Shatter

Chapter 3: Escape

The early morning drizzle splattered on the roof, a steady and rhythmic tip-tap. Occasionally there would be a gentle whooshing of the wind. 

As I lay there in my small bed next to the huge window, my heart was crumpling. They didn't understand. They thought the man in the mirror wasn't real. They thought I was the one who convinced Alisa to disobey everything. They disliked me, now, for something I didn't do. 

I was as fragile as glass, weak as paper, easily shattered or crumpled and thrown away. I was nothing like stone; my heart was not strong enough to withstand all the forces that attacked me. More than half of it was already broken from the loss of my family. My personality was like a balloon: easily filled, but also easily deflated. I've gotten betrayed a million times in my life, but I'm still the old me: easy to trust people. 

Alisa hadn't responded to anything the entire night yesterday, and all the adults blamed me, assuming that I had something to do with it. Indeed, I was there, but I had done nothing. They thought I was simply a kid who was filled with mischief now; they thought I had changed in one day. They thought my neatness and my politeness and my obedience were crushed to pieces and gone forever. Often, orphans changed like that from past experiences, but I was not one of those orphans. I've stayed the same for twelve whole years, and I doubt I'll change.

Slowly, as time passed, children woke up, yawning and sighing happily. My bed was next to the window, and I saw it fog up slowly since the cold had slipped into the room. 

For a moment I thought I saw the man's face again, more bloodcurdling than ever. It was as if I was in a horror movie, always in danger wherever I went. 

I wonder if I was simply overreacting by a misunderstanding. 

Soon, it was nearly noon. I stayed in bed, staring at the window and the world outside it. 

"Luna," came an urgent voice. "Wake up, c'mon." 
It was not the voice of an adult, so I rolled over. "Carmen?" 

She was my best friend: another orphan, like me. "Ugh, no, I'm not getting out of bed." I groaned.

"Please," Carmen said, this time urgently. "Get out of bed! Luna...."

"What is it?" I sighed. 

"Alisa's dead!"

I shook my head. "You're just messing with me, right?" 

"No, I'm not. She's in the main room. She was eating, but then she choked badly and suddenly ate more food after she choked. It was like she was murdering herself! But her eyes were so glassy... as if she was already dead... before she died she said, 'Say goodbye to the man in the mirror.' It was unnatural, creepy, oh, what's happening these days? First you see a man in a mirror, then Alisa's dead now. The man in the mirror... is he real? Tell me the truth, Luna."

"He's real!" I nearly screamed. "This supernatural thing—these events, they're scaring me. They don't even believe me! Look, Carmen, it's worse than you think. I'm not overreacting. One day that man is going to attack me. I'm leaving today."

"No, no, Luna, one more day." Carmen pleaded. "You can't just leave! Where will you go?" 

"Somewhere without mirrors," I replied bitterly. 

"I'm coming with you, then." Carmen said. "But still, you're crazy. No doubt about that. And what about Rosalie?" she sighed. 

I hesitated. My sister. Rosalie. But she would be safer in the orphanage than with me. I did it out of love, so she would be safe, not out of selfishness.

It was nighttime. 

"Are you sure about this?" Carmen asked in a whisper. 

"Yes." I responded confidently. 

"You don't know what's in the outside world, Luna." Carmen said. 

"We'll survive." 

With that, we quietly closed the front door, careful not to be heard, and left the orphanage. 

The woods were dark and still. Somewhere, there was the sound of an owl's hoot, but that was it. 

"I'm already regretting the fact that we left," Carmen hissed. "We shouldn't have." 

I glared angrily. "Well maybe you shouldn't have come!"

Carmen rolled her eyes. "I was just sayin'. So, where do we go now?" 

"Somewhere." 

"I hate this," Carmen complained. "We're a bunch of kids in the dark night, walking all alone." 

She had a point, but I didn't care much. I was away from the orphanage and that man in the mirror. That was all I cared about. For now.

Suddenly, the wind picked up, and the trees whistled. 

There was a shadow of a man, coming closer and closer.