Staring into the blank mirror, waiting for my reflection to return, I suddenly realized that I didn’t know anything at all about this mirror, about turning invisible. About coming back.
My mind suddenly whirred with all sorts of terrifying questions:
What made me think that reappearing was automatic?
What if you could only come back twice? And after the third time you went invisible, you stayed invisible?
What if the mirror was broken? What if it was locked away in this hidden room because it didn’t work properly and it made people stay invisible forever?
What if I never came back?
No, that can’t be, I told myself.
But the seconds were ticking by. And my body was still not visible.
I touched the mirror, rubbing my invisible hand over the smooth, cool glass.
“Max, what’s taking so long?” Zack asked, his voice trembling.
“I don’t know,” I told him, sounding as frightened and upset as he did.
And then suddenly, I was back.
I was staring at my reflection in the mirror, watching intently, gratefully, as a wide smile crossed my face.
“Ta-daaa!” I sang my triumphant fanfare, turning to my still-shaken friend. “Here I am!”
“Wow!” Zack exclaimed, and his mouth remained in a tight O of surprise and wonder. “Wow.”
“I know,” I said, grinning. “Pretty cool, huh?”
I felt very shaky, kind of trembly all over. My knees felt all weak and sweaty. You know the feeling.
But I ignored it. I wanted to enjoy my moment of glory. It wasn’t often that I got to do something that Zack hadn’t already done ten times.
“Amazing,” Zack said, staring hard at the mirror. “I’ve got to try it!”
“Well …” I wasn’t so sure I wanted Zack to do it. It was such a big responsibility. I mean, what if something went wrong?
“You’ve got to let me do it!” Zack insisted.
“Hey — where’s Lefty?” I asked, glancing quickly around the small room.
“Huh? Lefty?” Zack’s eyes searched, too.
“I was so busy being invisible, I forgot he was here,” I said. And then I called, “Hey, Lefty?”
No reply.
“Lefty?”
Silence.
I walked quickly around to the back of the mirror. He wasn’t there. Calling his name, I made my way to the door and peered out into the attic.
No sign of him.
“He was standing right here. In front of the mirror,” Zack said, suddenly pale.
“Lefty?” I called. “Are you here? Can you hear me?”
Silence.
“Weird,” Zack said.
I swallowed hard. My stomach suddenly felt as if I’d swallowed a rock.
“He was right here. Standing right here,” Zack said in a shrill, frightened voice.
“Well, he’s gone now,” I said, staring at the dark, shadowy reflection of the mirror. “Lefty’s gone.”
“Maybe Lefty went invisible, too,” Zack suggested.
“Then why doesn’t he answer us?” I cried. I tried calling my brother again. “Lefty — are you here? Can you hear me?”
No reply.
I walked up to the mirror and angrily slapped the frame. “Stupid mirror.”
“Lefty? Lefty?” Zack had his hands cupped around his mouth like a megaphone. He stood at the door to the little room, calling out into the attic.
“I don’t believe this,” I said weakly. My legs were shaking so much, I dropped down onto the floor.
And then I heard giggling.
“Huh? Lefty?” I jumped to my feet.
More giggling. Coming from behind the carton I’d carried into the little room.
I lunged toward the carton just as Lefty popped up from behind it. “Gotcha!” he cried, and collapsed over the carton, slapping the floor, laughing his head off.
“Gotcha! Gotcha both!”
“You little creep!” Zack screamed.
He and I both pounced on Lefty at the same time. I pulled his arm back until he screamed. Zack messed up his hair, then tickled him.
Lefty was screaming and laughing and squirming and crying all at the same time. I gave him a hard punch on the shoulder. “Don’t ever do that again,” I shouted angrily.
Lefty laughed, so I gave him a hard shove and climbed to my feet.
Zack and I, both breathing hard, both red in the face, glared angrily at Lefty. He was rolling around on the floor, covered in dust, still laughing like a lunatic.
