The water kept running.
Steady.
Unbroken.
Too loud for such a small house.
I stood in the hallway, staring at the bathroom door.
Something felt… wrong.
Not fear.
Not exactly.
More like—
My body already knew something my mind hadn’t caught up to yet.
“Ryan?” I called softly.
No answer.
I stepped closer.
The floor felt cold under my feet.
Each step slower than the last.
“Ryan?” I said again.
Still nothing.
The bathroom door was slightly open.
Just a crack.
Steam drifted out into the hallway.
And then—
I heard it.
Not the water.
Not movement.
A voice.
Soft.
Low.
Whispering.
I froze.
It wasn’t Ryan.
Because it was… layered.
Like two voices speaking at once.
My hand started shaking as I pushed the door open.
The bathroom was empty.
The shower was running.
Hot water pouring down.
Steam filling the air.
But Ryan—
Wasn’t there.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
“Ryan?”
No answer.
I stepped inside slowly.
The mirror was fogged over.
Completely.
And something was written on it.
At first, I thought it was just condensation.
Random streaks.
But then—
I saw it clearly.
Words.
Three of them.
“SHE CAN SEE ME.”
My stomach dropped so fast I thought I might collapse.
“Lily…”
A sound came from behind me.
I spun around.
Ryan stood in the doorway.
Dry.
Fully dressed.
Watching me.
For a second, neither of us spoke.
Then he looked at the mirror.
And smiled.
Not wide.
Not obvious.
Just… enough.
“You weren’t supposed to see that,” he said calmly.
My heart stopped.
“What… is that?” I whispered.
Ryan tilted his head slightly.
Like he was thinking.
Like this was a normal conversation.
“I was wondering how long it would take,” he said.
Something inside me screamed.
Run.
Now.
But my legs wouldn’t move.
“Take what?” I asked.
His eyes shifted—just for a second.
Toward the hallway.
Toward Lily’s room.
“Her,” he said.
The word didn’t feel human.
My entire body went cold.
“What are you talking about?”
Ryan stepped closer.
Slow.
Careful.
“She’s… sensitive,” he said. “Some children are.”
I backed up instinctively.
“Sensitive to what?”
He smiled again.
Wider this time.
“To things that don’t belong to you.”
My breath caught.
And then—
From down the hallway—
Lily screamed.
Not like before.
This scream was different.
Raw.
Terrified.
Final.
I shoved past Ryan and ran.
“Lily!”
I burst into her room—
And froze.
Her bed was empty.
The window was open.
Curtains moving in the night air.
And on the wall—
Written in something dark—
Were the same words.
“SHE CAN SEE ME.”
Behind me—
Ryan’s voice came softly.
“Now you understand.”
I turned slowly.
My heart breaking apart.
“Where is my daughter?”
Ryan didn’t answer.
He just looked at me.
And said—
“You should’ve listened… the first time she said she didn’t want to bathe.”
