Hidden Secrets (An AHS: Hotel/Tristan Duffy Fan-Fiction)

Chapter Seven: New Faces

After the night that amazing, but stressful night, Tristan began to spend more time with me in his room. The Countess was usually busy with her other boy toy anyways, so never really noticed he was gone. On nights when the Countess demanded Tristan be with her, he'd give me a long talk about how soon we'd be leaving and she would no longer be around to take him from me. I couldn't help it but to be jealous of the Countess. Although she didn't have his love, she had any other part of him that she desired, any time she'd like. I hated that so much and most importantly, I hated her.

"Darling, you have to understand that she means nothing to me." Tristan tried explaining to me one night when the Countess texted him, telling him to come to her room. "I just have to keep up this act a little longer. Don't worry though, we will be out of here in no time and she will be a thing of the past."

"But I don't want to share you anymore." I complained. "I love you and she doesn't. It's just not fair."
"I know, babe." he took my face in his hands. "I hate it too. But we will make it through this."
"Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if I wasn't stuck in this room with no one to talk to every night." I told him. "It's just so depressing."
"How about tonight I get someone to show you around the hotel?" he mentioned. "I'll make sure to have a few people look out for you to make sure you stay safe, but for the most part it'll be like you're just another guest. No one should suspect a thing."
"That doesn't sound too bad actually." I replied, feeling a little excited to venture out of the room I had been isolated in.
"Okay, you wait right here. I'll be back." he smiled.

He left the room for awhile and I sat on the bed and waited for his return. I began to get even more excited at the thought of leaving the confines of Tristan's room. I loved being with him, but I was never one to love staying in one place for very long. I needed new faces and new scenery. Staring at the same walls for over a month didn't feel too healthy.

Tristan finally returned with a lady I had never met before. She was tall, bald, and wore extremely lavish clothing. 

"You must be Alexa!" she grinned. "I've heard so much about you."
"Alexa, this is Liz. She runs the bar and she's a close friend of mine." he introduced me.
"Nice to meet you." I smiled.
"Likewise," she replied, "I have been asking Tristan for awhile to let me meet you. He talks about you every time he comes down. That is, when the Countess isn't around. I think it's sick how she treats Tristan, and I just want to see the two of you happy. I don't want to see this end badly."
"Thank you," I said sincerely, "So will you be showing me around tonight?"
"Of course, darling!" she seemed almost as excited as me. "So Tristan, you go do what you must. I will take good care of Alexa."
"Thanks Liz." Tristan replied and then hurried off to get to the Countess' room.

Liz had a personality like no other person I had ever met. She seemed so wise and fiery. I could tell we would get along just fine. She showed me around the whole hotel, explaining to me which floors to avoid and which ones were safe. She introduced me to a few of the people there, one of them being a man named John who worked for the police. According to Liz, he was slightly insane. The hotel had so much character and, by what I could tell, it attracted the darkest of characters to it. 

"And this here, is my place." Liz said as we approached the hotel bar.
"This is where you work?" I asked.
"Yes ma'am. I have for quite awhile now." she nodded. "Would you like anything?" 
"I'm fine, thank you." I smiled as she went behind the bar and I sat on one of the stools. "So how long have you known Tristan?"
"Not too long." she explained. "It wasn't long after he was turned that you came in. I think he realized very quickly that he wasn't in love with the Countess like he originally thought he was."
"What made him think he was in the first place?" I wandered.
"She just has that effect on people. sweetheart." she began fixing herself a drink. "If you met her, you would probably understand."
"How is that?" I questioned further. 
"It's sort of hard to explain." she sipped her drink and faced me. "It's like she reaches into your soul and finds the most vulnerable part of you, and she plays with it, just by looking into your eyes. It's enchanting, but dangerous."
"That's intimidating." I lowered my head a bit. "How could I compete with someone that compelling?"
"Non-sense. In Tristan's mind, there is no competition." she assured me. "You are the one he loves. I can see it in his eyes when he talks to you."
"Really?" I began to cheer up.
"Of course. He tells me about how brilliant you are, and how you love art and books." she told me. "He also tells me about how he's never met someone who understands him like you do. And I can't begin to explain how happy that makes me. The minute I seen that the Countess had turned him, I though he was going to end up brainwashed and lovesick like the others, who never find their true purpose in life. I was afraid he was lost to her forever. Then you showed up and it was like he broke free from her grasp."
"Wow... I didn't realize I had done that for him." I responded in disbelief. 
"Well you have." she nodded. "But remember, that is a dangerous thing. The longer he's here, the more she can sense him growing further apart from her. You two have to get out of here soon, before she finds you and breaks both of your hearts."
"We're working on it." I told her.