The Broken Mirror

Someone New

I held my grandmother's hand tightly. A strange sight for a semi-adult, but I needed the embrace of her hand as I stared up at my school. Her place of employment. I would not have the good fortune of staying at this school, but I knew I did not deserve to live on my own, yet.

"Thank you, Cookie, for being here with me," I said to her. It should not have been her hand I was holding, but my twin's. Cookie that was exactly what I meant when I thanked her. The so-called butterflies, which felt like massive eagles, flying around in my stomach, had my nerves on edge. I felt her soft lips on my cheek, and I turn to see her faint smile. The pain was evident in her face. I could see the tears were swelling in her eyes. I turned my face quickly from her. I knew that a tsunami of emotions was already brewing, and I did not need the waves to come crashing down.

"It is bittersweet, to stand here with at least one of my mirror twins. Your sister is smiling down on you right now, proud that you chose a fresh start," Cookie said soothingly. Could I believe that her god had allowed my sister to enter his pearly gates? I have no idea, but after the last couple of years, I knew I would not be. I know, how grim of me, but it was not just a case of having demons but feeling like one. The demons I was running from was me.

"Let's hope it is a fresh start," I quietly said to myself. "I cannot believe they agreed to take me in, I barely got my GED." We began walking towards the building. She was leading me to meet my advisors, it seemed she wanted me to have an edge here. Trust me, I needed it and I was lucky that Cookie worked as one of the professors here for their science department. She is a doctor and worked heavily in the area, which by my count had about three of four hospitals. The University of SouthFlorida had heavy involvement in the sciences, especially medicine.

I have not been in Florida long, I come here every year, but now it was home from New York City. This was no longer the place my family came to visit for the holidays, but it was supposed to become my home now. My grandmother has lived here since I was small, when my grandfather, retired from being a New York City Firefighter. He retired, she refused. He died a few years ago from kidney failure. He was a good man. He spoiled my sister, brother and me with all types of junk food. Cookie did not help any.

We reach the entrance to the building I need to go to see my advisor.

"I guess this is where we part ways. I will stop by your office so we can get lunch," I said turning towards the door to walk in. She clears her throat, which is a horrible sign for her. She did it every time she was going to tell me something, she knew I would hate. "What!" Trust me that was not a real question.

"Oh... don't, sweetheart," I could hear her trying to calm me before I blew, "I have to get your parents from the airport. That is why I had you drive your car also." She planted one of her sugary sweet smiles, this usually worked, but not at the mention of my traitorous parents, especially my mother.

"What are they doing here?" I crossed my arms in front of me and tried to move out of the way of other students coming and going, while I demanded answers for their intrusion.

"You thought they were going to miss their oldest starting her first day of college," she said with the same sugary smile, "Besides, Apollo will be with them." I rolled my eyes because she knows he is my weakness.

"Oh, now they want to be good parents. Gotta keep up with appearances, eh?" I shake my head. "Ignore, Calypso, Apollo and me all of our lives until..." I could not finish the statement. See, Cookie and my grandpa are upper middle class, well were for my grandpa, but my father comes from a long line of money. A line so long, they cannot even tell you where it started, probably European nobility. They were not around much, they were always jet-setting because of the concert tours my father would be on around the world or going to parties. Once in awhile, we would find ourselves whisked away to another country, but with our nannies to make sure we stayed out of our parents' way. They did not assume their parental roles until the s**t hit the fan and trust me when I say it was a lot of s**t and it splattered everywhere and ruined everything.

Cookie shook her head at me. "I am still trying to figure out why are you picking them up? Dad typically has a driver set up and they go stay in their fourth home in the Davis' Islands. At least, they will not be staying with us." Cookie clears her throat again. "Noooooo, Cookie, why are they staying at your house? They have a mansion!"

"They wanted to be close to you. You know it takes an hour from my house in New Tampa to get to the Davis Islands."

I shook my head at her, "Sounds more like they are trying to quiet their guilty conscience for sending me down here because I became too much to bear."

Cookie's face changed from the sugary smile to keep me calm to fire that would have matched her once red hair if it had not turned completely gray.

"Siren let me make sure you remember this," she said in a deep smooth voice, that let me know if I go but so much further, she'd forget I was nineteen and not nine. "Your therapist said you needed to leave New York, or you would share the same fate as your sister. Now we are having dinner tonight. You will behave yourself. Now you are late, I will see you later my love."

Cookie turned from me and began walking away. "And Cookie! I won't share the same fate," I yell out to her. I turn around and walk into the building. "Because I won't get into a car with an intoxicated driver."

