They say, Mirror shows your true self

Some says, Mirror shows your broken self that only you can identify

A mirror, that would laugh when you laugh, cry when you cry

It's not the mirror that shows who you are, it's your own vision that determines who you are.

The mirror just molds your imagination into an image that you think of

This mirror in front of me has seen me grow up, it has witnessed my happy moments, my sad memories. When I won my first basketball match and was jumping on the bed, when I scored less marks in science in elementary school and cried on bed

When my father gifted me a cap even though I failed to get 1st rank

It has seen me cry and then go numb when I lost my father and isolated myself

This mirror is like a box of secrets of mine, if it could talk then i would be scared my whole life with the fear of it revealing my secrets. Yet everyday I stand in front of it, like I am writing a journal of the day

My image is dim, even with the vibrant colors I wear I could feel them dull and cold. That's why it's better to just wear neutral colors instead of thinking that something is wrong with myself

As I walk downstairs the faint humming sound comes to my ears. I would recognise this voice even in my sleep, keeping my bag on the couch I walk towards the kitchen and I was right

Liam, my older brother, is making us breakfast while humming to a song on his headphones. The highest possibility is that song belongs to Chase Atlantic

Typical Wednesday Morning

After Liam graduated University, he moved out to an apartment which is close to his workplace. He works under our mother Emily Carter's company NYX and he is one of the Head illustrators there.

Busy with work and all, he wouldn't forget to come back home at least twice or thrice a week to have breakfast or dinner with us as a family. Today is one of the days

I peek over his shoulder to take a glance of what he is making, pancakes? Ofcourse, mom's favorite

"Done?" He calls out making me flinch, he smirks looking at me with the corner of his eye. I scoff and step away as he removes his headphones and looks at me

He keeps his smirk on while leaning against the counter with his arms crossed. It would be a lie if I don't say that he looks like our dad. That same facial features, eyes and even habits.

Dad always made pancakes for mom on Wednesdays

Sometimes it feels nice to have him around, it would make me miss dad less but it's also a pain to be reminded of him because my brother is his copy

"Lucas? You good?"

I feel a hand squeezing my shoulder and I snap out of my thoughts "Hm yeah, yeah I am" I mutter taking a step back. Liam frowns, his brows scrunches looking at me concerned

"No seriously, I am good" I assure him

Liam knows about my zoning out and has seen me suffering from depression. A minor worry on my face would make him worried sick with the fear that I would lose myself in the darkness again

That's why I try to stay away

Especially when I am feeling low, so he wouldn't be worried. He has already too many things on his plate and i don't wanna squeeze myself in his list

"You know I don't like sweets" I say changing the topic, as a matter of fact. I do not like sweet things and pancakes are included. He chuckles shaking his head, he turns to the side and grabs a plate before placing it on the counter

I raise my eyebrow at the plate of sandwiches. I step forward and open it to see the insides

Mid grilled

No tomatoes

Cheese in middle with other veggies

With a hint of black pepper

I hum in satisfaction, it's made perfectly like I want "You did a good job"

Liam shrugs his shoulders in pride "Practice"

"okay no need to get cocky" I roll my eyes and he just continues to grin. It's a common thing between us now. If one compliments the other gets proud and pull each others legs

I take a seat on the stool near the counter while Liam plates the pancakes for mom.

Suddenly the loud footsteps on the floor grabs our attention, Liam and I look at each other at the same time "Get ready" he says knowing what's coming. I sigh and turn towards the kitchen entry

Mia jumps in and twirls in front of us "Okay, how do I look?" She asks, keeping her hand on her waist while putting her weight on her left leg.

I look at her wearing a black jumpsuit with white stripes. I hum and give her a thumbs up "good" I say and go back to eating. She gasps, keeping her hand on her chest in a dramatic way "just good? Like excuse the fashionable me Mister!"

I sigh and continue to stuff my mouth. Well she looks good then that's all I can say right? It's better to be honest instead of buttering things up. But i wouldn't comment more as it's fun to tease my little tornado like sister

"Come on! Liam designed it and you say it's just 'good'?" She says in a whining tone.

I glance at Liam 'You designed it?'

He nods

After being siblings we can just talk with expressions especially in these kinds of situations. I look back at me to observe the details of the outfit. It does look good

Mia crosses her arm tapping her shoe on the floor waiting for my reply. I nod "It suits you"I keep my reply short and simple and that makes her even more frustrated "Well I am wearing this dress because you didn't pick up the dress mom made for me! Where is it?"

I pause and gulp the food

How should I tell her that I gave the dress to someone else?

