I didn't even recall falling asleep. I only remembered waking with a terrible headache pounding my temple and the remnants of the unexplained red wine stains on the pretty white tile of the kitchen floor.

I recalled witnessing the humanoid shadow rush across the room toward the wine bottle before it hit the floor, but much of what happened after became a blur. Thankful that I got some much-needed rest, I left Nolan furiously trying to scrub the stain from the tiles and entered the brightly lit studio. I noted his irritation and thought it best to slip out of the room without interrupting.

My curiosity led me to my computer at the lone desk in the corner of the massive, empty room. I secured the terrycloth robe around me and chuckled at the comically sized workspace compared to the room. It made sense why it was there, to keep our work professional, efficient and convenient. Plus, the perfect white backdrop was great for showcasing my wardrobe when live streaming. Despite that, I couldn't help but snort at the disproportionate setup.

Nolan's muffled voice could be heard from across the short distance between the rooms. From the sound of it, he was in a business meeting. I could tell by the clear, concise demeanor and the lack of curse words which he used while speaking to himself when picking up stray pieces of glass from the floor.

I went online to search for ghosts and hauntings. Anything that could explain what I was experiencing and why. I sought information that linked hauntings and headaches, the meaning of mirror phantoms, and the dangers of ghosts that closely resembled oneself. Nothing seemed helpful and a lot of the material contradicted each another, but I continued my online investigation because I'd become determine to find something, anything, that could help.

Mentions of salt, circles, candles, and crystals all seemed pointless in my logical mind. What I really wanted to know was why this was happening to me?

Being related to stress or even a brain injury was out of the question after Nolan seemed to see it and it interacted with our physical environment.

I continued to search as the single door across the studio opened to Joselyn and a tray of two iced coffees and one hot black in her hand.

"Rhea!" she squealed. "Look at you, beautiful. You ready for today's photo sesh?"

The door closed and automatically locked behind her, and she only continued to strut toward me, balancing the tray expertly in one hand and the keycard to unlock the door in the other. Her high heels click-clacked as usual, and her handbag dangled from the strap that was tucked in the crook of her elbow.

"Hey, Jos." I turned in my seat to receive the refreshing chilled drink. "This may sound so gross, but I haven't even showered yet."

"Still beautiful, even while stewing in your own filth." She chuckled. "Where's Nolan?"

"I think he's in a meeting in the other room." I nodded at his coffee. "You can just leave it here."

"Cool beans." She sat the tray down. "Don't we have makeup coming in less than an hour and a shoot to set up?"

"You would know." I nodded.

"Yes, I would know, and that's the case. So, get showered, beauty queen."

"I'm just a little reluctant to use that bathroom," I admitted. "Last night, the craziest thing happened. I swear I saw that ghost woman in the mirror."

"Oh, my god." She pulled her coffee straw from her lips. "Are you serious?"

"Seriously." I nodded. "And later a shadow rushed across the room and knocks down a bottle of wine from the counter. Wine and glass everywhere." I mimicked the shattered glass by throwing my arms up, fingers spread.

Her eyes widened, enough to see the whites fully around the blues. "You're shitting me!"

"I wish I was." I sighed, still trying to process what I had witnessed.

She dipped an eyebrow, refusing to take her eyes from me as if scrutinizing. "What does Nolan think about it?"

"He saw it too." I nodded. My eyes went just as wide as hers.

"You're double shitting me." She gasped, bringing her hand up to her throat in shock. "This studio is freaking haunted? Holy hell."

"It's crazy, but I literally freaked out." I massaged my temples, trying to push down all the elevated feelings coming to the surface. "I want to get out of here."

She occupied her hand by tossing her long blond tresses into a tight ponytail. "But what about the shoot and your other obligations?"

"Fuck 'em." I shrugged.

Although she stood stationary, she kept active by using her hands. This time, she fidgeted with the straw of her drink and smacked her lips after taking a sip. "Stop it. You're too professional to leave your sponsors and fans hanging."

She was right, but since seeing that eerie woman, I haven't been comfortable in this space. "A day here is enough."

"Well, you only have one more day to go." She nodded to encourage me. "You can do it. Also, I added an early morning appointment with your doctor to the calendar."

Business as usual. "Thanks," I said dryly.

The sound of Nolan still speaking on the phone cut through the brief silence.

"How are you guys doing?" Joselyn nudged toward the sound of his voice.

"Why?" I sneered curiously. Could she tell things were not as they used to be? Was there an awkwardness in the air that she picked up on?

"I don't know," she shrugged. "You guys seem a little ... off."

A hollow pit in my stomach formed at the mention. She was right. Things were off and now her mentioning it let me know that our private troubles weren't so private or subtle. But how much should I reveal to her if anything? "Yesterday wasn't the best."

"Oh, no." She sat her cup down, giving me her utmost attention. "What happened?"

