The Secret of the Aurora Hotel

by Danny McAleese

  THE END

  107

  You wince as the shelf beneath your right foot snaps in two! Luckily however, a broken sliver of the wood still holds. You're left dangling by your fingertips... at least until Jenna runs over to support your feet with both hands.

  "Climb down," she tells you. "Slowly."

  Very carefully you make your way downward. Your cousin guides your ankles until your feet are once again firmly planted on the floor.

  "That," Jenna says, "was what you call a bad idea. Next time you should listen to me." She blows a bubble and pops it with her tongue. "Just sayin'."

  "Alright," you say begrudgingly. "You're right. You do the top, and I'll do--"

  "No need," Jenna says. She smiles as she holds up a large, ancient book with thick metal corner-guards.

  "You found it!"

  "Yup! And we only had to turn over half the library!" You glance back at the shelves. For the first time, you get a sense of the giant mess you both made.

  "Uh, shouldn't we--"

  But Jenna is already shaking her head. "Nah. There's no time." She looks around watchfully. "The best thing we can do is get out of here before someone sees us."

  Congratulations! You found the book!

  Now head into the Aurora's Regency Ballroom by TURNING TO PAGE 139

  108

  You and Evan regroup in the hallway, both glad to be out of that last room. "Things are getting weird," you say, trying to catch your breath.

  "Welcome to the Aurora," Evan smirks. "And if you think you've seen weird so far, wait until you've seen this." Your cousin turns and unlocks the door to room 120. It swings wide on creaky hinges, revealing a chamber totally devoid of color. From wall to wall, floor to ceiling, the entire room has been painted black.

  "This is getting ridiculous," you say. "Who in their right mind would rent this?"

  "Oh you'd be surprised," Evan replies. "Plus, there's some sort of energy to this room. Something that makes people keep coming back. More than any other room in the hotel, this one has the most repeat customers."

  You push past your cousin. Shrouded in darkness, the room feels small but somehow not cramped. It's decorated with an eclectic collection of furnishings from a wide range of time periods. All of which have been painted black.

  "What's with the artwork?"

  The few paintings in the room are the one exception to the rule. Brushed in vibrant colors, they look even brighter than usual against the stygian background. Your cousin shrugs. "I guess they came with the place."

  You get to work upending the hotel room. By now you and Evan are experts. Moving quickly and efficiently you find several oddities, but nothing resembling any of the artifacts from Alastair's photograph. You wince at an especially gruesome piece of artwork; a man from the waist up, clutching his chest, his face twisted in pain. Across from him hangs an intricate metal clock that ticks randomly rather than every second.

  "The longer I stay here, the creepier this room gets," you say. At that moment, you notice something odd. One of the paintings is hung in a very weird spot, not centered or positioned with the rest of the decor. You unhook it from the wall. Behind it, the black paint is chipped away in a dark, greasy scrawl:

  The hands hide the truth

  You and Evan glance at each other. You have some choices:

  To search the ominous painting of the guy clutching his chest, GO TO PAGE 91

  To examine the strange metal clock, HEAD TO PAGE 134

  There's also an art-covered vase that's been painted over in black. Search that WAY DOWN ON PAGE 154

  109

  You place the bell gently back on the table. The second you do, the ball of crystal shatters into a thousand pieces.

  The explosion is silent and beautiful. Shards of glimmering, shimmering glass go flying in every conceivable direction. You move one arm up to shield your eyes, but somehow you know it's not necessary. James Roakes, still clutching the wooden table, doesn't even flinch.

  A split-second later, it's as if time itself comes to a grinding halt. Everything in the room stops. The wind, the noise, the voices and whispers -- these things not only disappear, it's like they were never there to begin with. Your cousins fall forward, having been released from whatever supernatural forces still bound them.

  "Mr. Roakes!"

  Jenna rushes to the man's aid. You're left standing near the center of the room, ears ringing, arms dangling at your sides.

  "It's okay," Jenna says quickly. "He's still breathing."

  Together you and Evan help unhook the man's hands from the table. He blinks a few times and raises his chin.

  "The crystal..." he says weakly. "Where is it?"

  "It's gone," you say. "It exploded."

  Mr. Roakes goes limp. It could be exhaustion, it could be relief. Either way it's difficult to tell. Finally he turns his gaze in your direction.

  "You rang the bell?" he asks.

  "Yes."

  You can sense the man's strength returning. He looks back at you now, his steel-grey eyes bearing into your own. Searching your soul...

  To your overwhelming relief, he smiles.

  A smile... that's a good thing, right? Find out OVER ON PAGE 71

  110

  "I think it's that one," you tell Jenna. "The one with the jagged triangle."

  Your cousin shifts. One arm goes behind her and deftly slides the old photo from her back pocket. She dangles it downward. "Here. Check."

  With a trembling hand you reach up and take it from her. You shift your attention to the photograph for a split second, then quickly back to the task at hand.

  "Yeah," you tell her. "That's it!"

  Jenna plucks the marked candle from its holder. Then she slides down your back, down the ladder, and holds it steady while you make your way to the floor. You let out the biggest sigh of relief in your entire life. It feels so good you almost want to kiss the ground.

