CHAPTER (TEN)

Mirror, Mirror (Fly) on the Wall

An extra pair of socks

cushioned the pieces of glass that she hadnt

been able to yank out of her heels and soaked up the steady ooze of blood. The mirror girl didnt care. She limped up the stairs, not caring that she smelled like puke and pee and darker things. The mirror girl didnt feel pain, or shame or fear. Licey was completely safe. The mirror girl slid into the dining room. Pete saw her first. The others watched the bedraggled child, her hair a matted mess, clothes stained and eyes unseeing. She pulled out her chair looking down at the paper plate. The whispering crested over their shock, some words sharp, others soft as feathers. "What's wrong with you?" Dee whispered. "She's scaring me." Dum whispered back to his sister. The mirror girl shoved the little boy out of his chair. He hit the scratched floor with a dull thud. Too shocked to cry or speak, his full lips trembled. Dee shot to her feet. "Hey! What are you doing?" Peered into the fury in Dee's eyes, the mirror girl smiled. The anger melted away to disbelief and fear on the sisters face. Dee pulled her shaking brother up, murmuring, "The hell with you then. Come on, El." The pair slid their chairs to the far edges of the table. The rest scooted over to make room, something they'd never done for Licey. The girl spread out her hands, relishing the space arms stretched as far as she could reach. Slightly yanked his coat lapels and said, "Licey, about what happened yesterday-" He cleared his throat and looked to Pete. The boy said nothing, only stared at the mirror girl. "We-" "You did nothing." She said. "That doesn't matter. We've all agreed that if you apologize, it'll be over and done." Slightly sniffed, pushing his glasses up on his nose. "You want me to apologize." She said. No question there, none at all. Licey retreated back to where pain couldn't pass the threshold. She watched herself watching Pete. She wanted to scream at him, you kissed me yesterday! You thought I was special, different! If you care about me, even a little bit, don't do this! Please, don't hurt me! But her thoughts only echoed in her head. Pete- The mirror girl finished, "You peed in my bed." "What?" Pete's eyes widened.

"Pete!" Marsha gasped as Hat laughed. "You put poor dead Sally in my bed and peed on her. You broke all the jars. You broke the shelves. You broke everything." The mirror girl said. "And you want me to apologize?" Bella stared with wide eyes at the boy. "Pete wet the bed?" "Eww." Dum giggled. Dee elbowed him to get him to stop. "I did not!" Pete shouted cheeks red. "I didn't go back to the cellar! My stuff's still down there! By the time I got back, you were already holed up!" Licey-in-the-head stopped for a moment. The mirror girl didn't. "Then you pissed all over your clothes and stuff too, dumbass." Bella echoed, "Dumbass! Silly ass!" "Bella, hush!" Pete said, setting her down in his seat as he ventured into the no man's land of Licey's side of the table. The anger in his face burned down to coals. The tinder pieces of concern and bafflement would either douse the fire completely or flare it up again. His eyes kept searching for something. Licey-in-the-head cringed, fearing he might figure it out and see beyond the eyes of the mirror child. "What's wrong with you? Is everything really broken?" He stopped when he saw her feet. A round drop of blood dripped from her sock to the small puddle under Liceys chair. His breath hissed over his teeth. "Okay. Okay. Stay there. Just-just don't move." He ran to the hallway so fast her napkin ruffled. "Oh, now you've done it!" Slightly shook his head. The mirror girl picked up her knife and stared at the edge, wondering how far a butter knife could cut. Slightly cringed, stroking his scarred hand. Hat-Trick snorted. "Forget it, Slightly. She may be cracked, but she's not broken enough to give you a repeat performance." He got up and walked to the door. "She's not that far gone yet. Shes just hurt." He went to the kitchen to either get something else to eat or check out the carnage downstairs. The mirror girl didn't care. In her head, Licey panicked. She could barely look at Hat after seeing him yesterday, seen what he and Marsha were doing. Footsteps and the murmur of voices echoed down the hall, silencing the rest of the kids. Pete edged back into the room tugging Mrs. Rouge behind him. "Pete, what on earth? I'm very busy right now." She kept glancing at Petes hand as if she couldn't believe that he was actually touching her. "You know Lorina isn't feeling well. Mrs. Rouge huffed at the scene before her. "Why are you all on one side of the table?" "Her feet." Pete said and pointed. "Look at her feet."

