Midnight Ruling

by E. M. MacCallum

  The earthquake at my feet became more intense as Phoebe swung the door inward.

  A long dim hallway that was unnervingly repetitive reflected the torchlight.

  Phoebe dove in first, followed by Cody, who yanked me behind him.

  With a cry, I felt Joel bump me out of the way. Or rather, shove.

  Off balance, Cody’s hand ripped free, and I had to grab the nearest statue for balance.

  Cody hurried inside, still reaching for me.

  Jumping after them, I resisted the urge to “accidentally” back into Joel’s injured arm.

  Before the door closed, I noticed the tiger still lying in the path. If she didn’t fear the monster, then I didn’t need to coax her to come with us.

  “Here,” Phoebe whispered shrilly, passing me the key.

  With the lock on either side, it seemed we had an option to lock things out.

  Or us in.

  Snatching it from her, I realized it felt uncomfortably warm, as if it had been soaking in the sun.

  Twisting the elegant key in the lock, I heard the secure tiny click. My shoulders sagged at the reassurance. As I leaned my forehead against the cool door, I heard Joel mumble, “Does that thing ever stop?”

  Standing erect, I glanced over my shoulder at him. Joel was pale in the soft light, sweat glistening on his face and making him appear sickly.

  Cody pointed to the door, staring past me.

  Spinning around, I saw the words etched in the black stone.

  “Elizabeth, Elspeth, Betsy, and Bess,

  “They all went together to seek a bird’s nest.

  “They found a bird’s nest with five eggs in it,

  “They all took one, and left four in it.”

  Cody began to mumble the poem out loud when Joel snapped, “We can read, numb-nuts.”

  Wordlessly, we stared at the crude letters carved into the smooth stone surface.

  Cody spoke first. “There was five eggs and four girls. There would be one left if they each took one.”

  “But think,” I said. “Elizabeth, Elspeth, Betsy, and Bess are all the same name.”

  “Oh.” Phoebe crossed her arms across her chest cynically. “So I guess that this little girl thinks that she is four little girls?”

  “Maybe we’re in a crazy house instead of the House of Mirrors,” Cody said, eyes darting.

  Phoebe gasped. “Like a reflection of yourself over and over being different forms of yourself? That’s deep, Lewis,” she said, smiling at him.

  Cody flushed and scratched his head. “You thought it was about a schizo.”

  I shook my head. “No, you guys. Listen.” I tried my best to sound patient, though I could hear the laced frustration. “Her name is Elizabeth, but she has three nicknames. There’s nothing sick about it. It’s like you, Phoebe.” I gestured towards her. “Some people call you Phoebe or Phoeb, and they’re just your name and nickname. But you’re just one person with two names.”

  Phoebe nodded. “I get it, but who calls me Phoeb?”

  I felt the smile tugging free. “No one, but it could be a nickname.” That was a lie. I heard Read call her that plenty of times when we were younger. But the idea of bringing him up might ruin the mood. He and Phoebe weren’t getting along the last time we were all together.

  “That’s just amazing,” Joel sneered. “What the fuck does it mean?”

  I shrugged helplessly under his stare. “Maybe Phoebe had a point. It’s the house of mirrors, right? Reflections upon reflections upon reflections of ourselves. Different sides of the same person.”

  Phoebe licked her lips, unconvinced. “We’re wasting time. I’m sure it has something to do with this place. We’ll just have to wait and see how.”

  Stepping past Joel and Cody, I inspected the long hallway before us.

  Torches held high reflected off the mirrors, illuminating the entire mirrored hallway.

  I looked to the reflection of the shorter girl with unruly blonde hair, dirt-stained legs, and purple penguin pajamas. She looked tired and skinnier than I remembered.

  I frowned at my own reflection, and every girl mimicked me.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  The mirrored corridor seemed to span forever.

  Torches were too far between, making the light dim despite the reflections. Outside, the cloudy skies were bright compared to the stuffy hallway. Our reflections were as lifelike and 3-D as ourselves, making it confusing. I reached back and touched Phoebe’s arm to make sure it was the real Phoebe and not some reflection.

