Charlotte approached the mirror slowly, rubbing her eyes just to make sure she wasn't dreaming. Her mind was racing as the reflection of her real father stared back at her with a wide-eyed expression. He looked tired, as if he hadn't slept in years. Not only that, but he looked to be shivering. The area around him was cold and white, fogging up the mirror. Charlotte watched as he struggled to keep himself visible by rubbing the freezing glass with his hands. He hugged himself tightly, as if to warm himself. "Dad? Where are you?" Charlotte asked, pressing her own hand on the glass. Her father looked at her, inaudible from behind the barrier. He merely shook his head, no. The gesture confused her. "Dad! What are you trying to tell me?!! Where are you?" She asked again, a little louder. He looked her in the eyes. She could see tiny flecks of snow caught on his mustache and his hair as he did the same thing. He shook his head rapidly, as if to say, "no, no, no." Over and over again frantically. Charlotte's heart ached and pounced. "Where are you?! What do you mean no? No what? ANSWER ME!!!" She pounded on the glass. His teeth chattered as he came closer. Dragging his finger against the cold glass, he began to spell backwards writing. "!KOOL TNOD," It read. "Don't look? I don't understand... he's taken you! You have to tell me where you are!" She shouted. Her father shook his head, again, and again. He approached the glass and pressed his hand to it. In an act of desperation, she pressed her hand against the same spot, as if trying to touch it. Tears came to her eyes again, "God... I'm so sorry, dad. This is all my fault!" She cried. "I'll find a way to get you back, I promise!" As soon as the words left her mouth, the mirror fogged up with so much snow the last thing she saw was her father being engulfed by the white air.
"No... No wait!" She called out as the he faded from view. The mirror reversed itself back to normal as if nothing had happened. For a few moments it showed nothing but her reflection, but then... a new face appeared, along with a deep, familiar, taunting voice.
"Good evening darling. I apologize for having to stop you right there, but that was getting a little too emotional don't you think?" The other father said with a smile. Her eyes narrowed as the mirror shifted to reveal him, standing in what looked to be a red room of some sort. The more she looked she realized that it was the other version of her father's bedroom. As for the other father, he looked the same as when she last saw him. He was still his taller, inhuman self with that same smirk she remembered. He kept his polka dotted trench coat along with the red collared shirt and tie underneath. She could see his upper body and face, but the mirror seemed to fade the area around him as if he too, was in some sort of fog. "Y-You monster!!!" She shouted at him. He chuckled, placing a hand on his heart as if to be hurt. "Monster? Such a strong word for such a lovely lady." He replied. "You stole him! Bring him back! Let him go, he has nothing to do with this! This is between you and me!" She said pleadingly. The other father sighed, "You're lucky I love you. As for your father, he's fine. Now, I didn't come here to gloat as much fun as that is." He chuckled. "Then why are you here?!" She asked, getting impatient. "My, my, my, aren't we getting antsy... I came, simply because I wanted to offer you a deal." Charlotte thought for a moment, and then shook her head, "I want nothing from you. I said I would come back once I found a way to set you free, but- but I haven't found that answer yet." She said truthfully. "Why, my dear? If I'm such a monster, why not let me die?" He asked, now a little curious. Charlotte paused. He was right. Even if she felt anger towards him at the moment, she still had a twinge of forgiveness in her heart. "Because I will choose compassion and kindness over selfishness, unlike you." She said. He gave a sarcastic grin, "Thank you for the flattery."
