Best friends with the star quarterback! You can’t have your wingman pulling up with his mom in a station wagon first day senior year.”

  “You better be ready when I get there or you’re walking to school.”

  “I stay ready, E. Later man!”

  An hour later Ethan slowed his white Mustang to a stop in front of Barry’s house. With the top down Ethan looked like a movie star. Already outside, Barry jumped in without opening the door and the two were off to their first day of senior year in high school. Their drive didn’t involve much talking. The stereo system’s pounding bass announced their arrival as they both made sure to look as cool as possible. Other commuters stared at the fine piece of machinery while the two boys acted as if they didn’t notice. When they reached campus, all eyes turned to them. It wasn’t just the car, it was Ethan Smith, star quarterback who had never lost a game and had never been denied a date with any girl in school. Once parked, a small crowd began to form around the car; a natural occurrence for the star.

  “Mr. Smith!” A voice yelled from behind the gathering. Ethan, annoyed that someone had interrupted his grand entrance, scanned the crowd for the familiar voice. Dominic, a small boy with an oversized backpack and ill-fitting clothes was parting the grove of onlookers and making his way toward the car. Ethan had found various uses for him throughout the years. “Mr. Smith, I have your class schedule here. If you want me to make some changes let me know by the end of the day and I’ll hook you up.”

  Ethan reviewed the paper nodding his head with approval. “Thanks Dom! I’ll check these classes out and let you know by the end of the day if I like them. Matter of fact, stop by my table at lunch. I’ll have something for you.”

  The young genius lit up with excitement, hurrying to disappear back into the crowd. “Thanks Mr. Smith! I’ll see you at lunch time.”

  As Ethan emerged from the white horse with Barry, his thoughts were on his audience; plenty of new faces to be seduced and many old faces that needed attention. A king and his castle. The last year of his reign; he’d have to make it memorable. They deserved at least that much from him for all their dedication.

  Ethan walked to his first class with a parade of courtiers behind him. They stopped as he stopped, following where he went. These courtiers were not random fans, but the top kids in school. Those he’d either given power to or had recognized as valuable to his power, whom he’d allowed into his entourage. Ethan knew that by having powerful people at his side, he became even more powerful.

  As the parade made its way through the hallways he could almost hear the envy of the students looking on. One by one he dropped the courtiers off at their classes saying hello to their teachers as if he were part of the faculty. No one would lead this crowd but him! None would taste his position. Subjects could become envious, but courtiers could not. At the slightest hint of jealously against their king he would ignite the group to settle it utilizing mob mentality. He fostered their dislikes and differences amongst each other creating silent treaties under his direction. By doing this he’d never actually be seen doing the dirty work himself. He would simply take his blessings away and allow others to shun the offending party. In this manner, Ethan crystalized his image as pure among his followers, giving himself room to maneuver at leisure.

  His first class, math, he arrived at with the last of his courtiers. Barry dropped him off with a handshake and a one-armed hug. The teacher was not there. Ethan scanned the room for one of his aides knowing Dominic had taken care of everything. Noticing contempt in the eyes of an old girlfriend, he smiled and continued searching. Found. His target, the person who would do all his work for this class, a kid busy writing notes for a class that had not yet begun.

  “Ian!” He called out, walking toward the young man. “Ian! What’s up dude? I didn’t see you at the pre-season game last week. What’s up with that, man? You’re supposed to be our biggest fan! We almost lost the game because you weren’t there.”

  The chubby, freckled faced young man looked up at Ethan and grinned, pushing up his glasses.

  “Um, I’m sorry Quarterback Smith, but I had a science fair I had to attend. I won first place.”

  “That’s cool Ian! Are you going to have to miss any more games? Because you know we need you, man.”

  “No way Quarterback Smith! I won’t miss another game this season. I designed new routes for you guys to consider.”

  “Aw, that’s killer Ian! I can’t wait to check them out.”

  “Yeah, I’ll have them at
practice this afternoon.”

  “Cool. Cool. I’ll see you there, Ian.”

