Prompt: The Mirror Never Lies. Or Does It?

This is the first short story I've written in a long time so what do you guys think? It turned into something that I was not expecting it to be. I'm not the best at putting words together but I'm going to write many short stories to help me with this. I'll be posting them all on this blog, so this is the first of many! I'd love to hear your thoughts. 

 PRONUNCIATIONS 
Koay: Koi-yay 
Ania: An-I-a 
Yas: Yaz 
Speculum Suscéptors: I don't know how to pronounce this but it means Mirror Protectors in Latin (I know, creative huh? :)

My name is Aspen Barton and I used to live in a world where everyone would consult the mirrors for all their big problems because mirrors didn't lie, right? Wrong. I discovered this fact a few years ago and it has changed my whole world. The mirrors here used to be able to talk. They were enchanted by the witch Magdalena thousands of years ago and, until now, we believed everything they would tell us whether it was about our appearance, a life choice, or even what opinion to have. Because of this, everyone looked the exact same and everyone lived in the exact same way. I guess being enchanted by a witch, we should've figured out that something was wrong sooner, but it was all that we knew so nobody questioned it, until I came around.

 I'm the one who discovered the truth about these mirrors, well, along with my friend Kory, although he was unwilling to accept it at first. It started when I moved to the village of Koay. I was wearing my normal dark brown baggy pants and shirt that every man, woman, and child wore from the day they were born. My hair, just like everyone else's, was cut short and choppy above my ears. I walked down the street past identical small cobblestone shacks where everyone lived until I came to my family's new shack. My family consisted of my parents, five brothers and four sisters, just like every other family. We filed into the small room and set our stuff down. It was nearly time for al fresco, which means 'in the open air', when all the kids would go to the village square while the parents stayed inside and tidied up, specifically cleaning the family mirror.

 Seeing as this was our first day in Koay, I was a little nervous for al fresco. The Mirror told us to talk to people and I couldn't disobey the mirror, so when the clock tower hit the nine, I watched as dozens of children filed out of there homes, youngest to oldest. I was the oldest in my family so, naturally, I was the last one to leave. As I exited the door, I looked on either side of me to see who the oldest of my neighbors were. On my right was a young blonde girl, probably no more then seven. On my left was a tall, dark haired, boy. He looked to be more my age, maybe a little older. The boy was preceded by his nine siblings, the youngest, a small toddler boy. My youngest sibling was Ania, who was only two. I guided Ania to the toddler area, without taking my eyes off the tall boy, and then went to my designated area of young adults. There were only two other girls near my age and nearly twenty boys. This was a big village to have that many yas.

 I looked around for the tall boy because, of what I've seen, he seemed to be the nicest even though everyone was supposed to be nice. I found him sitting on the edge of the fountain by himself and worked myself over to him through the mass of yas. A few of the boys gave me a glare and I just smiled back. That's what we were told to do. Smile. When I finally made my way through the crowd, I sat down next to him and stayed silent. Girls are never supposed to talk first so I waited. Waited for him to say something to me. I took a few quick glances at him but he didn't even seem to notice that I was there the first few times. The seventh time I looked at him, I found him staring at me. He had a shy smile and soft blue eyes that had a sort of sparkle to them.

 "Hi." He finally said.

 "Hi." I said back. We sat for a few minutes in silence just staring at each other. Saying nothing.

 He looked away for a second before turning back to me. "I haven't seen you around. You new here?" I nodded. "Names Kory Abnerths, yours?"

 "Aspen Barton." I replied with a smile.

 "What village did you come from Aspen Barton?" He was still staring at me with his soft eyes and shy smile.

 "Uh... Mickners. It's way down south from here, a long walk." He did a kind of chuckle and stuck out his hand. I took it calmly and shook.

 "Nice to meet you Aspen. I love your hair." I quickly shot a hand up to my raggedy hair and looked around.

 "It's just like everyone else's, even yours."

