Mirrors

“Charlie! Let’s do the house of mirrors!” my friend, Malia shouted from the ticket booth over the hoards of people.

“Okay! Let me get my lemonade real quick!” I shouted back from the drink line.

I paid for my drink and made my way to the steps of the mirror maze. Pushing through the crowds. I stepped up the old rusty stairs and gave the worker my ticket. I stepped into the maze and started walking. My face staring back at me in every direction.

“Malia, where are you?” I asked myself. I turned to see my glassy face returning my stare.

“Mali.” I said again.

Silence. The pale light flickered, leaving my spine shivering.

“Mali, this isn’t funny. Where are you?” I asked again. I could hear footsteps in the distance. “Mali, is that you?” I asked, turning around trying to pinpoint the direction of the sound.

I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I whipped my head around but saw no one.

“Mali come on, we have to leave soon!” I shouted into the maze.

I glanced around once more and decided to move on. I placed my hand against the cold mirror, feeling my way through the maze, when someone or something grabbed my shoulder. I felt cold. It felt as if my life was reaching its end, when suddenly I was pushed out of the maze.

I tumbled down the silver stairs and landed face up. My breath was gone.

“What the hell.” I whispered to myself.

I stared up into the dark sky. I twisted my head around and stared at the maze.

Malia.

I grabbed my phone out of my pocket and dialed her number.

No answer.

I sighed, “Oh Malia, what did you get us into now?” I muttered to myself, the pale walls of the maze staring back at me. I took a breath, got up and brushed myself off. “Okay, I’m coming, Malia.”

I walked back around to the front of the maze, getting another ticket ready to give to the worker. But there was no worker there. In fact there was no one in sight. “What is going on here?” I asked myself as I felt the cool metal railing beneath my warm touch. I looked into the maze but I didn’t see anyone in there either. I looked out at the empty fair booths. The twinkle lights flickering in the night. 

“Malia,” I whispered into the maze, my warm breath going up in puffs into the air. I sighed and then stepped into the maze. I used my hand and followed along the mirrors, the glass cold and solid beneath my fingertips. I glanced around the maze and all of the mirrors were now cracked. The lights went out, it was completely dark, luckily there was a flashlight next to my foot. I traced over the cracks with the tip of my finger. I felt an eerie feeling crawl up my spine.

“Malia? I really don’t like this.” I said into the darkness.

I raised my flashlight and walked cautiously into the dark maze, my face illuminated in every corner. “Malia, come on, this isn’t fun anymore, I wanna go home!” I shouted.

Thump!

I whipped my head around and my eyes shot across the maze looking for the source of the noise.

All there was was a small necklace with a swan pendant hanging from a simple, silver chain. It was Malia’s. She wore it everywhere, I’ve seen it a million different times, only this was the first time she wasn’t with it. I picked up the necklace, brushing my fingertips along the pendant.

“Don’t worry Malia, I’ll find you.” I whispered, enclosing the necklace in my hand and holding it to my heart.

I turned around and walked along the walls, tracing the cracks in the mirrors, each mirror panel getting more and more fragmented.

Soon I was in a part of the maze where there were only fragments. I could barely see myself in the mirrors anymore. I recognized this part of the maze. This was the last part of the maze. The door was right in front of my face. I could leave right now; but I didn’t, instead I turned around, only to be met with Malia.

“Malia!” I shout, throwing my hands around her neck. She stands frozen, even against my touch. “Mali?” I ask, leaning back to look at her face.

“You should’ve left.” Malia says, with a voice ten times deeper than hers. “Charlie.” She tilted her head to the right.

My eyes got wide. “Mali?” I asked, my voice trembling. “What are you doing?”

“My job.”

I spun around and leaped for the doorknob. I tried and tried and tried to open it, but to no avail.

Malia grabbed my shoulders and threw me backwards. I crashed into the mirror panels behind me. Shattering what was left of the mirrors.

“Mali, Mali, please, please don’t do this.” I pleaded. I touched my hand to my head and it came away with crimson blood. I felt it dripping down my forehead as I gasped for breath. I couldn’t feel my legs. She stepped closer. She leaned down, so close to my face, I could feel her hot breath against my cheeks.

“It’s over.” She said, reaching her hand to my throat. She held my throat in her grasp. I gasped for air but her grip was so tight I was starting to turn blue. I clawed at her hands and thrashed in her grasp but it didn’t help.

“Ma-li-a, puh-lease, don’t, don’t do th-this,” I choked out. My eyes rolled into the back of my head. I could feel the life leave my body. My soul left me. I went limp. I was alone and I would be forever. I died at the hands of my best friend. The one person I thought I would always have, and I lost her. I died on the same day as my best friend, Malia.