Yesterday I went to NYX to grab the dress mom made for Mia. It's a custom made by the founder herself for her daughter. But things took a turn

I was at a café with my friend Loren, he was trying to make me eat a chocolate cake even though I don't like it. In between he pushed me playfully but I lost my balance and that cake fell on a girl's shirt

Damn the disaster it looked

I tried to apologize but the situation suddenly gave me a spotlight I never asked for. The whole cafe's eyes were on me when I accidentally broke the plate.

I hate when people give me unnecessary attention

That's why I just rushed away, it felt suffocating and creepy, like they were whispering and gossiping about me. Making fun of what I did. I couldn't apologize to that girl for ruining that shirt

She was dressed formally and it looked like she was going for something important

I didn't want to become a hurdle for whatever work she has so I just sent her the dress which was originally for Mia. Loren said that she is from our major, I might have seen her but never got her name

"Lucas?" Mia calls out

My head snaps in her direction, she looks at me confused. I clear my throat "Yeah, I will bring it soon"

"When? It's been days now! I want it!" She whines. Even though she is 16, her tranturm is like a child

"Calm down, I will bring it soon. What's the rush?"

She groans "Okay fine, but I want it soon". She turns to leave but her eyes follow up my face "hey! This goes with my fit!" She claims and snatches the cap off my head and wears it leaving me dumbfounded

I look at her wear my cap, with the letters 'camp' written on them. I lift my hand to take it back but something in me makes it hard for me to form words. Mia smiles checking herself in her camera

Yeah, that cap matches her fit but

It's mine

I put my hand down and keep eating, avoiding looking at it again. Liam sighs, stepping and takes the cap off her head "Hey!" She protests

"No, it doesn't match your fit" he says lifting the cap up as Mia tries to jump and take it from him but her height is too short to even reach Liam's shoulders

"You should wear a beret instead, it would definitely go with your look" Liam suggests. Mia pauses at his words "yeah! Totally!".Liam hands her a tray of food. "For you and mom, go" he says, turning her back and gently pushing her out.

"you could have said something right?" Liam says

I continue to eat my sandwich without looking at him. "I said what I felt, she looks good and that design suits her. You did a good job"

That's all I can say, I have a hard time expressing my feelings or showing them. That's why my replies may come off dry and cold but I do appreciate Liam's efforts to make a dress for our sister and she looked good and happy in it

But I think my words aren't that enough

"I am not talking about that" Liam says keeping the cap back on my head "when you don't like someone's actions, speak up about it"

His words make me shift in my seat, I try to put the facade on my face yet he looks right through me. "She is family" I mutter, Mia is my sister. Since she was born she has taken many things from me and I don't mind-

"There are boundaries for families too, you just need to tell and they will respect it" Liam says looking at me with a serious yet concerned expressions "I know how much this cap means to you lucas"

I sigh looking down, I remove the cap keeping it in front of me.

It's dad's memory

....

The moment I didn't get my coffee I knew instantly that my day won't go good

I need coffee to function properly

Or else I lose my calm

I make my way towards my class, majoring in business finance with a combination of bachelors of commerce. While Liam took the same path as mom in fashion and Mia is gonna pursue medicine like dad

I am doing something totally different

Right now I have financial accounting, as i enter the class I find some new faces. Maybe they have added this class in their course. The large hall with a semi- circular sitting arrangement makes it look more spacious and not congested.

As I walk upstairs towards my usual seat, the fifth row corner to the aisle, to my surprise there's already someone sitting there. Her head down as she looked too engrossed in her book. She holds her pen in her right hand, spinning it between her fingers. I stand beside her, my hand gripping the strap of my bag on the shoulder thinking on how to call her

Tap her shoulder?

Clear my throat?

Wave my hand?

Why am I even thinking about all that? Just grab her attention!

"Hm excuse me?"

Hearing my voice she lifts her head up, her eyes meet mine and a flicker of shock takes over her calm expressions. Looking up closely I realize it's the same girl from yesterday. She keeps her book and pen on the other seat and get up

"Kal walah lomri!" She gasp pointing her index finger right at my face. I move my face back to avoid her from touching me, frowning in confusion due to her unfamiliar language "Pardon?"

[Translation: The fox from yesterday]

She scoffs, crossing her arms "you are the guy from the café right? The chocolate cake one?"

