“We need to go. Now!” Kyahs voice is strained against the rumbling outside the dark library. The faint orange glow of rising flames outside dances on the walls around the sparse windows to her left. Farrago is huddled over a small bookshelf, carefully inspecting books, and occasionally place one inside a small jeweled bag. His hand disappears with each book, and comes out of the bag unladen, despite the bag not changing.

“Why? The guard will withstand the waves.” Farrago hardly looks up from the task to look at her. Quick shuffles and she is beside him, her delicate fingers wrapping partially around his wrist.

“They have already fallen. The second line is hard pressed to contain the entry way!” Kyah implores him. “We need to go.”

“ Dont be silly Kyah. They are trained to fight the deep. This rabble of orcs and goblin kin will be withstood!” Farrago pulls his wrist from her hand and moves to the stair case, and trucks up the dark steel spirals.

At his heels, Kyah stalks up the stairs with him into the top floor. Taking his wrist once again, she drags him to the window, over powering his meager strength. “This is not being withstood Farrago! They will not win. The orcs will take Ettlemont so long as your father and his troop are in the Spire! We must go! Now!”

The last word comes form her lips and a concussive blow engulfs the roof outside the window with the same red orange flame that has ensnared most of the town just inside the Main Gate. Farrago’s eyes go wide gathering the images of his hometown. Homes blown apart or burning. Soldiers bodies strewn about and being trampled as the body of the orcish horde pushes into the cavern and fans out like the hood of a great hungry cobra.

“No.” He whimpers. The second line is being pushed back as the hood of the snake expands and seeks to envelope the resistance. “I can’t leave them.”

“Farrago, we cannot open the Spire. No one person is going to sway this fight.” Farrago bolts from the window to the desk on the opposite side of the hall, rummaging through the multitude of parchments atop the desk. Pleading, Kyah speaks with a frankness unfamiliar to her mouth. “They are here for you Farrago. They’ve come for you and will slaughter everyone here to get to you. They may not if you leave.”

A single scroll in hand, Farrafo stops and turns to Kyah. His mouth agape, eyes welling with fear and horror. She stands across from him, hands out exhausted. Fires outside the windows of the library creeping toward the windows with ravenous intent.

Chapter 2

Ballari stood there looking at the boy, Alistarie, stupefied. Had she heard him correctly?

“You want to be…friends?” She hadn’t meant to speak low, but it was the only way she was used to. Thankfully though, Alistarie had heard her once again and gave her a little grin, strangely enough it looked as if it was hard for him to make the expression.

“Yes, I do.” Alistarie's grin disappeared and was replaced with a strange frown of some sort. “I’ve just realized that I have not come to know of your name.”

Alistarie spoke a bit strangely, but that was fine. He wanted to be friends. With her. The pig girl.

“Ballari.”

Alistarie looked at her, and Ballari swore she saw a flash of recognition in his gaze. Though that made no sense, she had never met this boy in her entire life. “Ballari,” he said slowly, testing her name on his tongue, “that’s a nice—”

“BALLARI! GET AWAY FROM THAT YOUNG MAN!”

Ballari jumped, and both Ballari and Alistarie spun their heads to the owner of the voice. It was a woman, very much short of size, with wispy black hair streaked with grey in a tight bun, and wrinkled copper brown skin. She looked angry as she approached them, glaring at Alistarie then Ballari, her eyes looking ready to attack.

Alistarie was very delighted for some reason, and was giving the woman a very interested look, as though he’d come at the right time and the show was starring. Ballari held back a frightened yelp. She knew this woman better than anyone; she lived with her her entire life. And she knew she was in trouble.

Ballari squeaked, gaining a amused look from Alistarie, and ran as fast as she could to the door of her cottage. She opened the door, got into the house, closed the door behind her, then quickly went to work on the chores she hadn’t completed.

Which…was a lot.