 "No, it's... different. You seem different." I looked down at my lap and felt my cheeks get hot. I've never had this feeling before but I liked it. I looked up and smiled. His smile hadn't dropped for a second and he was still staring at me.

 "Thanks? I guess." I said. I was starting to calm down a little and felt more comfortable. "So, Kory Abnerths," I said. "What do you want to do for the rest of al fresco?" He shrugged and we spent the rest of the hour and a half just talking. Talking about him, about me, about my old village, about everything. This continued every day for the next few weeks. Every day that I talked to him, I felt something changing. I started scrubbing my clothes on cleaning day instead of just dipping them in the water like I normally did. I started trying to manage my hair in the mornings before I saw him for morning al fresco. I stopped listening to the mirror telling me not to do these things and did them anyway.

 My parents started getting worried about me but I kept up this routine. I wanted to look nice for Kory Abnerths. I liked being 'different' as he had mentioned the first time we met. When it came to hair day, I refused to let my mother trim my growing hair and instead, neatened it out myself. My hair began to get longer and longer until it eventually came to be the length of my jaw. Over the next few months, I changed my appearance until I looked nothing like everyone else. I stopped listening to the mirror altogether and I dealt with the strange looks I would get from everybody. Everyday, Kory would tell me I looked beautiful and I liked it. He didnt seem to be changing at all though, which led to a conversation we had during an evening al fresco.

 "Kory?" I asked.

 "Yeah." He looked over at me. We were sitting in our normal spot at the edge of the fountain.

 "Why won't you be different?" He looked at me in surprise. "Everyday you tell me that you love it that I'm different and yet, you won't be. Why is that?"

 "I can't disobey the mirrors. I mean aren't you scared you're going to get in trouble?" I shook my head. "Well, the mirrors have always told us what to do. I can't just stop listening to them. I do, however, like seeing someone who has the courage to do what I can't." I looked away while thinking of how to respond.

 When I figured it out, I looked back at him. "You know, over these past few months, I've discovered the mirrors aren't always right. I think... I think they tell us these things so no one will be different and, now, I think that's wrong. I mean there's no way to change someones whole personality no matter how hard you try. Looking around, do you think everyone is exactly the same. No. Everyone in this village is fake. Everyone in my old village was fake. Everyone is fake." I stopped for a breath but was interrupted by Kory before I could continue.

 "Even me? Am I fake?" He asked a little hurt.

 "Not to be mean or anything but, yes. Sort of. I mean, you're different too. I know the real you and that's much more than anyone can say about anyone else. You don't pretend to act like a slave that listens to everything that stupid mirror says, or at least, not around me." I didn't notice the horrified glances I was getting from everyone in the square, even the little toddlers, until I had stopped talking. It was then that I knew I was in trouble. The Mirrors were basically our Gods and no one insulted them. I gulped when I saw my right-side neighbor, whose name I learned to be Maggie, running towards the village penalty building. I looked at Kory in horror. I knew the Speculum Suscéptors were now on their way for me. I couldn't move a muscle and no one could do anything to help me. I had insulted the Mirrors and now I was going to pay.

 The crowd parted in front of me to reveal the Speculum Suscéptors standing at the end with Maggie close behind. They started inching forward one step at a time. It seemed like ages before they finally reached me. Ages filled with torture. I felt a tear fall down my cheek and went to scoot closer to Kory, only to find that he had stood up and integrated into the crowd so that I could no longer see him. "Please." I whispered. "Please, I didn't mean it!" I said a little louder. Each of the Suscéptors grabbed me by the shoulders and stood me up. Tears were now pouring down my cheeks. They dragged me down the parted sea of people while he tried to resist. After a few minutes of me being stubborn, they ended up picking my feet up off the ground and, to stop me from kicking, two more Suscéptors grabbed my ankles.

