Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to Vertigo Comics, which is a faction of DC, and to Neil Gaiman. They are being used for non-profit entertainment purposes only. The story and Lila belong to me.

I'm on a plane, all by myself, and I'm not scared. I'm not scared in the slightest, until I start to cry.

I can't make myself stop crying, either, because the tears aren't really mine. And there's this humming in the background and it just gets louder and louder and...Oh God, it sounds like a song I heard once. A song that made me start to cry.

The plane starts to jerk and spin in slow circles through the sky but that doesn't scare me because I know that this is all a dream and when I wake up everything will be fine. Everything will be fine if I can just wake up.

The music surrounds me.

*****

Lila wakes up with a start, brown hair making a curtain over her eyes. She reaches her hand up to brush the hair away and finds tears on her face. Strange, she thinks. I must have been crying in my sleep. It's been years since I've done that.

Sleepily, she fumbles for her glasses, which sit on the nightstand next to her bed, a monument to the horrors of life.

In her dreams, Lila doesn't need glasses to see the world. In her dreams, she knows everything, she sees through trees, and walls, and secrets. When she dreams, Lila sees everything in the universe.

She picks the glasses up and brings them to her face. She looks at them for a minute. Strange things, glasses, she ponders. Metal frames and pieces of glass cut just so, that's all they are. But when you wear them, you can see perfectly.

Eventually, she puts them on and gets out of bed. The floor is cold. Lila bought carpet for the sole reason of not being greeted by a cold floor every morning. It didn't work.

The mirror sits across the room, smiling sweetly at her, ready to show her lies instead of the truth. Lila puts up with her mirror for various reasons.

It used to be a queen's mirror, or so it told her. That queen used to sit in front of it every day and say, "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all". And the mirror, ever the spinner of lies, would answer, "In all the land, none is as fair as you, my queen". Or something like that. Lila can't remember the exact words and the mirror stopped talking a long time ago.

The mirror told her other things before he sealed its lips forever. It told her about the queen's stepdaughter who had white skin and black hair and red lips. A child who had grown into the most beautiful woman in the land. That scared the queen so she sent her stepdaughter away with a hunter. And...the hunter didn't kill the girl, so what happened?

Lila doesn't remember anymore. She doesn't think she wants to remember. After all, mirrors tell lies. It's all they do.

However, she recalls the conversation they had about the little girl, the one with the white skin and the black hair. She and the mirror got into quite a nasty little spat over it, actually.

`That girl,' Lila had said, sitting on the stool, staring into the mirror, into her reflection's silver eyes, `sounds like my friend. Well, except for the red lips. My friend's lips aren't red. Well, they might be under the black lipstick but...'

`Can I finish the story?' the mirror had asked, using Lila's reflection to speak, to move, to see.

Lila had shrugged her shoulders and ran a hand through her thick brown hair. `But...what if it was my friend?'

Her reflection shook its head and whispered, `It wasn't your friend. It was Snow White, the fairest of the fair who ever lived in that land.'

`What land?'

But the reflection only sighed and looked a trifle sad.

`What land?' Lila repeated, making her voice more interested, more commanding.

Silver eyes met Lila's light blue ones as the mirror told her, `A land that everyone has forgotten.' Then the mirror sighed, a long sigh, deep and rich and its eyes, silver and round, looked over the room with pity and regret.

Lila had cocked her head to the side and started to soak things in, hoping they should stay with her forever. `What is it?'

`I was just wishing that I could have had more time with you, Lila, before I had to tell you this.'

`Do you have to leave?'

The mirror hadn't nodded but it didn't shake its head either. It just sat there, looking at Lila, the two faces, which were just reflections of each other, burning into memory. `Let's not think of that, eh? No, this land. It was a wonderful land, Lila, filled with everything that ever was or ever will be.'

`Mirror, did they have unicorns?'

`Yes.'

`Did they have dragons?'

`Many.'

`Did...did they have...?'

`They had everything,' the mirror interrupted. `They just didn't know it. But things began to change. The queen changed things and the kingdom fell apart. The stories tell lies, child. They say happily ever after but nothing ends like that. Nothing.'

Lila's eyes had filled with tears that trickled slowly down her face. In the mirror, her reflection was cool and collected. `What happened in the end? What happened to the kingdom?'

