Mirror in the Forest: Book One

by B. Groves

  “My daughter will be eighteen in a couple of months, and she is still a little naïve,” Mary finished.

  It took all of Mark’s strength not to say anything out of place. It was obvious now that Jessica’s parents wanted this for her, and it backfired.

  “Well, I hope you are giving her the support she needs,” Mark said through gritted teeth.

  “Of course,” she said, waving her hand in the air dismissing him.

  “If you need anything or any help with Dale, please call me,” he said, turning to leave.

  “I will, thank you. We’ve all been there, haven’t we Sheriff?” She asked smiling at him.

  “Apparently, some are in denial, Mrs. Winters. If Jessica needs another adult talk to, please tell her to contact me,” Mark offered.

  Mary smiled again. “I will tell her that.”

  Mark scoffed, because Mary hadn’t even noticed the insult directed at her.

  “I can handle Dale. I will not let his daughter threaten mine over an innocent mistake,” she said after a moment.

  Mark wanted to believe that, but he had his doubts.

  “Have a good day, ma’am,” he said turning to leave.

  Jessica had quietly opened up her window, and listened to what the Sheriff said to her mother.

  She was relieved that she wasn’t in any kind of trouble.

  She was lucky that her room was located in a part of the house where she could hear conversations on the porch without having to strain her ears.

  She had gotten dressed while her mother talked to the Sheriff, and was going to go see The Spirit of the Mirror. She did need someone to talk to, but didn’t want to speak to the Sheriff.

  No, she needed her guardian spirit right now.

  However, she felt really guilty for screaming at the Sheriff last night, and thought she’d say something.

  Chapter 11

  Jessica came down the stairs, and walked past her mother who was talking to someone, but ignored her for a moment.

  Jessica knew her mother couldn’t relate to what happened to her last night, and her lack of sympathy had really made things worse.

  She pretended to go to sleep, and just block her mother out of her mind.

  Her mother had basically blamed her for what happened without even saying it.

  Yet, she was the one who wanted her to do all of this!

  Jessica went outside, just as Sheriff Mark McKenzie was about to pull away.

  “Sheriff! Wait!” She called.

  She waved, and that finally got his attention, and he stopped his cruiser.

  She walked over to the driver door, and he got out looking her over.

  Jessica knew she looked a mess, but didn’t care.

  She really did feel guilty about not responding to him last night. She did appreciate his concern, and wanted to tell him that.

  Besides, he had been in her thoughts lately.

  “Hello Jessica,” he said.

  “I just wanted to say thank you for your concern, and apologize for the way I acted last night,” she said lowering her head in shame.

  She looked back up at him and noticed his eyes flickered with something that Jessica couldn’t read.

  “I’m just glad you’re all right,” he answered, masking something behind his stone face. “You are, aren’t you?”

  Jessica felt fresh tears threaten, but tried to blink them back. The memories of last night were still too fresh in her mind. She knew she had to go back to school tomorrow and was dreading it.

  Jessica balled her hands into fists, trying to hold back her raging emotions, saying, “No, but I guess I have to be.”

  “I gave your Mom my business card in case you needed to talk. My phone number is on there,” he offered.

  Jessica didn’t know why, but that made her feel better. She felt a sudden fluttering in her stomach. He was not only handsome, but a nice guy. She had two nice guys pay attention to her within a span of twenty-four hours, which was rare.

  “Thank you,” she said lowly.

  Mark looked down at her with sympathy, and Jessica was glad he didn’t look at her with pity.

  “I am not going to give you the adult lecture of teenage problems, I promise,” he said, trying to make a joke.

  Jessica smiled at that and said, “I know you wouldn’t. I guess I’m overreacting.”

  Mark shook his head. “No, you’re not. Mandy Cooper had no right to threaten you. She knew the responsibility of having that large of a party.”

  Jessica sighed and said, “Thank you again. I just really need to be alone right now. I am going to go for a walk.”

  “Okay. Like I said if you need to talk, your Mom has my card,” he offered again.

  “Thanks, Sheriff,” she said, genuinely appreciative.

  “Mark, and you’re welcome,” he answered with a slight smile.

  Despite everything that happened to Jessica last night, she was smiling from ear to ear when the Sheriff left. She really appreciated his concern for her, and never thought anyone except Tessa really cared about her well-being. Jessica felt lighter as she walked back into the house. All of the drama from last night seemed so far away now.

  She heard her mom hang up the phone when she closed the front door. She grabbed her jacket, and was anxious to go meet with The Spirit of the Mirror.

  “Was that Mr. Cooper?” Jessica asked.

