"Sarah!" He called out as he sped along the empty road.
"Ray!"
He turned around.
There she was, standing in the middle of the street.
She was smiling from what he could see. Without wasting a second, he dashed towards her.
When he reached her, he was panting louder than a cow in labour.
"Where did you go?"
She just shrugged. "I needed some air. This is all so sudden."
He surveyed her. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes bright.
And then, he noticed her coat. He looked down at the coat in his hand.
It was the same.
She followed the direction of his gaze.
"I have two of them." She supplied.
Something prompted him to reach for the shard, but it wasn't in his pocket.
"You're acting weird, Ray."
He sucked in a greedy breath.
"You scared me, that's all."
She took his hand in hers.
"I still have to talk to Kirby."
Her hands felt moist despite the chill night air.
"Is something wrong?" She asked.
He shook his head, instantly regretting the direction of his thoughts.
Kirby's mom was still standing at the doorway, along with Kirby, his sister, Fran and their dad.
"He just ran off…" He heard her saying.
"That's unlike him." Kirby's familiar voice chipped in.
Then he and Sarah appeared at the driveway. Mrs. Garsel touched a hand to her chest.
"I almost thought you'd gone insane, boy. Don't ever do that again." Mr. Garsel said.
He thought so himself. The lines between sanity and its nemesis were blurring faster than a fog.
"Don't be harsh, honey. He just lost his mother - he's bound to be a bit… disoriented."
Despite his cynicism, the comment made him wince. Disoriented?
Sarah greeted them and all attention turned away from Ray. Except Kirby's.
"My mom said you suddenly dashed off. Poof! Just like that?" Kirby gestured with his hands.
"Sarah was supposed to get here before me. But she did not… I was just a bit paranoid, I guess."
A brief pat on the shoulder followed his explanation.
They were shown into the house. Sarah has already told them the news. Mrs. Garsel was the most emotional about the sudden departure.
"You've done a good thing by letting us know, dear. I hope you are safe wherever you move to." The older lady said, clutching the crucifix on her neck.
Sarah hugged Kirby. The latter seemed like he didn't want to let her go.
After the teary farewell, the three of them saw themselves on the road back to Sarah's house.
"I would have preferred it if Ray left instead." Kirby broke the silence.
Ray shot him a glare.
"You two are still the same." She murmured.
He and Kirby exchanged glances. "Did we change?"
She glanced up. "No. It's been a while since I saw you guys argue."
"You're already becoming gooey, Sarah. Don't let the distance change you. We'll soon graduate anyways and we can see each other whenever we want."
She twisted her fingers nervously.
"I'm more afraid that you guys would move on and forget me."
"Pfft." Kirby sounded.
She slipped an arm around both our necks and squeezed affectionately.
When we arrived at her house, her mother was loading the trunk. As soon as she spotted us, she called out for Sarah.
"You brothers would meet us there. I've packed your things… but you can go up and check for anything else you want to carry." To Ray, she said, "Go up for your things as well, dear."
Every time she spoke to him, her voice became unbearingly soft. He could see the fear and the pain in her eyes all at once. And it mirrored everything he felt. He clenched his fists.
Darrick was leaning by the car, making a phone call.
Another emotional bout started when Mrs. Tolen turned to bid Kirby farewell.
Ray went upstairs as quickly as he could. He had been near tears more than he could count - tears he had promised himself he wouldn't shed.
Sarah was just leaving as he approached her room door. She didn't meet his gaze as she brushed past him in the narrow hallway.
He went towards the bed and picked up his bag. The hair at the back of his neck tingled. He rubbed it as he descended the stairway, taking them two at a time.
Mrs. Tolen was waiting at the door, jingling a pair of keys in her hands.
"Are there any available flights?" His dad asked.
Sarah's mother glanced down at her Quartz watch. "I got the one going out by nine pm. I just hope my boys will make it."
Darrick clasped his hands.
"What about their studies?"
Ray noticed the tremor in her hands as she struggled to lock the door.
"We'll figure it out there. They could always transfer."
"Let me." He held out a hand to retrieve the keys from her.
She stared at his pale hands before looking at his face. The gratitude in her eyes made his heart sink further.
The keys were cool in his palms as she handed them to him. He slung his bag over his left shoulder before locking the doors.
He tossed the key back to her and moved to stand beside Kirby whose eyes were watery ponds.
"It's not the end." Ray whispered, more to himself than Kirby.
"It feels like it is. What if they die at the airport? There are plenty of mirrors there."
He looked up at the starless sky. "Not mirrors, just mirror-like glass. We'll see her again."
"C'mon, Ray. Let's go home."
Ray watched them enter the car and shut the doors.
Just as the car turned into the road, Sarah grinned at him. He squinted his eyes, but they drove away.
"Did you see that?"
Kirby spun around. "See what?"
"She was smiling."
"Who was smiling."
"Sarah."
"You must be seeing things."
Ray thought for a moment. Maybe, he was.
"See you tomorrow, then." He tried not to appear flustered.
"School is closed, bro. Indefinitely."
Oh.
"In that case, I can study that shard."
The other guy rolled his eyes. "It's just part of a regular fancy broken mirror. Get over it."
They parted.
"Seems like you've had a rough day. Instead of cooking, let's eat out." His dad said as soon as he entered the car.
He nodded, more grateful than words for the opportunity to eat something that didn't taste like spices mixed with laundry detergent. He counted the number of adjacent roads they passed.
No music played. No one hummed. Only the soft sound of breathing filled the air.
The ride was silent. They pulled up at the popular O'mear diner for some burgers and steak.
Darrick barely ate anything. Ray couldn't as well.
After their meal of staring into space, they both agreed to leave the food and go back home.
The house was quiet. Ray had come to hate the quiet - it always hid terrible things, like death.
He snatched his dad's tablet from the dining table and took it upstairs. It was a whole battle before he forced himself to look at the screen. His reflection was nothing out of the ordinary - but ordinary didn't mean less scary in his world.
Plugging in his earpods, he sunk into the ever-inviting bed.
No school? What would he do with all the excess time on his hands? At least, school had always been a good way to pass time. And he had been looking forward to finally breathing fresh air now Jory was dead.
His dad's footsteps echoed in the hallway as he passed. Then a door clicked shut.
He pulled one pod out.
Sarah had been right - staring at the shard won't get him any answers.
What would? What if it's just an ordinary mirror fragment?
He shook his head. It won't be glowing at the edges… and casting rainbow-like reflections.
Sighing, he reached for his bag. He gently pulled out his books and stacked them on the bed beside him.
No more tedious notes!
No more Mr. Alan Berth!
And, no more Sarah.
Distance killed relationships more than people realized. It was a torturous and slow process. First, they'd call each other three times a day, then two, then one. Then, they'll start missing days and skip to sending text messages… and life will go on. He and Kirby would become 'just the guys I grew up with' to her.
He ran a hand through his hair.
Somehow, he and Kirby would be fine, he told himself.
Ray stared at the picture frame containing a photo of him and his mom. They had gone horseback riding when he was ten.
He rummaged through his bag for the shard. It wasn't there.
"Weird." He muttered under his breath.
Alarm coiled through him.
Ray bolted to his feet and turned the bag upside down. He shook it, spilling all it's contents on the ground.
Pens. Pencils. Crayons. Keys. Paper pieces. No shard.
His throat tightened.
Shit!