Reality is Insanity

Whooooo! Welcome one and all to chapter nine!!! Yay I’m so freaking excited, we’re finally to one of the scenes I’ve been wanting to do for soooo long! And I’m also very happy, because as of now, this is the longest story I’ve kept running in a very long time. I’ve been starting and stopping stories like crazy, but I think this one escaped from that stupid cycle. Cheers! I also want to thank everyone, readers, raters, and reviewers alike because this story now has over 1,000 hits!!! Yeah! I’m so proud of it *sniffle* To celebrate I have a special surprise for you all at the end of this chapter, so keep that in mind ^-^ Now, onto reviews!

Sveta: Ahhh my lovely Sveta, I always look forward to your reviews (I look forward to all reviews but you get the point) I’m sorry it took so long to update last time, but it makes me happy to hear that you had hope and kept checking for my lazy ass to get a move on ^-^ lol addicted? Whoo my story is a drug! Mwahaha yes, do not mess with Juniper or else he will cause you hell and poor Kael will be blamed for it forever. Heh yes, I love Trukint, he’s a sexy treasure hunting bastard and believe me, I think you’ll really enjoy the item he’ll use and how it works. (a lot of thought went into it @_@) Hehe I’m glad your liking the hints given by Juniper every so often. I want to give as much info as I can without giving away too much, if that makes sense. Awe and I’m sure Joshua appreciates that you’re worried for him ^-^ And yes, the question of his dreams aren’t that important, but it will be brought up later. Thank you for the review! *glomps*

Beth: lol your welcome for the update and thank you for the review. I hope I don’t drive you crazy that’s be bad ^-^’ I know there’s ‘Insanity’ in the title, but let’s not go that far. Awe yay Juniper can grow on people! See if you don’t love him right away you have to give him time. Hehe he’s a devious little bastard, isn’t he? Yes, as for Iaol’s pronunciation I added it to the last chapter, but I’ll say it again just for you ^-^

Iaol = (E-ol)

It’s kinda like how you say Ian, but replace the N with the Ol. Hopefully that clears it up for you ^-^

Aisha: Yes! I am back and you are still the best squeer ever XP *looks down at handcuffs* Now I feel like L and Light from Deathnote. And guess what? *confetti goes flying* You are the fiftieth reviewer! Whooo congratulations! I’d give you an award and flowers and stuff, but sadly I can only give you virtual ones you can’t see, but still congrats! *claps*

Mino: “especially backstage before a show, keeps us busy lmao” Was there something before that? Kinda left me going ‘huh?’ Lol kinda funny you’re giving my cat man a punishment usually used on dogs XD lol yay cookie! *grabs and starts nibbling it*

Shadowleangel: lol yes, hickies are the best, though Joshua doesn’t think so. Lol thank you I do try my best. And yes, it’s good to be updating it again ^-^

Chixnscratch: Yes, I updated, woot to me! Thank you and hopefully this one will be great too.

All right, that’s it for the reviews so onto the story! (Psst just to let you know I haven’t exactly proofread it like crazy yet, because I just don’t feel like it at the moment. So I shall later and make corrections where needed) Enjoy!

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Multiple footsteps echoed and reverberated against the walls as the small group of travelers trudged down a spiraling stone staircase. Trukint was in the lead and as he went torches that were lining the cold, stone walls burst to life to light the way.

“I have a question,” Joshua piped up from the middle of the group.

“Yes?” Trukint said, turning his head slightly to look back at him.

“Your tower is the tallest building in Mirage Town, isn’t it?”

“Yes, I suppose it is,” Trukint answered. “Why do you ask, boy?”

Joshua gave a little grunt, not really liking how the man kept calling him ‘boy’.

“Well, you have all that space in the tower, floors and floors worth, so why are you keeping this item in the…basement? I guess you’d call it,” the boy asked curiously. To his surprise both Trukint and Juniper laughed. “What?”

“Why would I keep it up there? This is a very important item so I wouldn’t just leave it where someone would think to look for it first,” Trukint explained.

“You always have to put important things in unexpected places,” Juniper said matter-of-factly.

Joshua scowled; the answers making him feel like an idiot for asking.

“But,” Lliamy spoke up, “if everyone put their important items in unexpected places wouldn’t people go to the unexpected places first to find the important items?” she asked curiously.

There was a short silence followed by laughter from both Kael and Joshua.

“Oooh she got you there,” the feline said, patting the girl on the head.

Joshua gave her a big grin. His embarrassment melted away and crept up on the other two men.

“Lliamy, you’re the best,” he told her.

Lliamy looked at them oddly, wondering what she had said to cause that reaction.

“Well, aside from that,” Trukint said, clearing his throat. “I keep my precious items underground because I find it easier to protect them that way,” he explained. “Ah here we are,” he then announced.

The group had reached the bottom of the stairs and stood in front of a big, wooden door. Trukint put his hand against the surface and turned to look at Joshua.

“Boy, beyond this door is everything you’ll need to discover your answers,” he said and in one fluid motion, pushed the door open. Joshua gave a loud gulp before walking into the room with everyone.

The room beyond the door was less than impressive. It was a simple, circular stone room that was lit by torches lining the round walls.

“Come this way,” Trukint said softly, putting his hand on the boy’s back and leading him forward.

In the middle of the room was something covered by a large sheet. Whatever was underneath was incredibly thin and rivaled Kael in height. When everyone was in front of the item Trukint left Joshua’s side and went to it.

“Here is one of my rarest babies,” the man said, running a finger down the cloth covered surface. “I wouldn’t even let you be seeing it, but what with Juniper’s…persuasion I’m being kind enough to let you use it,” Trukint told them, glancing back at Joshua.

“Enough with the suspense, honey fluff, just show it to us already,” Kael said, his tail twitching in anticipation.

Trukint chuckled as both Juniper and Joshua rolled their eyes and Lliamy giggled.

“All right, all right,” Trukint said, grabbing a handful of the cloth. “Kael, Juniper, I know you’ll appreciate this tremendously,” he told the other men before giving a strong tug.

