Chapter Thirty-Seven
Mirror Image
Meanwhile in Tania's salon, Pandora sat in front of the mirrors whilst the Panda did her hair.
The blonde-haired panda stylist had shampooed and conditioned her hair and was now working on the split ends.
"Gosh Pandora" Tania laughed as she snipped with her scissors "I've never seen your hair so wild, not even before you've spent time in the sanctuary! When your mother first arrived in Mutopia and she had spent a few days here, her hair was so frizzy and wild, it looked like a proper birds nest!"
Pandora shrugged.
"Well, hair does have a mind of its own sometimes!" Tania laughed as she tried to joke with the hybrid, but she soon realised that Pandora didn't seem to be in the mood for jokes or bantering, so she decided to try something else.
"So, are you happy that your mother's finally out of the med bay?" she asked, "I know you've been so seriously worried."
"I am yes…" Pandora said in a quiet voice "But…"
The Panda stopped her work with the scissors and studied Pandora's face, the hybrid had barely smiled nor spoken about what had happened.
When she had entered the salon, she had simply asked Tania if she was free to do something with her hair and to inform her of Monalisa being let out of the medical room which delighted the Panda and she said she would go and see her later.
"What's wrong sweetie?" Tania asked in a soft voice.
Pandora sighed.
"I am happy mum's out the med bay, but I can't help but still feel hurt."
Tania gave a sympathetic smile.
"I can understand that honey," she said, "Of course you're going to still feel angry and hurt, you've been through so much! But you mustn't let it control you, I'm sure I sound like Sephie when I say that." she chuckled as she looked around.
"Hmmm, now where's that defuser head for the hairdryer?" she murmured, then frowned.
"Darn! Sorry lovely, I think I left it over there!" she turned away from Pandora and went to look for what she needed, Pandora turned her eyes to watch the Panda then turned back to the mirror, yet as she did, she saw someone looking back at her and she almost jumped out of the chair.
Looking in the mirror, Pandora could see a face that matched hers, yet it was coloured tan, there appeared to be a dark streak across her eyes, almost like a tribeswoman's face staring back at her.
The Hybrid shut her eyes then opened them again only to see herself covered with the apron Tania had put over her and her wet hair.
"What just happened there?" she thought yet she didn't have the chance to think before Tania came back with the hairdryer.
"Here we are! Found it!" the panda grinned and started to dry Pandora's hair a little then started to style it.
Pandora looked up at Tania and started to relax a little as the Panda finished drying her hair then started to add some products to give her hair some softness and shine.
"There we go!" Tania smiled as she checked over Pandora's dark brown wavy hair then held up a mirror so the hybrid could see the back of it "That's much better hmm?"
Pandora, as much as she was shocked at what she had seen earlier, she looked up at Tania and forced a smile.
"Thanks Tania, it does look so much better!"
"My pleasure my dear!" Tania said "And I have to say, you look so pretty when you smile! You have your mama's looks! And her eyes!"
Pandora then felt herself smile genuinely as she heard that.
"Thanks." She spoke softly.
"It's true lovely!" Tania said honestly then pulled Pandora into a hug "You're a beautiful girl, a strong, fearless beautiful girl who has been through so much, yet you've battled through! We should be proud of you!"
As Tania said that, Pandora couldn't help but feel a little guilty.
"If only she knew what was really going on." She thought sadly.
After Tania had said she shouldn't let hate and anger control her, she knew what the Panda said was true, and the hybrid thought about her two outings topside.
She couldn't help but wonder if it was her anger driving her to do what she did, or was it her desire to get out and stop crime and save innocents from misery and having their lives ruined, like she had failed to do with her own family?
As the hybrid hugged Tania back, she looked over at the mirror again and saw her face, she closed her eyes then opened them again, only to see the tribal face looking back at her in the looking glass!
Pandora's eyes widened as she looked back at the image then she felt Tania shift and she pulled back from the hybrid causing Pandora to look at her and away from the mirror.
Tania smiled at Pandora.
"You be good now, okay?" she said flicking Pandora under the chin "I'm going to see how you mother is, no doubt Jake's going to be over the moon to know she's been discharged, I wonder if he's back from topside duty with Cam and Barry yet?"
"He might be?" Pandora shrugged then she looked back at the mirror to see herself again and she sighed with relief.
"It looks great Tania, thanks so much!"
"Anytime Little Geisha!" Tania smiled then after giving Pandora another hug, she watched the hybrid leave the salon then looked down at the mess of hair on the floor.
"I'll get this cleaned up then I'll go and look for Mona, oh gosh I was so worried about her!"
Pandora left the salon, and she bit her lip as she thought about what she saw in the mirror.
"What's wrong with me?" she thought "I can't be seeing things? Can I?"
She hurried back to her bedroom as fast as she could, she needed to think clearly.
She soon made it back without drawing attention to herself and went to stand in front of her mirror.