He held something in his hands. It took a moment for her to notice that it was the doll! The doll that looked like her! Twirling its ginger yarn hair in between his fingers he continued, "As I was saying, as much as I enjoy this little game of cat and mouse, I believe it should come to an end. If you come back to me willingly, I will see to it that your father is safe and sound. You have my word." He said. Now she was interested. For a moment she looked away from the mirror to think. Even though he wasn't really there, she could still feel his eyes on the side of her head. The pink palace seemed to darken in that moment, as if to freeze somehow. She glanced down the opposite end of the hall to see that the rain had slowed enough to where she could no longer hear it. Turning her head back to him she asked, "How do I know you won't hurt him no matter what?" Her question seemed to amuse him. "You don't. You'll just have to trust in me." He said. "Besides, your father won't know about any of this when I let him free. He won't remember a thing!" She watched him in complete shock as he twisted the doll around. The ginger yarn on its head faded to brown as the clothes shriveled into that of her father's. Once it was fully transformed, he did something unexpected. He tossed it in front of him, where it flashed and appeared at her feet like magic. "Erase his memory?!" She repeated, picking up the doll with a worried expression. He lightly shrugged, "Well, if he knew he'd try to take you away from me. We can't have that, can we?" Charlotte threw the doll back against the mirror, hard. It bounced off the glass and landed back on the wooden floor. "NO! If I agree, you have to let him keep his memories!" She argued, raising her voice again. "Ugh... you really are stubborn sometimes."
"It's either that or I won't cooperate." Charlotte persisted, crossing her arms. He let out a long and exaggerated sigh. "Very well, darling... If you were to agree, rest assured he'll remember just fine. As for you, I'll be generous and give you till morning to decide. If I don't see you by then, I'll have my answer... ta-ta my dear!" Before she could protest, his image faded along with the fog around him, leaving nothing but the plain old mirror she was used to. After his smirking face faded with it, she ran up to the mirror in a fit of desperation. Maybe it would've seemed foolish, but all her mind could think about was his sly, evil grin watching her from behind the glass. Without any given thought, she thrusted her fist against the cold mirror. It hurt to do so, but she couldn't help it. The loneliness, guilt, regret, and everything else came crashing down on her in that very moment. Once, twice, and on the third time it shattered completely. Charlotte grimaced as the shards of glass fell to the floor loudly around her. She let out a yelp as it scratched the sides of her hands, which were no longer balled into fists due to the pain. Moments of silence passed. Jacque lifted one of his paws as if to be as worried as she was. Charlotte grabbed the doll off the floor despite her somewhat bloody hands. Quickly, she set the fireplace and threw it in. All the while, she sat in front, watching as the crackling flames began to eat the old cloth and fabric. Eventually her heavy breathing calmed, but her heart would never be rested again. Jacque trotted over to her, laying his head on her lap as his paws lay down on the carpeted rug. On instinct, she slowly pet his furry head. The fire in front of her went from orange and yellow to a light tint of lime green. She would've been amazed if she hadn't already seen such peculiar things already.
"She's not coming home, is she?" Charlotte said to Jacque. "Mom, I mean..."
Jacque tilted his head, as if confused. "... All she wanted was for me to be happy. She didn't want me to lose my dad just because of her choice to leave him. I-I know what I have to do..." She turned her head away from the small dog, and towards the locked door to her left. Her eyes narrowed slightly, as if she were in a stare-off with it. "There's only one way out of this." Charlotte stood up and looked at the clock, realizing she had three hours left until the sun would rise. Jacque followed her as she raced upstairs. In that moment one thing was clear, she had to go back. A part of her believed that her father was not the only reason. Just like her previous visits to the other world, something in her was yearning to be there. As crazy as it was, she didn't know what she felt. The thought of the other father came back to mind, causing her cheeks to stain. However, along with being flustered, she felt terrified. What if this was a trick? What if he wanted her soul? What if she ended up like Cornelius? What if she never saw her real father and mother again?! The list went on and on. Charlotte went into her bedroom and picked up a satchel. Figuring she'd be there for a while, she thought she'd leave behind something in case her mother did indeed receive the message. Not only that, but Wylie would deserve an explanation too. She shuffled through the old desk across from her bed until she found a pen and paper. Her room was dim, nothing but the light from the hall illuminated it. The darkness from outside made things even more calm yet scary all at once. Her quivering hand wrote as fast as it could. Half of her wanted to go back into her dad's room and check to see if her mother had answered the phone, but she decided she didn't want to know. With everything settled, she changed out of her pajamas and into her usual attire from the day before. After throwing on her jacket, she walked back downstairs. Jacque followed behind her, hopping down the stairs as fast as his short little legs could carry him. This brought her attention to something new.
