As I write this I am sitting comfortably in my own warm apartment, sipping some peppermint tea, relaxed and safe. I am utterly oblivious to the weather outside, which is utterly miserable I might add, with massive winds howling like lost souls. Halloween draws near, that night when we are most likely to make contact with the dead and after reading some nicely crafted fanfics inspired by the day I found that I too had a yearning to write something... creepy. (Not that that's unusual for me or anything)
The following fanfic is partially inspired by a Gen X fanfic I was working on years ago with my self-proclaimed mentor Lisa 'bum' Mckee, a talented lady with a flair for the dark and spooky. I don't think we ever finished the story, but that's not important. The other thing that inspired this fanfic here is a ghost story about a woman who sees her doppelganger before she dies. That story is posted somewhere in the Trick or Treat section of the Lair, and I don't mind telling you it scared the hell out of me. I now as a direct result do not like looking in mirrors when I am alone, which sucks ass because I have a lot of reflective objects in my home. (Vain family I guess, ne?)
So, enjoy the story. My aim was to attempt to scare the living snot out of you, and while I probably won't succeed I sure had fun trying.
Lyrics and title stolen without permission from The Double Life by Siouxsie and the Banshees.
"Behind this door is my other self
Not a picture in a frame nor a fresh disguise but my other self
Immobile inert and sanguine
My narcissus kisses exhale crimson breath and pump ruby to the lip
I stand before myself"
~ Siouxsie and the Banshees
A grey, eldritch glow seeped out of the darkness, barely illuminating the damp corridor in which she found herself stumbling through. The walls were cold, ancient stone, slimed with moss and beaded with moisture. She stumbled, one delicate hand brushing the surface of the wall and she yanked it back with a tiny cry of revulsion. Where was she? The last thing she could remember was snuggling into her nice, warm bed, her cheeks still suffused with a rosy glow due to her joy at finally seeing Zelgadis-san again after so much time...
She could see that the corridor ended up ahead in a tall wooden door with heavy iron binding and hinges. Soft, warm light escaped underneath it to spill in a golden pool at her bare feet, which were numb from the chill of the floor. Tentatively she placed a hand on the door and pushed gently, expecting it to be as heavy as it looked. Much to her surprise it swung open easily and soundlessly, letting more of that warm light rush into the corridor to dispel the gloom. Pausing only for a second, Amelia Wil Tesla de Seyruun stepped over the threshold and entered the chamber.
Hundreds of candles lit the room, flames flickering in a silent chorus. The floor was polished mahogany, the walls row after row of mirrors draped occasionally with flowing velvet the colour of arterial blood. There was no furniture save a single couch set in the middle of the room, its white cushions embroidered with gold thread and the arms draped in the same velvet that hung on the walls. Amelia wandered in cautiously, the slight sound her bare feet made on the floor echoing throughout the high-vaulted chamber loudly. She kept her hands clasped nervously at her breast, big eyes trying to see everywhere at once. She turned around and was startled to see that the door had closed silently behind her without her noticing.
A sudden movement caught her eye and she turned, eyes searching frantically. As soon as she had she detected someone at the corner of her eye again and so she turned once more, greeted with nothing. A pulse began to flutter in her neck and she swallowed past the dust that seemed to be coating her throat. She heard a sound, so minor she would not have noticed it had her senses not been cranked up so tightly, and she turned towards the source like a flower following the sun. She stared for a second; her delicate face screwed up in concentration. There seemed to be a dark smudge on one of the mirrors. Eyes riveted she watched as the smudge became more distinct, seeming to resolve itself into the shape of a person, the figure of a girl in a white nightgown.
Amelia realised with dawning horror and disbelief that the figure was wearing her nightgown, the very one she had on at that moment. The figure in the mirror drew closer and Amelia realised with a shock that it was indeed herself she saw reflected back at her, appearing to stand just behind her now. The two Amelias she saw in the mirror were identical in every way, except that her twin's eyes were cold. Cold. Also, her double did not appear to be breathing at all for her breast was still.
Hr mouth a perfect O of terror, Amelia began to back away from the mirror, careful to move away from where she figured the figure must be. The girl in the mirror smiled, her lips hooking up in the fleshless grin of a cadaver.
Amelia continued her shuffle backwards, seeing that the girl was still in the mirror and nowhere else in the room. She kept on backing up until her back bumped against something smooth and hard. She looked behind her, biting back a gasp and found she had backed clear across the room to fetch up against another of the mirrored walls. She started to exhale with relief when a face swarmed out of the mirror. Her face. Two hands shot out of the glass, which seemed as solid as water now, and grabbed her around the neck with chilling, brutal force. The room darkened alarmingly, a rotted chuckle following Amelia to unconsciousness...
