The Secret of the Aurora Hotel

by Danny McAleese

"Jenna!" the man says. He crosses his arms, which you notice are thick and muscular and covered in hair. "And what might you be doing here?"

  "I-- I um, we... we were--"

  "You were looking to steal some more brownies, no doubt." The man glares down at her in apparent anger, but you detect the thin hint of a smirk lying just behind his scowl.

  "No!" Jenna protests. You kick her leg. "Er, I mean, yes. Yes, we were!" With a smile your cousin shifts from shock and surprise into her usual warmth and charm. The change is deviously effortless. "I'm sorry Marco. You made them so good the last time, we couldn't help but want more. Evan told me he smelled them again, so he sent me down to--"

  The man holds up a hand to stop her. "I figured as much," he says. "Listen you can't be down here. The kitchen is dangerous, especially at night." His eyes shift to you. "And who's this?"

  "This is Scotty," she says. "He's our cousin. He's staying the night." Feebly you offer your hand but Marco makes no attempt to take it.

  "If your father knew you were down here, know who'd get in trouble?" Marco asks. "Me. Not you," he says pointing a thick finger at Jenna's nose, "just me."

  "Sorry," Jenna apologizes again. "We'll head back upstairs now. Quietly. Dad won't even know we were in here."

  "He'd better not," Marco chides her. "Or there won't be any more brownies for anyone." Jenna lowers her eyes even further, and this finally seems to satisfy the chef. With a grunt he turns and walks through a set of swinging doors.

  Quick -- follow Jenna out of the kitchen before anyone else shows up!

  TURN TO PAGE 49

  84

  The knob is frozen beneath your fingers, cold as a block of dry ice. Your heart sinks as you feel trepidation beyond anything you've ever experienced. But also, something else: an underlying sense of awe...

  "Scott!"

  Suddenly your hand is off the doorknob and you're struggling to regain your balance. Evan has kicked his leg upward, hard, driving your arm away.

  "Scott! Are you okay?" he asks. He puts a steadying hand on your shoulder. "Are-- Are you crying?"

  "No," you say, wiping away tears. "I mean yes. I mean... I'm not really sure." The incredible sadness is still with you, but thankfully it's dissipating. In the back of your mind, you can feel it draining away.

  "What just happened?"

  "I don't know," you tell your cousin as you take a giant step backward. "But that's not the door."

  Whew! That was close! Hopefully you pick a better door this time:

  If you try the RED door, TURN TO PAGE 22

  If you try the BLUE door, TURN TO PAGE 106

  If you try the GREEN door, TURN TO PAGE 136

  If you try the GOLD door, TURN TO PAGE 145

  85

  You spring forward, reaching for the falling candle. It strikes the tips of your fingers... and you manage to cradle it in a spectacular diving catch!

  "Right on, Scotty!" Jenna cheers. Probably a little too loudly, because she immediately covers her mouth with one hand.

  Gingerly you get up from the floor. The candle is old, yellowed, maybe crafted from beeswax or who knows what. Marked with a jagged triangle, it looks exactly like the one in the photo.

  "I can't believe you caught that," Jenna says.

  "Of course I caught it," you brag. "I have the reflexes of a hockey goalie!"

  Your cousin's expression turns to one of admiration. "You're a goalie, too? That's cool!"

  "Yeah well... no, I'm not. Not really."

  Jenna looks back in you in confusion. Then she laughs. "You're weird, cuz." She notices the floor is littered with a giant mess of broken candles. "That was noisy. We gotta go."

  Great job! You found the candle!

  The lower floor is pretty much picked over. Better go meet up with Evan.

  TURN TO PAGE 157

  86

  You pull back, leaning your full weight into the effort. There's an oddly satisfying rending sound, and then the grate pops free!

  It takes a lot of effort to stay on your feet, but somehow you manage. Before discarding the vent cover you notice how jaggedly sharp some of its edges are. Whew! It's a good thing you didn't cut yourself!

