So y'all probably hate me rn but that's okay. It's understandable. Okay, quick tbh here, it's kinda weird using contractions since I've been working on this story somaj.

But I will again stress the fact that I NEED a cover for this story. I would do it myself, but I am very crappy at making covers.

If you have a cover you would like to submit to the contest just send me a message and we'll figure out a way you can send it to me.

Also, a bit of a warning... This chapter is incredibly awkward. I had to take breaks constantly as I wrote this chapter.

Also, a bit of nudity but nothing too graphic.

________

It has been a week since Alex was killed.

1 is obviously trying to string me along and torture me with this paranoia. Unfortunately, it is working.

And Scott is not any better.

Sometimes he will burst into tears.

Sometime I find him vomiting into his toilet.

I see him shuffling into his bathroom. His hands shake as he picks up his toothbrush and puts toothpaste on it and brushes his teeth.

He never smiles anymore. His eyes have lost their sparkle and are misty and blank. It is almost like he is dead.

He wears one of his black graphic tees inside out so only black is showing. He wears the same black pants.

It hurts to see him so upset.

I have only spoken to him directly once.

I have only known him for just over a month.

How can I have so much sympathy for him?

I am going soft. But what is so bad about that? I prefer this over killing people 100%.

Today, Scott is silent and shaking. He manages to brush his teeth without crying or throwing up.

How do you live with a broken heart?

I look back on the days following Travis's shattering. They were very much like now.

I did not eat. I had recurring nightmares. I was always looking over my shoulder.

But Scott... he is just... empty. He eats a little, he sleeps fine; I think the black circles under his eyes are from the emotional fatigue. He has become a hollow shell, just going through the motions now that he has lost his motivation.

I could kill him right now.

He would not care. He has no reason to live anymore.

And because of his situation, the authorities will think it was suicide.

I could just reach and drag him under. I doubt he would struggle. Should I? Could I?

I reach, grab him by the front of his shirt, and yank with all my strength and might.

Finally, my hands are around his neck. Finally, he is at my mercy.

Scott's eyes fly open as he struggles.

Do you want to live? I thought.

Scott nods aggressively.

He claws at my hands, trying to remove them. His eyes are closing slowly and his struggling decreased. He is dying.

This is what you have wanted, Mitch. To kill Scott Hoying so it could all be over. He will be the only one who has to die.

I am going to die anyway. I have already committed treason, and in 1's presence at that. I have already sentenced myself to death.

Besides, Scott wants to live. And he deserves a second chance to find happiness, wherever it may be.

I release my grip. Scott does not stir.

He is unconscious.

I put an arm around his waist and swam towards the barrier between our worlds.

No Reflection has ever fully crossed a mirror. I will be the first.

What will happen to me? Will I be able to breathe? Is the air different on earth? Will Scott die in my arms?

I am only making my situation worse, but I need to save Scott.

I cross first, so I could get Scott to the other side without causing him any further injury.

Maybe if I dress him in his night clothes...

Yes, perfect! That way someone will wake him up. Then he will recount his experience and the person with him will tell him it was just a nightmare.

I have been holding my breath and I am running out of air.

Can I risk a breath of earth's air? I am going to have to if I want to save Scott's life.

I take a deep breath. It was exactly like my air. But when I breathed it in, I felt... funny.

I shrug the feeling off and began to take on the task at hand.

I need to dry him off. I start with his hair and face,

Scott is beginning to regain consciousness and I need to hurry. I would hate to have to explain that I tried to kill him and now I am taking off his clothes.

Should I knock him out again? But how would I do it?

I looked around the room trying to find something. I settled on a sort of trophy. It looked nice and it had his name on it.

I shut my eyes and hit Scott's head with the bottom of the trophy as his eyes fluttered open.

I sigh as I stare at his unconscious body. "I am sorry, Scott Hoying. But it had to be done. I just hope I did not hit you too hard..."

Then again I know absolutely nothing about head injuries.

I sigh as I noticed the only article of clothing left on Scott Hoying was his underwear.

I have seen human genitalia and I have gotten used to it, but I have never had to... touch it.

I willed my brain to think of ways I could take off his underwear without getting too intimate.

Perhaps I could grab some sort of pointed object and cut them off of him.

But I would hate to ruin his underwear.

