MirrorMirror

4 / The Search

The landing was sturdy enough to allow him to cross soundlessly. There were two other bedrooms and the bathroom for likely hiding places, with the bathroom being the closest. And the most obvious? Maybe. They were always behind the shower curtain, weren't they? Cass paused outside the bathroom, holding his breath. He listened, again, for the sounds of movement or breathing. If he had been the one hiding, he would have held his breath. He'd have breathed into the crook of his elbow. Anything to disguise the noise. Thinking back to the movies, why was it people neglected to do that? To build tension, he supposed. To add drama and threat.

This person must have had the same idea as him. They were being extremely good at hiding. No matter. He didn't live in a palace. There wasn't far for them to go.

Cassidy slipped quietly into the bathroom.

He could see everything he needed to from the doorway. The curtain over the bath was pulled back, as it would be if not in use. Empty.

Damn, but fair enough. It had to be one of the bedrooms.

He decided to stop creeping about. It was fun, to be sure, but he was suddenly pissed at the intruder. Elise had no business sneaking in like that. Had he even given her his new address? He couldn't remember doing so, though that didn't mean she hadn't found it out. If it was a child, the prank had gone too far now. He'd never had dared do something like this when he was young. Kids nowadays could be daring. Or stupid. Confidence and arrogance and a ridiculous image of being invulnerable made them forget consequences. Ignore dangers. Overstep boundaries.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are," he said in a voice that could have been sing-song if it hadn't been spoken through gritted teeth.

Was that a sound? The scuff of feet? A breath? Where had it come from?

He moved back to the landing and looked at the entrances to the two bedrooms that weren't his. Eeney meeney... Cassidy walked straight forward, heading towards the wall between the rooms. At the last minute, and completely randomly, he turned left.

This room, as with the third one, was yet to be furnished as an actual bedroom. His plan was for this to be the spare, and the other to be an office. It had some of the remaining boxes in, the ones with items in that were not very often used and could actually be stored in the attic without being missed. They were stacked around the edges of the rooms, against the walls. The only space was in the centre, so he didn't need to enter to see if anyone was in there. There wasn't.

OK. One more, up here, to go.

The third and final room was the smallest of the three. It already had Cass' desk, extra monitors and keyboard set up, in preparation for his laptop to be plugged in. That was in its bag under the desk. Apart from a chair, it was bare. Eventually, it would have a plant in the corner. A couple of pictures up. Perhaps a sideboard to store ink cartridges and paper in, along with the keyboard he used to use and kept as a backup and spare cables. He always kept spare cables, whether USB, Lightning or ethernet, in his office. There'd also be a collection of USB plugs too. He liked to be prepared for the time one would guarantee to fail when he needed it the most.

No intruder, though. They must have managed to get downstairs without triggering the creaky steps.

Sigh.

He hurried down, checking the front door when he reached the bottom. It was still locked, with the keys hanging, not swinging as if disturbed, in the lock. Cassidy removed and pocketed them. No one was getting out that way. He poked his head in the lounge before moving along the corridor to the kitchen. There was a cupboard under the stairs where he'd hidden the ironing board and hoover, and they were still the only occupants.

The kitchen was the only place left. He wasn't prepared to look in each of the under-worktop cupboards, as they had enough food and pots in to limit their space. Under the dining table? No. In the corner by the fridge? No. Next to... erm... There wasn't anywhere else to check. And the back door was locked.

No one had been able to get in or out.

So, they were still inside, even though they couldn't be.

Cassidy ran back upstairs and straight into his bedroom.

He looked at the mirror. The message was gone.