by R. L. Austin
“He had gray hair and a scar over his eye. Why? Do you know him?”
Emily was stunned, and now that she was sure that Tyler was describing her uncle, she took a step back. She was no longer having a harmless, but freaky, encounter with an invisible boy, or ghost, or whatever he was. Her uncle was somehow involved, and he owned the roof over her family’s head. “I have to go.”
“No, wait,” Tyler pleaded, “You have to help me.”
“I can’t help you,” Emily stammered before she ran away. If Uncle Mansel was involved, she had to stay out of it. Her parents didn’t have enough money for a place of their own, and she couldn’t take the chance of getting caught up in Tyler’s problems, whatever they were.
Tyler pressed against the glass and called, “Hey, I need you to call my mom,” but the girl was already gone.
Later that evening the tall woman returned. Tyler yelled and pounded on the glass, but she ignored him and the hallway light went out.
“Uh-oh.”
With nothing else to do, Tyler sat with his back to the glass and thought about the girl. He didn’t know anything about her except she was pretty without being stuck up, and her dark, wavy hair really complemented a pair of green eyes he enjoyed looking into. She also wore dresses. Most of the girls he knew never wore dresses, but the girl on the other side of the mirror looked great in them, which was probably why she wore dresses instead of jeans.
His mind and thoughts rambled until he noticed the return of light. He had stayed up all night, but he wasn’t tired. Tyler put his hands on his stomach and realized he didn’t feel hungry either, even though he hadn’t eaten anything since the stack of pancakes. He also hadn’t felt the need to use a bathroom since the train station. The more he thought about it, the more unsettling it felt. “Maybe I am a ghost.” The thought put him in a reflective mood. What about Mom? If I’m a ghost, I’ll never get out of here, and she’ll never know what happened to me. First Dad disappears, and then me. This is going to kill her.
He was still brooding when the tall woman walked by again. This time she was with a man with short brown hair and wire-rimmed glasses. The two walked close enough to casually bump each other, giving Tyler the impression they were a couple. Their voices were low, so he had to strain to hear what the woman was saying. “Emily was acting a bit odd last night, like she was upset about something. She wouldn’t admit it, but I think she’s hearing voices again.”
The man said something Tyler couldn’t hear, and the woman responded, “Don’t worry; I’ve already made an appointment with…”
The rest of the conversation faded to mumbles as the pair disappeared from his limited view, but he had heard enough to get him wondering. Could Emily be the girl on the other side of the mirror? Was he the voice? And what did they mean by “again?” If there were others, where were they? He peered into the darkness around him, wondering if there were other people, or ghosts, out there. He couldn’t see anything, no matter how hard he looked. He thought about calling out, but two things stopped him. Yelling was a waste of time, and he didn’t know who, or what, might answer.
Tyler hoped the girl, Emily, would come back soon.
***
Emily sat on the edge of her bed feeling troubled and confused. The boy, Tyler, was so much different from the other voices. For one, he had a name, and he could clearly see her, even if she couldn’t see him. She kind of liked the way he talked to her, direct and honest. It reminded her of the friends she had back home, and she needed a friend, even if he was invisible. It bothered Emily that Mansel was somehow involved, but Tyler obviously didn’t know who Mansel was. If she didn’t tell him about her uncle, maybe they could still be friends.
There were several boys named Tyler at Emily’s old school. All of them had been cute, which made her wonder what the Tyler in the mirror looked like. Does it matter? She cut off her own line of thinking. He was inside of a mirror, and she was the only one who could talk to him. Another voice inside her head, a voice she hoped was her conscience, answered. That’s exactly why it matters.
Emily’s thoughts about Tyler brought a jumble of emotions, but she wasn’t sure why. After all, she knew almost nothing about him. He was her age and he was alone in a dark place. He was probably scared, and she was his only link to the outside world. A small smile spread across her lips. He needs me! For the first time since arriving in San Francisco, she was needed by somebody, and that felt good. She wondered again if he was cute.
