So, after a quick shower – with the bathroom mirror covered this time, and a more suitable set of clothes for moving around, Sunyoung was ready to try and figure things out again. She still had the piece of crystal from the other side, but after trying every possible way to get it to work, she was forced to conclude it simply didn’t on her side. Why, she didn’t know, but nothing she did activated it. Back to square one as a normal human.

                Of course, after she had a moment to stop and just breathe, quite a few other things came to mind… None of them really mattered to her right now, because Amber was in danger and she had to figure out how to help her friend regardless, but it didn’t stop the world on this side from moving as it did everyday. Amber had pulled her out of the middle of her shift at work. All of her important things were there, including her purse and wallet and, more importantly, her phone. “So stupid,” she grumbled, lamenting the lack of any other phone in her apartment just then.

                Oh, and it was also the next day. She’d been gone for over twenty four hours and was mildly surprised but also glad that no one had tried to report her missing or something. She didn’t think so anyway. There was no note on her door and no one stopped by to check on her – that she knew of, but she didn’t need her stuff right now. She needed to find a way to get back to the parallel world and fast.

                “Let’s do this!” she stated determinedly, one hand balled into a fist as she stood in the middle of her living room in running pants and a t-shirt, hair up in a messy, damp pony-tail. Tearing through the apartment, she covered every other mirror and reflective surface she had and returned her attention to the floor length one in her bedroom.

                First attempt. Push on the blanket to try and get through. Nope… Didn’t even budge. Maybe it was because there was no reflection at all? Just normal glass at that point.

                Second attempt. Trying to sneak her hand under the blanket to push against the mirror. Damn. Even though she couldn’t see her reflection, it was still there.

                Third attempt. She yanked the blanket off and tried to surprise her Imago by throwing herself at the surface. “Ow…” she groaned when the mirror caught her face. She wondered if her reflection felt that too and ersely hoped they did.

                Fourth attempt. A sneak attempt from the side also proved futile when her reflection remained where it was, perfectly mirroring her every effort.

                Fifth attempt. Try to enter from behind? “Of course not,” she muttered to herself, shaking her head as she placed the mirror against the door again. She knew it wouldn’t work but she had to try.

                Sixth attempt. Maybe if she tried to knock herself out, it would knock the Imago out? A half-hearted attempt merely made her head hurt and she glared at herself in the mirror in irritation. “Idiot,” she grumbled at her reflection. It was another one she knew wouldn’t work – even if it did, she’d be unconscious too…

                Seventh attempt. Lights off. Nope. She could still see her reflection. There was too much light coming in from her window and the doorway and everywhere… “Oh. Wait a minute,” she murmured thoughtfully, glancing around her room. She closed her door, shut her blinds and pulled the curtains closed and turned to regard herself in the mirror. “Nope. Not dark enough.” There was still ambient light sneaking in from under the door and around the curtains. They weren’t blackout quality so that would have to be fixed. But she had an idea!

                Rushing to the kitchen, she rummaged around under the sink for her general repair and hardware stuff. She didn’t have much but her dad had made her take the basics: screwdriver, hammer, plyers and duct tape. Surprisingly, she did at least have some nails still hanging around from the last time he’d come over to fix something. “Ahah!” she crowed triumphantly when she found them. Supplies in hand, she returned to her bedroom and pulled her extra blankets out of her linen closet. Sheets weren’t quite thick enough.

                She had to use her desk as a ladder, but she was able to hammer a blanket in place and then duct tape the edges to keep any additional light from coming in. Of course she had to do it twice – damn corner room – but that was okay. She had just enough nails and plenty of tape. Stepping back, she surveyed her handiwork and nodded in satisfaction. It only grew when she closed her door and turned off the lights and realized it was almost pitch black. A half-hearted attempt to go through the mirror proved useless, as she expected, but she had one more thing to do. She tried to cover the door with tape and a towel but decided she needed a flashlight first.

                “Thank you dad,” she grinned when she retrieved it from under the sink as well. Halfway through putting tape up, she felt decidedly uncomfortable with her Imago still watching her so she covered the mirror with a sheet this time and then returned to her efforts. Much better. Finished at last, she pointed at the windows. “Check.” She traced a line around the door where the duct tape covered the slits around it. “Check.” A glance at the taped in place towel at the bottom also showed her messy but complete handiwork. “Check!” Looking over at the mirror, she grinned and took a breath.

