Alyss sighed as she watched the drops of rain slowly drop down her windowsill. She couldn't help but ponder whether they had thoughts or feelings. The way they were constantly racing each other to the end of her window ledge where they would either continue racing toward new exciting places or splatter out of existence. "Alyss!", Her mothers distant call drifted up to her room. "I'll be done in a moment stop pestering me!", She shouted back. Her mother continued to yell, but she was no longer paying attention. It was normal for her to loose attention especially when it came to something so boring as life. What was the fun in heeding her mothers words when she already knew what was being said. She knew her mother was urging her to hurry up. She had been issuing the same plea for twenty minuets now. She had to be present for her graduation in ten minuets. It was a fifteen minute drive. Somewhere deep inside her she did feel somewhat excited. At least she knew she ought to be. It was miraculous that she had made it this far. She was constantly failing her classes. She had a real problem with paying attention. Many times she had turned her exams in blank. She had finally made it through rough years of torment and after today she will finally be able to leave and never come back. Still, despite her hidden excitement, she just wasnâ€™t quite ready yet. For a half hour now she had been staring out her window wondering how she would face these awful people again. Granted, she had been doing it for twelve years, but for some reason the last time is always the worst. These people had no dreams. They were always so closed and took comfort in routine. The very things that made Alyss shudder with distaste. Five more minuets had passed, and with that passing Alyss knew her mother would soon be there to drag her down into the car. She just needed another moment to herself. She wasn't quite sure what another moment would do, but she needed it. Not knowing where else to go, Alyss ran frantically to the dust covered ladder leading into the abandoned attic.<br/><br/>It was forbidden for anyone to go up into the attic. It was where everyone's beloved Alyss had first shown signs of ab-normalcy. Alyss tiptoed into the attic. Small footprints marked the way that she traveled. Alyss coughed as the swirling piles of disturbed dust filled her lungs. The room was mostly empty. The walls were made of wood paneling and the floor was once a simple white tile which was now invisible by the inches of dust. There was a small circular window the corner of the room facing her street. The only furniture were a small wooden stool and a mirror. The mirror. The thing that stole her parents daughter away along with any normal dreams they had for her. It was the place that had developed her ADHD.<br/><br/>She had been four at the time. She was a normal girl then skipping around the beautiful mirror. It was full length body mirror with gold swirls and flowers along the edges. Young Alyss had been singing a song to her dolls in her favorite play place when she saw something in the mirror. Cautiously Alyss had stepped over to the mirror. There was a young girl inside. Though the girl would not reveal her name, She and Alyss had become fast friends. The girl told fantastic stories of a different world unlike any Alyss had ever heard of. A place where animals could talk, cats could smile, and mushrooms made you grow and shrink. Each day Alyss would come to the attic and listen to these wondrous stories with wide dreamy eyes. One day Alyss had told her parents  what she had been doing. They were horrified. Desperately they tried to shake these foolish thoughts away from there darling daughter, but their sweet Alyss could not be contained. Her parents consulted doctors and experts. Each time they received the same results. Their daughter had gone partly mad. With some medication it was claimed Alyss had been healed, but she could never be quite healed. She was never the same as she had been before. Since then her hands began to shake and her imagination became more vivid and ferocious. Alyss' parents forbade the mention of the mirror or the strange girl and the attic became abandoned.<br/><br/>These memories had passed Alyss now, hidden in the unreachable depth of her mind. With no memories to serve as aid for her, Alyss felt a compelling strangeness about this mirror. She looked at her reflection. There was the beautiful image of a girl propelling back at her. She was dressed much to fancy for her taste.<br/><br/>As Alyss stared disapprovingly at her reflection she heard a strange sound. At first Alyss thought it was her mother and she prepared her self for an angry confrontation. As she began to listen more closely she realized is was the splashing of water. How peculiar. Suddenly a large gust of wind began to blow.<span style="font-style: italic">That's funny!</span>She thought<span style="font-style: italic">The window is sealed.</span><span style="font-style: italic">How could there be a draft?</span>The wind began blow faster and harder. Alyss tried desperately to keep her balance. She squeezed her eyes shut as the wind was blowing so fast they began to sting.The wind was growing to strong for Alyss to handle. Before she had time to understand what was happening, Alyss was tumbling head first through the mirror.<br/><br/>Alyss cautiously opened her eyes.<span style="font-style: italic">What had just happened?</span>She was very grateful to see she was still in the attic, but didn't the stool used to be on the right side of the room? The window was now on the right side, it had definitely been on the left side. The mirror...<span style="font-style: italic">The Mirror!</span>She must have fallen through the mirror. There was no other explanation! She looked at what she thought was the ground only to find it was an endless black void. She wasn't lying on the ground at all. She was falling.<br/><br/>Alyss watched the room above her shrink smaller and smaller as she made her slow descent. The time went very slowly. It seemed like endless hours. She didn't have the energy to scream. Where would the sound go anyway? Darkness cornered every angle of her vision.<br/><br/>Just as Alyss began to think the falling would never end, her descent began to quicken. All at once she was falling faster and faster. Faster than gravity itself. She felt a slap of pain shoot up from behind her. She felt an intense cold submerge her. She tried to gasp for breath, but she found she couldn't.<span style="font-style: italic">She was under water!</span>She flapped her arms frantically, her head popping out above the surface. As she gasped for air she realized she was in nothing more than a pond. A pool. She felt something crunch beneath her feet. What ever it was squirmed up her leg and on to her arm. It was a bone! A finger to be exact and it was moving! She shrieked and flung the wriggling finger far out into pond as possible. The shore was visible, so Alyss started her swim toward it. The water was absolutely freezing and she knew she wouldn't be able st stand it much longer. The stupid taffeta dress her mother insisted she wear didn't seem all that practical now. In fact, it was dragging her down making her swim even more tormenting. Just then she noticed some strange creature walk into the water where she was heading. It looked almost like a giant caterpillar. Alyss was somewhat drawn back by this creature, but she continued her swim. She couldn't very well stay in the water any longer without getting pneumonia and she really didn't care for the idea of staying with the dancing bones. The caterpillar provided an arm for Alyss to take hold of and he pulled her out of the water. Now that she was out of the water she began shivering uncontrollably as cold filled every inch of her body.<span style="font-weight: bold">You must be Alyss. Iâ€™ve been waiting for you. Youâ€™re late, you know.</span>the caterpillar said. How did he know her name? How was the thing even able to talk? The caterpillar draped a towel around her shoulders. She didn't know where it had come from, but she took it gratefully. Speaking again the caterpillar then said<span style="font-weight: bold">The funeral has already started. And you wouldnâ€™t want to miss the King. Or your traveling companion.</span>Summoning all her courage Alyss pulled away from the creature and asked, " Late for what and who... or what are you if I might ask? How do you know my name?"