Chapter 81: The Ghost, the Boyfriend, and the Second Chance That Almost Got Ruined

Ellie took a deep breath, flexing her fingers. She was back.

After all the chaos, the void, the horrible screaming entities, and whatever weird dimension she had been trapped in—she was finally back in her own body.

And she was not about to let some creepy, ego-driven thing try to take it from her again.

She turned to Ben, who was currently eyeing the blanket-covered mirror like it might explode.

He pointed at it. "So, uh. That thing is still in there?"

Ellie grinned. "Yep."

Ben squinted at the mirror. "And it can't… y'know… get out?"

Ellie shrugged. "I mean, it shouldn't be able to."

Ben inhaled sharply. "Ellie."

"Ben."

"Please tell me you actually know how this works."

She tilted her head. "You want the honest answer?"

"Yes."

"No clue."

Ben groaned. "Ellie!"

Before he could launch into a full breakdown, the mirror shook violently, the blanket flying off.

The dark figure inside the glass slammed against the surface, its mouth stretching into something inhuman.

"YOU CANNOT HOLD ME HERE!" it bellowed, voice a mix of every bad nightmare Ben had ever had.

Ellie crossed her arms. "Yeah? Well, I just did."

The entity snarled, pressing harder against the mirror's surface. The glass cracked.

Ben yelped and grabbed Ellie's arm. "Okay, nope, that's our cue to leave—"

"TOO LATE."

The voice came from behind them.

Ellie and Ben froze.

Slowly, they turned.

And standing there, somehow outside the mirror, was the entity.

Ellie blinked. "What the—how?!"

The entity grinned, stepping forward with a body that was still flickering between shadow and flesh.

Ben grabbed a lamp off the nightstand. "I don't know how ghosts work, but I swear to God, if you come near us, I will whack you with this."

The entity laughed, dark and amused.

Ellie rolled her eyes. "Ben, it's a ghost, not a burglar."

Ben didn't lower the lamp. "Yeah, well, the last time I hit it, it did hesitate, so maybe ghosts hate Ikea."

The entity's face twisted, shifting into something eerily familiar.

Ellie's stomach dropped.

It was her face.

Just... wrong.

Like someone had drawn her from memory but forgot what a human smile was supposed to look like.

"Ellie, Ellie, Ellie," the thing crooned, "you really thought you won?"

Ellie gritted her teeth. "Listen, shadow freak—I've literally fought my way back from the afterlife. You are NOT taking my body back."

The entity lunged.

Ellie dodged, barely avoiding the swipe of inky black fingers.

Ben swung the lamp. It shattered against the creature's head.

There was a pause.

Ben blinked at the broken lamp in his hands. "Uh… did that do anything?"

The entity turned its head slowly, completely unfazed.

Ben paled. "Okay, cool, so that didn't work."

Ellie groaned. "Oh, for the love of—MOVE."

She grabbed a book off the desk and hurled it at the entity.

It passed right through.

Ben gaped. "Your grand plan was throwing a book?"

"Hey, if it worked in The Exorcist, it was worth a shot!"

The entity lunged again, and this time, Ellie didn't dodge.

She stepped forward, grabbing its wrists before its hands could wrap around her throat.

The moment their skin touched, electricity jolted through her—like her soul was being ripped apart.

The entity grinned.

"You don't belong here," it whispered.

Ellie snarled. "Neither do you!"

She pushed back, summoning every ounce of willpower she had left.

Ben, not knowing what else to do, grabbed a bottle of holy water he had definitely panic-bought last week and splashed it on them.

The entity screamed.

Ellie yelped. "BEN, WHAT THE HELL?!"

"IT WORKED, DIDN'T IT?!"

The entity staggered back, its form flickering violently.

Ellie took her chance.

She kicked it—hard—sending it crashing back toward the mirror.

The entity screamed as its form began to suck back into the glass.

"NO!" it howled. "I WON'T GO BACK!"

Ellie grabbed the mirror, pressing her palm flat against the surface.

"Yeah?" she hissed. "Try me."

With one final shove, the entity was yanked back into the mirror—this time, for good.

The glass solidified, no longer shifting, no longer alive.

Ellie and Ben collapsed to the floor.

Silence.

Then—

Ben rolled onto his back, chest heaving. "...So, uh. Do we keep the mirror?"

Ellie gaped at him. "Ben."

"I'm just saying," he continued, "it is kind of a cool antique."

Ellie groaned, dragging her hands down her face. "Oh my God, I am breaking up with you."

Ben snorted. "No, you're not."

Ellie sighed. "...No, I'm not."

Ben gave her a thumbs up. "Good talk."

Ellie turned her gaze to the now silent mirror.

The entity was gone.

She was back.

And this time?

She wasn't going anywhere.