Refresher… You remember Fiacha, don't you? She's the mean one. All her chapters are entitled Fiacha. She creates more questions than answers…

19.-Fiacha

It was the dead of night when I stole into the room, hidden by the cover of darkness. This was an unfamiliar castle in an unfamiliar land; in all of his travels, Thayer had rarely come to Lamar. I slipped in between the sheets of glass, relishing them as one might relish silk sheets. Shivering in delight, I waited.

The music from below waned with the night, disappearing with the darkness. It was well into the next day before a tired young woman stumbled to bed, stopping only briefly in front of the mirror to take off her jewels.

"Sweet sister," I whispered, loving the sibilants on my tongue. They were so delightfully sinister and so deliciously me. The girl's head jerked around. "Sweet, dearest, most lovely girl, do not fear me." The mirror was not the most convenient place to speak from, but it would have to do.

"Who's there?" Her eyes, though tired, were wide with panic. "Michel?"

"Silly goose, look at your reflection." I leaned forward, pressing my nose to the glass, watching her come closer. "Do you see me?"

She recoiled in shock. "What are you?"

My lips curled into a predatory grin and I could feel the saliva begin to flow as I longed to touch this girl. "I am you," I murmured in a sudden fit of creative inspiration. "Your inner self."

Her delicate eyebrows curled together, like hounds in front of the fire. "My inner self? That sounds rather ridiculous."

"Petra," I whispered, understanding her name at last. "Petra, my darling dear, you must forgive my appearance." I knew that I looked nothing like this waif of a girl; I was a beautiful, vibrant woman, so unlike this pale slip of a thing. "You must, however, believe me when I say I am you."

She frowned, her chapped lips pursing. "Mirrors don't talk." She shook her head. "I must be hallucination. Or dreaming." A thin hand rubbed her forehead. "It really has been a long night."

"Petra," I pressed a palm to the glass. "Wait just a moment." She turned. "Touch my hand, and you will see that I am real."

"Why?" Then she snorted. "Why, indeed? I'm talking to my reflection."

"Just…touch it, Petra. Please?" I hated to beg, but sometimes it was necessary. She reached out, the finely boned fingers stretching closer and closer to the glass. "Just a little further," I urged, pressing my palm harder, as if it would help. Her fingertips grazed the glass, and I felt the warmth of her skin, of her blood and life. "Yes, that's it!" Her palm pressed flat against mine, and without hesitating, I reached through the glass, locking my fingers in hers. The rest of me followed quickly as I used her to pull myself through the mirror, forging a pathway where none had been before.

Petra whimpered as I clawed my way up her arm, leaving white fingerprints in my wake. "Stop, stop this, whatever you are!" She trembled violently, and I sneered at her weakness.

"Petra," I crooned in her ear, standing on the floor next to her. "Petra darling." The floor was cold on my bare feet; indeed, the air of the room itself was cold on my naked body. "You are such a good girl."

She looked up at me her eyes full of fear. "What are you doing?"

I leaned closer. "Nothing." With subtle pressure here and there, I turned her around so that I pressed into her back. "Petra," I whispered once more, accustoming myself to the sound of the name. "I am going to, let's see…borrow your life for a bit." My fingers danced up her neck, tickling the tender skin. "That's all."

I felt a tear hit my finger the moment before I slipped into her, just as I had the mirror. I made a path where none had been before, creating a place just for me within her.

"Petra," I said with Petra's tongue. "My turn." I looked in the mirror and Petra looked back at me, a true reflection this time. I touched my cheek and Petra did the same.

We were one and the same, now, and I smiled lovingly. Greedily, I began to sift through her memories. "This shall be much fun."

Deep within me, Petra disagreed.

Author's Note: Oh, it was a short chapter, I know! I'm sorry. Next chapter will come when it's written…:)

I hope you don't mind the shortness, but that's all I have for now.

Happy January!