Combustion: The Threat

I dunno how long it’s been since I got trapped in here, but I’m still trapped. Without any windows I have no idea where I am and it’s killing me to not know. What’s worse is without a door or the mirror there is no way for me to get out of here. So I give up feeling the walls and lay down on the cot. The room is lit by a lamp in the corner that has no off switch. How does this woman live here?

At some point I must have dozed off because when I roll over and notice the room again I’m staring into the mirror, looking that the surprised look on my face. I get out of the cot and walk over to the mirror placing my hand on it but nothing happens. I blame myself for not being able to do it. I mean it’s not like I practice this stuff. I never once went home and tried putting my hand through a window. I was more set on getting Liz to see what I knew I could do. That’ll never happen if I stay stuck in this place.

I swivel the mirror back and forth looking for something in the glass that will tell me I can get through it like I did before. I see nothing. I turn my attention to the walls again looking for some bump in the wall like in the movies where the door is hidden behind wall paper or a rug or something, but there’s nothing like that here. Just red painted walls, walls like any other house I’ve ever seen. When I finish working my way around the room I’m back at the mirror not sure what I should do. I go back to the cot and sit staring at myself. I look so defeated.

***

I’m watching when my daughter finds the letter, crying as loud as she does. The words of that letter are seared into my memory, branded there forever. She was the best part of me and I had to leave. I was out of control and her father knew it. He was always ashamed of his ability, it’s no wonder he raised her in a house without magic. Not that he had his power anymore. It was difficult to believe that he had once been so powerful with his magic and now I possessed it all. His ability to destroy objects and call them too me was mine. Being able to move things away from me was a new bonus I had discovered on the street. But still his shame was the real shame here.

I had done everything I could think of the get her to me and this Zach boy was being too slow. I could understand if she needed more time to trust him but the truth was she already did. Even when he tried desperately to show her is newfound ability. I stand using the mirror to watch my daughter fight back the tears while her friend is imprisoned in the copy of my space. At least he’ll have a bed to sleep on.

I think of the repercussions of keeping someone hostage for so long. Not about people missing him, but the more practical matter of how much longer he can keep the space clean. I had better let him go before he has to use the restroom. With a wave of my hand the mirror in front of me dims a bit as I split it into the two rooms. I can see him lying on the bed looking confused. I watch as he goes around the room and touches the mirror and nothing happens. I give a deep rich laugh. He looks so hopeless.

I stand closer to the mirror watching as my reflection solidifies in front of me.

“Listen, my dear boy, let me get you out of here,” we say. There’s a slight echo.

“What do you want from me. I got her to trust me!”

“My, my, don’t we have a temper today.”

“Well yeah, I’m freaking trapped,” he says with a heavy sigh. He is obviously giving up on getting out of there.

“You know the way out of this place, my dear boy,” I remind him. I remind him because I need him to believe he has this strength within himself.

“I already tried.”

“Well try again. This time you have to feel it. It is something within you that makes the mirror work.

“How come I couldn’t show Liz the door trick?” he asks standing up and heading toward the mirror.

“You can’t be nervous when you do these things. You just have to go for it.”

“Go for it? That’s the most normal thing you’ve said since I met you,” he says. I watch him take a deep breath and put both hands out toward me with his eyes closed. I shouldn’t be a problem for him not that I want him to cross. He comes through without a problem.

“There, now wasn’t that easy?” I say placing my hands on his cheeks. He turns away from me trying to avoid eye contact.

“Now let me out of here,” he says flatly.

“Not quite yet my dear. For now I need you here. I need you to know that I am in charge of all of this. I can only give you what you want if you give me what I need.”

“Yeah, I already know you want Liz. I was going to bring her to this place and it didn’t work. I even asked her to show me her magic again.”

“And?” I saw everything that happened yesterday but still.

“She’s getting stronger. I don’t know what you can do but she could probably beat you.” He looks me directly in the eye with fury shining in his deep brown eyes.

“You want to know what I can do? Let me show you.” I feel a grin across my face so wide it almost makes my cheeks hurt. With a wave of my hand I knock him down and with another more punctuated wave I swipe him across the floor into the wall which doesn’t break. “Now do you see what I can do?”

“You may be a bully, but she is so much better than you,” he says, out of breath.

“We have a deal. You bring me my daughter and I give you what you want.”

“Or what?”