The Hybrid stared at her reflection, it was herself, her mirror image, her twin, looking back at her.
She was dressed in black jeans along with a tiger striped top that had been in her drawers in her bedroom, left behind from a previous visit to Mutopia.
Tania had styled her hair, so it was in its natural waves and it came halfway down her back.
Pandora studied her look then she closed her eyes again.
After a few seconds, she opened them, and she saw the tribal face once again!
She jumped back a little then she stepped towards the mirror reaching out a hand to touch the reflective glass.
"What is this?" she whispered and saw her lips in the mirror move as well, then she saw the tribal face smirk at her.
"I am you! Who you want to be!"
Pandora stared at the reflection, she wanted to turn away, close her eyes and will the image away, but there was something about what she was seeing before her that made her want to learn more about what she was seeing.
"I am you; I am waiting to break free, help you achieve your goals! I am your desire! I am your ambition!"
Pandora frowned and stepped closer to the mirror, she placed her hand on the glass and stared at her reflection.
"See me, learn from me, absorb me, embrace me, we can do so much, and we can reach our goals! Together!"
Pandora blinked; she could feel the temptation as she got closer to the glass, yet she remembered Tania's words.
"Hesitating? Are you starting to regret what you did? Stopping that gunman? Killing that abusive bully?"
"No! No!" Pandora thought "No regrets! I saved some lives! Yet…still…."
"Nothing! You have nothing to be ashamed of!"
Pandora bit her lip and turned away from the mirror closing her eyes.
"Still…I took a risk…if anyone knew…if anyone found out it was me, despite the good I did, I broke the rules…."
She opened her eyes and looked back at the mirror and saw her image had returned, and the tribal face was no longer there.
Pandora took a few deep breaths.
"I need to think…" she thought as she sat on her bed and crossed her legs before preparing to meditate "I need to think."
After a few minutes, remembering the exercises she needed to do as she entered meditation as she had been taught by her grandfather Splinter, her uncles, and her parents, she slipped into the darkness to focus hard.
Normally Pandora never really enjoyed meditation sessions like Leonardo and Kemeko, as she always preferred sparring and physical training, but this time, she felt she needed to focus on her mental state.
Before long, Pandora found herself in a dark void and she was floating in space as she entered her meditation and she spoke her worries.
"I've broken the rules of Mutopia, yet I have enjoyed my topside activities, and I keep telling myself I did a good deed, two good deeds, I stopped a gunman, saved some lives, including one that hadn't entered the world, and I saved a woman from her dangerous husband! The Chicago Knights weren't there! If I hadn't gone out, an innocent life would have been ruined, along with many others!"
"Exactly? So why are you doubting yourself?"
Pandora looked around the void.
"Hello?" she called "Whose there?"
She looked around then she saw a couple of animals bounding around her.
Pandora frowned as she studied them, and she saw them all to be tigers, lions, leopards, wolves, and other predatory animals.
They were bounding around her, stalking and pouncing.
Pandora watched them and she then saw them stop and look at her.
"What is this?" she asked.
"They are what you wish to be! An Apex predator, a proper hunter, or rather huntress, one who always catches her prey!"
"What?"
"You said it yourself, we did, we are hunters, and we will find our prey! We can stop evil quicker than the dragon and his Knights!"
"But what if anything goes wrong?"
"What could go wrong? And you're not doing anything wrong! Sometimes Rules must be broken, for the greater good!"
Pandora looked around as she heard the voice, and she looked at the many predatory animals that surrounded her.
"You are more than a ninja, but you can be more, a superheroine who can bring the world to rights, and stop evil!"
"But…"
"But nothing! You know this is what you want!"
Pandora looked at the animals around her, then at her hands seeing she was wearing her claws.
"You have the skills, the attitude, the right mind, you can do so much! There is so much evil in the city! As well as the rest of the world! And the Dragon and his Knights are unaware! No matter how many times they go up topside, or what Hugh reports to them, there are those who slip under the radar! And you spotted them before they did!"
As the words flowed through Pandora's mind, she began to think again.
"That is true…"
"Of course it is! It couldn't be more true! Think about it!"
"Yes…"
"You can do so much, so much to help those topside, even though they may not know it!"
"Maybe I shouldn't feel bad about this, I had my doubts, I have been worried, but maybe I shouldn't be concerned."
Opening her eyes, Pandora found herself back in her room and she rubbed her temples thinking about what she saw in her meditation.
"I could do so much! After what I did up top, there is so much more I could do…I've done a good service, even though many might not agree…"
She looked at the mirror and she saw her image, her mirror image, yet she narrowed her eyes and smirked.
"I'm performing a service….It's nothing to be ashamed of, not at all."
Looks like Pandora is sinking deeper into her inner darkness, almost seeing two sides of herself, like Jeykll and Hyde. Very worrying...