"Candace?"
Candace jumped, spinning around in surprise. The last thing she had expected was to find someone here. As she turned, a look of confusion spread across her face. "Amanda?"
A young 14 year old blond girl now stood behind Candace. Candace noticed the girl seemed to be sporting ill fitting adult clothes on her waifish frame. Obviously she too had journeyed through the AR door. The only question for Candace was why?
"Amanda," she questioned. "What are you doing here?"
"Was going to ask you the same question," she huffed as she hitched her loose pants back into place. "I mean, why would you try something like this. This doesn't seem like something you would do."
"You know I would of said the same thing about you," Candace answered. "I mean last I heard your life was awesome. Great career. Plenty of money. I thought you had it all."
"Yeah right," Amanda huffed. "Looks can be deceiving. I mean yeah I make alot of money but, I'm just so lonely."
Candace gaped at the girl she had strived to be. She had always thought Amanda had it all. How could it be possible she was unhappy. "Okay hold up," she exclaimed. "This is making no sense. I mean I always thought you had it all?"
Amanda sighed, leaning against the wall of mirrors as she gazed at her old friend. "From a career standpoint yeah," she sighed. "But that's all I had. Whether it was school or work I was just so focused on accomplishments that I never made any friends. I've spent the last 30 years living with..."
"Regrets," Candace finished. "Yeah know the feeling. Why do you think I've gone this far. I've been erasing my regrets. Now look at me. I'm a freaking kid again."
"Yeah was doing the same," Amanda sighed. "Not so much regrets from school. I mean that was always great. I just wanted to find a friend. The guy at the front said if I go through the door I would find my best friend. Was starting to get nervous though. I mean look at me, I'm barely a teenager now."
Candace paused as she turned what Amanda had said over in her head. The girl who had been her childhood best friend had made this trip in search of a friend. Candace realized that friend was her. She now wondered, was this destiny, were Candace and Amanda meant to to take this trip together?
"Mandy," she said quietly. "This is nuts. But hear me out. I think, this was supposed to happen. Dont ask me how, none of this makes any freaking sense. I think we were supposed to make this trip together. Go back and erase all the regrets we ever had and get a fresh start."
"Okay," Amanda said slowly. "So now hat then. Do we leave? Do we keep going?"
"I really dont know," Candace stated. "I mean, just now when I lost my virginity I started thinking about what I would tell my friends. The first person that popped into my head, was you."
"You just lost your virginity," Amanda exclaimed. "Geez Candy you were a bit young."
"Tell me about it," Candace huffed. "By the way, um..weird question when did that happen to you?"
"18," Amanda blushed. "Prom night to be exact. Wish someone had been their when it happened. I felt real weird after I um regained it."
"Yeah same here," Candace said quietly. "And it really hurt too. But I'm glad your here now."
Amanda smiled at her old friend before taking a deep breath. "Dont mention it," she said. "So what now? Do we leave? Do we keep going?"
Candace looked at her friend before looking at the hall of mirrors. She needed to make a decision not only for herself but for Amanda.