Morning, Everyone!

I know, I know. I'm so sorry I went on a short hiatus without telling you, but things just got so busy, and frankly, ideas just weren't coming to me for this story. But now that school is out and I have hours of free time every day, I'm determined to finish it by the end of this month. So please keep reading, and keep reviewing!

P.S. Because I updated word, the text is in a more blocked, paragraph form. Do you all like it better this way, or do you want to go back to the old, double spaced way?

Thanks, enjoy!

CHAPTER 10: THE SMOTHERING

"Gumi? Donut?" Mother holds out the plate of crullers directly in front of my nose. It's delicious smell wafts up into my nostrils, almost too rich for my senses. I grimace and push it away.
"No thanks. I had breakfast."
"No you didn't." Gakupo says from the other end of the table. "You had a glass of milk and a piece of bread."
"Yes. In France, that would be considered breakfast, I'll have you know." I reply.
"Hmm." Gakupo rolls his eyes, still skeptical.
"Mind your own business." I snap, annoyed that he's being such a...big brother these days. "You've been getting three hours of sleep every night, should I start babying you about that?"
It's true. He's been staying up late IMing with his friends every night. I can hear him laughing through the walls.
"You're awful snippy today, Gumi." Mother says, frowning and crossing her arms. "We have a customer coming over in a few hours, so I hope you cheer up by then."
I almost spew my milk. Covering my mouth with my hand, I watch as it dribbles down my chin, my heart pounding a bit. "A what?"
"A customer..." Mother reaches over with a napkin and, despite my protest, cleans me up.
"We're still doing that?" I ask, my voice wavering a bit.
"What do you mean? Of course." She frowns at me. "It's a good way to make a bit of cash on the side. And the mirror's just gathering dust up there anyway."
"I...I guess so." I look across the kitchen at Gumi, who leans against the kitchen counter. She raises an eyebrow at me and winks.

"Oh, Gumi," Mom's eyes suddenly light up as she takes a seat across from me. "You never told me how your date went."
"It was good. Fine." I say, a little too quickly. Mother raises an eyebrow. She leans in and whispers, "Did he kiss you?"
"Mom." I say, rolling my eyes, but smiling.
"Hey, its my job to ask." For a moment, we've exited the stressful conversation about the mirror. But with a glance at the clock, Mom snaps back into reality and starts bustling around the kitchen. "Got to clean up." She mumbles to herself.
"Who is this 'customer'? Are they important?"
Mother freezes in place and looks at me strangely. "Sort of." She replies, and leaves the kitchen to go sweep the foyer.
Gakupo is also looking at me strangely. "Seriously, Gumi. Don't blow this. Just stay in your room for the next few hours."
"Who is it?" I demand impatiently.
Gakupo wiggles his eyebrows. "Prime Minister."

We are dressed in our best clothes. Gakupo wears a button down, black slacks, and a purple tie. I wear a long, stuffy yellow dress. We brush through our hair a bit, clean our rooms (which seems a bit ridiculous), and when everything's ready, we wait patiently, perched on the edge of the couch.
Mother paces back and forth until the doorbell rings.
Gumi stands up, says,"Time to do my job." And goes to climb the stairs. The little crooked smile on her face is what worries me.
"Wait," I hiss, running toward her. I hope Gakupo doesn't see me. "Whatever you do," I whisper fiercely, "Behave. You hear me? This is the prime minister. If you screw this up...our whole family..."
"Shut up, I know what I'm doing." She looks at me in disgust. "Have some self-confidence, Gumi." She marches up the stairs and disappears into the closet.

He smiles and shakes our hands. "I'm here to see this remarkable mirror I keep hearing about." As if we didn't know. We didn't think he was just dropping in for tea.
His various entourage reclines in the living room, acting like they own the place. Mother politely offers them tea and cakes (which look very carefully prepared), and they accept. They scarf the cakes down whole and swallow piping hot gulps of tea.
I look on in digust, until Gakupo nudges me. "Bring him upstairs. Mom's busy." He whispers. Feeling a sense of panic, I turn back to the prime minister. "Um, if you'll follow me, sir." I say in a squeaky voice, turning to the stairs. He seems genuinely excited. I pray to God that Gumi will show him something good.
I don't know if mother usually talks to the customers before they go in, but I do. I turn to him at the top of the stairs, just in front of the closet door, and say, "I'll remind you, sir, that the mirror shows you what it thinks you need to see. Whether it be, um...good or...or bad."
He waves his hand dismissively at me. "I understand, girl, please let me in."
Sighing, I open the door and give him a gentle shove into the dark, cramped space.