❥ ❥                   ❥                             Ballari rubbed the bruise right above her hip and muttered the things she would do if she ever got a hold on that vile spoon. As if hearing her, the bruise gave her another round of pain, diminishing the hateful words she said against its creator.

The angry woman from before, MISS as she was called, just finished a pot of roast vegetables for dinner and was filling two wooden bowls with the food, until they were both full to the brim. MISS was strangely quiet tonight, which was very unlike herself. Ballari was wondering if it was because of Alistarie and his weird self, maybe she had a feud with the boy before. She didn’t know, but she wasn’t afraid to ask. Not to MISS.

Why, What, and sometimes, When.

MISS placed the bowls on the small circular table, then went back into the kitchen and then returned with freshly carved, wooden forks. MISS must have gotten them from the local carver while she was in town.

She passed one to Ballari and kept the other one to herself. Then she sat down in her chair, which was directly in front of the girl, and began eating. Ballari took this as a perfect opportunity to find out information.

“MISS, why were you so troubled over Alistarie being near me.” Talking politely was the best way to get through MISS, Ballari even raised the volume of her voice a little so the woman could hear her.

MISS looked up from her food, still chewing, and raised one bony finger signalling her to wait. And so Ballari did. After a few minutes, when MISS’s food was swallowed and was making its way down her throat, she started to speak.

“That boy, my dear girl, was seen going in and out of the Unknown Forest. And as you know Ballari, no one ever comes back from those woods.”

MISS took another heap of vegetables with her fork and ate. Ballari watched as she thought, _I now know why, but I have yet to figure out the _what.

“I don’t understand,” said Ballari, “He came out of the woods alive, and no one comes out of those woods alive, yes, but what I don’t understand is what.” Ballari looked directly into the eyes of her caretaker. “_What _did he do?” But the woman just shrugged. “He didn’t do anything, Ballari, though some of the villagers think that he used dark magic to escape the creatures of that place.”

Ballari held back a gasp. Alistarie didn’t seem like the type of person who would involve himself with those types of things, she hoped so anyway. But…you could never judge a book by its cover. “And you believe this?” questioned Ballari.

MISS shrugged, which was _not _a thing she ever did twice in a row, and said, “Ballari, the monsters in the Unknown Forest are vicious, wild things. Do you think they would just let a boy, a very noticeable one might I add, just walk straight through the forest?”

No, of course she didn’t. She wasn’t dumb.

“MISS, he could have ran, fast enough to escape the monsters.”

“He wasn’t at all tired when the villagers came to find him, and furthermore, he had not _one _scratch on him, Ballari. Not one.”

“Well…” But Ballari was speechless, he should have had at least one. “Not one? Not even the tiniest of one?”

The woman shook her head never releasing Ballari’s eyes. “Not one.”

Ballari looked into MISS’s eyes more closely than she had before, getting information from MISS wasn’t hard, but if you wanted to know the important things, it wasn’t as easy.

MISS sighed. “I suppose you think that that’s not all.”

“No, no I don’t. You hardly even believe in magic, so there just has to be another reason that you don’t want me near him.”

MISS sighed once more, this one sounding troubled instead of annoyed. Her voice was low and quiet when she said, “He said that he was looking for someone, that day when the townsfolk saw him arrive out of the forest.”

Ballari began to whisper as well, back into her place of comfort. “Who was he looking for?” she asked.

MISS turned away for a moment, biting her bottom lip like she was telling a forbidden secret, then faced back to Ballari, her eyes full of terror. “He said that he was looking for a girl. A girl named Ballari.”

This is the most climactic scene in the thing so far, btw…🙃.

(Okay, so, I know it said to not draft, but I already had this on my phone so, why not use it? This is my minor horror/fantasy novel called Piglet: Red Blood. I made this in the beginning of 8th grade then forgot about it. Thing is, I had 24,000 words on it!!! And I just stopped. I’m continuing it now, though, when I have time with Living Is A Strange Thing and homework. I really do love my characters in this, and have recycled the story multiple times. What you’ve just read is the ORIGINAL FIRST writing of it. Kinda cringe since I was just staring at writing, but I reread it and it’s actually, good? Anyways, have a great day and thank you for reading!)

