"Mirrors, Mirrors, on the wall," came a smooth and gentle woman's voice from above, "who dares enter my sacred hall?" Atop two massive curved staircases stood a fierce woman dressed in a gilded rose-gold dress. Upon her beautiful arms rested many fine and sparkling bracelets. The rings on her fingers and the tiara on her head glittered bright with rubies. Her flawless light brown face and dark brown eyes stared down at Owen and I. "How curious? In all my years and all the faces I have seen and all the people who have graced my halls, none have ever been as strange as you two." She stepped off the staircase. Instantly mirrors lifted from the walls and began to float around the woman's head. Vanessa curtseyed.

"Oh great beautiful Madame Beatrice, I bring you travelers from the outside."

"Welcome, children," said Beatrice with a smile. "And what are your names?"

Owen and I exchanged glances. He swallowed and spoke.

"My name is Owen and this is my sister, Hope."

"Do you think me a fool, boy," said Beatrice sternly. "I can easily see through your lies and your fear." Her feet slid across the floor as she approached. "I know what lurks in your mind. I am a witch and all witches are ugly. Born from corruption witches gain twisted bodies, elongated bones, boils and warts, raspy voices, and dark penetrating eyes. Caste as evil, creatures of malcontent and so hunted down and burned." Beatrice laughed. "No need to fear children. While I may be regarded as such, I am no witch. I am the humble spirit of this oasis in an otherwise desert of death. Lost souls find their way to my home, and I protect them from the ravishes of time and the cruelty of the world. Now I will ask again. Who are you?"

"My name is Hope Martinez," I found myself saying. "And this is my Glasswalker, Owen."

"I thought so." Beatrice waved her hand and the mirrors around her floated towards me. "I'm sure you're wondering how can a person of your power cast a reflection. It is a simple bewitching spell to hide no secrets even those of great gifts."

"How may I ask did you know what I am?"

"Your eyes, child, are the windows to the soul. They tell me all I need to know. Blue as crystal. Cold as ice. Tranquil as the waters of the sea. Radiant and full of light." A mirror passed in front of my face. My turquoise eyes shown within.

Madame Beatrice brought one of her long-nailed fingers to my chin and raised it into the air. She studied my face.

"So young, and yet so naive to be so powerful. Barely do you know your world and here you step into this one. You have no idea how much strength you possess, how much potential you can achieve had you time to grow and blossom. Someday I fear you will surpass even my power, and I don't take kindly to that." Beatrice took her hand away. "I almost envy you, but thankfully you are far from pretty. So much sorrow in your soul, so much pain. Such things only bring about ugliness." She turned to one of her many mirrors and basked in her glory. "This place would not exist if I became envious of another. I am generous to my people giving them all they need. Food, shelter, security. All in exchange for their undeniable praise and gratitude. I have made a heaven out of this desolate land. I have made the ugly...beautiful." Beatrice turned her head slowly to me. "Welcome, Mirrorbender Hope."

"Oh, wow!" cried Vanessa. Her elated expression fixated on Owen and myself. "A Mirrorbender! I didn't think they existed. This is a first! Madame Beatrice, this is amazing!"

"Indeed it is," said Beatrice her lips puckering with delight. "I insist you stay. Eat, rest, and be merry. A festival will be held in my honor. I ask you attend as my honored guest."

Owen turned to the gilded woman.

"Beautiful Madame Beatrice, as kind and as forgiving as you are, I must request you grant us passage out of town tomorrow so we can continue on our journey. All we need is a day to rest and gather supplies."

"Nonsense," said Beatrice. The mirrors floating around her shook. "No one leaves this place. Imagine if I allowed just anyone to come and go? The world would learn of the paradise hidden in the desert, and the woman of such incredible beauty. We would be overrun, our peace dismantled, stress, oh, the stress, I age just thinking of it."

"But Madame Beatrice," I cried. "I am a Mirrorbender! I have duties to the people of Tartarus. I can't leave them behind."

"So little vanity. So pure and innocent." Beatrice laughed. "Here in this town the troubles of the outside world do not exist. Forget your worries. Embrace a life of luxury. I offer you freedom from pain forever. Do you not want to be happy?"

