Shatter (Sky School) by

Dionysus

Celeste stared at the mirror in their room blankly, and the reflection stared back. It was still himself. Well, not really.

Frankly, just saying himself, when referring to them, felt wrong. Everything felt wrong, their name, their face. Everyone said., time and time again, things they never did. Nothing about themself felt right, to others or to themself, everything felt wrong.

They just sat at the foot of the full length mirror, analyzing their face. Fluffy, straight, aurburn hair, and slightly waxy. Light, smooth skin, freckles painted across their face. Bright yellow eyes, a small crescent inside as their pupils, and an unnatural glossy shine coating over them. Everything about their face felt fake, doll-like in almost every way.

“How long are you going to sit here for?”

Celeste turned around, hearing the all too familiar voice of Rustin hovering over them. They turned their head back over to the mirror.

“As long as I want.”

“It’s been nearly thirty minutes. What’s even the purpose?” Rustin questioned as Celeste stared into their reflection, seeing the doubt wash over their face.

“...I don’t know. I think I just got lost in my own head for a bit,” they said, a bit unsure. They didn’t feel like it was for no reason. Rustin seemed to catch onto something, that weird tapping faintly playing in his head again.

“I think I know what's wrong, buddy,” he stated, “Something isn’t right. What’s shown and told to you isn’t the full story. In order to get those answers, something needs to break.”

With those words, the sound of a metal platter pounded his eardrums. He started down a hammer placed right at his feet, before looking up at the vision of Rustin, concerned.

“...Where did this come from-?”

“Oh that ain’t relevant! I mean, you already have everyone staring at you for atrocities you didn’t do! And you have me here, so it’s not too strange…” Rustin cut off, dodging the question.

Celeste picked up the hammer, before looking over at the mirror again, their reflection staring with a concerned look. Rustin’s figure was almost identical if not only for a green spike crown and what was like a child’s scribbles over his eyes.

“No, no. That’s not it. The mirror isn’t what I was talking about.” Rustin calmly chimed. Celeste’s growing unease made them stare at the unreal reflection.

“Then… What do you want me to do with this?” they asked, eye-ing the hammer in their hands. The reflection of Rustin turned their head to them.

“Your face.”

“...What-?”

“That isn’t your real face.”

“I-I… I’m not going to hit myself with a f****** hammer! What-”

“If you’re anything else, you’ll bleed and bruise. But if you’re anything like me-” he stated. Rustin's voice grew passive-agressive, “-you’ll fracture. Just as intended.”

“What?! I already said I’m not taking a hammer to my face, Rustin, shut up-”

“Do it.” He commanded, blunt and angrier than he had ever heard his voice, “Break it.”

“Shatter.”