'Why did I agree to this again?' I thought.
I stood in the middle of a large room, my hair was done up and my face caked with makeup. Currently, I was waiting for someone to come up and bring me the outfit I would wear for the production.
As I was waiting, my thoughts drifted off to everything that happened beforehand. I had to admit, singing was fun earlier. But I'm surprised no one noticed I really was singing... either I'm that good an actress or they're not very perceptive. Though what I find weird is that somehow my acting before the song was terrible, yet afterward, you'd think I'd been doing it my whole life. I should bring this up to Umehito next time we talk...we have a lot to discuss now that I think about it.
Finally, I snapped out of my reverie, hearing footsteps emanating from behind me. I turned around, and sure enough, there stood Benibara, holding a large pink gown.
"Your wardrobe, maiden." She said in her usual sultry tone. I took the gown in my arms, inspecting it.
It was large and gaudy, and certainly not well within my tastes, but I just grit my teeth and bared it. "Hey wait a sec..." I trailed off, looking at the elaborate corset that came attached, along with some other contraptions. "How will I put this on?" When I didn't receive an answer, I turned around, facing the other girl.
"Well, maiden..." Benio said slowly, as she walked to the door and closed it. "That's the thing." I suddenly heard a click! emitting from the door.
She locked it.
"What is?" I asked, putting on my most pure expression.
"I've been tasked with aiding you in putting on your costume. I trust you're alright with that?" She slowly, yet confidently, walked towards me, her gait becoming more and more sensual. I continued to feign ignorance.
"Thanks, but, I thought one of the girls from the costume department would help me with this," I said, suddenly uncertain about the whole thing. I knew that Benio has a preference for girls and was openly lesbian, and while that's good news for the siren, it's bad for me. Unwittingly, I licked her lips. Free meal~ the siren in the back of my mind sang.
No, we are not doing that. Get it together, Haruhi. Your next meal is in just a few more days, you can do this, I told myself. Besides, is it even possible to feed off a girl?
During my inner monologue, I didn't notice Benibara got even closer still, until after she pinned my back against the wall.
"What's with that look in your eye, maiden? Can it be that you've finally realized your passion may lay for those of the same sex? Or could it be..." she purred, running a finger down my jaw. "You've realized wherein your passion lay for me?"
My heart was pounding. Just what is happening? One second I'm singing my heart out and the next I'm locked in a room, pinned against the wall. I unintentionally began to get flashbacks of being in this same situation many times before. Though, this time, instead of being the predator, I am the prey.
'Reminds you of something~?' The siren sang, taunting me.
'Now's not the time', I argued, shaking my head to clear my thoughts.
Benio seemed to take that as a reply because she quickly followed up with, "then why are you giving me that stare, maiden? Your eyes are filled with such lust." She bent down slightly, inching her lips closer to mine so that they were almost touching. "So tell me...maiden," she growled, "what is it that you desire?"
I was at a crossroads here. Again, (as it seemed in every situation like this) my inner siren would jump at a chance like this, to finally feed. But I, ever the rational one, knew of the consequences my actions would bring me. What do I do?
"I want..." I trailed off, unconsciously moving closer.
"Yes, maiden?" Benio slowly closed her eyes...
Food.
"Food." I repeated, (though with the way I said it, Benibara may have heard it as 'you.')
Unaware of this miscommunication, we closed our eyes and leaned in. Benio was oblivious to the dangerous situation she had put herself in. 'What was that about being the prey~?' Shut up.
Before I could even think to stop myself, we had locked lips and were in an intimate embrace. Benibara's lips were soft and tasted of strawberry, though that was soon replaced with something else. I tasted cinnamon on my lips— 8 years taken.
I expected to feel Benibara's dead weight in my arms any second now, and it quickly came. Since I was prepared, I didn't stumble with her weight, gently setting her down on the floor. My eyes landed on an empty nearby couch. Perfect.
I picked up the tall girl, panting from the effort of dragging her to the couch. Now that that had been settled, I allowed myself to panic.
What did I do?! What if she gets into a coma now, with the play happening in just an hour?! She may be out for the whole day...! I suddenly froze, dread forming in the pit of my stomach. That...and if they somehow link her to those coma cases...it'll all lead back to me! I could become a suspect...get arrested even! My scholarship would be revoked, heck, I'd be lucky if I could even land a job as a prison lunch lady at that point!
I started hyperventilating. I need to calm down, I thought to myself. I sound like Tamaki right now. The mental image of my senpai running around fussing over stupid things got a laugh out of me.