The cloth was pulled away and pooled on the floor. Once it was fully off both Kael and Juniper’s mouths simultaneously fell open and their eyes widened.

Standing before them was a grand, glorious mirror. It stood on black, clawed feet and the border running along the glass surface was a dark, ominous black. Its rims branched off into spikes all the way to the top and along the sides were what looked like three silver swirls, one on the right two on the left. In all it was a tremendous sight, almost intimidating.

“Wow…” both Joshua and Lliamy breathed in unison.

“Trukint, this-this isn’t what I think it is, is it?” Juniper asked, sounding almost breathless. He stepped away from the others and walked forward, eyes glued on the mirror.

“Yes, Juniper, it’s exactly what you think it is,” Trukint replied with a devilish little smirk.

“The Mirror of Tolsaphax…” Kael muttered, sounding just as stunned. He tore his eyes away from the mirror and turned to the white haired man. “Trukint…wherever did you get this?” he asked.

The man’s grin widened and he crossed his arms.

“Believe me, it wasn’t easy. It took me years and lining a lot of pockets with cil to find its location. It took even longer retrieving it. Do you know how hard it is to grab such a treasure under over fifty Guardians noses?” he asked with a slight shake of his head.

“Well, remind me never to call you a slacker again,” Juniper said with a small smile. He was busy running the tips of his fingers over the sides of the mirror. His eyes drank in every single detail.

“I’ll hold you to that.”

“So…” Joshua said, breaking the spell of astonishment. “What can this do? How will it help me talk to me family?” he asked.

Trukint nodded, remembering exactly why they had come down here. He walked over to the boy and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

“Tell me, have you ever heard the saying that mirrors are the gateways to other worlds?” he asked, guiding the boy forward.

“I’ve heard something along those lines,” Joshua answered. He was pulled to a stop in front of the mirror and Juniper quickly got out of the way.

“Well, one man, a man named Tolsaphax, took those words quite literally,” Trukint said, releasing the boy and stepping towards the mirror. “He became obsessed with the thought of other worlds around us. He locked himself away in his home, working for years and years relentlessly. Searching for a way to make contact with those other worlds,” Trukint explained, walking around the mirror as he spun the story. “Then, finally, after many painstaking long years he succeeded. He created three mirrors that were so powerful they could cut through time and space and contact anyone in a different world. A different universe. He called them The Mirrors of Tolsaphax.”

“Holy Mary mother in Heaven…” Joshua whispered after the story was complete. This was it. With this mirror he could contact his family. He could finally know if he was alive or dead and if there was anyway for him to get home.

“You said three,” Lliamy suddenly spoke, drawing everyone’s attention. “Do you have the others?” she asked curiously.

Trukint pursed his lips and shook his head.

“No, it’s a miracle I have one and no one knows where the other two are anyways,” he told them.

“How come?” Joshua asked.

“After Tolsaphax’s death many people flocked to his home, hoping to claim the mirrors as their own,” Trukint explained. “It became an all out fight for them. During the struggle one of the mirrors was sadly destroyed. Shattered into millions of shards. After that a group of Tolsaphax’s family and closest friends gathered to try and hide the mirrors and keep them safe. This one was the only one to reach its destined hiding place.”

“What happened to the third?” Joshua asked.

“It became lost,” Trukint said, running his finger along one of the many spikes of the mirror. “Last I heard it was being taken over the Etolt Sea and something happened and poof, it disappeared and no one has seen it since.”

“Kinda like how I went poof,” Lliamy muttered, her expression becoming solemn.

“Though I doubt it poofed to the same place,” Joshua said, giving her a comforting pat on the back.

Trukint gave the girl an odd look then turned to Juniper for some sort of explanation.

“The Unwanted Forest,” the man muttered, going back to his examination of the mirror.

“Ooooooh,” Trukint said softly. “Now, I suppose we should get this show on the road,” he said, louder. He busied himself by kicking the sheet out of the way then beckoned Joshua to stand right in front of the mirror.

With one last gulp the boy approached the mirror. His heart beating faster and faster with every step until he thought it was going to burst.

“So, w-what do I do?” Joshua asked, his voice sounding very small for some reason.

“Ah, before that I’ll tell you a couple of rules,” Trukint said, returning to his side.

“Rules?” the boy echoed.

“Yes. Number one, no touching the mirror. I do not need your grimy little fingerprints all over it,” the man told him, wiggling his fingers a bit.

Joshua gave a scowl. Now he was just treating him like a kid.

“Okay,” the boy grumbled, crossing his arms.

“Number two, I’m going to have to set you on a time limit.”

Joshua’s eyes widened and he blinked at the man.

“Time limit? Why?” he asked.

“Because we don’t know what will happen with a prolonged communication between two worlds. There have been stories about Tolsaphax almost shredding the boundaries of time and space with the mirrors and I really don’t want to see if that’s true,” Trukint explained.

Joshua opened his mouth to argue, but Juniper stepped up and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Joshua, you have to understand,” the silver haired man said. “Our worlds and others were never supposed to know about each other, let alone be in contact with each other. Our very existence relies on the balance of our worlds living side by side. By breaching the barriers we risk great devastation,” he explained and the look on his face left no room for the boy to argue.

Though Joshua really wanted to be able to talk to his loved ones for as long as he wanted he couldn’t help finding Juniper to be right.

“…okay,” he said in defeat then turned to Trukint. “So how long will I have?” the boy asked.

Trukint tapped his finger to his mouth as he thought. Truth be told he didn’t know what time would be a safe amount.

“Hmmm I’ll have ten minutes being the least and fifteen minutes being the most,” he finally told the boy. He could tell by Joshua’s expression that the short time was less than his taste, but the boy didn’t argue.

“All right, fine…” Joshua muttered sullenly. Only ten or fifteen? That’s not fair, he thought. It would probably take that long just to get worried words and assurances out of the way. “So what do I do?” he asked again.

Trukint nodded and faced the mirror while standing next to the boy.

“You see these symbols?” he asked, pointing at the silver swirls.