“There’s no way I’m letting you stay here when he’s acting like that!” I argued, throwing some of his clothes into my bag. “Grab your things. We’ll go to Easton’s. Or somewhere else. Just not here.”

Cam shook his head. “I can’t leave.”

“Bullshit you can’t.” I zipped up my backpack. “You’re 18. You can leave. He can’t stop you.”

He stepped forward, placing a hand on my chest gently, right on my heart. “No, Arian. I can’t leave. You can. You SHOULD. Go to Easton’s. I have to stay here or it’ll just be worse when I get back.”

Why was he so persistent? Why did he want to stay so bad? I looked at him, I really truly looked at him, and saw the pain, the sadness, the absolute and utter defeat lay in his eyes. If I left him here, Travis would hurt him. Break him. Leave him on the floor close to dead, just as he had many times before. Cam would feel worthless again- worthless, broken, and weak. I couldn’t let that happen. It had to stop.

I dropped my bag to the floor. “I’m not leaving unless you are.”

That’s when we heard the glass break downstairs. I flinched, not expecting it, but Cam went into a an anxiety attack. He began to shake, his fingers tugging roughly at his sleeves as he bit his lip.

“Arian,” he finally said, his voice low. “Please go.”

“I’m not-“

“I’m not asking.” He sounded so stern and serious, the complete opposite of what he looked like right now. His face was pale with panic and he gave a nervous gulp, still vigorously twisting the ends of his sleeves.

Travis’s voice began to float down the hall, and there was no mistaking the anger in it. It even scared me- maybe because you could tell he had some alcohol in him. His voice was loud and rough, but you couldn’t quite make out what he was saying just yet. I glanced at Cam’s window. We could leave-go out the window and never turn back. I turned back to Cam, and there were anxious tears in his eyes. I reached for him, and he allowed me to gently grip his forearms with my hands.

“Cam,” I begged, knowing that once Travis reached this room, we were both in big trouble. I knew better than to try and fight him, he was much bigger than me. I would lose and Cam would take the fallout. “Please. I have my car, we could jump out the window and head somewhere far away from him, and he never has to hurt you ever again.”

Cam blinked a couple times, clearly trying not to let the tears spill over. I felt my heart break for him again. “Babe, you’re not listening to me. If I leave, it’ll be worse when I come back.”

“Then don’t come back!” I pleaded. “We can find some place to go- if you think I’m just going to sit back and let him beat the shit out of you, you’re out of your goddamn mind.”

Thudding footsteps. “Camden! You in your room, boy?”

Cam’s eyes hardened as he pushed me. “Go.”

“Absolutely not-“

“Go!” Another shove, this time to the chest. I stumbled. My boyfriend looked at his door and back at me. “Go, Arian! Go! I will never forgive you if you stay.”

I planted my feet. “I will never forgive you if you push me away when you need my help.”

Travis was close now, but you could hear him stumbling drunkenly through the hall. Cam looked at me, tears in his eyes, before he leaned over and kissed me. I was shocked and caught off-guard, but by the time I had regained myself, he had pulled away. A tear fell down his face.

“I guess you’ll never forgive me, then.”

Cam opened his door and shot out, slamming it shut behind him. I raced forwards, my hand on the doorknob as I heard the lock click. My heart thudded straight to my stomach.

“Cam!” I yelled, banging my palm against the door. “Camden! Open the door!”

All I heard as an answer was Travis yelling, “There you are, you worthless piece of shit!”

I tried the knob again to no avail. My mind filled with panic as I started to hear noises outside- the sound of Travis beating my defenseless boyfriend. There was no way in hell I was going to let this happen. I dove for my backpack, thinking I’d grab my phone- before remembering that I had left it in the car when I ran back inside for Cam.

