Running in the space felt more surreal than a dream. I never knew which direction I was headed, or where I'd end up, but I aimed to get far away from eerie Nolan as I could. Fear dove me to move as fast as my feet would carry to make distance between us.

But the ethereal fog rushed in, leaving me in the open space that suffocated me in darkness.

Up ahead through the mist stood a mirror in the nothingness. As I approached, I took in the sights of what was reflected to me in the glass. The big beautiful red hair surrounding my head drew me in and my eyes couldn't turn away. I moved closer, not walking but hovering as if the ground beneath me disappeared and only air push me through the space.

The image within the smooth clean glass displayed what was behind me as I realized the mirror allowed me to see through the blackness of the surrounding space. As I glared at my image in the mirror a sensation came over me.

The realization that I was not alone or as safe as I had hope filled my mind. I knew any moment the eerie, gaunt ghostly version of Nolan could appear out of thin air and attack, but the mirror called to me. My attention was solely on what it revealed. The girl who looked back seemed scared and lonely. The hollowness around her eyes made me feel sorry for the hell she experienced.

I stared, hoping she would stare back but she didn't. She never took interest in seeing herself, afraid of confronting the truth she tried to escape. The truth about how happy she really was had always been her weaknesses, one she couldn't bear to face.

"You're stronger than this," I told the girl in the mirror. "You're smarter than this. You deserve better than this. What are you doing? Why do you keep believing his lies?" As the words left my lips, I was surprised to see my reflection turn away.

Before I could grab her attention with my cries and demands, she turned the faucet on and cupped her hands under the flowing water. With her hand, she splashed water over the mirror, distorting the image into a smeared faced figure.

When she finally made eye contact, our eyes locked, and she knew that the woman who looked back was not only her reflection. She knew we were one. And I couldn't let this moment pass. This was my chance to stop her, to save her, to keep her from going back to Nolan and falling into his arms. In my excitement, I pressed my palms to the glass, hoping she'd know that I was real and take me seriously.

Instead, her eyes widened with fear. Shock was written all over her face as her jaw dropped. No sound was heard but I assumed a screamed left her lips and according to my memory, it had.

Damn. It was too late. I had lost her. From memory I knew she had a fear inside of her that would keep her from looking into the mirror again.

As a sense of my failure washed over me. My jaw dropped in frustration. I could no longer hold in my scream. I wanted to yell her name or do something drastic to get her to look at me, but I only had disappointment to bear.

Before I could make another move, the mirror faded, disappearing before my eyes. Ahead in the distance, another image appeared. The pinprick of light grew on me, calling to me, satisfying my need to be surrounded by something familiar. I wanted to escape the darkness and the only option I had was to pursue this light.

I approached, seeing the scene quite clearly. The dimly lit room adjacent to the studio with the large bed and silken sheets. The plush sofa sat across from the bed near the fake tree in the corner of the room. The tree had been placed to bring brightness to the space but only reminded me of all the things that didn't have life.

I watched as clean shaven and bright-eyed Nolan prepped a bottle of wine, popping the cork and pouring the red liquid into two wine glasses. While the other Rhea fussed around with the bedsheet, he added something extra to her glass. A crushed pill that quickly fizzled and dissolved in the dark liquid. Surprised by his behavior but not by the outcome, I gasped. I had suspected something other than wine was in that cup. My gut told me not to trust wholeheartedly, and I wonder if it was the ghostly Rhea, me, who acted as my intuition at the time.

Behind me, another scene came to fruition, calling me to witness the events as if a light had flickered on. I looked over my shoulder at the other Rhea lying naked on the bed, tangled in the satin sheets with an equally naked Nolan. He draped his body over hers. His milk-bronze skin grabbed my attention, but the thrusting of his hips stole it away. My eyes zeroed in on his muscular thighs as he sank into her. His lips glided across her neck and along her shoulder, never leaving her body. Her eyes remained closed, but she looked far from bliss. Was she present or in another world, a dark place?

As I replayed the memory of the scene in my mind, I remembered the pleasure Nolan delivered with his touch. But from this perspective, Rhea a peacefulness swept across her face as if she was dreaming, experiencing serenity in another land.