“Yeah,” Joshua said, staring at them curiously.

“These are actually switches. They each give a step in the connecting process,” Trukint explained. He then pointed to one on the right side beneath the second switch. “This is the first one that has to be used and in order to use it you must think of a mirror that a person you know has. You have to hold the image in your mind then turn the switch. Do you know who it is you want to talk to?” the man then asked.

Joshua opened his mouth to answer, but then closed it. He hadn’t thought of a specific person. He wanted to talk to all of them and then he had to think of which mirror to try and make contact with and if the person would be there. This was a lot harder than he thought it would be.

Seconds ticked by into minutes when Joshua finally hit his hand into the other, making a decision.

“All right, I know who I’ll contact,” he said, looking up to Trukint. “My friend Ellie. She’d be the only one I know of that I’d be able to convince that all of this is real,” Joshua told him, which was true. As much as he wanted to talk to his mom or his sister they’d mostly just think that they’d gone crazy.

Trukint nodded then bent down a little to grab Joshua’s hand.

“Okay, now you must picture clearly in your mind a mirror that your friend Ellie has and that she’d be near,” he instructed as he placed Joshua’s hand on the first switch. “Once you do just turn this and the mirror will reach out and connect to that mirror.”

Joshua nodded as Trukint stepped back with the others behind the boy. Excitement and nervousness wrestled in Joshua’s stomach as he stared at the switch. He gulped and shut his eyes tight. All right, what mirror would she be by? he thought. His mind flashed with option after option until he settled on one.

Joshua concentrated as he tried to picture the full length mirror Ellie had in her room. He tried to picture the height and width and where it was attached to the surface of her closet. Please, Ellie, if I there was ever a time I needed you more, now would be it. Please be there, please he prayed and with a shaky hand turned the silver switch.

Sharp intakes of breath sounded behind him and Joshua opened his eyes only to gasp himself. His reflection was no longer staring back at him. Instead the glass turned a blue and black color and was swirling and moving like smoke. A second later an image began to emerge as the black and blue receded.

Joshua’s breath caught in his throat and a pain of homesickness hit him. The reflection now shown in the glass was that of Ellie’s room, a room that served as a second home to him. The walls were plastered with famous wrestlers and of Ellie’s favorite bands. The floor was littered with personal items and nothing could be called orderly about the room.

Joshua’s eyes widened when he saw two figures on the bed. One he was praying would be there, but the other a complete surprise.

“Ellie! Lilah!” he shouted, placing his hands on the side of the mirror and getting as close as he could without touching it. The girls’ had their backs to them as they sat on the edge of Ellie’s bed. Ellie was hunched over and Lilah was rubbing the younger girls back comfortingly.

A yelp came from the boy as Trukint hooked his finger into Joshua’s shirt collar and pulled him back.

“Hey, not so close,” the man chided.

Joshua seemed to not hear him as he stared at the mirror. His heart was clenching painfully as a mixture of emotions swirled in him.

“So they’re your loved ones?” Kael asked as he and the other two approached for a closer look.

“Y-Yes, my best friend Ellie and my sister Lilah,” Joshua replied, pointing to each as he named them.

“Joshwa, you’re crying,” he suddenly heard Lliamy say next to him. That’s when he realized he was. Tears were sliding down his cheeks and dripping down to his chest, causing dark spots to appear on his shirt.

“What’s wrong?” Juniper asked curiously, also seeing the tears. “I’d thought you’d be happy.”

All of them blinked when the boy smiled and let out a chuckling hiccup.

“I am, that’s why I’m crying,” Joshua told them, wiping at his face. “I never-I never honestly thought I’d see them again. But they’re right there, right in front of me. And I’m happy,” he explained.

“So…you’re crying ‘cause you’re happy?” Lliamy asked in confusion.

“Weirder things have happened,” Joshua told her with a grin, getting his emotions under control.

“Hmmm very interesting,” Trukint murmured as he studied the mirror. Not really paying attention to the group.

“What is?” Kael asked.

“Well, this is a world populated completely by humans, correct?” Trukint asked, turning to Joshua.

“That’s right,” the boy replied with a nod.

“Fascinating…and all of your people dress oddly I see,” the white haired man chuckled, spying the girls’ clothes.

“And my people would say the same about you,” Joshua grumbled. “So what do I do now?” he asked, eager to talk to his sister and friend.

“Well, first we need to be able to hear them,” Trukint said. “Right now we’re only able to see them, we have no audio,” he explained.

Joshua studied the mirror and found it to be true. He could see Lilah and Ellie were talking to each other, but he couldn’t hear what they were saying.

“So how do we get to hear them?” Lliamy inquired.

“Simple,” Trukint said, reaching up to the spiral above the one Joshua had used. “A little twist and we’ll be able to hear everything.” With that Trukint turned the silver knob. All of them gave a little jump as voices suddenly came from the mirror.

“-esn’t make any sense,” Ellie said, shaking her head. “I mean-I.” She let out a frustrated sigh and put a hand to her head. “I’m so confused, Lilah. I feel like a little gremlin is pounding at my brain with a spiked mallet,” Ellie told the older girl. She then drew her legs up and wrapped her arms around her knees. “I miss him so much. I’ve never felt so…empty. It’s like I’ve lost my other half,” Ellie said, burying her face in her arms.

“I know what you mean,” Lilah said softly, rubbing the girl’s back again. “I’ve never felt so-so angry,” she told Ellie, her teeth clenching. “The nerve of that stupid-that little-that idiot little brat!” Lilah snarled. “What right did he have to just-to just…” she trailed off, not knowing exactly what she was trying to say.

Ellie lifted her head and stared at the young woman. She then smiled softly.

“You miss Josh-Josh too, huh?” Ellie asked in understanding.

Lilah’s eyes widened, surprised by the words. Her features softened, looking hurt and sad before turning her head away.

“No, of course not,” she denied. “Miss my moron of a little brother? No way. I only miss not having anyone to pick on anymore.” Lilah’s body was tense and she gripped the sheets of the bed so hard her knuckles were white.