I stare at whoever this person is who claims to be an advisor. I don't bother to get her name. They've been telling me about my options to declare a major. A major! Ha! Yeah, it is amazing I am in college right now. Even before everything that has happened, I doubt I would have been in college, and if I had, it would be for something I love like dance or vocals. Something I have not done in the last couple of years. Although, the years of dancing has kept my body amazingly sculpted, even though I have not done it in a long time.

I swear I am trying to listen to this person drone on and on.

"Are you listening to me?" the advisor asks me. I nod my head. All I can think about is my parents are coming soon. Lovely, I must see my emotionally distant, mostly my mother, pretentious parents. The only thing that could make me happy is to know Apollo is with them. My little brother who I miss more than anything.

Do you know how hard it is to sit in an office of someone who keeps talking about something you do not care about? I nod my head when I think she needs me to answer.

"Dr. Price made it very clear to us how important all of this is for you and your family. We are doing this as a favor to her," the advisor said. Which snapped me out of my daze. It took everything from within me not to glare at this woman, who's skin looked like she had lived every day on the beach without a tiny bit of sunblock and did not learn how to moisturize. It was at this moment, that I prayed my father being half black helped because my skin cannot age like that here in the Florida sun.

"I am quite sure my father's millions helped too," I add coolly. She crossed her arms while her left eyebrow shot up. Her gaze did not make me lose my cool. Yes, I said it. My father bought me my way into this. Cookie might work here, but her career could not get this type of pull, but my father's money speaks louder than her tenure. "Are we done?" I plaster on the fakest smile, hoping it would get me out of this room. She returns the exact same smile to me.

"Yes." She responded. I did not wait for her to say anything else. I grabbed the schedule she printed for me so I could really see what my classes looked like. Interesting I would say. Cookie put this together mostly. I packed my classes into two days. The only thing that annoyed me, as they were early morning classes. She did that on purpose, knowing full well that I could sleep past noon if you let me.

I kept walking, looking at this schedule. I shook my head; I need to put other things on this schedule besides school. I have only lived here for a couple of months. I do not know anyone besides the people at my grandmother's church. Some of them are young, but the majority? They were all around her age. She did everything with them. I wanted my own crew. Lost in my thoughts I could feel myself crash into something and then I heard a loud splatter.

"O. M. G! I am so, sorry!" I practically yell, without even looking at the person who just lost their food. I bend down immediately and start cleaning up the mess I made.

"Maybe if you were paying attention and not reading and walking, this wouldn't have happened," a male voice snapped. Oh, no, he didn't. I looked up and scowled at him. He was gorgeous and rude. Dark hair, with intense hazel eyes, quite tall, with a muscular build, that suggested he was an athlete.

"It does not seem you were exactly paying attention either," I snap back, I jumped up and swung my long red hair out of my face, ready to give him the business. Another guy standing right next to him grabbed his arm and smiled at me. He was also gorgeous. His skin was darker than mines, also dark-haired, with big brown eyes. He had freckles on his face as I did.

"X calm down. She apologized, besides you text and walk all the time. My name is Ethan by the way," he said giving me his hand to shake. I grabbed it quickly and shook his hand. We all bend down to begin cleaning up the mess. Ethan keeps smiling at me while his friend grimace makes me want to punch him in his gorgeous face.

"Thank you, Ethan," I said with a big bright smile. I turn to his friend. "And next time, I'll save my sorries, asshole." I glared at him for not even trying to let up and Ethan chuckles at him being called an asshole.

"Well, now I need to go buy more food." I mockingly mimic him. He stops and looks directly at me. Fresh start, fresh start, fresh start, that is all I can keep saying in my head as I am trying not to lunge at him.

"Hey! I got a great idea!" Ethan said trying to diffuse the situation.

"What?" X said with the venom now misdirected at him.

"Hey, whatever your name is, you want to have lunch with us?" Ethan asked while winking at X.

"Really E?"

"What? She looks hungry?" Was he trying to say I look skinny? I am not skinny, slender, nowhere near skinny. I try to quickly figure out what I wanted to do. Ethan seems like a cool sexy guy and his smile is amazing, but his friend, no matter how gorgeous, makes me want to scream. His visible annoyance is starting to get ridiculous at this point.

"Siren, by the way, and nah. I rather eat with people who want my company," I answer Ethan while staring at his obnoxious friend.

"Thank God!" Okay, just get up and walk away. Which is exactly what I do. I get up and begin to walk away, hearing their hushed voices while counting down to calm myself. Staring from ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one...SMACK!