Shojiki

Wow... green eyes... blond hair... he's so... so... wonderful... Audra thought while staring at a boy, who, in her opinion, was "perfect." A voice interrupted her thoughts.

"AUDRA!!!"

Audra screamed and screamed and screamed -- and then realized it was just Chouko trying to get her attention.

"I've been calling your name for ten minutes... what is up with you? What are you staring at?" Chouko asked. She looked in the direction Audra had been staring. "Or should I say who...?" Chouko grinned. "Oooooh!" Chouko began dancing around the hotel lobby. "Audra's got a crush! Audra's got a crush!"

"SHUT UP, CHOUKO!!"

"Hehehe."

Zyta walked into the hotel. "Hiya, Chouko!" She turned to Audra. "Did I hear that you have... CRUSH?! Who is it? Who? Who? Tell me! Tell me!"

Why does Zyta have to be so nosy...? Audra thought. Once again, Chouko interrupted her thoughts.

"Tell Zyta that you like the blond boy... OVER THERE!" Chouko pointed to the blond-haired, green-eyed boy standing across the lobby.

Zyta grinned at Chouko. Chouko grinned at Zyta. They began dancing around the lobby chanting, "Audra's got a crush! Audra's got a crush!"

Audra sighed.

After ten minutes of what Audra called "torture," she finally spotted Xarae entering the hotel.

"Hi, Xarae!!"

"Hello, Audra!" Xarae smiled.

"When are we gonna get into our rooms? I'm tired..." Audra asked cheerfully.

She glanced over at her "crush" and noticed he was staring at her. "YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!!!" she cried.

Everyone in the lobby stared at her.

"I... uh..." She looked at Xarae and whispered, "See the blond boy over there...?"

"Yeah..."

"...Well, I have a crush on him, and I noticed him staring at me and the 'yay' wasn't supposed to leave my head... I don't want him to know I like him!"

"Oh, well, I don't think he... uh... thinks that you like him, 'kay?"

"Okay..."

"Now all we have to do is wait for Yuki, Fon, and Miyuki to get here so we can check in..."

Xarae tapped her foot. "If they ever get here..."

Yuki, Fon, and Miyuki entered the lobby at that moment.

Xarae and Audra greeted them. Xarae, Audra, Yuki, Fon, and Miyuki walked over to Zyta and Chouko.

"Audra's got..." Zyta started to say, but Audra gave her a mean look, and she stopped.

"What about Audra?" Fon asked.

"Audra's got a crush!" Zyta said quickly enough to get it all out before she was stopped.

Audra sighed. Will Zyta ever stop? she thought.

Audra, Zyta, Chouko, Xarae, Fon, Yuki, and Miyuki started walking down the hall to their hotel rooms after checking in. Audra spotted a huge mirror leaning against the wall at the end of the hallway. She started walking faster toward it, like some magnetic force. She couldn't stop. She got closer and closer, trying to pull herself away, but couldn't. She ran right into the mirror...

"...Miss... are you okay...?" A tall man stood over Audra. He looked like the boy she had seen earlier, with his blond hair and green eyes, but much older... in his twenties.

"...Yes... I'm... I'm fine..." Audra replied, while pulling herself up. What happened...? Where am I...? Audra saw the mirror and remembered. She had run into the mirror and fallen. She was at the hotel.

Audra stared at her reflection in the mirror. H-how can this be a mirror? It looks like one... but... but thats not me. Audra stared into the so called "mirror." She saw a tall, long-haired, woman that looked much like herself, but older. She looked at the man who was staring at her.

"I... uh..." Audra began.

"I'm Shojiki. Are you sure you're okay? Maybe you are delirious... the way you acted like it wasn't you who saw in the mirror..."

Audra was, and looked, puzzled.

"Do you have a name...?"

"...Yes... I'm... Audra..." She forced a smile. Her smile became real when she saw Chouko. Then Zyta. Then Xarae, Fon, Yuki, and Miyuki. They all looked much older.

"What happened?" Miyuki cried.

"I... I fell into the mirror... I couldn't stop... and now... look at me! I'm not twelve anymore... I don't know what happened..." Audra yelled.

"I've heard about this," Yuki began. "Being pulled to an object and having it take you to the future."

"So we're in the future?" Zyta asked.

"Yes," Yuki replied.

"Oh, cool! Can I go see if I'm still cute?"

Audra rolled her eyes. "How are we supposed to get back to the present?"

"You have to fall into the mirror again... but by force, not will," Yuki said.

"Won't it take a while?" Fon asked.

"It could happen today... it could happen next year... all I know is that it will happen, and when we get back to the present it wil be like it was before we left."

Miyuki smiled. "Then we can enjoy it."

Miyuki, Fon, Xarae, and Yuki spent their time in the future walking around the hotel and talking to guests staying there, Zyta and Chouko hung around the pool, and Audra spent most of her time with Shojiki. She had really begun to like him more for his personality than appearance. They became what you might call "attached." Shojiki worked at the hotel, so Audra could spend as much time as she wanted with him.

One night, Audra had a dream in which she went back to the present. She felt it was a sign and rushed to Shojiki.

"I'm leaving soon, Shojiki," Audra cried.

"I'll really miss you," he said sadly, "but I have something for you." He handed her a locket in the shape of a heart. Inside was a picture of them in the courtyard of the hotel laughing.

"Thank you, Shojiki." Tears began to fill her eyes. She no longer wanted to leave. She didn't want to ruin their perfect relationship. One tear touched the locket in her hand. With that, she felt something pulling her out of the room.

"Bye, Shojiki! I'll always remember you!" she called out. They ran to the mirror, where Chouko, Zyta, Miyuki, Xarae, Fon, and Yuki were already waiting for her. "You ready?" Xarae asked.

"Yes." Audra stepped closer and closer to the mirror. She couldn't pull herself away. She hit it... hard...

"Are you okay?" A blond-haired, green-eyed boy about thirteen years old stood over Audra. She pulled herself up and looked at her reflection in the mirror next to her. She was back to her old twelve-year-old self.

"Yes," Audra replied, "I'm fine. I'm Audra. What's your name?"

"I'm Shojiki."

Audra looked at the locket in her hand and smiled at Shojiki. He smiled back.

Audra started walking toward Chouko, Zyta, Miyuki, Xarae, Fon, and Yuki.

"Wait!" Shojiki cried. Audra turned around. "I'll always remember you, Audra!"

Audra smiled while holding the locket. She then turned around and quickly caught up with the others, watching out for mirrors.