Chapter 24

24

     It was the middle of the night and Jordan awoke with a start. What had awakened her? Then she heard it again, rustling in the corner. Sitting straight up in bed, clutching her comforter to her chest, she peered through the darkness. She listened hard and then relaxed, it must  be Candles. She sometimes crept around at night and Jordan realized she’d closed her door. The cat probably wanted out for a drink or a bite to eat.

     She climbed from bed, noting her computer was off- the screen dark in the shadows of her room. She staggered to the door and cracked it open, expecting to see Candles shoot out into the hall, but no cat. Frowning, she turned to head back to bed, glancing at her alarm clock; it was three am.

     “Jordan,” she heard whispered in the dark and she froze.

     “Jordan,” the whisper again only louder this time.

     “Who’s there?” she asked, her voice shaking as she edged back toward the door.

     A soft blue glow began to light up the room, and Jordan turned in awe to face the mirror. Illuminated it stood there, uncovered, although Jordan had thrown a sheet over it before going to bed that night. She just knew she’d never sleep otherwise. Within the mirror swirls of light and color, like a whirlpool, emanated from the mirror and sparks of electricity snapped through the air.

     Jordan grabbed for the bedroom door handle and was shocked by a jolt of electricity. Shrieking from pain, she fell back onto her bed as the door slammed shut.

     “What do you want with me?” She demanded and was answered at first by a mild vibration in the floor, its intensity increasing as the entire room began shaking. Pictures fell from the wall, she watched in horror as the mementoes from her father’s travels crashed to the floor shattering, her computer crept ever closer to the edge of the desk, the keyboard already dangling over the side from its cord.

     Jordan cowered in the center of her bed, the mirror’s glow growing brighter. Pictures and symbols flashed across the glass in rapid succession and Jordan, even now, felt the urge to grab a pen and paper to get them all down. She couldn’t move however, helpless on the juddering bed, riding the unseen waves of power thrown from the mirror.

     As she peered helplessly at the mirror, to her horror she saw her mother and her father lying still in coffins and suddenly she was there, weeping beside her parent’s bodies, the heady scent of flowers all around and a silence so deadly that her ears began to ring. She cried out in anger and disbelief, willing it all to go away.

     Her screams awakened the whole household and probably half the neighborhood. Jordan was shaken awake to find her mother gently prodding her, her father peering anxiously over her mother’s shoulders.

     “Jordan!” her mother gasped. “Dear God, you gave us a heart attack! You were having a bad dream. Are you OK?”

     Sweating and heavy breathing only allowed Jordan to nod numbly at her parents, and in stops and starts, to apologize for awaking them and assuring them that she was OK.

     “Just a dumb dream, That’s all,” she’d stated and finally her parents left the room to return to bed.  Bleary-eyed, Jordan glanced around her room. Everything was in order, the computer on and the mirror still covered. She was scared out of her skin when  she felt a soft “thwump” and realized it was only Candles coming up to cuddle. It took a long time before Jordan could fall back to sleep and when the alarm went off for school the next morning, she felt like she hadn’t slept at all.

     She spent the morning under her parent’s scrutinizing gazes and her father repeated his offer that they were there to talk if there was a problem. Jordan smiled wanly and assured them all was well. What would she say? Uh mom, dad, Bethany gave me a magic mirror that can tell the future and it’s getting a little stressful. They’d throw her into the loony bin for sure. Nevertheless, Jordan had already made up her mind that the mirror had to be destroyed. She’d uncovered the mirror that morning before her mom would notice and made sure that her mother saw her admiring her outfit in it, doing a little extra primping for good measure.

     “See how useful it is?” Her mother had responded and Jordan forced a smile and agreed. Oh it was useful alright. In more ways than her mother could ever imagine.