Oh, Licey, whats happened now? Nothing I didnt deserve, apparently. The mirror child said. Mrs. Rouge puffed up. Honestly, youre so accident prone, Licey! I swear, if you arent bleeding from one side, you are on the other. Come along, well get your feet taken care of. Licey flinched as she stood and limped after the woman. They trekked to the kitchen. Hat-Trick sat on the counter, munching on a bruised apple. Hukku-san ignored them, but Sumi took it upon herself to weave among the guests, her curly tail wagging in welcome. The mirror girl watched Hat out of the corner of her dull eyes. He stared back, expression masked by the mottled brown red of the apple skin. Probably wants to see if I'll tattle on him, she thought. She cooled her flushed face against the class schedule board on the fridge. Her hot cheek pressed into a Popsicle magnet hard enough to leave a mark. Mrs. Rouge pulled the folding stepladder out behind the kitchen door and moved Licey to the worn seat. "Off with those filthy socks." She turned to get the medicine basket. Biting her lip Licey retreated further into the safety of her mind. She watched her mirror self roll down the socks, edges catching on the bigger pieces of glass poking out of the pads of her feet. Runners of pain raced up her legs, pooling around her toes and ankles as if she'd stepped into acid. She whimpered. Hat-Trick's eyes went wide when the first drops of blood hit the worn tile floor. The drops were so red; he put down his apple in disgust. "Mrs. Rou, witch-hazel isn't gonna work on that." "Licey!" The woman gasped. "What on earth?" Hukku-san's knife clattered into the sink like a bell clapper. Sumi whined beside the girl as Licey started to take off her other sock. "Stop!" Mrs. Rouge snapped. She took a breath, the deep lines on her face pinching. "Just leave the other sock on. Oh, Licey, did you have to do this on a Sunday?" She rang her hands. "The doctor's not open. Oh, why couldn't you have done this yesterday, I was just there. It did happen yesterday. Licey whispered. You slept like that? Hat-Trick whispered back, choking on what was left of the bite of apple in his mouth. Mrs. Rouge paced, not hearing either of them. Oh, the Child Welfare people aren't working today either. Maybe the emergency room?" She swayed from one end of the kitchen to the other. Her figure stilled next to the slightly green Hat-Trick. "What happened? Who did this to her?"

"The whole cellar is covered in broken glass. All the preserves and canned stuffs are smashed. Smells awful." Hat-Trick said, eyes never leaving Licey's. "Could have been anyone. Don't you think you should take care of her feet first before you start interrogating anyone?" "Patrick, you do not speak to me in that tone." She said halfheartedly. Licey watched as more little drips of blood fell to the floor with silent splats. She sniffed. "I will help?" Hukku-sans good hand was covered in soap. The water blasted out the faucet, sending curls of steam up to cloud the window. He ran his hooks under the stream and pulled a drawer open with his elbow. "J-just for now." Mrs. Rouge nodded, "Until I can get a hold of the emergency room." She swept out of the room. "Jesus, Licey." Hat muttered from the counter, shaking his head. "What the hell?" In her mind, Licey growled at the boy, you're just mad you didn't get your third shot at me! What do you care if my feet are all cut up? But her mirror self only studied the dirty edges of the glass wedged in her skin. "You do this to yourself and you have the nerve to look pissed at me?" Hat-Trick snapped as if hearing her thoughts. "I'm crazy, Licey, but I'm not stupid." Licey didn't take the bait. Hat-Trick wanted her to talk. She'd rather swallow the rest of the glass before giving him the satisfaction. Someplace deep in her, doubt raised a shaking hand. If Pete had trashed her room, why bother tossing her stuff outside first? Why wasn't the only thing that was really hers not ruined with the rest of her things? Why hadn't he thrown out Bellas painting? Hukku-sans hooks gleaming in the flickering halogen lights. With surprising gentleness, he pushed her back until her shoulders touched the wall. Licey flinched as the cook lifted up her foot, his water warmed hook under the back of her ankle. He said, Hook is not sharp. She nodded, arms tucking in around her shaking middle. She felt the cook tug on one of the tiniest shards and sharp relief filled her. Hukku-san let the sliver fall into one of his silver pots with a dull ting. The hole in her foot ached as the warm air of the kitchen swirled in like a tiny breath. Hukku-san tweezed out another piece of the glass. Clink. Tug, clink. Tug, snag. She bit her lip. Clink. So many pieces left, she thought and for the first time, considered that walking across broken glass with bare feet may not have been the best idea. Hat-Trick turned a shade greener but he didnt leave. His knuckles were bone white where he gripped the counter.

