Pandora's Box

Chapter seven

He knew something was going to happen before they saw what was beneath the sheet. He had an unnatural feeling about it.

Antonio recalls the moment he slid his fingers over the cotton and the doubt that crossed his mind before yanking on the cloth. He can't help but worry about what his "family" might be facing.

That is only a small portion of his current thoughts. The bigger portion is fear and anger.

He stands before several mirrors, staring at his reflection. He knows the man in the mirror but it's not him. It's another version of him that he never wanted to exist. He knew from the second he saw the mask, what he was expected to do. Even before walking closer to see a table with each of the masks set out next to each other and the word "choose" set out from bright blue pills.

Those pills.
Their sight sends a shiver down his spine.
The pills he has been trying so hard to hide from his foster siblings for as long as he can remember. The pills he can't live without because it would mean losing control. These are the only things that can stop his personality from switching. The only things that allows his to sustain himself in order to look after the younger ones.

It's obvious to him that each mask represents one of his multiple personalities. The personalities reflected in the mirror. The people who he has been concealing for many years but always made their appearances, however brief.
The fact that he is being forced to choose fuels his anger even further. None of these personalities are safe. None of them deserve power over his body.

At the same time, he fears that if he doesn't choose, he'll be stuck here forever and someone will eventually discover his secret in the form of empty pill bottles lying in his room.

For some time, he sits in a corner debating to himself. Eventually fury takes the lead because he is fed up with living in fear. He takes one mask and another and another. He puts them over each other so they eventually seem like one mask and for a moment he related with it since he is the single mask keeping all the rest together.

Together these masks are strong because of its material. Strong enough that he can use them to break the mirror and destroy those reflections for the time being. He'll face the fear head on one day but for now, getting out seems like a better option and he's not ready to make any other decision.

The sound of shattering glass echoes throughout the room and once he smashes the final mirror, he feels overwhelmed and falls to his knees just as the lights black out.