Giggling, I relaxed, trying to find ways to work something out. Mom always told me that to sort her thoughts out, she took deep breaths and counted to 10. Let's try that.
As I counted in my head, I heard something from outside the window. We were on the second floor, so it felt out of place. Is someone watching me?
Cautiously, I stepped over to the window I heard the sound from, careful not to make too much noise. I did so under the guise of casually walking to the chair that was nearby. As I approached the glass, I quickly whipped me head around to reveal— "A-ha!"
A cat?
The cat gave me a blank stare from its perch on a branch. It licked one of its paws and stood there, looking into my eyes. It was as though it was trying to tell me something. I took in its appearance— grey and white fur, striped, and had what looked to be a pink collar around its neck. I noted that was attached to a leash of the same shade. Its eyes, which were peering into my soul at this point, were a deep turquoise color. I'd never seen any cat like it.
It continued to stare at me like it wanted to say something, but the spell was quickly broken by some girl calling it down. The cat gave me one last stare, as if silently regarding me, then promptly descended, landing gracefully. I wonder what that was about.
As I pondered over why the cat was on a tree close to the second story of a building, my mind went to the pink leash I saw attached to its collar. That must've been a house cat. I concluded. Still, that leash reminds me of something...it looked almost like a ribbon there for a second.
Then, like a tsunami, it hit me. Ribbon...ribbon... thread...string... my powers!
While I was dodging the hosts' suspicions, I could see strings attaching from myself onto them. If I concentrated hard enough, I could even pull on them. I know it seems like a bit of a stretch, but what if I could do something similar here? At the very least, it's better than doing nothing. One question remains, though—how do I do it?
I remember that I had exemplary vision while doing it, and it felt like I could see straight into everyone. I saw how Kyoya-senpai's breath hitched, how the minuscule creases in his clothes moved as he did, and I could even count the hairs on his head. I tried to imagine that feeling again, conjure up the image of my perfect vision, let it become all I saw, all I felt, all I am, until—
I opened my eyes again. I could see it— it being everything. Last time I couldn't observe as much, but now I had the free reign to do as I pleased. I could see every individual ray of the sun caressing the surfaces of all it could touch; I noticed how every insect on the tree outside the window interacted, and I could even see an ant go back into its hole in the ground. For an astounding moment, I could even see inside the ground and into their ant civilization. I quickly brought my vision back up. It's go time.
Slowly, I directed my attention to Benibara who lay motionless on the couch. It's now or never.
With my (quite literally) piercing eyes, I gazed upon her form. Slowly, I located the pink strings emanating from her body, although this time, it wasn't just on her heart; they were attached to all her limbs. I experimentally pulled one of the strings, and her left leg moved. I did the same with one on her arm, and it moved. On the outside, it may have looked like I was just staring and limbs started randomly moving, but my mind was overworking itself trying to figure out a way to get her to stand up.
It was difficult at first; it was literally like trying to control a puppet for the first time. It was so complex and required so much thinking I wondered what use it would have in an emergency. Finally, I got her to stand on 2 legs, but it felt as though I was holding her weight on top of mine. My legs wobbled and she fell to the floor.
There had to be a more efficient way to do this. I was getting nowhere and the show would start in just 30 minutes. I could already hear bustling outside the door from the actresses getting their costumes and socializing.
I started getting more and more anxious, but then another thought occurred to me...actually that's a lie. It was not so much a thought, as much as it was an urge. An urge to go closer to Benibara.
I took one step.
An urge to hold her in my arms.
I took another.
An urge to have her.
And another.
An urge to—
I kissed her cheek. It was as though something had possessed me for a moment, though I quickly recovered. Suddenly, it was like a puzzle piece had fallen into place and she stood. The reigns, which had once been complex and tied into a gordian knot, were 2 simple and straight ribbons. One was attached to her head, the other to her heart.
I first tugged the string on her head. She looked at me attentively, or, at least as attentive as a mind puppet could look. In my head, I conjured the mental image of her walking over to the coffee table in the middle of the room. She quickly did so, exactly as I thought it out. I imagined her tripping over on her way there, and she followed exactly.
It looked a little choppy at first, with me stopping periodically to make her next actions, but I quickly got the hang of it. I made her say 'hello' and 'maiden' along with other things. I wondered if I could make her teleport, but I was sorely disappointed. She just ran very quickly to get to where I imagined. It took some multitasking, but I could move her even while I pretended to hold a conversation. I could make her do flips and gymnastics, but she would get out of breath when I moved her too fast. I couldn't move her limbs in any direction they were not meant to go (lest I break them).
