Before Chaos Reigns" 2

After a few moments, Melanie entered, followed by Drakon.

"It's good that you're both here. Follow me," he said, then walked over to a painting depicting some strange symbols that no one could understand. He stood before it and closed his eyes. He began to whisper something. Melanie, who could hear him, couldn't decipher his strange words. Drakon raised his hands as if searching for something. Suddenly, the wall opened. They entered. The girls looked at everything and felt as if they were dreaming. There was a large mirror in the room. However, it didn't show their reflections. The mirror was black. However, various shapes stood out in the darkness. After a moment's thought, Leah decided it looked like… clothes!

"What's that?" Melanie asked, surprised.

"That's a passage to the other side. It's in Nicole's closet. I often come here and observe her behavior. Of course, this is only possible when she has the closet open, which is quite often. Soon, Nicole would open it to choose her outfit for the day.

He didn't need to tell them that, though. The image in the mirror changed. A sleepy girl in a nightgown appeared. She rubbed her eyes. Leah looked at her closely.

"How old is she?"

"She's 16. She's your age. Oh, look, that's her brother. He's 19. You have to bring him here too.

" "Why?

" "He has his own power, too. But in his world, he can't use it. The chaos bothers him.

" "When are we supposed to go there?" Melanie asked with apprehension in her voice.

"When Nicole goes to school

." "School? What is that?"

"This is the building where all children and teenagers attend. They learn things there that sometimes won't be useful to them in life. It's similar to your weekly meetings with Miguel or Marietta. But you learn what will be useful to you. They don't always."

Melanie listened as if spellbound. Apparently, she still couldn't bring herself to accept the thought of another world.

"Oh! Good... they're gone. You can go in there now. She won't be going back to her room." She grabbed her bag.

Silence fell. Melanie, confused, broke the silence.

"How are we supposed to do this?

" "It's very simple. Just walk through the mirror.

" "That's it? " "That's it."

"

Okay, I'll go first," Leah said. She slowly approached the mirror. First, she ran her hand across it. The surface became cloudy. The girl took a deep breath. Bravely, she moved her leg, then her arms, and then her entire torso through the mirror. She felt a strange tingling sensation. Then a pleasant lightness. She felt nothing. She thought she could stay like this forever. And suddenly, she felt solid ground beneath her feet.

"So, I'm here..." she said to herself.

Suddenly, Melanie, passing by, accidentally pushed her, and they both fell out of the closet with a bang.

"Melanie! What are you doing?! "

Sorry, accidentally. It's not every day you walk through magic mirrors!" Melanie replied ironically. "Wait… someone's coming!"

"Quick, into the closet, let's hide again!

" ***

"Nicole! Get up! Time for school. "

"Five more minutes, Mom," the girl muttered under her breath.

Her older brother burst into the room.

"Get up, you idiot! You'll be late for school.

" "I'm not an idiot… I'm tired…" she said sleepily. She put on her slippers and stood up. After a moment, she noticed she had put her shoes on backwards, her right foot on her left, and her left foot on her right.

"Well… tired idiot," he replied ironically, and then headed to her room.

She went to her dressing table. Nicole didn't like her reflection in the mirror. Whenever she looked at him, she saw a clumsy girl with a constant streak of bad luck. She remembered every embarrassing situation she'd encountered. Once, for example, at a dance, she'd spilled cherry juice on the hottest guy in the class just as he asked her to dance. And once, a blueberry pie had landed on her head when someone in the cafeteria accidentally tripped and dropped their tray. There were countless such situations. Nicole was known at school as a perennial unlucky girl. Most people made fun of her at every opportunity, but she had her own group and didn't worry much about others. Her best friend was Caroline. Caroline, unlike Caroline, was well-liked. She was one of the head cheerleaders, was the head of the class and student council, went to every party, and knew all the hottest guys in the neighborhood. Nicole was very envious of her friend's confidence and position in life, but she never wanted to admit it, even to herself.

After a short while, she decided she wouldn't put on makeup because it would only backfire. She still remembered leaving the store with only one eye on.

She got dressed and went downstairs. Everyone was already seated at the table: Nicole's mother, her stepfather, two stepbrothers, and one brother. Nicole's father had died when she was still a little girl. She barely remembered him, only from photos. Sometimes, though, she felt an immense longing for him. On the other hand, she truly hated her stepfather. He always favored his sons. He never had time for her or Jason. "

Hi Nicole!" said the youngest, Stevie. "

Hi," Nicole replied quietly. Stevie was the only stepbrother Nicole didn't hate. He was six years old and wouldn't start school for another year.

"Nicole, can we play with my new blocks today?"

"Do you have new blocks?" the girl blurted out. She felt her mother's pointed gaze on her. She gave her stepfather the same look.

"Yeah! They're really cool! And there's even a helicopter!" the toddler said excitedly.

"Sure, I'll just get back from school.

" "Nicki, aren't you bored with being a babysitter yet?" Brad asked ironically.

"No," Nicole replied curtly. It really annoyed her when Brad called her "Nicki." He knew it perfectly well. That was why he kept calling her that.

