What Once Was

Chapter 13- Ready?

_Charlie POV_

After taking a long relaxing shower, I stepped out of my bathroom, wearing my black satin robe. I held the fluffy crimson colored towel and quickly dried my hair off, making it be a dry mess.

Vaggie and I talked about doing a simple date for tonight, in hopes to avoid attention from the residents of hell and hoping they had forgotten about the failing interview that was broadcasted throughout Hell. That, and things between me and her had changed, I felt like she was more overprotective than usual, and I wanted to address that I could take care of myself.

I opened my closet, and went though the section where all my dresses were. When I was given the hotel by my parents to help me in my project I moved in, with Vaggie, and brought only some partial things from back at the palace. Razzle and Dazzle were in charge with packing my dresses, since they really loved choosing my clothes.

Instead of wearing one of the usual dresses I wore, I decided to wear one that I rarely used, so I pushed all my dresses to the right, to see the 'forgotten' dresses. After all most of these dresses already had memories made along side Vaggie, I needed something fresh.

I realized that I somewhat organized my dresses by the eras. It was quite fascinating how each design changed through the times. As I was going through the vintage dresses of what I assumed the 1970s, I realized I had not gathered all my dresses, and there was one at the far left of the rack. I stretched out my left arm but to no avail I couldn't. I forcibly pushed myself into the far left end of the closet to get that dress, and relief washed over my body as I did and pulled myself out of there.

As I pulled the hanger out with me as well, I nearly fell due to the amount of strength I was using. As I stepped back, catching my balance I examined the dress, it's was quite simple that it was somewhat loose, and was sleeveless. It was of silver sequin and pearl handbeading on black mesh. A dramatic scalloped beaded fringe complemented the whole dress.

"How long have I had this?" I asked out loud to myself, hoping my conscious would answer but no, I didn't have any memories of acquiring this dress. It was quite beautiful, and was certainly not part of the fashion in the 1970s.

Out of curiosity, I tried on the dress, which fitted me quite perfectly. I turned to look at my antique oval shaped mirror that sat right across from my bed. It's golden veined swirls that twisted them selves around eyes added a more aesthetic to the mirror. I turned to look at myself, a sense of familiarity washed over me as I stared back at myself. I went closer to the mirror, seeing how my reflection seemed to distort as aspects of my face changed, as if the mirror was one of the mirrors in my Dad's Lu Lu World haunted house.

My red cheeks dissolved into just a shade blending into my skin color that turned to a pale ivory shade. My black lips changed to a pale pink, and my short was now short and curly. I rubbed my eyes, thinking I was just hallucinating this, but no, the reflection still was there, staring back at me and mimicking my moves. I crept up to the mirror, like my reflection did, and slowly reached out for the mirror with my right hand, and softly placed my hand on my reflection's chest.

Nothing happened, as expected, and I was probably just imagining things. As I pulled my hand back, it was now drenched in blood. The warm fluid trickled through my fingers as I turned to look at my reflection, whose dress had changed to a similar dress but made of a different fabric, and it's coral shade disappearing with the blood that trickled from a wound on the chest.

I slowly stepped back, my eyes parting wide in disbelief at what happening right in front of me. The mirror's decorative eyes followed my every move as I held the towel I dried my hair with and quickly dried off the blood. Yet it was still there and no matter how much I tried removing it, it still lingered, and covered my whole hand. I grew anxious by the moment, until I heard knocking from my room's door.