I heard a whimper and tears began to cascade down my face. What was I supposed to do? I felt so fucking helpless, so fucking useless-

The window. His window was unlocked.

I have never moved faster in my entire life. With speed I didn’t know I had, I opened the window and jumped out of it, immediately noticing that Ben and their dad were outside spraying off their car. The sense of relief that I felt for one hot, flashing moment as I ran over.

“Ben!” I yelled. Ben looked up, frightened, as I ran into their driveway. I had to look absolutely deranged in their eyes.

“Arian?” Ben’s dad said, turning off the hose and straightening to look at me. “Are you okay-?”

I hastily wiped my face of tears and pointed back towards Cam’s house. “You gotta help me. Travis- Travis and Cam-“

I hated how I stuttered, but my brain was moving ten times faster than my mouth could.

Thankfully, Ben understood immediately. “I’ll call the cops. You stay here. Don’t do anything stupid. Dad, come on, I’ll explain inside.”

I immediately disregarded what he said, because I wasn’t leaving Cam inside that house with that monster. The second their front door shut, I bounded back to Cam’s house, bursting my way through the unlocked front door.

It was way too quiet. Why was it so quiet?

I ran towards the kitchen, vaguely noticing the back door was open, but I wasn’t too worried about that right now. There was no noise. Was Cam okay? Where was he?

I turned into the hallway.

I screamed.

My boyfriend was still here- but in a puddle of blood. I raced over, not caring about the blood getting on my shoes and pants and I lifted his head up into my lap, my other hand frantically looking for a pulse in his wrist.

“Cam?” I sobbed. “Cam, please wake up, please answer me.”

Nothing. There was nothing. I didn’t even know what I was doing anymore. My throat was too clogged, my vision was too blurry, my mind was running in too many directions.

“Please, please, please,” I begged. “Please wake up. Please talk to me. Please, baby, please.”

I slumped over his limp form.

“Please, baby. I love you. Please wake up for me.”

Layne woke up feeling very dizzy, she was now sitting on one of the school’s balconies, leaned up against the dark metal railing. She was surrounded by Queen Lauren’s guards, and Jade was watching her very closely. She was still wearing the rusted metal handcuffs, only now instead of being chained to a wall, she was chained to the railing. Jenny was sitting next to her, also chained up and still unconscious. Layne put one hand on her shoulder and shook her awake.

“Jenny! Wake up!” Layne whisper-shouted.

“Layne?” Jenny weakly looked up at her, her yellow eyes were like dying flashlights in the dead of night. Layne wanted to cry every time she looked in her eyes. After being a prisoner for months, Jenny had truly lost all hope. Layne knew she had to get both of them out of there, no matter what.

“It’s going to be okay, I promise.” Layne whispered.

One of the guards looked down at her and glared. Layne gulped. Most of the guards were busy painting some kind of symbol on the floor. It was a very large circle, with several smaller and more complex design inside it. It looked like something that would be used to cast a spell. Layne didn’t want to know what Jade and Lauren intended to use it for.

Then one of the guards walked up to Layne and unlocked her handcuffs.

“Get up.” the guard said impatiently.

Layne did as he said. She had to play along until she saw the signal. Two guards grabbed her arms and brought her up to Jade.

“Jenny, I’m going to get us out of here.” Layne said as the guards dragged her towards the glowing symbol.

Layne looked up at Jade, trying to appear calm. Jade seemed as confident as Layne wanted to look. To Jade, this plan had already succeeded. Layne looked down at her glowing necklace, it could feel that something was about to happen.

“Sit down.” Jade said coldly.

“Where?” Layne asked, trying to match her tone.

“Oh, you know where.” Jade said, pointing towards the symbol.

Layne looked at the shape painted in blood on the ground. At the very center, there was a shape that looked like her necklace; a red diamond. Surrounding it were two empty circles, about the size for someone to sit in with their legs crossed, as Jade was already doing. Layne sat in the other circle, still trying not to show any fear.