"Boy, water." Hat slid down, filled another pot and handed it over. "When?" He asked Licey. "Not today." Hukku-san said, pointing to where Licey's torn skin had tried to knit closed. Too old." "Her feet are going to get infected." Hat-Trick grumbled, backing away. "At least theyll knock you out when they cut your feet off, rabbit." That cold fury burned behind his words. But Licey wasn't fooled. If he didn't care at all, he wouldn't be in here. Or maybe he just got off on watching her bleed. Hukku-san let the words slide around the sides of his head. He made a sound deep in his throat. "Nn." He looked closer and then waved to Hat again. "Get Mrs. Rouge." "Yeah, yeah." Hat said then yelled, "Mrs. Rou! She's bleeding out!" and snickered. Mrs. Rouge ricocheted into the kitchen. "What? Oh, Hukku-san, what, oh, yes that's right." She rung her hands, but her face relaxed. "You were a Naval Medic." Images of belly buttons danced through Licey's pained thoughts. Maybe he was the guy who stitched up peoples' tummies when they were born. That was all well and good, but could he do feet too? "Mrs. Rouge. Do you have-" He reached up and mimicked someone sewing. "A needle? Yes, yes, I do. But is it sanitary?" The cook looked at her, confused. "Clean? Is it clean enough?" She stared down at the bloody mess. He stood and put a pot on the stove with water. He turned the dial up to red with a flick of his wrist. "We boil it. And string. It will become clean." "Patrick, go get my sewing basket. Tell the others to eat their breakfast." She turned her head and Licey saw it blow up again like a balloon. As long as she was giving orders, Mrs. Rouge was the undisputed Queen of Joy House if only in her own bloated mind. Hat-Trick moved out, muttering all the while. Licey heard startled yips outside the doorway. The others must have been crammed into the hall. "Move down, move down!" Hat shouted. "No, Pete, she's not dead." Mrs. Rouge still for the first time. "Now, Licey, Mr. Hukku-san was a doctor overseas." She patted the girl's head absently, as if it would keep Licey from fleeing. "He's going to fix up your feet, just like new." Pat, pat, pat. Well have you checked out tomorrow. The woman painted on a smile so strained it was blood red. Fake, Licey thought, so very fake. Mrs. Rouge had

