My head felt like a million pounds and my body was achy; every time I swallowed I thought I would suffocate. I squinted at my clock; it was 12:25 in the afternoon. I rolled onto my back, it felt like something got into my body and infected everything it came into contact with: my muscles, joints, bones, throat…everything felt disease ridden. I squeezed my fist and a dull, ripping pain crawled up my arm from my palm. I looked at my hand; the small prick from yesterday was now a swollen, bloody, and blistered mess. I got out of bed and stumbled to my mirror.
"AHHH!" I screamed; my reflection was an inflated discolored monster. Its teeth were jagged and pieces of skin dangled off its face. I stumbled back and fell on the floor as I stared at the mirror. The horrible monster laughed loudly; it was a malevolent, cruel laugh that made me cringe. I watched as it ripped off a piece of dangling face skin and consumed it; I wanted to gag. When it was done it extended its horrible clawed hand beyond the mirror and I smelt rotting skin. It was halfway out when it raised its head and looked me dead in the eyes. Between its teeth was the black cube that I found; it fell to the ground as the monster roared. I opened my mouth to scream…
I sat up quickly and opened my eyes. I was in bed; I looked at my hands and saw they were normally sized and colored. I jumped out of my bed and ran to my mirror; my reflection was a normal me.
"Oh thank God!" I said as I fell back on my bed. I rubbed my temples as I told myself, 'It was just a dream…a really bad dream.' I opened my eyes and looked at my ceiling. My headache from last night was gone. I went to the bathroom, brushed my teeth, and then I prepared to step on the scale. I had a love hate relationship with my scale: I loved it when it gave me good numbers and hated it when it gave me bad ones. I sighed as I looked down at the numbers: 154 lbs. I got off the scale then paused. "What?" I asked and looked down at the numbers again. "154". Two days ago when I got on the scale it said that I weighed 169 and today I weighed 154? "No way." I left my bathroom and went to my dad's scale. I stepped on it, waited and looked: "153.8" it said. I stepped off and said, "No WAY!" I smiled and began to jump up and down. I didn't know what I did but in a matter of two days I lost over ten pounds!
As I walked out of my parents room my brother came out of his and whined,
"Honest to GOD can you shut up?" I looked at him condescendingly as I replied,
"Why should I? You're the one who came in last night plastered! And it's not my fault you have the hangover from hell." Brent approached me angrily; I cringed as I realized he was only wearing boxers. He said to me,
"You know what? Dad better not be here Liz, or I'm going to-"
"What?" I said back. "What? Are you going to 'hard-on' me to death?"
"What?" Brent asked. I pointed down at his boxers as I said,
"Listen…are you really that desperate?" I walked away trying to hide my smile as Brent quickly retreated back into his room. I shut the door behind me as I laughed at Brent. I stopped as I thought to myself, 'Whoa…did I actually just call Brent out like that? Where did that come from…am I about to start my period or something?' I paused, walked over to my mirror, and looked. Was I looking thinner? I examined my chin, arms, and butt but I couldn't see any difference…yet.
After I showered and dressed I went downstairs to my basement to get on the computer. Our basement was unfinished and Brent's workout equipment was everywhere. I managed to make a little nook for my computer and things in a corner, away from all of the sweaty equipment. I weaved between the weights and turned on the computer; as I waited for the computer I looked at the workout stuff. Before I felt repulsed by these machines, but today I was intrigued. I grabbed the nearest bar I could find and began to lift. It was pretty easy, so I grabbed more weight and put it on the bar. I continued to lift but the bar was still too light. Time after time I slid more and more weight onto the bar but it was still too easy for me. It was strange how strong my desire was to work out; it was almost like a craving. As I slid the last of the available weights on the bar I realized what I just did; I proceeded in putting ALL of my brother's weights on the bar…and still it was too light. I stood back for a moment as I realized I was lifting over 300 pounds of weight!
"Whoa." I whispered. I put my left hand on the bar; I had to try it, I had to try and lift it with just my arm. I prepared myself for the weight and closed my eyes…I lifted my hand and the bar. I opened my eyes and looked above my head; my left arm was holding up the 300-pound bar. "NO WAY!" I screamed ecstatically as I held the bar over my head. I took the bar in my right hand. "I can't BELIEVE THIS!" I squealed.
"Liz!" Brent startled me and I dropped the weights. They crashed so loudly that I jumped; as I looked at the disheveled weights on the bar Brent shouted again, "What the hell was THAT?" He thundered down the stairs to the basement and yelled, "What the hell are you doing? These weights cost me almost 500 dollars!" He tried to lift the bar with the 300 pounds on it but they wouldn't budge. He rolled the weights off the bar as he asked, "What were you doing anyways?" I shrugged as I said,
"I…uh…I just wanted to see what 300 pounds felt like." Brent looked at me and scowled.
"What an idiot." He rolled away the weights and said, "You put them back, and DON'T BREAK ANYTHING." He stormed up the stairs and I giggled as I picked up the bar. He left about 160 pounds on the bar. I tossed it back and forth between my hands and twirled it between my fingers before placing the bar on its spot. As it sat there I looked and laughed, and then I got an idea. I ran up the stairs and into the garage; there was my brother's pick up. I smiled as I walked to it.
