Remorse

She wandered through the aisle of the library. She had never liked doing research before, the books were too boring. For the first time however, she felt motivated enough to look into something.
It just figured that she didn't have a clue where to start.
Somehow, Abbie did not think that there was a section in the library on magic mirrors, outside of fairytale referances. She decided to try and start with just general information on mirrors.
It was all her fault. They had been fine, in that mirror for time untold, doing just fine. Then she had started to talk to them. She had painstakingly explained the concept of time. They now comprehended that minutes turned to hours, and hours to days. They understood and could mark the passage of time. It was driving them insane. And it was all her fault.
Abbie wanted to cry in frustration. There was nothing usefull in any of these books. Most of them were about interior design. Even if they did have any information on the history and creation of mirrors it probably wouldn't help her. For all she knew, the information contained here would not even apply to her mirror.
After all, her mirror was magic.
What was she going to do? Abbie felt a terrible amount of responsibility for the problem. They probably would have contiued to just exist for all of time is she hadn't interfiered.
But was just existing really any better?
They would have been fine for time more untold if she hadn't told them what time was. They had told her what the inside of the mirror was like. Abbie would not wish a prison like that on anyone for an hour, let alone an eternity.
She sank to the floor in the aisle, burying her head in her hands. What was she going to do?
They had told her that they had been imprisioned using magic. They had always assumed that was the reason that the mirror never broke, that it always looked new and highly polished.
She wondered what their concept of 'new' was. The mirror always looked clean and polished, but Abbie would hardly have thought it looked new.
Could the mirror be broken? Just because it hadn't yet didn't mean it couldn't be done, right? After all, no one had tried to intentionally break it.
Could she brak the mirror?
If she broke the mirror, would they die? Or would they be released?
Abbie wanted to recoil in horror at the mere thought of doing something that would hurt them. She was beginning to get desperate. She knew that if she didn't do something, they would be worse than dead. Abbie would not be able to live with herself if that happened.
She wasn't sure when it had happened; Abbie not only believed that she had a magic mirror, she also considered the two people trapped within it her friends. Abbie had never let a friend down before. She wasn't going to let these two down either.
Slowly, Abbie picked herself up off the floor. Maybe one of thos interior design books would tell her what period of history her mirror came from. If nothing else, it was a start.

The library had been a bust. Abbie shuffled into her room wanting nothing more than to colapse on the bed, bury her face in the pillows and sob her frustration.
She didn't dare do it though.
Conlan would want to know what was wrong. Ayden would try to cheer her up (he had an unrivaled collection of dirty jokes). They would worry about her.
Her roommates were already worried about her. Linda had caught her having a conversation with the mirror early on. Abbie had tried to brush it off as nothing, but Linda was not convinced. She had been watching Abbie closely ever since.
Melanie was even worse. Abbie was pretty sure that she had never caught her talking to the mirror. All the same, Mel always seemed to know when there was something going on behind her back. She knew that Abbie wasn't telling her something, and she was deffinately suspisios. Maybe it was that journalistic instict Mel liked to claim she had.
Thankfully Sarah was oblivios to everthing that did not directly concern her.
'You didn't find what you wanted.'
Abbie realized that it was Conlan who 'spoke' to her from the other side of the mirror.
"No." She couldn't see the point of lying. "Not yet anyway."
'Then you plan to try again.'
Again, Conlan spoke a statement rather than question. Abbie mearly nodded in response.
'Perhaps I can help.' Conlan suggested, 'If you would just tell me what you are seeking.'
Abbie felt her heart skip a beat. There was an arguement between her head and her heart. Her head said to go on and tell him. He probably knew more about magic mirrors than she could ever find in any library. Her heart held back however. She did not want to give them the hope of rescue and then not be able to deliver. She feared that it would crush them.
It was funny. She had only known them for a short time, two months, tops. She had never even seen them in person.
Yet she regarded them both as...
As what?
The realization hit her that the word 'friend' was wholley inadequite to describe her feelings. Particularly in the way she would have applied the word in normal practice. She felt an obligation to protect them.
'Abbie?'
She had been silent too long. Conlan's voice pulled her from her internal struggle before she had a chance to resolve anything.
"I think this is something I need to work out on my own Con." Abbie sighed, she wasn't ready to promise something she couldn't deliver.
'I would like to help all the same.' Abbie dropped her bag at the foot of the bed. She stared down at it, not truley seeing anything for a few long minutes.
"I can't tell you." indescision creapt into her voice and rang painfully obvious in her ears. "It wouldn't be fair." She mumbled.
'Your search...' Conlan's voice became fuzzy a moment. 'It regards us?' It was the first time he had asked a real question.
Abbie swallowed the ball of fear that suddenly appeared in he throught as she nodded slowly, "Yes it does." She had never been much of a liar.
'Then you will need my help.' Conlan sounded pleased with himself.