Ellie gave a sad chuckle and leaned over to wrap her arms around Lilah.

“It’s okay to miss him. There’s nothing wrong with that. We can miss him together so you don’t have to feel like a wimp,” the brunette told her.

Lilah was stiff and unresponsive to the embrace. But slowly she relaxed and turned to Ellie. She hugged the girl back and held onto Ellie like she was a lifeline.

“Ellie…I miss Joshua. It’s not fair,” came Lilah’s muffled voice and her body began to tremble as reluctant sobs rose from her throat.

On the other side of the mirror the group watched as both girls’ began to cry as they held each other.

“Oh man, this is hard to watch,” Kael muttered, covering his mouth with his hand. He hated seeing women cry and two of them at the same time was just horrible.

“Wow…they really care about you, huh, Joshwa?” Lliamy asked softly. She had never had anyone cry over her and wondered what it would be like to have someone worry over her like that.

“Yeah…I guess they do,” Joshua replied, his voice sounding cracked since his throat felt dry. I was expecting Ellie to, but Lilah? I thought she hated me, but…she’s crying over me. The thought was almost too tremendous to comprehend, but the proof was right in front of him.

“As much as I enjoy spying on people, shouldn’t we hurry this up?” Juniper asked, drawing back everyone’s attention.

“Ah yes, Juniper has a point,” Trukint agreed, breaking away from his study of the two girls.

Joshua gulped. Now he was having second thoughts. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to hear the truth.

“It-It sure sounds like I’m dead, doesn’t it?” Joshua practically squeaked.

Everyone looked from him to the two girls’.

“Hey, don’t jump to conclusions,” Kael spoke up. He placed his hand on Joshua’s head and ruffled the boy’s hair a little. “They never said officially if you’re dead. Just that they miss you very much,” the feline tried to comfort him.

“He’s right,” Juniper agreed. “You’ll never know till you ask.”

“It’ll be okay, Joshwa,” Lliamy said, wrapping her arms around him for an encouraging hug.

Joshua took a deep breath and gave the girl a return squeeze, more to calm himself than anything.

“Okay, I’m ready,” he said, his voice a bit stronger.

Trukint nodded.

“All right, first I think it best everyone but Joshua leaves the room,” he told them.

“Why can’t we stay with, Joshwa?” Lliamy asked, holding onto the boy tighter.

“Yeah, why do we have to leave?” Kael also questioned with a pout.

“Because,” Trukint said with a roll of his eyes. “You think those girls are going to believe what they’re seeing with us around? Even though we’re remarkably good looking, they’ve never seen people like us. We’d only scare them,” the Treasure Hunter explained.

“He’s right. It’ll only cause trouble if we’re here,” Juniper said.

“Awe, I wanted to talk to Joshwa’s family,” Lliamy sulked.

“Don’t worry, I’ll tell them you said hi,” Joshua told her with a smile.

“Now, when we leave the room all you have to do is turn the third and final switch. When you do they will be able to see and hear you just like we can them,” Trukint instructed.

“All right, sounds easy enough,” Joshua said, is heart starting to hammer again.

“Right, come on you guys, time to leave Joshua alone for his family reunion,” Juniper said. He pried Lliamy off the boy and the group made their way to the door to leave.

“Good luck, kiddo, I’m sure it’ll be good news,” Kael said with a wink before exiting with the others.

Trukint was last and before he left he turned to Joshua.

“Now, I’ll start your time once I close this door. If anything bad starts happening like cracks in the air, or violent shaking turn the mirror off. I don’t care if you don’t have your answer, just turn it off,” the man warned.

“I will,” Joshua said.

Trukint nodded and went through the doorway, closing the door behind him.

Joshua bit his lips as he turned back to the mirror. Ellie and Lilah had stopped crying, but they were still holding each other.

“Here goes nothing,” Joshua muttered. With one last, deep breath he reached up and turned the final knob. He gave a tiny gasp as the glass of the mirror shuddered then glinted. He wasn’t sure what it did, but Joshua decided it was time to try and talk to the others.

“Ellie, Lilah,” Joshua called out to them. He furrowed his eyebrows when they didn’t move. “Ellie! Lilah!” he yelled louder.

Ellie sighed as she rested her chin on Lilah’s shoulders.

“Man, I must really miss Joshua. It’s like I can still hear his voice,” she muttered.

“Ellie! Lilah!”

Lilah furrowed her eyebrows and pulled away.

“Wait, I don’t think it’s just you. I heard it too,” she said, looking around in confusion.

“Ellie! Lilah! Over here! It’s me! Joshua!!!”

The girls’ glanced around then looked at each other. Their eyes widened and as one they leapt from the bed.

“O-Okay, I think we’re going crazy,” Lilah said, frantically looking around for the source of the voice.

“Joshua! Is that you!?” Ellie called back, also looking frantically.

“Ellie, don’t be ridiculo-”

“Yes! I’m over here! Look at the mirror!” Joshua interrupted his sister.

The girls’ spun around and nearly jumped from their skins. There, in the mirror, was Joshua, as clear as day.

When they saw him the boy smiled, glad to finally get their attention, but the smile was quickly demolished and he jumped back when the girls’ let out an ear splitting scream.

“Holy fuck! What the hell is that!?” Lilah yelled, backing up until she bumped into Ellie’s dresser.

“It’s a ghost!” Ellie shouted, also taking a step back.

Joshua was quick to go back to the mirror and wave his hands.

“No! No I’m not a ghost!” he told them. “It’s really me, Joshua!”

Lilah stayed pressed up against the dresser, but Ellie, on the other hand now had a curious expression. She took a step closer and crawled onto the bed, studying Joshua.

“J-Josh-Josh…is that-is that really you?” she asked hesitantly.

Joshua smiled in relief and nodded vigorously. He knew his open minded friend was the best one to contact.

“Yes! Yes, it’s really me!” he said. “God, it’s so good to see you guys,” the boy told them that painful clench of fear was easing bit by bit.

Ellie stared at him then gave a loud, happy squeal and scurried across the bed towards the mirror. But before she got far Lilah lunged and tackled her. She then held back Ellie from getting to the mirror.

