Isaac ran towards Elida's reflection.
Seeing Elida trapped inside the mirror, Isaac banged and pleaded for her to come out, to hug him, to forgive him. She kept a steady gaze and only stared, glancing over Isaac's shoulder to see 24 staring at his feet in shame.
You two have problems.
I'm sorry... I'm sorry...
Hey-
I'm sorry...
SHUT UP, will you?!
A wave of silence hit the room. Elida giggled and twiddled her hair around her finger innocently as she began to talk.
First off, like I said, you have problems. Second off, IT'S BEEN MORE THAN A YEAR!! WHY ARE YOU STILL TERRIFIED OF THE MENTION OF ME?!
Wh-
HEY! Didn't finish! Rhetorical question! Anyway, ARE YOU AFRAID OF PEOPLE FINDING OUT WHAT YOU DID? BECAUSE TRUST ME, THEY KNOW. IT DOESN'T TAKE A ROCKET SCIENTIST TO FIGURE OUT THAT YOU FUCKED UP BIG TIME!!!
Langu-
I'm IN YOUR HEAD, Isaac, I'll curse as much as you remember me cursing. AND I STILL DIDN'T FINISH!!
I've been perfectly fine where I am! As far as you know I've been dancing and singing songs around the campfire with Alice! Meanwhile you were killing butterflies and slamming your head against cupboards because YOU felt like I was mad at you!! GET A GRIP!!!
Next up, WHAT'S UP WITH HIDING FROM ALL YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES??? Oh no! I can't get out of bed because I'm sad and guilty! Oh no! I can't do anything good for myself because I think the, like, ten year old child I used to babysit holds grudges! Oh no, waah waah waah, I saw a CHILD that is MINE and now I CAN'T EVEN LOOK AT IT because I KILLED SOME KID YEARS AGO and I FEEL BAD! OOOHH NOOOO, this SUCKS! WOE is ME and NOT TO THE ABANDONED CHILD WHO ISN'T ABLE TO HAVE A SUPPORTIVE FAMILY BECAUSE OF THEIR PARENT'S TRAUMA!!!
Once again, Elida pauses for a long, long time.
...Sorry, that was kind of harsh.
What I'm saying is, you have to get over this. It's killing you from the inside out and unless you forgive yourself for it, and be able to look in the mirror without thinking of my face, you'll never be able to live a happy life.
You made a mistake. So what? You have friends that surround you now and a future ahead. Just because that future doesn't include me doesn't mean it isn't bright.
It's going to be hard. You're going to have moments where you feel like you never even did a thing and you're going to have moments where it feels like you only just killed me yesterday.
But, in the end, what matters is that you don't let it weigh you down like how you've let it before.
You know that, and you know you know that.
Because you're saying it to your own face right now.
I forgive you, Isaac.
I forgive you, Isaac.
I forgive you, Isaac.
24 gently smiles, twirls his black umbrella, and nods his head in acknowledgement, before being wiped away from the glass. One final piece clicks into place in Isaac's heart as he gazes back into his very own, unadjusted reflection.
Isaac feels a bit more kind, a bit more confident, a bit more accepting and a bit more forgiving.
The glass mirrors surrounding him shatter in a rain of shimmer and shine, and in the blink of an eye, he's outside of the mirror rooms with a clear path back to the safety of his bar home.
As he walks back, the sun begins to rise, announcing a new day and a new chapter in Isaac's life. The wind subtly flowing through his hair, the dew slightly clinging to his shoes, and the drifting, infinite sky seeming closer and more comforting than ever before.
And finally, Isaac believes, that maybe, just maybe, he can be happy once again.
