Mirror Mirror [ONC 2021 Version]

ONE

Lightning lashed the cool air, momentarily chasing away the black night in the unlit room, where a young woman sat with a book on her lap, having dozed off mid-read. Ruby-Rose was her name. Her hair, as dark as midnight, curled in loose ringlets, framed a handsome face. Her smooth olive skin glowed softly; her long, dark lashes curved enviously; her lips, full and soft, gleamed red as an apple—all visible only briefly—as short as the lightning flash.

The angry clap of thunder, as if the sky were ripping itself open, jolted Ruby awake, drool having made its way down her chin. She slurped and sat up straight in her chair, wiping the wet dribble with the back of her hand. She grabbed her book—a thick, voluminous collection of fairy tales around the world—and tried to place it on the table that had but a moment ago been in front of her. It was bedtime, most definitely.

Instead of meeting the solid face of the desk, the brick of a book, or rather, the block of a book thudded to the floor like an anvil, giving her quite a fright.

"What the?" Ruby muttered, reaching a hand ahead in the dark to locate her table lamp, which she was sure she hadn't turned off yet. Why was it so dark in the room? Why wasn't her lamp still on?

Forget the lamp, Ruby couldn't even find her desk. She patted her hand in the air, blind in the pitch black of the room. She needed light to see. She took a step forward, thinking maybe she had unknowingly pushed her chair too far back from the desk, hence the book's Oscar-worthy landing. She just hoped she hadn't woken up her entire household. Her mum would not be happy, woken by what sounded like a crash this early—or was it 'late' at night? Her little brother would definitely grumble, 'How come Ruby's allowed to throw things and I'm not?'

Robbie had a temper issue as far as they knew. He did not need further encouragement in that department.

Ruby tried again, outstretched hand patting the air in search of her desk and her lamp upon it.

Maybe Robbie had peeked in and, seeing her asleep, had moved her further away from her desk and turned her light off as a prank. It wasn't funny!

"Come on. Where are you?" She patted the air some more, taking tiny hesitant steps towards her desk. She knew acutely that she had left her school bag lying around, and her tennis bag too. Her shoes were probably somewhere in the middle of the floor—mines, waiting to ambush her. If Robbie had turned her away from her desk, she was going the wrong way and her chances of tripping over were astronomical.

"Come on desk, where are you?" Ruby forged ahead another step, deciding whether she should turn around and waddle the other way. If she was right and Robbie had turned her, she was also about to either walk into her closet, her door, or the foot of her bed. She was not looking forward to an 'anticipated' stubbed toe.

The rain was pelting down tonight. She could hear the relentless attacks on the terra-cotta roof tiles, or her window panes.

As she blindly moved about her room, another flash of lightning lit the sky outside and with it, revealed to Ruby that her desk was indeed not in front of her. Nor were her things littering the floor like safety hazards. And her bed? Forget about walking into a foot, she'd have to be careful about hitting her head on the post! Why was there a post on her bed—four posts?!