`It burned to the ground.'

`But...'

The silver eyes turned on her. `But I survived? Yes, I survived. I was saved by that which the queen, in her ignorance, had created.'

`Snow White?' Lila inquired hopefully.

`No, you twit,' the mirror told her, harshly and then its silver eyes glazed over. `No. No, I can't go yet. It's my secret. Damn you, it's mine. It must be told. It must be...'

Then there was silence. The mirror never spoke to Lila again. But that had been years ago. Years and years ago back when Lila was twenty, right after she met the girl with the white skin and the black hair.

Lila walks over the mirror, a bit unsteadily. She sits on the stool in front of it, her hand pressing against the glass. "I wish you would talk to me, again," she says. "I wouldn't even mind the lies if...if I just had someone to talk to."

Something passes over her reflection, It looks like smoke, it looks like fog. It is silver.

"Are you back there?" Lila inquires, light blue eyes glowing hopefully but her reflection stays the same. It doesn't turn or smile or speak and so Lila hangs her head. "It's just you, isn't it? It's just you watching me. But, I'm not being bad this time. I'm not sad, honest....Well, I *am* sad but not the way you think."

On the other side of the mirror, Despair turns away from Lila's mirror. She had heard the girl's voice and had wanted to see what was going on. Now, she wishes she had just left things well enough alone.

On her side, Lila watches as the fog clears, blowing away from one corner of the glass to the other. Then, even the little woman who lives behind the mirror is gone and she is all alone.

It's so quiet.

"Come back. I didn't mean it. I'll tell you a story. I'll tell you a good one," she pleads and strokes her hand down the glass. "I know some very good stories....I'm sorry. Come back. Please."

"How many times have we told you, child?" a voice inquires from behind her and it is not a childs voice, nor is it an adults voice. It belongs to neither a man or a woman. It is just a voice, sometimes sweet, sometimes as painful as a wicked cut.

Lila turns away from the mirror to face the woman/man standing in her room, leaning against the large dresses, smoking its cigarette. "Tell me what?"

The man/woman smiles at her and walks over, puffing on the cigarette, its golden eyes flickering across the room. It lays its hand on the mirror, an elegant hand with long fingers. "I remember this mirror," it whispers. "I gave it to a friend of mine. It was meant to drive her insane. I created it. It is my mirror."

"It came to me," Lila mutters under her breath, cupping her chin in her hand and looking at the woman/man. "It used to speak to me. Now, it is silent."

The being with the golden eyes, frowns. "How did you get the mirror?"

"It found me."

The man/woman's frown deepens and it makes an angry sound in the back of its throat.

Lila pulls at the sleeve of its silk kimono. "What have you told me, golden eyes?"

"Nothing. I never told you anything. The mirror spoke enough for the both of us. Don't call me golden eyes, Lila." The woman/man lifts its hand from the mirror and walks away, towards the window at the other end of the room.

The girl shrugs, runs her fingers through her brown hair, and focuses on the mirror. After minutes of silence, she starts to speak. "It told me your name once. It told me all about you and the others. But I've forgotten the names. I've forgot..." When Lila turns around to look at it, the man/woman has disappeared and the only thing it left was the smell of cigarette smoke in the air and a small piece of paper.

Lila stands up, pushing the stool away from her, and runs over to pick up the slip of paper. Written on it are the words, "You are beyond my reach, Lila." The words frighten the girl, she sits on the floor of her room, on the plush carpet, and tears make their way down her face again. But she isn't sure why she's crying because the music isn't playing.

"You're sad, aren't you? I've been sad. I `member this one time, when I was so sad that I cut out my eyes so I'd stop crying. But it didn't work because...because...why are you sad?" the voice is light, so light and Lila hears it the way some would hear the ringing of a church bell.

When she looks, a girl, younger than her, is sitting on her bed. The girl has hair of all different colors, streaks of yellow, green, and orange. And Lila finds herself smiling at this girl with the mismatched eyes, once green the other blue with silver specks, and the strange, sparse clothes. She likes this one better than the others. This one understands her the most.

The girl screws up her face when Lila smiles at her. "You're...uh...you're on of mine, aren't you. I...uh...I think I `member you."