“Now, I think you know where that goes.” Jade said, pointing at Layne’s necklace.

Layne nodded, she took it off and held it by its silver chain, she placed it in between the two of them. Jade took out a large knife. Its long thin silver blade reflected the light of the full moon.

Jade looked up at one of the guards, “Time?”

“11:33, princess.” the guard replied.

One more minute until the moon will be at its fullest. Layne thought.

Jade pressed the knife against Layne’s wrist, she waited to cut though, it had to be exactly 11:34.

“Ten seconds.” Queen Lauren said.

“So, how do you feel, Elaina?” Jade asked with a villainous smile on her face.

Layne didn’t answer, she was rapidly observing each guard, checking for a key ring to unlock Jenny’s handcuffs. She saw it, it belonged to the guard nearest to the balcony’s rail and Jenny. Perfect, hopefully grabbing it wouldn’t be too hard. Layne was still waiting for the signal.

“Five.” Lauren said.

Come on Jake, hurry. Layne thought.

“Four.”

Layne looked down at the red light of her necklace.

“Three.”

Jade looked very impatient.

“Two.”

Almost out of time. Layne thought.

“One.”

And with that, Jade didn’t hesitate, her hand that stood still before quickly sliced open Layne’s wrist and her blood gushed out onto the necklace. It disappeared , as if being absorbed by the gem, as soon as it hit the ground. Jade was starting to have the same flickering glow as the gem. The spell began restoring her instantly, which meant that Layne would have even less time than she thought.

“The gem once used as a curse will now be used to heal And for the gem's new owner, my blade will be the last thing they feel!” Jade shouted.

Layne assumed that those words were part of the spell. Layne began to feel light-headed, even dizzier than before. All her strength- no, her life force was being drained out of her. Her vision blurred, the low whispers of the guards became one long humming noise. Layne wondered if it was now too late for her, even if she heard Jake’s signal.

No, Layne was not giving up, she promised Jenny that she would get them both out of there. Layne would stay strong, even as she watched her energy being spilled out in front of her.

Layne’s world suddenly snapped back into focus when she heard the loud alarm coming from below. Jake had come through, he had come for her. A feeling of relief washed over her, then stopped, now came the hard part.

Jade and the others looked surprised to hear the alarm, a distraction Layne would use to her advantage. The moment Jade looked away, Layne grabbed the knife and plunged it into Jade’s hand to distract her. Layne quickly got up and ran to the guard with the keys and grabbed his key ring.

“Get her!” Lauren and Jade screamed at the same time, Jade pulled the knife out of her hand.

It was already too late for that though, everyone was distracted from Layne stabbing Jade, allowing her to get to Jenny and free her from the handcuffs.

“Do you trust me?” Layne asked.

Jenny nodded.

“Jump.” Layne said.

“What?” Jenny asked.

“Hurry!” Layne said.

Jenny nodded. Layne helped Jenny climb over the railing and jump down. Layne followed.

A second before she fell she felt Jade grabbed her hand.

“You’re not getting away that easily!” Jade shouted.

No, of course it would not be that easy, but Layne still had the knife. She stabbed Jade’s hand again, and Jade let go, and Layne fell.

This is not the final project  . lord James picks his dad's sword up and puts it in the hottest fire  in the world. Dan runs inShe is here lord to the room saying lord James looks at him and says go get the rest and get tham ready. Lord James steps outside and says you must pay for your crime to the people you clam to rule and your not going to visit our king in heaven you’re going to hell. She says bring it on everybody spread out so me and this bastard  can have one last fight. she picks her sword and. Come on boy kill me if you can I have the lulu on my side.It’s gets quiet and slow he goes to fast and tries to get the killing blow but then he remembers what his dad told him not too go to fast and take it slow Never go for the killing blow for the first move. He steps back to a defensive position  the clinging of his sword is loud but no one can hear it because he steps back and with one final swing decapitates her head.all the people under control turn back to normal and wonder what’s happening . Lord James picks up her head and screams victory Victory is mine and yours.