  "Let's see what's inside," Evan says. He pulls out his cell phone and actives the flashlight. The two of you spend the next minute peering into a very dusty and very empty piece of ductwork.

  "Can't win em' all," you shrug. You take your time replacing the painted bronze cover, being careful not to slice your hand open. By the time you're finished, it's hard to tell it was ever removed at all.

  Might as well check out the rug too, right? HEAD OVER TO PAGE 132

  87

  "Vincent!" you cry, suddenly remembering. "He has the key!"

  Evan regards you strangely. "Vincent? The janitor?"

  "Yeah," Jenna confirms. "We ran into him earlier. But I don't remember him having--"

  "He has it," you say. "I saw a long silver key on his key ring that looked really old. Very out of place from the others." You tap the keyhole. "I'll bet it would fit right here."

  It's all Jenna needs. She punches the button to the lobby and the elevator starts to move. "You guys stay here," she says. "I'll get it from him."

  "You'll what?" Evan doesn't look so convinced. "How?"

  "He'll just give it to me," Jenna says. "Trust me. Vincent knows what we're doing tonight."

  "You told him?"

  "Yes," you tell Evan. "We did. And he was cool about it. Actually, he was very helpful."

  The doors open and Jenna silently disappears into the lobby. You and Evan wait for what seems like forever, but actually turns out to be less than five minutes. When Jenna returns you breathe a sigh of relief -- spinning from her finger is a long silver key with teeth on both sides. She presses it into your hand as she steps into the elevator.

  "Cross your fingers," you say. The key slips easily into the keyhole, disappearing all the way to the hilt. You turn it clockwise, hard, and are rewarded with a deep, satisfying click.

  The elevator shakes, then rumbles downward. The three of you look at each other as it descends past the basement and continues onward.

  "I hope this is it," Evan says.

  "It'd better be," Jenna answers, stuffing another paper wrapper into her pocket. "I'm almost out of gum."

  Will Jenna run out of gum?

  Find the answer to this and more when you FLIP TO PAGE 42

  88

  The cupola is freezing, but at least you're out of the wind. Jenna closes the door behind her as the three of you huddle together.

  "Okay," you say, glad not to have to shout anymore. "What's our next move?"

  Your cousins answer with silence. Jenna stares back at you blankly. Evan is busy breathing warm air into his fists.

  "Come on," you urge. "One of you has to have an idea. Something? Anything?"

  Evan holds his hands out apologetically. "Alastair told us to go up," he says. As he speaks his breath comes out as puffs of white air. "Well, we did. Look at where we are. You don't get any more up than this."

  You turn to Jenna, hoping for something more useful. To your surprise, she's grinning like the Cheshire cat.

  "Up," she says, pointing. "Look."

  You and Evan tilt your chins in unison Directly above you, dangling from the highest part of the cupola's ceiling, is an antique oil lamp.

  "Is that--"

  "The one from the photograph," Evan confirms. "Sure is."

  It takes a boost from your cousin, but you're easily able to reach the lamp. You take it down gingerly, chain and all. Incredibly, it still has oil in it.

  "Is there a way down from here?" you ask Evan.

  He nods. "Best bet is the fire escape on the east end of the roof. The door at the corner stairwell is never locked. That would put us back on the second floor."

  "Why?" Jenna asks. "Where are we going now?"

  "To the basement," you answer. The storm is finally dying. You can even see the twinkle of a few stars. "It
's time to finish this."

  If getting back indoors sounds great right about now, HEAD TO PAGE 156

  89

  Evan produces the master key and unlocks the door to room 205. It swings open heavily, into a room illuminated by filtered moonlight.

  "It's musty in here," Jenna says. She's right. There's a distinct smell to the room that reminds you of an old library.

  CLACK!

  The three of you turn simultaneously at the sound of the door closing behind you. Only there's one problem. The door is gone!

  "This is crazy," you sigh in exasperation. "What in the world made your father buy this place?"