I concluded that I could control her every action with just my mind, all the while being able to control my own speech and actions. However, she was unable to exceed her physical limitations.
Satisfied by my observations, I committed all I learned to memory. Umehito will be so excited...I thought happily.
I turned my attention to the only other string on her— the one on her heart.
Tentatively, I nudged at the string. I was startled as Benibara's eyes flickered open, looking confused by her finger being up her nostril, legs tangled up together strangely. "H-Haruhi? What happened?" She asked, abandoning her usual 'maiden.' I felt sick, almost like I just vomited. A disgusting smell reached my nostrils, but I kept my poker face intact. Vinegar and puke- 8 years given back.
"You said you wanted to show me something weird, though I can't say it was weird so much as interesting," I said, not missing a beat. She seemed to accept that as an answer, albeit perplexed.
"That strange, I can't remember any of what just happened..." she commented. Her eyes flicked over to the grandfather clocking the room, and she did a double-take.
"The production is in 20 minutes! I'm not even dressed, let alone prepped to go onstage!" She gathered herself, talking quickly. "I apologize maiden, but we're going to have to pick this up some other time. Find one of the girls from the costume department, they'll help with your costume." By the time she finished, she was already out the door.
So there I stood in an empty room, getting prepared for my first ever show by myself.
It wouldn't have been as bad if I knew what I was doing, but I didn't. I messed up the petticoat, didn't tie the laces of the corset correctly, and somehow managed to tangle the hair extensions together. To put it lightly— I'm a hot mess. What could I do?
The dress was ruined.
Right after I thought that I directed my attention to another dress in the corner. There was nothing special about it; plain, one color, and it was not as poofy as the other dresses. But something about it called to me, begging for me to put it on. I checked the clock. 15 more minutes. I have nothing to lose. And it's not like the other dress will magically be fixed, so I may as well try this one.
Upon closer inspection, the dress, while not as gaudy as the others, was definitely not as plain as I initially thought. It was sparkly and glimmered kindly in the light of the room. It was a beautiful deep royal blue and its sleeves hung off to the sides. I realized that this was a mermaid dress—the irony was not lost on me. It looked like it would be out of place with the other costumes in the play, yet fit right in at the same time.
I put it on with relative ease, but it was missing something. My eyes landed on the crumpled form of my earlier clothes on the chair. Rummaging through the pockets, I couldn't find what I was looking for—mom's necklace. My heart dropped for a second.
Now, normally, I would bring this necklace everywhere I went, and nearly never took it off. However, I stopped wearing it lately and somethings...changed. Whether or not it's because of the necklace I don't know, but I do know I've changed...somehow. Weirdly enough, it began to leave a bad taste in my mouth after a few minutes. Maybe it's better that I forgot to bring it this time. Wouldn't want it to get lost. I guess that worked out in my favor. I looked in the mirror. I didn't recognize the girl staring back at me because— "what the heck?"
My face was completely covered and caked in makeup. I don't know how I didn't notice it before, but it looked terrible! Usually, I don't pay attention much to looks and beauty, and maybe it has something to do with being a siren now, but I could not let go of how bad this looked. Something was screaming at me to fix it. I found a quick solution.
Careful to not be seen, I made my way out of the room and to the makeup area. I had been stubborn at first and told everyone I would be doing my makeup, but I could see why they were reluctant to do so. How did Benibara not say anything about this?
My cheeks were overly pink and it appeared as though I had a black eye. The entire ordeal with Benibara and getting ready made me sweat a great deal, causing even further damage to the makeup. I look like a child who put on their mother's makeup for the first time. I smiled at the thought.
When I arrived, no one was there. I guess they all moved to the stage area. That's good news for me. Gathering some randomly scattered makeup palettes, I took off the brunt of it with a wipe. By the time I fixed it so that it looked natural, I found something very helpful: spare hair extensions. I didn't have time to style them into the pigtails that I was supposed to wear, so I just put them so that they were waist length.
When I was finished, I didn't recognize the girl in the mirror. Her hair was long and flowy, and her skin glowed. She was confident, strong, and beautiful. She looked...nothing like me.
She smirked at me, giving me an eye roll. Come now, can't you recognize our reflection~? She cooed in my head.