absolutely no idea what happened, what was going to happen or even what was happening now. She looked to Hukku-san. "It will hurt." He nodded. Licey watched as the hook slid out from under her leg and the man went to stand at the door. Pete's face blinked in and out again as Hukku-san took a swipe at him. "Out!" The cook roared. Sumi whined and rested her rough muzzle on Licey's thigh. She panted up at her with sympathetic eyes. Licey patted the dog's head. The pot on the stove started to bubble. Dribbles of water slipped down the side and hissed on the burner. Sumi's tail beat out a nervous rhythm in time to the throb of Licey's feet. Hat-Trick slid back into the room, followed by Lorina. "Lori, you shouldn't be in here." Mrs. Rouge muttered. "Why don't you go lay back down?" The girl's round face solemn, she took in the disaster in the kitchen. A study of reds, the drips of blood on the chipped Formica, the forgotten apple, half eaten on the counter, her mothers mouth, all so ruddy and so wrong. "Mother, I need to see this." Lorina said softly. "Someone did this to her, you know. The least I can do is hold her hand." Hat-Trick rolled his eyes and grinned wryly at Licey. "Yeah, sure." Licey didn't like that. Here was one kid, one person who was acting like she gave a damn if Licey was hurt or not. The others just wanted to see a show. Lorina, the outcast, came to comfort her. Hukku-san scooted over and let Lorina slide in next to Sumi. Her wet flabby hand clamped down on Licey's fingers. The cook pulled out two spools of thread, one green and one pink and held them up to Licey. "Color?" Licey squeezed Loris hand. "Pink." He ran a length of the pink thread out, holding the spool between the two hooks. Hat-Trick, still refusing to leave for some reason, clipped the string when the cook held it out. Licey watched, mesmerized as the cook clasped the tiny needle in his hooks and threaded it with his good hand. The threads curled between his fingers as he knotted the end. He dropped it all into the bubbling pot. Licey started shaking. That needle and thread werent going to sew up socks this time. Theyd be stitching her feet instead. "I'm scared." Licey whispered from the lips of the mirror girl, "I want my rabbit." Hats shoulders bunched as if he were trying to hear her better. Lori held on to her hand a little tighter and said, Shh. Itll be okay.

Mrs. Rouge put a casserole dish full of disinfectant under the seat where Licey perched. Licey, put your feet in. Licey shook her head. N-no. Licey! The caretakers stern voice cut through any sympathy. Mother! Lorina snapped, Shes scared, dont yell at her! Hukku-san glanced at Hat-Trick. The boy sighed and slid from the counter. Hat ran his hands under the hot faucet, fingers coming away red. Lo-o-ri. He frowned, but sang her name. Licey thought her fingers would snap as Lorina held tighter. Patrick, this isnt the time to be speaking to my daugh- Tell the others I said to stay in the dining room. All of them. He ignored the seething Mrs. Rouge. Now. The girl let go, dropping Liceys strangled fingers. Alright. She stooped down and ran her hand over Liceys pale cheek. If you need me, just call, okay? She wont. You stay at the table too. Hat said, shoving Lorinas shoulder with his elbow, pushing her out of the kitchen. And tell the others that if they come in here, theyll be dealing with me. Mrs. Rouge sputtered. Patrick, how dare you- Look, Mrs. Rou, DHS might be closed, but Im sure Officer White would be more than happy to come and take a peek at this. He raised an eyebrow. Want me to call him? Marsha has his home number. Or I can always call the other doctor. Mrs. Rouge stuttered, unable to believe what she was hearing. Patrick, I dont know what you think youre doing, but- Mrs. Rou. Hats voice dropped to a low rumble that left Licey shuddering in the corner. You have no idea how patient Im being right now. Now get the hell out of the way before Licey girl stains the floor. I wonder if shell sit at the table too, she thought as the woman backed away. But Mrs. Rouge stood by the sink. When Licey looked back, Hat-Tricks face was inches from her own. Ah! She tried to scoot back, but her heel rubbed over the rubber steps and she slipped. This gonna be hard? Or easy, rabbit? Licey yanked her feet up, curling her arms around her shins, scowling. There was no way she was sticking her bloody feet in the bubbly stuff. The disinfectants measure of pain for a couple of scratches was ridiculous. This could hurt bad enough to kill. Hadnt she hurt enough already? Hats palm slammed against the wall behind her head. Last chance. Im not backing down, she thought glaring at him, not to you, not to anyone.

