altimit | [Closed] misteaks' mistakes (catchall)

[from here.
--

You remember it was raining. The sound of the storm echoed like thousands of footsteps hitting the roof and the windows.

You're not very old. Four, perhaps. But you're excited. Your mother is pregnant. The house is busy, and she maintains it like a well-oiled machine, even when the baby is close. All of your brothers are excited. Even your twin, a little boy with a flash of deeply dark hair, gets a tired little smile over the subject.

The baby is going to be a girl. The only girl in a house of six boys.

You remember the rain when you wave goodbye to your parents as they leave the home and leave you with a babysitter, a quirky teen with her hair in a side ponytail. You like your older brother Lucas more than her, even though he's only twelve. He's more like mom than this girl is. As the sitter works on a game with Levi and Aiden, Lucas comes to check on you and Booker. Booker slept through most of it. You remember that well. You remember asking for snacks, and crying when you were told "no" by Lucas.

The rain continued over the night and into the morning. You were left in your bedroom for a while longer than usual for the morning. There were a lot of phone calls.

A lot of phone calls.

Lucas is on the phone. Why Lucas? Why does he look so cold when he comes to get you out of bed, instead of the sitter?

"Is mom home?"

He shakes his head.

The sitter isn't as energetic. The day crawls. Your oldest two brothers have shut themselves in their bedroom. You can hear Matthew crying.

Levi and Aiden are playing a game. Aiden is winning. Levi pitches a fit. You watch them. You watch the window. You ask when mom will be back. The sitter doesn't answer right away.

It's very late when the sound of wheels against the wet pavement wake you up. Several pairs of bare feet are running down the carpeted stairs, watching your father at the front door with an umbrella and a baby carrier.

It's such a small baby. She's so pink. Lilith is her name. "We can call her Lily, right?" You like that Aiden suggests it.

It's Levi that has the trembling voice that breaks the excitement.

"Where's Mom?"

There's no response. Dad shrugs off his coat and asks for the sitter to help him take everyone back to bed.

Where's Mom?

It's a little bit of a chorus now. Lucas doesn't ask. Matthew doesn't ask. The rest of you do. Levi is panicked. Aiden is angry. You're confused. Your father never answers.

He never answers.

You're being dressed up. The church is cold. Everyone is quiet and sad. You see the box with the lid.

Why is there a body in the box?

Why is the body so gray and cold?

Why does the body look like Mom? Mom? Mom?

"Is Mom going to wake up?" You ask as Lucas sets you down. He shakes his head.

"She's gone now, Barrett. You need to say goodbye."

You don't want Mom to be gone. Booker drones out the name at your side, and you can hear people crying in the pews. Even when the box goes into the hole in the ground, you don't want her to be gone. Father watches, and his eyes are cold. He looks over his sons, and his eyes are cold. Like a different person. Washed out in the rain.

He knew what to do now... right?

The baby is still here. Lily is still here. You want her to be happy. She has to be happy. She won't ever meet Mom. But your family can still make her happy.

Right?

...

--]

-- I like the ones that make you look short. I don't know why. It's always made my brother laugh, I guess.

[Misteaks continues a train of thought, apparently unaware to whatever was just viewed. He flexes for fun at a mirror and chuckles to himself.]

Edited 2023-08-16 12:06 (UTC)

[She doesn't answer, because she's too busy staring at shock at that mirror, having played all that out - though by now, it naturally looks like a regular, if warped mirror once more.]

[A beat.

The silence is getting a little thick. He turns back look towards her, brows knit a bit in confusion at her wide-eyed look.]

...Hey. Are you okay?

[Yeah, uhhhhh what does she even say to all of that??? It was a lot to begin with, not to mention they're literally playing a video game right now and if it hadn't been so detailed she'd honestly think it was just a vivid, if random hallucination.

But...

But even if it was, that's... way too much of a coincidence, isn't it?

So with all that said, Beel can probably watch her as she silently debates what the hell she wants to say.]

...

Hey, totally random question. Is your real name Barrett?

[He immediately locks up.]

How did you...

...

Uh. I mean. Um.

...Why are you asking?

[Oh cool. Okay. Well, she didn't actually plan this far ahead, so now she's floundering again.]

I just... saw something in a mirror? Besides just a reflection.

...

