The golden beams illuminated the hotel to the point even the lights seemed useless. MJ sat on the edge of her bed, reading a book. Just then, the sound of an utterly mortified woman was heard.
"MJ !" Veronica exclaimed, jumping to her feet. "WHY DIDN'T YOU WAKE ME UP ???"
MJ snapped the book shut."Relax, we're not on duty today."
Veronica whipped her head towards her. "We're — we're not ?"
"Yes. Remember when I said we're not the only ones who handle front desk activities." She gestured vaguely. "We work from Mondays to Wednesdays. They work from Thursdays to Saturdays."
Veronica's chest rose then fell . "Okay... Okay... So what do we do on days like this ?"
"You can help out in other areas, just..." She shrugged. "Do what you want, most times I go to the department Raymond's at to test out his new... inventions."
A teasing smirk played across her lips. "Oh ho, new inventions all right."
MJ's features tightened slightly into a near-pout. "Th— that's not the only thing I do of course." She planted her palms on the bed, lifting herself. "Anyway, I'll be off now. Bye."
Veronica reached out but hesitated. Curiosity wanted her to ask about who's taking their place, but logic was more persuasive, reminding her about the conversation she had with Aisha. She freshened up, put on the clothes Eniola got for her during that hellish shopping.
Along the hallway, she stood next to a sentient plant. As if sensing her worries, it kept brushing it's leaves against her arm—trying to cheer her up. Veronica couldn't help but smile, reaching out to touch it's leaves.
"I'm actually bonding with a plant ? A tell tale sign of my sanity flying out the window" She looked at the plant, seeing the way it reacted she let out a sigh. "No, I shouldn't be like that. At least it's making an effort, just how many sentient things are in this place ?"
Her thoughts swirled, wondering who to meet with to discuss her concerns. "I guess I'd just head to a floor and hope to find someone." With that, she headed for the elevator. After
She got off on a certain floor—failing to take note of which button was pressed . "Ugh I guess the award for zero situational awareness goes to me. I should just walk till I find someone, I would have talked to MJ but I don't want to involve her in something she's not part of. What do—"
Her thoughts hit the brakes when she spotted. Jared approaching. He gave a small wave, acknowledging her presence.
"Veronica, I'm sure you're aware you're not on duty today. What would—"
He got cut off by a screen shoved into his face. It looked like a chat, he stumbled backwards. His eyes darted between her and the screen, hand raised in a questioning gesture.
"What's this ?"
"Take it." She stood on her tip toes. With a sigh, he took the phone, eyes skimming between the messages and the name.
"I can see you're making friends." He remarked like he was discussing the weather.
"Nooo." Veronica dipped her hands into her pockets, teeth itching to bite her nails. "Look— see... Read the chat."
His teasing demeanor vanished, looking at the chat again; this time reading it. He began to walk without a word, she followed. The knot in her chest loosened when his eyes narrowed on the screen.
Her hands gripped the fabric of her trousers. "Soooo ?"
Jared waved the phone around vaguely, gaze shifting to hers. "I have thoughts... But I would like to hear yours."
He stopped abruptly, same with her. She wiped her sweaty palms on her shirt before taking the phone. "look at this." her finger pointed at a message."She just casually dropped the 'gone bomb' then moved on like it didn't matter."
Her arms overlapped against each other. "Plus how does 'steal' and 'gone' correlate ? like yeah they can be cousins but most times 'gone' is used when we're talking about elimination."
Veronica bit her thumb, needing pain to ground herself. "I could go on but I need a second head in this."
Jared brought his hand to face, fingers resting on the philtrum. "You ain't wrong, that's what caught my eye. It seems she was trying to shut you down"
"....?"
His hand clasped around the phone, a finger swiped upwards. "She said you shouldn't start jumping to conclusions but you weren't. Also the whole newbie thing."
Veronica snapped her fingers. "Yessss that. It felt like she was trying to tell me I'm saying vague words; you know with the whole—" She flexed her first two fingers on each hand. "I'm sure you understand how I feel, you're a newbie after all."
"Without context that's the most sweetest thing I've heard... well apart from MJ's...compliments. But this just sounds like belittlement disguised as care."
"She could had been nervous and made a slip up." Jared raised a finger because she looked like she was about to combust. "But a real nervous person would have at least tried to rephrase their 'gone bomb' statement since it looked so wrong in context."
Veronica heaved a sigh of relief. "So what now ?''
Jared released the phone. "Send screenshots of the chat to me. I'll send it to the rest." The corners of his mouth tilted up, eyes crinkled at the corners. "Looks like someone has more questions to answer."
This couldn't be done immediately because duties were calling. Whenever they were free, Veronica did what he asked her to. He communicated to the rest.
"What did they say ?" Veronica looked at him.
