Suddenly, icy fingers grabbed my arm as I inched through the darkness. I yelped, turning around in the pitch darkness, squinting my eyes to try and make out who it was. The rustling of the leaves and the cracking of the twigs under my foot gave the situation a more eerie feel.
"Have you forgotten me already?", she mused, her voice holding a hidden trace of suppressed glee. My mind raced, trying to think back to when I had heard that voice. Her still hold on to my arm send chills down my spine, making it hard for me to think.
It hit me suddenly, hard, and heavy as a train. It was her, the one I had seen talk to my mate the day before. There was something about her that had made me feel unsure on whether to fully trust her then. The mischievous glint in her eyes and the way her lips had pulled up to a smile that did not reassure me had only added to her peculiar behaviour.
"What- what are you doing here?", I stammered.
She chuckled darkly, taking amusement in hearing the faint tinge of fear in my low voice. I couldn't see her expression in the dark but from the way her silhouette tilted her head, I knew she was enjoying my cluelessness.
"It is time for you to leave, after all.", she whispered, the howling wind carrying her voice to my ears, sending shivers throughout my whole body. I pulled my arm away, glad for the lack of contact with her cold fingers.
I slowly shook my head. "I don't understand. What do you mean?"
There was a small pause. She suddenly started laughing, deeply and terrifyingly, that made me back away as much as my stiff, trembling legs would. She noticed my movements as her laugh slowly died down. She took small steps towards me, making me increase my pace. It was sudden and speedy, completely unexpected. She lunged towards me, grabbing me by the front of my shirt, pulling me towards her as I let out a small scream.
My mind jolted awake, though I knew I wasn't sleeping, as I found myself staring at the mirror with a sweaty face and clammy hands. I sighed a breath of relief, trying to slow down my pounding heart but my back stiffened, and my breathing raced as I again felt the touch of the icy fingers on my warm hand and the echo of the chilling laughter fill my ears.
