Jamie was off today. It was the 10th day in a row now. Apparently, her grandma had fallen ill but I thought otherwise. Every time someone ever did anything remotely bad to me, Anaya would make it a point to sit next to them at lunch. She would pull out her water bottle and no one would notice, but I knew she never drank from it, never shared it with anyone if they forgot theirs during gym. Every time she pulled out that bottle, the person would be off school for weeks. When they returned, they weren’t themselves. That’s exactly what was happening to Jamie. What was in that bottle? Was it poison? It must’ve been. The last time I remember seeing Jamie was when an ambulance was called, and she was rushed from the nurse’s office. She was ghostly pale.

The worst part was, Jamie and I were just joking, drawing dicks on each other’s notebooks. Jamie had simply forgotten to erase hers, and I wound up with a detention. Big deal. I had gotten two of them in the past month. Jamie had wound up with...well I didn’t know but it must be infinitely worse than a mere detention. Pieces started to click together. No, I told myself. No, Anaya wasn’t like that. I’d known her since year one, she was nice and caring.

But the picture was forming, quicker than I could comprehend it. When we started secondary school, and I didn’t hang out with her as much, and I started getting made fun of, she became strange and possessive. She took jokes seriously; especially dark humour, she lashed out more often and fought with my other friends. If I didn’t go to lunch with her, she wouldn’t talk to me, and I felt guilty if I didn’t tell her everything about my life. Even by year 10 she’s still sitting somewhere between guardian angel and the devil’s child.

Now Jamie was gone. I couldn’t tell her I loved her. And there’s no way I’m telling Anaya. That’s why I’m telling you.” Then I sat back, relieved had gotten that off my chest but also, praying none of the nurses had heard me. Anaya may have been extreme, but she was still my friend...and old enough to go to juvie. Then I saw the clock. It was 5pm now. I should’ve been home by 4, but I couldn’t leave my sister and I didn’t want to go back home.

Begrudgingly, I left my sister’s side and walked out the hospital. I don’t care if she was a premature baby who didn’t even know how to speak yet. I know she listens to me, and that’s all that matters. I wish she could stay in her little incubator forever. I wish she didn’t have to come home and see everything that’s happening. Thoughts were colliding as I stepped out into the sun and warmth flooded my body. I stepped on to the bus and pulled out my homework. Great. Algebra. Jamie was great at algebra. I hope she’ll still be when she returns. No one’s ever the same when they return. She probably won’t love me back when she returns. Anaya has me by myself. All my friends are gone. It’s just me, Anaya and my sister. Anaya wouldn’t go so far as to get rid of family, would she?

It was me and Anaya. We were locked in a mirrored room. She had a gentle stature and her olive eyes were shimmering and beautiful. Her long black hair was tied in a loose ponytail, draped over her shoulder and her chocolate skin was flawless. This wasn’t Anaya. This was an uncharacteristically confident and perfect Anaya.

Then I caught a glimpse in the mirror. My usually bouncy, curly hair was downgraded to bushy bed hair, my gorgeous almond eyes were sunken and tired. And they belonged to me. They belonged to a worn down, infinitely worse version of Delta Shasharkan. Then yesterday’s words came tumbling back down like an avalanche.

Anaya HAD gotten me by myself. I was trapped. And I was cornered in every mirror dimension. Just us two. My sister wasn’t there.

“Aria!” I screamed. My sister didn’t have a name yet, but Aria just felt…right. “Aria!” I screamed again.

There was no one there. I hammered on every mirror desperately while Anaya just…stared at me. I couldn’t believe it. My best friend was just watching as I was trying to get to my sister. My eyes started stinging.

“Aria!” I shrieked, and my voice went hoarse. “Aria!” then my voice screeched, and I couldn’t say anymore. “No.” I whispered with what little voice I had left. “No this can’t be happening.” Then my tears blew up into a full blown sob.

A stall door slammed open and I snapped out of my nightmare. The same one I had gotten on the bus when I gave up on my homework. I was standing in front of the sink. I dried my red eyes and slowed my breathing. Then I stepped outside.