  Jenna chuckles. "It grew on him," she answers. "Or at least that's what he told us the first time he brought us up here." Your cousin runs a hand over the wall where the door used to be. "You gotta admit, at least it's not boring."

  You'd answer, but you're suddenly overcome with a falling sensation. Only you feel like you're falling up. Or maybe everything you think is up is actually falling down on you. It's really hard to explain.

  "What's happening?" Evan asks shakily. He's starting to look nauseous. "Are you guys feeling--"

  "Yes," Jenna answers. "And I think the walls are moving. Or maybe we're moving and the walls are standing still. Or everything's moving and the hotel is laughing at us. Pick one."

  You swallow hard, forcing yourself to stay calm. The door, the windows, even the furniture -- everything in the room is gone. It's a clean slate, a blank canvas. You reach out with both arms, trying to touch something. Anything...

  "Look," Jenna says. "There!" Directly before you are two doors, both identical to the one you came in from. Centered between them, slightly higher, is a single window.

  "What do we do?" Evan asks.

  "We pick one," you say with more confidence than you actually feel. "Before they all disappear."

  If you step forward and pick the door on the left, FLIP ALL THE WAY BACK TO PAGE 15

  Of course, the door to the right looks good also. If you prefer that one, HEAD TO PAGE 30

  Windows are nice too, I suppose. If you decide to take that route, TURN TO PAGE 122

  90

  "Scotty!"

  Jenna's cry comes too late, and from too far away to help. Your right foot plunges through one of the old shelves, causing a cascade of books to tumble down in your direction. You lose your grip on the bookcase, land on your back, and glance up just in time to see the entire six-foot section coming down on you!

  As you're buried beneath a few hundred heavy books (not to mention the bookcase itself!) your last thought is to realize this must be

  THE END

  91

  Like it or not, the guy in the painting has two hands. You motion Evan over to help examine it.

  "I hate this thing," your cousin says with a shudder. "Whenever I look at it I always feel..."

  "Guilty?"

  Evan's eyes go wide. "Yes! That's exactly the word!" He regards you suspiciously for a moment. "Guilty."

  You set about the grim task of closer examination. The painting itself is very dark -- the only non-bright one in the room. Behind the man, off in the distance, is a building or structure. At times it appears to be nothing, but at other times... it looks like the Aurora hotel.

  "Is that..."

  "Yeah," Evan says. "Maybe."

  Against your better judgment, you lean in to get a closer look. Whenever you take your eyes slightly away from it, the whole thing seems to change. Yet when you look at it directly, it morphs back into a shapeless blob. You chalk it up to some sort of peripheral illusion.

  "There's nothing behind his hands," Evan says. He pulls the painting from the wall. "And nothing behind the painting either." Your cousin turns the frame around and sets it on the floor, facing downward. He looks highly uncomfortable.

  "Okay, what's next?"

  Check out the odd metal clock by GOING TO PAGE 134

  Or examine the painted black vase OVER ON PAGE 154

  92

  Jenna is already halfway to the roof. The snow is coming down even harder now, and conditions are only going to get worse.

  "Go," you tell Evan. "I'll be right behind you."

  Your cousin hesitates, then nods. He begins his climb, and you stick as close to him as possible. If he falls, there's nothing that will stop him from taking you down with him. But it seems to comfort him just to know that you're there.

  "Almost at the top," Jenna calls back. "Keep it up!"

  Slowly, carefully, Evan makes his way upward. He's smart enough not to look down. There's a heart-stopping moment when his left hand slips from the facade, but he grabs it again quickly and rights himself.

  Finally, you reach the top. Jenna stands over you both, hands on her hips. She looks like a statue in the swirling wind.

  "See?" she smiles. "Told ya it was nothing!"

  Excellent work (and nice rolling)! Now TURN TO PAGE 104

  93

  You feel immeasurably better back out in the hallway. The warped sense of distance goes away almost immediately after leaving the room.

