Chapter 10 - Pricilla's Looking Glass

Annabeth

I can't believe that just happened. We are walking home and everyone is silent. It has been a long night. Everyone is inside. Monica turns and glares at me.

"How could you do that?" She says.

"She over-reacted!" I say.

"No, she didn't. You're one of her closest friends and you kissed her boyfriend. If you were her, what would you do?" Rochelle snaps.

"And you know every guy she has dated has cheated on her? She actually thought she and Percy would work out." Monica adds.

"No more Pember?" Pricilla says.

"Technically they haven't broken up." Rochelle says.

"She can't be that effected." I say.

"Why don't we check?" Pricilla says.

"How?" Everyone asks at the same time.

"Through the looking glass!" She says

"Oh, Gods." She is only five and naturally she believes in things like that.

"It's how I knew she was ok when she got Kate! It's a mirror that when I get worried about her, I can see where she is and what she's doing." Pricilla says.

"Are you ok?" I ask.

"It's real! I'll show you! Ember gave it to me!" Pricilla runs off. We all look at each other. She comes running back with a huge mirror in her hands. It's so big you can only see the girl's feet and fingers.

"Here it is!"

"Uh, Pricilla…"

"Mirror, I need to see Ember, I'm worried." Pricilla chirps, trying to sound stern but unable to contain her happiness. The mirror clouds up.

"What is this?" Nico says.

"Just watch." Pricilla says, leaning the mirror against a wall. Everyone sits down and watches the mirror. The mirror now shows a girl of about thirteen banging on a door.

"Ember let me in!" She says. "Come on. You've been in there for hours and being alone isn't going to help." She sighs and pulls out a hairpin. She picks the lock and opens the door. She walks in. The bedroom is huge, the furniture is all black, white or silver. The walls are white and the carpet is black and fuzzy. The room is a semi-circle with four doors leading of to some other rooms. One door is a glass sliding door leading to a sliver balcony with amazing views. The others were white, black and sliver. One of the doors must be a bathroom and the other a walk-in wardrobe. The room has a huge television, a black leather couch, two white chairs and a glass coffee table. The TV has a Wii, DVD player, an Apple connecter that lets you connect your apple devices to the TV and loads of things I didn't recognise. Behind the couch was a huge white bed that has masses of pillows, blankets and has a curtain for privacy. It was any girls dream bedroom. The girl looks around and then walks towards the bed. She kneels down and looks under.

"Get out of there" She says.

"Make me." Ember says. She is under the bed.

"BEN! I NEED YOU!" The girl calls.

"Why do you need me, Kate?" Ben says walking in. That girl is Kate.

"She's under the bed." Kate answers. Ben sticks his arms under and pulls Ember out.

"Thanks for that." Ember mumbles sarcastically. Ben leaves.

"You can't do this." Kate says.

"Why can't I lie under my bed and recount tonight's events?"

"Because it's not healthy to think about bad things." Kate tells her. Ember looks away. Kate looks at the bed.

"Where is the pillow?" Kate asks.

"Outside." Ember replies. Kate walks out onto the balcony. The view stays on Ember lying on the carpet. Kate walks back inside.

"Really?"

"Best get it out of my system." Ember says shrugging. "I feel a lot better now."

"Destroying pillows make you feel better?"

"Yep."

"Ok then. You're not feeling ok. If you are feeling ok then you would be standing up by now." Kate comments. Ember gives a half smile - no teeth involved. Kind of awkward.

"Yeah well, what do you expect?" Ember replies. Kate pulls her off the floor. She sits down on the bed. I can't see her face but her shoulders are shaking.

"Is she… crying?" Percy says.

"Shh!" Thalia says. Which is weird. Normally she wouldn't give a damn about her and Thalia isn't a mean person. She's just permanently immature [hunters aren't always like that… I think]. We turn our attention back to the mirror. Kate is walking across the room. She picks up a tissue and walks back. Tears are running down the sides of Ember's face. Kate walks up to her and wipes them off. Some kind of make-up comes off. Everyone gasps. She seemed so… natural. Ember is wincing. Why would she wince? Oh my gods. She has bruises and cuts all over her face. Well, that opens a lot more questions but explains why her face was a little yellow earlier in the night.

"Nice." Ember mumbles.

"Go. Get out of that and we will talk. You don't get a say in this." Kate says. Obviously, Ember is in no mood for arguing with people. Not usual. She is always so… resilient. The image fades and we are all looking at our reflections.

"What happened?" Percy asks.

"We can't watch her changing! That is just rude and privacy invading." Pricilla says, in a very matter-of-factly way. It's silent for about ten minutes, then Pricilla turns to the mirror.

"I need to see Ember, I'm worried." She actually sounds worried this time. Her bedroom appears immediately.

"Ow! Kate!" Ember shouts.

"Sorry." Kate says, apologetically. I can't see what is happening. I guess this is kind of like a television. At my house if you look away for a second the channel will have changed and someone will be sitting next to you staring at the screen. I close my eyes and shake my head. When I open them again, I find Monica scowling at me.

"Do you have a problem?" I ask.

"Yeah. I have a problem. WITH YOU!" She shouts at me. Gods, she is pissed. I don't know what to think. The image is gone. Everyone is looking our way now. I look over to Pricilla. She is carrying the mirror away again. I look towards Monica. She is giving me the murderer look. I try to back way. I bump into Rochelle. I step back in the middle of the two. If I could read minds, they would both be seriously considering stabbing me, probably. I don't know what to do. Monica and Rochelle jump at me. My small shake of the head turns into an all out catfight…

Pricilla

Everyone is fighting now. I am peering around the corner. I wish Ember was here. Monica and Annabeth have gone outside, they are fighting with funny coloured knives. Lucas is trying to strangle Percy. Nico is trying to pull him off. Rochelle is yelling at Thalia and Bianca is trying to reason with them. Alice walks outside and I hear her shouting at Annabeth and Monica. How did this happen? I was only trying to help. I can't do anything and people are being hurt. I have to get Ember, it's the only way…