Mahogany wood screeched across the floor as Elijah pushed a dresser in his hotel room. He crouched as he turned on his flashlight. Elijah rubbed his hands across the veneer, checking for holes in the wall. The hotel room reeked of tobacco, orchids, and alcohol.
"Why are you rearranging the room?" Shiyu asked as she raised an eyebrow at him while reading a book near the window.
"Checking for spyware," Elijah replied as he pushed the dresser back into its original place. "Lex definitely installed something."
"That's disturbing."
Elijah nodded, then dug into his coat pocket for his pack of cigarettes. "We're going to have to find a new place to crash."
"Any suggestions?"
"A couple," Elijah replied as he lit a cigarette. "I am going to let everyone know; hopefully, they are already thinking the same thing," he said as he opened his hotel door.
His eyes drifted towards the carpet as he stepped into the hallway. Water trickled down the walls, creating puddles. Orchid and cherry blossom petals drifted down the corridor, accumulating around Emily and Rachel's room. Mixed emotions crept up Elijah's spine as he exhaled a cloud of smoke while recalling what he had read in Emily's notebook earlier. He stared at the potted plants that were overflowing with crystal clear water.
A cloud of smoke lingered in the air as he smoked, then flicked his cigarette butt. The lights flickered with mulberry light that reflected rainbows across the ripples of water. His boots splotched as he took a step into the hallway and glanced around. He picked a petal from a flower in a potted plant vase, then gazed down the corridor.
"Shiyu...you need to see this," Elijah said as he let the petal drop from his hand.
"Well, that's not normal," Shiyu muttered as she stared at water dripping down the walls. "I was afraid this would happen," she said out loud as she crossed her arms.
"That sounds like a confession," Elijah said. "Care to explain?"
Shiyu's tattoos glowed as she placed her hands on the walls. Tiny ice crystals crystallized up the wall. "Interesting," she said as she watched ice spread onto the paintings hanging in the hallway.
"This is because of Emily, right?" Elijah asked as he gestured to the petals collecting near Emily and Rachel's door.
"Yeah, and her powers are spilling out," Shiyu replied as she shook her head, then sighed.
"So she is a conduit, then?"
"Sort of."
"So that's what y'all talked about in Leonore?"
"Sort of," Shiyu replied as she walked towards Emily and Rachel's door. She scratched her neck, then glanced back at Elijah's. Elijah turned down the hallway as Arthur and Sarah's bedroom doors creaked open. Arthur's eyes narrowed as he watched the flower petals drift past his boots, while Sarah's eyes dilated as she gazed at the water dripping from the onyx-painted walls.
"I am glad I am not the only one unsettled when they saw their hotel walls turned into a waterfall," Arthur said, gazing at the petals drifting past his legs.
"Why is this hallway acting like it's a shower?" Sarah asked with wild eyes. "Who or what is causing this?"
"Emily," Elijah said flatly.
Sarah chuckled, her eyes dilating as a frown formed on her face. "Of course, now she's a freak of nature."
"Then I guess that makes me one as well," Shiyu replied as her tattoos glowed as she glared at Sarah.
"Sewn in a BloomStarDress," Elijah muttered as he lit another cigarette.
"I beg your pardon?" Arthur asked as he raised an eyebrow.
Elijah shook his head. "Something I read in Emily's diary."
Sarah laughed. "You read her diary!? Does it include how to make walls bleed water?"
"Who the hell knows at this point," Elijah said, his eyes darting toward Rachel and Emily's room as he heard moans echoing from behind the door. He raised an eyebrow, then glanced at the vines climbing up the wall. His eyes widened as he looked at Shiyu.
"What's wrong?" Arthur asked, noticing Elijah's dilated pupils. He then noticed Shiyu shaking her head at Elijah. "You guys know how she is doing this?"
"I don't, but I know who probably does," Elijah replied.
"The Sage keeping secrets? Don't keep us waiting, spill the tea," Sarah said as she side eyed Shiyu.
"I won't be spilling no such tea. Just like I told Elijah, what I know is confidential," Shiyu retorted as she walked towards Rachel and Emily's door.
"I don't like this," Arthur said. "If it weren't for the protection of the ENGINE, I wouldn't be so lenient with someone keeping secrets that affect the entire group."
"Well, good thing for that," Shiyu replied. "I will handle this."
"I am not knocking on that door," Elijah said as he shifted away from the door.
"Just go downstairs," Shiyu said, then looked at everyone else. "Check if the rest of the hotel is like this, if you don't mind."
"Don't have to tell me twice," Elijah jested as his boots splashed water on his pants as he walked towards the elevator. He waited for Sarah and Arthur to enter before clicking the first floor.
Everything went black, and the sound of ş̸̴̧͈͕̤̪̱̩̒̀̔̀̾͜_̴̡̢̛͇̟̭̦̖̮̝̩͚́ͦ̂̇̓̏̓́͗ͬͦ̎̚͡t̸̢̨͉͉̖̮̣̖͍̹̩̰̋̈́̊ͮͧͨ͒̎ͫ͟_̅ͬạ̵̸̝̊ͤ̒̄̓̃̒̎͢ț̛͋̒ͭ̎̇̓̒̂͂̀͝͡ͅ_̅i̸̶̴̛̛͉̲͔̞̗̩̭̹̦̠͈͒̔̋ͫ̄́̅̐͛ͯ͛̇̚͞c̫̹͊͗́_͖̭̖̭ͩ͒͢ screeched in his ears as the elevator doors closed.
