Mirror Image

Twenty

"All done! Lead the way Zee," Lacey said as she clicked the dishwasher door shut. Pushing the start button, she gestured for her twin to head up the stairs.

Terry grabbed her hand as they climbed up, side by side.

She glanced down, the contrast of her tanned hands against the dark brown of his made her think of how opposites attract. Even though Terry loved a lot of the things she did, like tumbling and the cheer squad, he was patient and his humor was sly. She loved to play tricks on people. She always knew he'd be there, ready to help her.

"We're going up through this door. It was locked when we moved in. But Dad and Papa Juan unlocked all the attic stairs. If we don't find what we're looking for in this one, we'll go up over the ballroom next. Mama Rosa said we can go up in the east wing where they live too." Zee explained as she opened the door at the end of the hallway.

The hair on Lacey's arms stood up as they climbed. A single low wattage light bulb lit the landing halfway up, and another door blocked their way at the top. Percy pushed it open when Zee discovered it was stuck. The squeal from the hinges was a high pitched protest as they squeezed through the narrow opening.

"It's been stubborn for a while." Terry pointed to the floor where there was a clear arched mark worn into the wooden boards.

"This room is where we found the open window. It's right over my Dad's sitting room." Zee said.

"Where did this bed come from? Was it stored up here?" Lacey asked.

"I think so. Here's where we found the brush and comb set." Zee walked over to a small vanity sitting in the corner. Obviously an antique, the mirror had a slightly wavy quality which spoke of age.

"I can see the tree branches outside," Lacey peered through the slits between the boards nailed across the window frame. "I checked when we were walking in from the greenhouse, it's easy to get to the bottom branches and climb right up."

"Where did you see the ghost?" Terry asked.

"It was in one of the rooms down the passage from here." Lacey said, and led the way toward the round window in the gable. Weak sunlight trickled through the murky dust on the glass. "We should bring a cleaning brigade up here. Mama Rosa said nothing's been touched since Uncle Theodore went to prison."

The door into the last room on the right, swung freely. Eerily silent. She stopped. The room was pristine.

"Are you sure there hasn't been anyone up here before this week?" Terry said as he peered over her shoulder.

"Dad said they only took care of the broken window. So, definitely not." Zee insisted.

Lacey felt cold air blast past her, as she stepped into a spacious room with two wide garret windows. A desk sat in one nook, and a single child's bed in the other. There was an old fashioned armoire beside the door and a candle sat in a round brass holder on a white-washed table beside the bed.

"How has this stayed so clean? Everything else up here is dusty. You can see our footprints on the floor in the hall." Zee said.

Terry sat on the bed, running one hand over the lacy bedspread. "This is ice cold, but I can feel the heat from the sun shining in through the window."

"This place is creepy," Zee said. "I think we really do have a ghost."

"Look," Percy croaked.

The door swung closed with an ominous click. Lacey jumped like she'd been shot and scrambled over to test the doorknob. Locked. They were trapped.