she ran up to the door, unlocked it, and opened it.
“Was that you messing with me?”
Marissa shot her a confused look. “What are you talking
about?”
“I Just heard noises coming from the roof.”
“Wasn’t me.” Marissa ducked under her arm and
stepped inside.
Adelyn glanced at her pickup as she shut the door. “You
have to move your truck out of my mom’s parking spot
before she gets home, or I will never hear the end of it.”
“I will.” Marissa continued to the kitchen like she always
did. “What noises did you hear?”
Adelyn rushed over to her while glancing at the ceiling.
“I heard knocks and scratching sounds. And the lights
flickered like someone was on the roof.”
Marissa grabbed a sugar cookie off the counter, took a
bite, and looked up. “You did?”
“Yes, and my cat freaked out and took off running.”
“It was probably a raccoon,” she said as she walked
closer to Adelyn, “or maybe it was Sula, the evil witch, who
wants revenge,” she whispered in a scary tone.
Adelyn froze, wondering if it was Sula. “Can someone
become possessed and not know it?”
“In the movies I watched, they don’t know they are.
Why?”
“Do I look possessed?”
Marissa laughed. “I think the bug spray made you high.”
Adelyn looked away, wanting to tell Marissa she thought
she was possessed, but she didn’t want to lose her as a friend.
“I was joking around.” She walked over to the double French
doors and opened them up to air the house out.
Marissa went into the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle
of Coke. She popped it open and took a sip. “So, where is
this mirror at?”
“Um. I think the pest control people stole it.”
“What? They can’t do that. They would get fired if you
turned them in.”
“I swear I left it on my end table this morning, but it’s
gone now. They were the only ones here. And I know my
parents wouldn’t take it. Maybe they thought it was
valuable.”
Marissa took another cookie and gobbled it down.
“Your parents have a safe in their room. They’d go for that
before they took a damn mirror.”
Adelyn shrugged, clueless, and she couldn’t get the
scratching sounds out of her head.
Marissa snatched her phone off the counter. “I’m sure
it’s somewhere in your messy room.”
“Let’s go find out.” Adelyn walked out of the kitchen
with Marissa following her. She sprinted upstairs and entered
her room. “What the hell?” Adelyn ran over to the end table
and picked up the mirror. She turned to Marissa. “It wasn’t
there a few minutes ago. I swear.” She sat on the bed,
thinking she was going crazy or she was being haunted.
Marissa plopped down next to her. “I’m sure you
overlooked it.” She held out her hand for the mirror.
“It wasn’t there, but whatever.” Adelyn handed it to her.
Marissa looked in the mirror. “What’s so special about
this ugly thing that you felt the need to steal it?”
Adelyn hesitated, not sure if she should tell her, but
because she was her best friend, she didn’t want to lie to her.
“I know this is going to sound super crazy, but the mirror is
magical. It makes my scar vanish, and my skin looks perfect
like I’m using a Snapchat filter.”
Marissa gave her a blank stare and chuckled. “This bug
spray has made you high as a kite.”
“I’m being serious.”
Marissa examined it, then looked at herself again. “I still
look the same, freckles and all.”
Adelyn took it from her. “Look in it with me and you’ll
see the scar on my chin vanish.” She looked in it, but her scar
didn’t disappear as it had before.
Marissa examined her face for a while. “You still look
the same.”
Adelyn kept looking, waiting for the scar to vanish.
“What the hel ? Now I feel like a liar.”
Marissa got up. “You did steal, so lying comes next, then
drugs, then prostitution, then—”
“Enough!” Adelyn scolded, cutting her off. She tossed
the mirror on the bed. “I wouldn’t lie about something like
that. And I most definitely wouldn’t do drugs or become a
fucking hooker.”
Marissa’s eyes widened. “Holy shit. It’s about time you
fucking swore.”
“I didn’t mean to say that. It slipped out.”
“I like this new you.” Marissa walked over to the desk
chair and sat down. “You said you found the mirror in the
woods, right?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Well, usually when people find antique stuff, some of
them will automatically assume the item is haunted. You’re
probably one of them. I’m sure that’s why you believe it is
magical.”
“I’m not crazy, Marissa. I know what I saw.”
“I didn’t say you were. And it’s cracked anyway, so just
throw it away. Who knows who the owner was? She was
probably murdered back in the day, and the mirror was the
weapon. The handle is pointy enough to impale someone.
Maybe the killer stabbed her with it.”
Adelyn picked up the mirror and traced her finger over
the gem. “I doubt it. And I’m not throwing it out. I would
feel bad. If anything, I would bring it back where I found it.”