It was about a kid who looked like you. Or, I mean - I guess it was you?

...What?

[With hesitation, he crosses over to her, eyes on whatever mirror she's in front of.]

Which mirror? I never saw anything like that...

[She makes a small gesture at the mirror beside her, which about sums up how useless she thinks pointing it out is.]

Yeah, tell me about it. You were talking the whole time like nothing had happened.

Which, I guess, it didn't. For you, anyway.

Oh...

Sorry. I guess I should have been paying more attention. I didn't know anything else was happening.

[But she looked kind of uncomfortable about it... so maybe it's worth asking:]

What... did you see, exactly? You said something with a kid.

[Awkward. And just plain ol' sad.]

I mean.

You were like four or something. And... something really, really shitty happened.

[Ringing any bells?]

...

[Yes. Yes, it does. And it's alarming to think of a total stranger knowing something that he didn't really tell anyone beyond absolute basics.]

...Hey, you're -- You're not pulling my leg or something, are you?

How do you know something like that?

[...Tugging her hood down over her face a little. This sucks.]

I told you, I saw it in the mirror! And, like-

I don't know! If I knew what was happening, I wouldn't have looked. But I did. So.

[Oh. Oh no, is she feeling bad about this?

Despite his own discomfort, a hand still goes out to her when she backs away, palm up as though to try and tell her to stop.]

Hey, whoa, no... no, no, don't do that...

It's okay. I don't get it, but... look, I'm not mad. I'm not. I promise.

[...

He lets out a rough exhale, running a hand against his hair as he looks back at the mirror. What the hell...

...]

Yeah, that's my real name. And... yeah, something happened when I was four. I got a little sister, but our mom passed away at the hospital. Dad said it happened kind of fast.

...It's okay. I was too young to remember a lot of it.

It did kinda zip through the funeral.

[Ugh. Awful. This is awful.

At least she's peeking out from under her hood again.]

I mean. Obviously it's not my fault. But... sorry anyway?

[...And after a beat, she turns to glare at the mirrors again.]

But if that was for real... seriously, what the hell is going on with this game?

You don't have to apologize.... Swallow, right? [Squinting at her UN for a second.] It didn't look like you were doing anything but minding your own business, anyway.

[Still, she's got a great point. If she did see a memory that no one but Levi could have told her... what kind of things did that mean?

He's not sure.]

There weren't any notes in front of this building talking about something like that happening, was there?

Edited 2023-08-17 00:51 (UTC)

Nope. Far as I can tell, it's supposed to be a totally normal house of mirrors.

[He exhales slowly.]

Maybe... it's a glitch in the game or something. It's hooked up to our minds, right? So maybe we're standing too close to each other. Or something.

[A moment passes, before his expression turns a bit sheepish, glancing to the side.]

I don't know. I never understand how these kinds of machines work.

Still, if it can even pull out our memories... that's super creepy.

[Although that said-

He may just notice that there's a mirror behind her, one that's reflecting a young girl instead of either of them.

She doesn't seem to notice.]

This game's seriously kinda sus.

[...Huh.

That definitely catches his attention. Time to go get a closer look.]

Yeah...

Hey, are you... seeing this over here?

Seeing what?

[The closer look rewards him with a memory to view for himself.]

[He doesn't respond, eyes fixed on the glass with a hand braced to the frame. Oh...

It's not something he's experienced in a while. The disappoontment and the fear, the need to be self sufficient. But he had his brothers. He always had his brothers. To be alone...

When the memory starts to cloud, Barrett's eyes are back to the ground.]

...It's a kid. Trapped at home, because their parents aren't there taking care of them. So they sneak out.

[Her blood runs cold, but you wouldn't be able to tell just looking at her.]

...And?

...Nothing else. Just wandering out in the city after that. Rough parts of town. Whoever it was felt kind of excited, but... sad, too.

[Whoever in the world it was, we may never know. Still, he gives her an apologetic look, letting the silence hang between them, before his voice drops quieter with a nod towards the front door.]

Maybe we shouldn't hang around in here. I felt like I shouldn't have seen that.

[At that apologetic look, she just looks away, grumbling:]

This game sucks.

[...But she will go ahead and leave the house of mirrors.]

CW: parental loss; for swallow

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cw: child neglect

Cw: child neglect

Re: Cw: child neglect

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