----------------------------------------

Everyone turned their gaze to the couch where he sat with Taylor. The priestess was indeed stirring, and within moments, her eyes fluttered open. As her vision cleared, she abruptly let out a yelp and bolted upright.

"Thompson!" she shouted, smacking his shoulder harder than one would expect from someone who had just been unconscious.

"Ouch!" he yelped in equal volume, clutching his sore shoulder. "What’s gotten into you?"

"What’s gotten into me? What’s gotten into you?! Get away from me!" she retorted, her cheeks flushing—though Ariel suspected it wasn’t solely from anger. Now standing and nursing his shoulder, the monk shot her a dark look.

"How's that for gratitude? See if I save you again."

Taylor clamped her mouth shut and glanced around the room, truly noticing everyone for the first time.

"Saved me? What are you talking about...?" she asked at last, sounding more uncertain than confrontational.

Leroy plopped down heavily, massaging his shoulder. Taylor moved her legs aside with a resentful glance.

"I saved you. Hard to believe anyone would even bother..." he muttered, reaching for his ice pack.

"Taylor, how is your head?" Jasper inquired before she could snap back at Leroy. Taylor frowned slightly and gingerly touched the back of her head.

"It hurts actually..."

Jasper nodded and took a measured sip of his coffee. His eyes drifted meaningfully toward the ice bag at Leroy’s feet. Following his gaze, Taylor watched as Leroy picked up the bag with a sly grin, extending it just enough so she had to lean forward to grab it. With an exasperated huff, Taylor snatched it from him. A tense silence filled the room until a gasp from Mr. Warner broke through.

Slumped in a chair, Mandy's head stirred as she let out a soft whimper. A frown tugged at her pale pink lips as her delicate brows knit in distress. John stood up again, worry etched on his face.

"Mandy—Mandy it's alright! Daniel’s here. Follow my voice... come away from the light..."

Suddenly Jasper rose, strode over to the armchair, and brusquely brushed Mr. Warner aside. The playwright sputtered in shock and indignation, but Jasper ignored him entirely and directed Max to fetch him a wet cloth.

"Jasper..?" Ariel whispered, leaning forward in her seat; her concern for Mandy's health far outweighed her anxiety over how close Jasper was to her rival. Nearby, John looked pale as well, staring at Jasper with equal concern blazing in his eyes.

"But- but you said there was nothing to worry about!" Mr. Warner protested, regaining his voice after his initial shock. Jasper shot a hard look at the playwright beside him as he took the cloth Max handed over, murmuring his thanks.

Ignoring his client pointedly (an act made difficult as the man pressed closer with each passing second...), Jasper leaned towards Mandy's pale face, running the cool rag over her forehead with intense concentration. A prickly sensation darted up Ariel's spine, causing her stomach to clench. He was too close now...too close...

Then Ariel saw it—briefly, yet unmistakably—the medium's eyes flickered open for the shortest moment before closing tightly again. Jasper must have missed it because he continued to run the cloth across her forehead and cheek, making Ariel's insides burn with fury.

Mandy began to frown more deeply than before, her head jerking left and right, each movement infuriatingly close to Jasper’s. Relieved sighs and excited gasps echoed around the room at this sign of life, but Ariel only growled under her breath. The image replayed in her mind: Mandy opening her eyes moments earlier, revealing what the medium was up to.

That Mandy.

"Jasper...Jasper..." Mandy started mumbling in apparent unconsciousness. Ariel gritted her teeth.

The nerve!

"Jasper...save me...I-"

"Enough!" Ariel suddenly shouted, springing from her chair, chest heaving. Silence enveloped the room, and all eyes turned to Ariel with confusion. Her cheeks flushed from anger or perhaps something else.

"I...I mean, someone should wake her up already—it’s obvious she's—uh—distressed..." Ariel stammered unconvincingly.

Everyone stared blankly at her until a fire ignited in Mr. Warner. Before Jasper, who was giving Ariel a dark look, could speak, the playwright exclaimed,

"She's right! She must be awakened before she endures any more-"

Mr. Warner then boldly squeezed himself next to Jasper and just as his hand reached for Mandy’s shoulder, her eyes fluttered open. She squinted weakly at the faces looming above her,

"Jasper?" she said in a feeble voice. Believing she hadn't noticed him yet (though she had...), Mr. Warner took her hand in his and smiled down at her,

"And Daniel too," he announced, emphasizing his name dramatically.

