Mirrors one shot – Between worlds.
This is a one-shot inspired by a writer's prompt on one of the fanfiction groups on Facebook. I do not own Mirrors, Into the Mirrors or Ben Carson. Only Grace Goodman and the story here.
…
Grace tossed and turned restlessly in her sleep. Her bedsheet was hardly covering her at this rate, exposing her barely dressed toned figure currently clad in a grey singlet and boy shorts. Light brown jaw length hair clung to both her pillow and her cheeks, held in place by the seemingly endless torrent of sweat that soaked her sheets every damn night since she started working at the Mayflower. Although… the nightmares were worse now. Much... much worse. She woke with a start, clutching at her chest as she struggled to breathe.
She could feel her heart beating erratically as she whispered "fuck…." Under her breath before tossing the sodden sheet away and swung her legs over the side of her bed.
Grace never used to have these kinds of nightmares. She was very hard to scare. Hell, she used to be a major fan of every horror movie you could think of. Especially the ghost stories of stuff involving demons. Now she fucking hated them. A shaky hand reached her brow and flicked away the ever-annoying trickles of sweat before reaching for a glass of water. She scoffed as her fingers curled around the plastic cup, keeping her index over the lid and sipped out of the tiny opening that did not permit the sight of a reflective surface.
'A child's cup' She thought to herself as she placed it back on her night stand, now clad in an improvised table cloth.
With a groan she rose to her feet and stumbled towards her ensuite bathroom. She flipped on the light, now missing a lampshade, and quickly ran the tap, splashed her face, turned it off, then used a folded hand towel to mop up every drop of water. All within five seconds. Grace glanced on reflex at the mirror that hung above her sink, only to see the freshly painted surface of a disgusting yellow hue staring back. Still… it was an improvement to what she saw last time she gazed into her reflection and didn't give it a second thought.
She wondered back into her bedroom and made an effort not to glance at her full-length mirror, now covered in an old bedsheet as she plopped back into bed. Grace knew she was being silly. It was over. There hadn't been a disturbance at the Mayflower since… well since that night. Hell, nothing even remotely freaky had happened in her tiny apartment for about a week. It was… probably safe to start living like a regular person now. Instead of some super paranoid schizophrenic whom was convinced that her own reflection was trying to kill her.
But… it's really hard to get over something like that…
"Well I'd better get over it pretty damn soon. My annual leave dries up tomorrow night. Gotta go back…" She grumbled as she pulled her pillow over her face and fell into her normal sleeping position on her left side. Despite having the blinds shut tight… It's really hard to sleep during the day.
Yeah Grace was not a quitter. It didn't matter how fucked up the situation was, she is as stubborn as a mule and will stick with something come hell or highwater… or her boss fired her. Granted its very hard to screw up being the night watchmen. Even vandals knew to stay the hell away from the Mayflower so her biggest issue was not to break anything when she was being supernaturally attacked every damn night. She closed her eyes with a huff and held her pillow just that little bit tighter before putting it back under her head.
*Tap… tap… tap…*
Emerald eyes opened and slowly glanced towards her sheet covered mirror, holding her breath, hoping her mind was just playing tricks on her.
*Tap… tap… tap…*
'Shit… shit shit…' Grace silently rolled out of bed and looked at her bedroom door, thinking about running but knew she wouldn't get far if it was Esseker's demon. That thing was fucking everywhere. It'd get her in the elevator for sure and she was too damn tired to run down that flight of stairs again. She gulped as she mustered her courage and slowly made her way towards the mirror. Her hand shook as she reached towards it and peeled it back just far enough to peek.
A middle-aged man was leaning towards the small opening, straining to see past the sheet with his ice blue eyes. Blood had tried to his temples and his navy-blue coat was torn and frayed, along with the rest of his clothes, covered in patches of dirt and soot. The concerned frown that furrowed his brow soon melted into relief as he visibly sighed and straightened with a smile. Grace sighed as well and pulled the sheet away from the mirror, honestly relieved to see a friendly face.
"Oh Ben… you scared the shit out of me!" She laughed and shook her head, rubbing her face as she did.
