Chapter 4: The Organization

1

There was a kid, playing with his toys in his room enjoying each moment of his peace, the kid had wounds in every part of his body and he could barely move with so many injuries, he was constantly coughing due to the damage on his ribcage, the kid's body was asking for help but his mind was saying otherwise.

-What happened to you?

-My parents taught me a lesson after you broke my cross - said the kid while coughing.

-Haha, that's too bad for you. You probably hate me at this point, I almost killed you.

-I don't hate you, Mr.Stranger... - said the kid while trying to stand up - God says that we shouldn't hate anyone. Mr.Stranger, if you hate someone don't! You might get to a bad place after your life.

-Oh yes, the classic place which every adult threatens the kids who haven't behaved well. How is it called really...Heeeeeeee- the moment the Stranger was about to say it, the kid screamed.

-Don't say it please! - the kid started to cry on his kneels - Please, I'm begging you...stop, don't ever say it... I've been a good kid...I don't need to go to that place...hahaha...Mommy, Daddy, I've been a good kid haven't I? That's why you gave me time to play...and today I'll be able to eat...and sleep properly...all I need to do is pray each morning, each afternoon, each night...my body is a gift from God, so every time I sin, God gets offended...Mommy and Daddy have been guiding me to the right path...

-Hey kid, come with me. - the Stranger takes the kid's hands - Today is Monday, right? You went to the church, and now your parents told you to go to the grocery shop to buy food, am I correct? So that means you can go out for a bit.

-Y-Yes, but how do you know all that Mr.Stranger?

The Stranger smiled, ignoring the kid's question he dragged him out of home and took him to a beautiful place full of grass and flowers, in that place, there was a small hill with a tree. When they reached the tree, the Stranger helped the kid to lay under the tree since his body conditions wouldn't help him do it, then the Stranger lay next to him.

-Isn't this place peaceful, kid? No matter how many times your parents get mad at you, no matter how violent your home gets, this place will remain peaceful as it is.

-But, if my parents get mad at me, God might want to take this wonderful place away from me...

-God won't do that.

-How do you know it?

-I challenged myself on that...to see if God would really punish me for it. I sinned a lot, I'd destroy each cross they'd give me, I'd stop praying, I'd say no to my parents instead of a yes, no matter how much they'd yell at me or beat me, I kept that challenge in mind. One month after accepting that, I went to this place, and it still was how I'd remember. God didn't do anything about it. And do you wanna know why? Because we don't live inside God, God lives inside us, in our heart. The God inside my heart is saying that yours is suffering, but it's also saying that it's not up to me to stop you from suffering, only yourself can do that. Look kid, I'm not going to say that you should believe what I just told you. When I said I didn't believe in God, I meant the God who's written in some books or told by some people who call themselves God's followers. Religion is all about viewpoints for me, we trace our own religion each second we live, I dare to say that we're Gods of our own fate!

The kid laughed.

-Mr. Stranger, you're so full of nonsense! -the kid kept laughing - But somehow I loved to hear that!

-Hahaha, I'm strange indeed but I'm so happy to be the way I am.

2

While the old man had an evil smile, Viatorem was looking serious at him, he really wanted to get some answer out of the old's man mouth.

-I'm happy to see you're in good health after everything you went through, what a fast recovery you had indeed! - the old man laughed.

-This is no time to laugh! - Viatorem screamed out of anger - What happened to me on that day? Why is that mirror able to get me in that weird world? I almost got killed by some crazy girl! I need answers!

-First things first, - the old man sat down - sit down with me. - Viatorem sat down as well, hoping the old man would start to answer his question - You have a more important problem to deal with. You're too attached to the past, you're forgetting about the present.

-What do you mean? You're making me more confused than I already am!

-Did some weird events happened after you left the mirror?

-Yes, I got some weird messages on my phone from a random dude named Unknown, who said he knew everything about what I did inside the mirror. And at the hospital...I thought it was only one of the weird dreams I used to have, but the more I think of it, the less unlikely is to be a dream, it just felt too real...A random dude with a mask appeared in front of my hospital bed, he had a board with a sentence written: "Greeds who want to change their fate, deserve the greed of death".

The old man sighed, it was easy to say by his reaction that he wasn't surprised by the outcome of this situation.

-So they're already on the move. - said the old man with a thinking face, while touching his long bread.

-They...?

-RORRIM, you're up to no good, young one.

Hearing the old man saying that, made Viatorem anxious, scared to think what was going to happen to him.

3

-What's RORRIM? Am I going to die? Please, tell me... - said Viatorem panicking.