“Ellie, are you crazy!? We can’t trust this-this thing! It’s talking to us through a mirror. That’s not normal. It could be some sort of…demon or something pretending to be Joshua,” Lilah said, glaring at the mirror.

Joshua growled and glared back.

“Oh, sure, leave it to you to ruin this,” he snapped.

“She does have a point though, Joshua,” Ellie said, but she pulled away from Lilah and went to the mirror anyways. “How do we know it’s the real you?” she asked even though she wished with all her might that it was him.

“Pleeeease, guys, I do not have time for this,” Joshua said, fearing his time would be up before he got his answer.

“Well, we’re not going to trust you, mirror boy. Getting my soul stolen by a brother impersonating demon is the last thing on my to-do list,” Lilah said, cautiously moving to stand besides Ellie.

“Your soul will be the least of your worries if I ever get back,” Joshua threatened, wanting nothing better than to beat the crap out of his older sister.

“Yes, threatening me is going to make me believe you oh so much quicker,” the black haired young woman said, putting her hands on her hips.

“Though that does sound like something he’d say to you,” Ellie pointed out.

“What do I have to do to convince you guys?” Joshua asked desperately.

Both the girls’ glanced at each other then went into thought. With each passing second Joshua became more and more fidgety. His precious time was slipping away because they didn’t believe him! Though he wasn’t sure he’d believe anyone that was talking to him through a mirror either.

“I’ve got it!” Ellie suddenly exclaimed, snapping her fingers. Both Lilah and Joshua looked at her expectantly. “Mirror Josh-Josh, if you’re the real Joshua than tell us each something that only we’d know, not anyone else,” she bargained. The girl then turned to Lilah. “Does that sound good to you?” Ellie asked.

Lilah crossed her arms and tapped her foot as she thought it over. Finally she nodded.

“Yeah, sounds fine to me,” she agreed then turned to Joshua. “All right, mirror boy, tell us something that only we’d know.”

Joshua nodded. He looked away as he racked every inch of his brain for something, anything only he knew about the girls. He started to panic when his mind drew a blank, but then something finally hit him.

“Okay, I’ve got it!” he announced as he looked to Ellie first. “Ellie, last year during our sophomore year you and I made an agreement,” Joshua said. “We promised each other that if neither of us were married by the age of forty-five that we’d marry each other, but would still see other people if we wanted.”

Lilah blinked at him then looked at the girl next to her.

“You did?” she asked, finding that to be rather odd.

Ellie grinned widely and clapped her hands. She was obviously pleased by the answer.

“That’s right! We pinky swore about that after that girl you had a crush on rejected you!” she exclaimed excitedly.

“Ellie, you don’t need to tell that part,” Joshua grumbled.

“Okay, fine, so what about me?” Lilah asked, still no believing him to be her brother.

Joshua smirked at her, knowing the perfect thing.

“A few months ago you caught me sneaking around in your room,” he said. “And I found something that would totally ruin your I’m-so-cool-and-dark image. So you made me promise not to tell anyone and if I did you said you’d skin me alive, slowly peel the meat from my bones and give it to mom to cook in her stew.” He grinned wider when he saw Lilah fidget just a little.

“What was it?” Ellie asked curiously, looking from Joshua to Lilah.

“She has a Kelly Clarkson cd hidden under her bed!” the boy said with a triumphant smile.

Lilah clenched her hands into fists and look a fury was on her face.

“I told you, ya little brat! I’m holding it for a friend! Wait till I get my hands on yo-” the young woman suddenly stopped and stared at the mirror. All anger left her and was replaced with a look of shock. “Oh my God…Joshua, it really is you,” she whispered in complete astonishment.

The words made the boy want to jump and shout in joy.

“So you believe me?” he asked.

“I certainly do. We didn’t tell anyone about our promise,” Ellie said with a delighted grin.

“And no one would be stupid enough to go into my room without my permission and expect to live,” Lilah grumbled.

“Yes, thank God Almighty! Whoo!” Joshua cheered, the biggest hurdle being over with.

“So, where the hell are you? How are you inside the mirror? And-And just what the hell is going on!?” Lilah barraged the boy with question after question.

Joshua quickly held up his hands to stop her.

“Look I’ll answer any questions you have after I ask mine. Your answer will determine if I can come home or not,” he told them seriously.

“If you come home or not?” Lilah repeated, a feeling of dread forming in her stomach.

“Can I ask just one teeny, tiny question, Josh-Josh?” Ellie asked.

Joshua sighed and rolled his eyes, knowing they wouldn’t progress until Ellie got her answer.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Who’s that?” Ellie questioned and pointed somewhere below and off to the side from Joshua.

The boy furrowed his eyebrows and looked down.

“Who’s who-ah! Lliamy!!!” Joshua yelped and nearly jumped out of his skin.

The girl was crouching down beside him and peeking at the corner of the mirror. Her ears twitched and she smiled sheepishly up at Joshua.

“Er, hi, Joshwa,” he greeted.

“Lliamy, what are you doing in here? You’re supposed to be waiting outside with the others,” Joshua told her.

“I know, but I wanted to see Joshwa’s friends!” Lliamy exclaimed.

“No, Lliamy, leave. You shouldn’t be in here,” Joshua said and tried to push and pull the girl away from the mirror.

“No! I want to stay!” Lliamy said, holding onto the mirror. After a few moments of tug-of-war, Joshua gave up and let her go.

“All right, fine, you can stay,” Joshua grumbled, just wanting to move on. He turned back to the mirror to see the two girls’ were watching them with odd looks. “Ellie, Lilah, this is Lliamy, my new friend. Lliamy this is Ellie my best friend and Lilah my sister,” the boy introduced them.

Lliamy stood next to Joshua and gave a bright smile as she waved enthusiastically.

“Hello!” she greeted.

“Awe you’re so cute!” Ellie said, crouching down to her level.

Lilah stared down at the odd girl before turning back to her brother.

“Joshua, you have a lot of explaining to do,” she said.