  "That was insane!" Jenna says, looking back at the ceiling. High above, the candelabra still sways gently from her touch. "I can't believe we did that!"

  "Me neither," you gasp, hands on your knees. Your voice still shudders. "Come on, let's pack up the ladder and clean this up."

  "No time," Jenna says. "Evan's done upstairs. We should go meet him."

  "And how do you know that?"

  Your cousin's eyes glaze over. She seems to be staring somewhere far away. "It's a twin thing..."

  Your eyes narrow. "Really?"

  "No silly," Jenna laughs. "He just texted me."

  Awesome job! You found the candle!

  Head to the hall elevator and meet up with Evan OVER ON PAGE 157

  111

  You wrack your brain, you scan the room, but you just can't come up with anything beautiful. The feelings of sorrow intensify. Jenna is openly crying.

  Suddenly Evan jolts upright. He shakes his head as if clearing it, and the look in your eyes tells you he's back.

  "You okay?"

  Your cousin lets out a long breath. "Yeah. I think so."

  "What can we do for her?" you ask.

  "Nothing," Evan replies. "She's stuck here like the rest of them. At least until whatever is wrong with the Aurora gets fixed."

  The woman abruptly rises. Still crying, she glides through the room and then fades away.

  "Then we have to help her," Jenna sniffles, "the only way we can. By fixing this place once and for all."

  The rest of the room is empty. There is however, a door to an adjoining suite.

  Investigate the next room by TURNING TO PAGE 66

  112

  Off to one side of the lobby, a small room seems filled with color. As you step inside, it springs to life as well.

  "We call this the Taxidermy room," Jenna says. "All this stuff has been here forever."

  Everywhere you look, you see animals. Fish, reptiles, birds -- wall to wall, floor to ceiling, the entire area is jam packed. The bust of an elk is mounted high up on one column, alongside an eleph
ant's head that's missing a tusk. You see hawks, owls, sparrows, and some of the ugliest fish you've ever laid eyes on. Some of the creatures are even coming apart. Either they've been neglected or just outlived their extended life spans.

  "This is gross," you can't help but say.

  "Yeah, dad thinks so too. He says he'll get around to throwing it all away one day, but Evan and I think he's afraid to touch it."

  You squint up at one of the mounted heads. "Is that a gryphon?"

  Your cousin giggles. "C'mon cuz. Don't get all mythological on me now!"

  One deer head in particular catches your eye. Its neck is craned in your direction, its dark glass eyes turned down and lips bared as if snarling at you. It makes you uncomfortable just looking at it.

  Jenna appears as disconcerted as you are. "Uh, is that thing staring at us?"

  You have no answer. It seems silly, but the deer head looks, well... angry.

  "Think any of that stuff is here?" you ask. "The bell, book, crystal or candle?" After a cursory examination of the room, your cousin shakes her head. "Good, then let's get out of here. This place is creeping me out."

  113

  You really can't get out of the Taxidermy room fast enough.

  Head into the Aurora's main hall by TURNING TO PAGE 133

  Or check out the hotel's dining area by FLIPPING TO PAGE 102

  114

  The book lies open before you, set to a very specific page. There has to be a reason for that, you think to yourself.

  Leaning in, you look closer. Everything across the pages is gibberish. The series of symbols and strange drawings make no sense at all, yet for some reason you're oddly compelled to stare at them.

  Then, all at once, things come into focus. The symbols form words. At times, some of them even make sense. Your lips move unconsciously, without your bidding, and you suddenly find yourself reading...

  Mr. Roakes stiffens. His expression is that of a mannequin. In the back of your mind it creeps you out, but you're too busy reading to care. The words flow now, dropping easily from your lips. In a way, you hunger for them. You don't recognize any of the sounds you're making, but each line brings you that much closer to being... sated.

  "Scott!" Evan's voice is carried to your ears from somewhere over the wind. He sounds worried. Frantic. But that doesn't matter, because you've already finished. You read through the last symbols on the bottom of the page, and then just as suddenly as it all started, everything stops.

  The book slams shut. The candle blows out. The crystal goes back to a simple ball of glass. James Roakes stands straight up, gazes over at you, and smiles. It's not a good smile at all. It's a terrible, hideous grin.

  "Thank you," he sneers. He looks down at his hands, his arms, his body. Then he laughs. "Thank you so, so much."

  Your mouth goes dry, followed by a terrible sinking feeling in your gut. Looking at Mr. Roakes, an incredible sense of foreboding steals over you.

  "Warrick," Evan says from behind you. It's a statement, not a question. "You're Warrick."

  115

  The man that used to be Mr. Roakes turns to your cousin, one eyebrow raised in admiration. "Very good," he sneers approvingly. "In fact, excellent. I might even commend you further, if not for the fact that you read my book."

  As his gaze goes to the book you take a step backward. Jenna and Evan follow your lead. Mr. Roakes, or Warrick, or whatever he is now, is too busy stretching and regarding his new body. He looks very pleased with himself.

  "W-- Where's Mr. Roakes?" Jenna stammers.

  Warrick smirks. "Which one?"