"Madame Beatrice, I—"

"Silence!" A fearsome anger welled up in Beatrice's eyes. "I will not hear another sound. My word is final. No one may leave this place, ever." The woman turned to Vanessa. "Vanessa, dear, please show our honored guests to their rooms. They will be living with us from now on. Treat them like you would treat family."

"Yes, beautiful madame. I honor and serve you." Vanessa curtseyed. Beatrice slowly ascended the stairs and vanished in the upstairs hall. When her mistress was out of sight Vanessa screamed. "Oh my, oh my!" She grabbed my hands and jumped wildly in the air. "Did you hear that? This means we are sisters now, Hope! Can you believe it?"

"But I already have a sister," I said unenthusiastically.

"Don't get too comfortable, Hope," said Owen. "I will find us a way out of this town."

"Perhaps you can ask Madame Beatrice after the festival," suggested Vanessa. "She always gets worked up about it, being the star of the show and all. I am sure she will be much more compliant then."

"Still that is a long time to wait," said Owen. "And we have far to go."

"Well," said Vanessa, "Perhaps after you see your room you may be tempted to stay longer. Come on." Vanessa snatched my hand and skipped down the marbled floor. We quickly arrived at a set of large doors between the curved staircases. "It's this way."

Owen and I exchanged unassuming glances. The ginger cat meowed at my feet. I picked him up as Vanessa pushed open the doors.

The doors opened to a long hallway; its walls lined with more mirrors from floor to across the ceiling and back again. Madame Beatrice's passionate mirror collecting began to feel more like an obsession, one that needed serious help.

"Vanessa?" I asked observing my reflection with each step. "Why does Madame Beatrice keep so many mirrors in her home?"

"Because, silly, she loves to look at herself wherever she goes. Duh! In fact, all the mirrors in the town are in this house. She won't allow them anywhere else unless she is traveling outside. Then a parade of us follow beside her carrying her favorite ones. Sometimes I get stuck with a heavy mirror. That is never fun."

"Seems quite vain don't you think?" asked Owen.

"Na, you get used to it. It's just how she is." Vanessa laughed and twirled her arms like a pinwheel. Suddenly she stopped. "Umm. I forgot to mention, but since you will be here for a while, there are two more rules to know about this town."

"Besides addressing Madame Beatrice with constant compliments?" asked Owen sarcastically.

"Yeah," said Vanessa biting her lip. "The first one is to stay inside at night for your safety. Preferably before the last cathedral bell sounds."

"Why?" asked Hope. "I thought this place was always peaceful."

"It is," said Vanessa, "but at night Beatrice rests so she sinks the town into the soil to protect it. Should you be outside you may be pulled into the mud and never be seen again. During the day the valley's mists keeps us hidden from any curious eyes should someone discover us and wish to do us harm."

"So that is why the town appeared to us this morning." stated Owen. "It rose straight out of the ground along with all the moisture from the ground."

"I get it," I said. "Seems a bit sad though. You never get to see the night sky or the beautiful stars."

"It is the price we pay for paradise." Vanessa paused for a moment. "This second rule is more straightforward." Vanessa pointed up. "You are not allowed upstairs. That is Madame Beatrice's private chambers and where she keeps all her lovely gowns.I'm allowed up there when she needs a wardrobe change. It is her sanctuary. So stay away from there and you should be fine. That includes you too little kitty." The cat hissed as Vanessa waved a finger at it. "My, my, how rude." Vanessa turned to two doors on opposite sides of the room. "Here we are. Your new bedrooms." Vanessa pointed to the door on her left. "So this one is your room, Hope," said Vanessa turning the knob. "And that other one is yours, Owen. When you're rested meet me in the foyer. I'll take you shopping and get you new outfits for the festival and tonight's dinner!"

"I think I will stay in," said Owen opening the door to his room. "I am a bit tired, but you two feel free." He entered his room and shut the door. I thought it odd because earlier Owen wanted nothing more than to hunt for supplies, but at this point I didn't care. I might as well enjoy myself if I couldn't leave.

