Suddenly Athena was a black void, she wasn’t in a black void, she was the void. In the void was a well-dressed Mrs. Fine, life wrinkles things, but this lady had no wrinkles, she was unnervingly perfect.
“Here, let me help you think.” Mrs. Fine spoke to the void.
The void that was Athena reacted with the impression of the thought: Confusion.
“Yes, it can be disconcerting at first, imagine yourself, your image, what do you look like?”
Slowly a flickering image of a girl started to form from the void, but the image was confused, like a tv stuck between channels she was at once a goth and a cheerleader, both with Athena's face. The thought of confusion grew and shook the void.
“Silly me, you are in transition too, so much going on with you. Here let me help. This is where I do my best work. We are in your mind, just think and it will happen.”
And with that Mrs. Fine grabbed the girl and pulled, and at her touch (with her aid? It was unclear) there were suddenly two fully formed Athena's standing in the void with Mrs. Fine. One a goth, in her best dress, a more familiar sight, one that everyone would recognize if they saw a dark figure filling the hallway. The other, the new and improved Athena: Cheer, with blond hair, tanned skin, and in uniform, but this version of Athena shared something with Mrs. Fine as she seemed to be unwrinkled, perfected as well, the real Athena's tan wasn’t so even, her face so defined.
“Now, you two, talk amongst yourselves, just place your thoughts in these two and let fly. I’ll moderate it if you need.”
There was a moment of the sort of confusion that comes with the first peddles of a bike, shaky and uncertain, but then suddenly eyes blinked, mouths moved, and voices were heard.
“Goddess save me, you look like Sarah McMillian.” Goth Athena started, and as she said that a mirror appeared with Sarah as Cheer Athena's reflection, her movements matching the movements of Cheer Athena. Cheer gave the mirror an admiring glance, as much as this was true it was also very evident that Sarah was the greater of the two, with a better body, better hair, perfect makeup, idealized even more than Cheer Athena was.
“Thanks!” Athena took it as a compliment and as she did the idealized Sarah dissolved into an idealized Athena reflection who looked lovingly back at her reflection with a vain pride. “but you look like a freak”
The mirror now turned to Goth Athena showing her with a witch’s hat with skin so white as to be albino, like a caricature of a witch who was trying too hard to be a witch.
Goth Athena tossed the mirror aside “That’s not who I am and that’s not why we do this” The mirror broke and disappeared. “We didn’t pick this life, this look, this magic because it’s freaky, we did it because it’s what we believe.”
“HA! And when have you ever believed it?” Cheer retorted “You dress like that for power, same as I dress like this, you just thought it was easier to go dark then bright and fun and social.”
“Oh and what power do is there in being yourself, because this is who I am!” Goth said with a flourish to herself, for a moment her darkness and style seemed as grand as cheer’s beauty.
“Same as I have, it’s a bubble you’ve created around yourself to decide who you let in.” Cheer responded, also elevating herself, becoming more idealized and pretty, but while Goth’s darkness repelled, Cheers light was so bright you couldn’t look directly at it.
“We do this for power, we like magic for power, and this lady has real power, we just have to go a different direction to get it.” Cheer’s light grew brighter as she spoke.
“I didn’t do it for power” Gothic Athena protested the light, yet too little and in a flash she was gone, leaving just Cheer Athena, sparkling in her glory.
“No, you didn’t, but I did.” Athena reflected, “I promise, I’ll take care of you.” She seemed to say to no one.
Then she turned to Mrs. Fine, who had been enjoying the show.
“Ok, I’ll do it.”
