Reflection
I lay in my bed and stared at the ceiling. Well, what I thought was the ceiling. It was pitch black at about one o'clock in the morning. I could hear the faint sound of a clock at the end of the hall, but other than that, it was silent. I got up and flipped on a light. My reflection in the wall-to-wall mirror caught my eye, mimicking my every move. I sat down in front of it. Her hair was tangled and matted from tossing and turning, her eyes glazed over. Her shirt was twisted and buttoned wrong. I stared her in the eye. She blinked. I stood up and leaned against the mirror. I looked back over my shoulder at her. I sighed. I faced the mirror once more. I re-buttoned my shirt and saw the reflection run her fingers through her hair. A tear rolled down her face. I sat down again. She tilted her head sideways.
"Sometimes, I wish I wasn't this beautiful. I wasn't who I am." I looked down at the floor.
"I can help with that," someone said. I looked up.
"Who's there?" looked around. The lights went out. But the room was still lit. I looked at the mirror. My reflection wasn't me.
She was sitting just like me, but not. Her legs were crossed the other way and she wasn't wearing the same thing I was. She wore a crimson red jacket with white trim. On her jacket were two belts, one a belt and the other holding the scabbard of a sword. The shirt under her jacket was a light purple, lilac. She wore white pants like I did, but with boots as dark as night. White gloves, black bow tie and her hair in a black ribbon at her shoulders. A sword with a golden blade sat across her lap. I stood up. She did not. Her light went out. I fumbled my way to my bed and slept until six thirty. I got up and while I dressed, my reflection still there, watching me.
"That's a bit, creepy, you know?" I told her.
"No it's not. I've been watching you for the last twenty-seven years of your life." she stared right through me.
"That's even creepier."
She watched me still. "There are more of me." I looked at her.
I cocked my head to the side. "What do you mean?"
"There's one of me, one of Layton, one of Luke and one of everyone else in the world."
"All with you in the mirror?" I asked
"Oh, no silly! You're in the mirror."
"No, I'm pretty sure you are." she glared at me.
"Come here." I didn't trust her. Something about her… I stepped back.
"No." something beside me exploded. My dresser. My clothes burst into flame, and in a matter of seconds, they were gone. I pushed my, ahem, 'Extra attachments' closer to my back. The feathers comforted me.
"Now. Get over here." I cautiously stepped over to the mirror. "Press your hand onto the glass." I did. Something green wrapped around my hand. It shot out of the mirror around my waist, legs, chest and shoulders. It turned me around, my back to the mirror. It pulled my arms into the mirror, then slowly the rest of me. I fell back onto my ass. I curled up as small as I could into a ball. She smirked at me.
"Welcome to Nodnol, behind the Rorrim. My name, like yours, is Emmy. Emmy Evilasha, though. Not Altava."
I stared at her. I covered my bare chest with my arms.
"Get up and put your arms down. No one will care. It's quite a, let's say, treat, to see a woman from Mirror naked." She pushed back a clump of my hair. "They can't touch you."
"What about my-"
"That is different. That is unnatural. Those will hurt after your long walk to the capitol."
"Capitol. I'm, sorry, Reflection-"
"My name is Emmy."
"I don't care if your name is John Larry Tyler the Ninth, I'm confused!"
"I will explain. But first, you have to walk. And you may call me Reflection, if it keeps from confusion." I got up and walked with Reflection through what reminded me of London. It was a bit older though, not filled with cars, sirens, or even asphalt road. It was like a London from the 1800's, only with Big Ben still ticking and mirrors everywhere. Reflection told me that on the other side of every- what we call mirrors, they call Rorrim- were actually worlds. Like on the other side of every mirror in London, there were Rorrim with Nodnol. Nodnol is just London backwards. Occasionally she ran her hand down my feathers.
"By Neb Gib, your Big Ben, is the Capitol. The Nodnol leader, who we will be meeting. He you will know very well." she told me that around the Capitol, there was a smaller version of a village behind a high, concrete wall.
"Now, Emmy, follow me as we pass through the gates, and don't say anything. Got it?" I nodded. I heard the sounds of laughter and music coming from behind the wall, which was about twenty feet high, a gate opened and everything went silent. Dead silent. Reflection walked me into the village. People whispered and words were passed through the crowd. People crowded closer to me, but not to Reflection. One pulled on me, then tugged off one of my feathers. I winced. More people joined. By the time we reached a building, which I assumed was the capitol, my feathers were stained red from my blood. A man walked up to me. He wore a lab coat, and big round spectacles. His hair was a dim ginger.
