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the pub picked up a little. It was obvious I was far from the Bible belt as the place grew crowded. College students, out for a few drinks and a game of pool filled the pub. Aggie had me back behind the bar with her for the remainder of the evening, watching as I fixed a few of the drinks she taught me and giving me pointers on pouring the beer. I barely saw Nolan all evening until it was time to leave. I headed towards the back to clock out and hang up my apron, once again passing Nolan's office. The door was cracked open but I didn't see him in there this time. I shrugged and turned toward the wall to punch my timecard before tugging at my apron.
    “Good job today.” Nolan’s low voice rumbled behind me. I jumped and my hands dropped the apron strings I'd been fussing with as I spun around. “Sorry. Didn't mean ta scare ya.”
    “It's fine. Thank you for the job, by the way.” I returned to untying the apron from my waist.
    “Don't mention it. We needed extra help.” His gaze slowly lifted to mine as he leaned against the adjacent wall. Once again, I noticed that odd look of recognition as he seemed to study the features of my face. After a moment his lips turned down into a frown and his stance suddenly grew rigid. “Anyway, um...keep it up. See ya tomorrow.”
    He cleared his throat and abruptly turned away from me, leaving me baffled at how quickly his demeanor towards me seemed to shift. Maybe Aggie was right, he was just on the antisocial side. I was too exhausted from a full day of work to contemplate it further. After all, he was just my boss. I didn't need to like him, as long as I could tolerate him.
    I grabbed my bag from the hook and replaced it with my apron. After leaving the pub, I pulled my hair out of its ponytail and let it fall free. Despite sore feet, I kept a brisk pace as I walked home. I was ready to curl up with some tea then hit the sack. I hoped I wouldn’t have any more weird dreams like the night before.
    I still couldn’t piece together why I’d dreamt about that girl, why I’d kissed her, or why she looked like a paler version of me. And the mirrors. Had I really seen something in them? I was sure it was only my subconscious teasing me after the landlord told me about the suicide. Just like my eyes had played tricks on me in the bathroom mirror. I always had an overactive imagination and a knack for scaring myself. When I was about six, my mom made the mistake of letting me watch The Shining with her one night. It was the main reason why I don’t like sleeping with all the lights off, and why to this day, I still feel a little creeped out whenever I see identical twins.
    When I arrived home, there was nothing to greet me but peace and quiet. I kicked my boots off by the door, started a kettle of water on the stove, and walked to the bedroom to change. My legs and feet had grown painfully sore from spending the day on them, but it felt good knowing that I could take care of myself – despite it being drilled in my head otherwise by “Mister Wonderful.”
    I stripped down to my underwear and slid on PJ pants and a long sleeve top before tentatively peering at myself in the large oval mirror. There was only my reflection staring back. Hmmph. Just my imagination. There’s no such thing as ghosts. I didn’t have the luxury of getting spooked like the previous tenants, so better not to divulge in ghost tales and other supernatural crap that wasn’t possible.
    I smiled contently and reassured myself as I padded back toward the kitchen where the kettle was just starting to whistle. Chamomile tea with honey, then sleep . My mouth salivated at the thought and as I poured the hot water over the teabag, the fragrant and calming scent of chamomile instigated a yawn. I squeezed some honey into the mug and stirred it around, watching it melt into the hot liquid. After a few minutes and blowing a few breaths over the surface, I lifted it to my lips and took a sip. My body relaxed as the