  You take another step while the man stares at his fingers, flexing them.

  "You can stop where you are now," he says without looking up. "I'm still going to need you. For a little while, anyway."

  You turn and run. Flying past the broken brick corridor you practically hurl yourselves into the elevator. Fortunately the only thing that follows you is laughter. With hands that tremble, you fumble for the key...

  Yikes. Not good! Maybe your uncle won't notice you've unleashed a raving sorcerer on his century-old hotel. In any case, this is totally

  THE END

  116

  The door to the closet is open. The janitor's not there. Getting his keyring would quick. Easy.

  "Maybe we should just swipe the key," you say, agreeing with Evan. "Hurry, let's do it."

  Silently the three of you slip into the janitor's closet. The scent of bleach and cleaning products is almost overpowering.

  "There!" Evan indicates. "The keyring is right there on the pegboard."

  KA-CLACK!

  You spin around as the door closes behind you. To your surprise there's now a rolled-up extension cord on the floor. It's the last thing you see before the lights go out. "Wait! What just happened?"

  "He's leaving!" Jenna hisses. Sure enough you hear footsteps padding along the hallway carpet. They grow fainter with every step. "We're locked in!"

  "Calm down," you say. "It's no big deal. We'll just unlock the door from the insid--"

  The words die in your throat as your hand finds the doorknob. It's cold. Smooth. Featureless.

  "There's no way to unlock it from this side," Jenna laments. "We're stuck here until he comes back."

  "Which is when?"

  "Tomorrow afternoon," Evan sighs dejectedly. "Or wait... isn't Vincent off on Sundays?"

  Well, I guess that's it. You got far, but not far enough. Hey, maybe you could bang on the door loud enough for someone to hear you. Then again, the only one up right now is Agnes. And she's nearly deaf...

  Oh well. Looks like you've reached

  THE END

  117

  The Aurora's kitchen is filled with a mismatch of modern and outdated. Stainless steel racks rest beside sixty-year old wooden counter tops. An original ceramic oven is flanked neatly by two cutting edge gas burners.

  Steam rises from several large pots fed by intense blue flame. You peek over the edge to find them at a rolling boil. "Are they cooking at this hour?" you ask.

  Jenna steps out of a small walk-in, casually munching on something she swiped. "No," she says in answer to your question. "But Marco likes to sterilize everything at night. He boils everything. It's kinda weird, but--"

  The sound of someone approaching cuts her off. Your cousin pushes you backward, to where an over-sized dish machine is crammed into too small an area.

  "This was a mistake," she whispers. "With all the cleaning and prep-work, the kitchen is too busy. Even at night."

  A man who you can only assume is Marco walks past you. He has the quick stride of someone always in a hurry. Behind him you hear more noise, more people heading your way.

  "We need to get out of here," Jenna says. "Fast!"

  You need to move quickly! Roll a single die.

  If you rolled a 1, HEAD TO PAGE 83

  If you rolled a 2, 3, 4, or 5, TURN TO PAGE 155

  If you rolled a 6, FLIP BACK TO PAGE 19

  118

  Gathering all your strength, you give one last push against your invisible attacker. At the same time, you scream your throat raw at the top of your lungs!

  There's a loud boom -- like a small clap of thunder -- that comes from somewhere above you. Then, all at once, the weight is gone. A rush of wind tears through the room as you suck great gobs of air into your battered lungs. You can breathe again!

  Off to your side, Evan is slowly getting to his feet. He looks like he's been through all twelve rounds of a boxing match.

  "Let's get out of here," he gasps, his voice hoarse and broken. "Now."

  Nice job, you fought your way free! Now slip across the hall by TURNING TO PAGE 138

  119

  "Wait here!" you say. "I'll be right back!"

  It takes forever to reach the door of this crazy room. When you finally do, you slip back into the hall and silently backtrack to where you saw the other elephant tusk. The halls of the Aurora are thankfully empty, and you encounter no
one else along the way.

  Minutes later you re-enter room 202, dragging a three-foot long piece of pointed ivory behind you. Evan and Jenna are staring at you like you have three heads.

  "I knew I saw this somewhere," you say. Hefting it onto your shoulder, you slide the tusk snugly into the elephant statue. It matches the other one perfectly.

  "Look!" Jenna says.

  As you release your grip on the tusk, the elephant's mouth grinds open. An object drops out, glimmering brightly as it lands at your feet. You pick it up.

  "It's a ring."

  "A girl's ring?" Jenna asks hopefully.

  "No," you say. "I don't think so. Too big."

  The ring is a thick band of gold topped by a large, multi-faceted stone. Deep within it you can make out a muddy, reddish glow. It looks old. Evan takes it from you and examines it thoroughly before giving it back.

  "Cool ring I guess," he shrugs. "But let's keep moving. We're not going to find anything here, and this place is making me dizzy."

  Head back into the hallway by TURNING TO PAGE 93

  120

  You jolt forward, throwing your arm out, reaching for the marked candle... but you miss! Helplessly you watch as it slams to the floor and breaks in half!

  "Oh no!"

  A bunch of other candles rain down on you. Some of them bounce off your back. Others thud loudly against the polished oaken floor.