He looked like Lando. But not.
"Are you Emmy Altava, of London, England, on the other side of the Rorrim?"
Reflection nodded to me. "Uh, yeah. Why?" as soon as I was done speaking, four more lab men came out and turned me toward the crowd. They cheered something, which I think was this:
"Nwod Reh Gnirb,
Dnuorg eht ot nwod,
Bmil morf bmil reh raet,
Skaerb ehs litnu dneb dna hsup,
Elconom eht rof dna Ecniecs rof."
It's just English, but backwards.
The scientists prodded me with needles, dull knives, and their fingers. They got to some, touchy spots. The one that was Lando but not pushed my right side just under my rib cage and fell back, him still pushing my side. Everyone saw why I caused such a commotion now. Why everybody was pulling feathers off me, and why I was calmed when my room and clothes burned.
My wings, stained red, had flown up and spread at my sides.
The crowd silenced. Someone came up behind me and wrapped their arms around me, their hands pushing under my rib cage, keeping my wings wide open. I was frozen.
"Now, now, we don't want to scare our guest, now do we?" it was a man. He very slowly, let my wings drop to my sides. He still kept his arms around me.
"Thank you, my lovely." he wasn't talking to me, but I think Reflection.
"Your welcome, sir." she said.
"Emmy, tell me, how did you bring her here?" he inquired
"The Lucantria spell."
"Ah, I see. Real Emmy, can you guess who I am?" he speaking to me. Was he really who I thought?
"Um, you sound like my Hershel Layton." I whispered.
"Very close, dear. I am not Hershel Layton, but Hensel Layton." he brought his face close to my ear. "But most call me Monocle." he put a gloved hand on my face and turned it toward him. I gasped. He not only sounded exactly like Hershel, but looked like him as well. I could only see his face, but the only difference was that over his right eye, here was a golden monocle. He covered my eyes, and led me somewhere. I heard doors open and I felt carpet under my feet. He let me go. I stumbled and fell forward.
"Should we help her up?" Reflection asked Monocle.
"Let Ruku decide." Monocle spoke. I saw someone approach me from down the hall. From his shoes I could guess who it was.
Luke.
Only not, like everyone else.
"Is this her?" he even sounded like Luke!
"Yes." Reflection whispered.
"Help her up."
Reflection and Monocle each put one arm under mine and stood me up. I looked at Ruku. He looked just like Luke, save for the few clothing details. His cap was black; on its left side there was a red bow with a skull as the centre. Instead of a blue sweater, he wore a black cape, and his shorts were black as well. He looked me in the eye, then at Monocle.
"You said she was, 'off.' how so?" he wondered.
Reflection reached behind me and touched my side. My wings expanded. They hurt, and I almost cried out, not just in pain. But from sadness. Ruku's face changed, he looked sad like me.
"Don't! you're hurting her!" he cried. Reflection stopped. I was shaking. I brought my wings in front of me.
"is this really her?" Ruku looked doubtful.
"This is, son. You said you wanted someone like your mother, so we got her for you." Monocle reassured him. "Take her to your room, as we must prepare for a celebration."
Ruku walked up to me and took my hand and led me swiftly down the hall. As we turned a corner he pulled me into a supply closet and locked the door.
"What're you doing?" I asked him.
"I'm going to tell you something my mother probably hasn't."
"what? Why did she say I was yours?"
"Shut up and maybe I'll explain." he hit my side, causing my wings to unfold then fold back in. I grimaced.
"Look, to you I look like Luke Triton, but I'm not. My name is Ruku Triton. One week from today is my fifteenth birthday, your Luke's thirteenth. The first Luke was a miscarriage, and was given another chance two years later. I stayed alive, but I'm two years older than your Luke. Here, prior to when a boy turns fifteen, they have to find a woman to bear their child. I didn't want that, so I gave my parents an impossible challenge-"
"To find someone like your mother." I said
"Yes. I watch you from this side of the Rorrim, and I liked you. I told my parents I wanted you."