  Ethan walked off to a seat already reserved for him in the back-right corner of the class. This was his seat in every class and everyone who attended the school observed this unspoken rule. Deny the star quarterback anything and you’d turn the entire school against you. The teacher had arrived and began the lesson, as if on cue Ethan put his headphones on and began playing on his phone. The day would continue like this until gym, which went right into football practice. At lunchtime, his group converged at the designated meeting area, so they could walk to their tables in entourage. They embodied the essence of cool as they strolled in a pack, laughing and talking as if life were that simple.

  Seated at their table, macho stories and laughter in unison at similar punchlines attracted flirtatious looks from new girls. Ethan couldn’t care less about the attention; he barely glanced around the cafeteria. He had worked hard for this recognition, but now that he’d achieved it he couldn’t help wondering what was better than this? What else could excite the passion on which he’d built his kingdom?

  Drained by the day’s performance and with waning enthusiasm for his kingdom he entered his final class before gym, social studies. Immediately Ethan was thrown off balance by a disruption in his manicured kingdom. His initial surprise turned quickly to annoyance as an incredulous crowd looked on. In the back-right corner of the room, someone was sitting in his seat. The girl seemed oblivious to the violation. The consummate charmer, Ethan disguised his annoyance with a friendly smile.

  “Excuse me, Miss, you’re sitting in my seat.”

  The girl looked up at him, rolled her eyes, and looked back down. In that brief moment, Ethan felt something he hadn’t felt in a long time: a challenge.

  “I didn’t see your name on it when I sat down.” She said in a snappy, matter of fact tone.

  Stunned by her defiant reply, Ethan kept his composure masking her slight against him with his award-winning smile.

  “That’s because you weren’t looking hard enough,” he said with a chuckle. “Do you mind?” He moved her books aside to expose his name carved in the desk.

  “You can see my name more clearly now without these books in the way.”

  Students within earshot began to laugh.

  “I’m Ethan Smith, star quarterback of the Skyline Spartans. That name on the desk will one day be in lights. So tomorrow bring your phone and take a picture so you can tell your kids that you met me.”

  The other students’ laughter rose. The girl sighed heavily, grabbing her belongings. Ethan maintained his smile. The girl looked him up and down, looked at the desk and said, “Take a picture of you? You’re just another guy that can play ball. There were guys before you and there will be guys long after you are gone. So here is your seat. Enjoy it!”

  She rose, returning his coquettish grin in mockery. No girl had ever given him such a brazen attitude. He watched her glide to another seat as if she was the winner of the territory battle. Who was she? Was her sitting in his seat an attempt to catch his attention? If that was her plan, it worked. She had his full attention.

  “That will be your first homework assignment for this course, so please complete and turn it in tomorrow at the start of class.” The teacher’s voice startled Ethan back into reality.

  Students moving past him to leave the class didn’t deter his interest in the subject at hand. He positioned himself to perfectly block her path, his charming facade in full effect.

  “Excuse me, Miss, but you never told me your name.”

  She looked with a smirk. “You’re right I didn’t tell you my name. Excuse me, I’ve got another class to attend.” Stepping aside to let her pass he smiled to hide his disbelief. She slid past him, laughing.

  At practice Ethan regained the confidence he felt when he first arrived at school. No girl had ever spoken to him in such a dismissive manner. This was his school and she was merely a student in attendance. She must understand her place, but first he needed to know more about her. With his confidence in its full glory after a show stopping practice, Ethan was eager to begin his most challenging subject. He sat in his car and laughed to himself, marveling at how easy it is to learn. It took less than a ring before the other end answered. “Dom, I need a favor.”

  The next morning Ethan rose with vitality and thirst for the day. Dominic had given him all the information the school’s records could provide on the mystery girl. A few puzzling questions remained: first, as she had been home-schooled all her life, why enroll in public school for her final year? Next, her address was far outside the district. So far in fact, it made absolutely no sense why she would travel all that way to go to Skyline when a better school was much closer to her house. Dominic said no family members or anyone from the faculty had recommended her, so why had she chosen Skyline? These questions raced through his head as he drove to pick Barry up for school. Barry hopped in the car and knew in an instant. He looked at Ethan with the kind of concern Ethan would only accept from him. Ethan returned his look with one of annoyance, what are you looking at? He thought. Barry smiled.