"Okay, guys! If you want to come with me, hurry up." Michael interrupted the impending verbal sparring. "I'm not waiting for anyone!" he finally said, getting up and heading to his room to grab his backpack. Michael was the only one of the five with a car and a driver's license. He'd gotten them recently, so he bragged about it constantly.

The school was a short walk from home, and Nicole didn't feel like taking the bus, so she grabbed a sandwich from the table and headed upstairs. Just as she was in front of her door, she heard a crash coming from inside. She was terrified. She stopped at the door and heard something moving inside. She froze. "Do I have mice in my room?" she thought, terrified. She slowly turned the doorknob. She entered the room but noticed no change. Everything was as she'd left it. "Maybe I misheard something?" she thought, grabbing her backpack. She hurried downstairs. All three of them were already in the car: Jason, Brad, and Michael.

"Nicole! Hurry, we're leaving!" Michael shouted, starting the engine. She ran to them and jumped in the back next to Jason. After a few minutes of driving, Brad started joking with Nicole.

"So, Nicki, what are you going to do today? Are you going to trip over a banana peel or fall down the stairs?"

"No, I think our star is going to bash her head on the door today!" Michael interjected.

Nicole blushed deeper with each sentence. She didn't know if it was shame or helpless rage. She clenched her fists.

"Nicki? So what are you planning today? Will you tell us?

" "I don't think so. I don't tell my secrets to idiots like you," she said calmly.

"Yeah... idiots. At least we're not as clumsy as you!"

"Guys, leave her alone," Jason finally said.

Everyone immediately fell silent. The guys knew better than to mess with him. Even though he wasn't much younger than them, he was much stronger. He'd already knocked out bigger guys more than once. All because Jason was so clever. When he fought, he didn't rely just on strength, but also on brains. Nicole was always proud of her brother. And she could always count on his help. Jason and Nicole were exceptional siblings. They both loved and respected each other very much. I suspect each of them would have given their lives for the other if need be.

The car stopped in front of the school. The girl quickly opened the door and ran into the school. She had no intention of hanging out with her so-called stepbrothers for another minute. At the end of the hall, she saw Caroline.

"Hey, Nicole! What's up?"

"Don't ask. Tell me how you're doing?

" "Everything's fine with me," she smiled one of her angelic smiles. "Minnie, I'm having a party, will you come?"

"You know I'm not ." "

Why not?

" "After the last incident with Mark, I don't feel like going to any 'parties,'" she replied sourly. "

Oh, come on, it was just an accident. Besides, he's not mad at you at all! Have you seen the way he looks at you? He's devouring you with his eyes!

" "He won't eat much," she thought sarcastically, but instead said

, "Of course, he stares at me 24/7 and has bugged my room. Carol, get a grip."

Caroline didn't say anything but gave Nicole a significant look. Nicole interpreted this as, "You'll see, I'm always right," and, disgusted, headed for her locker.

She grabbed the necessary things and tossed her small backpack into the corner. She picked up a lipstick, but after a moment, she put it down, deciding it was a stupid idea. The bell rang, and Nicole confidently walked into class. She decided that nothing bad could happen to her today. She finally had to put an end to this reputation as a bad luck! And as she walked, lost in her positive thoughts, she bumped into someone. Unfortunately for her, it turned out to be Mrs. Spits. The chemistry teacher, who genuinely disliked Nicole because she had once accidentally broken a thermometer in her class. The lesson had to be interrupted due to mercury and its dangerous fumes. Nicole didn't like her either. Ever since that unfortunate incident, Mrs. Spits had been after her, and Nicole had been getting D after D.

"Miss Lightburn... no surprise." "March to class," the teacher said sharply.

She hurried into the classroom and took her seat in the back row. She took out her books.

Mrs. Spitz never practiced greetings at the beginning of class. When she entered the classroom, everyone had to sit at their desks with their notebooks open and working on their homework. If at least two students were standing or not sitting in their seats, Mrs. Spitz would give a quiz from the last lesson. And that was probably why chemistry had the highest grades, and they weren't always pretty.

To Nicole's surprise and relief, the teacher decided to ignore her. This was very beneficial for the girl, as she was lost in thought. "Does my life even have any meaning? I'm haunted by constant bad luck!" She mentally scolded herself. "I keep tripping over things, losing things, breaking things... What's the point of all this?"

The bell announcing recess tore her from her gloomy thoughts. She was the first to leave, as was usually the case with every class. The school day flew by surprisingly quickly. It was as if someone had enchanted the clocks to run wild. Nicole didn't even realize it, but she was already heading home. She was planning her day when she heard,

"Hi Nicole."

She looked back and couldn't believe her eyes. "

Mark? Hi," she replied, surprised.

They walked side by side in silence. Neither of them knew what to say.

"Listen... what are you doing on Saturday?" the boy finally asked.

This time, Nicole realized her hearing was failing her.

"Nothing," she replied immediately.

"So... maybe... would you like to go to Minnie's party with me?" he asked, his hand on the back of her neck.

"Do you often want to date girls who throw juice at you?"

"No, just you," he said, smiling.