"Which you though was impossible." I added
"Yeah. My mom, your Reflection, made a spell to cast others from your world and bring them through the mirror, the Lucantria spell."
"So now that I'm here, I'm your…?"
"After my birthday, you are going to be my wife. Unless you can find a way to get your Professor Layton through the glass. I have a mirror in my room, we can try in there."
"Can I trust you?"
"Emmy, I'm not like my parents. I'm more like your Luke, but older, taller, and a bit smarter."
He opened the door and led me to his room on the top floor. It looked like Luke's room at the professors, but neater and black, dark blue and bright red. It freaked me out.
"Your room?" I asked sarcastically.
"Shut up, I don't like it either." he responded. He went behind me, shut the door, and locked it. He ran up to me and pulled my face down eye level to his.
"Listen to me. I'm going to ask you some questions, and your going to answer them." he looked really mad.
"And if I don't?" he hit me in the side, causing my reflex, where my wings expand to their fifteen foot width, to happen and pushed me to the ground, pinning me down.
"I will hit you like I just did. I will also do that for any answer I don't like. Alright?"
"Whatever." he slapped me.
"First question: why don't you use your wings?"
"If I could, we wouldn't be having this conversation and I wouldn't be here."
"Point made. Question two: why?" he asked with curiosity.
I sighed. "I can't use my wings because their broken. I don't like my wings. I fold them up tightly against my back, and whenever I put my shirt and jacket on, I break the bases and tips of my wings. They've never healed, and I could never use them." he nodded.
"Number three: you Love anyone in your world?"
my face turned red. "yeah, but I don't think he loves me."
"Who?"
"Hershel. The real one, not your father." he nodded.
"Four: are you planning on returning to your real world."
"I would Love to." I perked up. Hit my side. I remembered I was lying on my back, and when my wings rubbed against the carpet, I screamed in pain. I raised one wing up. It was bloodied again.
"I want to, but I don't know how I would anyway."
"Better. Not great. Last question: if you figure out a way to go back to your world, could you please bring me with you?" he looked hopeful.
"You hate it here?" he nodded. I told him I would if he got off me first. He got off me and helped me up. There was a knock at the door.
"What are you two doing?" it sounded like Reflection.
"Um, nothing mom, I just scared Emmy."
Before I could think, Ruku jumped up and lightly kissed me. He looked at me with a "trust me, I didn't want to do that but I did because I had to" look. I shook my head.
"Whatever." he slapped me again.
Ruku opened his closet door and dug around until he found a belt and two suspenders. He wrapped the belt around me and told me to carefully fold my wings in.
"Why?"
"I'm keeping your wings to your back."
"Your restraining my wings? As in, keeping them down?" he brought the two suspenders across my back and crossed them in front, pinning my wings to my back. I could still adjust them if needed.
"Yeah."
"Thank you."
He smiled. "Hey Emmy?"
"Yeah?"
"My mom will be calling you to her room later for a dress sizing. When you go in her room, try to get her spell book."
"What's it look like?"
"It varies, but it should just be on the pedestal in near the window"
"Emmy!" a sing-song voice called later. It was Reflection.
"Uh, Yeah?"
"Could you come here for a minute? We need you for a dress sizing." I opened the door and approached her.
"Aren't I the same size as you?"
"oh, no Emmy! Some parts of you are much, larger, than myself."
I didn't like that remark. Just because my ass and chest was a bit larger than normal didn't change anything. Everything's just a bit tighter on me.
But that's beside the point. Reflection pushed me toward her room.
"Reflection, what happened to the reflection of a person when the real one dies?"
"Why do you ask?"
"I'm just wondering."
"Well, if you must know, they join us here." she pushed me into her room and shut the door behind her.
"Oh." I looked around her room. On a desk by a window was a small book. Written on the spine was B.o.S.
Book of Spells. I slowly approached the desk, but dragged away by Reflection. She measured everything from how tall I was to how long each of my fingers were. She put her tape measure around her neck and pushed me into the desk. I reached behind me and put the spell book under my belt, concealed under my wings.
"You can go now Emmy!"
I quickly scrambled away, running down to Ruku's room. I flung open the door and locked it.
"Did you get it?" I pulled it out of my belt.
"This it?"