"Jasper, it was so horrible..." she said, her eyes desperately avoiding Mr. Warner's intense gaze as he hovered over her. In one swift motion, she clutched Jasper’s shoulder. Ariel felt herself implode internally but before she could find her voice, Jasper stood and Mandy's hand fell limply to her side.

"Someone please get Makenzie her coffee," he commanded, crossing the room deep in thought.

Mr. Warner twitched at the order, torn between wanting to comfort her and his reluctance to leave her side. His dilemma was short-lived as John quickly jumped up to fulfill the task. He picked up the cup from the table and offered the lukewarm coffee to her from the only place where Mr. Warner wasn't looming.

Mandy, who had been staring blankly at the spot where Jasper had left, met John's eyes with mild gratitude for the coffee. John lingered for a moment longer before returning to his seat.

At the far end of the room, Jasper stood near the doorway.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

"Ariel- Max, follow me," he instructed, disappearing into the hall. As usual, Max was out the door before Ariel realized she'd been addressed. Still somewhat dazed, she hurried after them, catching up halfway down the hall.

"Jasper-" Ariel panted irritably as she reached them, "slow down a second- what is going on?"

Jasper's dark eyes flicked to her briefly but his pace didn’t falter as he handed her an elastic band.

"Put your hair up in this."

Ariel halted in confusion, staring at the band in his hand.

"Wha-?"

Jasper stopped a few paces ahead of her. Both he and Max watched her silently until a strained laugh escaped her lips when she understood they wanted her to take it. Embarrassed and increasingly puzzled, Ariel approached and took it from him, feeling the warmth of his palm against her fingers. Her cheeks flushed pink as she bent down to gather her hair, avoiding eye contact with her strikingly handsome boss. Yet she felt his gaze on her as he said,

"Everything will be explained when we reach the Hall of Mirrors."

Having tied back her short hair into a makeshift ponytail, they continued on their way. They reached the Hall of Mirrors faster than Ariel anticipated. For a fleeting moment, an image of an old man flashed through her mind; she felt the weight of the photo in her pocket again and glanced at Jasper walking ahead. He looked back at that precise moment.

How does he know? It's like he can read my mind...

Ariel's stomach churned at the thought. If he could read her mind then-

He'd know how I feel about him...

A blush began to creep up Ariel's neck, but then her next thought squashed it completely,

Then he'd also know about the man. He'd know I'm lying to him...

Ariel squeezed her eyes shut momentarily, hoping to block out all images and thoughts associated with her secret ghostly encounter, just in case Jasper was reading her mind.

He probably can't though...she reassured herself.

They turned a corner, and all thoughts of mind reading and ghosts were jolted from her head entirely. Ariel's eyes were drawn down the hall, to where she'd found half her friends frozen. Horrible images of their expressions flashed before her, turning her feet into lead; she couldn't move another step. Sensing her hesitation, Jasper silently took her hand. The unexpected contact jolted Ariel from her terror for a moment allowing her to blink at the back of his head in surprised gratitude. Beside them, Max remained silent and seemingly oblivious.

Practically pulled along, Ariel reached the part of the hall just before the mirrors, where Jasper stopped and released her hand. He turned to face her,

"Ariel, I need your help with something. Can you stand in front of one of the mirrors?"

There was no forcefulness in his request; his tone was calm and open for her to decide. Even so, Ariel asked,

"Those mirrors? You want me to look into one of those mirrors?"

Jasper nodded patiently,

"Yes."

Ariel glanced down the length of the hall where mirrors hung every few inches, gleaming dimly.

"But- you saw what happened earlier- I don't understand," Ariel stammered, bewildered, glancing between Jasper and the mirrors.

Jasper nodded again but remained silent, his eyes locked onto hers with intensity that conveyed an unspoken message: trust me.

Ariel swallowed hard and took a deep breath. Her mind was made up; she trusted him. Seeing this, Jasper calmly stepped aside as if he already knew her answer without needing words.

How...?

But there was no time for questions as Ariel turned to face the mirror. Her breath hitched. It was strange; she knew it was her face staring back at her yet it was a version she didn't recognize. Her reflection looked drained of all color—pale, wrinkled skin stretched tight over visible bones. Ariel shuddered and let out a horrified gasp, instinctively stepping back with an overwhelming urge to run far and fast—anything to escape that dreadful reflection.

Just then, Ariel felt a slight pressure on her shoulders. With some effort, she managed to look up. Reflected in the mirror above her was Jasper, who had come to stand behind her, his hands resting on her shoulders.

Jasper.