"You know, Dad hates it when Brent parks on this side of the garage." I said to no one. I eyed the truck as I finished, "Maybe I should move it." I walked to the back of the truck bed and stared. I wiped my hands on my pants and stretched a little before saying, "Okay, let's do this." I put my hands under the truck bed and lifted; up came the back of the truck. It felt like nothing! Like I was lifting a box or something! I smiled as I held up the back of the car and walked, pivoting it on its front tires. I dropped the end and thought, 'Well, this might take longer than I thought… why don't I just lift the whole thing?' I laughed at the idea until in a moment of ego came to me and I thought, 'Hey, I'm on a roll, why shouldn't I try?' So I walked around the pick up, trying to find the best way to lift the car. I opened the front side door, placed a hand under the doorframe and on the roof of the car, and pulled back so that the car leaned on its two left side tires; I squatted, lifted with my legs, and up went the car. "YES!" I exclaimed as I held up the car. It was heavy, not very heavy, but heavy enough to be a challenge. I shuffled backwards and put the car down on the other side of the garage. When the truck was back on all four of its wheels I exclaimed. "YES!"
Suddenly the door to the house opened and my brother came into the garage. "What the hell are you shouting about?" He exclaimed angrily. I stared at him from the other side of the pick up as I stammered,
"I…I found the back to my earring." Brent rolled his eyes and began to walk back inside the house; he stopped examined his car and before asking,
"Didn't I park here last night?" He pointed to the spot where the car used to be. I forced a laugh as I said,
"Ha! HA HA! Brent, honestly, how drunk were you when you came home last night? I'm surprised you even got into the garage straight!" I walked around the car and approached Brent. "I'm just happy you got home safe, big brother." I said to him with fake affection before going inside the house and down in the basement.
The second I was back in the basement I began to jump around and laugh. I couldn't believe what I was capable of! It was incredible! Since when could I play hot potato with 300 pound bars? On that note, since when was I able to hold my own against Brent? Usually I just let him walk all over me but instead I stood my ground! I sat down and began to think, 'What kind of dream is this? Wait this can't be a dream I just had a dream this morning…I don't want this to be a dream.' That reminded me…that creepy dream with the thing in the mirror. Suddenly I remembered the black box I found fell out of the monster's mouth. 'The box!' I thought and gazed at the palm of my hand. The prick was still there; there was a little red scab where the prick used to be. I touched my finger to the scab as I wondered, 'Did that box do this to me? How?' I looked at the ceiling as I exhaled. I heard footsteps walking around upstairs; Brent called down to me,
"Liz, I'm going to Caleb's. I have my phone."
"Alright!" I shouted back. I heard the footsteps go to the garage door and the door slam. I exhaled as I looked down at the floor…where were my legs? I couldn't see my legs. I looked down in shock; I couldn't see my torso, hands or anything. "WHAT!" I exclaimed as I leapt to my feet. I held my hands out in front of me but I couldn't see them. "Oh no…" I whimpered. I brought my hands together; I could feel them but I couldn't see them. I felt like a pair of eyeballs floating in space. "Oh no." I ran to one of the mirrors in the basement; there was no reflection. "AHHHHHHH!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. I ran up the stairs from the basement and ran all around my house whimpering, "Oh my God, oh my God!" and I looked in every reflective surface I could find. I ran into my kitchen, grabbed the hose from the sink and sprayed myself. "GEEZE THAT'S COLD!" I shouted and let go of the hose and ran into the bathroom. I looked in the mirror and there was still no reflection but there were drops of water dangling and dripping in midair. "Great…this is great. I disappeared…how am I supposed to explain this?" I walked out of the bathroom and flopped on the couch, which was really weird because I couldn't see my body on the couch, only the indent that my body made on the cushions. I rolled on my back and shouted, "I'd like to be visible now! Please?"
No matter how much I shouted, ordered, begged, and pleaded I did not become visible again; in fact, I spent the greater part of the day amusing myself as only some one invisible could: I tried on hats so when I looked in the mirror it looked like they were floating in midair, I put on sock puppet shows for myself in the mirror, and I dropped things on me just to see them "hover". I put a towel on my head and stood in front of the mirror as I said unexcitedly, "Woo…I'm a rogue, space towel and I've come to take your gumballs…" Suddenly I heard the garage door open and my dad's voice call,
"Hey, anybody home?" I dropped the towel and whimpered.
"Oh no." I ran up stairs as Dad put away his things. I bolted into my room praying, "I swear if there is a God, please, PLEASE make me visible again! I swear I'll go to church everyday and…and solve world hunger!" I squinted and concentrated as hard as I could. 'Please be visible, please be visible!' I thought. I peeked in the mirror and still saw nothing. "GRRRRR!" I growled in frustration.
"Lizzie? Is that you?" my dad called.
"Oh my god!" I whispered as I ran around my room in a panic. My father could hear his daughter but he sure wouldn't be able to see her. "I'm here Dad!" I shouted back. I heard my dad's feet climbing the stairs. "Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no!" I moaned as I ran around my room. I had to get out of my room, I jumped over my bed and made for the door but my dad was there first. I froze. 'I'm so screwed, I am SO screwed…' were the only words that ran through my brain.
"Lizzie?" he took a few steps into my room. He couldn't see me! I had totally forgotten! I scooted out behind him and held my breath as I walked into the hallway. I ran into the bathroom and shut the door behind me. "Liz?" I heard my dad's voice again. He knew that I was in the bathroom.
"Yeah Dad!" I answered back with fake enthusiasm as I rummaged around the bathroom for anything that could cover me up.
"Oh there you are!" he said through the bathroom door. "What are you doing in there?" I accidentally knocked over the cup that held our toothbrushes and it crashed to the floor.
"Nothing! Nothing Dad!" Suddenly the doorknob began to turn. I was sweating bricks as I watched the door open. 'Oh no, oh no, oh no.' I thought as I squinted and waited for my dad's reaction.
"There you are!" My dad said as he hugged me. "How was your day? Nice and relaxing?" I opened my eyes and looked down. I could see my chest again; I glanced in the bathroom mirror and there I was…damp shirt and all. I smiled as I squeezed my dad as I told him,
"Oh dad, not in the slightest."