Page 59 of The Broken Mirror
To say it feels good to see Rosie laugh is the understatement of the year. In fact, it feels so good that Filomenatemporarily forgets what she’s doing and that she’s holding a vial of flaming truth serum, which they’re attempting to infuse, yet again, into the mirror.
Zera told Filomena that each of the thirteen fairies animated a talking mirror and that’s why they are so powerful. Right before she died, she told Filomena that she thought a daughter of the fairies who carries the mark of Carabosse could animate a mirror, too.
But she hadn’t gone so far as to actually tell Filomenahowto do that. Filomena wishes once again that Carabosse or her birth mother were still alive, that she could ask them what to do and turn to them for help. She certainly loves her League of Seven, but there are just a few questions that none of them has answers to.
And so, following Rosie’s lead, Filomena is experimenting, which will hopefully lead to an invention.
Rosie had the idea to revolutionize the talking mirror by making it handheld. That way it can be portable! Filomena thinks it’ll be a great idea if they’re ever actually able to figure out how to animate it.
They’ve been at it for a few hours now, and so far nothing has worked. They poured truth serum on the mirror. Filomena tried to make up spells (which she’s realizing is harder than it seems). They’ve aimed the light from Filomena’s mark of Carabosse and lit the truth serum on fire. Still nothing.
“This is getting a little depressing,” Rosie says when another attempt fails.
Gretel’s head pops up over the edge of the loft. She’s standing on the ladder. “How’s it going up here? Any luck?”
“No,” they both answer glumly.
“I brought these up for you, Fil.” Gretel heaves the thick stack of Filomena’s Never After books up into the loft. “I know they sometimes help you think through things.”
Filomena shrugs. She’s not sure the books can help with something that hasn’t happened yet, but she’s run out of other ideas.
“Just give them a try, see if they spark any ideas,” Gretel says.
“It’s worth a shot,” she says, then thanks Gretel.
Gretel climbs back down the ladder to the cottage below.
In moments like this, Filomena wishes she could just read the thirteenth book instead of having to write it herself. She flips through her copies of the first twelve Never After books, scanning for anything to do with mirrors.
She stops on a page in book four where Jack is visiting Zera. It makes Filomena almost tear up now. In this part of the book, Zera is telling Jack about talking mirrors.
“The thirteen talking mirrors are special,” she says, “because they have souls. But souls don’t form themselves. They come from the truth of those who animate them. Truth begets truth.”
“What do you make of this?” she asks Rosie, showing her the passage.
“Hmm. I mean, scientifically I suppose it makes sense.Energy cannot be created nor destroyed. It just changes forms, right?”
“Gosh, you really are smart, Rosie. But I’m not sure I’m following.”
“Put it like this: As with energy, we can’t create a talking mirror out of thin air, right? It has to be created from forces that are already at play in the world. So maybe Zera is saying that the person or fairy who animates the mirror has to give part of themself to the mirror in order to animate it.”
Filomena nods. It’s beginning to make sense.Truth begets truth.If a talking mirror’s soul comes from the truth of the one who animates it, then maybe what’s missing is Filomena sharing some part of herself with the mirror. Something true.
“So how do you think I should do that?” Filomena asks.
“Maybe I’ll leave you alone up here with the mirror and the serum.” Rosie smiles.
“Alone?” Filomena raises her eyebrows.
“I think that’s the only way,” Rosie says, patting Filomena on the shoulder and descending the ladder.
Alone again. In one hand Filomena holds the antique mirror, and in the other, the truth serum. How can she give part of herself to the mirror? What truth does she have to say?
She closes her eyes. The mark of Carabosse lights up on her forehead, funneling directly into the mirror. The events of the past few weeks, months, flash brilliantly on the backsof her eyelids. An overwhelming sense of fear flows in her body. She feels hot tears begin to pool in the cracks of her shut eyes. It’s the thing she hasn’t been able to admit to herself. Through all her journeys in Never After, she’s always thought she had to be brave, had to be a perfect hero. But now all she feels is fear. Fear of what she can’t control. Fear gripping her throat, choking her. Fear that she can’t save her mother, that she can’t save Never After. Terror at her own fate, that she could die. Terror that she’s only twelve and has to rule a kingdom. She’s been pretending things are okay, that this is all normal. That she’s prepared for this. But the truth is, she’s not. She’s terrified, and she feels helpless. She’s absolutely petrified. She wishes someone could be there to guide her. But there isn’t. She’s alone, and she’s afraid.
“Hello? Hello? This thing on?” says a voice from the direction of her hand.
Filomena opens her eyes. There, in the small surface of the handheld mirror, is a face of mist and color so difficult to describe. It seems made of pure energy, colors Filomena’s never seen before.
