I flipped the lid on the washer and turned to check on Nessie, who was sick in her bed. Passing the hall mirror, I stopped to check my hair.
What I saw turned the venom in my veins to ice.
A girl. Not me, but a girl who looked to be 7 .
The image in the mirror moved her hand up to her throat and ran her finger across it, as a symbol of death.
Then faded into the real me.
A deep scream lay idle at the back of my throat, and I ran the way to Nessie's room. She was laying on her back, asleep. Her face was so pale that it made my hand look tan.
I heard a creak in the hallway and spun around, but it was only Edward. He smiled at me briefly, then his gaze lay upon Renesmee.
''She's..... really sick. We need to take her to Carlisle.'' Edward said, slipping his arms under her.
I nodded, and Edward took my obvious fear as fear for our daughter.
I followed them past the mirror, and the girl was there, watching with a satisfied expression. I bit my tongue to hold back my screams and ran after Edward.
****
''Bella? Are you okay? I can't even say the word home without you getting frantic.'' Jasper whispered to me as we sat on the couch to wait for Nessie and Edward to be done with Carlisle. The rest of the family was out hunting.
''Jasper? Can I tell you something?'' I whispered, then, hearing Edward's heated conversation upstairs, slid a little closer to him on the couch.
''What?'' Jasper asked, clearly interested.
''Our house is haunted. I walked past they hall mirror and there was a seven year old girl sitting there inside it, and she did this,'' I slid my finger over my neck, ''then faded away. She was there when we were leaving. She wants Nessie to be sick. I think she wants her to die.''
To my surprise, Jasper's next words were serious. ''She doesn't want her dead. She wants her weak enough for the girl to take over her body. Bella, don't let her get that bad.'' Jasper's eyes clouded over with some memory unknown to me. ''Don't leave her alone, that is, if you see her again.''
''Bella? I'm running home with you and Nessie, then I really need to go hunting.'' Edward called down. Fear paralyzed me. Jasper laid a hand on my back, and pulled me back.
''Edward? Go ahead, I'll run home with the girls. I need something to do anyway, and I'll make Renesmee feel better.'' Jasper lied smoothly. I exhaled. Jasper smiled at me slightly and ran over to Edward to grab Renesmee. Edward grabbed me by my waist and kissed me quickly, promising he would be back in at least three days and he loved me.
''I won't leave, promise.'' Jasper whispered to me. I ran with him back to the house, then as we lay Renesmee down I heard giggling. Jasper winced. ''I can feel her emotions. She happy... happy Renesmee didn't get any better.''
''What happens if....?'' I couldn't finish. ''If she wins? You won't even know for a while, by the time you would have picked up on it she would have picked up on Nessie's character. You would think she was acting funny from being so sick, not because Manny's in her body.'' Jasper said.
''Manny? The thing has a name?'' A soft tapping down the hallway. ''And how do you know it?'' I cast a worried glance at Nessie's sleeping form.
''She was a little girl who died when this cottage collapsed, she had lived here before the fire destroyed the inside and killed her parents and twin. She survived and stayed in the crumbles until one collapsed and killed her. We found her bones when we rebuilt the cottage up. I knew she was here...... knew it....'' he trailed off.
''H-how did you know?'' I said, not breathing at all, listening for any movement. Apparently Manny was listening, too.
''I found her diaries, when Emmett and I cleared away the ruble where her room was and I found her body. She was a very pretty, petite girl. She reminds me of Alice and Renesmee very much. I know her inside and out. Maybe she'll listen to me and not take Nessie....'' he stopped talking and glanced up at me, smiling a bit. ''You're welcome.'' he said, feeling my unspoken thanks.
A small tapping came from the hallway, and I followed Jasper to the mirror. I gasped and cringed away, hiding my face in Jasper's side, but I knew what I saw would be in my memory forever.
It was her, but it was a dead, decaying version, soaked in blood and crushed, her arms limp, smiling wickedly. When I opened my eyes, she was gone. Jasper wrapped and arm around me and pulled me up.
''Bella?'' Jasper said, and if I were human my face would be bright red. I looked up, but Jasper didn't look weirded out at the way I'd reacted. He looked... I couldn't describe it. We were both on our knees in the hallway in front of the mirror, both with our moths hanging open.
A giggle broke the silence. ''I'm in her room!!'' Manny said, and we both ran in. It was very cold in there, and her mirror seemed to be made of ice. A timer went off on my watch and I woke Renesmee up.
''Mommy? I made a new friend!'' she said, her eyes heavy with sickness and sleep. ''My stomach hurts....'' she moaned, and I could feel Jasper behind mew, his every attention on helping her get better. I held up her hand and he took it, and while I had the opportunity I went and set in front of the mirror in the hallway. She was sitting crossed legged in a tattered black dress with black stockings, her long black hair falling even on both sides of her face. Her shocking blue eyes stood out in the dark mirror, the background behind one I vaguely recognized.
''Manny......'' I said quietly, unsure of what to say. Her head snapped up. ''You took my house. You changed it. You put the mirror in the hallway. You don't even use my room.'' she stood up and glared at me. ''They took away my mommy.... now I want a new mommy.'' She screamed, a very high pitched scream, and disappeared.
Jasper ran out. I hadn't moved an inch. I was petrified. ''Bella?''
''She wants a new mommy.'' I whispered. She wants me.'' Jasper grabbed me off the floor and took me to a room we never used. There was a dark spot the size of the mirror on the wall, and it was the same color as everything behind the girl. ''It's her room.'' I said. ''It looks more like a closet.''
''It was. All she did all day was stare at herself in the mirror. It's what killed her, fell and knocked her out. She was so small and weak she never woke up. The mirror survived all this.''
''So she let her soul go into the mirror....'' I said, staring at the dark spot.
''No, a girl went missing forty years ago in these woods. The girl somehow must have made her way back here, and Manny somehow killed her. We found her here too, right under the mirror. Somehow, Manny has been writing in those diaries even though she's dead.'' A crash came from Renesmee's room. I ran there as fast as I could. Renesmee was sitting straight up. Her dresser was knocked over.
''Mommy! You're going to die! Run!'' But it was too late. Something swung and knocked me down flat.
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Mwahahahahahhahahahaha!
Evilness.
Well, I don't know how much I like it.
Review and tell me if I should continue, and if so, I feel this one could be a Jasper/Bella fic.
Review, or Manny will pop out of your mirror and take you back just like she did the little girl........