My eyes adjusted to the darkness of the former hospital as I roamed the empty halls. Equipment littered the floor. Papers and supplies were left over from the evacuation. As I walked further away from the lobby, and further away from the gentle glow of the street lights through the windows, I lowered the veil on my cloak. A curtain of sheer silver dropped down to my nose and let me see better in the dark. I continued forward, grateful I wasn't picking up any body heat signals.

When someone moved near me, I jumped. My hand went instinctively to the gun at my hip. I let out a breath when I realized it was my own reflection.

"Pull yourself together!" I scolded myself.

A round mirror with a delicate rose pattern was hanging from a wall. I walked forward and examined it. My fingers traced the delicate silver vines. As I glanced around, I noticed there were many of these mirrors hanging in the hospital.

My attention turned when my hands began to shake. It wasn't from the nerves. The infection was spreading. I leaned against the wall and looked up at the ceiling.

Closing my eyes, I tried to remember my father's face. It has been ten years since I'd last seen him. Coming here was desperate and stupid, but it was also my last hope. Hope I badly needed.

Footsteps to my left made me snap to attention. I waited to see if I would hear it again.

"Hello?" I called, unsure if I wanted someone to answer. "Is someone there?"

No one responded. I tried again, "Please, I'm looking for my father. If you-"

"This way." A voice made me whip around toward a corridor on my left.

I still didn't see any body heat through my veil, but it could only detect a few feet ahead. Gathering my nerve, I followed the sound. My boots on the marble floor were the only noise echoing through the halls. When I reached the end, I stopped. Two large wooden doors towered above me. Instead of the standard electronic locks, a traditional handle shone in the dim light. I reached out a hand and gripped the cold metal. It turned, and I cracked the door open.

"In here." Someone called quietly from inside. I jumped, feeling my heart hammer in my chest.

I closed my eyes.

"Take a deep breath." I pushed myself.

Air flowed sharply through my nose and down my throat, before I exhaled and stepped into the room.

"Hello?" I called into the darkness. Nothing happened. A small sliver of light leaked from under a curtain in the center of the room. I walked forward, and pulled it back. The old streetlights illuminated the room, and my eyes widened in wonder.

"Wow…"

The room was circular, and several stories high. Bookcases lined the walls, with old ladders reaching up through each landing. A set of stairs were on either side of me and led to the next level. I pulled down the hood of my cloak and turned to look around.

A library.

I'd never seen a real one before, and had only encountered a small number of actual paper books in my life. A collection like this must have been hundreds of years old. I walked to a shelf and studied the bindings. Little gold letters were old and worn. Carefully, I removed one and turned the pages with my fingers.

Laughter made me jump again. It sounded like a child running away mischievously.

"Who's there?" I asked in a shaky voice.

Another door opened under the stairs, and I replaced the book before following.

As I entered the new room, the door slammed behind me. I turned to check if it had also locked, and screamed when I saw someone looking back at me.

"Pull yourself together, it's another freaking mirror!" I hissed, again. My hand was firmly against my chest trying to slow my heart. "What am I doing?"

How had I gotten here? I wasn't a detective or an adventurer. I had no business in a place like this, and more than once I reminded myself that I was getting in too deep.

I studied my reflection in the mirror. My dark purple cape draped over one shoulder. My black curls had a hint of red to them when the light hit them just right. My green eyes were tired. Dark circles dominated my pale face. I was surprised when the mirror suddenly zoomed in on my right eye and scanned it. I held very still.

"Subject identified:" A computerized voice coldly announced as the same words popped up above my head, "Adara Megan Luera."

Suddenly, my reflection changed. A beautiful blonde woman, with a sly smile, stared at me. My hands shook more as I watched in confusion. She brought a delicate finger to her pink lips.

"Shhhh," She breathed, "It's time for a story."

I furrowed my brow, "What-"

On my left, another mirror lit up, and a scene began to unfold. A red rose grew and bloomed, releasing a shimmering dust as it did. The dust floated down and spelled out words below.

Once upon a time, a wealthy merchant had three beautiful daughters.

The beautiful women continued to sit in the first mirror and tell the story. She watched me intently as I listened to what she said. I gasped when my father's face was suddenly looking back at me from the second mirror. I still knew the kind smile and weathered cheeks. He wore clothing like I'd only seen in history class. An old black suit and a hat made him look proud and tall.

"Papa?" I called hopefully. The image didn't react. I gently reached out a hand and touched his image. Suddenly, he turned and screamed bloody murder and I stumbled back. I looked at the storyteller to find her watching me expectantly.

"Can't you see he's sick?" She demanded.

My father's image continued to scream. I looked at her again, "What's happening?"

The woman's face began to glitch, fading in and out. More mirrors began to light up. My own image, in the same period style clothing my father's had worn, was pleading desperately.

"I can't stay here another minute!" My own voice insisted.

It cut to an image of myself trying to break out. The mirror appeared to crack as I pounded my fists over and over against the glass. I was surrounded by myself trying to break out in the circular room. All the while my father was still screaming.

"Can't you see he's sick?" The story teller asked again.

"Please!" I begged, covering my ears.

I could still hear my own voice yelling from behind the mirror. The sound of breaking glass also continued.

"You monster!" I yelled at no one in particular.

My hands began to shake more and more and tears filled my eyes.

"Stop!" I shouted desperately.

The door I'd enter through flew open, and I screamed. A creature, more metal than man, charged up to me and grabbed my shoulder. A glowing red eye glared at me as he shouted "What are you doing here?"

I barely heard the question as the world went black.

Hi everyone! So this is going to be a very different kind of fanfiction. I am writing this for a scifi contest and when I have it completed I'm going to put it up for votes! This is the first chapter, and keep in mind this is going to be a short story. I am thinking it's going to be more of a prequel, as this is actually an idea I've had for a full length novel. I am doing my best to write this as quickly as I can so don't be surprised if several chapters are loaded at once. Please push me! Tell me what you think! I have never written scifi before so I am trying to push myself to go a little farther than I normally would. Also, read, share and comment and when I'm done writing, if you've enjoyed the story, PLEASE PLEASE vote for it on inkkit . c o m under the Beyond Time writing contest and shamelessly get as my of your friends to vote as well! As always, thank you guys for being amazing readers and I hope you enjoy this story!