Dreams, Secrets, and Transformations: Beyond the Enchanted Looking Glass

Ch 5 Family

"Mom, you're losing it. I dont know what that was with your hand and the mirror but i havent traveled through any--- "

At that moment she was interrupted by an image in her mind. She suddenly saw this same Brad, standing in front of her, dressed as a girl. A brief second later he was falling toward her, but instead of hitting her, he was gone and she was on her hands and knees on the floor.

But what was this and what did it mean, she wondered.

"What was that, " Miranda frantically asked. "I saw a moment of recognition on your face. What did you see?"

"I don't know," Brooke snapped back in anger. She quickly placed each of her open hands on either side of her head and held them there.

Brooke felt really confused as she tried to recall her day. She remembered getting up, showering, and doing the massaging exercises that she did religiously every day, trying to stimulate her virtually non-existent breast to grow. She also recalled getting ready for school, the troubles she'd had with trying to style her hair, running around trying to find her school ID, going to classes, acing a chemistry exam, talking to her friends, gym class, math, her last class, being in the locker rooms, and cheer practice.

Wait.

The locker rooms.

Before she left the locker room. Right before that 'witch,' Jennifer, started to run her mouth. She had tripped and fallen, but there was something odd about the fall. A glitch in the memory that didn't quite feel right.

"That's it," Miranda prodded, "I can see it on your face again. Where were you?"

"In the locker room at school," Brooke answered.

"Is there a mirror there?"

"Yes, after I fell I turned around and looked at it. I swear it shimmered and rippled. But that's not possible. "

"Dont be so sure."

"What do you mean?"

Miranda turned away. "Well, the school is locked up now. Can't go back until tomorrow. That means being stuck here for the night."

Mother and daughter headed to the living room. Miranda didn't try and explain anything going on yet, she understood they would have to go back through the mirror before Brad would be able to totally understand what was happening.

Miranda sat on the couch and picked up a fashion magazine. Brooke decided to work on her homework, thinking it would help take her mind off of whatever was going on and how her mom was acting so weird.

Brooke began taking a quiz about 'Discovering Your Ideal Boyfriend Type,' in the magazine, trying to take her mind off of everything, but her thoughts kept returning to her mom's odd behavior, how her mom's hand disappeared into the mirror, and the feeling she couldn't shake. Something happened yesterday that she had no memory of other than it had something to do with her fall.

"Are you going to explain what's going on, what the mirrors have to do with anything, and why I feel like something weird happened yesterday, mom? And who is this Brad? If I didn't know any better I'd swear he was my brother, but i don't have a brother."

"No, you have no way of understanding it right now. It'll make more sense tomorrow. But what makes you say that about Brad?"

"I don't know. It's a feeling of familiarity and he looks like we could be closely related."

"No, he's not your brother, but you'll understand tomorrow."

Miranda placed the magazine back on the coffee table and stood up.