I wake up in a burnt wasteland of what I used to call "home." I look around, fires rage around me, homes are torn apart, and there are bodies everywhere everything's gone. Everything I've ever known is gone. There's not a single living person in sight.
I look around for a moment. Just standing there in shock. When I finally allow myself to move, I walk down what should be a familiar route- only, nothing's familiar. Smoke fills my lounges, and burns my eyes but I can see and breath enough. I finally find my way to my destination, I find that too is destroyed. it looks even more destroyed than most of the homes around me. "No," I say. "No! Graham!"
I get down on my hands and knees pushing burnt wood, stones, and other items that survived to the side. "Graham!" I say, a tear running down my cheek. Graham is nowhere to be found. Then I see something. A hand. Hope blooms inside me as I scramble over to him.
I push away more pieces of the home. Then I see him. Graham's face. His eyes are closed, his body limp is cold. Graham is dead.
I sit there crying for what feels like hours. I don't even think what happened? All I can think about is Cora in her happy home and Graham dead. I don't know what happened to Jaxon, but it can't be good,
Maybe I should look for him. I think maybe he somehow did survive this mess. I stand up slowly and let go of a shaky breath. I just don't wanna be alone I think.
I begin walking towards the woods, trying not to look at the bodies that litter the ground. When I finally reach the edge, I see a big hole from what looks like an explosion. Of course I think. of course Cora made her big, dramatic entrance. Can't forget that can we? I jump down into the dich, and climb up to the normal ground. Inside the dich was still warm.
I'm not sure where the cave is from here, so I decide to try to retrace my steps. I remember running, running like a scared animal with predators chasing it if that animal had only stopped or better- fought, everyone would still be okay. Then, then I put down my back pack- Here! I think. I see my dull bag.
"No. This isn't right. We took it back to the cave," I whisper to myself. Something's off I think. I continue to try to trace my steps. I finally reach a familiar spot. The path. Is it safe to walk? I wonder. Well, I guess we'll just have to see I think.
I don't think it'd be dangerous, if Cora won and knocked out the rest of the humans, then she and her powers should be gone right? I wonder down the path. Everything is just- off. The sky is too dull, the world is too quiet, nothing's in the right place. Just a minute ago, I found one of our knives, just- sitting there.
I finally reach the cave. I take a deep breath, not sure if I'm ready to see what I see. What will I see? Will I see Willow's dead body? Or worse, Jaxon's? I have no idea if I'm prepared. But when I reach the cave, it's empty. None of our stuff is in there, the only thing there is, is a mirror sitting in the very middle.
The mirror is an old, tall mirror, it's square, and has sticks surrounding it, making up the frame. It's glass looks like nothing's ever touched it before. I take a deep breath and slowly look into it.
No! I fall backwards scrambling away from the mirror. Nothing could've prepared me for what I had seen, because what I saw was me. My real view, what I'm really seeing. All this is fake. Right now, Cora is in my body, preparing to destroy the world, and soon, this- will be the reality.
I have to do something. I have to get out of here. I can't let her do this. I stand slowly, and slowly walk towards the mirror, and even more slowly look into the mirror again. I feel like I'm gonna pass out, I get nauseous, and feel myself fall backward, but I catch myself on the wall.
In the mirror, I see Cora looking in the same mirror. In the mirror though, I see her, even though she's me. She turns and examines herself. She smiles and waves. She knows she knows I'm watching her.
Then, she waves her hand across the mirror, and it's me, I'm wearing a top that looks like it's made of leaves and flowers. I was also wearing short jean shorts that would be worth a fortune back home. The top doesn't even reach my stomach. I stare at my skinny stomach from lack of food that I was always too scared to show.
I almost punch the mirror, try to do something to her. But there's nothing I can do. Then I finally recognize the place, she's in the cabin. Then she turns around. There's a big group of minions surrounding her. I can barely hear my own muffled voice say, "Find him."
It takes me a moment, but then I realize, she's talking about Jaxon. "Ha! Still can't get him. I mean he was right there!" I say mostly to myself and smile. Finally, something positive. Cora looks back at the mirror. "Shut up!" she says. I flinch a little. She can hear me! I could say anything and she'll hear me!
"Hey!" I scream, so she can hear me loud and clear.
"Do you not get it?" she asks. I feel a sharp pain in my stomach. "I own you!" I begin coughing. I feel a liquid at the back of my throat and blood comes out. I stare at the puddle in horror.
I look in the mirror and see myself, actually me. She's looking into the mirror, at me on my hands and knees blood on my lips. "If you think you can defy me, you're wrong!" the pain in my stomach slowly goes away.
"So I suggest you listen to me, or I'll make it so much worse, and I will make Graham and Jaxon suffer,"
I wipe my lips, "you'll kill your own son,"
"He is not my son, he said so himself." she says. "No," I say. "You are not his mother," Cora looks furious. "Why can't you just do what your told?"
She looks at me with almost pity then turns away from the mirror. I feel something much more painful than last time. I scream, falling back onto my knees again. And I begin coughing again.