Think, Mitch! Think! This is awkward enough as it is. Just take them off!

I shrug and pull off Scott's underwear in one quick motion. I sigh in relief and throw Scott's underwear into the bathtub.

I pluck Scott's towel from the rack and began to dry him off. He does not stir as I scrub and pat his bare skin.

"I am sorry about Alex." I say. "You must have loved him very much. I hope you will find someone else who will make you happy. That is why I'm doing this really. So you can be happy again."

Scott gives a small moan in response. I froze, but Scott does not wake. I sigh and continue working.

I chuckled. "You are like a small child right now. You might do this sometime in the future. Hopefully the child will not be unconscious, but you know what I mean."

Scott is silent and still as death.

I really hope I did not cause him any cranial trauma.

I also hope no one will come in and find me, a random stranger with a naked Scott in my arms.

I need to hurry in case someone comes in to check in on him.

I grew careless in the task of drying off Scott. I ran the towel over his legs and genital area, with very little scrubbing. It will have to do.

I rest Scott carefully on the floor and look in his closet. I grab a pair of grey underwear and a floral shirt and matching shorts with a number 50 emblazoned on them in seemingly random places.

I sigh and attempt to pick Scott up, but my petite frame and skinny arms would make it impossible.

I hated to do it but I dragged Scott towards his bed.

Now I needed to get him ON the bed.

I muster all my strength and manage to push him up the foot and a half it took to get him in his bed.

I rub my hands together and rest them on my hips.

"As awkward as it was, you done good, Mitchell."

"Scoooottttttt!" A dismembered voice sang. "You're gonna be laaaaaate!"

I swore and dove back into my Pool.

I heard the door open.

"Scott!"

I heard Scott moan. "Oh hey, Esther." He mumbles.

"You're not dressed."

"Huh?" Silence. "That's funny. I thought I got dressed. I remember going to brush my teeth. Then I went underwater somehow. There was this guy. He was trying to drown me."

"It was just a nightmare, Scott. Go get ready. The funeral is today."

"I know."

He will bury Alex today. He will put his love to rest in just a couple of hours.

The person the voice belonged to walks into the bathroom. She nearly slips. "Scott!"

"Yeah, Esther?"

"Your floor is soaked! And why on earth is your underwear in the bathtub? You're 23 years old, Scott. I shouldn't be considering getting you a Life Alert."

"What?"

Scott walks into the bathroom. His eyebrows knit as he saw all the water on the floor. "I-I don't remember..."

The woman puts her hand on his shoulders. "You're hurting, Scott. I know that. We all are. Alex was an amazing guy."

"What are you trying to say?"

"I know I sound like an overprotective mother right now, but I think you should find a grief counselor."

"I'll be fine, Esther. I'm okay."

The woman, Esther I should say, gives him a sad smile. "Whatever you say. But please don't let this grief go and drag you down. If you feel like you need to talk to someone, know that--"

She did not get to finish her sentence. Scott throws his arms around her neck, bursting into tears.

"I miss him, Esther. I don't want to see them lower his casket. I don't want to say good-bye. I don't want to see his body. I can't do this. I can't handle this grief. I'm not okay, Esther. And I never will be. Alex is gone."

Esther hugs him back. "It's hard letting go, Scott. Especially when you know they'll never come back. But you know what?"

"What?"

"You can mourn all you want. You could mourn him until next week or until your last breath. No one is asking you to let Alex go. No one is expecting you to introduce us to your new boyfriend tomorrow night. Everyone knows how much Alex meant to you. You don't have to let go. However, I know you'll get better if you do."

Scott sniffles. "I guess..."

"Now get your suit on. You're a pallbearer. There is no funeral without you."

Scott pulls away and nods. "Right."

I exit my Pool just after these events.

~

I could not shake that feeling I experienced on earth after I came back. I felt so different. Like I belonged. Like I needed to be there.

What if 1 created us from humans? Is there someone out on earth whose flesh was made to create me?

Every day I doubt more and more. Is anything I have ever known really true?

I just do not know what to do anymore. My whole life is a lie.

I wish 1 would shatter me already. I am not sure if I can take this anymo

___________

The abrupt ending is intentional guys.

This is Mitch's final journal entry.

However I can't reveal why just yet. You will just have to stick around.

-Spontaneous_Soprano