Jared pocketed his phone. "Zuri got cautious but agreed, Amare seemed eager. Eniola got serious and agreed."
She stared at him. "Amare seemed eager ? What about you then, aren't you eager ?"
He huffed with an amused expression. "Well not really, I'm neutral. You know, professional neutral."
"Really." Her voice carried a hint of incredulity.
"Yes." He replied.
Her shoulders were hunched, head tilted forward, giving him an unmistakable are-you-serious? look. "Tsk, If you're gonna lie, at least hide your expression. You look like you just discovered an endless supply of blood." She muttered.
His lips pursed, trying to stifle a laugh. "What was that ?" Grateful his voice stayed steady.
"Nothing." She chimed, glad he didn't hear her. "Are you in charge of all hospitality ?"
"No, only a part. We're a crew of our own."
Veronica decided to ask more questions later. There was a lot she was yet to know and it's best if she found out gradually. Jared flipped the pages of his book, biting the tip of his pen.
"Let's go check on the house keeping team." He said.
They walked towards the elevator, he pressed the button and the doors parted. After stepping in, the button for the ground floor was pushed. The elevator made it's descent. When the doors parted again, the lobby came into view.
Veronica glanced at the front desk, her breath hitched. There were two people sitting by the desk, a man and woman. They had blue skin, small black horns and black feathered wings. The man had brown hair while the woman had honey blonde hair. Once their eyes met hers, they smiled and waved.
Veronica's eyes was still on them, she has never seen those kind of non-humans before. She finally managed to look away when she noticed Jared had walked away .
"Hey, Jared." She called, catching up. "Who are they ?"
Before he could reply, a buzz sound stopped him. He checked his phone and smirked. "Check the group." She did.
Aisha: Hey guys, hope we're all well?
Amare: We are, thanks for asking.
Eniola: btw about that grimoire.
Aisha: Yes, the one we will use to retrieve the memories. What happened ?
Veronica read out the messages to Jared, who was busy talking to the housekeeping team. Jared's lips twitched. "She's really contradicting herself. In that case..." He placed his notepad on the table, took out his phone and typed.
Jared: Hey Aisha, is there anything else about the grimoire we need to know ?
Aisha: Anything else ? Like what ?
Jared: oh idk, maybe is there any other purpose the grimoire serves ?
Aisha: No, the purpose is what I just told you.
Zuri: You're sure ? Nothing else ?
Aisha: No, I've told you everything. Is there something you need clarity with ?
Veronica stared at the chat, a single thought appeared. Let's just face her already, there's no point dragging this out.
As if her mind was read, a text appeared.
Amare: Let's cut to the chase. Veronica chatted you up yesterday.
Amare: During your chat, you texted a very suspicious line and rather than clarifying, you belittled her under the guise as care.
Amare: Veronica please send the screenshots of the chat.
She let a hum as her fingers clicked on the photo icon. She tapped on four pictures and hit send. No new message appeared, the feeling it gave off is like the feeling you get when you're reading a horror novel and you're at the climax. At least that was how Veronica felt.
Aisha: . . .
Aisha: I knew you'd figure it out.
Jared: What ???
Aisha: please let me explain, yes I and Veronica chatted yesterday but things went wrong when I spoke about the grimoire.
Eniola: We can see that
Aisha: yes, actually my father came inside.
Zuri: Are you okay ? (●´⌓`●)
Aisha: Well, he came around the time I was telling Veronica about how they plan on securing another victim.
Aisha: I hid the chat from him, he questioned me and I answered while texting, trying to give off a nonchalance vibe.
Aisha: But the thing is
Nothing came in. Jared narrowed his eyes, a subtle feeling began to replace his earlier suspicions. His gaze shifted to Veronica, noticing the tension in her brows. She's probably reconsidering her earlier judgement.
Aisha: sorry for the long pause, I had to calm down a bit.
Aisha:While he was questioning me, my head began to spin. There was this sudden tightness in my chest.
Aisha: My palms became sweaty, short but rapid breaths. I managed to control it but not enough to hide.
Aisha: This made him question harder. I was so worried he will find out but i managed to cover up. He asked me why was I breathing faster, I lied that I was a mouth breather. He told me I lied because he never noticed that, I retorted by saying he never cared enough to notice anything about me. That shut him up.
Zuri: Sounds like you were having an anxiety attack (˘･_･˘) it's not easy to control those.
Aisha: Ha what could I do ? I'd rather force myself to control it than let them find out. This is my one chance to get them and I can't mess this up. I didn't even know it was an anxiety attack
Veronica: An anxiety attack I guess that explains your wording.
Aisha: So sorry Veronica. I needed to round up the conversation quickly. I was so anxious that I couldn't think straight. Later I read the chat and saw how badly I messed up.