The ground rumbled ominously. "Hurry josie she's gone already!" Hugo roared his voice barly audible under the sounds of the earth rumbling getting ready to blow, like shaking a soda bottle before opening it. Hugo understood her despair but he wished she would just move. Josephine just sat there on her knees sobbing, paralyzed in shock. Hugo could feel the ground was about to blow, the ashes of the flame beneath them burning his skin. "Hurry" he screamed but she did not move. without wasting another moment, he sprinted over and grabbed josephine, he could hardly see with the thick layer of smoke seeping out. With every cell in his body, he attempted to create a force field strong enough to withold the blast. He clutched on to josephine as tightly as he could. Finally the dust settled and he lowered onto the ground, the smell of smoke filled the air. As soon as he let go, josephine dashed toward her deceased sister. She held her head in her hands sobbing,"you did it you stopped the fleet, you were so brave Naomi wanna get ice cream at mr.freezies I finally got enough for rasperry blitz or summer blast" she choked on her words, tears streaming down her sooted face stroking Naomi's ash covered hair. Hugo knew what it was like losing someone you hold so close to your heart, the fact that you will never be able to embrace them, laugh with them, or just tell them you love 'em one last time. Hugo knew that it didn't do any good to talk about it, so he walked over knelt down next to her, and opened his arms a little as if saying 'need a hug' she nodded weeping into hugo's shoulder.

“No!” She screamed her voice piecing my ears. “Let go of her!” She fought with every ounce of energy she had, slamming her hands across the face of Hope’s hooded kidnapper. “Hope!” She screamed, “Hope!” I followed the sounds, my mind spinning as I saw it. The path in front of me, then Maya screaming her face red with anger, her voice filled with tears. “I’m coming!” I yelled, as my vision came back to me. I ran through the streets, following any sound of a scream. The smell of exhaust flooded my nose. I could feel the fire in my lungs begging me to stop. I couldn’t, not unless my daughter was safe. I stopped, the screams of horror, haunting me like a nightmare. She was only one and already her life was filled with what I had always feared. I sprinted into the house. The house I’d had made dreams for. Dreams of getting to see Hope grow up. Giving her a life full of well hope. Maya was on the ground the couches around her were covered in white sheets. The only color in the room was the deep red color of blood. Maya’s blood. Hope was screaming and crying in the arms of a stranger, I couldn’t see her but I could feel her. The fear, the arms holding her like she was an object, like she wasn’t alive.

“Maya,” I ran to her, as she shook her head, pointing to the stairs. Where Hope’s screams of fear were echoing. I wanted to ignore her, the dull red blood that dropped down her face that covered her white shirt. It made me mad, too mad. “Damon, you have to save her. You have to save our daughter,” she cried. “I will-I promise,” I whispered. I followed her red finger, giving her shaking a quick squeeze before I bolted. Hoping for the sounds of crying to guide me, to the right door.
I could hear the loud thundering footsteps. Then I saw it. A vision. I stopped next to a door, the door was closed and inside was Hope, I could feel it. My mind left the dusty hallway, everything turned black and then. It was Hope. But older, her blonde hair was flowing down her back. Her eyes they glowed green. The forest around her was blowing quietly, sending leaves to the ground. I could almost smell the damp leaves covered in the black soil under her feet. She was whispering. Her voice like a quiet peaceful song. “Daddy,” she whispered, “Daddy I’m okay. Let me go.” She smiled, a smile so beautiful I couldn’t believe it was her. That she was mine. “Daddy, I’m going to be okay. You have to trust me. We’ll meet again, me, you and Mom. I promise, I’ll see you. And you’ll see me, we’ll be a family. Just like you’ve always wanted. But you have to let me go.” She smiled, lifting her hands. The leaves around her started lifting, floating off the ground. She giggled as she watched them fly. I smiled. She would be okay. The vision faded, Hope was smiling as she left my view. She was so perfect, so beautiful. And she was so far away, even when I was standing with only a door separating us. I could hear her screams, she was right through the door. The knob was inches away from my hand. All I had to do was open it. And I could save her. I’d get to watch her grow up, I get to see her fail, and see her succeed. But most of all I’d just be there for her. I reached out for it, her words echoing in my mind. “You have to let me go.” I shook my head, I can’t. I won’t. Your my daughter. I can’t do this to you. I can’t fail you. Like my father did to me. And then suddenly my hand slowly went back to my side. And I walked down the stairs, my mind blurry. The sounds of her screams became distant and soon vanished. The silence was killing me. Maybe she had died, maybe they had hurt her. I stopped at the bottom of the stairs, my eyes glued to the dusty hardwood floor. My nose filled with the dusty smell that floated through the air. Hope’s smile was stuck in my mind. She was okay, she would be okay. And I would see her again. I would make sure of that. Even if I didn’t get to see her grow up, I’d get to meet her, again.