“You scared us to death. You really did!” I exclaimed heatedly.
“I know,” Lefty replied happily.
“Let’s beat him up some more,” Zack suggested, balling his hands into tight fists.
“Okay,” I agreed.
“You’ll have to catch me first!” Lefty cried. He was on his feet in a flash, and out the door.
I chased after him, tripped over a stack of old clothes, and went flying headfirst to the floor. “Ow!” I banged my leg hard. The pain shot up through my body.
Pulling myself up slowly, I started after Lefty again. But voices on the attic stairway made me stop.
Erin’s head popped up first. Then April appeared.
Lefty was sitting on the windowsill at the far end of the attic, red-faced and sweaty, catching his breath.
“Hey, how’s it going?” I called to the two girls, brushing dust off my jeans, then straightening my hair with one hand.
“Your mom said you were here,” Erin explained, looking from Lefty to me.
“What are you guys doing up here?” April asked.
“Oh … just hanging out,” I said, casting an angry glance at my brother, who stuck his tongue out in reply.
April picked up an old Life magazine from a stack of yellowed magazines and began flipping through it. But the pages crumbled as she looked at them. “Yuck,” she said, putting it down. “This stuff is so old.”
“That’s what attics are for,” I said, starting to feel a little more normal. “Whoever heard of keeping new stuff in an attic?”
“Ha-ha,” Lefty laughed sarcastically.
“Where’s that mirror?” Erin asked, stepping into the center of the room. “The one that made that weird optical illusion last Saturday.”
“It wasn’t an optical illusion,” I blurted out. I didn’t really feel like messing with the mirror anymore. I’d had enough scares for one afternoon. But the words just tumbled out of me.
I can never keep a secret. It’s a real character flaw.
“What do you mean?” Erin asked, very interested. She walked past me, heading to the open doorway of the little room.
“You mean that wasn’t an optical illusion last week?” April asked, following her.
“No, not really,” I said, glancing at Lefty, who hadn’t budged from the windowsill across the large room. “The mirror has strange powers or something. It really can turn you invisible.”
April laughed scornfully. “Yeah. Right,” she said. “And I’m going to fly to Mars in a flying saucer tonight after dinner.”
“Give me a break,” I muttered. I turned my eyes to Erin. “I’m serious.”
Erin stared back at me, her face filled with doubt. “You’re trying to tell us that you’ve gone in that room and become invisible?”
“I’m not trying to tell you,” I replied heatedly. “I am telling you!”
April laughed.
Erin continued to stare at me, studying my face. “You are serious,” she decided.
“It’s a trick mirror,” April told her. “That’s all. That light on top of it is so bright, it makes your eyes go weird.”
“Show us,” Erin said to me.
“Yeah. Show them!” Lefty exclaimed eagerly. He jumped up from the windowsill and started running to the little room. “I’ll go this time! Let me do it!”
“No way,” I said.
“Let me try it,” Erin volunteered.
&n
bsp; “Hey, do you know who else is here?” I asked the girls, following them to the room. “Zack is here.” I called to him. “Hey, Zack. Erin wants to go invisible. Think we should let her?”
I stepped into the room. “Zack?”
“Where’s he hiding?” Erin asked.
I uttered a silent gasp.
The mirror light was on. Zack was gone.
“Oh, no!” I cried. “I don’t believe this!”
Lefty laughed. “Zack’s invisible,” he told Erin and April.
“Zack — where are you?” I demanded angrily.
Suddenly, the softball floated up from Lefty’s hand. “Hey, give that back!” Lefty shouted, and grabbed for it. But invisible Zack pulled the ball out of Lefty’s reach.
Erin and April were both gaping at the ball as it floated in midair, their eyes bulging, their mouths wide open.
“Hi, girls,” Zack called in a booming, deep voice that floated from in front of the mirror.
April screamed and grabbed Erin’s arm.
“Zack, stop kidding around. How long have you been invisible?” I asked.
