In Pieces

6 | Confidence Is Overrated |

I opened my eyes in total darkness, or at least, I thought I did. Water dripped all over me. My dress was stuck on my skin again.

I squeezed my skirt and whispered to myself, I can do this.

Reaching my hands forward, I took a step, then another, until I saw some light breaking ahead. A chuckle escaped my lips. My arms fell on my sides as I hurried toward the light and then stopped with a painful thud.

Ouch!

That bump was going to leave a bruise on my forehead. Peeling myself off the cold, smooth surface, I ran my fingers around my face and let out a sigh when everything seemed to be in place.

The glass I'd bumped upon must have been a dark mirror. Tracing my hands against its metal frame, I cautiously walked past it.

How many more of these dark mirrors was out there? How big was this place? A glance over my shoulder revealed the answer.

Hundreds—maybe thousands—of mirrors were scattered across eternal darkness, reflecting a faint haze into their tight perimeters. There was no way of spotting the black surfaces in between. This place could be a minefield of glass!

Water dripped down my wet face. I can do this. All I had to do was stretch my arms to protect myself, hold my chin up, and move forward.

I dragged a cautious step, panting. Then another step. My fingertips were itchy and ice cold. One more step. Was I getting too close to something?

I held my breath...but the breathing continued.

I gasped. Someone or something was in front of me.

I shut my eyes and froze as the strange, wet breathing turned into a snarl.

So much for my so-called confidence. "Gio! Gio! Gio!"

The sharp sound of teeth clashing against each other cut through the darkness. I leaped aside. Warm wind licked my ankle. My scream joined the clacking of jaws as I started running like I'd never run before. I didn't care if I bumped into another mirror or broke another piece of me—or two—or three! I didn't want to die!

"GIO! GIO! GI—"

A buzz of electricity cracked through the air. A hand grabbed my wrist and pulled me in. My skirt whirlpooled around my legs as I got sucked into fresh water.

Who would have thought drowning would be more pleasant than getting eaten in the dark?

Moments later, I surfaced above the river in the forest and started coughing. Gio's silver-gray eyes gleamed as he emerged from the water and pulled me ashore. He jumped out, then grabbed my wrist again and helped me climb next to him.

"That didn't take long," he commented with a smirk as I threw myself to lie on the grass.

"What was that thing?"

"A wolf."

I'd believe him if he told me it was the devil himself. Okay, it was official. Nothing in the world could make me go back to that mirror dimension alone again. Whatever was left of my heart was throbbing right now.

Gio giggled and, with a head twitch, magically dried us from head to toe.

Tall grass tickled my cheeks. The fresh smell of dewy greens had me melting deeper onto the safe, warm ground. I gazed at the overcast sky while my breathing returned to normal. "Does it ever get sunny here?"

"Not really. It doesn't rain or snow, either. Just constant gray and dark gray," Gio explained, lying next to me.

"Where do you sleep?"

"I don't sleep. Not human, remember?"

When I turned to him, his ears quivered with a subtle buzz, and a smile started playing in the corners of his lips. I couldn't help but ask, "Don't you have a home? Where do you have your meals—do you eat at all?"

"The forest is my home. I eat... And before you ask, I hunt, sew my own clothes, do my business under the pines, and use leaves to wipe my—"

I palmed my face. I didn't need to know all the details.

Gio chuckled, "You're welcome to use my facilities as your own...if you are determined to stay here forever, of course."

With a sigh, I sat up and crossed my legs, ready to talk business. Gio sat too and positioned himself to face me directly. There was nothing childish about his features as he straightened himself. His silver eyes sparked with that mysterious glow.

"Why do you want to marry me, Gio?"

"I've been alone here for too long. I want to leave this dimension and live a human life." He didn't sound sad or sorry. He was plainly stating facts. "There are only two ways I can leave, and they both require signing a contract. I can either serve someone for the rest of their life and return here when they die, or I can marry, live and die as a human with my companion in their world."

"When you say marry, do you mean—"

"I mean the entire package. The contract, the vows, and the kiss between man and wife before I can leave this plane, of course."

"Of course," I echoed sheepishly, swirling his terms in my head. The contract was easy to sign. The vows could be broken... Oh! I blushed immediately—the kiss. Nope, it wasn't happening. I wasn't wasting my first kiss on a genie. No, thank you.

Picking a tall piece of grass, Gio twirled it around his finger like a ring. "It is only fair when you think how I saved—" He bit his lip thoughtfully and cleared his throat. After taking several deep breaths, he smiled and raised his gaze into my eyes again. "I'd be a good husband."

I shook my head and stood up. He jumped up and started following me.

"I'd take care of you for the rest of your life."

"I don't need to be taken care of." I hurried toward the woods. He caught up with me.

"I'd make you happy."

"I'm not sad!" My cheeks were on fire.

"But you're broken!" Gio jumped in front of me.

I pushed him away and stepped back. "What does that even mean?"

With a wave of a hand, he gingerly pulled the contract out of thin air and held it to my face with a smirk. "Sign, and I'll tell you."

"No!" I turned around and started running back to the river, then suddenly stopped when I bumped into something hard—Gio's chest.

I screamed and headed back to the woods but stopped when Gio called, "I'm sorry! Okay? I just want to talk."

He slowly sat under the tree by the river and patted the grass. I ran my cold, sticky palms over my burning cheeks and dragged my feet back to sit next to him.