"So what you think?" cried Vanessa turning excitedly to me. "We can have a girl's day out. Just you and me. You can get a nice red dress, your hair done, maybe some new shoes."

"I don't have any money," I said.

"Oh, silly," laughed Vanessa. "We don't need money here. Drop your things off and lets go!" Vanessa sprinted down the hall. "I'll see you in a bit."

"Alright," I said unsure what to think. I quickly gathered my mind and entered my new room.

It was the loveliest room I had ever seen, far more exquisite than my room back on Earth. The walls were painted red, yet it was difficult to admire them thanks again to the many mirrors strung about. I touched my new bed. Filled with feathers, the cushion felt inviting for a nap. The red comforter had stitched on it a huge red rose. The pillows were even in the shape of roses, a gaudy interior theme I did not care much for.

I was more thrilled about sleeping than anything else mainly for it being the first real bed I had seen since my arrival in Tartarus. My heart fluttered to think how much I missed sleeping on something soft. I plopped on the bed stretching my arms across the smooth fabric. The cat rolled off my chest and started kneading the bed with its claws. After a moment I sat back up and sighed.

Looking in the many mirrors hanging on the wall in front of me, I could not help but agree with Madame Beatrice. I was neither pretty nor elegant when compared to her beautiful self. My bland face had no appeal, perfectly ordinary. "At least," I thought looking down at my hands, "in this world I'm someone special." The odd numbing fuzzy sensation from before drifted into my mind appearing like a ripple in a pond. Similar to the mist when we arrived to the mansion everything seemed to shift. Even the cat changed places on the bed like a video glitching to catch up.

"That strange feeling again," I whispered turning back to my reflection. I gasped. Something was different now. Something had changed about my reflection, something to do with my eyes. Then it hit me. My glasses were gone! I looked all around the bed.

"When did I take my glasses off? Did you take my glasses, Mr. Gato," I said putting my hands on my hips. The cat curled up, yawned, and went to sleep. I then spied my glasses neatly folded on the nightstand.

"How did they get there," I said reaching over and placing them back on my face. "I swear I never went over there. Curiouser and curiouser."

"Hope, are you coming or not!" cried Vanessa's voice from outside the door.

"Yeah!" I answered as I rushed out the door. Even as I left the mansion excited to go out and explore the town, I continued to question how my glasses moved from my head to the nightstand without me remembering until the numbing haze wafted over my mind once more suddenly dispelling any notion that it ever happened in the first place.

For the next few hours, I enjoyed myself in the town of Tempestmist. Vanessa turned out to be less annoying and funnier than her first impression implied. She was actually a very sweet girl with good fashion advice. First we went to the dress shop and picked out a stunning red sequined dress for me to wear for the festival. I had not owned anything so exquisite in all my life. Next came the shoes. I had never been very understanding about style and fashion mainly because it seemed hard, constantly changing, and expensive. But having Vanessa around as a coach, I was surprised by how easy and enjoyable it was. Now I understood why the girls in my grade cared so much about it. Also the fact that everything was free helped lessen the burden of decision when faced with so many fabulous choices. By the time we reached the hair salon, we had already become good friends.

"I can't believe how pretty you look without those funny looking things on your face," said Vanessa as she snatched my glasses and put them on her face. "You should definitely keep them off especially since Lord Blackwell is coming to dinner tonight."

"I'm not trying to catch the favor of a man, Vanessa. I'm too young for that sort of thing. And those funny things on my face are called glasses. I need them to see."

"These glasses kinda hurt my eyes." Vanessa made a funny face. I laughed.

"They hurt your eyes because you don't need them, so give them back." I snatched my glasses off Vanessa's face as the man behind me curled my hair. "Sometimes I hate wearing them. People make fun of me for it."

"Well don't wear them. Who needs to see properly anyway. You have such beautiful eyes. It is ashamed you have to hide them behind ugly glasses."

"Yeah," I agreed remembering the fight I had with my mother. "I wanted to get contacts, but my mom—" I paused suddenly. "My mom...that's...strange."

"What is it, Hope?"

"My mom. I tried thinking about her and then suddenly I couldn't. I can't remember her name, or even recall her face." I looked around as though I had suddenly awoken from a dream. I stood up. "What am I doing here? This isn't me. I hate shopping and getting my hair done! This is not right!"

