Mirror, Mirror

Day 14: Entry 1 

This is...what, my sixteenth plan in the course of two weeks?

Maybe it’s the seventeenth. I’ve lost count, at this point. 

It doesn’t matter what number it is, though, because I can feel it. This is the idea. This one is going to work. 

A magic mirror.

It sounded better in my head. 

Here’s the idea: I’ll use my extensive engineering and technology skills to build a living, breathing mirror. A better Alexa, really.

That extensive was sarcastic. I’m still a sophomore in college—a better phrase would be practically nonexistent. 

I can do it, though. I’ll research, I’ll pay attention in class, I’ll do whatever I have to. I need this to work.

This is going to work. 

Day 17: Entry 1

A few days of research later and I’m ready to begin the project. I’m calling it “The Mirror.”

Creative, I know. 

But the past days of research haven’t been without their challenges. First of all, there’s the mirror I’m faced with the minute I wake up. All my flaws, my imperfections, the extra ten pounds I could really afford to lose. 

The people aren’t much better. They don’t comment, never do, as I make my daily trip to the campus library, but I can read their stares well enough. They scan me up and down as I adjust my glasses, smooth back my hair frizzy from the humidity, and quickly return their eyes to the path ahead of them. 

I’m tired of it. All of it. 

Which is what The Mirror is for. 

Tomorrow, I’ll drive out and get the supplies I’m missing, and hopefully make it back before dinner to start work. 

This has to work.

Day 18: Entry 1

Well, I missed the dinner deadline I set for myself yesterday. By four hours, to be precise. Turns out, the kind of nanotechnology I needed is hard to get your hands on.

But I got it. And now, at exactly 11 PM, I’m ready to start the actual building. Wish me luck.

Day 18: Entry 2

It is now 4 AM. Technically, that means the heading for this entry should be Day 19, but I can’t bring myself to care.

Starting construction went well. About an hour ago, I fell asleep on my desk, and woke up to some sparks from the drill I left running. Some sparks catching my hair on fire, more accurately. 

Yeah. Fun. 

I’m fine now, other than the fact that half of my head has a scorched bob and the other half has auburn hair that flows down to my mid-back. I’ll need a haircut before I dare show my face on campus again. No need to draw more judgmental stares than I already do. 

On the bright side (not the fire-bright side, the metaphorical one, thank goodness), staying up all night paid off. I have a basic idea of what I’m doing, and I managed to avoid stepping on any of the tiny parts and crushing them, so that’s a plus. 

Thankfully, I don’t have class tomorrow, so I can catch a decent five hours of sleep before going back to work on The Mirror.

Day 22: Entry 1

It’s been a few days since my last entry, so I figured I should chime in with an update in case my next modification doesn’t go well.

And by doesn’t go well, I mean blows up my entire dorm and incinerates me on the spot. Advanced nanotechnology under extreme heat and pressure tends to do that. 

Then again, if that happens, this journal will be in worse shape than me, so I guess this entry is kind of pointless.

Basically, today is the day I put it all together. I have to connect the tech I’ve been slaving over to The Mirror’s interface and cross my fingers that it doesn’t blow up. Here’s the odds: 

There’s a one in two chance this works. Not too bad, right? Until you look at the other options.

One in four says there’s a minor explosion, where the damage would be limited to the floor and The Mirror itself. And the worst:

One in four says The Mirror will pretty much implode, taking me, this journal, and my entire dorm with it. 

So, a three in four chance I don’t die. 

I’ll take those odds.

Day 22: Entry 2

I regret the previous decision. Deeply. 

The Mirror is currently smoldering on the tarp I laid down to protect the carpet, and my shirt is still smoking as I soak my burned fingertips in a bucket of ice. 

Nice going, Sage. 

On the bright side, the other half of my hair is scorched to match the first. Don’t get me wrong, I still need a haircut, but at least the lengths are relatively even.

I need a new fire extinguisher, too. And I’ll have to replace the technology I lost. 

But hey, the room is still standing, at least. 

Day 32: Entry 1

The burns on the tips of my fingers are finally healed enough to continue work on The Mirror. I definitely got some strange looks when I walked into the hardware store to buy the exact same things I did two weeks ago. I told the cashier that I “may or may not have exploded it all.”

He didn’t know how to respond to that and practically kicked me out of the store the second I got what I needed.

I think I know what went wrong last time, and, once again, it was my fault. I connected the wires in the wrong order and almost blew up my dorm.

I can just imagine the conversation with the headmaster. 

So, Sage, what happened to your dorm?

I blew it up. My bad!

Yeah, I wouldn’t be in school for much longer after that. Good thing the dorm is still standing. 

Well, it’s time to get back to work. I’m putting it all together again today, and this time I expect it to work. 

Day 32: Entry 2

IT WORKS.

The Mirror works. 

I programmed it to answer questions, give appearance tips, but most of all, be honest about everything. Finally, I’ll have a helpful mirror. Sure, it’ll still point out my flaws, but then I can fix them. It won’t just stare me down with a judgmental look on its projected face like some people.

Looking at you, Alex from my physics class. 

I can’t keep my eyes open any longer tonight, so I’m going to move The Mirror to my room and go to bed, but I’ll be back in the morning with an update detailing how it works.

Day 33: Entry 1

The Mirror works spectacularly. 

I asked it every question I could think of, and it fired off answers like it was nothing. 

How does it know the name of the best friend of the receptionist at the hair salon I’m visiting today, you ask?

Well. I might’ve given it access to every database I could find, from social media to less-legal endeavors. If I wanted, I could probably order a shipment of ivory off of the black market.

Not that I’m planning on ordering anything off of the black market. I’m not, just to make it clear. I created The Mirror for much more personal uses. 

Remember when I said I was tired of the judgmental looks? The Mirror is fixing that problem for me. When I ask, it points out my flaws and gives me recommendations to fix them. I have a new workout routine and just started intermittent fasting, and I have a cosmetic surgery scheduled next week to fix that pesky nose of mine. I’ll get lasik or something within the next month, so I can ditch the glasses.

Seriously. With The Mirror behind me, I’ll be the prettiest college sophomore out there. 

Well, that concludes it, I guess. The Mirror was a success. I probably won’t write anymore in this journal, unless something with The Mirror changes in the future, but I doubt it will. All I have to do is say “mirror, mirror, on the wall…” and it’ll answer any question I have. 

So, this is it. Sage, genius engineer and soon-to-be prettiest girl in school, over and out.

Day 39,427: Entry 1 

I found this diary from my highschool years buried with memorabilia. In truth, it’s been so long, I forgot how I made The Mirror. 

The world has changed so much since then. As much as the nostalgia of writing in this journal again makes me want to document every little thing, I’ll stick with a brief summary.

People fear me now.

I live in a castle (like I said, a lot has changed).

I’m known as the Evil Queen.

And I’m still not the fairest in the land.