Excerpt 2:
From Chapter 4:
I felt a flash of panic. The strange man I kept seeing in mirrors was actually standing in front of me now. He was staring at me steadily—and I could see anger—even hatred—burning in his eyes.
And yet, he was strangely beautiful. There was something perfect about the shape of his face and the long, lean lines of his body.
Behind me, the water kept running in the sink. For a long moment there was no other sound in the room.
"Who are you?" the man asked at last. His voice was harsh, and he had an accent I couldn't quite place.
"Are you real?" I asked.
The man moved closer to me in one swift movement and leaned in. His face was only inches from mine.
I began to feel light-headed. Was I hallucinating all of this?
"Who are you?" he demanded.
I could feel the warmth from his body, and I reached out a hand to touch his shoulder.
"You feel solid enough," I said. He did indeed feel solid, and I found I was reluctant to move my hand.
I also realized I wasn't hallucinating—somehow an image in a mirror had become real.
"How did you get out?" I asked.
Puzzlement flickered in his eyes. "How did I get out of what?"
"Out of the mirror," I said. "That's where I first saw you."
The man's anger returned. "How do you know that woman Galina Golovnin?"
"Galina Golovnin?" I said. "Is that the woman who came to my house on Sunday? I never heard her last name."
There was more confusion in the man's eyes, but he pressed on, leaning even closer.
"What do you know of Gleb Mstislav?"
I caught at the name. "Mstislav. Galina mentioned a Mstislav mansion. She said the lights were on—she seemed to think there was some kind of danger. Does Gleb Mstislav have something to do with that?"
The man's eyes ranged over my face. "You really don't know, do you?"
"Know what?" I said.
The man stared at me for a moment without saying anything. Then he turned to go.
"Wait!" I said. "Are you a student here? How will I find you again?"
The man turned back.
"I'm sorry if I scared you," he said. "You should forget you saw me."
He turned away again.
"Wait!" I said, feeling panic rising in me. "If you know something about Galina and this Gleb Mstislav, then I need to talk to you."
"No," he said sharply.
"I need to talk to you."
"It's better if you don't."
"But what if I genuinely have to?" I said in a rush. "What if the danger that Galina hinted at actually happens? What if I need to talk to you then?"
Something flickered in the man's eyes that I couldn't quite read.
"What is your name?" he asked.
"Katie Wickliff," I replied.
"Finally you answer a question," the man said, a small smile quirking at one corner of his mouth. "If you need to talk to me say 'Katie Wickliff summons you.' If you do that, I will find you."
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