"I'll go," she replied after a moment of thought.

"That's great." Mark didn't hide his satisfaction. "I'll pick you up at seven, okay?"

"Okay.

" "Well, see you at school tomorrow

." "Wait," she stopped him, "do you know where I live?"

"Well… I know ." "

Where from? I never gave you my name.

" "Well… you know…" he looked down at Jason.

"Aha… okay.

" "Bye!"

Mark walked away, and Nicole couldn't quite believe what had just happened. How had Mark even known Jason was her brother? He rarely contacted him at school, and half of their mutual friends had no idea they were related. It wasn't because they were ashamed of each other… it just happened that way.

She opened the door to the house, all of a sudden.

"Hi everyone!" she shouted in greeting.

***

"Phew… she's out. Do you think she heard us?" Melanie asked quietly.

"I have no idea, but I'll think better of it if you get out of my hands," Leah hissed.

"I'm sorry," she muttered. "

We're getting out of this closet. I'm going to suffocate."

The girls left, or rather, fell out of the cramped room. They found themselves in what they assumed was Nicole's room. They had never seen so many strange things in it. Leah walked over to the mirror. Seeing herself there, she jumped back. She touched it with her fingers.

"Melanie, look. It looks like frozen water," she said, startled.

Melanie cautiously approached her.

"But frozen water looks different..."

"I know.

" Leah opened a small drawer. She pulled out something round and oblong. After a long inspection, she realized it opened and there was something pink inside. However, she preferred not to touch it.

Melanie walked over to a table with a wheeled chair. She opened a drawer. She took out a round, flat object with strings and more wheels attached. Melanie pressed one of the buttons on that… thing. Suddenly, she heard sounds.

"What's that?" she asked, concerned.

The sounds were coming from those small wheels. The frightened girl slowly put the device back on the table. Then she saw something that looked familiar: sheets of paper, but held together with something so they wouldn't fall apart. "Clever," she thought, "We could use that here."

Meanwhile, Leah kept finding new things in that small drawer, and when it was empty, she began examining the small figurines. They depicted various strange figures, for example, little girls with spreading white wings, and an animal also with wings and horns, like a bull. Suddenly, she accidentally bumped into one of them. It fell onto the carpet, which was exceptionally soft and had tiny hairs. The figurine didn't break. Leah picked it up and placed it carefully back on the shelf. She crouched down and ran her hand over the carpet. "So soft... you could sleep on it," she thought.

Suddenly, the door opened. Leah and Melanie froze.

And that's when Leah heard a voice in her head. "Focus. You can make yourself invisible. Take Melanie's hand. Focus! Think of the danger you could face and concentrate on invisibility!"

"I'm trying!" she thought angrily as she realized she was hearing Drakon. She grabbed Melanie's hand and focused with all her might on invisibility. She imagined every transparent thing she'd ever seen. In her mind, she pictured what would happen if someone noticed them. And suddenly she felt a strange tingling sensation spread through her entire body, from her toes to the top of her head. She looked at Melanie worriedly. Melanie felt the same, only to a lesser degree. She stared at her friend in horror. A little boy entered the room. He didn't pay them the slightest attention because, as Leah realized, they had truly become invisible. The little boy took something from the bed by the window. He left without closing the door. The girls stood frozen for a long time. Finally, Leah, pulling Melanie behind her, went to the door and closed it.

"Alan! Close the window, there's a draft!" they heard a voice from downstairs.

They both breathed a sigh of relief.

"It was hot," Melanie whispered.

"Too hot for me," Leah replied in a slightly calmer voice.

And then something happened that neither of them expected. The door opened again. The little boy looked at it with wide eyes. They didn't know what to do. Leah frantically thought about what to do next. Suddenly, the boy screamed so loudly that the girls jumped.

"MOM! There are some girls at Nicole's!" He then ran off at lightning speed.

Leah regained her composure quickly.

"In the closet!" she said, grabbing the speechless Melanie by the hand.

They hid in the closet as quickly as they could. Leah decided she wouldn't waste her energy on invisibility for now. The last attempt had exhausted her. "I'll only try that in an emergency," she thought. They listened for a few minutes. Finally, they heard footsteps, and then a woman's voice.

"Stevie, you've been imagining it, honey, you've been watching too many cartoons." There was a hint of relief in her voice.

"No, Mom! I really saw them! They were standing right here!" Stevie insisted.

"Sweetie, let's play something, do you want?

" "No," he replied gruffly, "they really were here." "

Should I search the room to make you happy?"

The girls' hearts sank. After a moment, the little one replied.

"No. I'm going to my room."

Even though Mom and Stevie had long since left the room, the girls still couldn't seem to recover and sat motionless in the closet. Melanie could hear not only her own heartbeat but also her friend's. They were both drenched in sweat from fear. They wondered how long they had been so far from home? What was it like? A month with us, but one night with them? Neither Leah nor Melanie could remember it, but they were both afraid to say a word. So they sat there, and time dragged on endlessly.

And finally, after several hours that felt like an eternity, the door opened, and THAT girl came in. They saw her. Through the keyhole.