  Evan taps the manifest. "Next room is 207."

  The door to this room opens into frozen darkness. A curtain flaps briskly next to an open window, but the rest of them are drawn tightly against the moonlight. Through the narrow opening you can see snow accumulating out on the fire escape.

  "I can't believe the storm's still going," you say. Your cousins don't answer. Behind you, one of them hits the lights.

  "Looks pretty plain," Evan says, glancing around. "Except for that." He points. Drawn up under the covers, there's a person-sized lump in the center of the bed.

  After a moment of indecision you move in, the three of you approaching cautiously from different sides. Nothing resembling a head pokes out from beneath the thick hotel bedspread. Still, you swear you see the rising and falling of someone breathing...

  "Is this ghost taking the night off?" Jenna quips, obviously trying to break the tension. "I didn't even know they slept. I mean, why would they need--"

  The thing beneath the covers suddenly bolts upright. It throws off the blankets and begins screaming! "W-Who are you?" yells a large, disheveled man. He holds up a thick forearm against the light. "What are you doing in my room!"

  "I--I mean we--" Jenna stammers. The man whirls on her, squinting. "Evan!" she shouts. "Why did you--"

  "The manifest must be wrong!" Evan cries. "It said this room was unoccupied!"

  "Are you trying to rob me?" the man shouts. For someone who just woke up from a dead sleep he sure seems quick to regain his composure. "Not on my watch!"

  The three of you turn to run... but the man is too fast. In one fluid motion he leaps from the bed and positions himself between you and the door. "No one's going anywhere!" he roars angrily.

  Oops! Bad call! Quick, what should you do?

  If you think you can talk your way out of this, try reasoning with the guy OVER ON PAGE 32

  If you'd rather take your chances out on the snowy fire escape, FLIP TO PAGE 127

  94

  "Well there are a lot more rooms up here," you say, suddenly on the spot. "So maybe I should stick with Evan. We can cover more ground that way."

  "Fine," Jenna pouts, pushing her bottom lip out. "Leave me all alone to fend for myself down there." You're about to reconsider when she breaks out laughing. "Just kidding, cuz. Do your thing up here and meet me when you two have finished." She hands her brother the master key and the manifest, then bounces out of the room.

  "Alright," you tell Evan. "Where do we begin?"

  "Looks like room 102 is unoccupied," he says, studying the piece of paper. "Let's start there."

  Silently you slip into the hall. Dim light filters in from antiquated wall fixtures that seem too far apart to be effective. The hotel has an eerie feel to it at this hour. The carpeted hall and papered walls seem to stifle every sound, making you feel that much more claustrophobic.

  Evan approaches a door on
your right and unlocks it with a muffled click. It swings open on silent hinges, revealing a decor that looks strange and alien, yet somehow familiar. It's like stepping back through time.

  "This is the 1950's room," Evan says. "One of the Aurora's previous owners thought it would be cool to do theme rooms based on different decades."

  Every piece of furniture is styled with a retro-futuristic feel. You see strange, slung back chairs. Stark colors that are bright yet muted. Domed lamps and lacquer-framed artwork are set strategically throughout the room, joined by a star-shaped wall clock that seems to be missing both hands.

  A hissing sound seems to be coming from one corner of the room. You approach cautiously, stepping in the direction of the noise.

  "It's a phonograph," you say.

  "A what?"

  "One of those big, antique record players," you tell him. "And for some reason... it's on."

  TURN OVER TO PAGE 95

  95

  There's a record on the turntable, spinning in a hypnotic circle. Without thinking you reach out, grab the playing arm, and set it gently on the vinyl edge.

  "What are you doing?" Evan cries. "I don't think--"

  Music starts. It's very old and full of brass horns. A woman's voice rises over the melody as she starts singing:

  Love is crimson, sometimes gold

  Until the blackest lies are told

  As thick as ice, all blue and cold

  A jealous answer, when unsold