  “E!” He said with a giggle. “Who is it this time?”

  Ethan was unamused. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  Barry knew he was on shaky ground, so he approached with caution.

  “Hey, man,” he said in a softer tone. “You looked like something was on your mind. Usually that means somebody pissed you off. Did Coach say something to you about practice yesterday?”

  Cracks in the shaky ground opened up. How dare Barry think his abilities on the field at practice could be questioned. Ethan pulled the car to a stop.

  “What makes you think that Coach would ever come down on me? Huh? When I play my worst, it’s ten times better than anyone else on the team. If you have a problem with the way I’m looking this morning you can get out of my car and find another way to school.”

  Barry froze. He had had it too good with Ethan in his life. He’d gone from the fat kid in elementary to the second most popular guy in high school because he was Ethan’s best friend.

  “Are you gonna speak or get the fuck out of my car?”

  Barry swallowed, quivering under Ethan’s threat. “I didn’t mean anything by it, E. You’re my buddy, man, I noticed at practice yesterday, you played well, but you just weren’t yourself. Then you pulled up this morning not playing any music, with the top up, staring straight ahead. You didn’t even look over when I got in the car. My bad, bro.”

  Ethan’s expression of anger remained unchanged. “Sometimes I do shit different, B, and I don’t want you or anyone else questioning me when I do that.”

  Barry breathed a sigh of relief to still be in the car. “Yeah E, I understand.”

  Ethan turned the music on and put the top down.

  At school Ethan resumed the normal routine, acting his usual self, but with a great change in his thoughts. A king without sport doesn’t last long. He knew every class that his new prey would attend. His spies watched her to learn her habits and patterns. A skilled hunter, he would not rest until he finally captured the trophy.

  There was no observable difference from yesterday to today; the mask Ethan wore showed nothing but the observer’s reflection. He passed her by as if he hadn’t noticed, yet every move he made was calculated. He wanted her to see him, to know him, but he controlled her growing knowledge, and he knew just how to pique her interest. It would all be on his terms; she’d never know how meticulously he curated her curiosity. He savored each moment their paths crossed with the thrill of an assassin watching the mark, knowing that soon he would strike. For the star quarterback, this was more exciting than a spirit rally before game time. He was prepared to wait days, weeks, or even months for the perfect strike. A few weeks went by and Ethan was sitting in social studies class still pretending to ignore his prey. Potential suitors had come her way, but she had refused them. He wond
ered why she’d turned them down. They weren’t bad looking. Spies reported she stayed mostly to herself. Ethan found that news strange; most people fit in somewhere. He figured outside of school had to be it for her. A few days passed by, and opportunity arose. One of Ethan’s spies found her studying at a coffee shop close to her house and had also seen her painting after school at a nearby rose garden. He’d found a key to unlock the door. He would need his best worker to infiltrate her world and bring her closer to him before he could strike.

  “Denise!” Ethan’s voice boomed through the hallway. “Denise!” The crowded hallway lowered the noise, so their king’s words could be heard. A beautiful girl paused her conversation, turning with a sweet look to acknowledge him. The hush that had overtaken the halls hummed back to its previous volume and everyone returned to what they had been doing. Ethan approached the girl whose flowing chestnut hair carried the fragrance of rose, eyes that glowed like a sunset, and amber skin as smooth as marble.

  “Hey Ethan, what’s up?”

  “Niecey, I need a favor from you. Walk with me for a minute.”

  As he walked toward her students in the hall moved to accommodate his entourage, while the two walked out of ear shot.

  “I need you to befriend someone for me.”

  “Yeah, E, you know I’ll do whatever for you. Let me know what’s up.”

  “Okay, look, there’s this new girl at school and I want to know where she’s from. You know the game we play?”

  “Yeah E, I know. What do you want me to do?”

  “She goes to a coffee shop across town to study after school and sometimes she draws at the rose garden. I want you to go to those places, make friends, and bring her back to me.”

  “Yeah, E, I got it. Give me all the information and I’ll go there after school.”

  “Perfect, Niecey, I’ll call you in a few days. While we’re at school I want you to act as if you don’t know me, okay?”