“Anne, are you ready?” came a muffled voice from across the closed doorway.
She stood tall as she admired herself in a long mirror that hung upon the wall just beside her bed. She knew she was beautiful, no one had to reassure her of that. Long, golden locks of blonde spilled from her shoulders and cascaded to her lumbar. She was a petite, yet full-bodied woman. Her eyes; those were her favorite. Like bright, sparkling pools of turquoise that seemed to draw in the light around them just to maintain their luminous shade.
“Be right out,” she called back in a honeyed, rich tone.
“You got five,” the voice answered back, followed by hasty footsteps away from the door.
She continued admiring herself through the mirror. Every man wished to be with her, that she knew for sure. They all cheered as she would step out into the bright, harsh spotlights. She heard their sighs of longing as she would dance upon the stage, felt their swelling hearts as she allowed them the privilege of her beautiful voice. They always loved what she wore, for it was always-
She stared back at herself again. She blinked a few times. The once lovely, glimmering blue dress that she wore was different somehow. She took a step closer, peering into the mirror through the dim lighting within the room. A surprised cry erupted from her pouty lips as clumps of rotting meat now clung to her body. She tore the rancid garment from her in one, quick swipe, her naked body now exposed to the mirror.
She saw them. Every man and woman was staring at her through the mirror's glassy surface, their eyes wide and mouths hung open in shock and awe. She placed her hands over her body to cover herself, beginning to feel hands begin to grip at her. She screamed again and wheeled around, the room instantly changed to something else. A room of pure mirror glass surrounded her. Her naked, trembling body reflected a million times over. The eyes were everywhere. She abandoned her feeble attempts to cover herself as she ran about the room, searching in vain for any exit. She heard cat calls, felt more fingers brush over her body. She found one of the walls, her face looking back at her in the polished surface. Her once beautiful eyes were now rotted holes of oozing, reddish flesh. She screamed, the mirror shattering instantly before her.
“Anne, you have to go on now.”
She wheeled around, immediately wishing she hadn't. Her agent, the one that had called out to her before, stood a few feet away. His head looked to have been thrown through another mirror. Jagged edges of glass protruded from his skull and neck. His eyes were replaced with two, neatly trimmed circular shards that reflected her terrified face perfectly in the impossibly bright room. She watched in pure horror as he made his way quickly toward her, reaching out a blood-soaked arm to touch her-
“Hey, are you alright?”
She was extremely hot, yet the room had returned back to normal. Her wild eyes looked back into his, amber-hued ones. The only mirror within the room hung upon the wall near her bed. She was panting in fear, her forehead glistening with fresh sweat.
“You're supposed to be on,” he went on to say, “I can't hold their attention much longer.”
Her heart beat began to slow as reality settled back into place within her. What had just taken place? She met his gaze a bit more evenly.
“Tell them that I couldn't make it,” she called back.
“What?” his response came out in a roar, “This is one of the biggest-”
“I said I couldn't make it,” she responded with a hiss.
They watched each other for several, tense moments. Finally, he turned and walked out the door. She plopped down upon the bed, her head in her hands. She bit her lip as tears welled within her eyes; tears that she wasn't sure why she shed. She had no clue what had just taken place, but a realization instantly struck her. She needed to take a break from singing.
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