A-Plus Cassiopeia: We're just wrapping things up by now. As for the hashtag, Mirror Isabella's, for the most part, has been forgiven, so...better luck next time.
BookMast3r: Let's be honest, she probably would have if Sam hadn't freed himself from the tar pit. She was just too busy lamenting to do something at the moment.
The very next day, the mirror leading into the Mirror Dimension was placed in Janet's room on the wall.
When Sam and Janet had broke the news to everyone else, there had been quite the conversation as to whether this was a good thing or not. Isabella had been the most opposed to the idea, especially since this would mean she would be getting adopted by the same family she'd detested for two years. Agatha and Felix were surprisingly agreeable on the matter, especially considering they had been trapped in a mirror a day ago by a mirror person. In the back of her head, Janet assumed they were happy because they thought they would get publicity for adopting a bunch of mirror people, but she said nothing.
Lizzy and Kizzy spent hours contemplating this, but in the end, they agreed. As Janet found out later on, they were orphans just like the Crystal family, and they'd practically forgotten what it was like to have a family.
David readily agreed with the idea. Janet was somewhat stunned; she'd have thought David would've hated the idea of being related to someone like Isabella, but he gladly accepted the proposal.
Mirror Isabella, unsurprisingly, had no say in the matter. She didn't find out until days afterwards, and when she did, she didn't complain, something that shocked Sam and Janet even more.
After the mirror was placed back in the city, the public flocked to the Barrets neighborhood, ecstatic at what had happened. It was surprising, to say the least, that these same people that had been terrorized and imprisoned by Mirror Isabella were now readily excited to enter the Mirror Dimension to inspect what was within there.
It seemed like everything had changed drastically, for everyone, but especially Sam. For a time, he was like a celebrity to the city, especially when they learned of how he'd taken part in freeing the city. Sam enjoyed the attention, but sometimes, it was too much for him. When he felt overwhelmed, he would return to the Mirror Dimension, where life there had also taken a turn for him, but not as much.
It was a wonder to Sam, how much his life had changed for the better, and all because of two Earth-dimension children, whom he'd feared would reject him. And yet, it was due to them that his life had become better than it ever had been before.
"Um, Sam, you think I can really do this?" David asked, concerned, as he and Sam stepped onto the now-frozen tar pit, which had become more of an attraction now then before it had frozen. Now, people would come to ice-skate on it for fun. Currently, Amanda, Kizzy and Lizzy were all skating on it.
"Oh, come on, it's easy," Sam reassured, skating a few inches onto the ice.
"Well, yeah, but I've never ice-skated before," David admitted, looking to the ground in shame.
"Do your parents ever do anything with you?" Sam asked. A few feet away, Felix and Agatha, who were sitting on a log, both called out, "Hey!"
Sam, and even David, both stifled their laughter at that. Using his transparent arms, Sam grabbed David by the jacket and pulled him onto the ice. He screamed for a bit, then found, to his shock, that he was actually skating.
"Hey, I'm doing it, I'm doing it!" He shouted gleefully, fist-pumping the air as he skidded on the frozen ground. On another log, Ophelia and Pandora sarcastically clapped for him. Isabella, who was sitting next to them, elbowed Ophelia, and the two girls began clapping more enthusiastically.
A few feet away, Brenda was talking with Janet. "So, Little Jane, I'd just like to say thank you for giving me a second chance," She said, trying to hide her enjoyment. "It really makes me happy that we can be friends now, after all I did."
Janet smiled warmly and nodded. As Brenda began to walk towards the frozen tar pit, Janet looked up a hill to see a lonely figure, sitting on a large rock.
It was Mirror Isabella. She'd come on one of her visits, constantly monitored in case she lashed out, and she was currently sitting away from everyone else. Her head was lowered, and her long hair concealed her face.
Admittedly, Janet would've liked to leave her. Mirror Isabella was the only person Janet truly detested, so if anyone deserved to feel bitter, it was her. But, be it her conscience, Janet couldn't just leave her be.
Slowly, Janet inched up the hill towards Mirror Isabella, who hadn't noticed her approaching. Once she was within arm's length, Janet gently nudged Mirror Isabella's shoulder with her the tip of her knuckle. Mirror Isabella jerked off the rock, obviously startled, and saw it was Janet.
"Hey," Janet whispered softly, waving her arm slightly. Mirror Isabella rubbed her face a bit, and Janet could see she was wiping away tears.
After Mirror Isabella calmed down enough, she whispered out a meek, "Hey," in return. Janet found it somewhat astounding how meek Mirror Isabella seemed now, in comparison to what she had been like beforehand. She seemed smaller now, more timid, and she was dressed in a pale white, instead of her usual wear.
"The doctor says I should control my temper," Mirror Isabella explained, as if she were reading Janet's thoughts. "What are you doing up here, Janet?"
"I saw your alone, up here, and you seemed sad," Janet said awkwardly. She saw all of the other stones and said, "What is this place?"
Mirror Isabella brightened the stones a bit so that Janet could see clearly.
Mirror Adam Crystal
1973 - 2006
Mirror Helen Crystal
1974 - 2006
"Oh, those were your parents," Janet correctly guessed. She then realized she and Mirror Isabella were standing in a graveyard.
"My parents died after Sam and Isabella's died," Mirror Isabella explained. "When a Mirror person dies, so does their reflection."
Janet's face drooped. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose her parents. Considering the time they'd died, Mirror Isabella would've been very young, probably a toddler, and Sam and Mirror Samson would've been merely infants.
"I don't even know how they died," Mirror Isabella lamented. "They were out in the Earth-dimension when it happened. Whatever it was, now I had to look out for my siblings, alone. Do you know what that's like?"
Janet paused for a moment, and admitted, "...No." However, then she added, "But I know what it's like to be alone. Thinking that nobody will be there for you when things are too difficult for you. Thinking that there's nothing you can do when someone tries to hurt you and your loved ones. I think that's how everyone felt when you trapped them in your mirror."
Janet could see Mirror Isabella's eyes widen slightly at that, and then a few tears began to stream down her face. They were a dark blue, and looked more like paint than tears. They dripped onto the ground.
"Well, you'll never be alone again," Janet said. "Neither will your family. In fact, you have a new family now. Sam and Isabella are in it. They thought they should've feared us, but look at how much we care for them. Maybe you should think of that as well."
Without another word, Janet slipped down from the hill to rejoin everyone else at the frozen tar pit, leaving Mirror Isabella up at the graveyard.
Mirror Isabella stared down at Janet as she rejoined the others.
"Family, hm..." She whispered to herself. She stayed up at the hill for a moment. Then, she slipped down the hill as well to join the others below.
The End