“I don’t know.” The ball flew back to Lefty, who dropped it and had to chase it out into the attic.
“How long, Zack?” I repeated.
“About five minutes, maybe,” he replied. “When you chased after Lefty, I turned on the light and went invisible. Then I heard you talking to Erin and April.”
“You’ve been invisible the whole time?” I asked, feeling really nervous and upset.
“Yeah. This is awesome!” he exclaimed. But then his tone grew doubtful. “I — I’m starting to feel kinda funny, though, Max.”
“Funny?” Erin asked, staring at where Zack’s voice seemed to be coming from. “What do you mean ‘funny’?”
“Kinda dizzy,” Zack replied weakly. “Everything’s kind of breaking up. You know. Like a bad TV picture. I mean, you’re starting to fade, to seem far away.”
“I’m bringing you back,” I said. And without waiting for Zack to reply, I reached up and pulled the light chain.
The light clicked off. Darkness seemed to roll into the room, filling the mirror with gray shadows.
“Where is he?” April cried. “It didn’t work. He isn’t back.”
“It takes a while,” I explained.
“How long?” April asked.
“I don’t really know,” I said.
“Why aren’t I back?” Zack asked. He was standing right beside me. I could feel his breath on my neck. “I can’t see myself.” He sounded very frightened.
“Don’t get tense,” I said, forcing myself to sound calm. “You know it takes a while. Especially since you stayed invisible so long.”
“But how long?” Zack wailed. “Shouldn’t I be back by now? You were back by now. I remember.”
“Just stay cool,” I told him, even though my stomach was churning and my throat was dry.
“This is too scary. I hate this!” April moaned.
“Be patient,” I repeated softly. “Everybody just be patient.”
We all stared at the spot where we thought Zack was standing to the mirror, then back again.
“Zack, how do you feel?” Erin asked, her voice trembling.
“Weird,” Zack replied. “Like I’m never coming back.”
“Don’t say that!” I snapped.
“But that’s how I feel,” Zack said sadly. “Like I’m never coming back.”
“Just chill,” I said. “Everybody. Just chill.”
We stood in silence. Watching. Waiting.
Waiting.
I was never so frightened in all my life.
“Do something!” Zack, still invisible, pleaded. “Max — you’ve got to do something!”
“I — I’d better get Mom,” Lefty stammered. He dropped the softball to the floor and started to the door.
“Mom? What could Mom do?” I cried in a panic.
“But I’d better get somebody!” Lefty declared.
At that moment, Zack shimmered back into view. “Wow!” He uttered a long, breathless sigh of relief and slumped to his knees on the floor.
“Yaaaay!” Erin cried happily, clapping her hands as we all gathered around Zack.
“How do you feel?” I asked, grabbing his shoulders. I think I wanted to know for sure that he was really back.
“I’m back!” Zack proclaimed, smiling. “That’s all I care about.”
“That was really scary,” April said quietly, hands shoved into the pockets of her white tennis shorts. “I mean, really.”
“I wasn’t scared,” Zack said, suddenly changing his tune. “I knew there was no problem.”
Do you believe this guy?
One second, he’s whining and wailing, begging me to do something.
The next second, he’s pretending he had the time of his life. Mister Confident.
“What did it feel like?” Erin asked, resting one hand on the wooden mirror frame.
“Awesome,” Zack replied. He climbed unsteadily to his feet. “Really. It was totally awesome! I want to get invisible again before school on Monday so I can go spy in the girls’ locker room!”
“Zack, you’re a pig!” Erin declared disgustedly.
“What’s the point of being invisible if you can’t spy on girls?” Zack asked.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked, genuinely concerned. “You look kind of shaky to me.”
“Well, I started to feel a little strange at the end,” Zack confessed, scratching the back of his head.
“How do you mean?” I asked.
“Well, like I was being pulled away. Away from the room. Away from you guys.”
“Pulled where?” I demanded.
