Erule grumbled as she walked the lavicious halls of her family's mansion. She was going to miss this place. The few trips back home she'd get weren't going to be enough pampering for her liking. But despite the things Daddy had said, there were other reasons forcing her to go, and she was sure there were more she wasn't even aware of.
The grand front door parted in front of her, and she stepped out to the waiting carriage. Her one suitcase of allowed luggage - her maids had packed it for her while she was arguing the point, she'd given it a once-over and called it good enough - was already sat in the tray, so she took the offered hand and stepped up inside, sat down, and sighed. The journey was going to take hours, but at least it was well cushioned. The last comfort Daddy allowed.

---

Wednesday evening. Cleaning up from dinner, Elizabeth got straight into chatting about a story from one of her games.
"So this dude, Blair, he just runs off and starts doing his own thing that everybody else ignores. Meanwhile Sally and John are the only ones actually trying to solve the problem, but they go through this door and get cut off, leaving the rest of the team stranded."
"Aha, I see. What happened to Raymond? You said he was going to solve it by himself? Didn't he already go through that door?"
"Ah, no, he found the secret passage that bypasses the entire next room. At the time those two got through the door, he was on his way back through it."
They'd finished washing the dishes, and were walking towards the lounge...
"Ah!" Elizabeth suddenly remembers, glances at the clock. "I'm due at the movie in 20 minutes! With Jeanie!" She dashed down to her room, Laura strolling behind.
"You'd better get ready quick! It's a 10 minute walk away yeah?"
"Exactly!" Elizabeth hurled off her clothes, quickly grabbing a suitable change, and began stuffing it on.
Chuckling, Laura walked into the room. "Here, I'll get your hair."

Shortly after, Elizabeth was hurrying down the street, glancing at her game and tapping another move or two out before going back to trying to make up the lost time. She arrived at the theatre, 2 minutes before the agreed time, and saw Jeanie waving from the entrance.
"You go in first, I'll catch up!" Elizabeth called as she approached, and jogged straight into the ticket queue. Jeanie tapped her shoulder from behind and shoved a ticket into her face as she turned.
"Two steps ahead of you. I've even already got the rumballs."
"Oh! Thanks!" They grinned at each other, and made their way up to the cinema, to watch the latest in the explosive - literally - series of hunting movies that had taken the world by storm just years before.
Two hours, and many fireballs and thunderous roars later, they were walking out, stretching their stiff limbs and laughing as they threw witty dialogue back and forth. Elizabeth reached for her phone, to check on her games, but as it booted up, she found two messages from Laura.
Two? Laura doesn't send two messages. If she's happily chatting about something, it'll be many more, and if she's just confirming or requesting, it'll be one rather rambling message... Two?
Feeling a foreboding, she checked them first. The first message simply said "well, that's creepy". The second contained a photo, of the mirror she'd bought earlier... Except that was clearly not a mirror anymore. Instead of a reflection, there was... A dark swirl.
"I- I've got to get home." Elizabeth shoved the phone towards Jeanie to show her, and after confirming, began running off. While navigating the steps, she checked the timestamps. Well over half an hour ago. She got halfway through a short "are you ok" message, before giving up fumbling with the screen and hit the dial instead.
Ring ring, ring ring. Laura picked up as she made it out the door. She slowed down, and almost yelled "are you alright!?"
"Yeah! It's stopped now. It didn't last for long, only 10 minutes or so. But it sure was creepy. Where did you get this thing? A haunted Chinese antiques shop?"
Relieved and startled, she came to a complete stop. "Well, it wasn't Chinese, but I can't say about the haunting. And it had been returned twice already... Maybe, maybe we'll make it three times."
"Oh? Haunting? Does that mirror have some tragic backstory?" Elizabeth almost jumped out of her skin.
"Jeanie!"
"Mind if I come have a look at it? This has got me curious."
"Oh hey Jeanie!" Laura called from the phone, just loud enough to hear even without speaker.
Elizabeth flicked speaker on, as Jeanie replied, "hey Laura, I've got tomorrow off, what say I stay over? I'd love to give it a thorough examination."
"Please. I'd like the extra company."
"Alright, see you soon. Hey Liz, want a ride with me?"
"Yeah. Better to be home sooner, I think."