Hummingbird // AHS Hotel

Chapter Eight: The Gift

♪ Young & Beautiful - The Bryan Ferry Orchestra ♪

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I knocked on James' door, gripping the box tightly in my hands. "It's Charlotte," I called, thinking back to the last time I had arrived unannounced.

He had been too tired to do anything else last night after his Devil's Night celebration, which Liz had told me was a success, whatever that meant. After meeting Bartholomew with Elizabeth, I had returned to her penthouse to retrieve the black dress, and then went back to my own room.

Now it was the following afternoon: Halloween. Though it saddened me that I wouldn't be wearing a costume or attending a Halloween party this year, I was living in a legitimately haunted hotel. There were enough horrors here in the Cortez to last me til next October. 

The Countess had gone out this morning, returning with the present for James that I currently held in my hands.

James opened the door, looking pleasantly surprised that I was visiting him out of my own free will. "Come in," he said, graciously holding the door for me.

"Before you get any ideas, I am not here to repeat what we did last time," I said, stepping inside.

"Understood," he said, closing the door behind us. "What's that?" he asked, looking at the box I held. 

"I got you something. It's from me and the Countess. Happy birthday." I held it out to him and he took it from me. 

"A present? For me?" He smiled at me gleefully, and I realized, between the other people residing in this hotel and the type of guests he invited to his parties, it had probably been years if not decades since he had unwrapped a birthday present.

"It's not that great," I rolled my eyes. "When you open it you're gonna think, 'what am I supposed to do with this?', but you're just gonna have to trust me, okay? It's for your own good."

He eyed me suspiciously as he sat down on the green couch, placing the box on the side table near it so he could open it carefully. Eagerly, he tore through the wrapping paper, tossing it aside on the floor. He lifted the lid of the box off, the excitement leaving his face when he saw what it was. "Well, what am I supposed to do with this?" he whined. "You know I don't like these things."

"Can you just be grateful for once in your life and take the damn present?" I said. "The Countess went out and got it specifically so I could give it to you. Don't make me regret this act of kindness." I glowered at him, and he backed down with a sigh.

"I got you this for a reason," I explained, sitting down next to him. "I'm gonna show you something." I took the laptop from out of the box, opening it and turning it on. Once the home screen loaded, I clicked the game I had installed on it shortly before walking to James' room. "Okay, I need you for this part. I need you to sit still for a few minutes. Pretend I'm painting you or something."

He obliged, looking confused but too curious about the gift to not cooperate. I got to work on the laptop, glancing back and forth between James and the screen, using him for reference.

"There!" I said a few minutes later. "Come look." I turned the laptop around for him to see the screen. On it was a video game avatar that I had created to look like James.

"He looks just like me," he said, staring at the screen in amazement. "He even has my mustache! And my suit!"

"Yep," I said. "And, look, his name is James March, and I gave him the traits 'evil,' 'romantic,' and 'materialistic.'"