Cassie burst out laughing and held her hand over her mouth. "Sure, and I'm Catwoman. Can't you see my tail?" She wiggled her bottom, lifting it a little in the air.

I let my fingers slide down my cheeks in desperation. Cassie wasn't going to believe a word I said, and I didn't blame her. "I'm serious. He had black veins under his eyes and crimson irises that were inhuman." I listed his physical attributes one by one on my fingers, the pitch of my voice rising higher with each one. "And he bit me, Cass."

"Do you get off from reading kinky vampire fantasies? What website do you use?" She smirked, suggestively raising her brows.

Picking up the pillow, I swung it at her as she blocked the blow with her arms. "Ew, stop."

"On a serious note, Eri. You should rest, not study. Whatever drug they give you, it's making you loopy." The odd strand of hair stuck to her lip gloss from the ambush.

A high-pinging sound vibrated from Cassie's handbag, disrupting the sudden playfulness of having my best friend back, even for a little while.

"Sec. The lady at reception was adamant on a no phone policy." She reached into her bag and secretly peeked at her screen. A smile crept across her lips as her thumbs moved in sync, replying to the recipient as various blue messages popped on the screen, one after the other.

The person on the other side of the screen had grabbed Cassie's attention, more than I could. Letting my head rest against the headboard, I pretended to be invisible as if my skin camouflaged with the duvet.

Cassie looked up with an apologetic smile, sensing a shift in my body language. "Sorry. That was Aidan. He wants to meet me." She tucked her wild hair behind her ear, chewing on her bottom lip. "He's outside."

I nodded, understanding that while I was stuck here, Cassie had other friends and commitments.

She stood up, tugging on the hem of her short pencil skirt that kept riding up her thighs. "I'm so sorry, Eri. You know what he's like."

I did. As soon as Aidan gets bored, he moves on to the next girl in the waiting line.

It had been two months since he broke up with his previous girlfriend, and within a week, moved on to Cassie.

"It's fine." I fell into her warm embrace, smelling her fruity fragrance and tried locking her scent in. I didn't want to forget my best friend. "Promise me you will come back soon?"

"Girl, are you serious?" She chuckled, inspecting me from arm's length and placed her palm on my forehead. "It's definitely those drugs."

I rolled my eyes and watched her walk out the door, listening for the clip of her heeled boots on the linoleum floor.

Oversized crop sweatshirt or the lace sleeve top?

Holding the sweatshirt in one hand, and the lace-sleeved top in the other, I weighed the options in front of the full-length mirror next to the bedside table.

There was an introduction gathering in the lounge starting in one hour, and I had to make an effort. It was an opportunity to become more approachable, making my stay here a little easier. I didn't know why I cared so much.

Decision made, I chucked the lacy top on the bed and fetched some jeans. When I strolled past the mirror, I saw the reflection from my peripheral vision. It wasn't my reflection.

I jumped, dropping the jeans and covered my mouth, scared of letting out a scream. Testing the mirror image theory, I waved my hand up and down, waiting to see if the girl in the mirror matched my movements—she didn't.

"Who are you?" I stuttered, afraid Cassie was right about the drugs they were giving me. The effects of Shadowbrook couldn't reach me in this realm, or so I thought.

Her crimped, flowy locks sprawled across her shoulders and reached her hips. She curled her index finger for me to follow.

Reluctant, I lingered closer to the mirror. My heart fluttered with each step, frantically hitting my ribcage. She arched her dark brows, contrasting against her blonde hair as she urged me to copy her movement.

A trail of sweat trickled down my temple as I swelted in fear. A mirror was a portal to the spirit realm, an object that connected ghosts and demons and allowed them to access the real world.

I raised my finger towards her, hovering an inch from the glass. If I was right, Shadowbrook couldn't reach me during the daytime, only a realm that I went to when I was asleep. There was a lot I didn't know, and the girl proved that, enticing me to find out.

Too bad I'm a wuss.

I shook my head and stepped back from the dangerous prospect of letting myself get sucked into oblivion. "No. Not until you tell me who you are?"

She narrowed her protruding eyes, pursing her heart-shaped lips in disapproval. It was unearthly, witnessing somebody wearing identical clothes to the ones I had on—an imposter in disguise.

The girl in the mirror inclined her head and extended a finger through the glass, clenching her jaw from the pain. There was resistance, but once her hand broke the seal, she jabbed her arm through.

What the hell am I seeing? The Ring Six?

Stepping back, I scanned the room for anything to throw, disabling her from coming through fully. If she came through, there was a hard chance of getting her back through the mirror.

"Stop, please." My voice was thick with fear and laced with urgency. "What do you want?" The dread twisted deep within my stomach, a knot that tightened with each step and manoeuvre.

Once the mute girl escaped her prison, she remained solely focused on me, ignoring everything else in the room. I screamed, throwing my decent pair of jeans at her and lunged for the red string hanging above my hospital bed. The riotous alarm vibrated off the walls, torturing my eardrums.

Help will be here in less than two minutes. How can I explain the intruder in my room?

The girl's fingers coiled around my arms and dragged me backwards, staggering against my will. I floundered in her grasp, despising how chemo made me fragile and vulnerable. Johnathan's command echoed down the corridor, followed by heavy footsteps leading to my door.

"Please," I pleaded, fighting the girl's strength as she tugged me towards the mirror. The mist seeped out from the glass, entrailing the ornate border. That was when it struck me—I was a carbon copy of my father. Shadowbrook haunted me, and its creature tracked me down like a wild dog.

I opened my mouth, but the words sounded gibberish as she hauled me through the looking glass.

A/N

WordCount: 1, 152

Who is the mysterious girl from the mirror? Do you think she means harm, or is she lost and trapped within a magical barrier?

Have a fangtastic day!

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