                A thrill of excitement washed over her as she hit the lights and was cast into total darkness. It was so like being in a cave that she almost felt a pressing need to turn the flashlight on. Fortunately, she needed to anyway to get to the mirror. Grasping the sheet in her fingertips with her other hand holding the flashlight, ready to turn it off, Sunyoung took a small breath and whispered, “Please let this work.”

                Closing her eyes, she turned the flashlight off, took another breath, and then pulled the sheet off the mirror. When she opened her eyes, it felt like they were still closed but she knew she was directly in front of the mirror. With a trembling hand, she reached out slowly. Her eyes blinked quickly and she swallowed hard, biting on her bottom lip when she didn’t feel anything. Had she reached far enough? Should she turn on her light to check? No! That would ruin it, she was sure. Uncertain, Sunyoung moved her arm to the left and she inhaled sharply when her forearm hit something. Not her fingertips and not just air. “It worked…” she whispered, reaching further and brushing her arm against the mirror frame, just to make sure. She reached her other hand forward and did the same thing.

                But it made her nervous having her hands sticking through into a different world when she couldn’t see them so she pulled them back and turned the lights back on. She flinched when her reflection actually seemed to be a bit late in responding to her. “Huh,” she chirped, nodding her head and filing it away for future reference. “Okay,” she smiled, patting the crystal in her pants pocket and nodding to herself. She had a way back in, but Ren hadn’t been wrong when he said she was just one person. Hell, even she figured she’d need some help. Fortunately, she knew a couple people that might be willing to buy into this madness without too many questions.

                And at least one of them was relatively nearby. Wait. What time was it? 4:31. Okay. Yeah. He should be home from his classes at least. Sunyoung snagged her spare key from the kitchen drawer and grabbed a bit of cash from her emergency stash, just in case. Putting her own sneakers on, she flew down the stairs of her apartment complex. The third floor wasn’t that high but the elevator would be too slow and moving on her own at least made her feel like she was going faster.

                Jogging into the streets, her world suddenly felt all too noisy and crowded. That was what she got for heading out in near five o’clock traffic – both pedestrian and vehicular. Of course the Metropolis was crowded, but the forest had been so quiet and this was just plain jarring. Steeling herself for the run, Sunyoung pushed all thoughts aside and just focused on getting to Jackson’s apartment as fast as she could. Wonshik lived on-campus in student housing and Aron was on the other side of town. And Jackson was one of the easier ones to approach as well. Wonshik was sometimes a bit much and Aron just looked scary sometimes. His smile made up for it, but sometimes he had a resting face...

                “Jackson!” she called, pounding on his door and completely out of breath by the time she reached his apartment. She needed to exercise more… “Jackson!” she tried again, mentally hoping that he was actually home and that she wouldn’t have to go and find one of the others right now. Someone down the hallway opened their door to peer at her and she cringed, mouthing ‘Sorry’ in their direction. The middle aged woman gave her a glare and then shook her head before moving back inside. “Jackson!” she gave it one more go in a quieter tone, nearly falling inside when he suddenly opened the door.

                “Sunyoung?” he asked in bewildered confusion.

                “Hi,” she laughed, still trying to catch her breath and giving him a quick wave.

                He gave her a once over and frowned in mild concern. “You okay?”

                “Yes and no,” she added quickly, standing up and then looking over his shoulder to make sure there was no mirror in the immediate vicinity. “I need your help.”

                “Okay,” Jackson said uncertainly, blinking once with his confused frown still in place. “You could have just called.”

                “My phone’s at work,” Sunyoung explained with a shrug.

                He opened his mouth to say or ask something but stopped and just shook his head. “Maybe you better explain a bit more,” he offered, opening his door for her to come in.

                Sunyoung took a step out of habit and then stopped when she caught sight of a reflective surface from one of his framed pictures. “Actually, I’d rather talk out here. Or better yet, we can talk at my place, but I need you to call Aron and Wonshik for me. Please?” she pleaded as cutely as she could, knowing she otherwise sounded bat crazy.

                “You sure you’re okay?” he asked, obviously debating what to do.

                “Yes, I’m sure,” she answered immediately. “But Amber’s in trouble, and probably Ren too, and I’ve got nothing but a crazy story to tell and it would really be easier if I could just show you all but I really do need your help. Please, Jackson,” she pleaded, grabbing his hand in hers and meeting his eyes.

                He jerked in surprise. “Amber and Ren are in trouble?”