Zelgadis Greywers sipped his coffee, wishing fervently that Amelia would come down to breakfast and save him from her massive troll of a father. Prince Philionel was loudly proclaiming how WONDERFUL it was to have Zelgadis back in Seyruun, even if was only for a short while, and was he SURE he didn't want some bacon and eggs to go with that coffee?! Young men NEEDED nutritious foods to grow after all, and it sure appeared to him that Zelgadis was WAY overdue for a spurt!
Phil stopped in mid-rant when his young prodigy entered the fabulously oversized dining hall, smiling in a way that was guaranteed to frighten anybody who saw it unless they were aware of Phil's pacifist tendencies. Actually, even then it was pretty scary.
"Amelia!" he thundered. Zelgadis mentally reminded himself never visit Seyruun again when Phil was somewhere in the city for as long as he lived...
"Morning Daddy," Amelia said and yawned lustily. "Morning Zelgadis-san."
"Good morning, Amelia," Zelgadis replied before taking another sip of coffee. The princess was dressed a little differently than he was used to seeing her, clad in soft reddish leather pants and white blouse with ruffled cuffs. The collar of the blouse was just low enough that he could see that she had... developed more since he had last seen her.
Becoming aware of where his gaze was directed, Zelgadis suddenly decided that the view provided by the large windows on the east side of the room was really quite amazing and so glued his eyes there instead.
"Did you sleep well?" Phil was inquiring of his daughter.
"Okay I guess," Amelia replied tiredly. "Weird dream."
Phil nodded and signaled for the servants to serve the princess some breakfast, which she ate quietly. Zelgadis hardly noticed her silence, enthralled by the window as he was.
After the dishes had been cleared Amelia suggested that she and him take a little walk around the palace grounds to catch up on old times and the like. Phil roared his approval and the two left the dining hall together, both a little relieved that he hadn't insisted on coming with them.
"Where are you headed, Zelgadis-san?" she inquired. It was chilly out but the sky was clear and unblemished, the air crisp and scented with the pungent tang of fall leaves. "I know you're only passing through."
Zel nodded, ignoring the slight disappointment he heard in her voice. "I think I may have found a genuine lead on my cure," he told her, gazing at the blue expanse above. "Since Seyruun was one the way I thought I'd drop in and say hello. It's been a few years, after all."
Amelia nodded. "Yes, it has. I've missed you - " she blushed. "Missed ALL of you. Lina-san, and Gourry-san, and Shilfiel-san and well, everybody. Maybe even Xelloss-san a little."
Zel snorted. "THAT'S somebody I'd be glad to never lay eyes on again."
Amelia smiled a little. Zelgadis wasn't one to hold a grudge, oh nooooo.... She giggled quietly, unable to help herself. Zelgadis looked at her sharply, but his expression softened when he realised she wasn't really laughing at him.
"Gomen," Amelia said. "I think I'm still tired."
"You said you didn't sleep well...?"
Amelia shrugged. "Just had a funny dream, that's all. I'm sure tonight will be better." She looked at him shyly. "Will you stay for dinner tonight? Daddy's going to be out at a council with some nobles and I hate to eat alone."
Zelgadis thought it over carefully. He didn't want to waste too much time in Seyruun, but would one dinner really hinder him that much? If he was honest with himself, which he usually wasn't, Zelgadis had to admit that seeing the little princess again was actually a pleasant experience. Of course, she wasn't quite so 'little' now but... He looked up at the sky again; hoping his cheeks hadn't flushed at all. "I suppose I could stay another night," he conceded at last. Amelia's smile burst forth in all its glory.
"Great! Oh, Zelgadis-san, I'm so glad I got to see you again!" Knowing she shouldn't, knowing she was liable to get yelled at but still unable to help herself, Amelia wrapped her arms around the surly chimera and gave him a fierce hug. Zelgadis stood still for a minute, shocked that anyone dare violate his little bubble of personal space, but after a second he wrapped his arms around the girl and returned her affection briefly. Amelia let go quickly, blushing and stammering an apology.
"It's okay, Amelia," he told her. Really, he didn't know WHY he hadn't minded. Must be the fresh air. "Now how about we go get some of that soft serve ice cream your city's so famous for?"
Amelia hummed to herself delightedly as she ran a brush through her hair and checked her earrings. She was going to have dinner, ALONE, with Zelgadis-san! Of course, he was just a friend and all, but she still wanted to look her best. Grinning, she looked herself over in the mirror. She'd changed into a dress, but nothing so fancy as to make Zelgadis uncomfortable. The neckline was a V, showing just the tops of her breasts. She wondered if maybe it was a little risqué, but then remembered her older sister had had a penchant for much lower necklines than she would ever wear.
Humming again she reached for a necklace, lowering her eyes to the vanity table for a second in order to find one. She looked back up and froze. There was someone behind her.
Herself.
Her mouth dropped open as she pulled in breath to scream but she never got the chance. Her twin seemed to move forward and then everything was consumed by blackness.