Helpless

Passing through the mirror was like going through a layer of slime or mucus; slippery, warm, and utterly disgusting. And on the other side was home. A new home yes, with boxes stacked neatly against the walls and the tables scrubbed clean, but home nonetheless.

Ell, Tamara, and Matilda all changed into their pyjamas as soon as possible before returning to the kitchen for one last cup of tea.

Ell and Tamara both say at the table, sipping quietly and enjoying the serenity of the cold winter night. Matilda, however, was dancing in the sitting room, phone clasped in her hands and held close to her chest as she turned this way she that. Her long ginger hair swung in a shiny curtain behind her, and she was barefoot as she danced this way and that. Under her breath, she hummed the refrain of some American musical; the words "I do I do I do I do" were the only ones Tamara could hear well enough from the adjoining kitchen.

"Well, someone had a good time," she said jokingly, stirring her mug of tea absently and fiddling with the kitten cozy in the dim yellow light of the single bulb over the granite tabletop.

"What's up Mattie?" Ell asked, taking a sip of her own tea.

"I'm in love," Matilda sighed, coming to a halt at last and gazing longingly at her phone screen, a vacant smile on her face. Tamara snorted into her drink.

"With what, that selfie you took before we went over there?" she asked snidely. "Or maybe it was with that Matt guy, since he's basically you in dude form?"

"Neither," Matilda answered dreamily. "He's even better..."

Tamara choked on her mouthful of hot drink. Ell shook her shoulder until she stopped at last, but when she looked back up to question her friend further, Matilda was gone. They saw only the tips of her long ginger hair disappearing into her room, and the door closing behind her. The two girls looked at each other in a silent question before sliding back their chairs and following.

Matilda's room was about as girly as a hoarder's room could be. It was noticeably less cluttered than her old room had been, since most of her junk had been burnt to ash, but that hadn't stopped her from continuing to collect useless rubbish and knick knacks. She had recently begun a collection of porcelain frogs after their first trip to Mr. E's Magic and Antiques.

Matilda lay on her stomach, gazing dreamily at her phone screen, a vague smile on her lips and blue eyes half closed. Tamara marched right through the beads that hung over the doorway and up to Matilda, reaching right over her piles of stuffed animals and pink bed clothes, and grabbing at her phone. The ginger snatched it away, looking annoyed.

"Tamara!" Ell punched her friend on the arm before crawling beside Matilda.

"Don't leave us hanging, Mattie," Ell said to Matilda. "If it's not Matt, then who is it? The guy from Starbucks?"

Matilda shook her head.

"Not Cason?"

Another shake.

"I really hope it's not that Winston Noble chap from that show you keep watching," Tamara interrupted, settling herself down on Matilda's other side.

"Nope!" Matilda grinned.

"Well then who is it you, silly goose?" Ell asked, shaking her friend's shoulder playfully. Matilda held the phone to her chest for a moment longer, the internal struggle obvious, gazed once more at the screen, then at last caved in and turned the screen to face them.

Tamara pretended to be sick over the bed. Ell looked shocked. "Wow Mattie... I didn't know you were... I mean..."

"What?" Matilda asked defensively, her freckled face growing red and snatching the phone back and having longingly at the photo.

"You just met him just today!" Tamara said, waving a hand in the air, her empty eyes wide. "And that's not even considering the fact that they are basically us!"

"I know," Matilda sighed happily. "Isn't he perfect?"

"Well you sure don't seem to fancy me much."

"That's because you like being a prick."

"But really?" Ell asked, looking at the picture once again. "Him?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Tom."

"Yep."

"Jeeze you're weird." Tamara leaned back, gazing at Matilda with astonishment. The redhead scowled at her friend.

"Well, I have to say that that Edd boy sure seemed fond of you, Tamara," she said bitingly.

"Tch, yeah right," Tamara scoffed, looking away. "If he's everything like Ell, he wouldn't even know the first thing about women."

"Ow," Ell interjected in a mildly offended tone.

"Poor baby doesn't know that he's a big boy, does he?" Matilda said with a girlish giggle. "Doesn't know it's normal to want to look at a good looking girl when she's very obviously flirting with him."

"I was not flirting with anyone, number one," said Tamara defensively. "And number two, we've been over that nobody would want me."

"Don't say that, Tammie," pouted Ell. "That's not a good thing to think."

They sat in awkward silence. Matilda continue to gaze at the photo of Tom. Tamara picked at a spot on the comforter.

"Guys," Ell said at last, squinting at the wall. "If that world is like ours, but opposite..."

"Yeah?"

"Who do you think Tori is...?"

A/N ooh, the originally non-existentplot thickens! It's gonna be dumb and fast paced, coz why not? :P Also, I have, like, no friends, so I've got NO IDEA how real girls interact with each other :'D halp

Whatever. I'm taking REQUESTS and PROMPTS, so plz, yeah XD

Also, I've been writing this a lot lately, yeah? Don't ask, idk why, I just thought it was cute. I AM working on chapter 4 of "Between the Devil and I", it's about 1/2 done, I just need some space fillers. Also, "Dear Angel, Dear Demon" is still being worked on. It's a slow burn kind of story, so... Yeah. I'll shut up now.

Boi!