AlecReyes19: Don't worry, Janet's going to be fine. Don't know I'm spoiling anything, though.
A-Plus Cassiopeia: You just answered your own question.
BookMast3r: Let's find out, shall we.
Sam was shivering all over, trying to fight in the urge to scream out loud at the person before him. His big blue eyes were threatening to spill with tears, and his terracotta skin was turning pale, for he was staring at the one person he'd thought he'd never see again.
It was Amanda.
At first, he didn't believe it. There was no way she was right here, in front of him. His eyes were tricking him; it had to be some other girl who had happened to be lurking through the orphanage. There were quite a few girls who looked like Amanda, maybe he'd just stumbled upon a lookalike.
But he knew the truth. She had the same Venetian blonde hair, which had grown longer and was let loose now. She had the same hazel eyes, and the same freckles, and the same innocent look. She was older now, but there was no mistake that the girl right before him was the same girl he'd been friends with two years before.
"Let me go! Let go of me!"
Amanda was still trashing in Sam's grip, so much that he was having trouble keeping hold of her. Immediately, he let her go, and she stumbled on the floor. She got on her knees and began wiping her hair out of her eyes so she could see who it was. Her eyes fell on him, and Amanda gained the same awestruck expression that Sam had.
As their identical expressions locked into each other, Sam knew Amanda was thinking the same thing he was. Is it really him? What is he doing here? I thought I'd never see him again?
Both children were so stricken with shock that they'd forgotten that Brenda was standing right next to them. Sticking her hand between the two children's faces, she said quickly, "Hey."
Immediately, Sam and Amanda leapt backwards, and neither of them could contain their screams no longer.
David was still inspecting the picture Isabella had shown him when the two ear-piercing screams echoed through the orphanage building. Springing up and alert, David spun around, trying to locate the source of the sound.
Isabella froze in shock until the screams died down, then her tense features softened. "Sam's here," She guessed. "I'd recognize that scream anywhere."
David scrunched up his face, confused at how calm Isabella was. "Well what is he doing here?" He asked. "And who was the other person screaming?"
"It sounded like Amanda," Isabella said, and turned her face away from David, hugging herself. "But it couldn't be her."
"Who's Amanda, and why couldn't it be her?" David asked, intrigued. Isabella turned to face him, fresh tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Amanda is dead, and it's my fault."
Once Sam and Amanda had ceased screaming, they were now trying to fully process what was going on right at the moment.
"Amanda, y-you're alive!" Sam sputtered out, still in disbelief. "But, you were dead! How could you be here?!"
"What about you?!" Amanda asked, equally dumbstruck. "I thought I'd never see you again!"
Brenda, who had just been standing awkwardly to the side the whole time, decided to intervene. "Okay, what's this all about? Who are YOU?" She pointed a finger at Amanda.
"Amanda was my best friend when I lived in this orphanage," Sam explained. "But, well, my sister got jealous and she killed her. Oh so I thought."
Sam then turned back to Amanda. "How'd you survive?" He asked.
Amanda inwardly sighed and she looked to the floor in shame. "After the...incident with your sister, I was taken to the hospital so they could treat my injury." She pulled up her shirt a few inches, revealing the scar on her abdomen.
"During my time at the hospital, I met a nice nurse," Amanda said as she covered her scar. "After my injury was fixed, the nurse adopted me, and I became her assistant."
"Oh," Sam said bluntly, still somewhat surprised.
"Once I was out of the hospital, I returned to the orphanage to see you again, but you and your sister were both gone," Amanda lamented. "Ever since then, I've gone back here to remember my time with you."
Sam smiled softly. "Well, I'm back now," He reassured. "But, my sister is here too. And we have to find her."
"When I lived here with Sam, there was a young girl named Amanda," Isabella explained to David. "She was an outcast, like Sam, so naturally the two became the best of friends.
"And you didn't like it, didn't you," David correctly guessed, narrowing his eyes at her.
"Amanda wasn't like the other orphans," Isabella said, trying to ignore David's accusation. "I...wasn't fond of her. Especially when Sam began showing her around in the Mirror dimension. So I decided to have a talk with her."
David folded his arms, unconvinced. Knowing Isabella, she surely wouldn't have been calm and collected with Amanda, especially concerning Sam.
"Things got a little out of hand, and I did a few things I regret," Isabella continued. "Because of this, Miss Collette decided to teach me a lesson. She didn't beat me, she just decided to scare me."
Isabella gestured to the mask on the floor, and David understood. Nevertheless, Isabella explained.
"Miss Collette told me of evil spirits, and boogeyman, and necromancy," Isabella explained. "She told me of how, if I continued to act this way, they'd come for and take me away to torment me. I believed her. If Mirror People exist, who's to say any of those creatures don't?"
David sighed. "So that's why you're scared of monsters and ghosts, even though you're a preteen," He commented.
"Don't mock me," Isabella snapped, jabbing a finger towards him. "That very night, I was so angry and scared, I let my emotions get the best of me. And Mirror Isabella took over my mind."
David's eyes widened as he pieced everything together. He remembered Sam's story of what had happened with Amanda, and now he realized Sam had lied.
"It wasn't Mirror Samson who attacked Amanda that night, it was Mirror Isabella!" David blurted out, interrupting Isabella. "He wanted to defend his sister so he decided to throw his brother under the rug."
As David thought about it, he added, "That's kind of selfish."
"Sam cares about Mirror Isabella," Isabella replied, pacing away from David. "He doesn't want any harm to befall her, or to incite her wrath."
"But it doesn't have to be like that," David said. "We can fix this. We can show your sister that this can work out."
"That won't work!" Isabella shouted, startling David. "You don't know what goes through Mirror Isabella's mind!"
"I know enough that she wants what's best for Sam," David replied confidently. "Sure, she's a stubborn wretch, but that doesn't mean she's totally evil!"
"That doesn't matter!" Isabella shouted back, louder than before.
"Why not?!" David screamed.
"Because Mirror Isabella has a split-personality disorder!" Isabella screamed in David's face.
David's face went blank.
"...She has a what?"
Reviews are appreciated. Also, re-read Chapter 10 to see if you can spot Amanda in the chapter.