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I only know one thing.” A smile began to form on his face, and his blue eyes seemed to light up.
Uh-oh, I thought.
“I only know one thing,” Zack repeated.
“What?” I had to ask.
“I’m the new invisible champ. I stayed invisible longer than you. At least five minutes. Longer than anybody.”
“But I haven’t had a turn!” Erin protested.
“I don’t want a turn!” April declared.
“Chicken?” Zack teased her.
“I think you’re stupid for messing around with this,” April said heatedly. “It isn’t a toy, you know. You don’t know anything about it. You don’t know what it really does to your body.”
“I feel fine!” Zack told her, and pounded his chest with both hands like a gorilla to prove it. He glanced at the dark mirror. “I’m ready to go back — even longer.”
“I want to get invisible and go outside and play tricks on people,” Lefty said enthusiastically. “Can I go next, Max?”
“I — I don’t think so….”
I was thinking about what April had said. We really were messing around with something that could be dangerous, something we didn’t know anything about.
“Max has to go again,” Zack said, slapping me hard on the back, nearly sending me sprawling against the mirror. “To beat my record.” He grinned at me. “Unless you’re chicken, too.”
“I’m not chicken!” I insisted. “I just think —”
“You’re chicken,” Zack accused, laughing scornfully. He started clucking loudly, flapping his arms like a chicken.
“I’m not chicken. Let me go,” Lefty pleaded. “I can break Zack’s record.”
“It’s my turn,” Erin insisted. “You guys have all had turns. I haven’t gone once yet!”
“Okay,” I said with a shrug. “You go first, Erin. Then me.” I was glad Erin was so eager to do it. I really didn’t feel like getting invisible again just yet.
To be honest, I felt very fluttery and nervous.
“Me next!” Lefty insisted. “Me next! Me next!” He started chanting the words over and over.
I clamped my hand over his mouth. “Maybe we should all go downstairs,” I suggested.
“Chicken??
?? Zack teased. “You’re chickening out?”
“I don’t know, Zack,” I replied honestly. “I think —” I saw Erin staring at me. Was that disappointment on her face? Did Erin think I was a chicken, too?
“Okay,” I said. “Go ahead, Erin. You go. Then I’ll go. Then Lefty. We’ll all beat Zack’s record.”
Erin and Lefty clapped. April groaned and rolled her eyes. Zack grinned.
It’s no big deal, I told myself. I’ve done it three times already. It’s perfectly painless. And if you just stay cool and wait patiently, you come right back the way you were.
“Does anyone have a watch?” Erin asked. “We need to keep time so I know what time I have to beat.”
I could see that Erin was really into this competition.
Lefty seemed really excited, too. And of course Zack would compete in anything.
Only April was unhappy about the whole thing. She walked silently to the back of the room and sat down on the floor with her back against the wall, her arms folded over her knees.
“Hey, you’re the only one with a watch,” Erin called to April. “So you be the timer, okay?”
April nodded without enthusiasm. She raised her wrist and stared down at her watch. “Okay. Get ready.”
Erin took a deep breath and stepped up to the mirror. She closed her eyes, reached up, and tugged the light chain.
The light came on with a bright flash. Erin disappeared.
“Oh, wow!” she cried. “This is way cool!”
“How does it feel?” April called from behind us, her eyes glancing from the mirror to her watch.
“I don’t feel any different at all,” Erin said. “What a great way to lose weight!”
“Fifteen seconds,” April announced.
Lefty’s hair suddenly stood straight up in the air. “Cut it out, Erin!” he shouted, twisting away from her invisible hands.
We heard Erin laugh from somewhere near Lefty.
Then we heard her footsteps as she walked out of the room and into the attic. We saw an old coat rise up into the air and dance around. After it dropped back into its carton, we saw an old magazine fly up and its pages appear to flip rapidly.
“This is so much fun!” Erin called to us. The magazine dropped back onto the stack. “I can’t wait to go outside like this and really scare people!”