Note To Readers

In order to read the entire story- you will need to click on the month "September" to the right- click the arrow and it will open most chapters- start from the bottom- Prologue. To finish reading, you will need to click on the arrow next to "October" to read the rest of the chapters.

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If you have ideas for the second novel (as indicated in the Epilogue) feel free to give me your thoughts!

Hope you enjoy reading Future Glimpse!

Amy Cody

Epilogue

Teresa sat in her bedroom, her eyes gleaming in wicked delight. On the floor before her lay a large sliver of glass and the mirror’s wooden arch, the runes engraved within it. In her hands she held the parchment she’d found in the hidden drawer within the mirror. Jordan didn’t even know it was there! It was evident from her utter look of surprise.

     Jordan didn’t deserve it anyway, and why should she? Teresa knew she was the one who’d risked it all to get this. She had been the one to test the mirror’s efficacy- burning Stacey’s garage, and she had been the one to call in the bomb threat- saving Jordan’s dad’s life! Teresa herself had paid the price and she deserved the mirror and what it could bring her!

Slowly she unrolled the parchment scroll she’d stolen from the hidden drawer that had been in the mirror all this time, and her eyes glittered in the candlelight as she silently read the words. Dare she speak them? She knew she must; the authorities would be onto her by now. It was only a matter of time. She heard her father’s drunken raving from the other room as he staggered from his frayed lazy back chair. She knew he would be coming for her too.

     She rose silently from her room, carrying the lighter fluid in her hand, stick matches in the other. Silently, she began the process, knowing if the words of the parchment were untrue, she’d no longer have to worry either way.

     She returned to her room, no longer hearing her father muttering and breathed a sigh of relief. He had passed out for now. Long enough to do what had to be done- was already being done.

She closed her door firmly and pushed rags up under her door, listening to the crackling and popping of the fire as it spread through the house. Already curls of smoke crept into her room. She sat again before the mirror and its runes and she picked up the scroll. Whispering in a shaky voice, she began to read aloud:   

     “Shades of light that shift and change, uphold this mortal standing here. By thy power and with reverent fear, close my image within thy sphere.”             

Teresa watched as her room was consumed with fire and she watched as all she’d known was destroyed. She watched in grim satisfaction, from within the mirror.

Chapter 35

The first conscious thought that came to Jordan was that her head hurt. Bad. Her next thought was of her dad and she sat up with a start, the room spinning around her, making her nauseous.

     “Whoa, whoa now little lady,” a man’s voice purred and she felt someone take her by the shoulders and ease her back into a reclining position.

     “Where am I?” Jordan asked.

     “One second please,” the man replied and then she was in her mother’s arms, listening to her mother cry as she attempted to reassure her that everything was fine.

     Jordan’s heart sunk. Her father was dead. She knew it and she braced herself for the news.

     “It’s OK, mom, you can tell me. What’s happened?” Jordan whispered.

     “Oh honey, I am so, so sorry!” her mother sobbed and Jordan could barely keep herself from the sobs she felt rising within her own chest. Her throat constricted and she felt hot and sweaty.

     “Dad-“ Jordan began and was interrupted by her mother who seemed to grow stronger at the word.

     “Your father is on the way, honey, don’t worry.”

     “What?” Jordan yelped and she once more sat straight up, wincing at the sharp pain that shot through her head. Her expression caused her mother’s fear and sadness to turn to perplexity as she gazed at Jordan in concern.

     “D-dad’s OK?” Jordan asked.

     “Well of course he’s OK. His flight was delayed – something about a bomb threat - and then the police called about you and he got Ed to take his flight instead. He’s on the way. The police are in the lobby waiting to talk with you, Jordan. What happened?”

     Jordan wasn’t even sure where to begin, but she knew that if she started spouting off about magic mirrors, they’d either chalk it up to delirium or insanity. No, she’d stick to the facts, and leave the magic out of it.

     Not long after Jordan was interviewed by the police and she let them know about Teresa, how she’d previously stolen Jordan’s phone and belongings, how she’d attacked Jordan in her room, and that Jordan really didn’t know why Teresa had done these things.  Satisfied, the police left and in their wake, her father strode in. Jordan burst out crying and she felt just like a little girl again as her father sat on the side of the hospital bed and held her in his arms, rocking her and making soft shooshing noises into her hair.

     She had done it! Her parents were alive and the mirror was destroyed. “Thank God it’s over,” she whispered. The thought of finally not knowing- not being able to see what was coming in the future- while for most folks might be disconcerting- but for Jordan, it was serenity.

Chapter 34

Jordan stood dumbfounded; she’d found herself in this state of mind a lot lately. Teresa sat in her fuzzy blue computer chair, using her toe to swing from left to right.

     “What’cha gonna do with that, Jordan?” Teresa asked, coming to a standstill in the chair. Her eyebrows were raised and she produced a knowing smile.

     “It has to be done, Teresa,” Jordan stated. “The mirror has to be destroyed. You have no idea how horrible this has been. What this mirror can do!”

     “You promised, Jordan. If you destroy it then how can you keep your promise? Or did you ever plan to stick to the deal in the first place?”

     The mention of the deal, made Jordan look up in fright, the question written all over her face. Had Teresa kept her end of the bargain? Was her father alive?

