some time between Oct 31st & Nov 1st
When Libby opened her eyes, she instantly wanted to shut them again. Wherever she was right now, it was very, very bright. The ground beneath felt flat, smooth, and cold. She was not in the Preserve anymore, that was for sure. Was it morning? Was that why there was so much light? With a soft groan, she sat up.
The place where she woke up was a white room. Rows and rows of lights overhead were the only notable features. Libby climbed to her feet. She was surprised to note that she was barefoot. Looking down, she noticed the white dress she had on that she definitely wasn't wearing before. What was this place? It had the clinical sterility of the hospital, but other than the overhead lights, the room was completely devoid of furnishings.
She spun to look around. As she did so, she noticed that her hair was blond again. That was definitely weird. She turned one way and then the other. Nothing. When she blinked and looked again, she noticed something in the distance. In fact, it looked too distant for the room to reasonably hold. Libby wondered if it was some kind of odd optical illusion. She walked towards the something. She kept walking and walking. It felt like ages, but it seemed like she wasn't getting that much closer. She broke into a run towards the something. It helped close the distance somewhat, but not as much as she would have thought.
When she finally got close enough to see more clearly what the something was, Libby was astonished to see that it was a large tree stump. It was wider around than possibly any tree that Libby had ever seen. She reached out with a touch the cracks and grooves, even though she knew she was too far to make contact.
"Boo!"
Libby whipped around at the sound of another person. She had very clearly been alone seconds before. The room was so large and open to view, she would have known if there was someone else with her. As she turned around, she found herself staring into the face of someone entirely too familiar. It was herself except with hair that was pin-straight and dark red. She wore makeup like Libby had on for Halloween and the exact same dress she was currently wearing except in black.
Libby gaped at her. "Who are you?"
The girl grinned. "I'm you, silly. Duh!"
Libby wasn't so sure she believed that. Although it was undeniable that they looked exactly the same, there was something about looking at the girl that was distinctly not like looking into a mirror.
"No, you're not," she said with certainty. "Who are you?"
The girl sighed and shrugged nonchalantly. "Doesn't matter now. For all intents and purposes, I am you. Or I will be. Soon enough."
Something about the way the girl said that made a strange flare of anger rise in her. She lunged for the girl, only to collide headlong into an invisible barrier and bounce back. She reached out and smacked her palm on something like glass but wasn't. She shifted to the side and tried to reach out again. She was effectively trapped, as if standing in a glass box.
"You stay put. It's my turn to have a shot at life now." The girl chuckled as she turned away. "Don't worry, they won't even miss you. They have me now."
In the back of Libby's mind, a memory rose. Meredith. The girl at Eichen House. The words in her voice echoed. She's coming. When the screamed erupted, Libby couldn't tell if she was the one screaming as she pounded against the glass or if the sound was reverberating in the distance.