Within Rose Heart

Chapter X - Emerald Ghost Hotel

Damien pulled over and parked at a hotel.

"Emerald Ghost Hotel?" I said lifting my head off the window. "That sounds like a death trap."

"It's no death trap, it's the cheapest hotel in these parts," he answered yanking the key out of the car ignition. I could tell he was tired and stressed out, I wasn't sure how to make him feel better.

"Where are we anyway?" I asked.

"We're out of town." Damien swung the car door open with his bag wrapped around his chest. "Do you mind checking in for us while I get Granny?"

"Uh, sure. I wouldn't mind." Damien tossed me his wallet as I fumbled around to try and catch it. Damien got out the car and pulled open the back door for Granny. I got out the car and headed to the hotel. The hotel blended in with the dark sky, but the lights made it easier to see.

I opened the door, which set off a bell, alerting the front desk woman,"What can I do for you?"

"I would like a room, please. 3 beds." I answered.

"I'm sorry, but we only have 2 beds. Is that okay?"

"Yes. I'll take it."

I could feel her staring at me. It wasn't a good stare, it was an ugly stare. I could tell the difference between stares now since it happened all the time.

"How long will you be staying with us?" she asked looking down when I gave her eye contact.

"I'm not sure. A night maybe?"

She turned and gave me a key to room 103. I gave her the cash and walked over to the bench by the elevator. Damien walked into the hotel with Granny in his arms.

"She's awfully quiet," I said rising from my seat, pushing the elevator button open.

"Yeah, she does that when she in pain. I left her medicine at home, I only packed the muscle relaxer, but she can't last without her actual medicine."

I began to reach for the elevator button when something caught my eye. I looked over to see a picture of Rose with a boy and a girl. I pointed it out to Damien.

"Steve?" Damien was teary-eyed when he saw him. He must have really loved him like he said he did. "What is he doing hung on the wall of a hotel?"

"Steve is a friend of my daughter, Malvery." a woman said from behind. We jumped at her voice and turned around. Her wrinkly skin sagged and tighten around her eyes when she smiled. He breasts hung low to her stomach. Her long gray hair hung to the floor with her emerald green dress. "My daughter was the prettiest thing that has ever been born. Her emerald green eyes would stretch for miles. Her flaming locks of auburn hair and ivory skin would shine every day. Her smile was like a day in Spring and her voice so soft like rain."

"I didn't know Rose stayed here," I said lightly.

"That damned Rose." she barked under her breath. "She took my poor little girl down with her."

"If you don't mind me asking, what did Rose do to your daughter?" I asked. Damien still stood in shock of what he discovered. Steve knew Rose longer than he said he did since childhood seems like.

"My daughter is in hiding from bad people right now. I shouldn't be trusting strangers." Malvery mother lipped away in a rush.

"Please, we are looking for the truth like you. Something is not right with this story and we are here to find out. Who are these bad people and what does Rose have on them?"

She stopped in her steps before slowly turning back around. She looked at me with her dark, sad filled eyes.

"Check in your room and I will give you everything she has ever given me since she left. Be careful."

At this point, I was used to the phrase, " be careful", wasn't phased.

"We will," I answered. I pushed the button to the elevator and allowed Damien to go first since he was holding Granny. "We need to get into that flash drive and then we need to get back into town so we can hack into Mr.Camp system."

"Yeah."

We arrived at our room and a shoe box rested on the mat in front of the door. I picked up the box and scanned the key to unlocking the hotel door. The lady sure did deliver fast. Damien laid Granny onto the bed and took out his laptop. He reached into his bag and pulled out the flash drive and inserted it into the computer.

As his fingers slammed into the keys, I laid next to Granny flipping through the channels. I stopped on a channel when I saw Mr.Camp commercial. He was on the cliff where Rose died. I paused the TV to see a small cabin at the bottom of the cliff. I thought I was crazy, but when I got closer to the TV, it was no a mistake.

"Hey, Damien. Did anyone happen to own a cabin?" I asked.

"Yeah, Steve, we went up there a couple of times, his cousin lives there right now. She's a deadbeat. Why?"

I wanted to answer and say that I saw it on TV, but I couldn't. I can't trust anyone right now. I trusted Henry and now look where it got me. I'm too far from town to find out any more secrets, the only thing we can rely on right now is that secret file on the flash drive.

But I can't keep this a secret, I need him.

"I saw it on the Mr.Camp commercial."

Damien rushed to the room I was in and looked at the commercial. We have to get there before he does.

Damien threw his things back into his bag.

"We can't leave, We paid for the room."

Damien sighed heavily and sat back down. "Fine, but we leave first thing in the morning, because if he knows about that cabin, then who knows what will happen."

Damien seemed to really be worried about the cabin. He lied about his Granny being dead, so what if he lied about Steve being gone?