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“The same lady from the painting in the history center? She’s with him? What? What’s happening?”

Alice’s reflection raised a finger to silence Alice. “Yes, I can hear you. Can you hear me?”

There was a pause. An excruciating, endless pause. Alice’s hands trembled. Her fingers tapped against the cold sink basin. Her left foot twitched as she realized she was standing on her tiptoes.

“Well?” Alice asked. Her eyes darted back and forth across the bathroom, searching for any signs of Hugo.

“She has a book? What book?” Alice’s reflection asked, waiting for a response. “A black book? She’s trying to use it to escape?”

Alice glanced at the black book on the floor.

“Yes. Yes, I’m still here,” Alice’s reflection responded to the unseen Hugo. “You’re hiding? Hiding from who?”

Alice snapped back to the mirror; her mouth dropped open.

He was hiding. Of course! He didn’t answer, not because he didn’t want to, but because he couldn’t.

A rush of relief energized Alice. The hair on her arms stood on end.

“Who is he hiding from?” Alice asked.

Alice’s reflection ignored her. “What do you mean they’re trying to turn you into one of them?”

“What’s happening?” Alice yelled. “Tell me.”

Her heart raced and beat against her chest as each moment passed. Hugo was in trouble, and she was powerless to help him.

“I can’t talk to both of you at the same time. It’s hard enough to hear him.”

Alice’s breathing labored.

“He’s hiding in the bathroom in a house resembling our house.” Alice’s reflection paused. “I’m not talking to you; I’m relaying the information to Alice. Continue . . . There are ghouls and a banshee. You saw Alice? You saw Alice! Where?”

“He saw me?”

Alice’s reflection nodded. She paced back and forth, touching her index finger to her lips and placing her thumb on her chin.

“Where did he see me?” Alice asked.

“On the couch,” Alice’s reflection replied. “It looked like you were petting Max, but he couldn’t see her.”

“Has he seen me anywhere else?”

“Have you seen her anywhere else?” Alice’s reflection asked. After a brief pause, she shook her head no.

“The Lovers’ Kiss!” Alice shouted. “We sharedThe Lovers’ Kisson the couch.”

Alice grinned.

“He wants to know if we can get him out. Can we?” Alice’s reflection asked.

Alice snapped back to The Book of the Dead resting on the floor. She swooped it up and flipped through the pages. With a snap of her finger, a candle floated closer so she could see the secret, arcane text.

“I’m looking. I’m looking,” Alice said.

“Look faster. He doesn’t have much time,” her reflection responded.

“Anchor points? Anchor points,” Alice yelled out. “An anchor point is where the veil is thinnest. Usually only revealing themselves during Sauin, certain magical points can thin the veil. Of course.The Lovers’ Kiss. I knew it. The spell created an anchor point between us. We created Hugo’s reflection soon after we shared the wine. The spell residuals must have also connected the mirrors.”