"I don't really remember what triggered him, but when I asked for my phone, he threw it and it hit me. Really hard." Just remembering the moment made a pit form in my gut. It was as if it had happened moments ago and felt like the incident had refused me time to sleep off the impact of it.

"Oh, shit." Her voice lowered, growing more concerned. "Are you okay?"

I shook my head. "Physically, yes. Emotionally?" I refused eye contact. I couldn't bear to see the judgement in her eyes.

"Was it an accident?" Her low voice came out like a whisper and held a genuine interest.

I dipped my head to avoid looking at her, but my heart told me to speak the truth despite the embarrassment I tried so desperately to avoid. "He apologized after, but I think he did it on purpose. To hurt me."

"At least he apologized." She picked up her cup and continued to sip. "I mean, you both are freaking out over this enormous opportunity. I mean, Rhea, you're like the most highly anticipated online star walking the catwalk during the biggest fashion event ever. That's a lot of pressure on you and anyone calling themselves your manager."

I finally looked up, taken aback by her cavalier attitude. "He hurt me, Jos." I searched her eyes for a hint of sympathy.

"I'm sure he didn't mean it." She rubbed my shoulder in a half-ass attempt to comfort me. "He's managing tons of people and responsibilities, and it can get really chaotic trying to hold everything together."

My fingers nervously tapped the desktop, and I narrowed my eyes at her response. "What do you mean, he's managing other people? I'm his only client."

"Oops." Her chuckle came out stifled from nervousness. "It was supposed to be a surprise. I'm sorry." The nervousness on her face didn't last long as she quickly tried to straighten up.

I questioned her with my eyes before the words even came out of my mouth. "What's going on?"

She looked over her shoulder and whispered, "You remember I told you I am looking to move to Cali and break into acting?"

"You said that was a dream." I looked toward the room I had left Nolan in and quickly debated what to do if he appeared.

"It is! And Nolan offered to manage me." The excitement in her voice made her confession come out in a low squeal. "He said he wanted to surprise you with the news but after the fashion event, because he didn't want to interfere with your plans." Suddenly, she took on the demeanor of someone with their hand caught in the cookie jar. "But just don't tell him I told you yet. Okay?"

Wow. Secrets.

I nearly shook my head in disbelief, scoffing inside at her admission, but I didn't respond. I only tried my best to not react, but a considerable part of me was pissed and a bit hurt. No, betrayed. What else had Nolan been keeping from me?

The feeling of being out of the loop and deceived by someone I trusted took me back to a time I had wanted to forget. "You know I used to get bullied in high school by a guy on the football team?"

She removed the straw from her lips before frowning. "Aw. That sucks."

"The worse part was my mom used to say he was only picking on me because he liked me. And I convinced myself that him pushing me against the locker and calling me a bitch every day was because he had a crush. It didn't matter that he already had a girlfriend or flirted with other girls without pushing them against trash cans. The entire thing had convinced Mom that his behavior was all for love."

"Wow. That really sucks, Rhea." She dropped her gaze, finally putting her iced coffee on the desk. "You know, I never had the chance to meet your mom."

"We stopped talking after I realized we didn't understand each other. She's so stuck in her ways, a in a different time. And here I am, in reality. We could never see eye to eye about anything, my relationships, my career, nothing."

"Sounds like a screwy mess."

"Tell me about it." I shook my head. "Worse part, a few years ago, she would schedule a date and time to come see me and I would set an alarm on my phone to remind me. The worse thing ever was to hear that alarm go off for days in a row and yet she'd never make it. She had more excuses than my deadbeat dad. After a while, I just stopped all communication."

"Maybe one day you'd see the alarms you set weren't for nothing." She lifted an eyebrow and gave a slight nod.

"That's my point. I'm always forgiving. I'm always giving second and third chances to people who keep hurting me—" I stopped myself before I went on an uncontrollable emotional tirade, but the impulse was there.

I'd often wonder if my time was better spent venting to a therapist rather than holding it all in. At least a professional could help me figure out ways to work through the issue or even find a great way to cope if working through it proved unsuccessful.

She nodded, seeming to become restless. "I know it sucks, but I'm gonna deliver this coffee to Nolan before it gets cold."

I gulped down my frustration and nodded, watching her walk away with the tray containing a single cup of hot black coffee in one hand and her iced coffee in the other.

It was after she disappeared into the hall that I realized I had been tapping my fingers in a rhythm that matched an annoying ad on the computer. The loud, rhythmic beeping caught my attention as the words instructed me to "run, don't walk" to the nearest pest control company before a special deal was over. I placed my fidgeting hands in my lap and stared suspiciously at the rest of the pest control commercial as it played in a banner at the bottom of my screen.

~~~

Thanks for adding Phantom Me to you library and reading lists!