Balger Town is not the type of place you'd find on a postcard. Sirens wail louder than birds sing here and the shadowy nooks of the alleyways frequently hide people you'd best stay away, from. Crime is not a statistic; it's the prevailing mood.
Inside the Miller residence a red brick house that seems sophisticated, for the neighborhood two teenagers are trying to have a typical afternoon.
"Wow he grabbed three chocolates for you Sis?" Jonathan asks. He looks at the golden box lying on Chloe's lap. His hand extends fingers twitching excitedly toward the present.
Chloe senses the movement before she sees it. She grips the box tightly against her chest her knuckles turning white as her grip tightens. Her brows raise a warning. Don't even attempt it. Jonathan stops, his fingers hovering inches away, from the prize. Her stance makes it clear he is not getting a bit.
"Ugh I couldn't care less about your chocolates " Jonathan mutters. He rolls his eyes with intensity it nearly hurts then storms, into the kitchen and disappears from her sight.
Alone in the living room Chloe looks at the box. Her boyfriend truly purchased these for her. A smile forms, on her lips. Her heart races slightly within her chest. At last. She can enjoy them without.
Her legs lose feeling.
The sensation shoots up her spine, heavy and cold. The chocolate box slips from her grasp hitting the floor with a thud. The room tilts. Her vision dims at the edges shrinking into void. There is no pain, a sudden terrifying depletion of strength.
Then the lights go out.
Her eyelids part slowly. The surface beneath her is chillingly cold. It's not the carpet, from the living room. Rather it's a platform. She quickly gets up trembling. Her jeans and shirt have disappeared, replaced by a hospital gown.
"Hello?" Her quivering voice echoes ceaselessly within the silence.
No answer.
The darkness shifts. Ahead shadows. Converge until a tall rippling mirror appears on the hidden floor. Chloe approaches, her bare feet aching from the cold.
The reflection staring back is not the Chloe who delights in chocolates and debates with her brother. This reflection stands straight eyes glowing with a white light. The reflection raises a hand. Sets a palm on the glass.
Driven by impulse and, without a moments pause Chloe raises her hand.
She places her palm onto the glass.
CRASH.
In fact the living room windows do not just break they explode outward. Fragments of glass scatter, across the yard resembling confetti. The chocolate box resting on the floor disintegrates instantly into dust.
Upon hearing the explosion Jonathan hurries back, into the room. "Chloe, what—"
He does not manage to finish. A wave of energy strikes throwing him back. He slams hard into the wall. Then slides down to the floor. When he hits he feels a shift. Unnatural. His eyes burn, shining with a red.
At the center of the room Chloe floats two feet above the floor. She remains unresponsive her body surrounded by a fracturing radiance of light. The flame is so fierce that it has incinerated her clothing leaving behind ashes and pure energy swirling around her.
Two miles away, inside a nondescript grey van, a red light on the dashboard screams for attention.
"A lead has been found. A hit has been detected," a British voice states, into a radio. "Omega Level energy surge detected at the Miller home. Move forward. Secure the target... Wait. There are two energy surges."
In the living room, the orange glow snaps off.
Gravity prevails. Chloe falls down. Her arms and legs feel like cooked noodles, useless. Her throat feels dry as arid sand. She tries to speak. Only a rough noise comes out. Slowly strength comes back, to her arms and legs. She raises herself the limp feeling fading, replaced by energy.
Her eyes settle on her brother. He remains still on the floor with blood flowing from his forehead.
The memory of the explosion diminishes. Anxiety takes over.
"Jonathan!" she yells, hurrying toward him.
The space ahead of them shimmers. Abruptly a floor-, to-ceiling mirror materializes from air. Chloe remains motionless. Her eyes grow wide. The emptiness returns to her.
Her reflection appears in the mirror. The reflection is bare just like she is.
Chloe gasps, suddenly realizing her clothes have disappeared—absorbed by the energy. She jumps toward the ruined couch snatching a ripped blanket, for cover. She looks back at the mirror. Her reflection hasn't changed to hide itself. In fact the reflection moves on its own.
"No chance " Chloe exhales.
"Hello, Chloe. I was anticipating your arrival " the Reflection says, followed by a wink.
Chloe stumbles backward her eyes shining orange. "Tell me whats happening!" she yells, her heart racing within her chest.
The Reflection grins slyly leaning on the mirror's rim. "Oh you're not curious, about your powers?"
Chloe tries to understand the words. Powers? It's perplexing. "How did I obtain this power?" she wonders, staring at the mirror.
Jonathan shifts, across the floor. Abruptly he springs up Chloe.
"What the—!" Chloe yelps.
Jonathan clamps his ears firmly. They throb, resonating with a ringing. His vision blurs, spinning in red. He rubs his eyes blinking hard until the space sharpens. He observes the wreckage. He sees the dangling mirror. He sees his sister clutching a blanket.
"Chl-Chloe?" Jonathan whispers, his voice rough.
"What actions have you recently carried out?" he asks, his tone shaky. He looks at the glass and the scorched floor. "Who could that be?" He points a finger at the mirror.
The Reflection smiles at him. Gives a wink.
Jonathans face flushes. "Repulsive."
"I'm clueless! Stop interrogating me!" Chloe yells.
She scans the room. The chocolate box has turned into a spot by now. Anxiety clutches her throat. "Oh God. The Millers. Mom and Dad will arrive in ten minutes. See this chaos! They'll be livid Jonathan. They'll return us to the orphanage!"
"The Millers are the problem you face " the Reflection comments, looking at her fingernails with a detached curiosity.
"Stay silent!" Chloe snaps at her image in the mirror. She pulls the blanket tighter, around her body. "I can't endure this. I can't remain here without clothes. I simply need… I just desire my dress."
She closes her eyes firmly picturing the fabric in her mind.
After a radiance flows over her skin. The coarse blanket vanishes. In its place the soft fabric of her dress appears draping her perfectly. It fits seamlessly.
Jonathan's jaw drops. "What on earth was that!" dread creeps, into his voice. "You're a witch!"
"Shut up, Jonathan!" Chloe and the Reflection snap in perfect sync.
The Reflections grin vanishes. She looks toward the door a flicker of anxiety appearing in her eyes. "They have come " she whispers, then disappears into the air.
Chloe and Jonathan stare deeply into one anothers eyes their hearts heavy, with fear.
Just as Chloe is about to step the front door bursts open forcefully with a CRASH.
Four people wearing uniforms stormed into the house. "FEDERAL AGENTS! GET DOWN ON THE GROUND!"
"Hey, who do you believe you are! You can't barge into our ho—" Jonathan shouts, stepping forward.
Chloe places her hand over his mouth preventing him from speaking.
One Agent steps in front of Chloe, reaching out to grab Jonathan's arm.
Jonathan recoils sharply. His instincts respond immediately. He cups his ears to dull the noise. A buzzing vibrates, filling the air and echoing inside his mind—and abruptly—
BOOM!
A plume of smoke radiates outward dispersing the space around their feet.
Once the smoke clears Chloe and Jonathan are gone.
The Agents stop suddenly scanning the area. The lead agent grabs his radio pressing it with his thumb. "THEY'VE VANISHED. I REPEAT, THEY'VE VANISHED."
Darkness.
They both see darkness. Chloe stumbles forward. She collides hard with a metal trolley. They fight to steady themselves on the slippery floor tiles.
"Where have we landed?" Jonathan whispers.
The lights flicker overhead, revealing storefronts and mannequins.
"We're at the mall, Jonathan!" Chloe says, pulling herself up.