That’s exactly what I want you to do, the woman with the
Romanian accent said.
Adelyn gulped hard, trying to ignore what she just heard.
“What’s wrong?” Marissa asked and stood.
“Nothing.”
Marissa hugged her. “I’m going home before my mom
freaks out on me again for being late. Do whatever you want
with that thing.”
“Will you tell my dad you gave the mirror to me if he
asks you?”
“Yes, but you better have my back when I want to see
my man again.”
Adelyn combed her fingers through her hair. “You
know I will.”
“Wait, did you dye some of your hair?”
Adelyn quickly lowered her hand. “No, I have
premature graying. I have to go to the doctor and see why.”
“Damn, that sucks.”
“Thanks for making me feel better about it.”
“I was kidding. Just dye it before it gets out of control.
“Not worried about it. Go home before you get into
trouble.”
Marissa hugged her. “Bye, Grandma.”
Adelyn smiled and rolled her eyes.
After Marissa left, Adelyn sat on the couch in the living
room and Googled possession then multiple personalities.
When she compared them, she found she had more
symptoms of being mentally ill rather than being possessed.
According to the Christian site she was on, possession was
rare. She tossed her phone next to her, questioning how she
ended up with the disorder and how she became psychic al
of a sudden.
Adelyn stopped
trying to figure it out and thought about
how the mirror got back on the end table.
Tap, Tap, Tap. Adelyn swallowed hard and looked up,
wondering what was in her bedroom.
After a few seconds of silence, scratching sounds came
from the kitchen.
Adelyn jumped up, hoping she didn’t hear it again.
“Adelyn,” the Romanian woman called out, taunting
her. But that time, Adelyn didn’t hear it in her head. The
voice was coming from upstairs.
She is a ghost. A lump formed in Adelyn’s throat. She
jumped over the couch and yanked the front door open—
the vase on the table falling and shattering all over the floor.
She bolted down the stairs and continued down the twilit
road, screaming while tripping over her feet.
As Adelyn looked over her shoulder to see if anyone
was behind her, car lights blinded her, and someone laid on
the horn. She whipped around in that direction, and the tires
squealed as the front of the car came to a stop within inches
of her. She slammed her hands on the hood—her knees
buckling beneath her—and slid down the car, falling to the
ground, completely drained.
“Adelyn, are you okay?” Dad yelled in a shaky tone. He
knelt and looked her over.
Adelyn nodded and panted heavily as she looked into
his worried eyes. “Someone’s in the cabin.” She wrapped her
arms around Dad, tighter than she had held him ever before.
She didn’t want to let him go.
Dad pulled her arms away. “Get into my patrol truck
and lock the door. You got it?”
She nodded, still in shock.
He pulled Adelyn up and helped her to the driver seat.
“Is it a male or female in the cabin?”
“It’s a woman.”
Dad looked toward the cabin. “Did you see her?”
Adelyn wanted to tell him that it was the woman from
her head, but she had no clue what was real at that moment.
She wanted to see if the woman was real or if it was just her
having a mental breakdown from everything that she
witnessed. “No, she just called out my name from upstairs.”
“Okay, if anyone you don’t know, tries to get into this
truck, I want you to leave and go into town. If need be, take
the rifle that’s behind you and shoot whoever it is in the leg
just like I taught you. But only if you feel threatened.”
Tears rolled down Adelyn’s face like a raging waterfall,
thinking about having to possibly shoot someone, especially
not knowing what was real or not at that moment. She
toughened up, wiped her tears away, and prepared herself for
anything. “Okay, okay, I got it. Please go and see who it is.”
Dad slammed the door shut. “Lock it!”
Adelyn did as he asked. She watched Dad pull out his
gun and disappear up the hill.
As Adelyn sat there for a while biting her nails off,
headlights came from behind her. She whipped around.
“Mom! Oh, shit.” She rolled the window down. “Mom, stay
in your car!”
Mom got out and ran over to her. “What’s going on?”
She got out of the car and pointed up the hill. “Dad
went up to the cabin. There’s a woman in there.” The words
slipped off Adelyn’s tongue like she’d drunk ten energy
drinks.
Mom looked toward the cabin. “What? What are you
talking about? Who is she?”
“I don’t know. I just heard her say my name.” Get in
Dad’s truck.”
“Who the hell would be in our house?”
Adelyn looked around her at the trees swaying. “I have
no clue. Just get into the truck before something bad
happens to us.”
Mom started to get into the truck. “Hurry up and scoot
over.”