As soon as he's inside, I race to my room and peer through the hole in my wall. I tear at it with my long nails and manage to make it slightly larger. Then I watch, wringing my hands.
"Well?" The prime minister sits there for a few minutes, frowning in frustration. He reaches out and taps the mirror. "Hellooo?"
I cross my fingers, silently praying.
Then, thank God, a bright blue glow bursts from the mirror, illuminating the room. It's never been this magical-looking. She's putting on a show.
The prime minister, intrigued, leans forward.
"Hello, Prime Minister." Normally, I wouldn't be able to hear her speak, since she does it telepathically. But we share a connection now, one that allows me to hear everything.
"H-hello." He stammers, his eyes bugging out of his head as the girl in the mirror speaks to him. She is about to continue when he says, "Wait. You look just like..."
Damn. How is he so observant?
She must have changed her facial features slightly, because he shakes his head and says, "Never mind. What will you show me, o mirror?"
I roll my eyes, hoping Gumi has the strength to put up with this guy.
"Well, actually, Prime Minister, if you have some time on your hands..." And suddenly, I can't hear her anymore. The closet goes dark, and silence falls. What are they doing? Why can't I hear them?
And then I realize that she's done it on purpose. She doesn't want me to hear them. She's put up some sort of barrier between us. Why? I can only pray she's not murdering him in there.

When the Prime Minister emerges from the closet 40 minutes later, he seems extremely joyful. This makes me both relieved and nervous, and as soon as he leaves, I dart into the closet.
"What did you show him?"
She is out of the mirror now, stretching her arms and grimacing. "Just being in there for an hour makes me cramped. It's like, I'm so used to being out of it-
"What did you show him?" I repeat, my voice fiercer.
"Calm down!" She says, crossing her arms. "I gave him advice on military and political strategies. Showed him what his enemies were planning. Showed him bathing in money."
"What?" I cry, slapping my palms to my forehead. "You can't...you can't do that! Jesus!"
"Why not?" She says innocently, running a hand through her silky black hair. "It can only help our country, anyway."
She says 'our country' like you might say 'my annoying little brother'. I can tell she doesn't really think of Japan fondly. Her voice just drips of ulterior motives.
I lean against the wall, groaning.
"Relax, girl. Whatever happens, I'll make sure it doesn't affect us, okay?" She is sincerely trying to reassure me. I can hear kindness in her voice. It doesn't suit her.
I am about to respond when the door swings open, flooding the room with light. Startled, I step into the doorway, and am face to face with Gakupo.
"What...were you doing in here?" He says, his voice shaking a bit.
"I was cleaning up after the Prime Minister. He knocked some things over." I say immediately. I'm surprised at how easily the lie comes to me.
Gakupo stands there for a few silent minutes, eyes narrowed, not believing me. I cross my arms and stare back at him, hoping my look of guilt doesn't give me away.
Eventually he sighs and runs a hand through his long violet hair. "Mom wants to take us to the Ghibli museum with the extra money she made."
"That old place? We're teenagers now." I say bitterly, rolling my eyes. Then I pause. I don't know why I said that. I used to love Ghibli.
Gakupo frowns. "You said you wanted to go there just last week."
"Did I? Well..." Initiating my nervous habit, I start tearing off fingernails with my teeth.
Gakupo narrows his eyes even more, and says, "Well, get changed into outdoor clothes and come downstairs in five minutes. Mom says you can bring a date if you want."
"Yeah right." I say, then clap a hand to my mouth.
What the Hell?
I look sideways at Gumi. Is she putting words in my mouth? If she is, her face doesn't give anything away.
"I mean, um...no, that's okay. I'd rather just be with the family today." I try to smooth it over, but Gakupo just shakes his head and walks away.
What is wrong with me lately?