 I was carried like this all the way to the penalty building. Each cell was filled with someone who had insulted the Mirrors, or should I say, each cell was completely empty. No one ever insulted the Mirrors. I was thrown into the cell farthest from the entrance where I was to spend the rest of my life. I had committed a serious crime, something that was even worse then murder in our world. I wasn't to be given a trial even though I was only seventeen. Everyone had heard me say it. Every single person in this village now knows what I did. Even if I was let out, I'd be cast into the world outside of all villages, never to be allowed back in any. I crawled into the corner and let the tears flow. Days past and no one came into the cell block except to give me my food. I was alone with my thoughts and it was starting to drive me crazy.

After what I guessed was a week, Kory came and visited me. I was so excited to see him that I threw myself against the door. He kissed me through the skinny slots in between each bar in the small window. I couldn't see him that great but I could tell something was different about him.

 "I'm going to get you out Aspen, just a few more days. Don't worry." He said before one of the guards came to take him away. I collapsed back into my corner disappointed. I was so excited that I had forgotten that he had abandoned me when I was first taken away. How did I know I could trust him about getting me out. And even if he did, where would I go? I'd be an outcast.

 I lost track of the days soon after that. I slept nearly all day and only woke up when they brought me food. One day while I was eating, I heard a ruckus coming from outside. Not too long after, I heard feet stampeding down the hall and through the cell block door. I ran to look out the small window and saw what seemed to be a small mob with Kory at the head. They were pushing one of the guards towards my cell and forced him to unlock the door.

I stood back and watched Kory push his way through to stand in front of me. He was beaming and he was different. Everyone in this small mob was different. Kory now had very short black hair, cut nearly all the way down to his scalp. His long baggy brown pants had been cut into shorts and were now nearly black. He had fixed up the tears in his shirt and cleaned it. I stepped forward in shock and hugged him. He hugged me tighter and we just stood like that for a few minutes.

 I hadn't spoken a word since I was put in the penalty and I didn't know if I could still talk at all. "What's going on?" I murmured. My voice came out all raspy and I was forced to cough.

 "I told you I'd get you out." He smiled. I looked around at everyone else. All the girls had washed their hair and some of the boys had flattened theirs or styled it with the water. Everybody's clothes were clean and everyone looked different. There were a few smaller girls who were now wearing dresses and someone had made bows to put in their short hair.

 "How?" I asked turning back to Kory.

 "Well, when I realized you were going to be taken to penalty, I went straight home and changed. I decided that you were right. It was better if everyone was different. Like you, we're all a lot happier not having to listen to those stupid mirrors." He smiled and I looked at him horrified at what he had said. He just kept talking. "I got everyone to listen to me and told them that we shouldn't have to listen to a stupid mirror to know who we are. We needed to be ourselves and not listen to someone else's opinion on who we should be. A lot of people confessed that they had been hurting at what the mirror had said to them sometimes but they weren't allowed to say anything so they changed to fit was expected of them. Now everyone has changed to be who they really are. No one's fake anymore! Come outside, I want to show you something." I followed him down the cell block hall and out the door.

 When we reached the outside, I stood in amazement. Everything was different. There was broken glass scattered around the ground where the people had smashed their mirrors. The giant statue of Magdalena that used to stand at the center of the fountain was no more. People had planted flowers or decorated their shacks. It was beautiful. "We're all different now." Kory said leaning over next to me.

 "Wow." Was all that I could say.

 "A few people went out to other villages to spread the word. Aspen, we're changing the world, and it's all because of you." He smiled a big toothy smile.

 "No Kory," I turned to face him and stood on my tiptoes to look up into his eyes. "It's all because of you. I wouldn't have changed if it wasn't for you." I pulled his head down until our lips met and I kissed him. I didn't let go of him and I still haven't. Kory and I are now married with four children. We don't live in a shack but in a house. New material has been invented and no one wears those baggy brown clothes anymore. The mirrors don't talk anymore and everyone is different. Just like it's supposed to be. The world is better without everyone listening to other peoples, or things, opinions. Everyone is who they want to be and not what someone is making them be.