Oh she is upset

"Yeah I am" I mutter trailing off my tone. Her left eye twitches at my confirmation but she doesn't speak anything. "Actually, you are in my seat" I inform

She narrows her eyes at me, her expressions sharp and unforgiving "what do you mean"

I sigh, "I usually sit here, if you don't mind could you take another seat?" I ask trying to be as polite as possible. She turns and looks at the seat and back at me "I don't see your name"

I knew this was coming

Especially after my first impression on her

"Yeah, there's no name. But I kept my jacket here" I say, keeping my tone low and calm so the other students don't hear. She shrugs her shoulders nonchalantly "I don't see it too"

I press my lips together, okay right she doesn't see it. I lean to the side trying to look for my jacket which I kept in the morning. "Oh that's the one" I point at my jacket laying three seats across

She glances at it "It's on that seat, not this one"

"Yes but I kept it here and reserved my seat" I try to explain. The feeling of annoyance and impatience growing inside me "Hm I never heard of a ' reserving seat with jacket ' rule here" she says making a hand gestures of quotations

I grip the strap of my bag at her tone

"Well, most of the students do it" I point at the other seats where someone's bag, or water bottle or cap is kept to reserve that seat. "Okay, but when I came that jacket wasn't on this seat. So it's mine now" she says with a forced smile

I scoff looking down at her. She is short, maximum 5,4 or 5,5 yet her she is trying to fight me off

"Look, I always sit here and I would really appreciate it if you move?"

She rolls her eyes "yeah, you wouldn't say sorry after a mistake and wouldn't say please to ask for something. Talk about manners" she taunts

Okay that's my limit

"Well miss, I did give you that dress as an apology" I point out. She takes a step closer making me surprised "a verbal apology or a written S.O.R.R.Y would be way better" she says spelling out sorry and dragging the word 'way'

"I understand but the situation didn't give me a chance. But I gave you that dress right? It covers up for your outfit!"

She shakes her head keeping her eyes narrowed at me looking at me like she would murder me any moment "yeah because of that dress I was kicked out before i could even give the interview!"

Okay I didn't expect that

She got kicked out?

"Why?" I blunt the question "it was a decent dress and-" she cuts me off before i complete the sentence "long story but yeah, I failed my first interview even before I gave it. Why? Because of that dress which you gave me, also because you ruined my shirt!For your information, that interview was really important to prove my worth!" She practically yells

I could sense her anger growing

Okay she isn't just upset but angry

Quick realization

"I didn't mean any of it to happen, and I do feel bad for what happened to you. But where's the dress? I thought it would help you honestly it's one of a kind" I say keeping my voice low. Few students have already glanced at our direction because of her raised tone

"The dress? I threw it" she says nonchalantly like it's no big deal "You threw it? Excuse me? Do you know how much it cost?" I ask, looking at her shocked. How can she just throw it away when it's worth hundreds of dollars? A custom made dress for crying out loud

"Yeah, I don't care. Like how you didn't care to apologize!" She says and sits back down

I look at her in disbelief, "all of this just for a 'sorry?' really?"

She glares at me and snaps her finger getting offended "it's not about just a word, you gotta remember that even those small words leav a huge impact and it's about basic manners that you lack"

I scoff "manners? You are the one who isn't moving from the seat even though I asked so politely!"

"Politely? I think you didn't learn the three magical words in kindergarten" she mocks looking at me. Her feisty attitude really getting on me now

"Oh well thank you so much Miss Anastasia, without you I would be so lost!" I say in the same tone as her. Referring to my English teacher I had in elementary school who was so into teaching us these magical words.

She gives me an upright smile and opens her book taking out a sheet of some doodled stickers. She removes a sticker which is shaped like a fox and presses it on my jacket "a sticker for being a bad student. Enjoy" she says waving me a bye

"No seriously I want you to get up" I say in a commanding tone "Just because you kept you jacket here doesn't make this seat yours. Go find it somewhere else" she says leaning against the seat to sit comfortably

I glance at my watch and realize that the lecture will start in a few minutes and the classroom is practically filled by now. If I have to sit I gotta go in the back that to in middle of many students

"Okay, why not sit on the third seat and give me the first one? The view is the same" I try to negotiate. The reason I like this seat is because it's in corner which helps me get out, I don't feel suffocated in between other students whom I have no idea about and stay away from disturbance of non attention paying people

I have been sitting here for months and I can't let go my comfort

"Why not sit there instead?" She says

I sigh "I can't and I don't want to"

"I don't even want to sit there!"

I groan in frustration, rubbing my forehead. Taking a few deep breaths I calm down. "I don't know who removed my jacket but I usually sit here, like since this year started so do you mind?" I say going back to my casual self

"A piece of cloth doesn't make you claim the seat, for example" she grabs my jacket and keeps it on the floor "I kept it on the floor, does this make the floor yours? No right?"

I bite down a scream and look up at the ceiling

God, what did I get myself into?