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PROMPT: " You talk in your sleep," said the message written in the condensation of my mirror.

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╰┈➤ The following story is written by Carmen

"I'm going to take a shower," I announced, walking through the kitchen, my clean clothes in hand. "Okay," Andrea answered absently, hunched over her history textbook, studying as always. I honestly don't know why I bother. 

 I'm pretty sure that she doesn't hear me. I skirted the small kitchen table, walked through the small living room and into the bathroom. I shut the door and started the shower so that the water would heat up. I quickly stripped out of my pajamas and hopped into the shower.

I took a long leisurely shower. The best kind. I started with washing and conditioning my hair, with my usual honey scented products, then went on to washing my body. You can never be too clean. I washed myself a second time.

 After rinsing, I stood in the spray for a few minutes, enjoying the warm water. Then I turned off the water, twisted my soaked hair up in a towel and used a second towel to dry off as much as possible. I hate to get water out on the bathroom floor. I wrapped the towel around my torso, toga style, and got out of the shower.

I quickly got dressed, then went to the small vanity. I brushed my hair real quick, then preparing to brush my teeth, I looked at the small mirror. I dropped the toothbrush and toothpaste in the sink of running water.

"You talk in your sleep," said the message written in the condensation of the mirror.

Stunned, I just stared at it for a moment. Then I quickly wiped it off with my sleeve. Who wrote it and what did they hear me say? It had to be Andrea. Who else? 

 I've lived here for two months and we've never had an overnight guest. Besides she is the only one here now. She must've snuck in to write the message while I was in the shower.

I turned off the water, toothbrush and paste forgotten, and carefully opened the bathroom door. Andrea sat at the kitchen table studying as if she had never left. So she is sneaky! I will just have to up my game.

I walked out of the bathroom and sat down on the sofa to put on my socks and shoes. I stood up and picked up my backpack. "Well, I'm off to class," I announced. 

 This elicited no response from her. "See you later," I said opening the apartment door. "Bye," she said, still not looking up. No giggles at a prank well played. Nothing!

I walked out the door and went to class. It was hard to pay attention. What did she hear me say? Surely I didn't talk about it. I don't even dream about it. We have separate bedrooms. I would've had to have been loud. I decided that I would just have to ask her about it.

Later that evening, I got home first. I decided to make dinner for the both of us. I made her favorite, spaghetti with meatballs. She loved it and thanked me profusely. After dinner, over a glass of wine, I casually asked, "Andrea, do I talk in my sleep?" "Not that I know of," she answered with a funny look on her face, "We don't share a bedroom, so I doubt that I would hear if you did." Her answer sounded truthful but had to be a lie. There was no one else.

The next morning, I needed the shower to wake up. I hadn't slept well. I gathered my things and went to the kitchen. As usual, Andrea was studying at the table. "I'm going to take a shower," I announced. "Okay," she responded without looking up.

I went in the bathroom and started the shower. I took off my pajamas and got in. I took a long shower again, listening to see if the door would open and close. I heard nothing, so I got out and went about my normal routine. Again, I looked in the bathroom mirror and dropped my toothbrush and paste. My oral hygiene is really starting to suffer.

Scrawled in the condensation of the mirror was the message, "I know what you did."

I closed my eyes and practiced deep breathing to calm myself. I knew now, with certainty, that it was Andrea. After a few breaths I opened my eyes, knowing what I had to do.

I quickly got undressed and put my hair up in a tight bun. I walked out of the bathroom completely naked. Andrea sat at the kitchen table, studying, with her back to me. I softly crept through the living room and into the kitchen. 

 I went behind her to the sink and grabbed a dishtowel and a knife from the stand. I put the towel next to me on the counter and slipped right up behind Andrea. I grabbed her hair and pulled her head back. The look of surprise on her face as I slit her throat from ear to ear was priceless.

I let go of her hair and her head lulled to the side, blood running down her neck into her once white t-shirt. I quickly moved out of the way before her body hit the floor with a resounding thump. I used the dishtowel to wipe my fingerprints from the knife and dropped the knife into the quickly expanding pool of crimson blood.

 I listened until she stopped gurgling on her own blood, then went to the bathroom and got back in the shower. I re-washed my hair and scrubbed all over to make sure that I had no trace of blood on me. I swiftly went through my after shower routine, then stepped out of the bathroom.

Andrea stared at me with lifeless eyes. You would think that those eyes would haunt me. Keep me awake at night. But they never do.

I used the dishtowel to open the window, then tossed it back to the sink. I took a moment to think, to make sure that I had covered everything. I could think of nothing else.

I went back in the bathroom, took a deep breath and walked back out. I let out the loudest most blood-curdling scream that I could muster. I made sure to shed a few tears and kept screaming.

"What's going on in there?" I heard a man on the other side of the apartment door. "Please help!" I screeched. He tried the door knob. It was locked of course. You can never be too safe in the city. I screamed again. "Let me in!" he yelled. 

 I went to the door, made sure I had fresh tears, then opened it. "Please help," I cried softly, while clinging to him. He looked past me, into the kitchen, "Oh Jesus!" He looked a little sick, "someone call 9-1-1."

The police arrived and questioned me extensively, several times over. I made sure to say that I was taking a long shower and didn't hear anything, making sure to turn on the water works. When asked if I knew of anyone who would want to hurt her, I said no, but let it slip about the boy who had asked her out. 

 She had declined and then he sent her flowers. He was persistent, but eventually gave up. She just didn't have time with all of her studying. "I think his name was Jason," I told them, but couldn't remember his last name. They took down my contact information and the detective gave me his card in case I remember anything.

They did contact me a few times. Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months. Contact from the police became scarce and eventually I didn't hear from them at all. I had heard that they did find Jason and questioned him.

 They eventually cleared him. He had an air tight alibi. The absence of DNA made it almost impossible to investigate. They had no other leads. The case eventually dried up and was put to the side to make room for other more "solvable" cases.

I decided, after that, that it was probably best for me to just live alone. I downsized to a studio apartment in a different part of the city. I finished out the semester of school and graduated. It was a relief to be done. I hated being known as "the girl whose roommate died while she was in the shower."

It was my first day of a new job. I was excited. Finally a job using my psychology degree.

I stripped out of my pajamas and hopped in the shower. I washed up really good, but I didn't want to take too long, I needed to allow time to put on makeup. I got out after a few minutes and went through my normal routine. I got my toothbrush and toothpaste and looked in the mirror. I stopped short and dropped the toothbrush and paste.

Written in the condensation on the mirror was the message, "Two wrongs don't make a right." 

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