The Other Side

The Other Side

         A strange ,glintering object dropped quietly nearby a bed with a young girl reading in it. The object crept up onto a backpack hanging on the doorknob and dropped itself inside. The girl felt a chill, looked up, but saw the room exactly as it had been. She continued reading. The girl's appearance was far from ordinary. She had long, black hair and sky blue eyes. Her clear, smooth skin was unaturally pale, drawing attention to her intense blue eyes. The thin lips placed perfectly on her face were red, as though they were stained the blood-red color.
         She put down her book and glanced up out of her window into the dark starry night. She fell gently back into bed and into a dreamless sleep, completely unaware of the object in her back pack, which was humming for the excitement of the following day.
         The next day at school, the girl talked to her friends just before the bell rung. "My grandfather gave me this huge mirror yesterday. It's really pretty with a gold frame, like the paintings in the Louvre."
         "Ohhh," her friends sighed in unison.
         She stooped over to find her book. "You should see it, it must be about six fee-." She stopped as she felt some cold metal touch her hand as she searched through her backpack. She took it out and looked at it. It was a small key, the same golden color as her mirror. "But why would the mirror have a key?" she thought. She looked up to see if her friends were watching, but they where wrapped up in their own conversation. She quietly tucked it away into her pocket,and proceded through her day as though nothing had happened.
         Later that evening, she returned home. She took out the key and placed it between her thumb and index finger, posed as though she were going to unlock a door. The level of excitement in her raised. She walked into her room and shut the door. Peering around her room, she saw the familiar dark purple walls, and continous shelves of books. Now, looking at the strange mirror, it didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the room.
         The key began to hum in her hand. With every step she took towards the mirror, the key hummed with a greater intensity. She looked on one side, then the other side of the mirror, looking for a keyhole. She found one on the left ledge of the frame. Ordinarily, it would look like part of the carving, but she just knew that it was the keyhole. She held up the key to the keyhole, and it buzzed like crazy in her hand.
         Suddenly, the humming stopped, and her bedroom door opened. She whizzed around instantly to face the door. It was her mother.
         "Alexia dear, dinner is ready," her mother said smiling, then looking with a curious face. Alexia let out a silent sigh and pretended to fix her hair by the mirror, then followed her mother. Just as she walked out, she threw a quick glance back at the mirror.
         After dinner, Alexia couldn't help but run to her room. She took out the golden key, and it once again hummed. She inserted it into the keyhole and turned it to the left with a loud "click".
         A ripple went across the mirror as she stood in front of the it. The ripple was slow, going diagnally from the top right corner. As it went across, Alexia's reflection disapeared. She stared and her heart started to beat faster. It was as though she was looking into another room.
         She stuck out her hand and saw it go through to the other side. It felt like a curtain of liquid mercury. She stepped through.
         She was amazed. Everything was the same, but a reflection. It was an eerie and unfamiliar feeling although it was the same room she grew up in. Without looking back, she ran out of the room and downstairs. Alexia saw her parents and ran to greet them. "Hi!" she said to her mom , who was at the stove cooking dinner. Her mom didn't turn around. Alexia got closer. Her mom was motionless. She didn't speak or even move. Alexia ran over to her father, who was reading a newspaper. He was also motionless. Oh my god, she thought, what's going on?
         At that moment, the pot in front of her mother started to bubble over. Alexia stared, frozen and watched in horror as a flame rapidly started and consumed the entire stove. I was too late. The fire spread across the wooden counter. She backed towards the door and felt for the knob. The flame caught to her mother's dress and soon her mom looked as though she were caught in a giant fireball.
         Alexia finnaly came to her senses and tried to salvage at least one of her parents. She grabbed her father's arm and tried to pull, but he wouldn't budge. He was cold to the touch. There was no more color or warmth left in him. The flame quickly worked itself around the living room. The only thing Alexia could do was leave. She ran out of the house and down the walkway. "What is going on?" she thought while looking at her backwards house as it burned and flickered from the flames.
         A sudden wave of emotion came over her. The realization that her parents were gone, dead. She was alone, as she stared at the death and destruction ablaze in front of her. She cried bitterly, rested herself against a tree and placed her head in her arms. Her arms were on her knees, and she sat in an odd fetal position , rocking back and forth while she continued to cry as the sun set. "Why is no one helping me!" she cried out loud. She looked around though blurry because of the tears and saw several smaller fires, most likely car accidents.