He looked like a kid with a thousand bucks in a candy shop. I smiled. He took the book, muttered something under his breath, and the book exploded open. It doubled in size, thickened and decorated with beautiful, colourful, intricate pictures. I looked over his shoulder as he flipped through, trying to find something.
"What're you looking for?"
"The Lucantria spell. If we can find it, we can pull your Professor Layton into our world and stop my wedding."
"Is there a way to bring me back to my world?"
"The way to reverse all spells is to say them backwards."
"Hm." that made me wonder. He finally flipped to a page that had THE LUCANTRIA in big letters on the page and very intricate handwriting:
Laer eht morf
Dlrow ruo ot
Noitcelfer eht gnirb
Ereh em ot
"You test the spell, Ruku. I'll keep Reflection busy."
Days passed and nothing was exiting. Ruku sat in front of the mirror and was muttering the spell over and over. Then the day came
"you go, I'll do the spell." we went over the plan one last time, then I left. Reflection pulled me away and had thirteen people help me into my dress. I was dragged out to the front of the capital building. An old guy in a funky suit stood with a really old book stood next to me. I looked around. Ruku gave me a look that said he was ready.
Ruku rushed out and stood across from me. The old man said something really loud in a really creepy, deep voice. He looked at me.
"Do you wish to be with her?" he asked Ruku.
"Yes." the crowd that had gathered cheered.
"Do you take him?" he turned back to me. I stared at him.
"No. I don't." Monocle stood up in the audience.
"How dare you. State your reason or suffer." he roared.
"Because," I yelled, "I have someone in my world who loves me. And I Love him."
"Who?" Reflection and Monocle demanded. The doors flew wide open.
"Myself." a man stood there. He looked exactly like Monocle, but with less detail. He rushed over next to me.
"Who are you?" Monocle asked.
"Apparently you." he said.
Monocle yelled "GET THEM!"
"Gogogogo GO!" Ruku pulled us both back into the capitol and up into his room. He slammed the door shut, locking it.
"Pull the mirror off the wall!" he yelled. Hershel and I tugged on the mirror, eventually ripping it off the wall. We looked at him.
"THE SPELL!" something started to break down the door. He ran over to us.
"Umm… backward?"
"JUST READ IT!" he yelled.
"ALRIGHT!" crap
"From the real to our world bring the Reflection here to me!" the mirror glowed a brilliant white. Something silver wrapped around myself and Hershel, but not Ruku.
"I'll be fine." I nodded. The mirror pulled us in.
I found myself curled up on my floor in my normal clothes, but my wings outstretched. And healed. I smiled. I think I'll use you more often.
I stood up .I looked at my mirror, Reflection glaring at me. I stuck my tongue out at her. But she did too.
"Was it just my imagination?" I wondered aloud.
I went over to my window and threw it open. I climbed onto the ledge. I spread my wings, allowing myself to fly out into the night
~~~.
I went to Hershel's house the next day. I picked up the paper and walked in. he was sitting at his table.
"Mysterious creature seen flying through night. Some speculate superhuman, others think large bird." I read the headline to him.
"I wonder what it could be." he smirked. I spread one wing partly.
"I have no idea. Is Luke still asleep?"
"Probably. Why?" he asked.
"I need to do something." I wandered to Luke's room. I went to a large mirror that he had on his wall. "Ruku?" I whispered.
A boy came up to the mirror and laid his hand on it. "Hello." I laid my hand on the mirror.
"Hey. You alright?" I wondered.
"Got banished, but I'm fine. I wish I was with you, ya know, so I wasn't in living hell." I laughed.
"yeah." I felt something press against my fingertips. I pulled my hand back. His fingers were touching mine. I grabbed what I could of his hand.
"Pull me out!" he whispered. I did. He wrapped his arms around me in exasperation. Luke stirred.
"Come on!" I pulled him out of the room. I looked around and then at where Hershel was.
"Hershel."
"Hmm?" he looked at me.
"I've got a new friend." I pulled Ruku in front of me. Hershel smiled. "I think I'll take him for a flight." Hershel rolled his eyes.
"Don't get caught." he joked.
"Now Hershel, you know me better than that!" I laughed.
I pulled Ruku outside behind Hershel's house. I pulled him onto my back, spread my wings, and flew back to my house, barreling through my window.
"Not that bad!" he said. "Well, for my mom's Reflection."
~ViraLayton