As if he heard her thoughts, Hat-Trick grinned at her. Oh, surely, surely he wouldntHat-Trick grabbed her. He slung her up to his shoulder as if she weighed nothing and stole her seat. Licey didnt have enough air to yell at him. He flipped her around on his lap, grabbed her arms with one hand and shoved her feet into the disinfectant with the other. Licey had one moment of perfect clarity. She felt very small with HatTrick holding her. Huh, so I am still a kid, she thought, relieved. The embarrassment of what shed seen the day before tried to eek through but the color of the water changing captured her curiosity more surely than the crazy teens arms. Her feet left a red cloud above them as Hat forced her knees down. Like smoke, she thought, like pretty, red smoke. Then bubbly fire licked up her ankles and melted her toes. Licey screamed. Hat-Trick was not impressed. When screaming didnt work, she thrashed. Sliding her feet against the ceramic dish, she tried to get them out of the frothy mess. But like some sort of strange dance, Hat-Trick always was one step ahead of her. Pushing when she pulled, shoving when she tried to turn, squeezing when she struggled to wiggle away from the pain. All the while, she howled. Sumi ran for it. Mrs. Rouge turned pale. Hukku-san simply dipped his hook into the boiling water and fished out the needle. This Hat hissed in her ear, will teach you. Hurts doesnt it? Just remember, you did this to yourself. Someone put that glass there, but nobody made you step on it. You did that. He held tighter as Licey tried to scratch him. He grabbed her chin, fingers digging against the raw places where hed hit her. Look at your feet. Look! I already tell Marsha to eat every damn day! I shouldnt have to tell a ten year old kid, not to walk on broken glass! Eleven! Licey yelled. Oh-ho! Eleven! Even worse then! He jammed his forearm against her shins and pushed. Some of the disinfectant sloshed out of the bowl. Been a while since I heard you scream. Licey dug her tailbone into whatever part of Hat-Trick she was sitting on, screeching and straining to lift her feet out and away from the pain. Hat just pushed back. Finally it hurt so much, Licey stilled, exhausted, and let the stinging do its worst. Done Licey girl? Chest heaving, she nodded. Anything to get untangled from Hats wiry arms. He leaned a little closer. You gonna hurt yourself again?

Uh-uh. She shook her head, the ends of her hair caught in her mouth. Then the real you better be here when I let go. He whispered. Startled, she nodded. So he saw the mirror girl too, Licey thought. She shoved her other self out of the way and took a deep breath. Little patters of sweat hit the floor and at last, he let her pull her feet out of the dish. Dizzy from yelling, drained from the struggle, Licey leaned back and closed her eyes. The first drops of rain in weeks pattered against the windowpane, echoing the drips off Liceys toes. Like the rain wants to take my place, she thought. Its crying because it cant. Its as powerless as I am. Go for it, Hukku-san. Ive got her. Hat said, but let his hands slide away when Licey didnt start fighting again. The actual stitching took a little over an hour. She flinched and winced but didnt struggle. Shed save that for later if she needed it. The tug and pull of the needle was sharp, uncomfortable, painful. But at least Hat-Trick didnt grab her again. He sat behind her, still and quiet like some sort of human chair. Hukku-san said nothing, only sewed the wounds closed as fast as he could. The cool hooks pressed against the newest stitches, numbing them while he started the next. The pink thread turned black with her blood. Blood comes back, Licey girl. But scars always stay. Hat muttered. Licey let her head flop to his shoulder. Maybe he was right? Compared to the plain hurtful truths and beautiful cutting lies of her life at Joy House, this was nothing. The agony of having her feet sewn up on the floor of an orphanage kitchen under flickering lights would at least have an end. And end it did. Mrs. Rouge gave her baby aspirin to crunch between her teeth. The adults told her she couldn't stay in the cellar until it was cleaned and aired out. Mrs. Rouge made Hat-Trick help Licey into the hall. She saw her reflection in one of the crooked picture frames. The other girl stared back at her. You need to go now, Licey thought to the mirror girl. I dont like you very much. I dont like myself very much either, but youre freaking everyone else out. That and Hat-Trick can see you. Her mirror self stayed put in the glass as the girl limped to the stairs. Lori waited next to the steps, "Are you okay?" Licey shrugged, uneasy now that the storm of pain had passed. Lori stayed put glaring at Hat, as if her swollen feet glued themselves to the uneven floor.