"I'm Lila. My mirror won't talk to me anymore. Can you fix it?" she asks as she stands, still dressed in her nightrobe, hair unbrushed and tangled but she doesn't care and they never care, either so it's all right.

"Uh...hello Lila. I had a mirror once but I didn't like it so I broke it. I...uh...I smashed it. Now, my sister, one of my sisters, she has lost of mirrors. I bet she can...uh...see you through this mirror," the girl tells Lila and starts to fold and unfold the sheets.

"My mirror stopped talking. Can you fix it?"

Butterflies drift lazily upwards from the girl's fingers. "I heard a story about a talking mirror....that was years ago. My bother, one of my brothers, the scary one, he tell stories. Have you ever met him? No...uh...you're one of mine, aren't you?

Lila bites her lip, unsure of what to say. "My mirror," she finally murmurs. "Please."

"I was going somewhere...Do you know the word that you use when you were going somewhere but then you go somewhere else because you forgot where you were going in the first place and then you remember where you wanted to go but you can't get there because you can't remember where it is?" The girl looks at Lila with large eyes filled with secrets and twisty, turning caverns.

"Lost, maybe? Maybe, lost?" Lila suggests, more of a question than anything else.

The girl nods, her hair shifting it's colors, her speech varying. "Lost...uh...maybe that's it. It's close anyway...it's the closest there is. There...uh...there might not be a word for what I'm thinking. Lost is close enough. Have you ever been lost. I was lost for fifty years one time. And...uh...I lost my brother, too. I can't find him. Have you seen him?"

Lila shakes her head, slowly. "No, I haven't seen your brother and I've never been lost. I just...I want my mirror to speak again."

"Oh...sorry. I can't fix mirrors. I...uh...I don't like them. I had one but I...I broke it. I..."

"You smashed it," Lila finishes and the girl looks at her with a wide smile.

"Yes," she proclaims, happily. "Yes, I smashed it. I like you, Lila. You're one of mine. Come see me anyday. Maybe...uh...maybe I can have someone fix your mirror."

"Maybe," Lila whispers as the girl starts to fade away. The butterflies linger in the air for a while before disappearing into an odd blue/silver fog, like the color of the girl's eye.

Lila looks around her room and walks over to the door. It's locked. It's always locked. When will they let me out, she wonders. Then she starts to pace the room, her eyes on the mirror.

Seconds pass.

Minutes pass.

Hours pass.

Lila keeps pacing.

"Are you still trying to get someone to fix your mirror, Lila?" a voice questions. Lila recognizes this voice. It's her friend, the one Snow White reminds her of.

"You came. I was hoping you'd come." Lila turns to the woman, younger than her now, but once she was older. Things are strange, Lila thinks.

The woman smiles brightly and the symbol around her neck, she told Lila it was an ankh once, whatever that is, glows. "I missed you too," she says as she hugs Lila. Then she steps back and puts her hands on her hips, turning her head to the side. The black hair falls forward into her eyes. "This mirror is a lot of trouble, huh, Lila?"

"I like me mirror."

"Of course you do, but it's still trouble. Look, tell you what, I don't have time to fiddle with it myself, but...I'll mention it to my brother. He might be able to help you," the woman answers, black eyes focusing on Lila.

"Really?"

"Yep. I have to go now."

"Who did you come for?"

"You'll find out soon enough. See ya around, Lila," the woman assures as she walks over to the door.

Lila's lip trembles. "When?"

The woman smiles, a wonderful smile, and she hugs Lila again. "Don't you worry. Not for a long while. Promise. Bye."

"Bye-bye," Lila says and smiles herself, a small, crazy smile, which marks her to a realm not at all normal. Then she sits down on the floor as the woman opens the locked door and walks down the hall.

Somewhere, far away, someone is sobbing. Lila pretends she doesn't hear them. She goes over and sits in front of her mirror, resting her head on the wood that holds it in place.

"Child?" the voice is low, it sounds like the start of the world. Lila looks into the mirror, afraid to turn around. It is a man with white skin, black hair, and eyes like two shinning stars.

"I know you," she claims as she turns around, slowly. "No, I knew you."

He only nods and then walks over to the mirror. "Is this what my sister called me about?"