-RORRIM is an organization that knows the truth behind the mirror you went through, they do some business between this world and the mirror's world, they're not an organization with good deeds.

-So I'm up for no good...I really am going to die...So that crazy girl who tried to stab me was from...

-I don't think the girl who tried to kill you on the other side was from that organization. If I had to guess, she's from a religious group.

-Was she..? Well...she did say God a lot while she was trying to kill me, plus she was always singing some weird song about fate. What were they doing on the other side of the mirror? Did you let them in?

-I didn't. They probably have another way to get into that world.

-Anyways, I've to know some information, Old man, about-

-Please, call me Vitor. Calling old man to an old man is kinda rude isn't it, Sir Viatorem? And I think you were going to ask me what is my position in all of this, why didn't I do anything to avoid you from getting inside the mirror. Why do I have a weird mirror like that one in my store and more importantly how does the other world work, you were going to ask me all of this, right? - Viatorem didn't say anything since he guessed everything he was going to ask.

-So, let's start with the easiest question to answer. I didn't help you because if I got inside the mirror I'd be chased by RORRIM, and I wasn't in the mood to help someone who I just met. So many people went inside the mirror, but they usually never came back.

-So am I the only one who survived through that?

-No, some people survived as well, but when they came back, they were already different people, this was probably because of the time they spent there. Because the world there, isn't the same as ours, however, the people who live here, in our world, also live in the mirror's world but with different behavior. The people who went through the mirror started to think their lives were lies, and they started to behave like the people from the other side. How did they come back? I don't know, probably some memories from what they were once made them remember how to come back, somehow.

-Mister Victor, so you're saying if I had decided to spend a lot of time there, I'd become like them?

-This kind of change depends on how much you believe in this world's reality. - Victor looked at Viatorem's eyes - You'd be fine, Viatorem. No matter how many days you were going to be inside the mirror, eyes like yours never change.

-I don't know about that, my head was hurting so much, I was so confused about what was happening. Nothing I knew made sense in that world.

-Yes, in fact, the people from the other world had different memories and events from us. Now, what's my position in all of this? And why do I own such a weird mirror like that one...Well, as you can see, I'm simply an old goods seller, I don't want to have anything to do with that mirror, people who mess with that mirror it's their own fault for touching it. However, I've to keep it with me, this mirror is my family property, it has to go from generation to generation on my family tree.

-So you've never been inside it? You never got curious to see why it was so important to your family?

-No, because I was taught that curiosity killed the cat, besides my family had the duty to protect the mirror not to try to understand how it worked.

-So at some point, you're going to give it to one of your family members?

-No, I pretend to destroy this mirror before my life ends. I'm the only member of my family anyway, and I've my reasons to get rid of it and since it's my property, I can do whatever I want with it.

Viatorem didn't say anything but he was relieved because the mirror who probably killed so many people was finally going to disappear.

-Also, - said Viatorem - why would you put this mirror in a place like this? Shouldn't you put it somewhere safe, so people wouldn't get in danger?

- I was forced to put it here, - said Victor with a face of regret - RORRIM found out I owned a mirror with such power. They forced me to put it here, so if they wanted, they could enter in this mirror to do their weird businesses on the other world. But they promised me I could destroy the mirror, whenever I felt like so.

-Sir Victor, - said Viatorem making the most serious face he could ever do - why are you giving me so much information of all this? Isn't the organization going to chase you down if you talk too much?

Victor smiled while standing up and then he reached to Viatorem's should, whispering to his hear:

-You're the one who's in danger here, young one. - Viatorem started to tremble in anxiety - You're the one who's going to get chased by them not me. I'm doing my part, I'm being nice to you and preparing you for what's going to happen in your future. You see, I didn't tell you what happened to the people who survived from the mirror...they were all kidnaped by the organization and never came back. So I can safely assume you can't escape from them either.

4

Viatorem stood up, with an angry look at Victor's evil smile, he left the store running. Heading back to the dorms, the poor mirror traveler was exhausted, inside his room, there were Ricardo and Wally. Jasmine was out buying dinner for the roommates, he wanted to tell his fellow roommates what might happen to him in the future, but he didn't want to believe he was going through all this. He just wanted to keep living as he used to with his friends, so with that, he decided not to talk and pray that nothing harmful would surprise him.

So he acted as nothing had happened to him, he had dinner with them and then went to sleep. Tomorrow was Wednesday, he promised to hang out with Bebe on that day, what was she going to say? If he had to guess it was probably about Raph, but if it was only that, she wouldn't bother asking to hang out, what was she planning?

Viatorem was curious.