I couldn’t stop thinking about her. My Hope. She had given it to me when I had nothing, and I had let her go like she didn’t mean anything to me. I had given up on her and I couldn’t go back. I couldn’t go forward. I could only stand still, listening to the deadly silence.

The Mirror Maiden, Aurora, had journeyed far and wide in the realm of mirrors, experiencing the moments of danger and hopelessness as she tried to restore balance to the realm. However, nothing could have prepared her for the twist that the mirrors threw at her.

While exploring a forgotten ruin one day, Aurora stumbled upon something she had never expected. It was a portal to another world, a world that she had only ever heard of in stories and legends. Without thinking, Aurora stepped through the portal, and the world around her transformed in an instant.

In this strange new world, Aurora found herself in the midst of a grand theatre, where the ghost of Tallulah Bankhead was performing a monologue on a stage that glowed like the sun. The mirrors themselves seemed to dance to the pace of Tallulah's words, their magic resonating with the actress's spirit.

As Aurora watched, she couldn't help but feel as though she was being pulled into a story within a story, like an endless recursion of fate and destiny. That's when she realized the true nature of the mirrors - they were not just a tool but a force that connected all parts of the fabric of reality, and that every story was connected in one way or another.

Suddenly, Aurora felt a powerful presence behind her, and she wheeled around, coming face to face with the Mirror King himself. He was unlike she had ever seen him before, calm and serene, and he spoke to her with an air of kindness she had never imagined. He showed her a series of great memories - actors that had been long forgotten, their stories disappearing into history, with only the mirrors remembering their names.

But the Mirror King had saved them from the oblivion of time, and, as Aurora watched, the faces of the forgotten actors emerged from the mirrors themselves, their lines coming alive as though they had been never lost to the sands. Despite the beauty of the scene, Aurora understood that her confrontation with the Mirror King was not finished, and she questioned his motives.

The Mirror King had shown her the forgotten actors to reveal the nature of storytelling itself, and to show her that it was far more significant than just a simple plot. As the plot twist in life brought sobbing tears into Aurora's eyes, she saw that the true power of the mirrors lay not in their ability to bend reality, but in their capacity to connect people on a deeper level.

With a final farewell, Aurora stepped back through the portal and returned to the realm of mirrors. But things had changed within her; she now understood that the true purpose of a story was to connect people, to remind us of our mortality, and to give us hope that we are not as alone as we sometimes think. That day, Aurora's journey had truly begun, a journey to uncover the secret at the heart of the mirror world, where magic and wonder intertwine, creating something unique and extraordinary. Tallulah's story on the theatre was one that was steeped in the reflective tricks that had made her famous in the world of cinema. Her words were both captivating and revealing, and as Aurora watched, she felt as though she was witnessing a piece of history come to life.