  “Should we hold hands so that no one gets left behind?” I suggested.

  Phoebe’s reflection nodded in front of me. “Good idea.”

  She took my hand as Cody took hers. Joel was hesitant to take Cody’s hand with his uninjured one. After a grumble, he grabbed Cody’s wrist instead.

  All eyes turned to me.

  “Phoebe, maybe you should lead,” I said uneasily.

  Phoebe smirked. “I’m right here, Fuller. It’s okay.” She nudged me with her shoulder to start walking.

  I started forward, glancing back at my friends. Phoebe and Cody were watchful, but Joel stared dead ahead, his expression vacant, if not strained.

  In single file, we shuffled down the corridor made of black-painted floors and mirrored walls.

  My peripherals kept catching a glimpse of movement. Each time, it was one of my friends shifting or an unconscious twitch of my fingers reflected over and over, ahead and behind us.

  The further we ventured from the door, the more I began to worry. Were we walking straight into a trap like Cody thought? I swallowed hard, feeling uneasy.

  “Wait, wait!” Phoebe tugged at my hand.

  Stopping, I followed her gaze to see a new hallway to my left. Strangely, I hadn’t noticed it when I passed. The mirrors made it appear invisible, like another wall, unless I looked directly at it.

  Unlike the main hallway, this one had mirrors on the ceiling and floors as well.

  “No skirts, ladies?” Joel asked, though the jape was hollow, possibly automatic.

  He shuffled behind Cooper, looking unsteady and pallid.

  “How much blood did you lose, Joel?” I asked, drawing attention to him.

  He grumbled, “Not like I can stop now. So it doesn’t matter.”

  He was right, but I didn’t like it. If he fell behind, we would have to carry him. If we had to carry him, we’d be slower. I hated the automatic thought and wondered what would happen if I was in his position. Would they leave me behind? He’d threatened it once for Phoebe.

  Ignoring Joel’s flagrant stare, I kept the concern to myself and veered down the mirrored hallway to our left. I adjusted my grip on Phoebe’s hand, and she squeezed my fingers in reassurance.

  The new hallway curved softly. The only way I could tell there was a turn was when I nearly collided with my own face. Unfortunately, with all the shining mirrors, it was a constant struggle to keep my balance.

  There weren’t any corners like where the floor met the wall in this part. Everything curved, creating distortions in our reflections. It occurred to me that the torches were gone. The reflection from the main hallway had stretched into the new one.

  We moved slower, though, steadying each other.

  It felt as if we were traveling around in an endless circle. Everything looked the same. I could see the worried expressions beginning to crease my friends’ faces.

  “This doesn’t seem right.” Joel voiced everyone’s concerns.

  “We need some bread crumbs or something,” Phoebe muttered.

  “We don’t have any,” Joel snapped. “We need something else.”

  “Like what?” Cody asked.

  The conversation stopped itself when no one dared an answer.

  It seemed like hours that we staggered through the strange hallways. It wasn’t long before Joel fell to one knee.

  He waved us all off as he stood up again and kept pace. Phoebe’s limp returned, and like Joel, she
had sweat beading her forehead. Her hand grew colder and clammier in mine.

  Could time be catching up with us?

  Finally, I felt a soft tug. I looked back and saw that my three companions had stopped.

  “We seriously need to figure something out. A way to trace our steps,” Phoebe said, breathing harder than she should have been.

  We released each other’s hands as Phoebe propped her fists on her narrow hips. Bending at the waist, she took a few deep breaths, fogging the mirror at her feet.

  Cody touched her back. “Not feeling well?”

  She shook her head.

  “It’s the poison,” I said.

  “No shit,” Joel said acidly. “We better get the hell out of here soon. We’re wasting time. If you haven’t noticed yet, there are two people in this group who need a hospital.”

  Cody pointed to the blood on my back, and Joel made a face. “I’m missing a thumb,” he said, closing the argument.

  “He’s right,” Phoebe said after a pause. “We need a way out. The longer we wait, the worse Joel and I are going to get.”

  “Should have let me suck out the poison,” Cody said.