                “Yes.”

                “That would explain why she didn’t answer me yesterday,” he mused, mind shifting gears as he started piecing together what was possible and not. “Okay. What kind of trouble? Did you call the police?” he started to ask before waving it off. “Never mind. Let me get my keys. Looks like you ran over here,” he snorted.

                “I did,” she admitted with a heavy sigh and a nod, leaning over her knees again.

                “Must be one helluva story,” he commented, stuffing his wallet in his back pocket as he put his shoes on and stepped into the hallway so he could lock the door behind him.

                “You have no idea,” she laughed, patting her pocket to make sure she still had the crystal. Good. It was still there.

                “Can’t wait to hear it,” he smiled, placing a hand on her upper back to start shepherding her out of the complex. On the way to his car, he called up both Wonshik and Aron, though the latter took a couple tries. He was sleeping before work, not surprisingly, but by the time they’d arrived at Sunyoung’s apartment, Jackson had convinced them to meet him there. The ‘Amber’s in trouble’ argument worked wonders and Sunyoung was mildly miffed she wasn’t enough but was just happy they were at least coming.

                “Don’t freak out when we get inside,” she told Jackson as she led the way to her apartment.

                “Why?” he asked warily, glancing down at her as if she was going crazy again.

                “Lots of blankets and sheets and towels covering all the reflective surfaces?” she offered hesitantly with a cringe.

                “Huh,” he chirped, still mulling over the crazy possibility. When Sunyoung opened the door and let him in, he gave another, “Huh. Okay.”

                “I promise I can explain,” she urged, rushing into the kitchen to at least get him something to drink while they waited for the other two to arrive. It would be much easier if they were all together and though it made her look crazy, she felt much more secure in this place because there was little chance of Imagos listening in. Oh goodness, it was a good thing he couldn’t hear her thought process right now.

                Jackson accepted the cup of water, though he continued to look around curiously. Every now and then, he would check his phone and nod, giving her an update when necessary. Wonshik was almost there. Aron would be about five more minutes. A knock on the door proved to be Wonshik with his usual, boisterous energy.

                “Sunyoung- woah!” he stated when she opened the door, his eyes landing on her and then the room behind her. “You redecorating?” he wondered immediately, glancing at Jackson for confirmation before he stepped in when she left the door open for him.

                “Not exactly,” she admitted, rushing to the kitchen to get him water as well, feeling entirely too self-conscious when she heard them whispering behind her. To be fair, she would have thought herself crazy too if she hadn’t experienced what she’d been through recently. Wonshik took the cup of water graciously enough and downed half of it in the first sip. Uncomfortably, they waited for Aron to arrive, who had a fairly similar reaction to Sunyoung’s choice of ‘decorations,’ but recovered just as quickly.

                “So. What’s up?” Jackson asked first as the original point of contact and the one that had been sitting with all the weirdness the longest.

                “Okay,” Sunyoung said as she stood in front of the three young men sitting on her couch. “Just remember, Amber’s in trouble and I need your help and this is going to sound crazy.”

                “Got it,” Wonshik nodded emphatically, giving her a thumbs up for encouragement that felt completely forced. “Ow!” he yelped when Aron smacked him in the back of the head.

                “Not helping,” he reminded the other man.

                “I didn’t see you trying anything,” Jackson snorted once with a sidelong look.

                Aron opened his mouth to respond, but Sunyoung stepped in, “Guys! Focus!” she clapped, taking the crystal out of her pocket and putting it on the table in front of her. “Amber is an Imago from the world on the other side of the mirror and she offended a Royal who is probably going to kill her unless we use this crystal to go rescue her.” Okay. That could have gone better… By the look of their faces, she knew that was probably the worst approach she could have given, but there it was.

                “Imago?” “World on the other side of the mirror?” “Rescue Amber?” they all talked at the same time, very confused expressions on their faces.

                “Yes!” Sunyoung stated firmly, running back to her room to grab her hammer. She snatched the crystal up and took it into her bathroom.

                “What are you doing?” Wonshik asked, the first to follow her. She couldn’t tell if he was genuinely curious, worried or maybe afraid, but he was there at least. Shadowed quickly by Aron and Jackson if their shadows in the doorway were any indication.