  Mary smiled. “No, actually it was your friend Danny. He really wants to talk to you.”

  Jessica sighed. She didn’t really want to talk to him; she would have rather called the Sheriff back to her house. “I’m not ready yet.”

  Mary shook her head in irritation. “You’re going to have to face it sometime Jessica.”

  “I know Mom,” Jessica answered, getting flustered.

  “Where are you going?”

  “For a walk,” Jessica answered.

  Her mother scoffed and lit a cigarette. “Fine. Go. I am going to call Mr. Cooper in a few minutes.”

  Jessica could feel her anger building, but held back. Her mother had no right to be angry with her.

  “I won’t be long,” Jessica offered.

  Mary took a deep drag of her cigarette and said, “Just go.” She then turned away from Jessica and picked up the phone again.

  Jessica couldn’t believe her ears, but in a way she could, and it disappointed her.

  She would have stayed with Mary if she had been a little more empathetic, but she knew Mary would never give her that much.

  Without another word, Jessica walked out of the door and into the woods. She knew whom she could turn to right now for help.

  Jessica watched The Spirit appear in front of her. She then sat there and cried while The Spirit listened to her.

  Jessica felt so much better as she talked to him. He did not criticize her, nor did he judge her. He just listened, and that was all she wanted.

  “I don’t know how I am going to face school tomorrow,” she said as she wiped her eyes.

  The Spirit stood there listening silently to what Jessica had to say.

  She looked up at The Spirit of the Mirror and asked, “Do you think I’m overreacting?”

  “Stand child,” he said.

  Jessica stood and looked into his white glowing eyes.

  “Not at all. That kind of thing happening to a person could fracture even the hardest human. Humiliation is one of the worst things one can go through. You are constantly being judged by your peers, and when something happens, the judgment can turn cruel, especially from humans your age,” he explained as he gazed upon her.

  Jessica’s lower lip quivered, and more tears flowed down her cheeks. “I don’t think I can face these people tomorrow.”

  He put his reflective hands on her shoulders and made her look into his eyes. His eyes were so beautiful. They sparkled like diamonds.

  “Yes, you can, and you will hold your head high,” he said.

  Jessica let out a frustrated breath, and said, “I just want h
er to feel how I felt last night.”

  “Would you like that to be your next wish, Jessica?” He asked.

  Jessica thought for a moment. She spotted her old reflection in the mirror beside her new one.

  She had experienced the worst night of her life the night before, and it was all because of a spoiled rich girl who cared nothing for no one, but herself.

  Jessica could feel her anger building as she thought of the years that Mandy and her friends had bullied her.

  She thought Mandy finally wanted to connect with them, but Mandy never had any intention of being friendly with her. Jessica had been in the wrong place at the wrong time last night with Danny, and even though she was drunk, Mandy took full advantage of it. She didn’t give two shits about the bed that Jessica had vomited on. She just got a sick pleasure from making Jessica feel demeaned in front of a lot of people.

  Jessica knew what she was going to say next was wrong, but with the way she was feeling she had no remorse right now.

  She looked at the spirit and said, “Yes, that is my next wish.”

  “It will be done then, but I will need something in return,” he answered.

  “A gift, of course,” Jessica said.

  The spirit nodded and seemed to be thinking for a moment.

  He turned and walked around a little making Jessica wait.

  Finally, he said, “Your mother has a necklace that is from your great-grandmother. That is my request for the next gift.”

  Jessica gasped a little. She knew what necklace he was talking about. It was one of her mom’s favorite pieces of jewelry. Her grandparents were still alive and living in Florida, but her great-grandmother had given it to Mary when her parents married.

  It was a diamond encrusted heart pendant made of fourteen-carat gold. It was very old, not expensive, but the sentimental value could not be priced.

  Jessica thought for a moment and the spirit stood there silently waiting for her answer.

  She finally shook her head and asked, “Is there anything else I can bring?”

  The spirit shook his head in response, but said nothing more. No alternative gifts were offered.

  Jessica pursed her lips in frustration. She looked down on the ground in defeat. She couldn’t take one of her mother’s prized possessions for a little revenge. She just couldn’t. No matter how much her and mother disagreed, it was wrong to steal from her.

  “That necklace means everything to my Mom. I can’t do that to her,” Jessica finally said pacing a little.

  The spirit did not change emotions; he just stood there and studied her pacing.

  “As I told you Jessica the more you ask for, the harder it will be to obtain what you wish,” he answered.

  “I know, I know,” she said sighing. “I can’t do that. I will have to just face them tomorrow.”

