The Mirror Maze

Chapter 8 - Reflection

Grace stood, turning the envelope over in her hands. There was something strange about it, as if it had it's own little gravity field. Finding it on her pillow had been a shock - it definitely hadn't been there when she'd left. That meant... Someone had broken into her house, into her room.

Ever since Grace had left her old home she'd been too afraid to open the envelope. She'd travelled to an old hotel and stayed there, teleporting to get what she wanted. It made Grace uneasy to think about the things that she had stolen, but she had to. The money she took from her parents room, a few days ago, needed to be saved for more important things.

Grace wasn't sure that she'd make it on her own, but she was adjusting quickly. She felt a very different girl. Guilt weighed her down and stayed with her each day, like a shadow. It was her fault that her parents were dead and she would never, ever be able to forget that.

Putting the envelope back onto a small bedside table Grace flopped onto the old springy bed (it was not a very upmarket hotel) and turned on the small TV.

A panel was discussing the crash. Grace listened uneasily.

" The remains of the bodies have been recovered and will be sent back home for funerals. Authorities are doing the best they can to determine the cause of the crash. Greg, what do you think happened out there?"

" I don't know Sally, but there are rumours that an extreme terrorist planted a bomb on the plane."

"Surely the sniffer dogs would be able to smell the bomb though Greg?"

" Who knows Sally? Questions have to be asked to determine whether airport security lapses were the cause of this crash and dealt with appropriately. One thing I know," he gave a shallow laugh, " I don't think I'll be flying anytime soon!"

Sally leaned forwards, giving viewers an impressive view of her bosom, "but what about the mystery Greg?"

Grace swallowed feeling uneasy and turned up the volume of the TV.

" Yes Sally. It seems every body, or parts of every body were recovered," he paused, "All except for one. There are no traces of the body of a young girl called Grace Riviera. Did she plant the bomb? Is she still alive? Stay tuned to find out!"

As an add for Hungry Jacks ( Burger King) filled the screen, Grace sat frozen, a sheen of sweat on her forehead. Surely no one would think... No it was impossible, no news story would call her a teleporter. All the same, that envelope...

Grace swallowed.

***

A few days later Grace attended her parents and her own funeral. She was surprised to see how many people flocked to the church. It was an unusually windy day and the sky was overcast. Grace wore a hood pulled over her face and stood at the back of the church.

It gave her some closure to attend the funeral and though Grace still felt pretty terrible she could almost sense her mother, telling her that it would be alright. A phantom hand seemed to brush Grace's check and another ruffled her hair, just like her dad used to. Grace's vision became blurred and she rubbed her hand across her nose and stood on tippy toes to catch a glimpse of the two coffins at the front. Grace did not have a coffin as her " remains" had not yet been found, but she was mentioned in the service.

Grace caught a glimpse of her former best friend crying and thought of walking over to her and putting an arm around her shoulder. They had used to have a strong friendship and all at once Grace yearned for the past times. Sleepovers, with lots of giggling and fun. Grace remembered when her friend, Molly, had a hamster who died. She remembered comforting her and holding a funeral with a Popsicle cross. Back then, everything was fixable. Seeing her friend so broken made Grace hurt. It was an almost physical pain in her chest and for a moment Grace wished that she had died and that her friend's sorrow was not for nothing.

Though of course it was Grace's curse to stay alive. After the ceremony the coffins were lowered into the earth. Grace wished that she could throw some earth into the grave and be one of the lucky ones who got to place flowers, but of course she could not. Hidden behind a tree Grace watched. Her hood had slid off her head and her golden hair was visible. Grace didn't even notice that it had slid off until with a jolt she made eye contact with Molly. Molly's eyes widened and her mouth opened. Grace ran away before anything else could happen, her heart pounding. Hopefully, Molly would think she was a ghost. Grace certainly felt and looked like a ghost.

Her slender body was skinny and her bones were more prominent than usual. Her blonde hair was ragged and tangled. Her face was pale with violet crescent moons under each eye. It was hard to sleep for Grace now as she often had nightmares. Looking in the mirror of her crappy hotel room Grace wondered at what she had become. Who was this wreck of a girl who stared at her so hauntingly? Grace didn't know anymore.

Picking up the mysterious cream envelope Grace slid a finger nail under the flap. She was finally ready.

The envelope contained a single address and a date which was two weeks away. The address was in England. Grace frowned. It looked like she was going to England after all.

Though this time not by plane.

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AN

Hey guys! Sorry I missed updating last week. I hope people on holiday had a great holiday. Thank you so much for reading. Don't forget to vote comment or simply tell me what you think.

Listen to the song above. It is just such a beautiful song. I hope you enjoy it.

Thanks again for reading!

Appollinia 🍀