• I slowly turned around to meet Mother’s cold stare. Her piercing silver eyes startled me into silence. I couldn’t even gasp out of shock. Mothers face was writ with little signs of anger. Her thin wide lips curled into an odd smile and her long black hair was pulled back into a neat bun. Her eyes narrowed as I began to breathe slower. I could feel my heartbeat slower and I couldn’t feel my arms. I tried to move my legs, but I could not. Mother’s eyes had me under their spell; Mother had me in her grasp.

    "Annejalis" Mother's harsh and silky voice came.

    I attempted to stand at attention. But It didn’t matter if I wasn't, I couldn't look anywhere but Mother's cold Eyes. Her face was emotionless.

    "Yes Mother . . .,” I whispered.

    "Annejalis, where have you been, tell your mother truthfully and, I will be lenient . . ." she leaned in and I felt I quivered a little. Her eyes scrutinized my clothes. She had broke eye contact with me and that’s when I felt my strength return to me. She already knew didn’t she? She could tell. My shoulder was no longer damp, but I knew that she knew…

    “Mother I was walking home from the human school.”

    “And . . .” She walked away from me and went over to her bed. She looked down at the odd wax stain and mumbled something about ‘esprits’. She wiped off the wax into her little trashcan waiting below. She sat down carefully like some fancy lady folding her thin silky dress up and out from under herself to sit. She leaned over to her side table and opened the drawer. It was as if she had just decided to ignore me. As if, I wasn’t there to her anymore.

    But I rethought this when I saw what she held.

    The mirror. Her gilded mirror. The ornate feathery and golden loops and curls glinted in the light. She caressed it longingly and seemed to drift off with a dreamy light in her eyes. I could have sworn there was a slight smile that lifted her lips. Within a split second, it fell and she turned a slight smirk my way. My legs suddenly tightened up.

    "Annejalis." My eyes locked on to hers.

    "Yes Mother?” She glided towards me with an unopposed grace. She came to stand in front of me. Slowly her smirk faded and she brought the mirror up to my face. My eyes fell from her gaze and all I could see was the mirror. With my eyes inside it.

    The first second I merely saw, my eyes. Then Deeper. The color. Their Blue-green melted away and showed me a deep red unlike any other.

    “There. Do you see it Annejalis? Do you see his blood? I do. And I want to see his soul. And where do I want to see it? Where do I want to see it Jenna . . .”

    “You want to see it, in-n your ha-ands. That’s where you want to see it , m-Mother.” The words came mindlessly. I knew them. However, I did not willingly let them escape my mouth. Her mirror made me say those things. It aided her in controlling me.

    “You lied to your mother Annejalis. Are you regretful?”

    “So regretf-ful, m-Mother. So, reh-regretful”

    “Good. Do you wish to redeem yourself? For your mother?”

    “Y-yes.”

    “You know what must be done Jenna. Kill him.”

    My eyes flickered in the mirror. Mother’s arm steadily held it up. My eyes could not move. It was the mirror. My eyes flickered a dark red once again. It was not Alex’s blood however. It defiantly wasn’t human blood. This blood was much darker. Then a pair of amber eyes flickered in the dark blood. Mother’s. I wasn’t certain. Their pupils seemed to swirl and swirl until they turned a light blue. They became smaller, smaller, and changed into a crescent shape. Then it all went black. Everything.

    “Do it Annejalis. Kill the boy. Kill him for mother . . .”

    I woke up in my bed. I looked at the boxes all around the mattress on the floor. So this was my room. This might be the last and only time I see it . . .

    Someone knocked on my door.

    “Jenna? Jenna wake up already you’ll be late for human school.” Lunya’s soft voice came. I threw off my blanket and looked at myself. I was in different clothes. Mother must have ordered me to ready myself for school and for later . . .

    I felt my hair. Clean. It must have been such a sight for Lunya and Siphul to watch zombie-me walk down the stairs and in the shower and then to bed.

    “It was quite amusing. You rather moaned. Oh, and you drooled. Just a bit.” Lunya’s voice rang out. I chuckled and tried not to think of her so much when I held fear for Mother.

    “So as a zombie I got completely bathed, dressed and off to bed?” I asked her as I got up.

    “Yup, Can’t say I haven’t seen anyone act that way. Just Siphul when . . .”

    I opened the door and leaned against the frame. She was completely dressed. I glanced at the clock. It was twenty to eight. We’d be late if we didn’t hurry.

    “When Siphul does what exactly, Lunya?” She blushed a bright pink and cleared her throat.

    “Um, we better hurry. Mrs. Murray will be pissed if I’m late. Again.”

    I chuckled.

    “What did you tell her last time, Luney?” She glared at me.

    “Can’t remember. All I do remember is that she kept thinking how she just wished I would be late everyday, and how my eyes reminded her, and I quote, ‘Of her boyfriend’s god-damned hell dog.’”

    “Hah. Hell dog.” I chuckled. We headed out the door with bags in hand when I realized just how quiet the house was.

    “Uh, Lun, Where’s Mother, and Siphul?”

    “Gone. They both went out. I don’t know where exactly. They both ignored me. But they both seemed highly worried about something and in a hurry after you went to bed. Siphul also seemed slightly distressed too . . . Jenna, What happened last night?” Her smile had turned into a slight frown.

    “You know what happened Lun.” I said as we rounded the corner. “Mother gave me her orders.” I hoped no visible emotion crept across my face, because as we came out of the long wooded drive, his face flashed in my mind. Lunya stopped right there. Right in the spot where he kissed me. I kept walking. Hoping to hide the tears.

    “Jenna.” I kept walking.

    “Jenna.” This time her voice was more firm. I stopped, but did not turn.

    “What, Lunya.” His beautiful eyes came once again.

    “Jenna . . .” Her voice was much softer as it trailed off. “I know- No, you know, that you can’t just . . . Kill him. You can’t”

    “Why can’t I Lun? He is just like the others. Just like all the others. The few I have killed a-and the millions we haven’t. It’s nothing. Nothing at all . . .”

    “No, it’s not. And you know it Jenna. You can’t kill him. It may not have taken long, but Jenna, you love him.”

    I didn’t know how to answer. Because, Lunya was right. I did love him. I knew I shouldn’t. I knew it couldn’t work. Even if he did love me.

    “He probably does Jenna. And you can. There’s nothing wrong with loving a human.”

    “Yes, that’s true.” I said turning to her slight smile.

    “But I still can’t. Mother won’t let me.” Immediately, she frowned.

    Mother would never allow this.

    We walked for fifteen minutes of silence when she spoke up.

    “Jenna," she said as we made our way to school. The old brick building was in sight when she stopped next to me and said, “Mother doesn’t need to approve of your love Jenna. That shouldn’t stop you from loving him.”

    I sighed at her naivety and walked up the stairs of the old building and through their old doors. I hesitantly opened the door to my first class. The day had barely started and already I felt as though I were in hell.

    I was late, Lunya was being all Dr. Phil on me and later I’d have to see someone I have a crush on. For a “typical” sixteen-year-old girl, it should be exciting, maybe mesmerizing. To look into their eyes and get their palms all sweaty and think lovey-dovey thoughts when they see them.

    But, no. I was not normal. I was a demon. Every time I thought of him, or saw him, not only would I think of how awkwardly I was as a teenager with a crush, I would also think of how I had to kill him later too.

    This was going to be just another one of those days.