10 Mirrors

A few minutes later the bell rang after Eva and I chatted. Once again I was late for class, to think I arrived early today, what a waste. The crowd had finally died down and so I headed to my locker. Eva and I walked in the same direction since her locker was just three lockers away from mine and we both got the same classes.

I checked my watch again before opening my locker... The time read 10 o'clock, normal time being 9 o'clock since my watch was still set an hour early. How is this possible, I thought to myself. It seemed as though time itself was moving faster than usual. After I looked at my watch I was about to open my locker when I saw that the combination had been tampered with and it appeared to be open.

I was hesitant to open it because I wasn't sure what was waiting for me inside but I also needed to get my books so it had to be done. I slowly opened it hoping that something terrible wouldn't happen but I was dead wrong. Inside my locker everything appeared to be normal, all my stuff was exactly how I left it, my books were untouched and nothing was missing. However, stuck on the mirror of the inside of my locker door was a picture of me holding the cat from this morning.

Then I remembered that feeling of being watched this morning and it made my stomach churn. I felt uneasy and I looked around to see if anyone was watching me before I turned back to my locker. But when I turned around to face my mirror again I saw that the picture was gone... It had vanished, disappeared with out a trace. I rubbed my eyes as I wondered whether I was seeing things or not and then I rubbed them again but there was still no signs of the picture. Was my mind playing on me again? I thought but I brushed it off once again and got out the books I needed for class.

Once I got all of my books, I checked my watch again and then I walked over to Eva. She was still busy taking out her books from her locker and was too busy to witness what had happened earlier. She didn't even notice that I was standing behind her and waiting for her. Either that or she didn't really care?..

"Eva, we're already late!.." I exclaimed. "Come on, we have to go..."

"Give me a minute," She said while she continued to scratch in her locker.

"What are you looking for?.." I asked her with a little curiosity in my voice as she dug further in her locker, determined to find something?

"This!.." She exclaimed in excitement. As she turned around from her locker, placed in her hand was a silver necklace with a polished Jade stone inside of a silver casing that had beautiful flower patterns on it.

"Wow, it's so pretty!.." I said in excitement. "Where did you get it from?.."

"I bought it at this cute little antique shop," Eva said beaming a smile.

"I really like it..." I said. "It just looks so beautiful."

"I'm glad you think so," she said in a cheerful tone, "because it's for you."

"Oh, no you didn't have to..." I said as she placed the necklace in my hand.

"Think of it as a late birthday present for that time when I forgot to get you something for your birthday." She said with a laugh.

"Thanks, Eva." I said. "It really means a lot."

"No problem." She said still smiling.

"But, wait..." I said, "we still have to get to class."

After Eva took out all the books she needed we headed off to class. We were really late and we both knew we were about to get an earful from the Biology teacher about how we can't just walk into class whenever we feel like it, if only teachers realised that we also had lives.

When we finally got to the classroom door we stood outside and waited a bit. We were both hesitant on whether we should open the door or not.

"Maybe we should rather skip this period and wait till the bell rings for the next class??.." Eva whispered questioning whether we should enter the class as she bit her lip, which she usually did when she was nervous.

"Do I look like I have detention written on my forehead?!.." I exclaimed to her in a whisper shout tone, not wanting to be heard as I furrowed my eyebrows. "Because if we skip this class we are bound to be sent to detention for bunking the period!"

"But..." Eva whispered, still hesitant.

"Shh..." I said not wanting to get caught.

The fact that we were bound to be sent to detention if we bunked was true and Eva knew it too, "it was the truth, only the truth and nothing but the truth..." We had to go in and face the "music," the music being the teacher that is.

I walked towards the classroom door and inched more closer until I got to the tiny window that allowed me to see what was going on in the class. Eva also inched closer as she moved nearer to the door from behind me so that we could both get a good look.

Inside the classroom the students were all sitting at their desks, some sleeping, some chatting, some working and some just merely fooling around or goofing off and throwing papers or paper jets around. As you can tell by how things were going... The teacher clearly wasn't there.

I creaked the door open slowly not wanting to disturb the class and peeked inside for a better look with Eva also sticking her head out to see if the teacher really wasn't there. We zoomed in on the teacher's desk and saw an empty seat... The coast was clear. What luck we had today, no humiliation and no detention... Or so we thought.

Still busy peeking into the classroom and contemplating about going inside, I felt a nudge on my shoulder and I turned around thinking it was Eva but boy was I wrong... It was the History Sir.

"Alice you're late once again..." he said furrowing an eyebrow, "what is this like the third time?.." In all honesty, it was actually the seventh time I've been late but he didn't need to know that right now or at all so I just kept quiet since I didn't want to make the situation any worse. I just realised now, I use the number 7 a lot it must be my lucky number.

"You lucky I don't get you for this period..." he said in a harsh tone, "otherwise I would have already put you in detention by now, you and your friend." No we not lucky... I thought, we blessed. Eva then popped out from behind me and we both looked at him as he walked off and disappeared into the hallway. Thank goodness that's over, I thought.

