Eugenie in NYC

I wrote this story for my English class. It is a prequel to the story The Mirror, by Judith Kay. I hope you enjoy!

“What have I done?!” Elena screamed as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. “Please go back! I’ll do anything!”

“Elena, dinner’s ready!” a familiar voice called out.

Elena peeked out from behind the door and saw someone with blonde hair and blue eyes. It looked just like her mother! But how could that be? Her mom had died in a fire twenty years ago.

“Elena! There you are!” her mother exclaimed, picking her up. “What are you doing in my room?”

Elena wanted to shout, “I’m not a kid! I’m an adult!” But all that came out was a jumble of sounds. She let her mom carry her to her old room. As she walked in, memories flooded back—her favorite blanket, toys, and a teddy bear sitting on the dresser.

Trying to grab her teddy bear, she accidentally knocked over a glass vase. She was going to clean it up like she usually did, but her mother stopped her.

“Oh no! Are you okay?” her mom asked, concerned.

Elena blinked in confusion. Her mom wasn’t mad. That was… strange.

“Let’s go to Target to get your school supplies!” her mother said.

Elena’s face fell. School? She hadn’t thought about that.

At Target, she felt frustrated trying to communicate with her mom. She pointed at a Rare Beauty Blush, hoping her mom would understand that it would look great on her.

“Is that the blush you want? Let’s get it!” her mom said, buying it without a second thought. Elena was surprised. Her mom had never let her wear makeup as a kid!

The next day, Elena’s mom dressed her up and put on makeup on her. She taught her how to sit up straight and always smile. Why was her mom so focused on her looks? When they arrived at school, everything felt familiar. A pretty girl named Maya waved at her. Elena remembered Maya from her childhood, and it felt strange to be reliving this life. The day flew by, just like it had when she was a kid. They played games and even went to the playground, where Elena remembered breaking her arm. She tried to be careful, but she slipped and felt the same pain again. The next day, her mom took her to the doctor, and soon enough, she had a cast. As weeks passed, Elena learned to talk a bit better. One rainy day at school, Maya suggested they do a beauty challenge. Elena wasn’t sure about it, but she remembered winning one before. Suddenly, beauty started to matter more to her. After that day, she spent hours perfecting her looks. When her mom told her about a modeling competition in San Francisco, Elena was excited, even if it meant missing school. But her parents argued about it, and her dad decided to stay home. Elena felt caught in the middle, but she tried to cheer them up. They drove to the competition, and on the way, Elena practiced her poses. At the competition, she saw many girls her age. She felt confident, especially when it was her turn to walk the runway. When they announced the winner, it was her! Elena felt proud, but she noticed a man in the audience looking upset. He looked strangely familiar. Wasn’t his name Josh Smith? The same guy from the antique store who had given her the mirror? Elena rubbed her eyes. That couldn’t be him. But part of Elena’s mind insisted that it was a younger version of him. Then, a tall man walked up to the man. 

“Josh! There you are! We’ve watched the whole show! Your daughter looked so beautiful! Second place is great!” The man said cheerfully. The girl looked confused as if she had never met this man. 

“Who are you?” The girl said, “How do you know my dad?”    

The man chuckled. “I’m your dad’s brother, George Smith.” 

“Cool, we have the same last name!” the girl said.

“So he is Josh Smith!” thought Elena, “The antique store owner! Is this all some sort of…”
 

“Elena, what are you looking at?” Elena’s mom said. 

“Sorry,” Elena mumbled. 

The days after the competition, Elena’s mom started pushing her harder, and Elena felt overwhelmed. “Mom, it’s just a competition!” she said one day.

“But you need to work hard if you want to win!” her mom replied.

Elena sighed. She loved the competitions but hated the pressure. As the years went on, she kept winning but felt trapped.

Eventually, she went to college and finally felt free. One day, she called her mom.

“Hi, Mom!” she said.

“Have you been going out like that? You need to put on more makeup!” her mom exclaimed, but this time, Elena smiled. Her mother couldn’t control what she did when she was at college. 

“Sorry Mom, but you can’t control me now, and I can be whoever I want to be. Bye,” Elena said, laughing, and then hung up.

That was the last time Elena talked to her mother. Sometimes she missed her, but when she thought of the times when she was younger, she got angry. When Elena’s mother died in a fire, Elena went to her funeral and made a speech. She walked over to her mother’s coffin to talk to her one last time.

“Hi mother,” She said quietly, “It’s your daughter, Elena. I know I haven’t talked to you in a while, but this is the last time. Forever. Although I hated those times, I appreciate you always driving me to those competitions. Bye, mother.”      

When Elena had her own children, she made sure that she wasn’t forcing them to do things. When one of her sons became interested in tennis tournaments, she made sure that she wasn’t pushing his training too hard. One of her daughters, Melissa, was just like Elena. She loved beauty competitions. Although Elena loved putting makeup on Melissa like her mother did, she did not put on too much. Elena’s main worry was if she would somehow look in the mirror again and turn back into a child. She didn’t want to relive her childhood. One day, when Elena was sixty-one, it was Melissa’s birthday. Melissa wanted to go to the cursed antique store. Elena tried telling Melissa that she couldn’t go because she didn’t want to turn back into a child, but Melissa thought Elena was superstitious. Plus, Elena didn’t want Mellisa to go alone, because she had no other person to go with. Elena agreed to go with Melissa, as long as she wouldn’t buy the mirror. When they got to the antique shop, Elena immediately recognized Josh Smith’s face. 

“Hi! Welcome! Are you looking for anything in particular?” Josh Smith said. Elena noticed that his tone was more sly than she remembered it. “If not, you can just look around. But of course, ask me if you need anything!” 

After five minutes of searching, Melissa came running to Elena. 

“Mom!” Melissa said, “I found the perfect mirror! Close your eyes.”

Elena tried to shoo Melissa away, but Melissa covered Elena’s eyes too quickly. “Three, two, one! Look, isn’t it beautiful?!” Melissa said, uncovering her mother’s eyes.

Elena screamed as she found herself looking into the same mirror that had turned her into a child before.