“Yeah, I know,” Joshua agreed. “But first you guys have to answer my question,” he told them.

Ellie stopped interacting with Lliamy and stood up.

“What is it?” she asked.

Joshua took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves for an answer. Good or bad.

“All right, on the day I got hit by the truck what happened?” he asked. “I mean right after I got hit did anything unusual happen?” he clarified when the girls’ looked confused.

“It was horrible,” Ellie said, her expression becoming sad. “You got hit and went flying through the air. The next thing everyone knew there was a massive car pile up. It was like everyone in the intersection just sped forward and car after car hit each other,” she told him, her gaze distant as she replayed the memory in her head.

Joshua stared at her in shock. His mouth falling open.

“Oh my God did-did anyone get hurt?” he asked. He knew the question was absurd, but he asked it anyways.

“Yeah, many people went to the hospital, but amazingly no one was killed,” Ellie replied.

“Well that’s good, jeeze I’d feel horrible if people died because of me,” Joshua muttered. That stupid blindfold guy. What the hell was he thinking? Joshua thought, but went right into asking the question that was most important.

“Okay, so what about me? I mean, did they…did they find my body?” he asked, his voice becoming strained and his heart felt like it stopped beating all together.

Ellie and Lilah looked at each other and Joshua’s eyes widened when they shook their heads.

“No, that was the weird thing,” Lilah said. “Once they pulled all the cars off each other and collected all the injured you were no where to be found.”

“They looked through every piece of wreckage and combed the entire block, but no one could find any trace of you,” Ellie added.

Joshua stared at them, his eyes wide in shock. He stumbled back, away from the mirror.

“Joshwa?” Lliamy asked in concern, thinking something was wrong.

Suddenly the boy looked down at his hands and laughed before punching the air with his fist.

“Yes! Yes!!!” he started yelling, practically jumping up and down.

All three girls’ stared at him like he had gone insane.

“What the hell are you doing?” Lilah demanded.

“Apparently that was the right answer,” Ellie mumbled.

“Joshwa?” Lliamy said, cautiously going towards him. She squeaked when the boy grabbed her shoulders and smiled widely at her.

“Lliamy, they couldn’t find my body. That must mean all of me is here. Do you know what that means!?” he asked her, every muscle in his body twitching with excitement.

Lliamy stared at him, not really knowing what it meant. Her eyes then widened when it clicked.

“Your-You’re alive…” she said and her face broke out into a huge smile as she grabbed onto his shoulders too. “Joshwa is alive!”

The boy gave a victorious cheer and grabbed Lliamy around the waist and started spinning her around.

“I’m alive! I’m alive!” he yelled over and over while Lliamy laughed and cheered with him. They both stooped when a loud bang sounded. Joshua set Lliamy down and they looked over to the mirror to see Lilah’s fist against it.

“Hey, you two mind telling us what’s going on?” she demanded.

Joshua nodded and gave Lliamy one last big grin before they returned to the mirror.

“I’ve found out that the only way I could be here is if I was dead or alive. And if I was dead back home I couldn’t go back,” Joshua explained, giving the incredibly short version.

“But…you’re alive then, right?” Ellie asked hesitantly, not liking that information at all.

“Yes,” Joshua said with a big grin and a nod. “You two just confirmed that. So now there’s actually a chance of me getting home!”

“Oh thank the gods of Rock,” Ellie sighed in relief.

“But, Joshua, where exactly is ‘here’? Where are you?” Lilah asked. All of this was starting to give her a headache.

Joshua bit his lip, wondering if they’d believe him.

“Okay, I know this is going to sound ludicrous-”

“Joshua,” Lilah interrupted him. “You’re talking to us through a mirror after being hit by a truck four days ago and totally disappearing. I think we’ve already crossed the line of ludicrousy,” she told him.

“…good point,” the boy agreed. “All right, after I was hit by that truck I was somehow sent through a portal and was sent to a different world in a completely different universe!” he told them.

The girls’ stared at him then looked at each other then went back to Joshua.

“A different world? No way,” Ellie said in amazement.

“Yes way,” Joshua said with a smile. “And it’s so different from ours. So far I’ve been in a forest that unwanted things go to. I’ve met a bird that can actually make conversations with you. Been chased around by an extremely uptight and snobbish talking rock. Seen random things materialize out of books. Been on a train that can burst out of the ground then make its own tunnels underground. Been kidnapped and almost sold and now I’m in a town that can disappear and reappear anywhere in the world!” the boy told them, going over just some of his experiences.

Lilah and Ellie were speechless. It sounded like what Joshua was telling them came right out of a story book.

“Don’t forget about the suns and the moon. You always get angry about those,” Lliamy piped up.

“Oh, right and they have two suns and one moon that rise and set anytime they want! Get’s very annoying when it’s dark at eleven o’clock in the morning,” Joshua grumbled. “And to top it all off humans are rare here.”

“Rare?” Ellie questioned.

“Yeah, I haven’t seen any other humans and that’s the reason I was kidnapped,” he explained.

“But what about goldilocks there?” Lilah asked, pointing at Lliamy.

“Goldilocks?” Lliamy asked curiously.

“I’ll explain later,” Joshua told her and coaxed the girl to stand in front of him. “But, yeah, she’s not human, see?” Joshua brushed Lliamy’s hair aside until her furry rodent like ears were fully showing. “Definitely not human,” he said.

“Ooh, Joshwa! Scratch there. Please, please,” the girl pleaded. The boy had brushed against a spot that had been itching for awhile.

Joshua chuckled and did as she asked. The girl soon had a dreamy look on her face and turned into goo against the boy, a purring noise following soon after.

“Holy crap she isn’t human,” Lilah said in astonishment.

“Awe now she’s even cuter than before!” Ellie squealed, wishing she could tackle the girl and hug her.

“So, Joshua,” Lilah said, breaking the moment. “When are you going to come home?” she asked.

Joshua stopped his actions and looked up at her. He then sighed and shook his head.