A wave of calm washed over her; Jasper's presence provided the strength she needed to stay focused. She glanced at her aged features again—her hair falling white as snow around her face, her eyes clouded and lifeless. Suddenly, Jasper's grip tightened on her shoulders.

She looked up uncertainly to see Jasper staring at his reflection with a strange expression, his eyes wide and hollow. Ariel's calm evaporated; if Jasper was disturbed by what he saw, things were just as bad as she had feared. An icy sensation settled in Ariel’s stomach, and the urge to run overcame her again, but before she could break away, Max's urgent voice pierced the air.

"Jasper!"

As if snapped from a trance, Jasper stepped back, pulling Ariel with him before letting her go and turning away. Ariel watched him with a mix of confusion and curiosity, trying to catch a glimpse of his face, but he had his back to her. When she persisted, Max intervened, shielding Jasper from view.

"How was it?"

Ariel’s eyes darted to where she presumed Jasper stood behind him. Was he asking her? After a moment of silence and an exasperated look from the Chinese man, Ariel finally managed to respond.

"Well... terrible..."

"Ariel reacted as I figured," Jasper suddenly spoke, prompting Max to step aside and reveal Jasper facing them with complete composure. Ariel glanced between the two men, thoroughly baffled. What was that all about? Why had Max stopped her from seeing Jasper?

"What do you mean, as you figured?" Ariel eventually asked when it became clear neither man would explain what had just happened. Jasper looked down the hall before glancing back at them and beginning to walk.

"I knew you wouldn't freeze like the others, and you didn’t. You reacted as I expected," he answered cryptically. Crossing her arms, Ariel began to follow.

"You didn't know that for sure! What if I had ended up like Mandy or worse?" she protested while glaring at the back of her boss's head. A barely detectable smile tugged at Jasper’s lips.

"You wouldn't have. You don't value your looks nearly as much as Mackenzie does hers," he stated enigmatically.

Ariel clenched her fists in frustration; she was starting to get angry. Why did everything he said always circle back to Mandy? Wouldn't anyone give her a straight answer? Was that an insult or a compliment anyway? Sensing her hostility, Jasper decided to elaborate further.

"What you saw earlier, Ariel, wasn't some supernatural effect of the mirrors. It was a self-induced reaction. They were frozen by their own shock. Remember John didn't freeze? Why do you think that was?" He glanced back at her as he asked this. A fresh blush spread across Ariel's cheeks; she hated it when he looked at her like that—it made her feel put on the spot and her mind go blank.

"Well- uh...um," she stammered, unable to come up with anything coherent, blushing even deeper. Jasper turned forward again.

"Vanity, Ariel. John—and, as I suspected, you—aren't vain. You were shocked by the sight of death; they were shocked by the sight of themselves old and decayed. Their vanity was so affected that they became frozen in place, unable to look away."

As Ariel's blush faded, she tried to process what he had said. So vanity caused such reactions? She pictured Leroy, Mandy, and Taylor and realized it made sense. Then an idea struck her.

"Jasper," Ariel began, trying to keep her voice steady, "If vanity caused Leroy and Taylor to freeze, why did Mandy..?" She let her question trail off artfully as Jasper nodded.

"I suppose it affected her even more," he conceded. "Her vanity was that much greater." The unspoken comparison hung in the air: Mandy equals vain, Ariel equals not. Ariel's hand reached for where her ponytail hung down.

"So if you were just seeing if I would freeze or not, why did I need to put my hair up?" she wondered, raising an eyebrow at Jasper.

"I didn't bring you there to see if you'd freeze or not, Ariel," he replied. "I knew you didn't care about your looks enough to be vain—" here Ariel winced at the blunt insult, "—I brought you there and had you put up your hair to test something else. I'm now certain that those mirrors, despite their antique appearance, aren't original to this theater. I believe they were installed just weeks ago."

Ariel's eyes widened in surprise.

"What?"

"Didn't you notice? Your reflection showed you with your hair down," Jasper answered cryptically. Ariel recalled her reflection and realized Jasper was right. She hadn't noticed before; she had been too terrified to catch such a simple thing, but Jasper had.

"You had me put up my hair to see if my reflection would match? But how did you know...?"

"It was a simple test. The reflection didn't change; those mirrors aren't normal..." Jasper said quietly, now more talking to himself. Ariel felt her anger rising again.

"Well, I could guess that much! Most mirrors don't show you dead! But how did you know to check—" But just then Max interrupted,

"Jasper, it's getting late; we should head back to the Inn."

Jasper nodded.

"Taylor and Makenzie should have recovered enough by now."