"C'mon boy. You can't come with me... err... at least not right now. You just have to go home. Mr. Spink and Forcible will wonder where you've gone." She said as the memory of their "talk" in the other world flooded back to her mind. Charlotte really wished she could bring him with her as a comfort, but was afraid of what the other father might do if she didn't come alone. Jacque looked saddened, but understood her instructions despite the fact that he couldn't reply. He scurried out the door and into the night, but she doubted he would go home. As soon as he was out of sight, she shut the door and locked it. Now she was alone... no parents, no friends, and no dog to keep her company. The house now had even more eyes than before, all fixated on her. The feeling of being watched was enough to make her paranoid. She remembered that her hands were still hurt from the mirror. In an effort to fix that, she washed them in the kitchen sink to get rid of the dry blood. At least he didn't have the mirror to spy on her anymore.
With an hour and thirty minutes left until morning, she slowly walked back into the living room. As soon as she reached the doorframe she was nervous. From her pocket, she pulled out the black button key. Her heart thumped against her chest. Silently, she approached the crawlspace door. Her body seemed to have a mind of its own as it inserted the key into its lock, turning it just enough until a click was audible. Her fingers shakily pried it open, just as she had done the last time. And just like last time, the tunnel rolled out before her, now as dark as a cave. She refused to go back into the kitchen for a candle. Now, there was no turning back. Charlotte feared that if she did retrieve a light, that she would change her mind. With that, she made her way into the darkness. The ugly colors of fabric beneath her hands had traces of cobwebs, which frightened her due to her fear of insects. It occurred to her that the tunnel was a bit shorter than she remembered. The idea that he had control over such a thing made her feel unease. Just as she was about to grimace as the sticky substance touched her palm, a gust of wind fell over her. Looking up, Charlotte was almost relieved to see some light. However, she was very thrown off by the sound of the opposite door opening. She paused, frozen with the fear of hearing his voice. To her utter astonishment, another voice, a familiar one, called out to her instead. "Charlotte? Is that you?" Her dad's voice made her heart drop in relief as it rang through her ears. "Dad???" She called back, all too willing to do so. Without thinking she inched towards the tunnel's exit, just to get a better look at the silhouette at the end. She was even more surprised to find that it was her dad! "Charlotte! You came back for me." Her dad answered. She could faintly see his facial features in the dim light as they seemed to look as surprised as she was. "Dad!" She breathed, rushing towards the end in order to greet him. Once she got to the end, she gladly wrapped her arms around him. "Thank god you're alright." She murmured into his chest, feeling every ounce of fear leave her body as he all too eagerly returned the hug.
For a moment, she thought about letting her tears go, about letting every emotion drain until there was no more guilt left. "Darling... why would you run away from me?" His voice swiftly flowed and morphed into one that was melodic, smooth, and deeper than her father's. Her eyes widened. How could she have been so stupid?! Immediately, she tried to pull away, only to find that he wouldn't let her. The lights of the other living room gradually glowed brighter, allowing her to look up at his black button eyes. She felt his chest vibrate with a chuckle as he transformed before her, almost like he did before she met the ghost children. He grew taller as the disguise practically melted off of him like some sort of costume. Charlotte froze in his grip. After he was back to looking like himself, the other father smiled down at her. "Oh how nice it is to have you back... I admit I wasn't sure you'd fall for that." He said flirtatiously. She felt his arms around her tighten as she tried to pull away again. With all that ran through her mind, all she could think to say was, "What have you done with my dad?" He sighed, "Don't worry, I honored our little agreement. He's safe and sound, right where I have him." The other father brushed a lock of hair out of her face. His words made her suspicious. "You let him go?" She asked. He frowned slightly, and then let out a laugh, "Let him go? Last I checked that was never a part of our deal." Her heart sank to the pit of her stomach. "W-What??? Y-You... I... I thought that-" She didn't know how to respond to that. He seemed to smile more at her confusion. Charlotte looked so adorable to him when she was nervous. "Well, last I recall, I said that if you came back home to me I'd make sure your father was safe. I never promised I'd let him go out into the world with the knowledge of my existence, did I?" He chuckled. Charlotte's lower lip quivered as the realization set in. As for him, he took her silence as a small taste of victory.
