“Knock-knock-knock” the door, boomed once more.

“That’s it!” Nick rushed out of the washroom and ran quickly to the front door as he swung it opened. “Now listen here you little punks…”

“Good morning to you too, sunshine!” Reese chortled while her eyes were widened by the sudden greet she received from her best friend. “Can I come in or do I have to chop off my arms and legs first?” she kidded while brushing Nick aside.

“What…what are you doing here?” he asked

“Class was cancelled this morning and I bumped into Ro-Ena and she told me that you were stuck in bed, sick,” Reese informed. “But by the look of things, it seems like you’re feeling much better,” she eyed him head to foot while plastering a sly grin on her face, as if suspicious of Nick and his actions.

“Where’s Ro-Ena?”

Reese made her way down to where a couch was laid down and flopped herself down while letting out a relaxed grunt. “On campus, I’m guessing,” she sighed then leaning over to the center table grabbing the remote control and flicking on the television. “What’s wrong with little Nicky? You look like you had just seen a ghost or something!!!”

Nick stared at Reese for a moment then followed suit and collapsing down beside Reese on the couch. “Just a uhm…weird morning, that’s all!”

“How are things with Ro-Ena and this whole situation with her stalker-boyfriend?” she asked but there was no reply. She shifted her head to face Nick only to find his head drooped against his shoulder, asleep like a little baby.

Letting out a small chortle, she grab hold of the throw-blanket that was folded at the corner of the couch and placed it on top of Nick to tuck him in so that he could have as comfortable of a sleep as he could. After doing so, she got up and made her way to the bathroom before she embarked her trip back to campus, giving her enough time to stop by a coffee shop to grab some hot cup of caffeine and some muffins to give her the sugar-high she needed for her 3-hour lecture in Economics class.

Reese pushed opened the door of the bathroom and made her way inside and did her business. Just as she was about to leave, she took a second or two to check her self out in the mirror to make sure she was still presentable. Just as she was looking through the mirror, she noticed a little writing on it, somewhat faded but with enough mist, it could be revived. Curiosity got the best out of her, as she felt a little snoopier than the usual. She reached for the knob of the door and poked her head out to make sure that Nick was still fast asleep then closed it back and made her way to the bathroom and turned the faucet for the hot water and let steam flow out until the writings on the mirror became legible enough for her to read.

A few minutes passed before enough steam had gathered for the revision of the faded writing. Reese turned the faucet back off and waved out some of the steam that lingered the air, eager to read. At the first sight of the writing, her jaw dropped to the ground and wished she had not done what she did.

“Someday you will be mine: dead or alive!!!!” the writing read out.

Panicked, Reese grabbed some toilet paper and wiped the message off of the mirror. She wasn’t sure if Nick had seen that already or not but she was not about to take the risk and letting it fade out again only to be revived by another set of steam from the faucet.

After doing so, she quickly ran out of the bathroom as she began to vigorously breathe in and out gasping as much air as she could. She felt winded. She felt suffocated. She felt claustrophobic in her own body. She wanted to wake Nick up from his slumber. She wanted him to assure her that everything was all right with him, that the writing on the mirror was nothing but a joke Nick and Ro-Ena had done on each other. She felt confused. She felt scared, not for herself but for her own business. She trembled for him. She feared for his life. She felt hopeless and lost. What could she do to help him get out of the situation he had managed to find himself in? What could she do to make it all stop? What could she do to make it all disappear?

Nothing.

She quickly gathered all her stuff and without hesitation, she walked out of Nick’s hotel room. She had about a million and one questions stirring within her about all sorts of things and she needed some room and some time to think things through, to let it all sink in, to take away the feeling of a sudden premonition that she should be mourning for her best friend. It gave her sharp tingles all over her body. It was a nightmare. It must be a nightmare, nothing like that could ever happen in real life, nothing! What if she’s wrong?