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Hugo shook his head and narrowed his eyes. “Who? Who thought this would be alright?”

“You will meet her in due time.” Thaddeus picked up the black and orange mug.

“Put that down!” Hugo shouted. “It doesn’t belong to you.”

“Not being very hospitable, are we?” He turned the cup over. “It is empty, anyway.”

“I want you out of here. Get out of my house.”

“Oh, you will want me here. You will need me here.”

“Alice!” Hugo shouted as he took off running through the house.

“Why do they always run?” Thaddeus asked.

Hugo sprinted through the living room to the hallway and dining room. He scanned his surroundings. Everything appeared to be as if he never left his house. The console tables were still in their proper position, decorated with the candelabras and various crystals, and the candles blazing bright.

“Alice!” Hugo shouted. “Alice, can you hear me?”

There was no response.

He dashed for the door in the middle of the hallway and swung it open. He rumbled down the set of wooden stairs leading to the darkened basement. The steps creaked with every thunderous step as he rushed into the darkness. Hugo’s handinstinctively lunged for the light’s pull string. He had tugged on the string so many times that its location had become second nature to Hugo. His hand caught the cord, and with a flick of his wrist, the room illuminated.

Hugo’s jaw dropped. It was exactly as Hugo remembered, but slightly off. Things were missing. The basement was mostly dull and empty, with scattered cardboard boxes. It was missing the various items Hugo brought with him during the move to Alice’s house. Things they kept in storage, including their seasonal decorations.

His eyes furiously scanned the room. They met the wood door with ornate iron fixtures. He bolted for the door, grabbing at the cast iron handle.

“Alice!” Hugo shouted. He yanked on the door handle. It didn’t budge.

He yanked a few more times. Nothing.

“Alice. Alice! Can you hear me?”

There was only silence.

Hugo’s breathing labored as panic set in, each breath shorter than the last. He worked himself into a frenzy, nearly hyperventilating. A thought raced through his mind.

Her reflection.

Hugo darted up the basement stairs and into the hallway. His foot slipped. He braced himself against the wall to catch himself, and without missing a step, bolted for the stairs.

“Find what you are searching for?” Thaddeus asked with a sadistic laugh, now standing in the entryway to the living room.

“Fuck you,” Hugo yelled as he gripped the newel post of the upstairs banister. He proceeded with his mad dash up the stairs. “Alice? Alice, are you up here?”

“She is not here,” Thaddeus replied. “Only you and me.”

Hugo flung open the bedroom door. He took a few steps in. The room was empty, expect for the black canopy bed theyshared. The room appeared as Hugo remembered. The covered windows to block out the sun. The dresser. The bedroom closet where he had fashioned a makeshift vampire stake. The piles of clothes. His dark gray hooded sweatshirt, which Alice had borrowed so much that it became her sweatshirt. Everything in its proper place, except for Alice.

“Hey!” Hugo shouted toward the bathroom. “Are you there?”

There was no response.

He moved closer, one short step at a time. His breathing slowed to where he held his breath and exhaled only when taking a step forward. He entered the bathroom and flipped the light switch.

“Are you in here? Please be in here. I need you.”

There was no response. He peered in.