The smile on Emily’s face melted when her thoughts returned to Uncle Mansel. Tyler’s description matched him, right down to his black clothes and the scar over his eye. It had to be him, but why would he put Tyler inside of a mirror, and more importantly, how? She couldn’t ask him without admitting that she was hearing voices. At best she would sound crazy, and at worst it might be dangerous, especially if he did put Tyler in the mirror. Since Emily couldn’t ask her uncle, she decided to ask Tyler.
An unexpected knock on Emily’s door made her jerk upright. “Come in.”
It was her mother, and Jean’s usual smile was replaced with a look of concern. “Emily, are you feeling well?”
Emily put on her most composed face. She didn’t know what was causing her mother’s new worry, but she desperately wished everything could go back to the way it used to be between them in New York. Her mother hadn’t worried about her, and Emily could talk with her about anything. Since they moved to San Francisco, though, things had changed, and not for the better like her parents had promised. Emily wasn’t sure why, but being in San Francisco was creating a distance between her and her parents. “I feel fine. Why?”
Jean cupped Emily’s chin and looked in her eyes. “You were so quiet at dinner, and you hardly ate anything. I thought something was troubling you, that’s all.”
“I’m fine, Mom. Really.” Emily looked at her mother’s stately composure and wished she could match it. At least she was able to keep her placid smile from faltering.
“Okay, but you know you can talk to me about anything, right?”
Her mother didn’t look convinced that everything was fine, but at least she hadn’t suggested a trip to the therapist. Emily was thankful for the small victory. “Sure, Mom, I know.” She would love to talk about Tyler. He was certainly on her mind more than anything else, but even a mention of hearing another voice would get her dragged into Dr. Franklin’s office to be hounded by his never-ending questions.
Jean may as well have been reading her mind, because she leaned down and asked, “Would you feel more comfortable talking with Dr. Franklin?”
Emily stiffened, but forced herself to relax, even though she wanted to jump up and scream, “No! I don’t ever want to see that quack again!” Instead, she calmly answered, “No thanks, I don’t have anything to tell him.” Her mother was watching her closely, so Emily put on her most innocent smile and hoped it wasn’t obvious that she was holding her breath. The clock ticking on her wall was the loudest thing in the room.
Jean was the first to break the silence. “Well, I think you should see the doctor, so I’ve made an appointment for Thursday morning.”
Emily’s heart sank. “But I don’t need to see him. I’m not upset about anything.”
“Maybe not, but the appointment has already been scheduled. Come on now, don’t look so upset. I just want to know you’re all better, that’s all, and seeing the doctor one more time won’t hurt.” Jean left Emily and stepped into the hallway with a growing look of decisiveness, but just before the door closed she stuck her head back in. “I love you, Emily.”
“I love you too, Mom.” Emily waited until she heard the click of the latch before she flopped back on her bed with a groan. “Oh, no, not again.” She had an entire day before the appointment, and she knew her mother would be watching her closely. One thing was certain: she couldn’t be seen talking to Tyler’s mirror.
Emily spent the next day outside, walking the neighborhood in hopes of finding girls her own age. S
he had no luck, but it gave her plenty of time to think about Tyler. She avoided the hallway that evening, as well. The next morning Emily was feeling antsy to talk to Tyler, but she waited until her mother went to her room to get dressed before she ran to Tyler’s mirror. Emily was wearing a form-fitting navy blue dress she had grabbed on impulse while thinking about the invisible boy. It wasn’t her most stylish dress, but it was the best for showing off her curves.
“Tyler, are you still there?”
“Yeah, I’m still here, and you look great.”
Emily felt a warm flush of pleasure that he noticed the dress. “Thanks.”
“By the way, is your name Emily?”
Emily’s delight at his compliment turned to surprise. “How do you know that?”
“I heard a tall lady tell a guy in glasses that ‘Emily was hearing voices.’ I figured that had to be you.”