Adelyn did as she asked, then Mom started a slow ride
up the hill.
“Mom, are you crazy? Dad told me to stay here.”
“I need to see if your father is okay. We’ll be fine. We
have a rifle.”
That’s not going to help if she’s a ghost. Adelyn grabbed the
handle on the door and sunk in the seat, not wanting to go
back to the house.
After Mom pulled in front of the cabin, they sat there in
silence. Adelyn looked at the upstairs window and watched
beams of light move across her room. She was sure it was
Dad’s flashlight.
“If there’s anyone in here,” Dad’s voice echoed, “show
yourself right now, or I will have no choice but to shoot
you.”
Adelyn spit out her last fingernail as she kept her eyes
on their surroundings, making sure the woman, if she was
real, didn’t climb out of one of the side windows. She wasn’t
worried about her going out the back way because there was
only a large deck out there with a cliff that dropped straight
down to a raging river. Adelyn knew that no one would
survive that fall unless she was a spirit. And she knew there
was one way back down the mountain, and the woman
would have to pass them to get there unless she was a ghost.
Adelyn hoped that wasn’t the case.
When Dad walked out shaking his head, Mom got out
of the truck. Adelyn’s heart sank—sure he didn’t find her.
She got out and approached Mom, who was talking to Dad.
“Are you sure you heard a woman?” Dad asked.
“Yes, why?”
Adelyn looked past him to see if she could detect
movement from inside the house, but she saw nothing out
of the ordinary. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure. I checked every inch of the cabin,
including out on the back deck and even under the beds, or
anywhere someone would likely hide.”
Mom placed her hand on Adelyn’s shoulder. “Are you
sure it wasn’t someone on the TV?”
“No, it wasn’t on.”
Dad cleared his throat. “Yes, it is,” he corrected.
“Which TV is on?”
“The one in the family room.”
“I never turned it on. It must have been the woman
messing with me.”
Dad raised his thick brow. “There’s no one in the cabin.
Would it make you feel better if I have Steve come out here
with his K-9?”
Adelyn sighed, wishing Dad found her. She didn’t want
to believe it was an evil entity, so she convinced herself she
was mentally-ill and the voice was only in her head.
“No, that’s fine. I believe you.”
He gave Mom a look of concern. “Are your keys in the
jeep?”
“Yes.”
“Both of you go inside, please. We still have to talk
about your childish behavior at school today.” Dad walked
away.
Mom looked at Adelyn. “What happened at school?”
Adelyn gulped, not wanting to tell her.
“You’ll find out in a few minutes,” Dad called out as he
continued down the hill.
Adelyn walked inside—sure she was in trouble. She
hated the fact that Dad most likely thought she was seeking
attention like he
accused her of in the past. She knew Dad
was known to hold a grudge for a while, and she hated it
when he did. She continued to her room and fell on the bed
face down. How come I don’t remember turning the TV on?
Adelyn couldn’t figure it out and stayed in her room
until her Dad called for her to go downstairs. After her
parents took turns yelling at her, Mom made dinner, but she
didn’t have an appetite. She took a quick shower and went
to bed, desperate to look in the mirror. That was the only
thing that made her feel better.
When her scar didn’t vanish like she wanted, she
wondered if seeing her flawless skin was only in her head just
like the evil women’s voices who taunted her.
Adelyn was sick of guessing and went to set the mirror
on her end table, but her body became paralyzed. She tried
to call out for help, but she couldn’t move her lips. Tears fell
down her face as she stared into the mirror in pure terror.
delyn’s eyes snapped open. She sat up and looked
around her room, wondering why her body froze
up the night before.
“Hi,” she said, wanting to know if she could hear her
voice.
Adelyn sighed with relief, glad she was able to speak, but
she wanted to know what caused her body to freeze up the
way it did. She didn’t believe a ghost could stop her from
speaking, so she grabbed her phone and Googled what
happened to her. As Adelyn was looking, the first thing that
popped up was sleep paralysis. As she read about it, she
didn’t find the other symptom she was having, so she tossed
the phone aside, sick of wondering what was wrong with her,
and got out of bed. She approached her clothes on the desk,
grimaced, and walked to her parents’ room, where she
knocked on the door.
“Come in,” Mom said.
Adelyn stepped into her room. “Can I wear your black
leggings?”
“Sure, honey.”
Adelyn walked over to the cherry dresser and took a pair
out. “Can I use a black top to go with it?”
Mom stopped combing her wet hair. “Since when do
you want to wear all black?”
“Since now.”
Mom shook her head. “Go look in the closet.”