  “I told you,” Phoebe said, her voice edged with annoyance. “The poison would have already spread. There would have been no point indulging a myth.”

  “You should have told us about it sooner,” I mumbled.

  Cody raised his eyebrows, his body rigid as he prepared for a confrontation.

  Phoebe glanced between the two of us, irritated. Straightening to her full height, which was just half a foot shorter than Cody, she said, “I don’t need this. If it weren’t for me, you’d still be attached to a tree. And Fuller, I couldn’t have you two throw a panic attack because of a little bite.”

  Cody argued with her, his voice thrown over hers as he protested. “You didn’t do everything, you know. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have made it to the top of that tree house.”

  “Enough!” Joel’s voice boomed. My body gave a start at the unexpected outburst. Hugging myself, I steadied my balance again.

  Phoebe and Cody glared at each other. Cody was the first to look away, though his cheeks were still flushed.

  “We need something to mark the walls or floor,” Joel said. “Anyone have something sharp? A ring? Earrings? Keys? Think, you morons.”

  Phoebe checked her pockets before pulling out one of her tiny earrings. “It’ll be hard to mark mirrors with it, though,” she pointed out.

  Cody produced some change. The quarter had edges that might make a mark, but it would be faint.

  I didn’t have anything except the clothes on my back. I shrugged, tugging at my shirt and looking to my yellow-stained socks.

  “What now?” Joel grumbled.

  I looked up to see he was speaking to Phoebe.

  She glowered at him and threw her arms up. “I don’t know, Joel. You have any better ideas on how to get through a labyrinth of mirrors?”

  To Phoebe, he said, “I don’t have any lipstick, Sarah. Maybe we should ask the Goblin King.”

  Phoebe stuck her tongue out at him and Cody looked confused.

  “Maybe this is a dead end,” Cody commented and tilted his head up to the ceiling. “Maybe even a trick.”

  Phoebe agreed. “That sounds like something Damien would pull.”

  “Alright, let’s go back.” Cody eagerly turned away from Phoebe. The tension between them was still hot and uncomfortable.

  Phoebe didn’t reach back to take my hand as I took that first tottering step. The dozens of different reflections had a dizzying effect. It wasn’t long before the room began to tilt. I teetered in zigzags and tried my best to keep up with the group, which wasn’t hard considering they weren’t moving so well either.

  Ahead I heard Cody suggest, “Let’s hold hands again.”

  Joel said something about not swinging that way when Phoebe glanced over her shoulder at me. “Fuller, are you okay?”

  I felt offended having a poisoned girl ask me that.

  I tried to nod, but the image of several girls nodding out of the corner of my eyes made my stomach perform gymnastics. I uttered a cry as I reeled toward a mirror, grappling for my balance.

  Hunching my shoulders, I closed my eyes as my world tilted, and I waited for impact.

  But I never hit a solid mirror. Instead, I felt a cool, thickened sensation as if I were being swallowed by paste. I held my breath, afraid to draw in liquid instead of air.

  As I waved my arms to stop myself, I opened my eyes to see a distorted view of my friends.

  Then I hit the floor.

  My breath rushed out in a whoosh.

  Blinking back the shock, I looked up to see the distorted images again. It looked as if they were melting. The liquid mirror shivered where I had fallen through. It rippled outward until gradually smoothing back over to reveal a clear image of Phoebe, Cody, and Joel again. They stared at the mirror where I’d disappeared. Had I fallen through a two-way mirror?

  Phoebe called my name. I only knew this because I saw my name shaping over her lips, but I couldn’t hear her.

  All three of them were bracing themselves, knees bent as if they too were dizzy.

  Cody knelt to inspect where I had fallen through, reaching up tentatively.

  Joel just appeared annoyed. He seemed to be trying to tell them to keep walking, motioning them to follow his lead. Sweat had drenched the front of his shirt, mixing with the drying blood. Phoebe didn’t appear any better, barely able to stand. I watched her muscular thighs quiver just with the effort of staying upright.

  Sitting up, I felt something warm trickle from the throbbing in my back. I had cracked open one of the scabs again, no doubt.