The exposure of her secret made Emily cringe. Tyler wasn’t supposed to know about that, and she didn’t want to talk about hearing voices—not now. “I can only stay a minute, and they can’t see me talking to you.”
“Who are ‘they?’ The tall lady and the guy in glasses?”
“Yes, they’re my parents.”
“Why can’t they see you talking to me?”
Emily glanced down the hallway to make sure no one was within earshot. “Because I can’t see you, and neither can they. They can’t even hear you. All they see is me talking to a mirror. It looks strange, and they worry about me.”
“So what if it looks strange?” Tyler blurted. “Who cares?”
Emily was already feeling sensitive about her upcoming visit to the therapist, so his callous reply made her puff up. “How would you like it if your parents thought you were crazy?” she snapped. “Crazy enough to take you to a therapist.” Her mouth clamped shut in horror, but it was too late. She had spilled her guts to the one person she didn’t want to know about the voices, the one person she didn’t want to think she was crazy. Tears of frustration welled in her eyes, but she refused to make them more obvious by wiping them away.
There was a long pause before Tyler said anything. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. Sometimes I can be a real jerk, but I swear I wasn’t trying to be. I really am sorry, and I hope you can forgive me, Emily.”
Emily’s anger melted away as quickly as it had surfaced. She knew it was unfair to expect Tyler to understand what was happening to her. She also could not ignore a small thrill when he said her name. “I know you weren’t being mean, and it’s not your fault I have to go to a therapist.”
“I heard your mother say ‘again.’ Have you heard other voices?”
The unexpected question caused Emily to cringe again. The conversation kept trying to go the wrong way, and she had to stop it before any more of her secrets were revealed. Only crazy people heard voices, and she didn’t want Tyler to think she was crazy. “Mother will be looking for me. I’ve got to go.”
“No, don’t go. I’m sorry. Wait…wait!”
Emily could hear Tyler begging, and she felt a wave of guilt to be leaving so abruptly, but she did not turn back.
CHAPTER 4
Dr. Franklin settled into his leather chair and switched to the calm therapy voice Emily recognized and hated. “It’s good to see you again, Emily. I hope you are feeling well enough to talk about those voices, the ones from the mirrors.”
Emily crossed her arms. “I don’t hear voices,” she insisted. “I already told you that.”
The hour-long session became a jousting match of wits and determination as Emily avoided a direct response to every one of Dr. Franklin’s questions, especially those about voices and mirrors. She kept one eye on the clock, waiting for the hour to be over, but her hopes for an escape were crushed when Dr. Franklin called her mother on his intercom and asked for more time, insisting he was close to a breakthrough.
Emily wanted to run out of the room, but Jean’s crackly voice agreed to the extended session. It took another hour of claiming she didn’t hear voices for Dr. Franklin to concede with a forlorn shake of his head. He ended the session by handing Emily a therapy doll. “I normally use these for younger patients, but in your case, I think it will help you to practice talking about things that bother you.”
Emily looked at the cheap plastic doll with instant loathing. She hadn’t played with dolls in years. She almost refused to accept the ugly thing, except she thought of a good use for it.
It was late afternoon when Emily got home from her appointment, and she went straight to the mirror.
“Hey, what’s the doll for?”
Emily shook the doll at the mirror. “I got it from my therapist. It’s gross, I know.”
“Then why’d you take it?”
“Because he said it’s okay for me to talk to this stupid thing. So as long as I have it with me, I can pretend I’m talking to it, and no one will know I’m actually talking to you.”
“And they won’t think you’ve gone off the deep end,” Tyler added.
“Exactly!” Emily gave her reflection a satisfied smile before she pulled over the nearest chair and sat sideways to the mirror. The position allowed her to see anyone approaching the hallway before they saw her. When she was ready, she held the doll in front of her as if she were talking to it. “By the way, I can’t stay long because dinner is almost ready.” Her hands absently twisted the doll’s head until it was looking over its back.
“I hope your mom’s a better cook than mine. The only thing she knows how to make is pancakes.”
