Beyond the Glass

Chaotic Morning

Serena's POV

"AAAH! What in the world??!" I’ve fallen from the bed again! I stood up groggily, rubbing my bottom "Ugh! What a fall! And here I was thinking I’m old enough to not fall from beds..."

(I have been having these dreams for a long time now, not really dreams but, at least that’s what I want them to be. If I could, I would lock them up somewhere, somewhere far away from me, really, really far away)

Someone knocks on the door with urgency and shouts from the other side of the door "WAKE UP! TIME IS RUNNING OUT!"

"Ok, ok I’m going, geez…I was already awake before you came, you know?" With a volume like that she will be going places...

"I don’t want to hear your excuses, if I let you be, you’ll probably hide away somewhere…"

I open the door of my room revealing the person on the other side (Seriously how can she be so energetic in the morning?) "Mirena…that would be just childish…" She never lets me rest.

"As if you’re not" she scoffs "you are a literal child" how can she be so mean?!

"Excuse me?!" I make a shocked face but I’m not surprised, after all, I really have the habit of running away. "For your information I’ve matured a lot these last months".

She squints her eyes and crosses her arms "Matured? Yeah right" She laughs mockingly at me for that sentence "Come on now, go prepare yourself so we can go…and just for precaution… remember to keep your cape well tied… we don’t want anymore “accidents” …"

(I know, “accidents” that’s what she calls them, however they’re everything but “accidents”... the shame I carry on my back… that’s what I do and what I am, I can’t exactly say It is an accident when it happens so naturally and frequently) "You can rest easy, I’ll be extra careful!"

"I trust you will" she leaves the room and closes the door behind her.

"I can’t make a mistake like before, not again…"

(To make it clear I’m always making mistakes, it’s not one or two from time to time, this is something that I do so many times that even to myself is sickening, however… last time I made a terrible mistake, a mistake so bad that because of it Mirena and I were forced to switch locations and all because my cape was blown away by the wind…

In the world where we live in, nobody is obliged to cover themselves, you can walk freely without covering yourself and you won’t be frowned upon, however if your Glass is cracked, dirty, or “tinted” …you are nothing more than a being without value…

We live by the words: “Female or Male, Young or Old, Rich or Poor, everyone MUST let the pristine and blinding Light shine” …

The “Light” here is so important that every year, in the day the sun shines the most, everyone gathers to show their community how their Glasses shimmer in the presence of the Golden Rays. I, however, can’t do such a thing, because of my flaws and deformities…

Ever since I was created, my Glass have shown irregularities. I guess that’s why my parents left me. I won’t say that I was poorly made or complain that they should be more accepting of what I am for this is also their own fault, I’m just…sad, sad that they wouldn’t give me a chance, sad that they’d rather I perished somewhere out of their sight and not even bury my body...

In this short time of my existence, I ended up tinted, cracked and with a few pieces missing on my Glass, all of that quickly noticeable if I don’t dress my cape on a daily basis when I go outside, such constricting my own freewill, leading me to fits of insanity, sadness and anger…

Even though things are like that, I have to thank Mirena for appearing in my life…she has been like an anchor who keeps my mind from wandering to places nobody else can reach, from places that I wouldn’t return from, so, for her sake I try to cheer up…

Mirena and I met each other in a day when I was trying to run from those who frown upon beings with my characteristics, they named us “The Flaws”. Usually I am able to hide from the flawless, unfortunately on said day, I couldn’t hide my disgust, my anger, my dissatisfaction towards those around me, apparently this is considered a form of “Tint” and they didn’t take it lightly…so they pressured me even more. They screamed and pointed at me telling me I needed to say I was wrong so they could "help" fixing me, that all they wanted was to help me, needless to say that by fixing me, what they would do is subject my Glass to the Treatment of Fire, and I refuse to pass through such an ordeal ever again…the first time I passed through that treatment I was 5 years old… the pain is so immense they can just shatter me whole... I will be thankful I ceased to exist instead of enduring it for their own satisfaction…

In most cases, Mirena helps me and I help her, we help each other…sometimes she can be the exact opposite of me - courageous, energetic, adventurous, positive and optimistic - however she can also be the exact same as me, something that somehow comforts me…

On the day we met she told me she is also a Flaw I thought she was joking and I laughed about it, I almost lost a tooth that day, I could understand at that moment Mirena is overflowing with blinding rage, a rage of such proportions her own peers fear her and see her as someone to avoid, so she left her house in search of a place where she can be free from the piercing gaze of those who don’t understand her own suffering…

