The Heart of Seasons

Chapter 9: A Knotty Situation

~Blake’s POV~

Blake twisted and squirmed through crowds of people, hurriedly denying any conversations people tried starting with him. He knew if he lost sight of the girl in the blue dress, he lost everything.

He caught her sneak something from someone’s hand as she slipped through a group coming in the side door. He managed to catch up enough to see that she was holding an envelope, probably containing money.

I bet it’s for drugging Adam, he thought angrily. His adrenaline pumping, he continued pushing through mass after mass of people until he finally saw her dart through a nearly invisible door, having the same pattern as the walls. He managed to grab it before it shut, dashing in and shutting it behind himself.

He found himself in a large room, the carpet matching the one out in the casino. There were a few people sitting at a table in the corner, and the room was silent save for the hum of the vending machines on the opposite wall. It was like being in a whole different building and Blake forced himself to get his bearings as he searched for the woman. A door closed to his left, and, without saying a word to the men that were looking at him questioningly, he darted through the door after the mysterious girl. This led to another, smaller room similar to the last except this one had three other doors and only a bench in one corner. The faded red walls and dim lighting gave the room an eerie feeling.

Blake looked around frantically but there was no sign of recent life or movement. It was if the woman disappeared into thin air. Sighing frustratedly, Blake tried all the doors. One led to a broom closet, another to a boiler room, and the third back out into the casino. He gave up his search and headed back out into the crowded, flashing room filled with the noises of people and machines.

He suddenly became drained of energy and longed for a rest. He guessed it was from the sip of the drink he had from Adam’s cup and decided it was best that he go up to the room and sleep it off. On his way out of the casino and into the hotel lobby, he called the hospital. A doctor relayed to him that Adam was still knocked out cold but his vitals were all stable. Apparently whatever he was given was nothing more than a fruit drink infused with extremely strong sedatives obviously meant to put him to sleep for a long time.

But why? Blake couldn’t figure out what the purpose of rendering Adam unconscious for a few hours was. It didn’t hurt either of them or really ruin anything for them, and it was obviously planned ahead of time. So what was the point? Blake couldn't begin to imagine. Shoving the phone back into his pocket and unlocking his door, he flicked on the switch and bright light illuminated the large room.

Blake had just thrown his wallet on the side table when he heard the room door slam shut behind him. Spinning around, he came face to face with the very woman he had been chasing. He felt something pressed against his mouth and then saw the floor rushing up at him. The last thing he thought before everything went dark was not possible.

***

Blake finally came to, but didn’t open his eyes. He didn’t want to alert her that he was conscious just yet. He knew he was still in the room because it had that funny hairspray scent that he and Adam noticed when they first got there.

So she hasn’t moved me. I don’t hear anyone, but she is a quiet girl. I don’t think there was anyone else. I can feel ropes or something around my wrists and ankles. Why is she doing this? What did I do wrong to her? Blake realized now why she drugged Adam. To get him out of the way.

Knowing he was delaying the inevitable, Blake finally opened his eyes. He was sitting in the middle of the room, looking at the door he came in. To his left was the bed, on which the blonde girl was laying on her back across it with her head hanging off the side. She was watching Blake upside down and, had the situation been any different, he would have laughed at her childishness.