The Hotel

𝖘𝖍𝖎𝖓𝖊.

¢håþ†êr lðåÐïñg...

lðåÐïñg ¢ðmþlê†ê.

~✩~✩~

THE GIRL WAVES GOODBYE TO HER NEW FRIEND, WHO WAVES BACK.

She'd been scanning the room and found that there was a locked door labelled '001', so there must be a matching key. She picks a key on the hook behind the reception desk, which has a tag- '001', she reads. It's exactly what I'm looking for.

With ease, she turns the key, and with a 'click' the padlock is rendered useless. She walks through, sparing one last glance at Jenn, who smiles and eggs her on, waving more vigorously. The girl smiles back, and turns- walking a little more. Jenn... Jenn... what's my name? I'm sure I had one, but I don't remember it. The girl shakes her head, dispelling the thoughts. I'll need one. What about Yui? It- it seems familiar somehow...

Her wondering is cut short when she realizes the room she entered- this one large and homely, with a crackling fireplace and comfy couches- is adorned with... another locked door. This one is '002', she thinks, so there should be a key somewhere here. She rummages through the drawers. Nothing, except a little gold- oh! There it is, in the bottom drawer. She picks the key up- it reads '002'. It's the right key.

Unknown to her, a lady- surrounded by sparkles and blue light- floats above. The lady is much like... a spirit. "She learns quick," the spirit concludes, twirling around in the air. She is ghostly, pale, unassuming. "Then again, she's a Player. If she didn't have those qualities... she wouldn't have those many Knobs."

The girl feels a chill on her back. Is someone talking about me? She shivers at the very thought, but continues on to the next room; she is still blissfully unaware of the people- are they even people? – in the shadows, watching her every move. Cold. Determining. Calculating. And most of all... wondering.

﹌﹌﹌﹌

Door '012', the girl reads, huffing. This is boring. She opens the door to find a new kind of room- as if her wish was granted. But this one is dark. Pitch black shadows curtaining the ceiling, and some funny, inky substance covering the ground-she attempts to peep into the area. She is unable to see when she steps into the room. The girl shoves her hand into her backpack, hands scrambling for the lighter as she slowly walks forwards. She takes it, and flicks it open. A soft light illuminates the dark room, in a small radius around her. She sighs in relief. She has a feeling that something annoying will happen if she doesn't keep a light source around.

"Aw, it's a lighter," grumbles a small boy child. "She knows what she's doing... we aren't getting a bite," another child- this one a girl- pouts to the one who spoke before. The boy seems slightly younger. Both are hiding in the shadows of the dark room, staying away from the light. The elder child thinks for a moment, then mutters, "Think of it like a challenge. We can ask some of the others for more dark rooms, so we have extra chances."

The girl, meanwhile, looks overhead. There was a sparkling, blue thing that caught her eye... she walks to end of the dark room and twists open the door with ease. Stepping outside of the dark room, she takes a look back- this time, she swears she saw something blue and shimmery right there, at the edge of the doorway. Furrowing her eyebrows, she pretends to shrug it off and walks forwards, all the while keeping watch for anything shiny at the corners of her vision.

Away, back in the dark room, the blue spirit breathes a sigh of relief. "It seems she almost noticed me too early," she notes, carefully floating out of the room, just beyond the girl's line of sight. "I should be extra careful from now on."

"...why would you be careful?" the girl dashes into the room. She seems to have been waiting for this moment. The spirit gasps.

Fumbling for a response, she settles on surprise: "You- you can hear me?" The ghostly lady carefully treads into safer waters.

"Why wouldn't I be able to? You were talking out loud, were you not?" The girl folds her arms neatly and stares holes into the floating lady. It seems that the spirit has fallen into more dangerous waters instead. What she didn't know was that the girl was panicking internally. Dammit, she's pretty... Why is everyone here attractive?

And indeed, she is pretty. She has long, sky-blue hair and eyes the same shade as ice. She wears thick silver bracelets with chain attachments.

The lady sighs. She decides a little truth wouldn't hurt... "No one ever hears me. Or sees me, for that matter... I'm Guiding Light. You can call me Spirit."

The girl releases Guiding Light- no, Spirit -from her harsh stare, settling on an innocent expression. "I'm... Yui. Others have been here before?"

"...you're smart," Spirit affirms. "Others have been here as well."

"Where are they?" 'Yui' asks, curious. "I haven't seen many people... except Jenn."

"You've met her?" Spirit is suddenly cautious. She floats forwards, placing pale hands on either sides of Yui's pink cheeks. "Are you hurt?" she wonders, carefully looking Yui over.

"...no?" Yui timidly replies, standing stock-still. Spirit finishes her assessment, and Yui takes the moment. "Why would she?"

"Most... people here aren't very kind," was Spirit's reply. "You should only rely on a few." She rests her hand on Yui's head. "I hope, later, you will allow me to be one of those few." Spirit smiles kindly. "I have helped many others. Including her, so many times... so many," she whispers the last part, fondly remembering how-

"Alright." Yui nods, shaking Spirit out of her reverie. "If you prove yourself."

"Hehe." Spirit takes her hand off Yui's head, and nods along, smiling as brightly as the sparkles surrounding her. "Of course."

⊂●O✩O●⊃

guiding light kekeke ⁄(⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)⁄