Mirror in the Forest: Book One (17 page)

“Jessica. What I really like about you is that you never fell for Mandy’s bullshit throughout school. You never got caught up in that crap that she and her stupid friends spew. She has nothing on you besides the party. Believe me she has taken a lot of good kids down for less,” he said.

Jessica thought for a moment and remembered a couple of years ago when a classmate named Mike Novak had hung himself in his closet.

“Mike?” She asked.

Danny nodded seriously.

Jessica shook her head, and then remembered a few others who had to transfer or drop out, and she started to wonder about them. The more she wondered the less guilty she felt.

“Mandy gave me this whole thing about how she could help me get into a great school, great opportunities, but I had to do things for her,” Danny said swallowing.

Jessica scrunched her eyebrows in question. She really was in the dark about these things.

“Like what, Danny?”

“If anyone crossed her, then myself and some friends would have to get things on that person that she could use against them even if it meant planting things,” Danny confessed.

Jessica swallowed hard as she took in what Danny was telling her.

“So, that night at the party? Is this all an act?”

Danny turned to her sharply, and almost went off the road.

“Sorry,” he muttered.

Suddenly, he grabbed her hand and said, “Jessica, that night was completely me. I have been trying to get out from under her thumb for a while. I don’t give a damn about the money. I just wanted it to stop. You were not a plan.”

Jessica believed him, because he looked really sad for the things he had done to other people at school.

“Now, you have. If what the Sheriff said was true, then we will never see her again,” Jessica said smiling at him.

“I’m kinda glad,” he answered.

Jessica smiled.

“Me too.”

Jessica entered the house and found her parents whispering at the dining room table.

“Hi, honey,” Mary said with a cigarette in her hand, and Don with his usual beer.

“Hi Mom. Hi Dad,” Jessica answered.

“Glad that boy brought you home safe,” Don said, smiling.

“Don’t worry, he’s a good guy,” Jessica said, sincerely.

“I wanted to ask you something,” Mary said, looking at her daughter.

“Two things,” Don corrected.

Mary nodded and said, “First, I want to know if you were okay with what happened. I know that can be horrible to witness. A lot of people were shaken up tonight.”

“I would never wish something like that to happen to anyone, even Mandy. I did disagree that they went on with the game,” Jessica answered, trying to act sad over the accident.

Mary looked relieved, and shot a look to Don.

“Also, before you go to bed,” Mary said ashing her cigarette. “Did you happen to see my grandmother’s necklace? I couldn’t find it. I agree about Mandy, but apparently she requested it before they took her away."

Well, wasn’t Mandy just the martyr? Jessica thought, sarcastically.

Jessica looked at her steadily. “No Mom, sorry, I didn’t.”

Mary shook her head and smiled slightly. “I figured. I just wanted to make you didn’t borrow it or anything. I’m sure it will turn up.”

Jessica smiled back and said, “I’ll look for it too, how about that?”

“Thanks honey. Good night,” she said.

“Good night Mom. Good night Dad,” she answered as she made her way up the stairs.

Jessica didn’t even wait for her father to answer. She knew exactly where the necklace was, and knew her mother would never see it again.

Jessica had to put up a good act, and play dumb about it.

….

The next morning her parents went out to breakfast with some friends before her dad had to go back to Spokane.

Jessica took the time alone to go into the woods, and see The Spirit of the Mirror.

She had no idea what to say to him.

When she reached him, she almost walked away again, but knew she was grateful to him, even though she had her doubts.

Mandy Cooper was an evil person, and what happened to her was much deserved.

The Spirit appeared and his white eyes glowed in the dark, dismal Washington day.

“Hello, Jessica,” he said pleasantly.

“Hello, Spirit,” she answered hesitantly.

“Why are you afraid?” He asked, immediately picking up on her apprehension.

“You don’t have any plans like that for me do you?” She asked, cautiously.

The Spirit chuckled and said, “Absolutely not. I would never hurt you.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“I know I asked for revenge, but I wasn’t expecting that,” she said.

The Spirit thought a for a moment, and said, “Mandy Cooper has done many evil things to good people. She only received what she has given.”

“What has she received?”

The Spirit smirked. “She will be paralyzed from the neck down the rest of her life.”

Jessica gasped in shock. “So, it’s true what the Sheriff told me then."

“Yes.”

Jessica let out a breath, and looked around the forest. The leaves were now changing from green to gold, red, and yellow. She suddenly felt very cold. Thinking of Mandy falling head first into the ground made her shiver to her core.

“Jessica, I think deep down you know what I did was the right thing,” he said to her watching her movements.

“Yes, but….”

“But what….”

Jessica couldn’t even think. Her wishes with The Spirit had taken a whole new level, and she didn’t know what to do.

“Let me ask you a question, Jessica,” The Spirit suddenly said.

“Go ahead.”

“Are you sad to see that happen to Mandy Cooper?”

Jessica thought for a moment.

“No,” she said honestly.

“Then my work has been completed with the wish,” he said smiling.

“I just didn’t expect her to be paralyzed like that over giving you just a necklace,” she tried to argue.

