It all started with a mirror, the mirror I look into every day, the mirror that potentially destroyed my life. I was looking in the mirror, at myself, at my faults, my weaknesses and then I saw it. Him. The mirror’s image collapsed in on itself and left a young man, around 19, staring at me, with fear in his eyes. He slapped the mirror and I flinched from the impact. He screamed, he cried and I cried with him, scared, terrified but mostly from the love blossoming in my chest, from the boy, for the boy. The boy’s tender blue eyes glinted with tears, his full lips quivering as his beautiful face became covered in tears. I touched the mirror where his hand rested and I sobbed.

I whispered,” I will save you!”

He shook his head as if he could hear me but I knew that he couldn’t. I couldn’t hear his crying, his cries for help.  I knew I said it mostly for myself, for who I was, who I will become. We were from 2 different worlds although we were the same, covered in tears and filled with doubt, fear and loneliness.  Sometimes I wonder if he knows who I really was, if he knew I had everybody fooled and if he knew that I never was who I wanted to be.  I put my head to the mirror and allowed the tears to freely fall.

“I will save you,” I whispered once more then looked up to see the boy looking down at me.

A look of disgust twisted his face and made it to his eyes as he backed away from me, the tears that once covered his face gone, left with pure hatred, towards me.

“I know the truth now,” He mouthed,” I know who you are and I don’t love you anymore.”

I banged on the mirror, my palm hitting the glass with such force that I felt my body rattle from the impact. He turned away from me and I screamed.

“Have you no shame, don’t you see me?” I screamed and he turned to look at my wet face.

“Somehow now you’re everybody’s fool,” He mouthed then walked away.

“Wait!” He started to disappear,” Don’t leave me!”

“I’m not everybody’s fool, I’m ne. I will always be me!” I screamed.

I woke up with my heart beating fast and tears streaming down my face.  I looked out the window to see my reflection shining in. The sun was bright, beginning to burn my tan skin. My eyes starred back at me, wide and scared. I sighed then walked to the bathroom to look at myself in the mirror. Splashing water onto my face I looked up to see the boy. I didn’t scream or move away, just watched him watch me from the other side of the mirror. I touched the mirror gently and he smiled. His hand touched the glass on the other side then his hand grabbed mine. I screamed and tried to dislodge his hand from mine. I punched the mirror with my right hand repeatedly and then I saw the person transform back into me, still holding my hand. She smiled at me.

“Look, here she comes now, the fool, the lie, oh how we love you, no flaws while shes pretending to be this.” He laughed and I cried.

“Your lost in your lie,” She mouthed then she pulled me through the glass.

I punched the glass and she transformed into the boy again.

“Are you scared?” He asked and I shivered.

“Are you scared?” He smiled a feral grin.

“You’re not real!” I yelled and then kicked the mirror, feeling the glass smash underneath my foot.

I closed my eyes, waiting for the glass the cut into my body only to feel arms envelope me. I opened my eyes to see several pictures of me, seeing mirrors upon mirrors, feeling there arms envelope me.

“No more pretending,” They all said at once, “No more lies. You’re not everybody’s fool.”

I stood back to bump into a mirror. I turned around to see a monster smiling at me, its teeth dripping with saliva, its black eyes staring into mine. Its mouth moved.

“Monsters are disgusting,” It said,” You’re a monster.”

I turned to see a child,” You should never lie, mummy told us not too.”

“At least I’m alive!” I screamed at them and they all smiled.

“Or are you?” I gasped and grabbed my throat as I felt I was suffocating.

My chest tightened, my throat closed up and I was gasping for air but it never came. I gripped my chest and throat as I coughed and spluttered everywhere, saliva dripping down my chin. I looked up as I felt the choking sensation pass. I saw the boy once more. He was only at one of the mirrors, looking down at me and I stood. He touched the mirror and I walked towards him.

“I need the real you,” He spoke and I walked towards him,” No more lies, promise me? I love you.”

Tears streamed down my face as my heart hiccupped in my chest.

“I promise. I love you,” I sobbed and he smiled a sad smile.

“Wake up,” He told me and I looked at him with confusion.

“I am awake,” I touched the mirror.

“Wake up,” He spoke again.

“I am awake, I’m right here.”

“Wake up,” He said louder.

I woke up to see the boy above me and I sighed.

“Who are you?” I asked and he smiled.

“Your awake!” I smiled back at him as he exclaimed with a relieved smile on his face.

“Yeah? I’m awake,” He hugged me close to him and I noticed how I was in a hospital.

“What’s wrong with me? What’s going on?” I asked and he frowned.

“You don’t remember? He asked me and I shook my head from side to side.

“You’ve been in a coma for over a year? You don’t remember? We thought your brain was dead and you wouldn’t wake up,” I looked at him as if he was crazy.

“A year? No way?” I laughed,” Your insane!” I exclaimed and he shook his head.

“I’m so happy you’re alive. I missed you.” He smiled then hugged me again.

“So, how am I here? What happened?” I asked bewildered and he sighed.

“You were in a car crash with your brother, Luke. Luckily your brother survived without a scratch but the surgeons said you has very severe brain damage and could be potentially brain dead. I wouldn’t know what to do without you, Sapphire. I’m so glad you’re alive,” His face twisted with tears.

“Who am I really?” I asked him,” No lies, no pretending.”

He looked at me as if I grew a second head, “What do you mean?”

“What’s your name?” I asked him, while sitting up.

“James?” He said,” You really don’t remember me?”

I looked around and got up off the hospital bed, grabbing the vase full of flowers next to my head in the process.

“This is not real,” I mumbled,” This is all fake.”

I tipped the flowers out and looked back at James.

“No more pretending, no more lies. Stop being fake,” I whispered to myself as I watched James stand up off of a chair next to my bed.

“What are you talking about Sapphire?” He asked me,” What are you doing?”

I turned around then threw the vase at the wall, watching not the vase smash but the wall itself. It smashed into billions of shards of glass, making the whole room shatter, even James. James reached out his hand towards me as shards started to rain from his body and fall through the ground.  I fell through the ground, shards of glass piercing my skin as it rained glittering pieces of beautiful glass.

I opened my eyes to see my bathroom and I sighed.

“This has got to be reality,” I whispered to myself then took a step forward only to run into an invisible barrier.

“What the?” I said then banged on to it,” Help!” I screamed.

I punched the barrier until my knuckles bled and then the boy walked in. James. He looked into the mirror to see me and he smiled.

“Now I’ve got everybody fooled,” His form changed into me with a wicked grin.

I cried and banged on the mirror,” James! Let me out!”

I screamed but I knew he couldn’t hear me. He walked out of the bathroom, leaving me within the mirror, wondering what I ever did wrong.