Mirrored Cabinet — 3:24 AM Petra was pacing around the room. She had thrown the notebook she was writing onto the shelf, but the voices in her head still wouldn’t stop. When she caught her reflection in the window, she immediately looked away.

Then, she went over to the vanity. But she didn’t sit down. She leaned in so close that her nose was almost touching the mirror. Only part of her eyes were visible. Her hands were trembling as she applied a colorless lip balm.

“Back away, back away... don’t look too long…” her inner voice warned her. But she glanced at her face out of the corner of her eye. 15 seconds. Maybe 17. Something trembled inside her. She frowned. Thought her nose looked too bony. Then noticed the dark circles under her eyes. Then… She saw little Petra in the mirror. That frightened girl. Alone. In dirty pajamas, skinny covered with bruises. Bolding becuse of pulling her hair off. And she saw someone behind her — his silhouette. Her step dad. Her eyes welled up. In a sudden burst of rage, she punched the mirror.

“SHUT UP!” she screamed.

The glass cracked. It didn’t shatter, but because she was so close, it cut her. She didn’t care. In fact, the fractured reflection was easier to bear — because nothing looked clear anymore.