Jessica knew it was a moot argument. What’s done is done.

She could not change it, nor could she grant another wish to undo it.

Jessica suddenly smiled, and thought of all the kids Mandy hurt over the years, and continued to do so, especially Danny. Now, they could be free from her control.

“I knew you would see it my way, Jessica,” The Spirit said.

“I do, but now that I have Danny I don’t know if I need any more wishes now,” she said thoughtfully.

“Take a look in the mirror, child,” the spirit said stepping out of the way.

Jessica walked past the spirit and closer to the mirror.

“Think about it for just a moment,” he persuaded.

Jessica set her gaze upon both of her reflections in the mirror, and knew she was still not happy with her physical appearance. Her new hair did wonders, but she wanted so much more.

“You said we had to be subtle,” she said looking over at him.

“Yes,” he said.

“I would really like to be thinner. I’m really getting tired of being called fat,” she said eyeing her curves.

“If I do that then people will question you,” he said.

Jessica suddenly had a brilliant idea. Her eyes lit up with anticipation.

“We have basketball tryouts coming for the winter. Do you think that would work?” She asked.

“Do you want to be on the team?” He asked.

“Yes, and then the weight will come off without anyone getting suspicious,” she said smiling.

“Excellent! Would you like the most recognition of the team you will play on?” He inquired.  

Jessica thought for a moment. Most of the cheerleaders will be on the basketball team from what was left of Mandy’s group.

Mandy always had total control of the team from the time they were freshman in high school. This would be Jessica’s chance to take over the spotlight, and take it away from those that would inherit Mandy’s throne per se.

First, there was Kelly Martin, Mandy’s best friend, who came into the room the night of the party with Mandy. Jessica knew there were times that Kelly was even meaner than Mandy.

Kelly was also just as rich as Mandy, perhaps more, except her family came from old money. Her grandfather had owned several restaurants in Los Angeles and made millions off of them.

Then there was Amber Lexington. Amber was actually one of the nicer ones, if you could call her that. Jessica always knew she was follower, and did whatever Mandy said. Whenever Amber was not with her group, she had always been nice to Jessica, and apologized a few times for her friend’s behavior.

“Is that your wish?” He asked, patiently waiting for Jessica’s response.

Jessica turned back to the mirror with determination in her eyes.

“Yes, that is my wish. What is the gift I need to give you?”

The spirit thought for a moment and said, “There is an old antique store in your town.”

Jessica’s eyes lit up again, she knew exactly whom The Spirit of the Mirror was referring to. Sara Miller, she owned the store, and Jessica’s mom loved it in there. Whenever Jessica and Mary went shopping, Mary always made it a point to stop in there, and then complained about the money she would spend in Sara’s store when they finally left.

“Yes, what about it?” Jessica asked.

“There is a dagger that the owner has behind her counter. It has markings similar to the mirror. I want that dagger,” he said.

Jessica let out a breath. She didn’t think she would have to steal again.

How could she possibly get her hands on that dagger?

The Spirit eyed her and his white eyes suddenly flashed a little.

“I know what you are thinking Jessica, but it must be done to grant your wish,” he said.

“Do I have to steal it?” She asked hesitating.

“That is a decision that you will have to make, but I will need the dagger to fulfill your wish,” The Spirit answered.

Jessica was relieved. If she could cough up the money then she could bring it to him, and keep her conscious clean.  

“Just keep in mind that the dagger is extremely valuable and you may not have enough of the funds humans use to purchase it,” The Spirit said reading her mind.

Jessica couldn’t remember seeing the dagger before when she visited Sara’s store, but she would take a look to see what she could do.

“The gifts will soon be changing Jessica. This is the last physical item I will ask for,” The Spirit commented.

Jessica was relieved, but still apprehensive about having to steal something again.

The more she thought it over, she could not come up with a way to give The Spirit the dagger without Sara Miller discovering her plan.

“If you say so,” Jessica said still doubting what he wanted.

“I promise you, this is my last physical request,” he answered.

“I will get the dagger for you,” Jessica said, with a renewed confidence in her voice.

The Spirit smiled and said, “I know you will.”

Jessica walked out of the woods, and back into the house with her thoughts in overdrive. She was still having serious doubts, but tried to push them aside for right now.

Her parents hadn’t returned from breakfast yet. Jessica was relieved, because she was distracted with her thoughts, and didn’t want to deal with her parents until she was able to calm her raging emotions.  

Her date with Danny would be at seven tonight, but she wasn’t really looking forward to it. She had better things to do now.

Willing her mind to relax, she turned on the TV, and sat there watching some shows for a while. Yet, she was still planning what to do in her head.

She had to somehow get that dagger, but how?

She knew she would have to pay a visit to Sarah and scope out the store.

She would look at the price first, and see if she could somehow get the money, but the way the spirit talked, she knew it was impossible.

She thought over what she wanted. She had been bullied for so long in school that she had become an introvert.

Now, things were starting to change, and she was starting to change.

She wanted more now. She wanted to be liked; she wanted to have more friends than just Alex and Tessa.