Turning around again I opened the door of the classroom slowly and headed inside with Eva trailing behind me. Not wanting to catch any attention we quietly sneaked towards our desks and took our seats, we had to make do with what we had since we were late and so we sat in the middle row, close to the front but luckily a distance away from the teacher's desk. Eva's desk was next to mine on the right from me but as I looked around I saw that the desk to the left of me was empty. I wonder who sits there?.. I thought. Suddenly the door flew open and I was haled out of my thoughts by none other than... The Biology teacher.

The teacher then walked towards his desk as he looked at me and Eva oddly with confusion written all over his face before he took his seat. Once he was seated he didn't say anything, shook his head and went back to reading the book that was on his table. Phew, I thought to myself, I don't think he noticed. And once again I was wrong, when the bell rang to say that it was time for us to go to the next period, Eva and I were asked to stay after class. So we waited and then we were called to the front. When we headed to the teacher's desk, he stood up, folded his arms with his eyebrows furrowed and a stern look on his face.

"You guys were late again, weren't you?..." He asked raising a brow. There was nothing but silence towards his question from both me and Eva. "Well..." he said, "Eva, I know that this is the first time you late so you're free to go."

As Eva walked off I followed after her but was told... "Not so fast, I'm not done talking to you." So I had to stay. "I've been counting how much day's you came late, seven to be exact, but I let them slide." Said the Sir.

"I can explain, Sir." I said trying to wangle myself out of the situation.

"No, need to explain..." said the Sir, "I could have sent you to detention long time ago but I have a more fitting punishment for you, well, actually it's more of a favour to ask."

"Okaaay..." I said with a gulp, a bit hesitant to know what the "favour" was.

"We have a new student at our school and unfortunately he couldn't make it today..." He said. "So I want you to show him around the place and help him with his schedule, if you can do that I will spare you from detention and I won't mention you coming late the next time you are late for class ever again, do we have a deal?.." He asked with his arms still crossed.

I looked at him and thought for a minute. Mmmm... I thought, that's a tough one... No detention? No being scolded out for coming late? With no catch? All that for just helping out a guy? I'll take it, I thought.

I mean, how hard could it be?... I thought to myself again.

"Yes..." I said.

"So we have a deal?.." He asked again.

"Deal..." I said, this time without any hesitation.

"Okay..." he said, "the yellow envelope on my desk has all of the things he needs, when he shows up tomorrow you have to give it to him."

"Yes, Sir..." I said with a solute. Maybe that was a bit too much, I thought as I took the yellow envelope and was about to leave the classroom.

"Wait..." I heard him say as I stopped by the doorway and turned around. "Oh, and I almost forgot..." he said, "the new student... His name is Felix Hunter."

"Felix?!.."

That's funny, I thought to myself, that's the same name I gave my cat. I wonder who the new student is though?.. I thought again.

~The End Of The Day~

The bell had finally rang as to signal the end of the long school day... I walked towards my locker in an empty hallway since I was the last one to leave class. Eva wanted to go home with me and have a sleepover since she brought extra clothes today but I told her "Maybe another time..." because I had a lot on my plate and I also still had to help out that new student. She also wanted to wait for me but I told her that it was fine and that she could leave. So here I am "alone again, naturally" in the school's hallway with the lights about to be switched off, what are the odds?..

After I got to my locker I opened it, took out the books that I needed to take home, placed them in my bag and put on the necklace that Eva gave me before I was about to close my locker door when suddenly, the lights in the hallway I stood began to flicker. They went on and off and off and on again and again.

I couldn't see very well with the constant flickering of the lights but as I was about to close my locker door, in the mirror I saw the refection of my black cat with its eyes glowing bright green in colour, just like that time in the alley. I then rubbed my eyes thinking I was seeing things again and when I looked back to my mirror there was... no cat.

The lights still continued to flicker and then I heard something running in the passageway. I was a bit freaked out so I decided to close my locker and make a run for it. Holding my bag, I closed my locker and dashed off through the passageway where I heard a "meow." This was strange, I thought, that cat must be getting to me. Then I got to the front hallway and I left the school.

~At Home~

Today was the end of another hectic day... My shift was finished and if you wondering that "guy" didn't show up at my work, I finally managed to get some cat food at the pet store, which this time I didn't forget and I made it home around 1:00 am. I was practically the definition of "exhausted." As soon as I made my way inside of my apartment, I headed to my bed and I collapsed on it, obviously after making sure to lock the front door and then I fell into a deep sleep.

Once I had woken up I saw that I was laying on my bed with my back against the sheets. I looked around to see that I was in my bedroom which was completely dark by now and I was a bit confused since I just flopped down on my bed without even changing. But other than that, everything else seemed normal except for the part where the necklace that Eva gave me was glowing bright blue and hovering above my head.

I thought I was seeing things again and so I rubbed my eyes but this time it didn't go away or disappear. It was "REAL" and it wasn't a dream either, even though it seemed like one. The necklace seemed to be trying to show me something as it appeared to be floating towards a direction and so I decided to follow it.

I followed the necklace in the darkness of my room to one of the mirrors in my walk in closet and as I stood there I saw my cat walk right through the mirror. When I looked behind me I saw no cat yet, in the mirror there was the cat standing behind me. This was beyond weird even for me, and trust me I'm pretty weird. Was I freaking out?.. Maybe a bit, but I was too tired to respond to anything that was happening and instead of having a complete meltdown... I went to bed to sleep on things. I figured I would rather leave it for the morning.

To be continued...