"Hope, calm down. Just sit and let the Maxwell finish his work. My hair won't be done for a while, and yours still needs more curls."

"No, I have to get out of here," I said shaking my hands and rushing out the door. "I have to find Owen."

"Miss!" cried Maxwell, the hairstylist. "Miss! I am not finished. Your hair! It needs time to set."

I sprinted down the street away from the salon. I yanked the curlers out of my hair and tossed them on the ground. The hairstylist's pleas faded as I turned the corner onto the main street. My pace slowed down to a quick walk. My feet ached in my new shoes. I continued through the pain trying to remember my mother but the more I tried the hazier my memories became.

"What is happening to me?" I know I have a mother, a sister, and a grandmother, but when I attempt to recall their names and faces, everything seems to be covered in a fog. I pulled out my mirror from my pocket hoping it would help me remember, but unlike the mirrors in Madame Beatrice's mansion, my mirror remained empty showing no reflection at all. Even it appeared foreign to me. I could not remember where I had gotten it, only that it was somehow special to me. I did not like this weird feeling. I was forgetting myself with each step. My hands shook in terror.

All of a sudden I tripped on a raised stone and dropped the mirror. It did not crack but slid across the sidewalk and under the entrance door of the dingy tailor shop. I tried pushing and pulling on the shop door, but it would not budge.

"Hey! If anyone is in there," I called banging on the window. "If so can you please give me back my mirror?"

Inside the darkness of the shop, I could see piles upon piles of miscellaneous fabrics and discarded clothing strewn about; some piles reached as high as the ceiling. I called again.

"Hey! If anyone is in there...please give me back my mirror."

An busted top hat popped up at the peak of one of the clothing heaps. Hesitantly it rose until the surprised gaze of the mad tailor peeked over at me. His crazy eyes darted back and forth between the mirror on the wooden floor and myself. Finally after a few seconds of observing and questioning his options, the man cautiously stepped out from behind the heap of clothes and approached the mirror. From his long tattered sleeves, he produced bandaged hands. He leaned down, picked up the mirror, and curiously twisted it in the air watching his reflection move within it. I tapped the glass. The man flinched.

"Hey, sir. That is my mirror you got there. May I have it back? I would come in myself to get it, but your door seems to be locked."

Like a fearful animal at the zoo, the mad tailor approached the glass. He flipped the mirror around to see himself and I inside it, but was surprised to see only himself stare back.

"A Mirrorbender!" he cried out; his voice loud enough to be heard beyond the glass. He began to jump with joy and scream random sounds. I gave the tailor a funny look. "A Mirrorbender!" he cheered pointing at me and laughing. "A Mirrorbender!"

"If you are quite done, sir, may I please have my mirror back."

"By all the chances in heaven, the gods have sent me a savior!" The mad tailor pressed his face to the glass. "I would kiss you if I could but it appears you are behind some clear force-field of sorts. This is the best news I have had in over ten years." He squealed with pleasure and delight.

"Sir, please. Just slide it under the door." The tailor rushed to the door. He got down on his hands and knees and screamed underneath.

"I certainly will not!" The tailor sat up and began laughing hysterically at his reflection. "I haven't seen my face in over a decade. Man, I've gotten old, or so I think. That witch made certain of that." I brought my head to the ground and looked through the gap under the door.

"Sir, that mirror is special to me."

"It's special to me too," he mocked while holding it close to his chest. "But not as special as you, little girl. What is your name, Mirrorbender?"

"I'm not sure if I should really be talking to you," I said. "Vanessa warned me of your madness."

"Vanessa, Vanessa," he teased. "Why do you listen to her? She is just a mad as me with her insane joyous jumping and repulsive cute antics and fabricated lies about devilish old me." He shook his finger at me. "That girl is fooling you." The tailor laughed under the door. His teeth yellow and crooked. "Fooled by everything around you. I am not the mad person here. You are."

"I've had about enough of you. Now give me my mirror, sir!" I was frustrated.

"I will give it back to you if you can answer one question for me."

"You promise?"

"I never break