Everything was quiet. There was no one to see my little experiment.
It occurred to me that as far-fetched as it might seem that the guy from the mirror was hanging out in my yard, I really should check just to be sure.
I went over the yard thoroughly with a flashlight. We didn't have shrubbery, but we did have a few trees, and I shone my light up into their scantily clad branches. No one was hiding up in our trees or anywhere in our yard that I could see. I went to the shed in the back where we kept the lawn mower. No one was in the shed, either.
Just to be sure I was covering all possibilities, I walked from one end of my street to the other slowly, going over my neighbor's yards with my flashlight. As far as I could tell, no one was hiding on my street – or if someone was, there was no way he was hiding out close enough to my house to hear me speak.
I returned to my yard and went out back to stand under my bedroom window.
Feeling slightly foolish, I took a deep breath and prepared to summon the strange guy from the mirror.
There's no way this'll work , I told myself.
I breathed out slowly. Then in a whisper, I spoke the words he had told me to say.
"Katie Wickliff summons you."
There was a ripple in the air around me, and then a short sharp breeze. The guy from the mirror was suddenly standing before me, his face pale in the dim light.
He grasped me by the wrist.
"What is it?" he demanded. "What's wrong?"
He pulled me away from the house. "Is he here?"
I was momentarily stunned. All I could do was stare up at him.
"Katie, answer me."
"How did you get here?" I stammered. "I searched my yard. I searched the street. You weren't there. You couldn't possibly have heard me."
His grip on my wrist tightened. "Is he here?"
"Who?" I asked.
He looked toward the house. "Gleb Mstislav."
I forced myself to focus. No matter how he had gotten here, I had called him for a reason.
"Gleb Mstislav," he repeated. "Is he here?"
"You tell me," I said.
He blinked, and then stared at me puzzled. "What are you talking about?"
"Tonight, my grandmother told me that my mother had visions of Gleb. And I've been having visions, too. Visions of you. And then the other day you suddenly appeared in the flesh. So who are you? Are you Gleb returned to haunt me just as you haunted her?"
He seemed startled by my words. "No. I am not Gleb Mstislav."
"Then who are you?" I demanded.
"My name is William," he said. "William Sursur."
"Anyone can make up a name," I said. "How do I know you aren't Gleb?"
"Because I am here to kill him," William said.
"My grandmother told me he's already dead."
"He is."
I felt a chill steal over me. "How can you kill someone who's already dead?"
"That's not something you need to worry about."
"If he's already dead," I said, "is he a ghost?"
"No."
"Then what is he?"
"That's not something you need to worry about, either."
I looked down. "You're still holding my wrist," I said.
His hand moved, and he wrapped his fingers around mine. His skin was
It occurred to me that as far-fetched as it might seem that the guy from the mirror was hanging out in my yard, I really should check just to be sure.
I went over the yard thoroughly with a flashlight. We didn't have shrubbery, but we did have a few trees, and I shone my light up into their scantily clad branches. No one was hiding up in our trees or anywhere in our yard that I could see. I went to the shed in the back where we kept the lawn mower. No one was in the shed, either.
Just to be sure I was covering all possibilities, I walked from one end of my street to the other slowly, going over my neighbor's yards with my flashlight. As far as I could tell, no one was hiding on my street – or if someone was, there was no way he was hiding out close enough to my house to hear me speak.
I returned to my yard and went out back to stand under my bedroom window.
Feeling slightly foolish, I took a deep breath and prepared to summon the strange guy from the mirror.
There's no way this'll work , I told myself.
I breathed out slowly. Then in a whisper, I spoke the words he had told me to say.
"Katie Wickliff summons you."
There was a ripple in the air around me, and then a short sharp breeze. The guy from the mirror was suddenly standing before me, his face pale in the dim light.
He grasped me by the wrist.
"What is it?" he demanded. "What's wrong?"
He pulled me away from the house. "Is he here?"
I was momentarily stunned. All I could do was stare up at him.
"Katie, answer me."
"How did you get here?" I stammered. "I searched my yard. I searched the street. You weren't there. You couldn't possibly have heard me."
His grip on my wrist tightened. "Is he here?"
"Who?" I asked.
He looked toward the house. "Gleb Mstislav."
I forced myself to focus. No matter how he had gotten here, I had called him for a reason.
"Gleb Mstislav," he repeated. "Is he here?"
"You tell me," I said.
He blinked, and then stared at me puzzled. "What are you talking about?"
"Tonight, my grandmother told me that my mother had visions of Gleb. And I've been having visions, too. Visions of you. And then the other day you suddenly appeared in the flesh. So who are you? Are you Gleb returned to haunt me just as you haunted her?"
He seemed startled by my words. "No. I am not Gleb Mstislav."
"Then who are you?" I demanded.
"My name is William," he said. "William Sursur."
"Anyone can make up a name," I said. "How do I know you aren't Gleb?"
"Because I am here to kill him," William said.
"My grandmother told me he's already dead."
"He is."
I felt a chill steal over me. "How can you kill someone who's already dead?"
"That's not something you need to worry about."
"If he's already dead," I said, "is he a ghost?"
"No."
"Then what is he?"
"That's not something you need to worry about, either."
I looked down. "You're still holding my wrist," I said.
His hand moved, and he wrapped his fingers around mine. His skin was
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