THIS MIRROR ISN'T BIG ENOUGH FOR THE TWO OF US

CHAPTER 1: MAN IN THE MIRROR

Elena rolled over in her bed, hugging her teddy bear tightly for some semblance of comfort. Her room was lit up with the golden aura of morning sun when she stirred awake. Groggy and tired, she defiantly pulled the blanket back up over her shoulders. Last night had been horrible for Elena and just about everyone else. There was a fire at Mystic Grill, Matt got stabbed in the neck, Elijah almost got resurrected, Luka died, and hours later, his father Jonas was killed by Katherine in Elena's bathroom. But what bothered Elena the most was how Katherine had managed to shack up with the Salvatore brothers. Elena didn't trust Katherine, and dreaded the idea of the brothers falling back into her web. Elena could already see the effect on Stefan in the way he backed up Katherine and her plans. On the other hand, Damon didn't seem to be affected, but who knew if that would last.

Elena knew she had overslept. She dreaded to look at the clock and discover how little time was left to prepare before school, but eventually she fought against her strong desire to stay in bed, and forced herself to peel one eye open and check the time. She peeked at the clock and then sprang out of bed, moving quickly to avoid being late. At least school would give her something to take her mind off all of the horror for a while. She dressed, brushed her teeth, and stood at the bathroom mirror to brush her hair. Out of the corner of her eye, something on the floor caught her attention, and she looked down to see a small spot of blood that was obviously missed during last night's clean up. Elena decided there wasn't enough time to take care of it right now.

Elena looked back at the mirror and screamed at what she saw. Jeremy came running into the bathroom within seconds.

"What's wrong?" Jeremy asked with a look of urgent concern.

Elena looked at Jeremy, and at the mirror, and nothing was out of the ordinary. But just for a second or two, she could have sworn there was a man standing right behind her.

"Nothing," Elena said. "Just my imagination playing tricks. Sorry."

Jeremy nodded. "Well, hurry up. We're running late enough as it is."

"I'm almost done." Elena finished her routine, grabbed her book bag, and drove off to school. During the ride, she thought about mundane high school drama to take her mind off all of the supernatural craziness. Little did she know that the craziness was just beginning.

It was night when Elena finally returned to her bedroom. She had a bad day and the drama with the Salvatores and Katherine was gnawing at the back of her mind and slowly driving her crazy. On the positive side, Matt wasn't dead, but no one could predict how Caroline would handle the situation, and there was always the potential for it to get ugly.

Elena figured she would take a hot shower before bed. She went into the bathroom and turned on the water to allow it to warm up when she again noticed the spot of blood on the floor. Elena soaked a rag with soap and warm water and got down on her hands and knees to clean up the blood stain. Angry and jealous thoughts ran through her mind while she scrubbed the floor. "Stefan has been such a jerk lately," she thought to herself. "I can't believe the way he stood there and supported Katherine, of all people! And then he didn't even have the courtesy to clean up the mess she made! And then they just walk out of here like they're a couple again! It makes me so mad..."

After a long shower, Elena was beginning to feel a little bit better. She turned off the water, dried off and wrapped herself in a white towel. She stepped out of the shower and began to wipe the steamy condensation off of the mirror, but as soon as the mirror was clean, she saw a man standing right behind her; the same man from earlier. Elena shrieked and spun around. There was no one behind her, and when she turned back to the mirror, all was normal. But still, Elena had gotten a good enough look to recognize the middle-aged black man with short hair and a neatly trimmed beard. It was Jonas Martin, the one who died in her bathroom the night before.

There was a knock at the bathroom door. "Come in," Elena said.

Jeremy swung the door halfway open and stuck his head inside. "I thought I heard you scream again. Everything alright?"

Elena was still catching her breath. "I'm fine, but I think I saw a ghost!"

Jeremy laughed hard. "Come on, Elena. There's no such thing as ghosts!"

"But this is the second time it's happened today," Elena said.

"You're paranoid," Jeremy teased.

"We deal with vampires, werewolves, and witches every day," Elena reasoned. "Is it such a stupid idea that ghosts might exist, too?"

"Yes, Elena. It's stupid."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Elena moaned sarcastically.

Jeremy shrugged her off. "It's just your imagination, Elena. You've been under a lot of stress lately. It's not surprising that your mind is playing tricks on you."

Elena sighed. "Yeah, you're probably right." She wasn't sure, but it sounded reasonable enough. "Well, goodnight Jer."

"'Night," Jeremy said. He stepped back into his room and closed the door.

Elena flicked off the bathroom lights and retreated to her bedroom. She figured a good night's rest would ease her mind and cleanse her thoughts. She had no idea how wrong she was.