Mahogany wood screeched across the floor as Elijah pushed a dresser in his hotel room. He crouched as he turned on his flashlight. Elijah rubbed his hands across the veneer, checking for holes in the wall. The hotel room reeked of tobacco, orchids, and alcohol.
"Why are you rearranging the room?" Shiyu asked as she raised an eyebrow at him while reading a book near the window.
"Checking for spyware," Elijah replied as he pushed the dresser back into its original place. "Lex definitely installed something."
"That's disturbing."
Elijah paused and raised an eyebrow at Shiyu. He scratched his neck as he exhaled a cloud of cigarette smoke. His mind was foggy as déjà vu clawed at his senses like a thousand tiny needles. His nervous system screamed what was forgotten, though it was not a dream or an echo, but a memory that never seemed to surface.
"Could have sworn we had this conversation before," he grumbled as his eyes drifted towards the floor. "Don't know why, though."
"I have that feeling myself from time to time," Shiyu replied as her tattoos glowed as she read her book. "Lots of theories about what déjà vu actually is. Timeline bleed, the ENGINE'S HUM, a lingering dream, or just our minds playing tricks on us."
Elijah smiled and shrugged. "Anything is possible at this point," he jested, then dug into his coat pocket for his pack of cigarettes. "We're going to have to find a new place to crash."
"Any suggestions?"
"A couple," Elijah replied as he lit a cigarette. "I am going to let everyone know; hopefully, they are already thinking the same thing," he said as he opened his hotel door.
Elijah's eyes narrowed as he gazed at the Mulberry red carpet that stretched the length of the hallway as he left his hotel room. His eyes lingered on the onyx-colored walls as a rush of déjà vu sizzled through his nervous system. He stared at the orchid flowers in potted plant vases and the Surreal and abstract paintings that aligned the corridor. Music and moans thumped behind locked doors. Shadows danced across the hallways as elegant wall lights fought to brighten the dim corridor. For a moment, he could have sworn the hallway's lights flickered mulberry, and water was dripping down the walls.
"Shiyu...you need to see this," Elijah said as he let the petal drop from his hand. He walked over to the door, mind racing back to what he had read in Emily's notebook.
KNOCK KNOCK!
Elijah smoked as he waited at Emily and Rachel's hotel room door after he knocked.
"Who is it!?" Emily yelled from behind the door.
"It's me," Elijah replied. "We gotta talk."
"Can it wait!? Kinda busy."
"You can resume your shenanigans after...it's important."
Elijah could hear whispers coming from behind the door. The door creaked open after.
"Your notebook," Elijah said.
"What about it?"
"Emily, did you do this?" Elijah whispered, gesturing to the flowers.
Emily shrugged. "I don't know what you are talking about."
Elijah shook his head and then looked down the hallway as the elevator creaked open.
"We need to talk," Amos said as he and Alice exited the elevator and walked towards Elijah. "There is surveillance equipment in our rooms."
"I was just about to talk to everyone about that possibility," Elijah replied as he smoked.
"You talked to the others?" Alice asked as she put her hands on her hips, while she stood next to Amos.
Elijah shook his head. "Not yet."
"Fucking creep!" Sarah yelled as she slammed her door and stepped into the corridor. She snapped her fan and then glared at Alice, Amos, and Elijah. "I found this in my room!" She said as she tossed a camera on the mulberry carpet.
"We should crash somewhere else. I know a couple of other hotels," Elijah explained as he picked up the camera.
Sarah shook her head as she leaned against the wall. "Lex has a monopoly on hotels in Tyrial. He would have cameras set up in every hotel he owns."
"She's got a point," Amos replied as he crossed his arms and watched Alice knock on Arthur's door. "But where could we crash that would have enough rooms for all of us besides a hotel or motel?"
"We are crashing at my penthouse," Sarah replied. "Plenty of rooms and away from chosen eyes. We can speak freely there."
Elijah raised an eyebrow. "I thought you moved to Augustine a few years ago?"
"I did, but I still own my Tyrial penthouse. I stay there when I tour, still and still keep butler and maid service to keep it stocked and cleaned."
"Emily is going to hate this idea, but she will have to suck it up."
"She can stay her ass here for all I care," Sarah scoffed as she started walking towards the elevator. "My limousine is waiting for me around back. Let's talk there."
Elijah rolled his eyes as he watched Amos follow Sarah into the elevator.
KNOCK... KNOCK
"What now, sourpuss!?" Emily yelled as Elijah knocked.
"We're leaving!" Elijah replied.
"Where!?"
"Sarah's place. Lex got this place bugged."
"Why does the ENGINE hate me?" Emily groaned.
"Get over it, kid. Meet me downstairs in ten," Elijah replied as he walked towards the elevator.
He dug into his coat pocket for his cigarette pack as he clicked the first floor. His eyes drifted towards the orchids blooming with life in the potted vases that aligned the hallway. The déjà vu clawed at the back of his mind like a phantom pain as the door closed.