She flies with her own wings.

The silver pane.

You can’t ever really observe yourself, or see yourself like the world sees you; not in real time, not even looking in a mirror. Too much information is left out. You lose a dimension. You’re only given one focus point. Two eyes aren’t enough.
And then there’s the factor of your consciousness being aware of your self-observation. You’ll only ever see what you show yourself, and what you show yourself is what you want to see. You can only ever see a copy, or a reproduction of yourself. And it’s never what you expect. It feels foreign, unfamiliar, and strange. You become self-conscious, and others reassure you that you have nothing to be self-conscious about. Their reassurance is never enough, there’s still the doubt, but you take their word because there’s nothing else to take.

When I don’t look into a mirror, I feel beautiful. I feel strong, and happy, and perfect. I constantly hope I’m who I think I am. But I’m always seeking the opinions and observations of others. I’m just trying to get to know myself, from a different perspective. I think it’s this outside perception that matters more, because there’s more of it. So, sometimes I ask people what they think of me, and when I hear the same description enough, I can almost feel it coming true. But no matter what they say, nothing ever feels real.
All it takes is one glance into that silver pane and my fantasy comes crashing down.