After leaving the park, Jayden and Aiden found a small motel to stay the night. They walked into the reception area, where a glass window separated them from the girl working the shift. She had brown hair and striking green eyes, dressed in a red polo and black jeans. Jayden couldn’t help but think she was beautiful but kept it to himself.
The girl glanced up at them, her voice monotone as she greeted them, “Hello... welcome to Comet Motel. I’m May Cassidy. How ma—" Her sentence cut off when she locked eyes with Jayden. Her pupils dilated, and a blush crept up her cheeks. Jayden, feeling his own face heat up, quickly looked away.
May shook her head and straightened her posture, trying to compose herself. “How m-may I assist you on this fine day?”
Aiden cleared his throat, clearly amused but keeping it together. “Uhm, we’d like a twin room, please.”
May fumbled for a moment before reaching under the desk and pulling out a key labeled Room 27. “Oh, wait. Here’s the number for room service.” She pulled a notepad and pen from her pocket, quickly scribbling something down. She handed one slip to Aiden with a smile, “Room service,” and then handed another slip of paper directly to Jayden. It had two numbers. The second one was followed by a winky face. “Enjoy your stay!” May called as she waved. They headed to the room, and when they finally reached it, Aiden opened the door
Jayden blinked in surprise, pocketing the paper as she opened the door to reveal a cozy room with two beds, red fluffy pillows, blankets, a small TV, and a bathroom. There was even a microwave and a small table with two chairs.
Jayden wasted no time heading to the bathroom to shower. After wrapping his ribs and forehead with the bandages he found, he put on his clothes again and walked back out. Aiden was lounging on one of the beds, flipping his phone shut as Jayden emerged.
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“I ordered fries and chocolate cake,” Aiden said casually.
Jayden raised an eyebrow. “How much money did you bring, anyway?”
Aiden mumbled, “...Two thousand bucks...”
Aiden expected Jayden to freak out, but for once, he just shrugged. Maybe it was the exhaustion setting in. He absentmindedly reached into his pocket and found the number May gave him—along with something else. A key? He didn’t remember picking up any keys. The skeleton key was black and white, with a black handle and a white blade.
Fidgeting with it, Jayden spun the key in his hand—and suddenly, with a flash, his scythe appeared in the air.
“Oh, holy crap!” Jayden yelped, nearly dropping the weapon.
The scythe was somehow tied to the key. It reminded him of Jacob’s weapon. He fiddled with it, trying to get it to disappear again, but nothing worked until he muttered, “Back.”
In an instant, the scythe vanished, and the key returned to normal. Jayden let out a breath of relief, looking over at Aiden, but his friend was already fast asleep.
Jayden found a piece of string, threading it through the bow of the key, and fashioned it into a necklace. Just as he finished, there was a knock at the door. He shook Aiden awake.
Aiden groaned, rubbing his eyes. “Who is it?” he muttered, looking through the spyhole. “Oh, it’s room service.”
They opened the door, and a gloomy-looking man stood there, holding a tray with two pieces of chocolate cake, fries, nuggets, and two bottles of water.
“Hello, you ordered room service?” he said in a monotone voice, barely looking at them.
“Yeah, thanks,” Jayden and Aiden said simultaneously.
The man handed over the food, his expression never changing. “Tip?” he asked flatly.
Aiden sighed and handed him five bucks, but the man didn’t even say thank you. Instead, something strange happened. The key around Jayden’s neck began to rumble, and before they could react, a vortex opened up beneath the room service guy.
“What the—?!” Jayden gasped as the man let out a shocked “Ahhhh!” and got sucked into the void, disappearing in an instant.
The key stopped rumbling, and the vortex closed.
Jayden and Aiden stood frozen for a moment, looking at each other in shock, then down at the food.
“...Well, that happened,” Aiden muttered, before shrugging and closing the door. They sat down and devoured the food, which, to their surprise, was delicious.
Before long, Aiden passed out again, leaving Jayden to flip through the TV channels. He stopped when he found the soap opera channel and, without thinking, started watching it until the morning light crept into the room. They Went to the buss station, and was on their way to toronto.