“I have no idea. This was the first step, trying to figure out if there was any possibility of me being alive,” he explained. “Now I have to find some way to get back, but…I don’t know how long that’s going to take,” he told her.

“Can’t you just get hit again and be knocked back into our world?” Ellie asked.

“I said that too!” Lliamy announced with a giggle.

Joshua chuckled and shook his head.

“Somehow, I don’t think that’s going to work,” he said. His features then became solemn as he turned back to Lilah. “Lilah…how’s Mom doing?” the boy asked.

The older sister stared at him then scoffed and looked away.

“How the hell do you think she’s doing?” she snapped. “She’s a complete wreck! She’s been crying nonstop and is on the verge of a total meltdown. Luckily Aunt Joan came up and is trying to help her through it,” Lilah muttered. “And you know it-it really doesn’t help that you disappeared the same way Dad…the same way that Dad died,” she said softly, chewing harshly at her lip.

Joshua also looked away. The painful memory of the car crash that killed their father many years ago was still fresh in his mind like it happened yesterday.

“It’s not like I did it on purpose,” the boy mumbled then turned back to the mirror. “It’s all that blindfolded guys fault that I’m here.”

Both girls’ looked at him with raised eyebrows.

“Blindfolded guy?” the echoed.

“Yeah, he’s the meanie that used Truck to hit Joshwa,” Lliamy said, remembering what the boy had told her.

“But why would he take you to a different world? You’re a normal, boring guy next door type,” Ellie said curiously.

“Thanks,” Joshua muttered sarcastically. “But I don’t know. I haven’t seen the guy since the day I got hit. I wish I have so I can wring some answers from him,” the boy growled.

“Wait a minute!” Ellie suddenly exclaimed.

“What?” everyone asked.

“Joshua, I just remembered something,” she said, now looking completely serious, which was very odd for her.

“What is it, Ellie?” he asked.

“Do you remember what we were talking about at lunch the day you disappeared?” she questioned.

Joshua had to think back. It felt so long ago now.

“We…were talking about the English project we had to do and the information you found about the plane crash,” he replied

“Right, remember about those five people that were never seen again. They just totally vanished without a trace. Both them and all their stuff?” she asked and the boy nodded. “Well, doesn’t that sound familiar?”

Joshua stared at her oddly, but then his eyes widened when he understood what she was getting at.

“Just like me…Ellie, if you’re right, those five people twenty years ago could have been transported to other worlds just like me,” he said an eerie feeling creeping up on him.

“Wait, what the hell are you two talking about?” Lilah asked.

“I’ll catch you up later,” Ellie told her before turning back to Joshua. “Have you met anyone else from our world?” she asked.

“No,” Joshua said with a shake of his head. “Juniper, a guy that’s helping me, said that even if multiple people from the same world jumped to a different one it’d be less than likely they’d end up in the same place,” he explained.

“Joshua, this could explain every unsolved missing person’s case! They were sucked into different worlds! It could explain what happened to people like-like Amelia Earhart or-or-”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, Ellie, calm down,” Joshua interrupted her. “Juniper also said that it’s rare for one world to have a lot people be transported to another place. So I doubt it’d explain all of the missing person cases in the world…though maybe that would explain Amelia Earhart,” he added in a mutter.

“And those five people,” Ellie insisted.

“Okay, so what does that have to do with me?” Joshua asked.

“I dunno,” Ellie said bluntly, pursing her lips. “Maybe this blindfolded guy is going around kidnapping people for some strange reason,” she suggested.

“If that’s true,” Lilah said, getting back into the conversation, “Joshua, you could be in a lot of danger. I doubt this guy took you just for fun. You better watch your back, little brother, or who knows what will happen.”

Joshua nodded in agreement, not thinking of that before.

“I will, I don’t know what he wants, but I’m sure as hell not going to-”

“Joshua,” a voice said, cutting him off.

Both Joshua and Lliamy jumped and looked up. Trukint was standing beside the mirror, out of view of the two girls’.

“Ah! Trukint! Jeeze, why is everyone sneaking up on me?” Joshua snapped.

“Oi, that was scary,” Lliamy said, giving a big, shaky sigh.

“Joshua, who is that?” Lilah asked, trying to look further into the mirror to see, but couldn’t.

“I’m sorry, boy, but your time is up,” Trukint informed him, ignoring the boy’s sister.

Joshua’s mouth fell open and he looked from the mirror back up to the Treasure Seeker.

“No, Trukint, please, just a little longer,” he pleaded. He didn’t want to be cut off so soon.

The man shook his head.

“No, I cannot risk giving you more time. The fabric that keeps our worlds together is more important than your little chit-chat,” Trukint told him, not trying to be cruel, but just give the truth.

“Joshua, what the hell is going on?” Lilah demanded.

The boy bit his lip as he closed his eyes. It wasn’t fair.

“I’ll give you enough time to say your goodbyes,” Trukint said after a short pause, showing just a touch of leniency.

Joshua nodded thankfully and turned back to his loved ones.

“Guys…I have to go. With the way that I’m talking to you it could do some bad damage to our worlds,” he explained.

“Wh-what? Will we be able to talk to you again?” Ellie asked urgently.

Joshua looked up at Trukint and his throat tightened when the man shook his head.

“No, I probably won’t be able to talk to you till I find some way home,” he explained. “But I promise! I promise I’ll find a way home! I’ll come back! Just wait for me!” Joshua shouted. He didn’t know why the passionate vow rose from him, but he wanted to calm any fears the girls’ had even just a little.

“And that will be all,” Trukint said and turned the switch back into place. The mirror shuddered and glinted once more.

Lilah and Ellie gasped and looks of horror crossed their faces. They both put their hands on the mirror, as if they could somehow bring the image back.

“Joshua! Joshua! Don’t go just yet!” Ellie yelled, looking on the brink of tears.

Lilah’s upper lip curled and she pounded against the mirror with her fist.

“You better keep your promise, you little bastard! If you don’t I’ll never forgive you! I’ll hunt your ass down and drag you back home so you can make it up to Mom! You hear me, Joshua!!!”

Joshua nodded, even though they couldn’t see it.

