Page 48 of Terminal Voyage

"So what's going on?" she asked, suspicious.

"Okay. Don't freak out."

She sighed and gave me a look. "What is it now?"

"I'm not going to make a big deal out of it or anything. I just want you to promise not to freak out."

"I can't make a promise not to freak out when I don't know what's going on."

"Something was written on the mirror.”

Her brow knitted. "What do you mean?”

I stepped into the en suite, blasted the hot water in the shower, then stepped back into the cabin and closed the door.

I told her what I had seen on the mirror.

She rolled her eyes. "So what?"

"Don't you think it's odd?”

After enough steam had gathered in the en suite, I opened the door. Through the haze, we both looked at the mirror. It had fogged over, but there was no message.

No warning.

My jaw dropped. "It was there before.”

"It’s not there now.”

I shook my head in disbelief. "No. Somebody came into this room and wrote a warning on the mirror. Maybe one of the crew."

"Why would somebody write a warning to you?"

Then it dawned on me. I almost didn't want to say it, but I did anyway. "What if Declan wrote it? A message. He doesn'tlike me. He wants me off the boat. What if he's trying to freak me out?"

Vanessa scoffed. "Declan?”

"Yes, Declan. He's worried I'm going to screw up the deal. You said so yourself.”

An exasperated sigh escaped her lips again. "Teagan, why are you doing this?”

"Doing what?”

"Making up all this drama. Is it just for attention?"

I clenched my teeth and glared at her. "No. It's not for attention. I don't want or need attention.” I paused. "In case you haven't been paying attention, I almost died today.”

Vanessa frowned. "I know. I'm sorry that happened to you. I'm glad you're okay,” she said, trying not to sound annoyed. “But don’t you think maybe that stress could be getting to you a little?”

"You’re damn right it’s getting to me."

"Don't you see the pattern here? You experience a traumatic event, then you make up these wild stories… like Kate, or the writing on the mirror. Maybe it's your way of coping with these events.”

My blood boiled. I felt like my head was going to explode. It took everything I had to maintain my calm. "It's not my way of coping.”

"Then what is it?"

I took deep breaths and a long pause to steady myself.