"What are you doing, Rhea?" I shook my head at the sight before me. How could I ignore so many red flags and still fall for Nolan's manipulation? I felt sorry for the girl I used to be. If only she had the strength to leave sooner.

The presence of another person within the vicinity startled me and I turned to see my body floating. It was her, the other Rhea, eyes closed, suspended in like a mermaid resting in invisible waters. Her eyes opened, landing on me and her jaw dropped before she disappeared.

How could she leave? Again, I had missed my chance to warn her, to tell her the truth about her beloved Nolan.

I searched the area, following a pull in my gut that assured me I would see her again. And like my gut had alerted, there she was. She stood far enough in the distance to be safe but close enough for me to see the panic in her eyes.

My jaw dropped, as she focused on me. This time, I needed to be careful not to scare her but alert her of what she was in for.

"You're broken." I made sure to be clear but gentle. "You don't want this. You have to leave."

She shook her head in confusion. Her eyebrows lowered and wrinkled her forehead in a way I never knew it could do. "What?" Her voice shook as she spoke.

Did she not understand? Could she not hear me? Or was she confused by what she saw? She had to leave the studio before Nolan could hurt her again, but this time I raised my voice to get the message across. "Now!" The sound of my unearthly growl rattled the fog around us, and she once again disappeared only to appear behind me.

The location was different, but she was closer, clearer, standing beside the bed with the satin sheet wrapped around her naked frame. Out of fear, she raised her shaky arm and pointed at... me.

Her eyes widened. "There. Look. Something's there. You see it?"

Time had forwarded in a split second, leaving me even more confused as I tried to figure out what was happening. She was talking about me, pointing to me, looking at me. So, she could see me! Excitement shot through me like adrenaline. Maybe now we could communicate. If I could get her to listen, maybe I could help her.

Nolan sat on the edge of the messy bed stained with sweat. His bright blue eyes landed on me, nearly connecting with mine, but became vacant when he shook his head. "I don't see anything."

"It's a dark ... thing. A shadow." She clenched the sheet near her bare chest. "Maybe it's her. That girl."

My eyes widened at the memory of this scene. Nolan and I were in bed, even then I was confused at seeing the ghost. I wasn't sure if I were dreaming or not, and Nolan tried to assure me that everything was peachy cobbler.

It wasn't.

He stood from the bed, not at all concerned about his nakedness. "Let me get you another drink. It'll relax you. Trust me." He headed toward the kitchen.

The wine. He was going to pour her another cup of that suspicious wine. I had to stop her from drinking any more of it, but I wasn't sure how. Was I able to interact with objects in the room? I had never tried, but I had to before Nolan convinced her to take another sip of that spiked drink.

I darted across the room, feeling the strands of my hair blow back from the speed. Nolan stopped in his tracks as if frightened by my swiftness. I was certain he could see me as his head darted in my direction as I zipped into the kitchen.

With a grunt, I pushed the bottle. But my palms didn't register the cold, smooth texture of the lass or its weight. It was as if my energy caused the bottle to topple over the edge of the counter and shatter on the floor.

Feeling depleted and exhausted from that one act, I bent and rested my hands on my knees. Watching as their eyes no longer targeted me but the broken glass.

"I—how did?" He stuttered. "The wine."

"I told you I saw something." She pointed near where I stood. "It's a woman that looks just like me. I think she's haunting us. Maybe she's haunting this room or the entire studio."

I shook my head, now understanding the truth of the situation.

"Rhea," Nolan finally turned to her, "take a deep breath. Calm down, alright?"

"But you saw it, didn't you? You saw the shadow."

"No. I didn't see a shadow or a woman," he lied. "What happened was the bottle fell off the counter. I must've placed it too close to the edge." He groaned and ran his hand through his hair. Even then, I spotted fear and confusion in his eyes. "Relax, Rhea. I'll clean it up. Cleaning up messes is my specialty."

As he bent to gather pieces of broken glass from the floor, his double with the bloody arms and sunken eyes stood in his place, watching me.

~~~

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