"My mirror won't talk to me anymore. It used to tell me lies but I didn't mind."

"It never told you lies, Lila," he claims, his gaze calming her nerves.

She stares up at him, her expression blank, awed. "But...but...it told me fairy tales about queens and...and unicorns. I know I'm crazy but...but...It told me lies."

"No, Lila. It told you the truth. It told you secrets, stories. The mirror was my servant." He runs an alabaster hand down the surface of the glass. The mirror's silver eyes stir slightly and it sighs.

Lila smiles. "The man/woman said the mirror belonged to it."

"No, Desire created the mirror for a woman who I loved a long time ago. It was meant to be a cruel trick on the both of us. However, I went over Desire's head, I made the mirror my own tool. Where it was supposed to tell lies, it told truths, it told secrets," he answers, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "It's been a long time, Asleen."

"That it has been, my master," the mirror says, its silver eyes opening. It is no longer Lila's reflection but the face of a beautiful woman.

The man with the starry eyes brushes his fingertips down the wood. "Who silenced you?"

"Cain."

"Why?"

"He said I shouldn't be telling secrets that weren't meant to be told. Master, someone has to know and, Lila is little more than a child. The truth would not have hurt her," the mirror, Asleen, pleads.

He nods. "I know. I will speak with Cain. Are you ready to go home, Asleen?"

The mirror nods her silvery head. "Yes, master. But...may I give something to Lila first?"

"Of course."

The eyes turn to Lila and they are, once again, a reflection of her own. "You have been good to me, Lila. You have listened to me and talked with me and for that I give you this." There is silvery flash of light and a sharp plink as a key falls onto the wood beneath the mirror. "Take this key and see what is out there for you."

Lila scoops the key up, holding the heavy, silver weight in her hand. The she looks up, light blue eyes filled with tears. "Thank you, Asleen." She bends over and gives the mirror a small kiss. Then she looked up at the strange man. Sanity flickers over her face for a minute. "Thank you, Dream." Then she is Lila again.

The man pats her head with one of his pale hands, and his touch isn't cold nor is it warm, it just is. His fingers touch the mirror and it isn't a mirror anymore, it is a silvery woman. "Ready, Asleen?" She just nods and takes his outstretched hand. He pulls his black cloak around them and they are gone.

The music is playing again but Lila isn't crying, she's using the key to unlock her door. The door swings open and there isn't a hallway behind it there's...there's a garden.

"Nay, not a garden, a maze," Lila whispers to herself, unsure as to where this information came from. But she steps into the maze anyway and walks, looking for the center.

There is a man with a book standing at the end of the maze. He turns his head towards her and, ever though a cowl covers his eyes, Lila can tell that he is blind. She walks towards him, drawn to him. "Where am I to go?" she inquires, pulling on his cloak.

The man is slow in turning. He is tall, taller then the trees Lila saw in pictures, taller than the man with the stars in his eyes. "That way," he tells her and points a finger to the east where the sun is rising like a great fiery ball.

"That way, huh?" Lila says to herself. Then, she turns back to the blind man. "Thank you, sir. I like your book. Does it talk to you?"

"In a way."

"That's good. It's nice to have someone to talk to. Don't lose it, okay. I had a talking mirror and I lost it. I hated that," Lila suggests to him as she starts to walk down the long path.

Destiny doesn't allow himself to smile, he just nods and starts off for another part of the maze. Little does she know, he thinks. But not as little as the others think.

Lila walks the path for what seems like forever until she ends up in a large field full of wildflowers. A man with red hair sits on a rock in the middle of the field. He is a slightly large man but he looks nice enough. "Hello," she calls out to him and he turns and smiles.

"Hello, lass," he answers.

"Can I tell you a story?" Lila questions as she sits down on the ground next to him.

The large man nods his head and smiles, a warm smile. "Aye."

So Lila began to tell her story and the man listened. "Once there was mirror that was created by a man who wasn't a man who was also a woman who wasn't a woman. It was a magic mirror and it could talk. It had been created to do bad things but a man with stars in his eyes changed it. And the mirror told truths, it told secrets, instead of lies. The mirror was given to a queen and the queen had a stepdaughter who was very beautiful and her name was Snow White..."