                “Breaking the crystal so we can all have a piece,” she grumbled determinedly, quite pleased with her moment of inspiration. She had no doubt that it would still work. The crystal was a conduit of sorts. As Amber and Ren had pointed out, the more you poured into it, the larger it got so, as long as they had a piece of a crystal, it should work. And she was going on a limb with them being able to use magic, but it was better than nothing. She was just assuming it would work for them, and that was assuming they would still come with her.

                “Wait!” Aron started to say as she slammed the hammer on the crystal, breaking it into three pieces.

                “Damn,” Sunyoung muttered, smacking at the largest chunk carefully. Fortunately, it broke without too much trouble.

                “I hope that wasn’t expensive,” Jackson cringed, the expression obvious in his voice.

                “I have no idea. I got it on the other side,” Sunyoung explained as she brushed away the smaller shards and then grabbed the four largest pieces. She stuffed one in her pocket and then reached to give one to each man. They took them reflexively as opposed to any willing desire to have one.

                “I still don’t understand what’s going on,” Wonshik admitted with a worried look.

                “I know. But we can use these to use magic in the other world. Are you coming or not?” she asked, staring at each person intently.

                “Do you have a fever?” Aron wondered, stepping close to put the back of his hand against her forehead.

                She smacked it away and scowled at him. “I do not and I’m not crazy, though I know it sounds that way. Either you guys can help me or not, but I’m going back. And if I die because you didn’t come, I’m coming back to haunt all of you,” she muttered as she pushed her way through them and stalked to her bedroom door. Sunyoung could feel their eyes on her back, watching closely. Their whispers made her want to hide for real. Truth was, she was afraid to go back alone and she really didn’t want to die. But damn it. If she had to go alone to try and save Amber, she would. Really… “You coming?” she asked with a trembling voice and the threat of tears if they said no.

                They must have heard it in her voice or maybe they did see tears on her lashes, but Jackson was the first to move. He laughed once and rubbed the back of his head with his free hand. “Either you are legitimately crazy and we need to keep an eye on you right now, or you’re telling the truth and you still need our help. I’m in,” he shrugged, stepping ahead of the group, though he was quickly flanked by Wonshik and Aron.

                “Me too!” they called in unison, glaring at each other and then glaring at Jackson for obviously stealing the spotlight.

                Sunyoung’s knees went weak with relief and she laughed with a smile, tears appearing anyway. She wiped at them quickly and nodded once. “Okay. Just… trust me,” she murmured, swallowing hard as she opened her door and stepped inside. She could tell they were surprised by the setup again, but they kept their whispers to themselves. “All the way inside. I have to close the door,” she urged Aron who was bringing up the rear. They watched her press the tape back into place and then move the towel back in front of the door at the bottom.

                “Seriously though. You’re either crazy or really telling the truth and I can’t tell which yet,” Jackson snorted, staring around the room and looking speculatively at the covered mirror.

                “Yeah. I know,” she admitted, nodding her head and standing up with a satisfied exhale. She snagged her flashlight and then offered her hand to Wonshik who was the closest to her. He took it uncertainly. “I’m going to turn the light off but you guys should hold hands too,” she added, nodding to Jackson and Aron. “It’ll be easier to follow each other when we… go through the mirror,” she explained slowly with a shrug.

                “Huh,” Wonshik laughed, extending his hand to Aron who took it and then took Jackson’s hand.

                “Ready?” she asked, biting her bottom lip nervously as she looked at the men.

                “I guess?” they offered hesitantly, shrugging in answer to her question.

                “Okay!” she chirped, turning the light off so that they were cast into complete darkness.

                “Holy , it’s dark!” Wonshik yelped, his voice easily recognizable.

                “Yep,” Aron agreed and Sunyoung imagined Jackson to be nodding in agreement.

                “Turning the flashlight on,” she warned as she started moving them to the mirror. “Okay,” she said as she paused, her fingertips on the sheet. “It has to be completely dark when I do this, otherwise the reflection keeps you out. Just… keep holding hands and follow me and… you’ll be fine,” she promised as brightly as she could. She just hoped she’d be right. “Oh. Be ready to run when we get inside,” she added as she turned the flashlight off.

                “Huh?!” her three friends yelped as she yanked the sheet off and forged ahead, silently praying it would still work. She met no resistance and took a breath as she stepped into the mirror.

                “What the…” she heard someone trail off as the line moved, pulling each person along. She didn’t hear them for very long before the weird twisting sensation of falling caught up to her and she knew they were on their way. “Hang on Amber. We’re coming,” she whispered as she took a breath and got ready to do… something when they landed.