“I hear you, Lilah,” he muttered and he was going to make sure he kept his promise.

“Don’t worry, Josh-Josh, we’ll wait for you,” Ellie said with a shaky smile. “We’ll wait till you get back, promise.”

“You have a very good family, boy you should be thankful of that,” Trukint said and his footsteps echoed around the stone room as he walked to the other side of the mirror. “There would be many who would give their lives for such loved ones,” he continued as he turned the next switch, cutting off the audio.

The boy was left to just looking at the image of Ellie and Lilah. Ellie was still talking, but now Joshua couldn’t hear her.

“Yes, I am thankful for them,” he muttered, his heart wrenching when Trukint turned the final swirl and the mirror returned to what it was. A mirror. Joshua stared at his reflection, a feeling of sorrow taking hold of him.

Lliamy saw the look and, not wanting him to be sad; she wrapped her arms around his chest, hugging him tightly.

“Please don’t be upset, Joshwa,” she said. “You got to see them and you got the happy answer,” the girl told him with a smile, hoping he’d return it.

Joshua stared down at her and her big; pleading purple eyes. He couldn’t help but give in and smile.

“Yeah, you’re right,” he said softly and put his hand on her head affectionately as he put his other arm around her shoulder. “Thanks.”

“Oh stop,” Trukint said, rubbing a finger against his eye, “you’re going to get me all sentimental,” he joked before chuckling and looking at the two. “I was wondering where you ran off to,” he addressed Lliamy and shook his head with a smile when the girl smiled sheepishly. Trukint then gazed at the boy and even had a warm smile for him.

“So I guess I don’t need to ask how it went. We could here you whooping and hollering even from up there,” the man said, pointing up.

“Heh, yeah, guess I got a little enthused,” Joshua and chuckled.

“Which you have every right to be,” Trukint assured him as he picked up the sheet from the floor. “Finding out one is alive is always something to celebrate,” he said as he threw the cloth over the grand mirror.

“And also that I got to tell them that I’m all right and that there’s a chance I’ll come home soon,” Joshua added, a brief look of sadness passing over his features. I’m sorry to cause you pain, Mom. Forgive me, he thought sadly. He was also regretful of making her relive the horrible accident of his father.

Joshua looked up to see Trukint was staring at him, studying him with his inquisitive amethyst eyes.

“Now we just have to think of some way to get me home,” the boy said. “There must be a way, isn’t there? If I got here there must be a way back.”

Trukint smiled and nodded.

“I’m actually glad you brought that up,” he said, walking over to the boy and girl and standing behind Joshua. “I was thinking of all the items I’ve collected over the years and I believe there just may be one that can help you,” Trukint told him.

Joshua stared up at him with a look of disbelief.

“Wha…? R-Really?” he asked.

“Yes, but we’ll discuss it more once we reunite with that grumpy Juniper and my lovely little fur ball,” Trukint said, patting Joshua’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s go.” With that Trukint made his way towards the door.

Joshua and Lliamy untangled themselves from each other and followed after him.

“Doesn’t your tail get dirty with it dragging like that?” Lliamy asked curiously as she watched Trukint’s long, fluffy white tail move across the floor.

“You have no idea,” Trukint said in exasperation as he opened the door. “I have to wash it about three times a day,” he told the girl as they went through the doorway.

Joshua stopped before following them. He turned back to look at the covered mirror. Thoughts of Lilah, Ellie, and his mother floated around his mind. Every thing they talked about, all of their suspicions. Joshua wondered if he’d ever get the answers he wanted, but one thing was for certain. Answers or no, he was going to get home.

“I’ll keep my promise, you’ll see. Just wait for me,” he whispered before exiting the room. The large, wooden door closed with a loud thud, leaving the room empty except for The Mirror of Tolsaphax standing proud and tall.

========================Ch.9 End

*horns blare* Yes! Your question has finally been answered! Joshua is alive!!! Whoo!!! *does a little jig* Took us long enough to find out huh? And Ellie and Lilah got to make another appearance! Woot to them! Though now we won’t be seeing them for a very long time to come. Also you actually got to hear about Joshua’s father. I’m sure some of you have noticed he has not made any sort of appearance thus far and now you know why. He’s dead. And don’t any of you try and be smart thinking his soul got transported to a different world or anything because it didn’t He’s dead and gone. I found that a little too “Marchen Awakens Romance” for me. The only reason he’s even mentioned is to cause extreme grief to how Joshua disappeared.

I’m also very excited because now the fun really begins. Up until now everything has been sort of an intro to the characters and to the world of Nisis and we have been putting along at a slow pace. Now what I hope happens is that we switch gears and go full throttle!!! More questions will be answered and more mysteries will be made. When will everything fall into place? Come on guys, it’s Nisis! Things may never fall into place! Now, onto the surprise I mentioned before…I have pictures! That’s right, I have some pictures of the characters that I drew awhile ago, I need to draw more of others, but this is what I have so far. (You’ll have to copy and paste)

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l125/darknessthedevil/IaolJoshua.jpg
This first one is of Joshua and Iaol (legasp them in a picture together!?) The reason is because I didn’t know who to draw first, Joshua or Iaol, so I said to hell with it and drew them both ^-^ I’m still tweeking with their looks a bit, but this should give you some kind of visual when reading.

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l125/darknessthedevil/scan0001.jpg
Second one is of Joshua and our favorite feathered friend Bird! Joshua not so happy with, but Bird came out awesome and this is the first time I’ve drawn any sort of animal so I’m very proud of myself ^-^ Bird is probably not that big, but you get the picture.

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l125/darknessthedevil/Lliamy.jpg
And last but not least is a picture of our favorite hamster girl Lliamy! Isn’t she the sweetest thing? I’m most likely going to change her bangs (liked them at first, don’t now) but that’s about how I always imagine her. I can’t actually draw curls so you get wavy hair with curls at the end XP

Well I hope you like them and the chapter. If you do like the pictures I may post more at a later date…once I draw more ^-^’ all right I shall see you guys in the next update! You know the drill, please R&R