         She couldn't watch anymore. She ran down the street, tears still streaming down her face. There were not many people except for some children who were jumping rope, but now they were motionless. The rope was limp. It was an odd sight.
         The night officially arrived and it was almost completely dark except for the street lamps, casting dark shadows on random people as Alexia passed them by. Alexia's tears disapeared and were replaced with fear and curiosity. She passed a man who was watering his lawn, which was now flooded. It made her wonder how long the people have been like this.
         It was then that she noticed the horrible silence. The only sounds were the roaring of the fires and the trickling water. There were no voices, and Alexia began to think that she was the only person alive on earth. As she was glancing at another house that had caught fire, she noticed a moving shadow. She ran through the darkness, and saw a black cat, staring at her with it's intense green eyes. "It's frozen too," she thought disapointedly. She was suprized when the cat moved forward. It was the only animate creature she saw so far, so she decided to follow it through the streets. It stopped in front of an old tavern. She never noticed in her old world. The letters on the front were written backwards. Alexia opened the door and walked inside.
         "Welcome Alexia," a deep voice said. She was taken back by this and had to brace herself at the bar. The man was very tall with unusually pale skin and black hair, all slicked back from the point of his widow's peak to the nape of his neck. His piercing eyes where a grey-blue color. All she could do was stare.
         "How do you know my name?" she asked.
         "We named you. Let me introduce myself. I am Count Pierdon," said the man as he grinned.
         "What do you mean you named me?" she asked.
         "We named you. We made you. You are one of us."
         "One of what?" she was dumbfounded. She got nervous and looked around. She noticed the dark figures appearing all around her. They were just as pale and with similar dark featuresand black cloaks.
         "Vampires," he whispered, " Doesn't it make sense? You look exactly like us, and you will soon do as we do. This is your new home. There are plenty of people to feast upon."
         To the horror of Alexia, two fangs appeared on Lord Pierdon. The shadowy figures shifted and they mumbled to each other from anticipation. She knew something was about to happen.
         Two vampires brought over a dead body. Alexia wasn't sure what was going on. The other vampires crept in closer. Count Pierdon grinned, again, showed his long, white fangs and hovered over the body. I have to get out of here she thought. She rushed over to a nearby broom and broke it. She poked the end of it warningly at Count Pierdon. "I am NOT one of you...you disgusting creature". He advanced towards her and she thrust the sharp broom end into his heart. He turned to dust. The rest of the vampires turned into bats and flew away.
         She had to get out of there. Her heart pounded as she pushed the door open and ran out back into what was now rain and darkness. She ran down the backwards street and turned the wrong way, trying to find her home. She eventually found the right way and ran towards her house. The rain put out the fire that was in her house. She walked through the rubble searching for the mirror, and found it completely unscathed. She turned the key again and walked through to her room.
         Her old familiar room! Everything seemed great. She ran downstairs and saw her parents alive and well. She hugged her mother and father, leaving them wondering what it was for. She was happy! When she went back upstairs, she found a pile of dust on her floor. She stared as it started to swirl and form into a human shape. She tried to swat at it but it just repaired itself. It swarmed and the shape was complete. She ran behind the door. Her reflection remained in the mirror. The form of Count Pierdon completed it's structure and looked at the mirror. He thought Alexia stepped through the mirror again and followed. Alexia stepped from behind the door and grabbed her chair. She saw a hand come through the mirror and with all her fury and might, she smashed the mirror to pieces. It shattered and spilled onto the ground. Alexia was relieved. It was finaly over. The mirror was gone and she was safe.

* * * * * * *

         Months passed and Alexia told her parents about what happened. They moved her to a new neighborhood. Anything to prevent reminding her of the tragic incidents. After a few more months, she became closer to her new friends and felt very comfortable and secure in her new location. One night in late August, a familiar breeze blew through her window. I thought I closed that. Oh well she thought. She turned onto her back and placed her hands on her stomach. She was very relaxed and happy.

         "I always come back," said the deep voice directly above her. She opened her eyes.