Alice brushed her long black hair as she stared into the mirror. She hummed a tune as the brush separated individual strands, hoping the day would pass quickly. School was difficult, and home was even more difficult. If home life were to be a grade, she’d be lucky to have a 60.

She put on a dress and looked in the mirror again, noticing that her reflection wore heavy makeup and had dark eyebags. I really am tired, she thought as she left her room, hoping her father would still be recovering from last night’s drinking spree. Her hope was soon shattered.

“You’re going to leave the house in that ugly piece of filth?” Her father drunkenly asked, shaking a beer bottle to drink the last few drops. “At least make it a bit shorter. I wanna see ‘dem legs.” He snorted as he attempted to laugh.

Alice tried to ignore him the best she could, grabbing a small granola bar and slipping out of the house as quickly and as quietly as she could. Sometimes I just wish I could stab him. She thought to herself as she walked to school.

Once she got there, she felt a hand slap her back. “Yo! Al! You good?” Her girlfriend, Tracy, asked with a lopsided smile.

“Um, yeah.” Alice responded quietly, hoping that her probe of a friend wouldn’t push for details. “Just a bit tired.”

“Oh, please! You’re dealing with both tiredness and home life! What more is there to say?” They both chuckled, and Alice sighed sadly as she walked in.

After the long day at school, she begrudgingly went home, walking as slowly as she could just to delay the inevitable. Hopefully, her father had already left for the bar. Once again, her hope was shattered. He stared at her with cold eyes as she walked in before grabbing the hem of her dress.

“How dare you wear something like that to school! You need to get a boyfriend, you stupid little gay girl! I am your father, and you will do as I say!” He pushed her onto the floor before spitting on her face and walking away.

She went back into her room, washing the revolting saliva from her face and looking in the mirror again. Her face looked bonier, sharper, even. She didn’t realize how much she’d changed over these past few years. Or maybe she really was just that tired . . .

The next morning, Alice found a cute butterfly shirt, and put it on along with a pair of wide-legged jeans. She wore her hair in a ponytail, and put on butterfly earrings to match.

She looked in the mirror, and almost fainted. Her reflection wore a smile on her face, holding a sharp kitchen knife. Using the knife, her reflection pointed toward the picture of her father beside the mirror. 

“This is what I need to do, isn’t it?” She asked in a shaky voice, and her reflection smiled wider before nodding. Alice looked away for a moment, then looked back. “It shall be done.”