  The spirit nodded and said, “As you wish, but of course, the offer still stands. I will be here as long as you need me.”

  Jessica nodded and said goodbye to the spirit and made her way back home.

  She was angry and frustrated with The Spirit. He said the gifts would get harder to obtain, but she didn’t think he would suggest stealing something.

  Jessica was fingering her hair as she walked, admiring the natural sounds and sights. He did grant her wish the first time, and it went well for a while.

  No, she could not possibly even think about stealing her mom’s necklace. Her mother would notice right away it was gone. Jessica couldn’t live with herself if she did that. Her mother may have been a narcissist, but she was not evil like Mandy Cooper and her friends.

  The Spirit of the Mirror was absolutely wrong, and Jessica thought she would come back at a later time, when she was in a better mind frame, and discuss an alternative gift again.

  She entered through the back door, and her mom was on the couch watching TV.

  “Hi Mom,” Jessica said about to make her way to her room.

  “Hi honey. I want to talk to you for a minute,” Mary said.

  There was a recliner, a couch, and loveseat in the living room.

  Jessica always thought the old wallpaper was ugly with the roses, but her mother loved it. Various family portraits and cheap paintings hung on the walls, and a TV at the front of the living room, with a stereo system to the left.

  A table with the telephone sat at the far end of the couch.

  Jessica sat down on the couch as her mom reclined in the chair.

  Mary took a drag of her cigarette and snuffed it out in the ashtray next to the chair.

  “I spoke with Dale, and he said the damage was too great to tell what you did, so he is going to cover everything,” Mary told her without really looking at Jessica.

  Jessica was relieved by the news. “I don’t understand why he would let Mandy do these things anyway?”

  Mary shrugged. “Money talks, sweetie, and you will learn that as soon as you enter the real world. Dale knows he can easily replace everything, that is why Mandy gets away with a lot of things.”

  Jessica could only shake her head in disgust. That means Mandy Cooper will never grow up, she will always be the spoiled rich girl who gets everything she ever wanted.

  Jessica was starting to re-think that offer, but tried to shake it off.

  “Is that all?” Jessica asked, want the conversation to just be over. “I have homework.”

  Mary nodded and Jessica went up to her room being reminded that dinner would be ready soon.

  Jessica went upstairs, turned on her music from her small stereo system, and tried to concentrate on her homework, but she was having a hard time.

  She learned from her mother that Tessa had tried to call a few times, and then Danny had tried to call her. She knew she needed to give them the courtesy of a call back even though she still wasn’t in the mood to talk.

  Jessica finally threw her book to the side, and picked up the phone to call Tessa.

  Chapter 12

  Jessica sat down in her seat, but tried really hard not to run from the school screaming. From the moment she walked into her first class, her classmates were making gagging noises, putting their fingers down their throats, among other jokes at her expense.

  She tried, and tried some more to hold her head up high like the spirit said to. She kept trying to replay his words in her head, as the torment persisted.

  She wouldn’t be meeting up with Tessa or Alex till later in the day.

  It wasn’t the whole school, no, that was impossible, but just those who had been there, and there were those that heard about it, and decided to be cruel.

  All of it was enough to bring Jessica to tears several times, making her run to the bathroom and clean up so no one would see she had been crying. Her guidance counselors were some of the most useless people in the world (they were always trying to talk her out of applying to NYU for some reason), so she wouldn’t turn to them for help. She was on her own.

  She knew she had to face up to everything that was done to her.

  Tessa was finally by her side after a while, and then Alex was there. Jessica felt so horrible, because her friends were getting teased about something or another from what transpired over the weekend. Alex was gay, and today he was getting bullied about it even worse than usual. In fact, he had been in a small fight, and gotten suspended for a day.

  Jessica had not seen Danny all day, and was kind of glad for it. She really couldn’t face him today.

  He was probably avoiding her anyway, and after a while she didn’t care, she just wanted the day to be over with.

  Jessica, Alex, and Tessa stood at Jessica’s locker when Mandy and her group approached.

  “Oh God,” Alex muttered.

  Jessica looked up at him and said, “I can handle it.”

  Mandy pushed back her dark hair, and adjusted her cheerleading outfit with her little entourage right behind her.

  The homecoming game was Friday night, and all the players from the football team, and cheerleaders would be in thei
r outfits all week to show their school spirit.

  The dance would be Saturday, and Jessica had no plans on going.

  Jessica had found out that she wasn’t the only one who was facing Mandy’s contempt. There were a few others who did some things that the intoxicated Mandy did not like, and were facing her wrath.