The story involved Tallulah, who had been transported by a group of people from the future. They had brought her back to get their revenge on those who had wronged them, but she had other plans. As the story unfolded, it became clear that Tallulah had written all the scripts herself, and had used her talent for trickery to create a narrative that was both entertaining and thought-provoking.

The vintage vanity of the theatre play revealed that there was more to life than just sitting around and taking orders from others. It was a call to action, a challenge to audiences to think for themselves and to never be content with the status quo. But at the same time, it was an acknowledgement of the shadows within everyone, the parts of ourselves that we try to ignore, but that nevertheless influences us at every turn.

The Mirror Maidens were greatly moved by Tallulah's words, sensing that there was a deeper truth hidden within them. They began to discuss the philosophies of life, the nature of existence, and the impermanence of everything around us. Were they provoking the truth to themselves, testing their own beliefs?

As they carried on with their conversation, it became clear that the story had touched them in some profound way, and they vowed to continue on the journey with a deeper understanding of the nature of their magic. They left the theatre with a sense of awe, returned to the realm of mirrors with a newfound appreciation of the stories woven within it.

The entire scene was both exceptional and extraordinary, a poignant reminder of the power that a well-told story can have. It was as deep as an ocean in its contemplation of existential questions and offered a unique perspective on the nature of thought, time, and the impermanence of all things. At its core, it was an exploration of the human experience, a challenge to always keep seeking the deeper truths of existence, and the complex interplay of the mirrors in how we unroll to reality.

When Morgan and aaron break up!

“Mimi! Stop! Wait!” Brady stood watching her run off through the trees and then went off after her. He could see her long hair flying behind her, the sun turning the red strands into fire, and his heart was beating so hard in his chest he could barely breathe. How could he have made such a terrible mess of this?

His stride was longer than hers and he caught up with her just as she entered the place of the huge oak where they used to sit and talk endlessly. He reached out and grabbed her by the arm, whirling her around to face him. Her face was wet with tears, and Brady felt his heart crack open at that moment. He couldn’t remember a single time in his life when someone had cried over him, and he felt his eyes fill up.

“Brady, just let me go. Please. I beg of you. Let me go.”

“Mimi, I….” Brady felt like his tongue was too large for his mouth, and his mind shut down. There was so much he wanted to say, so much crowding his thoughts and strangling him, but it seemed he could not get the words out. He swallowed and tried again, but all he could see was Mimi looking at him with such pain, such misery, and his tears spilled over.

They stood there staring at each other for what seemed like an eternity, and finally Mimi bowed her head and pulled her arm away from Brady’s grasp. When she did that, Brady felt like something incredibly precious had pulled away from him, and he reached out and pulled her into him, wrapping his arms around her and letting his chin rest on the top of her head and began sobbing. He let go of all the pain, all the feelings of abandonment he had experienced, all the lack of warmth, and he let it all go. He felt her arms come around him, holding him in her arms, and they both let the tears come, no longer hiding their pain from each other, but understanding, finally, the only way two can become one is when they are willing to become vulnerable and trust the other to not hurt them.

Finally, Mimi lifted her face, and looked him straight in the eyes. She gathered up all the feelings she had for him, all the good and the bad, all the joy and the sorrow, and she captured his eyes so he could not look away.

“I love you Brady.”

Finally it was there between them. The words could not be taken back, they could not be misconstrued or denied. She had said it out loud and Mimi knew that at that moment, whatever Brady did, would either be a beginning or an ending, but either way would not diminish how she felt about him. She felt him suck in a deep, deep breath, and when he let out his breath she didn’t know if it was a moan or a sigh of relief, but he tipped up her chin, and with a deep shudder, he bent down to her and with the gentlest if kisses he laid his lips on hers.

It seemed as the very forest was leaning in with anticipation, and then Brady lifted his lips from hers and said, “You are my life, Mimi. I’m so, so sorry that I am such an idiot, but I will never let you go again. Never.”

And then the trees sighed.