"So…" She started, speaking slow to think of what exactly she should say. "I got you a gift! I think you'll really like it." She said with her arms outstretched in front of her, holding a small box wrapped in red paper and a ribbon.
She wore a warm smile on her face, eagerly awaiting and preparing for what might happen next. Of course, she expected him to take the box, perhaps say "Thank you," and then open it, revealing to him its contents.
But what might happen after that, she wasn't sure.
Would he like the gift? Would he hate it? What would happen if he didn't like it? Would he… maybe… not want to be friends anymore?
Amitie quickly shook her head to rid herself of that thought. There's no way Sig could be that cruel.
She wasn't sure why these thoughts haunted her so, however. After all, she currently was only speaking with her reflection.
Lately, she's noticed, it's been difficult to keep her focus and say things properly around him. Why this started suddenly, she wasn't sure, but she figured by practicing she could give him a Christmas gift with no issues… hopefully.
She then adopted a serious look on her face, her usual smile faded away with a new look. Her eyes looking straight and focused. She went under a temporary transformation, no longer the Amitie everyone knew. But then she washed it all away with her normal look with bright eyes and a cheerful smile, figuring she should give off the right energy when giving someone a gift.
"Hey, so…" She started once again, speaking with her reflection, pretending it is her best friend. "I-I… um…"
Stuttering?
Now?
Silly me. I can't even say what I want to my own mirror.
A light blush dusted her cheeks and she could feel her palms start to become wet.
Was the thought of him enough to trigger these events now? How troubling!
She fidgeted slightly, attempting to shake these nerves, but the sweat persisted and refused to stop.
Her brain felt scrambled and she couldn't think. She tried to continue speaking with herself but nothing came out except for meaningless noise from the sentences she was trying to form.
It was like stage fright. She felt like she was performing in front of a huge audience, but that couldn't be further from the truth because the audience was only a single imaginary form of her best friend.
Amitie figured that maybe she could regather her thoughts by closing her eyes and counting to ten. So that's just what she did.
1
2
…
…
…
10
I think I'll be okay now.
She opened her eyes to see that her assumption was completely incorrect.
Staring back at her was no longer a reflection of herself, but something else.
"W… What?" She said out loud, maybe hoping to get a response of some sort from her best friend, now standing in her mirror.
She tried to leave, but the area no longer seemed familiar to her. It was no longer a place she knew, but rather just an empty void that belonged to no one. There was nothing else there, nothing but her and her best friend.
At least, that was what she thought at first. She then noticed the gift, sitting on what she thought was the floor of her room, though she couldn't tell because of the darkness of the void.
Maybe… I cleared too much of my mind.
All the necessary things she needed to continue her practice were within her sight, and there were no possible distractions anywhere to be seen.
Seeing this as a perfect chance to continue her practice, she picked up the present and spoke to the imaginary Sig.
"I-I got you a gift." She said, holding the gift out to him, though slower than she had done in any of her previous attempts.
She planned to say more, but before she could something else happened that surprised her.
"Really?" It responded.
He responded.
And he reached his own arm out to grab the gift, if only Amitie hadn't pulled it away.
"W-what the…?"
Now it's moving! Could this scene be any stranger?
It's okay.
She reassured herself.
Your imagination is just trying to help you out. That's all.
She inhaled a big breath of air and then puffed it out softly yet audibly, relaxing herself once again. She then slowly and carefully extended her arms to him, holding out the gift.
"Thank you." He said as he took the gift from her, excited to open it even though his face didn't show it.
She watched as the ribbon and paper was torn off, leaving the gift she planned to give to the real Sig the next day.
The imaginary Sig didn't move anymore. He stood still. His face looked the same as it always did, but she could tell he was disappointed.
"You...You don't like it?" She asked him.
He didn't respond immediately, which only scared Amitie more. "No."
Was she dreaming? Amitie hoped so, because this suddenly felt like a nightmare.
"But…" she tried to speak. But what could she say? Nothing made any sense!
"You really thought I'd like that gift?" He said. Why did he seem so angry?
"I… yes." She answered him.
No more words were exchanged. No more noise could be heard. Amitie couldn't produce any sound, she didn't want to anymore.
All she could do was stare. Stare at her best friend seemingly floating in the void. Angry. Angry at her.
She felt like she was going insane. Nothing here was normal. This void shouldn't exist, Sig shouldn't be floating in front of her, that box shouldn't be opened!
This isn't real.
This isn't real, this isn't real, this isn't real.
Upon these thoughts, the void melted back into the room she was familiar with. The fake Sig faded away, back into the realm of the mirror. The gift sitting overturned near Amitie, who was on her bottom against the wall, breathing heavily, unsure if anything around her was real anymore.
She placed her hand on her chest, feeling her heartbeat. It was beating fast, out of fear she assumed, but it felt like it was touched with something else as well.
She tried to relax again, but it wouldn't work. She didn't want to even blink, for she feared that once she opened her eyes again the nightmare would return.
She forced herself to move from that corner of her room, and she drifted slowly toward her bed. She placed the gift on her bedside table and let out a heavy sigh.
Tomorrow is going to be a disaster, huh?
I figured I should write something up for Christmas.
It probably could be better but I'm not sure how to add more without it feeling repetitive.
Please tell me what you think I can improve on or specific things you think I did really well.