She was searching for a new place to stay when she met me and I’m thankful for that encounter, I was already asked to leave from my previous house because they figured I wasn’t flawless and since I didn’t have a caretaker for being young or someone to help me fix my flaws, I couldn’t find a new place either, so we decided to live together, she being older by many years, helped me with legal aspects and to know how to blend among the Flawless while I would help her control her rage. I don’t know how I can do it but apparently I can…or so she said…

Until now we are doing a good job if I may say so, it’s not perfect but we are able to live by, recently Mirena even started dating another Flaw, well…not really, but she would like it to be definitive, the two of them seem to be fighting against their flaws so they can at least build a relationship, but she’s impatient and seems to be building up more anger lately…I on the other hand loath the idea of finding another being with whom I would build a “Family” I don’t see where is the problem in living by oneself, I’m more than capable of doing it, but Mirena says that the future is uncertain and maybe I’ll find someone who understands me and who I’ll understand and connect with, I doubt it with every fiber present in my structure, I know we should never say never, after all, the future is uncertain, who knows what may happen?…maybe I’ll end up alone, maybe I’ll find another being who shares the same darkness as me or at least that doesn’t loathe the sight of a being with a Glass tinted and cracked like mine…)

Oh! I started daydreaming again…Let me dress before she barges in again "Hmmm...I don’t have anything to wear…_..._...I DON’T HAVE ANYTHING TO WEAR!!!"

(But this can’t be!!I’m certain I chose something a few weeks ago, didn’t I? I couldn’t have forgotten…Mirena warned me strictly, I know, she reminded me over and over again…she will think I did it on purpose, that I came up with this as an excuse…or did I?

Lately my mind has been so foggy I can’t seem to focus on things completely, I seem to be forgetting things who are supposed to be important, and since they make me feel anxious, I purposely leave them as last on my list of things to do, leading to me forgetting about them in the end, but this…. I shouldn’t have forgotten about this; she will be angry I know…)

She comes barging in as I predicted seemingly in distress "For the love of the Golden Sun what is it?!!" She won't be pleased with this once i tell her...

I am already a sobbing mess and she standing here isn't helping "M-Mirena, I…I… d-don’t..." I screwed up, my words are entangled with blocked sobs...

"Ok, stop, I can’t understand a thing, sit over there and explain slowly, you sobbing won’t change anything of whatever mess you made this time… I just hope you didn’t hurt yourself like before…" Mirena looks me up and down to check any possible injuries...

"No… nothing like that" We sit on my bed, I don't know how she will perceive this but I need to tell her "I’m really sorry… I-I forgot to prepare something to wear for today" I slowly look up to check for Mirena’s reaction and surely enough, under her hair I see her Glass being tinted with a dark color I can only translate as frustration or maybe even disappointment "I’m sorry…

She blows a breath and sighs "I guess this means you’re not coming then…"

"I didn’t do it on purpose, I swear! The clothes for me to wear they…." how can i explain this? Does it even have an explanation?"

"I got it… I know it wasn’t on purpose"she heaves another sigh "Unfortunately, I can’t smack you in the head because of something caused by your flaw…but I really wanted you to go. Bell was hoping you could attend and share this moment together with her, the others were looking forward to your presence there as well and I would introduce you to a few people I wanted you to meet…."

*I wince instinctively* "Next time? You …you can do that on another time…can’t you?"

"You can count on it; I’ll even mark it on your phone for you to prepare 3 days earlier…"

"Thank you for being understanding Mina…I at least won’t be near causing another disaster on such an important day…"

"WHO’S MINA?! I told you to stop calling me that, it’s Mir!!! How many times must I tell you this? Ugh!" She really hates it when i call her that, it's amusing to see her get so worked up for something so simple "Besides, nothing that serious would happen just because you would be attending. You have to stop thinking like that…. Anyway, I’ll be going, I’ll take the spare key, so you don’t need to worry about me being late or locked outside…"

"Of course, Boss Lady…I hope you have fun later…"

"Boss Lady? Don’t make me laugh, before the fun there is work" she giggles "you don’t have any jobs today? Since you won’t be going , I guess someone requested your services a few days prior, no?"

"AH! Right, I do have a job requested for today but only in the afternoon…I’ll give them a call and tell them I’m free again…"

"Very well then, take care Ser…"

"You too, Mina…"(Today as well, I disappointed her but I feel relieved I avoided this event)...