Chapter 4

Scott Tracy sat up, clutching his head. He blinked and looked around trying to remember what had happened to him. The last thing he remembered was being in the bathroom of room 1550. He had gone in there to look for that key……

Flashback

The bathroom of room 1550 was a large room, decorated with white tiles and stencils of sea horses. The sink was directly opposite the entrance, and above it was a large rectangular mirror about a meter and a half across. Scott's reflection was the first thing he saw when walking in the door.

Looking around, it was clear to see that the bathroom was empty. There were no cupboards to hide in, and the shower screen was completely transparent; there were no chances of any monsters leaping out of there.

Scott was about to leave and check out the other rooms, when something made him freeze in his tracks. It was the uncanny feeling that he was being watched. He turned around again, expecting to see someone – or something – directly behind him, but there was nothing there except….

His reflection.

Frowning, Scott walked towards the bathroom mirror and peered at his reflection. He turned his head to the side and studied his latest 'rescue' scar, which he had claimed thanks to a piece of glass on their previous assignment. The scar was about half the size of his index finger, and the fact that it was on his face made it all the visible.

It wasn't surprising that his brothers had nicknamed him 'Scarface' after the famous film gangster.

He shook his head, deciding it was better not to worry about it. After all, scars were permanent so it was no use moaning about something that he couldn't change.

He sighed, and made to turn around and walk out the door.

His reflection winked at him.

Startled, Scott leapt backwards. He watched as his reflection stared at him intently, and then his lips curled into a cruel leer. The strange thing was Scott was certainly not smiling.

Summoning up his courage, Scott moved closer to the mirror. He reached out his hand to touch the glass, wanting to believe that he had just imagined it all.

Suddenly his reflection's hands shot out of the mirror, like a person putting their hand's through a window way. They clasped tightly around Scott's throat and began to drag him towards the mirror.

"Hello, Scotty," the reflection snarled. "I'm taking you on a trip to my world!"

Scott struggled for air and tried to wrench the choking hands off of him. It was impossible though; the grip was too strong.

"G-g-get off!" Scott gasped. "C-c-can't breath!"

"Aww, what's the matter Scotty? Feeling a little choked up!" His reflection threw back its head and let out a chilling laugh. He tightened his grip and continued to drag Scott towards the mirror- into the mirror.

The last thing Scott remembered before his world went black was the echo of his reflection's laugh, and the shattering of glass as a soap dish was knocked off the sink corner.

End flashback

"Are you ok?" A timid voice said from behind him.

Scott twisted his head around to see a young girl about ten years old, wearing a blue dress and knee length socks. Her fashion was something that Scott had certainly never seen in his lifetime.

"Who are you?" Scott asked, as the girl reached and towards him to help him up.

"My name's Charlotte," the girl replied, "but you can call me Charlie. My parents call me that…..at least they use to."

Looking around, Scott realized that he was back in the hotel's reception. But yet everything seemed different; the bright colors were gone, replaced with dull grays and whites, and the chandelier was smashed on the floor.

"Where are we, Charlie?" Scott asked. He had to admit that this place gave him the creeps. It reminded him of the twilight zone, or some warped version of 'Alice through the looking glass.'

"We're in the Opposite world," Charlie replied, gesturing at the place around them. "Have you ever looked in a mirror and wondered what was on the other side?"

Scott couldn't say that he had.

"Well this is it," Charlie continued. "In this world things are opposite to yours. Good is evil, evil is good, light is now darkness, and darkness is now light."

Scott blinked, trying to get his head around what she was trying to explain. "How did you get here Charlie?"

Small tears began to form in her eyes. "My mom and dad came to stay here when the hotel first opened. I was staying in room 1550, the room you were in. I remember going into the bathroom and seeing my reflection, and suddenly it reached out and grabbed me. I tried to scream for help, but it was too late…..It was too late."

She broke down, and Scott put his arms around her. "It's ok Charlie; we'll get out of here."

"Do you promise?" Charlie asked.

"I promise," Scott replied, hoping that he sounded surer than he felt.

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"Scott, where are you?" Virgil cupped his hands around his mouth, and shouted the question, which of course went unanswered.

"Bro. can you hear me?" Gordon cried, to no advantage.

Alan meanwhile, was studying the writing on the wall. He reached a hand to touch the blood on the mirror, expecting it to transfer on to his hand. But when he turned to look at his palm there was nothing there.

He turned to his brothers, and gestured them over. "Hey, guys, look at this, I can't feel the blood."

"What do you mean, you can't feel the blood?" Virgil came to stand beside his brother, and stared into the mirror.

"Touch it," Alan said. "It doesn't come off."

Virgil did as he was told, and was surprised to find that Alan was right. "It's almost as if it's been written from inside the mirror."

"Oh, come on Virgil," Gordon scoffed. "That's impossible…..Isn't it?"

"I would have thought so too, Gordon," Alan admitted, "that is until I was almost dragged under a bed by a strange creature."

Gordon thought about this for a moment, and decided that maybe his brother was right. If a creature could come out from under the bed, like in all those horror stories you read about, then perhaps there could be such a thing as a haunted mirror. But what were the chances of that?

"So you think he's inside the mirror?" Gordon asked.

"He could be," Virgil replied. "I mean, with everything else that's happened, then I don't think it's impossible."

"Ok, so how do we get him out?" Alan asked the obvious question.

"You can't get him out," came a voice from behind them. "You're brother is trapped in there forever."

AN. I would like to thank everyone who has been reviewing so far. Please keep 'em coming; there like a healthy, yet addictive drug.