The ex-cop rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and muttered "sorry" before settling into a casual slouch against her vanity. "I hadn't seen you all week… I was worried about you."
"I'm fine Ben." She sighed as she bundled her sheet and sat on the edge of her bed.
He didn't believe her and it showed with that scowl only parents can achieve. "Really? That's not something you can walk away from unscathed."
"Really really." She countered as she stared into her mirror. "I didn't now you could leave the Mayflower."
"Esseker's demon never had power over me." He shrugged before continuing. "My death was an accident so I was never trapped by it. I blew myself up remember?"
"How could I forget?" She smiled and tsked him with her finger. "That was mean by the way."
He smirked with a voiceless chuckle. "Can't blame me for trying… it almost worked."
"Almost." She agreed before frowning. "If you could leave, why did you stay?"
"To scare away anyone dumb enough to work there. I was not about to let that thing trap one more soul. Not on my watch." He said with conviction as he stood and approached the mirror. "But a certain someone was too damn stubborn to leave."
"You're still a jerk for trying to scare me off like that." She smirked as she tossed the sheet onto a nearby chair "I really thought you were…"
"I know…" He sighed as his expression turned sour, then looked quite hopeful. "Forgive me?"
With a smirk, Grace tapped her chin as though she were thinking about it. "Hmm… Depends."
"On what?" Asked Ben as he straightened and moved to sit on the bed beside her. It was weird to feel the dip in her mattress beside her but to see nothing there. But if she looked in the mirror before her, there was Ben sitting right beside her.
She smiled to him in the mirror as she spoke. "If you'll patrol the Mayflower with me tomorrow night."
"You're going back?" He looked at her as though she'd lost what little marbles she had left, which made her laugh.
"Of course, silly. The bills don't pay themselves you know."
He shook his head with amusement. "You know… most people wouldn't be able to return to a place that was haunted… Still IS haunted."
Grace shrugged dismissively "I'm not like most people. Besides… I won't be alone." She smiled again as she rubbed her eyes.
"Well… if you're crazy enough to go back. I'll be there." Assured Ben as he reached to hold her shoulder.
Because of the reflection, he was able to make that connection. Grace sighed with the comfort he provided and wished she could return it somehow. But when she moved to place her hand atop of his own, she only felt her own hand. "Damn… That is such a strange sensation."
"It's stranger for me…" Ben confessed as he let go of her to rest his hand in his lap. "I can feel you but… when I touch you. It's like touching something lifeless. There's no heat… nothing at all."
"I can't even imagine what that's like…" mumbled Grace as she stared briefly at the floor.
"Well. Hopefully you won't have to." Offered Ben with a slight smile. "Anyways. You're tired. You should get some sleep."
"Yeah… yeah you're right." She sighed as she moved to lay down. Ben stood before her legs could pass through him so that he could avoid the rather queer sensation and moved to grab the sheet Grace had discarded but moments before. "Ben?"
"Hmm?" He turned in the reflection but, in her world, there was only a levitating sheet where he stood.
Grace was leaning on her elbow, looking into the mirror to look at Ben directly. "Will you stay with me?"
He glanced at the sheet in his hand before returning his attention to her, knowing that if he didn't cover the mirror, that doorway would remain open for anything to use it. "… You won't see me. But I'll be here."
"But you can't interact unless there is a reflection…" She countered, looking somewhat bummed out.
"Neither will anything else that may be here." He countered right back, showing no room for argument.
Relenting, Grace lowered her head and turned her back to him, holding herself tightly as she sighed in defeat. "Stubborn old man."
He laughed as he tossed the sheet over the mirror, his voice barely a whisper as his link to the world of the living was weakened but not severed. It could never be severed. They had been through too much together thanks to Esseker and her demon. "Dumb kid."
But there was no malice in either of their voices. A smirk played on their lips as Grace closed her eyes and as Ben pulled up a chair in his version of reality. He watched over his partner in crime and smiled at the thought of what kind of trouble they could get up to in the future. For once, he actually looked forward to tomorrow. Grace sighed again as she snuggled into a more comfortable position, drawing him from his thought.
"Good night Ben"