  Wincing, I reached forward to touch the mirror. Maybe I could get back through.

  “Hello?”

  The voice came from behind me.

  Twisting, I rolled onto my knees, hands out to fend the speaker off.

  I faced a long dark room that spanned the length of the mirror behind me. The walls, hard floor, and ceiling had been painted a dull black. The only light came from the reflection of the mirrored hallway.

  “Please don’t hurt me,” came the soft voice.

  It took several seconds for my eyes to adjust to see the woman. She clutched her legs to her chest, watching me over her bare knees.

  My heart raced as I saw the ruffled chestnut hair that covered half her face. Pale green eyes the color of jewels peered out at me, unblinking. “Nora?” she asked, hope twisting in her voice, making her sound young.

  “Robin?”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  Robin’s pale eyes glistened with tears, but she didn’t move.

  Tangled up on the floor with her arms locked around her knees, Robin sniffled. “Nora?” she asked again.

  I nodded, numb.

  Leaning against the wall for support, Robin unfurled. From under the dirt and smudges that marred her petite features, she watched me as if I might be a mirage.

  “Robin,” I said softly, seeing her full bottom lip quiver. “We’re here to get you out.”

  At least I hoped we could.

  The unexpected smile began to spread.

  When she flung herself at me, my first instinct was to get to my feet and run. The intention was there as one leg bent to stand, but she caught me before I could get up.

  “Nora!” she cried, her voice like a foghorn. She could put Joel to shame. Coiling her bony arms around my neck in a hug meant to suffocate, Robin held fast for several heartbeats.

  “You were back here the whole time?” I asked, catching my breath. I could feel ribs under my hands; she felt far too fragile to squeeze, so I gave an inadequate pat or two.

  Robin twitched her head in a nod. “I fell asleep and woke up here. I tried yelling at you guys, but no one could hear me.” She shuddered. “I screamed and screamed,” she said, and in that instant, I could hear the gruffness of her voice.

  “It’s okay,” I said,
feeling the hollowness of those words.

  When she released me, I saw a dark smudge along the left side of her clingy sundress. “Are you okay though?” I asked, inspecting her for blood.

  Before she could answer, an alarm in the distance froze us in place.

  It took me a second to realize it wasn’t an alarm but a shrill cry, like an infant.

  My first thought was of Caitlin in her crib. She couldn’t be here, I tried to reassure myself.

  The wailing continued as Robin and I peered up and down the long back hallway for signs of danger.

  “It’s been crying ever since I got here,” Robin whispered tremulously. “On and off. I tried looking for it but…”

  The crying baby couldn’t be seen, but its voice sounded as if it were coming from all directions. It was hard to know where to focus.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  The eerie wailing of the baby faded, to my relief, but didn’t died completely.

  “Yes,” she answered, her eyes shifting toward our friends.

  Turning, I watched with her as Phoebe reached forward to pat the mirror.

  “So you know about this new Challenge?” I asked.

  “Damien told me just before he locked me up here.” After a long pause, she whispered, “He scares me, Nora. He knows things that…” She swallowed the last words like an uncomfortably large pill. “Why is Joel here?”

  “You know him?” I asked.

  Joel stepped behind Phoebe as we watched her inspect the mirror. Joel said something before raising his good arm and planting it on Phoebe’s back, pushing.

  Phoebe shouted something as she plunged head first into the mirror.

  Her arms raised as she prepared herself for an impact, but she ended up stumbling into the hallway with Robin and me.

  The mirror moved like a thick silvery liquid. It rippled around the place where she had run through before rolling back into the smooth, glassy surface.

  Phoebe almost lost her balance. She ran into the opposite black wall past us. Gasping, she spun around to see Robin and me.

  Her gaze flickered between us before she asked, “Robin?”

  Robin wriggled out of my grasp and was on her feet, running for Phoebe, arms swung open wide. I was happy to see Phoebe react in the same defensive jerky motion, as if she weren’t sure if she should run or fight. Before Phoebe could fully react, Robin caught the tall blonde in a fierce hug.