     “You want to know, don’t you? You want to know if I was able to keep your father from his death. Well, you’ll let me use the mirror and then I’ll tell you.”

     Enraged that Teresa would put the mirror before someone’s life, Jordan leapt toward the mirror, the hatchet outstretched. She connected and the glass shattered into slivers all over the floor. She swung back and began hacking at the wooden base.

     From behind, Teresa screamed in outrage and flung herself upon Jordan, pulling her to the ground. Both girls wrestled on the floor, rolling into the mirror, toppling it to the ground. The base had broken into several pieces by now,  causing Teresa to pause as she jumped to her feet, leaving Jordan lying on the ground bruised and bleeding from her nose.

     Trembling, Jordan sat up to watch Teresa, who was pawing through the pieces. At first Jordan didn’t understand what she was looking at. It hit her then, when she saw the little wooden drawer that popped out of the base of the mirror. From it, Teresa pulled an old piece of parchment and she unrolled it gingerly, a wicked smile playing across her face.

     “Teresa, Don’t-“

     “Shut up!” Teresa snarled. “You perfect little goody goody! You don’t deserve this! I deserve this after all I’ve been through, after all I’ve done!”

     Teresa continued to unroll the parchment scroll, her face pure evil. Jordan knew she had to stop her and she withheld her groan of pain as she pulled herself to her feet. Teresa was so intent on the scroll that she didn’t realize Jordan was on her until the two were once again rolling on Jordan’s floor, glass crunching under them, both girls grunting in an effort to best the other.

     “My  mother is going to be home any minute now, you need to leave!” Jordan shrieked, hoping it would alarm Teresa and she would leave. But it was obvious that Teresa would not leave until she got what she came for. Holding Jordan down with one hand, Teresa groped along Jordan’s desk, connecting with the heavy crystal paperweight.

     At the last second, Jordan scrabbled to her knees, hoping to get out of that room. Teresa was street smart and had obviously been schooled in fighting, Jordan knew she didn’t have a chance. Heck she had never been involved in a verbal altercation let alone a physical one. She pushed up to her feet, but never made it, a blinding pain erupted in her head and she swore she heard colors as Teresa crashed the paperweight across her skull.

     Things stopped and started in short waves of consciousness as Jordan attempted to pick herself up. She heard movement in the room and things would go black, she saw Teresa right in her face, leering and saying something, then things would go black. Unsure of how long she’d lain there, Jordan felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She fumbled for the device and managed to get it out and hit the talk button.

     “Jordan! Jordan, are you there?” It was Stacey and she sounded frantic. Jordan mumbled something, she wasn’t even sure what, and Stacey continued, “The news, you need to turn on the news, it’s about your dad, Jordan. Are you there? Jordan?”

     Jordan slowly sank into darkness, her last thought that she had failed to save her dad. Teresa had played her. She had lost both the mirror and her dad.

Chapter 33

Both girls returned home. They had gone to Teresa’s house but no one was there. The stress was evident on Jordan’s face as she wondered if Teresa had followed through with her end of the deal.

     They returned home and collapsed in the kitchen while Jordan prepared some bagels, anything to keep her busy! Neither girl spoke as they numbly nibbled on their breakfast, both startled when Stacey’s cell phone rang.

     Stacey’s face grew beet red as she listened to the other end of the line. Jordan gripped the table in anticipation.

     “OK, mom, I’m sorry. I’ll be right home,” Stacey mumbled, meeting Jordan’s gaze across the table. With a shaky sigh of exasperation, Jordan nodded her head in understanding.

     “I’m sorry, Jordan. I was supposed to be home by 10 to go with my parents to visit my grandma. I totally forgot…” her voice trailed off as she was obviously torn between family obligation and the needs of her friend.

     “Look, I can-“

     “It’s OK, Stace, you go on. There’s nothing more you can do anyway,” Jordan said, sitting up straight and putting on a brave front for her friend. And it was the truth, what more could either of them do at this point? Besides, Jordan knew what she had to do and she planned to do it alone.

     The two friends hugged fiercely and Stacey left, while Jordan aimlessly straightened up the kitchen. She knew what she had to do, but it was like a force was weighting her down. Nevertheless, she gathered her courage and entered the garage. Her father’s tools were locked in a big metal cabinet, Jordan knew that much from earlier, but she began to search for something she could use to destroy the mirror.

     She knew her mother would be returning soon and it had to be done before she got back. She searched the tool bench, nothing but a screwdriver and some duct tape. She scanned the floor, the shelves- so much junk! How could anyone find anything in here! She was just about to give up when she remembered their little storage shed out back.

     She couldn’t believe her luck when she realized her father had left the shed unlocked. She pulled the door open wide to let in more light and began her search. Within minutes she found what might work, a short handled hatchet. She closed up the shed and made her way back across the yard, passing the large metal barrel that her father used to burn brush and scrap; it would come in handy when it came time to burn the mirror- every last piece.

     She walked inside, the smooth wooden handle of the hatchet clutched in her hand, and she made her way upstairs. Her bedroom door stood ajar and her lights were on. No big surprise since both she and Stacey had been preoccupied earlier today. What was a surprise was who was waiting for her on the other side.