Amare: Okay, anxiety attack. But what about the thing you said about your family wanting to secure another victim ?
Aisha: that's true. Guys ?
Jared: Yes.
Aisha: "I know I said we'll attack in four days time which is a Saturday. But if possible can we shift it till tomorrow.
Eniola: Why ?
Aisha: I just don't feel safe anymore, I'm scared. I know my dad is suspicious of me as hell. Who knows maybe the next victim is me ? Even if it isn't me, we shouldn't delay any longer. They might be closer to acquiring a victim than we thought.
Veronica: Then wouldn't it be better to come today ? Tomorrow might be too late.
Aisha: I don't know how prepared you all are, also I'm not in the right state of mind. Sorry if I sound like a burden (˘･_･˘)
Zuri: No no it's fine. I think tomorrow might be better, going into this without a clear mind is the worst.
Eniola: I already have the cloaks, is there anything else ?
Aisha: No it's fine. I have things we're going to use here.
Aisha: well we already have a solid plan and have the tools. Till tomorrow then (•‿•)
Veronica: Yeah yh.
Her suspicions still lingered, remembering a popular saying— A ticking clock could care less about your decisions and only tick away. She decided to focus on the main issue. Actually that saying was formed by Veronica, not popular at all. Jared held his gaze on the chat—specifically on Aisha's for a beat longer.
The day went by, Veronica assisted Jared with hospitality duties, MJ on the other hand was testing out Raymond's inventions while he stood at a corner—hoping not to be her new target. Amari tied up Abayomi when he caught her about to sneak to another casino.
Meanwhile Daisuke was trying to appeal to the hotel—don't ask how. Apparently when he was stressed, it tried to cheer him up but he waved it off. Not as a dismissive gesture but the hotel took it as one and he got smacked by a door, yes a door.
♦♦♦
The sun was at it's peak, the streets bustled with people going about their lives. Eniola, Amare, Zuri, Veronica, and Jared were walking along the road. Earlier Aisha texted them the address of the place and sent a photo of the house.
"We're getting there." Eniola said, eyes moving between her screen and the streets. Jared's eyes narrowed slightly, he could feel someone's gaze on him. A very... judgemental gaze.
"Veronica." He sighed.
"What ?"
. "I should be asking you that."
"But I didn't say anything."
"Your eyes said a lot."
Her next words made him freeze. "You've been suppressing a smile all day, you're enjoying this aren't you ?"
He whipped his head at her. "I'm sorry?"
She had the expression of a 'damn it all' person. "Your lips keep twitching like you've found a blood fountain but trying so hard to remain composed ."
"I don't take the case for granted." Jared protested.
Her lips formed into a mischievous smile. "I'm not saying that, I'm saying you're enjoying the..." She formed a circle with her first two fingers, placing it on her eyes. "Thrill of the unknown, the mental stimulation of the void."
. He scoffed, more of sputtered. "I—I do not. I'm simply... neutral, yes neutral. The only thrill I'll get is when the culprits are caught."
She grinned. "Ah, but that's just part of it. You're that one person who'll be searching up top ten unsolved mysteries at 3:00a.m. just to see if you can."
"That sounds fun—" his eyes widened, he hadn't meant to say that out loud. "Ah I meant that sounds like something... some..." He looked away, scratching his cheek. "lunatic... would do ?"
"Ho ho, a lunatic alright." Veronica teased.
He cleared his throat, last attempt to reclaim... whatever dignity he thought he had. "But you know, no one here can vouch for your claims. So—
"Actually." Amare interrupted, clearly invested. "I can. I remember the time we were trying to banish a cursed painting in a guest room. It involved a lot of disturbing details and you were giggling. I gave an excuse for you after the ordeal."
Jared opened and closed his mouth like a fish in water, unable to form a sentence. "I still recall when Eniola, you and me were investigating the mystery behind a ghost death." Zuri stated, voice carrying an edge of amusement. "We had to force ourselves not to look at you."
They laughed, his eyes darted between them, betrayed. Heat rose to his cheeks as he found the passing scenery more interesting than those around him.
"By the way what did you tell the guest Amare ?" Eniola asked, wiping a tear.
"He hasn't taken his meds."
The four howled with laughter. Veronica's hands closed around his arm, shaking him. "Come on, we understand how you are and nothing is wrong."
"You all will regret this." His voice sounded stiff. "Especially you Veronica."
"We know." They chorused.
They finally reached their destination, opposite to the street they're on. It was a black roofed bungalow with a dual tone of cream and green walls. Surrounding the house was a garden filled with different colors of hibiscus flowers. It didn't look like somewhere a bunch of culprits would stay.
"I swear this is the kind of house I'd pass for a sweet old lady to be living." Veronica remarked.
"The innocent the better, I guess." Eniola added.
