Mirror // Van McCann

46. Shattered

"Van? Van!" I shouted into the phone. Did he just hang up on me? I couldn't focus on driving anymore so I pulled over to the side of the road. I took my phone out and called his number but it went straight to voicemail.

"Why aren't you picking up?" I asked.

I just wanted to thank you for everything.

That sounded like a goodbye and it made me sick to my stomach. Panic was taking over and I tried my best to keep my breathing steady. That must mean Adam is coming or he's already there. This wasn't how I imagined it would end. Not at all.

"Fuck, I need to go back," I said to myself. I put my turn signal on, waited for the road to be clear, and did a U-turn. I sped back home. I really hope I'm not too late.

-

*Van's POV*

I told Amy about Bondy's text and she was somber.

"So is this it, Van?" she asked in a small voice. I nodded, not wanting to say anything. I had to tell her my plan and she wasn't going to like it one bit.

"Bondy said he'd let me know what's happening but I haven't heard from him yet," I told her. As if on cue, my phone buzzed. I quickly looked at my phone.

Bondy: *It's happening—they're coming. I tried to stop them but couldn't. I'm so sorry Van.*

I held my phone out so Amy could read it. Her eyes widened in fear and I could see she was about to cry.

"Van! What do we do?" she cried out. I have to tell her my plan. It's now or never.

"Amy, I have a plan and you're not going to like it one bit," I said, looking her in the eyes. "But we have to do it. We can't risk them finding the mirror."

"What's your plan?"

"I want to break the mirror."

"Are you out of your mind!?" Amy shouted. Maybe I was, maybe I wasn't.

"Amy, tell me what will happen if they find the mirror. They're all going to cross over to see their loved ones. It's going to mess up everything—it's not right."

"You don't know that Van. We can talk some sense into them—"

"They're not going to listen and you know it," I said sternly.

Amy stayed quiet. She knew what I said was true. People are naturally greedy; they will exploit the mirror and I didn't want to be around to see that.

"Breaking the mirror is the only way to stop them," I continued. "I'd rather break it than have them exploit it."

"You're right," she replied. She paused and then spoke again. "I never got to say goodbye." Her voice cracked and I could tell she was on the verge of tears.

"Me neither. Come here," I said, holding out my arms. She went in to hug me and sobbed into my shirt. I rubbed her back to try to soothe her.

"Everything will be alright, Amy. We'll get through this as long as we have each other," I said, and I held her tight.

I had the chance to say goodbye to Jess but I couldn't bring myself to say it. I couldn't do that to her—it wasn't fair. Instead, I told her how thankful I was to have known her. She doesn't realize how much she's done for me. From helping me say sorry to my dad to making me the happiest person ever, I will never forget her and I hope she won't forget me either. We weren't meant to be together in this world, I already knew that, but we took a chance anyway and I wouldn't change anything. Perhaps we'll be reunited in a different world, a different time.