The Fractured Mirror

Ashling Flitter stood quietly, peeking out from behind a tapestry.  The other occupants of the room didn’t realize she was there.
         “Did I tell you what Kirby’s getting me for my birthday?” asked the pretty redhead.
         “Yeah, but tell me again,” said her friend.
         Ashling rolled her eyes.  Nikki was always talking about herself.  The entire school probably knew what Kirby was getting her by now.
         “When is she going to say something interesting?” she thought to herself.  This was the most boring afternoon she’d ever spent.  She hoped Nikki and Candace would leave soon, so she could get away without being caught spying.  She turned her attention back to the girls.
         “You’re, like, so lucky to have a boyfriend like Kirby,” Candace was saying.
         “Well, how could he resist me?  I’m the most beautiful girl in school.”
         Now Ashling felt like she was going to throw up.  She decided that even suffering through Nikki’s rage was better than listening to her conceitedness.  She stepped out from behind the tapestry.
         “So I’m going to wear…” Nikki stopped midsentence when she saw Ashling.  “What are you doing here?” she asked angrily.
         “I was just leaving actually.  Before that I was listening to your incredibly dull conversation.”
         “You were spying on me, weren’t you?” Nikki screeched.
         “I think spying means that I wanted to be here watching you, so… No, I wasn’t spying.  I was dying of boredom.”
         Nikki grew absolutely livid at this remark.  She jumped at Ashling, who quickly moved to the side.  Nikki hit the mirror behind her instead.  Cracks spread across it like spiderwebs.  Nikki howled in pain and Ashling bolted before either Nikki or Candace could react further.

         Out in the hall she ran toward a mirror situated between two suits of armor.  This particular mirror was a magic doorway to her friends’ room.  She tried to step through it, but instead of the familiar tingle of magic travel all she encountered was a glass wall.
         “What’s going on?” she wondered.  “Is there something wrong with the mirror?”
         Before she could ponder it further Nikki and Candace came after her.  She darted down hallways and up stairs until she finally found refuge in her own room.  Her roommate, Sammy Jay, was sitting in a chair, reading.  She looked up when Ashling dashed in.
         “Running from something?” she grinned at Ashling.
         “Nikki’s a little mad.”
         “You didn’t come in through J.J. and Aubrey’s mirror?”
         “It wouldn’t work.  I’m going to see them as soon as the coast is clear.”

         As it turned out, Nikki and Candace spent so long prowling the hall for Ashling that she fell asleep before they left.  At breakfast the next morning she filled in her friends on the events of the previous evening.
         “You know, not spying on Nikki would solve a lot of your problems,” mentioned Morgan.
         “It also wouldn’t be as fun.”
         “It’s fun to be bored to death and then chased through half the school?” asked Morgan’s twin, Maris.
         “Sometimes.  Besides, I learn things.  Like the sudden lack of magic in the school.  We should investigate.”
         “Do we have a choice?” asked J.J.
         “No.”
         “How are we supposed to find out what happened to the magic?” Aubrey inquired.
         “Divining rod,” Ashling said.
         “Those are supposed to find water, not magic,” J.J. told her.
         “It’ll find Magic if you have the right kind of rod.”
         “And how do you propose we get a magic divining rod?” Maris questioned.
         “Sammy has one.  She found it after she got thrown out of that one lacrosse game last year.”

         After breakfast Ashling ran back up to her room and rummaged through Sammy’s desk drawer for the divining rod.  When she found it she left a note for Sammy and ran to J.J. and Aubrey’s room to meet the others.
“I got it,” she told them.
“I don’t think it’ll work,” said J.J.
“Just watch,” Ashling told her.  “It’ll take us to wherever there’s still magic.”
Ashling held the rod out in front of her and waited.  Nothing happened.
“I’m with J.J. on this one, Ash,” said Aubrey.  “I think it’s just a stick.”
At that moment the rod began to wiggle.  Ashling gave the others a smug look as they stared in fascination.
“It seriously works,” said Maris in amazement.
The rod was pointing down.
“Now what?” asked Morgan.
“Now we follow the rod,” Ashling answered.

         The rod kept pointing down until they got to the basement.  It was cold and dank, and there were a lot of rooms no one had been in for decades.
         The girls followed the rod to one of the rooms.  They were shocked at what they found.  It seemed as if they had just entered someone’s living room.  In the middle an old man sat in an easy chair reading a book.
“Excuse me,” Ashling said politely.  “But you wouldn’t happen to know what happened to Morley’s magic, would you?”
“I most certainly do, my dear girl,” the man replied.  “I’ve removed it from the school.”
“Removed the magic from the school?” repeated J.J.  “I didn’t know that was possible.”
“Nor do most people, child,” said the old man condescendingly.  With that he went back to his book.
They stared at him for a moment before Ashling thought of something.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“An excellent question.”  He seemed pleased.  “I’m the wizard Morley, founder of this school.”
“Oh,” said Ashling.  “Well, in that case, can you just, kind of, put the magic back?”
“Oh, no, I couldn’t do that,” Morley suddenly looked very angry.  “It’s come to my attention that some students don’t respect my gift to the school, so I’ve decided to take it away.”
“Don’t respect it?” cried Maris.
“Who doesn’t respect it?” asked Morgan.
“Many people.  Why, just the other day someone broke one of my mirrors.  I’d spent so much time getting it to show the beauty in everyone, too.”
Ashling thought about this for a moment.
“I know who did it,” she suddenly announced.  “And I’ll help you get revenge if you put the magic back.”
“Revenge?” Morley’s eyes sparkled gleefully at the word.  “I haven’t gotten revenge in such a long time.  Everybody expects wizards to just do some nice things and then disappear when they’re old.”
“Does that mean it’s a deal?” Ashling asked.
Morley’s answering smile matched her own impish grin.  He was going to have fun with this girl.

Morley and Ashling went to work concocting a plan of action right away.
“What is this Nikki girl interested in?” Morley asked.
“Herself mostly,” Ashling replied.  “Maybe her best friend and her boyfriend, too.  Her birthday’s coming up.  Our best bet would probably be to ruin it.  Your magic will be a big advantage.”
“Ruin a child’s birthday?  That is the worst thing that’s ever been suggested to me.  Let’s do it.  And maybe take down her friends as well.”
“Wow, he’s mean,” Ashling thought. “I’m glad he’s not going after me.”