"Mack? Mack!" Jodie called through the crowd at the carnival. She'd fled from the volunteer office, yelling 'family emergency' over her shoulder.
She couldn't believe Mack had dumped her, in so few words, over the phone, with hardly any explanation at all. And she wasn't totally sure that was what had happened. It was hard to hear when six different people are yelling at you, the copier's beeping and three phones are ringing on the desks across from you. The least he could have done was give her ten seconds to step out of the office so she could hear what he had to say.
She'd heard carnival music in the background and had, for once in her life, thrown off responsibility in favor of self-interest. So here she was, wandering aimlessly through the carnival looking for her ex boyfriend. She ran into Kevin Thompson first and cringed.
"Hey Kevin. You haven't seen Mack around, have you?"
"Hey! I think he left. He went into that Mirror tent thingy and after he left with that art chick. Weird. I was looking for Brit. She went to the mirror thingy too but now I can't find her."
"Mirror thingy?" Jodie repeated.
Kevin grinned and nodded. "Yeah they say it's some special mirror that shows like, your soul or something. I don't believe that mumbido jumble."
"Did you look in it?" Jodie asked.
Glancing around Kevin said, "Not yet. That's why I need to find Brit. I'm out of money."
"Oh, well, good luck, then."
Jodie wandered down the midway, thinking. Mack had left with Jane? If he had really unceremoniously dumped her, Jane sort of made sense. She was Jodie's complete opposite. Free-spirited, spontaneous. Fun. Jodie shook her head. She was fun! Sometimes. When she snuck away for a few seconds and didn't spend them asleep. Sighing, she made her way slowly through the crowds. She didn't want to go back to the office. Truth be told, she didn't want to go to the dinner that night or the political envelope-stuffing tomorrow or any of the numerous activities she was scheduled for from now until eternity. But she would go because it was easier than the fighting and part of her really did want to get somewhere in life and this was the only way she knew how.
On her left she saw the Mirror, Mirror House. Curious, she approached the nondescript tent. It showed your soul? Or so Kevin said, and he was hardly the most reliable source of information.
"Care to take a look at truth?"
Jodie jumped as the ancient carny leaned toward her and grinned. The voice creaked with age and coupled with the wizened face made it hard to determine gender. Jodie was leaning toward female.
"I suppose." She shrugged. Handing over the twenty felt like a small victory since her mother had earmarked it for a manicure for the dinner that evening. her mother could even make a pampering spa treatment seem like work.
Entering the tent, Jodie savored the still and quiet before wending her way to the mirror. Not having heard the rumors flying around or having seen anyone else's reaction, she felt no apprehension, only mild curiosity as her reflection stared back at her.
A glint of light shone just above her shoulder. Looking to the side, Jodie saw nothing. Yet in the mirror a tiny silver hook dangled like a fishing line just above her right shoulder. Her image took the hook gently and slid it though the skin of her upper arm.
Slightly disturbed, yet oddly fascinated, Jodie unconsciously rubbed her arm. Another small hook appeared and mirror-Jodie hooked that one through her skin as well. There seemed to be no blood or pain and Jodie watched, transfixed. More and more tiny silver hooks appeared and with every one, her image took it and hooked it through her skin until hundreds of tiny hooks held her in place. Then slowly, the hook lines became more an more taut, pulling her skin in tiny tents all over her body. Her reflection leaned and swayed trying to follow where the hooks pulled her but for every one that pulled right, three pulled left. Some pulled up and others down. There was no way for her to remain neutral.
Becoming more upset as she watched, she wished her image would just pull them all out and run, but knew though the hooks were painless going in, pulling them out would rip her apart.
Feeling tears threaten, she yelled, "I know! I KNOW!"
The image went still. Jodie blinked away unshed tears and mimed pulling a hook gently out of her arm. The image did the same. It would be so much quicker to tear them all out at once and be free, but maybe she could spare herself by removing a few at a time. College, Jodie thought. I'll get rid of them in college. Even if I end up where my parents want me to go, they won't be hovering and I can make my own decisions. Have free time. Be fun.
Determined, Jodie turned from the mirror and left the tent, still unconsciously picking out invisible hooks from her skin.
In the mirror, her reflection slowly shook its head.
And added another hook.