"Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my cabin?" You demand. Even though your hands are shaking slightly as you clutch your book, you are determined not to back down. This man has some explaining to do.

He tilts his head, almost like he is having trouble understanding you. When he opens his mouth and speaks, his voice sounds wrong. Like it's coming to you from somewhere far away and not five feet in front of you. "I...I am Luke. This...this..." He looks around, confusion written all over his face. "This is my cabin?" He turns back to the mirror and nods to himself.

What the actual fuck?

Now that he is looking at the mirror, he seems to relax and smiles a little at himself. You can see that he doesn't have anything on him, though, so he's probably not here to knife you to death. Maybe. Maybe he's just mentally unstable?

"No, this is my cabin. At least, for the next couple of weeks." You say slowly. "I rented it from Parkside. If you had a reservation, it's not for now buddy."

His eyes move back to you in the mirror. He frowns. "You can...still see me?"

A shiver runs down your back. The room seems suddenly cold.

"Y-yeah. Why wouldn't I be able to?" You can't back down now. He's interrupting your perfect day.

Luke frowns more and turns back to you. "Because no one else can." He shimmers, like a mirage on a hot day, and fades into nothing.

The mirror reflects only your astonished face as you drop the book. It lands on your foot, making you yelp in pain and lift it up to cradle it. In your pain, you forget that you are at the top of stairs.

Even as you cradle your foot, you realize your mistake. Your arms shoot out to the side, windmilling in an attempt to counterbalance your shift in gravity. It's too late. You're falling back. Your foot slides off the top step.

Fear flashes through you. You're too young to die!

[Go to chapter: Seventeen]