Glass Walls

Chapter 3

It's been three days since the basement incident. We still haven't moved the big mirror in the empty room upstairs. There wasn't enough room so dad said he was going to rearrange the junk in the basement. His mood has improved some and I think once all these dumb mirrors are out of sight he'll be back to normal.

Libby was coming over again and I knew she would lighten my mood. She's one of those people whose presence alone can light up a room. Understanding, funny, and only slightly responsible, Libby has been my friend for as long as I can remember. She knows everything there is to know about me.
Speaking of Libby, I hear the door open downstairs and her shrill voice pierces the air.
I go downstairs. "Hey!" She runs over and hugs me. "How's things going?"
I shrug.
"Ok I guess."
I walk in the kitchen and Libby follows. "I'm hungry. What about you?"

"Hungry." she says.
There was still a box of pasta left so that's what I made. We sat at the table. Sunshine peeked through the window and made the water I had beside me glisten.

"So," Libby says between a bite, "how's your dad?"

"Been better. He flipped out after you left, but don't let him know I told you that."

"What happened?"

I set my fork down. "If you look around the house you'll notice. He made me help take all the mirrors down to the basement. There's only two left, the bathroom mirror and the huge one."

Libby stops eating. "I love your dad, but the hell with the mirrors! It's glass. For God's sake! You know what, we're going."

"What? Go where?" I ask. I'm confused.
"Come on." She grabs my hand and pulls me from my chair. She takes care of our dishes and pulls me by the arm.

"Libby stop! What are you doing?"
She keeps dragging me along and now I can tell where she's going.
"No! Dad said no!" My attempt to pull my arm free fails. She drags me down the stairs and shuts the door behind us. She fumbles for the string then yanks on it.
The light bulb barely makes a difference.
"We're gonna do something to help you feel better about these mirrors." she says defiantly. I shake my head.
"That's a bad idea. And it's not gonna make a difference. It's dad's obsession not mine."
Her eyes lock with mine.
"I see it. Every time you look in a mirror you think of your dad. It messes with you just as much."
      She was right, it did bother me. I've grown up surrounded by this lifestyle and seeing my own reflection, as nice as it is, sort of makes me nervous. It feels like looking at myself in a mirror is wrong. Every time I use the bathroom at school I try not to look, but I always find myself staring into my own eyes. At my hair, lips, my nose. How my face curves and how my eyebrows give me a fierce but also gentle touch. I'm captivated in my own reflection but I'm also afraid of it.
"Ok, what is it?"

Libby grins mischievously in triumph. "I want you to look in one of those mirrors. It's kind of like an exercise to overcome your fear. Maybe it'll make you feel better."
There's doubt in my mind but I reluctantly walk her over to the stack of mirrors and we sit on the dusty floor in front of them.
"Ok ready? I'm going to pull the cover off now." she says. 
      She reaches her hand out and rips off the blanket covering it. I stare straight into the dirty glass surface. A lost girl stares back. Her green eyes filled with curiosity and tension. She looks so scared, so frightened. Her hair is chocolate brown and straight as a pin. Her figure is small and thin and her lips seem as though they want to speak her mind but can't find the right words. That lost girl I see staring at me with tears in her eyes is me.
My eyes aren't on the mirror anymore because a sound like nails on a chalkboard fills the air. Libby looks at me.
      It's probably nothing. This house is old and the basement is filthy. There's probably mice down here or something. I focus on the mirror again. Me, it's just me. I reach out and touch the smooth surface. I close my eyes and take a deep breath in and out. Dad's not here. He won't see and he can't get mad. He won't yell.
         Crash!
I scream and withdraw my hand and in the process I accidentally knock the mirror over. It falls on its side and a tiny crack etches itself on the surface. "Shit!" I exclaim. Whimpering from in front of me sets my hair on end.
       It must've been Libby because she looks like she'll piss herself any second.
"Let's go!" I say. I turn off the light and grab Libby. We run up the steps and as soon as we're out I slam the door behind us.
"I'm dead! I'm so fucking dead! Dad's gonna kill me!"

"Calm down it'll be alright!" Libby says trying to calm me.

"No! It's not! I went in the basement after dad told me not to, I uncovered a mirror, and I broke it! And I didn't even cover it ba-" I stop when the sound of tires on gravel catches my attention. My heart is racing a thousand times a minute.

"Dad's home!" We sprint upstairs as quickly as possible and take refuge in my room.
"Did you drive here?!" I ask.

"No. I was over at Charlotte's earlier and since she lives close by I just walked!"
I sigh in relief.
"Ok, dad doesn't know you're here so you have to hide! Just until we can get you outta here! You can't get in trouble, I'll feel bad. I don't know how long we have until he finds out. Let's just hope he doesn't go in the basement!"

"I'll cross my fingers he doesn't." Lib says.

So we waited and listened for a good twenty minutes. I kept biting my lip and fidgeting.

"Olivia! You're gonna help me move that giant mirror once I move these boxes!" he calls. Just my luck. I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream and run. I think this will be the angriest I'll see dad. I tried not to think about it but it didn't work. Maybe he'll think he knocked it over while he was moving stuff. Shit, I should've hid the broken mirror behind the others. I don't think he would've noticed.

The slamming of a door against a wall shook the whole house and startled me so much I let out a squeaky sounding noise.
"Hide!" I say trying not to sound scared. Everything within the next few seconds would be a whirl. Fast footsteps stomp up the stairs. Libby looked around for a few seconds before crawling under the bed. Dark red hair poked out from underneath the bed.
"Libby your hair!" I whisper urgently. The red disappears and I rush to sit on my bed and act natural. It's not working. I'm trembling with fear. I'm absolutely terrified.
My door flies open and hits the wall, causing it to rebound.
"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!"
I'm speechless.

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO GO DOWN THERE! AND YOU DISOBEYED ME! COMPLETELY IGNORED WHAT I SAID! AND LOOK WHAT HAPPENED! YOU BROKE IT DIDN'T YOU?!?"

"Broke w-what?" I asked.

"THE MIRROR! AND DO NOT PLAY DUMB WITH ME! YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID!"

"I'm...s-s-sorry..dad" I choke out. My vision blurs and I can feel tears streak my face. Dad walks towards me so I back myself away as much as possible. My back is against the headboard of the bed. I whimper and more tears fall. Dad gets closer. Game over for me.
"D-dad I'm s-s-sorry! I..I swear!" I full on start bawling. My face is wet with tears and I'm moaning and yelling like a child.
SMACK!
My face stings. I touch my cheek and I look at him in shock. He looks more disappointed than angry but his expression softens when he sees my hand on my face. Guilty, that's the look he's wearing. He sits on the bed next to me.
"You've always looked like her, your mother. Every time I look at you I see her."

Not once does he look at me while he speaks.
"You know, you're just like her, curious. Couldn't keep herself out of trouble...she always figured everything out."
He runs his hand through his dark scraggly hair. Once he turns to face me I hurry up and look away. Not another word gets spoken. I guess he got the hint because he got up and left, closing the door behind him. As soon as he's gone I start to cry.
Libby eventually crawls out from under the bed and wraps her arms around me. "I'm so sorry." she whispers, "This is all my fault."
I can't even manage to speak I'm so upset. All I do is cry and hold onto Libby.