Inside, everything was the same—except that on the floor around Amy’s full-length mirror was a small ring of scabs. Amy looked down at bits of dry, discolored skin and made a face as disgust rolled over her. He’d been here, obviously, staring into the mirror, healing the hot spots that grew on him when he used his powers, no longer bothering to hide the evidence.

Amy caught sight of herself in the mirror and paused. She was huddled, pale, clutching a black candle like her life depended on it. Her eyes were dark and sunken, her lips were chapped—it looked as though she’d gotten older in the past few days. All thanks to …

In the mirror, a shape rose from where it lay under Amy’s covers.

Amy whirled around—and then there was a shove from something invisible, like a hand made of air seized her by the collarbone and threw her backward. A flash of white seared across her vision as she slammed into the wall, the air leaving her lungs in a single forced huff. All at once, the invisible form had a grip around her neck, forcing her up against the wall.

Rover leapt off the edge of the bed and stared up at Amy, his eyes wide and black all the way through. Hot spots patterned his body like grotesque camouflage; Amy saw that the one on his face had spread down his jaw and eaten away at his left lip, so that she could see the two rows of sharp teeth set, yellowed and glistening, in the cracked red flesh of his face. The change made it look as though Rover was baring his teeth fiercely, but as always, the dog never growled at Amy, only let out a soft whuff and approached her, his eyes as cold, dark, and deep as wells at night.

“Help!” cried Amy, but then the invisible force tightened around her throat and her voice cut out in an ugly pinch. She felt her windpipe close, creating only a painful rasp when she tried to breathe. Rover gave a little flick of his muzzle, and soon she was rising off the ground, the phantom hand sliding her up the wall by her neck.

Amy’s vision blurred. She clawed at her throat but her hands met nothing. She kicked her legs, twisted her body, did everything she could to get free from the grip, but it was impossible. The hand tightened even further, and through the spots swimming before her eyes, Amy watched as a hunk of fur on Rover’s side peeled away and fell to the floor, revealing a shiny fresh patch of scab.

“Rover?”

Rover raised his head, his ears perking.

The voice, sweet and high-pitched, came from outside Amy’s door. The knob jerked as a hand tried it from the other side.

“Rover, it’s me,” said Katie. “Open up, my sweet boy. I have a treat for you.”