I didn't move, so how was it that my reflection showed something different? Or that voice in my head? I know I didn't think that. Alarmed, I touched my face, trying to feel for a smirk, smile, anything. In horror, I looked in the mirror and saw my hand by my torso. I looked at my extended arm on my face and then to the mirror. And then my arm. And then the mirror. What the—
My hand was on my cheek, I could feel it, yet somehow my reflection showed my hand resting on my lap. I regained my wits, trying to come up with a reasonable explanation. It's just a trick of the light or a special mirror. Maybe it's part of the play; special effects or something...this whole siren thing is really getting to me. I said mentally to myself. I felt a little ridiculous, it's just me. It's not like there's another person in the mirror or another voice in my head. I calmed down.
Yes, wouldn't it just be iNsAnE if there was another voice in your head? You'd have to go to the doctor, get that checked out. Her voice got low and distorted when she said 'insane'. It was off-putting.
I tried to tune these thoughts out and continue with the task at hand. What, no rebuttal? Am I losing my touch~? The voice continued to bother me. Terrifyingly enough, while I was completely still, the mirror showed me walking around, a smirk on my face.
I continued to ignore it. Obviously, it was a figment of my imagination, it had to be. Because if it wasn't...that would mean...
Suddenly, I caught myself in the mirror. My eyes...they were so...enrapturing...I felt like I was being pulled in, but I couldn't look away. In my peripheral vision, I could see myself begin to smile mischievously, almost evilly. I tried to come back to my senses but it was too late. I was all of a sudden sucked into my reflection, all previous doubts gone. All because of those eyes...
I was trapped.
No, literally. I was trapped in the mirror. She put me in here. I realized. How she did it, I have no idea, but I now know this isn't my imagination. I could see my body on the other side, but I didn't have to copy its every movement. I could walk around on my side, but everything was reversed. It was like its own mirror world. You'd think with being a siren with powers and all these things wouldn't surprise me anymore, and yet, here we are.
This got me thinking— was this voice (spirit(?)) a part of me, or was it part of the curse? And either way, how did she trap me in here? Just what is going on?
"Would you quit your worrying?" She complained in a tone even I could hear was out of character for me. "You're fine, all I did was cast a little spell~," she giggled in a way that may be considered 'cute.'
"Little spell? You trapped me in a mirror! I didn't even think that kind of thing was possible!" I yelled in disbelief.
"Helloooo? Have you been sleeping under a rock this whole time~? Ha! See what I did there? Rock? Underwater? mErMaid siRen?" She distorted her voice loudly for a second, getting very low and deep. She giggled like it was the funniest thing in the world. "This whole situation seems impossible to you, and yet this still catches you off guard?" She sat down at the chair in front of the vanity mirror, resting her—my— head in her hands. This is confusing, is she me or something else entirely?
"I'm you, obviously," she rolled her eyes. "Except you're the boring 'boo hoo I need to waste my life studying' Haruhi, while I'm the fun 'let's go have fun and go out to eat' Haruhi." She gave a big smile, and is it just me or do her—my— teeth look very sharp? Wait...eat? A feeling of dread filled my stomach.
"Hey...whatever you're planning it better not hurt anyone. And trust me, when I find a way out of this, the first thing I'm doing is getting rid of you." I told her threateningly. For a moment she looked at me, no amusement in her eyes. I'll admit, it was intimidating, seeing such a change of demeanor, but she regained her composure.
She laughed menacingly, in a deranged sort of way. "You're so cute! I would tell you why there's AbSoluTelY nO wAy you can do that, but why ruin the surprise?" She distorted her voice again. We heard footsteps emanating behind us, and she quickly turned around.
"Hey, you there...Haruhi! There you are! Everyone has gone crazy looking for you!" A stagehand girl came up to her. "What are you wearing? That's not the costume you're supposed to— no... we don't have time for this!" I couldn't be happier. If I could just get her attention... I began to hit the glass separating us but the stagehand was too caught up in her rant to notice. I turned around and noticed her reflection on my side of the mirror. Without thinking, I tried to run over to her, but I hit an invisible barrier.
"The show starts in 5 minutes and that's after we had to call an extended cleaning time in the auditorium! We're stalling. Stalling! You have to come with me right away!" Leaving no room for argument, she grabbed her—me— and dragged my stolen body away.
Great. Now what?
A/N: thanks for reading this story! I know there wasnt much action with the boys, but trust me, with this new development there will be many ship moments to come. This whole trapped in mirror thing came to me while daydreaming, and I just had to add it. In case anyone was wondering, Benibara/Haruhi wont be happening, that whole thing was just to show that Haruhi can affect males and females alike. The next chapter may or may not have some ship moments, but from that point on, the drama only gets hotter. Happy reading and stay safe!