Emily shrugged. “Mom’s cooking is okay…I guess.” She leaned back in the chair and returned the doll’s head to its original position before she asked, “Tyler, will you tell me what it’s like where you are?”
“Sure, but there’s not much to tell. It’s dark, and it’s very hard to hear anything on this side. I can hear you just fine, but I can hardly hear myself, even when I yell. The only thing I can see is the light from your side of the mirror. The best way to describe it is that I’m outside at night looking into your house through a window.” There was a brief pause before he added, “Oh yeah, I’m not hungry or tired, and I never fall asleep.”
It didn’t sound like any place Emily wanted to be. “Can you break the glass?”
“No, I already tried that.”
“Hmmmm,” Emily absently snapped the doll’s head off and pushed it back on several times. “Tell me again. How did you get there?”
“The old guy caught me in the bathroom, and I couldn’t get away. He wanted the watch, but I wouldn’t give it to him, so he pushed me into a mirror. I fell right through, somehow, and its pitch black on this side. That’s why I didn’t see him before he grabbed the watch and left.”
“How do you know you fell through the mirror? Besides the obvious, I mean.”
“I don’t know for sure, but he had the triad.”
“The what?”
“The triad. I don’t know a lot about it, but it’s a black triangle about twice the size of my hand. It’s covered in weird letters my dad called runes. Dad found it in the basement of the museum.”
Emily shook her head. “Tyler, you’ve totally lost me. I don’t understand how your dad fits into this.”
“Yeah, I guess I didn’t explain that part very well.”
Emily laughed at his understated admission, and Tyler joined her. She hadn’t found much to laugh about since leaving New York, or had anyone to share laughter with, so the moment with Tyler felt great.
“Okay, okay,” Tyler said when he caught his breath. “Maybe I should start at the beginning.”
“Thanks, and I hope it’s easier to understand than the jumbled mess I’ve heard so far.”
The snappy comeback earned a hoot from Tyler. “Ouch, I think I’m bleeding from that one.”
Emily was quick to flash a Girl Scout salute at the mirror. “Sorry, I’ll be good.”
“You’d better. Anyway, about a year ago, my dad found a hidden vault below the museum
where he worked. Inside the vault was a bunch of mirrors and a black box. The only two things inside the box were the triad and a pocket watch. Dad was taking them to a friend at the Exploratorium when he disappeared. The police found his car the next day, but Dad never was found.”
Emily gave him a moment before she said, “I’m so sorry to hear about your dad.”
“Thanks, Emily, but I found an important clue.”
“You did? What was it?”
“The watch that was in the box. My dad had it with him when he disappeared. But that’s not all.” Tyler gave a brief recount of buying the watch, seeing the triad, being chased by her uncle, and getting trapped in the bathroom. "That’s where he pushed me through the mirror.”
“And you think he used the triad to do that?”
“Yeah, that’s got to be it. My dad found it with all those mirrors, and now I’m stuck in a mirror. There’s gotta be a connection.”
“As weird as it sounds, I think you’re right.” Emily knew she could no longer keep the secret that was gnawing at her. “Tyler, I’ve got something to tell you.”
“What?”
“I think I’ve seen that triad thing.”
“You have?”
“I think so. My uncle has it.”
“Your uncle?”
“Yes, and he’s the one who pushed you through the mirror.”
“How would you know that?” Emily could hear surprise in his voice.
“Because you described him to me, remember?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“And I don’t think it’s a coincidence you’re here.” Emily was tired of hiding things, and decided it was best to tell the whole truth. “This isn’t my house. It’s his. My family has been staying with him until we can afford a place of our own.”
“Well, that explains a few things.”
“I suppose.” Emily was glad that Tyler wasn’t upset with her for not mentioning the triad sooner.
“Wait a minute.” Tyler sounded excited. “I’ll bet your uncle keeps the triad somewhere in the house, and the watch will probably be with it. We could use them to get me out of here.”