“Or you die.” I deliver this line with all the giddiness of a small child about to get some candy. He opens his mouth to say something and I flick my wrist sending him back to his house. That’s all I need from him today. I don’t understand what he meant when he said she was better than me. Clearly I am more powerful than she is. Of course it isn’t her fault and she is doing everything she can to improve, but I highly doubt we will come down to a fight. Once she sees me, once I can explain how I changed and had to leave then she’ll have no other option but to greet me with open arms.

But this boy is starting to rebel and I don’t like it. I don’t need him against me, not when he is the only friend she has. Of course she does have her other friends, but they are of no use to me. With Zach I have the option of developing him into a seer. Someone who can help me gain power.

I turn to my mirror and will it to show me my daughter one last time before I sleep. The night has been long for me and I need the rest because she’ll be ready for me at any time. All the mirror shows me is my Elizabeth sitting on her laptop with nothing better to do. I watch as she picks up her cell phone tapping and swiping, using it flawlessly.

***

<What did you find?> It’s Zach. It’s about an hour later but it’s him. <I was away from my phone.>

<That’s ok. I just found something. What are you doing?> I ask.

<I just got home. You?>

<Just hanging out. Going through my dad’s stuff.> I want to tell him but I’d rather be able to show it to him rather than telling him in a text message.

<What did you find?> he asks again.

<Just come over.>

<Ok. I’ll be there in a bit.> Yesterday I went all the way to the park for him, he can walk around the block for me.

I change out of my pajamas so that I look like I’ve actually been doing more than snooping around the house and sitting on the internet. I don’t have to go anywhere outside so I put on pants and a tank top. It feels normal to wear pants since I wear them all the time for work. The delivery people can get away with shorts but not us behind the counter.

Once I’m dress I start pacing the kitchen waiting for him to ring the doorbell except when he gets here he timidly walks in without even knocking.

“What do you think you’re doing?” I nearly shout.

“I just thought because you were expecting me that I could just walk in. Besides the door is unlocked.”

“Yeah but still. You should have at least knocked. You scared me!”

“Whatever, what did you find?” he asks making his way into the kitchen.

“Well yesterday my dad started talking about my mom and so today I went looking through his room and when I got to his photo albums there were plenty of pictures but none of my mother. They were all removed which is weird because I have a picture of me and my mom in my room.”

“Right.”

“So, I was looking around at all the pictures he had on his dresser and he has this picture of me from when I was a baby so I opened it up and you’ll never guess what I found.” The words just pour out of me.

“For the twentieth time, Liz, what did you find?”

“Follow me.”

We walk down the hall to my room and when I open the door I swear he looks nervous. Once we’re in my room I close the door. It’s stupid because I’m the only one home but I swear lately I feel like I’m being watched and I don’t like it. The only thing I can be glad of is that my room overlooks the back yard and not the front yard.

“Liz, I really hope you aren’t leading me on some wild goose chase just to hang out with me.”

“Stop,” I say playfully shoving him into the door. “I really did find something.”

I walk over to my desk and open the bottom drawer on the right side that has nothing but junk from my childhood and now the letter from my mother.

“Is that it?” he asks, pointing to the letter.

“Yeah,” I say trying not to let out any more tears.

“What is it?” he asks.

“It’s a letter,” I say. I take deep breath before adding, “It’s from my mother.”

“You found that behind a picture?”

“Uh huh.”

“In your dad’s room?”

“Yeah.”

“Just this morning?” He’s probing.

“Yes.” It’s the most confirmation I can offer him.

“What does it say?” His curiosity is stronger than ever.

“Here why don’t you read it,” I say, handing him the card stock. He takes it and looks it over before handing it back to me.

“I can’t read cursive,” he concedes

“Oh, I didn’t know. Well basically it says that she loves me and that she had to leave but that she wants to come back for me.” I sit at my desk looking up at Zach but his eyes are on the floor.

“Does it say when or how she’ll come back for you? Have you even seen her since she left?” he asks, his voice rising in pitch.

“No, but it’s there. That’s what the letter says.”

“Do you believe it?”

I pause before I answer. Do I believe it? He was right. I hadn’t seen her since she left. I probably wouldn’t recognize her if I saw her it’s been so long. But I remember the fire and how that was my fault, but her leaving was not. Her leaving was because of her magic

“I don’t know.” It’s all I can say in this situation. I honestly don’t know what to think right now.