"You tricked me..." She breathed. "I merely found a loophole, darling. Need I explain more?" He gently brought a gloved hand to her face. Charlotte had no idea what to say. She felt obligated to pull away, but she couldn't. "I did this all for you. Despite it being a little messy it worked! Now you're not alone anymore, you have me." He softly tilted her chin upwards so she could look at him. "That doesn't change the fact that you betrayed me." She stated, trying with all her might not to break down right then and there. How could she have been so foolish??? So trusting... "Now, now, my dear. I hate to see you cry..." He wiped away her tears with his right hand. "Y-You have a... a very funny way of expressing it." She let out a shaky sigh. For a moment he didn't seem to hear her. "You have nothing to fear. I won't hurt you. And how many times must I say that your eyes are perfect just the way they are? I have no intention of changing them out for buttons, but you should know that the ring as well as my offer still stands." He loosened his grip, finally letting her out of his embrace even though he gladly would've held onto her longer. She watched as he made his way over to the crawlspace door, which was still left wide open. Before she could say anything, he brought his fingers to his lips and whistled. Just as it finished echoing, she watched as a large rat crawled out of the tunnel. Its grey fur was torn and matted. She could ever so slightly see a tattered red uniform on its body. That's when it clicked. Whatever this rodent was, it used to be a jumping mouse. In its grotesque mouth was the key. Charlotte couldn't help but step back as the ugly creature approached the other father, sitting on its hind legs to offer it. He smiled and took the key. Just like that, the rat scurried off and out of the living room.
The other father then closed the door, and to her dismay, locked it shut. As an extra precaution, the beetle-like dresser waddled in front of it, plopping itself down with a small thud. Turning away with the key in his hand, she watched as he lifted the key to his mouth. Charlotte covered half of her mouth as she watched him plop it inside before swallowing it with a loud gulp. After the key had gone down, he cleared his throat as if nothing had happened. "W-Why don't you have your own key???" She asked, a little disgusted. "There's only one key, darling. I've tried to forge my own several times, but somehow, this void of mine just loves to torment me." He chuckled as if he had just told a joke. "Now then, I'll prepare some breakfast. In the meantime, I think you could apologize to me by wearing the dress I worked so very hard on." He smiled, even though he was referring to her last "escape." Charlotte felt a little self-conscious. "Why do you enjoy dressing me up so much?" She asked out of curiosity. The other father shrugged, "Do I need a reason? You have such a beautiful figure to work with, after all." His words made her blush. "Anyway, it's sitting upstairs for you. Breakfast will be ready after you're done." He walked up to her. Charlotte instinctively raised her hands as if to block him, but was caught off guard as he left a small kiss on her cheek. Afterwards, he waltzed right into the kitchen, humming the same mellow tune she remembered.
She found herself walking up the stairs, now feeling a little defeated knowing that there was no way out. Walking into her other room, she saw that a white dress was laid out on the bed. It was smooth, with a leafy lacy black design on one side, along with matching black shoes. She approached it slowly, feeling its fabric. Charlotte then closed and locked the door of her bedroom before slipping the dress on. Like always, it fit perfectly. Turning her head, she looked at herself in the mirror. Half of her expected to see her father shivering inside, looking right back at her. However, all she saw was her reflection. "What have I gotten myself into?" She said to no one in particular.