"Over there." Amare pointed. They traced the direction of his finger. Aisha stood at the edge of the garden, out of sight of the windows. She beckoned to them.
They heeded, walking towards her. The corners of her eyes crinkled. "You here. The cloaks ?"
Eniola dipped her hands into her bag, pulling out six brown cloaks. "It will activate once we wear it." She handed them one each. They were about to put it on when Aisha stopped them.
"Ahhh before you do that. Take this." In her hand was six paper cards, it had intricate designs on them. "These are the sigils I promised the other time. Since today isn't his birthday we have to use this to bypass the wards." She shared it among them. "Use it when we wear the cloaks."
Veronica raised hers, studying it. She could feel the magical energy emanating from it. "Take these as well." Aisha said, handing them another set of paper cards. "These are magic teleportation circles."
"For what ?" Jared squinted his eyes at the card. "There's a place where the grimoire is going to be used. Like a magic space, we'll use this to get there."
. "Did you make this ? It's quite...clean." Eniola examined the card.
. Aisha didn't reply but Veronica sure had something to say. "Hey why didn't you give me one."
"Well, we'll be taking the grimoire together so no need for that. we'll teleport together, with everyone of course."
An unspoken agreement settled over the six. They put on the cloaks and instantly their presence was concealed. They placed the sigils on their cloak, following Aisha's lead as they passed through the garden. Streaks of purple light flickered, like it was trying to sense a presence. Aisha raised her hand to still their movements. Once the flickering lights died down, they hurried for the back door. It led to the kitchen, no one was there.
Aisha told the rest to stay near the living room, promising to give them a signal after they get the grimoire. Before leaving, Veronica handed Zuri her glitter pen for safekeeping. Aisha and Veronica moved through the corridor, they could hear hearty sounds from the living room. Aisha stilled for a moment before shaking her head.
They stopped in front of a dark blue door with carved designs. "This is it." Aisha's eyes filled with hope. "Yeah." Veronica rubbed her arm. Aisha twisted the door knob, pushing it open. The interior wasn't bad, books on a shelf, a table and chair at a corner. The air carried the scent of paper and ink.
A book sat on the center table. It had a purple cover, with black carvings. An ineffable energy oozed faintly out of the book. Aisha stepped forward, eyes shimmered . Picking up the book, she went very still. Veronica walked towards her, eyes sliding to the book.
"We finally did it huh ? Well let's get going."
Silence fell, charged with something unknown.
Confusion flickered across Veronica's face. "Aisha ? I get your emotions are singing but—
Her breath hitched, body frozen. She felt something prickle—no, pierced through her neck. Something flowed into her veins, something cold. A wave of dread crashed over her as her eyes slowly slid down to the side, a hand holding a syringe against her neck. Aisha was wore an unreadable expression.
The needle got pulled out. "Ai—" Her vision wavered, fingers felt cold. She staggered, reaching for her head as though a crushing weight was placed over it.
Her hand shot out, fingers grazed Aisha's sleeves. Her knees gave way, the world tilted sideways. "Fucker..." She cursed under her breath. Her eyes caught a glimpse of amusement flickering in those grey eyes.
"Aren't they done ?" Eniola groaned. "Now, now, patience remember." Zuri cooed. "Guys, look at the chat." They did, relief washed over them.
Aisha: Capture them now, we're coming to meet you.
Without wasting any much time, they headed to the living room. Five people were lounging about. They removed their cloaks, without giving them time to react, Eniola placed her hand in the air. A warm glow formed, particles coming together to form a sword. Jared flexed his fingers, a blue glow formed before changing into fire. His eyes shifted from amber to blue.
He threw out his arm, fire from into ropes, wrapping around the five strangers. "What's the meaning of this!?" A middle aged man yelled. "Who are you people!?"
Eniola tilted her head, a smirk forming. "Oh you'd know soon enough."
"I think you've mistaken us for someone else." A woman, in her mind twenties, said.
"How can you say that!?" Zuri shouted, hand tightening around her chest. "After all the tragedy you've caused. Preying on others' memories like a parasite."
The five exchanged glances, the middle aged man knitted his brows, the woman gaped. Just then Amare stepped out of the corridor.
"I can't find Aisha and Veronica." He turned to the five, glaring at them. "What have you done to them ?"
Another man found the courage to speak. "Wa—wait Aisha?"
"Yes Aisha, the redhead." Jared's icy gaze focused on the speaker. "The daughter you all couldn't care less about—
"Wait !" An older woman interrupted. "If—if you're—referring to that Aisha—then you couldn't have seen her, it's impossible."
"Why ?" He wondered if he should just let the flames scorch them for a little while.
"Because..." The woman but her lip, her features twisted, like she was biting back a memory. "Aisha is dead."