"Um, I asked mom and she said you could stay with me. Just until your room's fixed. It'll be like a slumber party!" The girl's face radiated need. "I'll fine upstairs." Licey said. "But your feet!" Lorina cried, "It'd be so much easier if you'd-" Ill get her upstairs, Hat muttered. "Sorry." Not that relying on Hat-Trick was any better but Liceys lesson started tomorrow and if the others shut her out completely, there'd be no way to get revenge. She had a better chance with a psycho than an outcast. So she'd make the daily trek up and down that damned flight of stairs if it killed her. "But Licey..." The whine in Lori's voice set Licey's teeth on edge. "Aren't we friends?" Licey turned huge eyes to the girl. She'd held the girls hand because no one else was there, not because they were best friends or anything. "Where the hell did you get that idea?" Hat murmured, nudging her towards the steps. Get moving Licey girl. They left a red-faced, stunned Lorina on the landing. The boys voices leaked out from under their door. Everyone must have headed to their rooms. Licey shuffled by and the whispers stopped. She pushed her feet to go faster, before the boys started talking again. Listening to them would be like putting poisonous snakes up to her ears and expecting them not to bite. The girl's room wasn't much better. Bella was screaming, kicking at Marsha as the older girl forced the child's bare rear into a pull up pair of training pants. "No, no, no!" Bella froze when she saw Licey and Hat-Trick come in. Marsha yanked the pull up over Bella's hips with a frustrated cry of victory. "Finally!" She fell back onto the bed then doubled over when Bella's knee plummeted into her stomach. "Oof." "Silly ass!" Bella yelled, yanking the training pants right back off. Her little bottom jiggling, she took off out the door and down the hall. "Let her go." Marsha wheezed even though Licey had no intention of chasing after the little girl. The teens eyes fell on Hat, You need something? He shook his head. Nope, just delivering the brat. He started back down the hall, then looked over his shoulder. Make her put her feet up, Marsha. Licey fidgeted by the door until the boy disappeared into the other room.

"Come in then." Marsha sat up on her bed. "Where's the twins?" "They went upstairs with Pete when they heard you were moving in. I take it you shot Lorina down?" Licey nodded, the gaping hole in her stomach crumbling wider when she heard the news about Dee and Dum. She held on to her shoulders and looked away. "Good, you're not completely stupid then." Marsha flipped her hand at the far bed. "That's yours for now." Licey wished she had something to put on the bed to claim it, but all her stuff was downstairs covered in grass or glass and pee. W-what about Hat-Trick? She whispered. Dont worry about Hat. Marsha sighed. But you tell anyone about yesterday and we'll both make you regret it. Okay. "A-and you're not a freak." Marsha said softly. "You just...startled me. I didnt expect anyone to barge in." "Okay." "How are your feet? It sounded like it hurt." Just ask your boyfriend"Yeah. They still hurt." Licey tucked them up under her as she climbed into the bed. "You tired?" "Mm-huh." Liceys head spun as she leaned against the wall. How wonderful to have a bed that smelled like Dee and Dum, like cinnamon graham crackers and milk instead of darker things. Marsha wandered to her make up table, talking into her mirror. "We'll have visitors tomorrow, so Mrs. Rou wants to make sure everything's 'perfect'. That means tons of cleaning." The teen's voice turned sour. "So you'd better rest while you can." Licey was already half asleep, curled up in a tight little ball. Somewhere in the back of her mind she heard the door open, shut and the rustle of sheets. Someone asked, She out? God, I hope so. Marshas voice drifted in and out. Did you get anything out of her? Screams. She heard a muffled whap. Licey wanted to open her eyes, but they were just too heavy. Someone put a blanket over her, tucking it around her shoulders and knees, keeping well away from the agonizing burn of her feet. Head swimming, Licey yawned. Someone snickered. Shes as bad as Pete.

Shes so young. Marsha whispered, Dont wake her. And risk tomorrow? Not a chancegod, Im tired. The words faded away with the sullen creak of Marshas bed. Like a weight, the blanket dragged Licey down into oblivion and away from the whispering voices.