Names (Part 2)

“Scaring you? I was just…” I turn toward Darya. Her pretty blue eyes are a mix of concern and fear.

“Just needed a minute, that’s all.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to sit down? Your face, it was…” She shakes her head. “I wouldn’t know how to describe it. You’re so pale.”

“I’m fine, Dar.” I glance back at the mirror. The creature’s gone.

“Darya,” she insists. “My name is Darya. If you’re sure you’re fine…”

“More than sure, Dar…I mean, Darya.”

“Alright, then. Make sure not to over do it on your shift.”

“Yes, Mother.” I roll my eyes in jest, and it seems to work. A smile twitches at the corners of Darya’s lips before she sets off to the bunk for some rest.

I stand in front of the mirror, searching it. Darya’s right. My face is pale, almost skeleton-white, in the mirror’s reflection as I trace my fingers along the mirror’s edges looking for any sign of the creature. There’s nothing but a sense of dread, a faint heat emanating from the mirror’s surface. I run to my Evo suit and put it on in record time,and throw myself into the work in hopes of banishing the creature from my mind. It doesn’t work. The creature’s eyes follow all through my shift and stare down at me as I fall asleep.

* * *

Over the next few days, Darya watches me closely. At first I think it’s as much out of self-preservation than anything. A sick partner can make so many things go wrong; one wrong decision outside the ship can leave a partner dead or incapacitated; either way, your trip gets cut short and your pay cut with it. Darya, though, she cares enough to look after me, or as much one can do on a ship like this. It’s a moot point in the end. The creature dogs my steps on the ship like a poltergeist. I see it in the corner of my eyes when I’m by myself; it flashes across the mirror when I wash my face in the morning. Every night it’s the last thing I see as I close my eyes. On the few occasions I find myself staring into its eyes, I feel the dread, evil feeling that curdles my stomach and sends the blood rushing to my head. I’m losing my mind, but I can still do my job. It doesn’t matter how much I lose it so long as I can do what I’m being paid for. The end of the job is only a month out. I can make it. I can make it. I can…

“Sophie? Are you alright?”

No, I’m not. I try to tell her, but nothing comes out but a hacking cough. I can barely keep myself standing; my knees keep threatening to buckle even as I lean against the wall.
Darya places her hand on my back.

“It’ll be alright, Sophie.”

I want to to tell her to leave and run as fast as she can from me. That heat, that poisonous feeling, surges and falls like a wave in my stomach, and something – or someone – else skirts the corner of my mind, thinking thoughts that can’t possibly be mine. My vision blurs.

“It’ll be fine, Sophie,” Darya says again. “Just lie down, you’ll see.”

“No!” I can’t believe a voice so high and so scared, almost to the point of screeching, belongs to me. I push her away, and I hear her gasp as she stumbles and falls; by that time, I’m already running, panicking, with no better sense of direction than a frightened deer. I find myself in the bathroom. I lock the door.

I stop in front of the mirror. My reflection’s gone. In it’s place is the creature, its eyes burning hot, its lip curled into a sneer. It laughs, a low, guttural, booming sound, and I feel the last bit of myself slip away.

“Sophie! Sophie, are you in there? Answer me!”

My hand reaches for the door, but I’m no longer the one in control.