LotS/The Story/Playing with Fire (Part 2)/The Man In The Mirror

"Still nothing?" you ask.

Ali shakes her head and puts the phone down.

"I told you she wouldn't take my calls. We haven't talked to each other in years and-" She glares. "Shut the hell up! It's your fault!"

You say nothing. While she was securing her bike in the Silver Shadow's hold, you did some surreptitious online research. Apparently multiple personality disorder isn't uncommon amongst psionics. You can deal with it... At least this identity seems to be in charge.

"When we get there..." Her eyes are focused on you again, her voice calmer. "...I'll have to stay on the ship. If me and Alexa get near each other it'll... it'll be bad. Trust me."

Sixteen years ago...

Alison Haelia giggled. So did her new friends. The other children laughed and chattered. A few of them made little gasps of outrage, but they were lame -- so who cared what they thought? Losers...

A caricature of Mrs. Sonburg, the history teacher, was depicted on the wall. There was also a crocodile -- which was in the process of biting the educator in half. The likenesses of both beast and woman were rather good, Ali thought. But what was even more impressive was that they were drawn in lines of flame.

Fire burned on the wall of the sports hall, its dancing tongues giving flickering life and gusting warmth to the whole splendid tableau.

Ali was too busy appreciating her handiwork to notice that the babble of voices had ceased. She only became aware of it when a big hand dropped onto her shoulder, and the voice of authority boomed.

"Alison Haelia! Did you do this?"

We could help, her new friends said. Why don't we just burn this stupid woman?

"No!"

"Then why are your fingerprints all over that can of lighter fuel?" Mrs. Sonburg jabbed her finger towards the offending yellow can, which lay on the grass near Ali's boots.

The teacher's cybernetic eyes clicked and whirred.

Ali sighed.

"We're going to the principal's office!" Mrs. Sonburg's grasp tightened on her shoulder, until her wedding ring bit into Ali's skin.

Let us burn her! Come on!

She was tempted. But she shook her head, and allowed the history teacher to march her into the building.

Alison was too busy listening to her new friends -- who'd appeared inside her just a week ago -- to pay attention to her surroundings. It was only when Mrs. Sonburg snorted that she looked up and discovered they'd reached the little waiting area outside the principal's room. And that they weren't alone.

"Alexa Haelia!" the history teacher said. "What did you do?"

Miss Persey, the mousy-haired art teacher, was sat next to the elder Haelia girl. It was she who answered.

"I caught her writing on the walls."

The two educators shared a sniff of disdain. But neither Ali nor Alexa was paying any attention. They were glaring at one another.

Them!

The voice rang inside Alison's head. Her new friends didn't like being around Alexa, so Ali had started avoiding her at home.

No, we don't like her! She has those... things... inside her! They're... wrong! They're like us, but they're not us! We can hear them talking, chattering, plotting. We don't know what they are, but we hate them!

Alexa's fists clenched. So did Ali's.

They're coming for us! We have to stop them!

Fire burst into being around both of them, launching dancing light and waves of heat in all directions. Mrs. Sonburg screamed. Miss Persey wailed. And then everything started to burn...

The Silver Shadow slips into Blackpool's atmosphere, and descends amidst the darkness of the planet's nocturnal side. Down below, its eponymous ebony ocean glistens in the moonlight like a gigantic oil slick.

Gaudier illumination capers on the horizon. A riot of pink, yellow, green, and blue neon splashes across the black waters -- cast by the hundreds of casinos and amusement parks which represent the biggest entertainment Mecca in all of Novocastrian space.

There's still been no word from Ali's sister. And the casino she works at treated your inquires as those of a potentially murderous stalker. They refused to tell you anything, and the bastard on the phone blocked your transmissions. He'd better hope you don't find him when you land...

The dressing room was dark, just the way Alexa liked it. The only illumination came from the soft, subdued yellow strips that glowed around the mirror. After the bright lights and blazing flames of the stage, the blackness was soothing. She dropped into the chair in front of the table, closed her eyes, kicked off her heels, and wallowed in the quiet shadows.

We put on a good show. The Pyromania Pirouette worked even better than last night, didn't it?

"Yeah," Alexa said. "It'll be tough to top it."

Leave that to us! Maybe we could have flaming unicorns charge down the aisles and...

Alexa let them ramble for a while. Then she decided it was time to take her makeup off, get changed, and go for a drink. It had been a long day... So, with a little burst of reluctance, she opened her eyes. And her heart thudded in her chest.

Two azure slits gazed at her in the mirror, from an ebon mask.