Grace awoke with a pounding sensation behind her lids. They had really drunk a lot more than they should’ve last night. She pushed the comforter and Dean’s lunk of an arm off of her and swung her legs out and onto the floor. The room was dark, with light streaming in through one of the bay windows on the left wall. She wobbled into the bathroom and turned the shower on. She looked at herself in the bathroom mirror while waiting for the water to heat up. The frizziness of her hair and the dark bags under her eyes greeted her.
She stripped out of her shorts and Dean’s shirt and stepped under the water. It washed away any blemish of the previous day, the tears were gone for good now. The streaks they had left on her face last night disappeared under the water, leaving her hollow and empty. She pressed her forehead onto the tiled wall. The tiles cool touch spread across her forehead. It had been 4 days since they had been told. The search parties had stopped after the last time they had went to look. Three members had found what looked like the remains of Pierce’s flannel. It had been covered in blood.
“Pierce”
The hoarse whisper met nothing but the sound of rushing water and the silent sobs that wracked her body.
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Breakfast here was as good as usual, and Dean felt better than she, evident by his continued wolfing down of waffles and bacon. She admired her plate and picked at it before tossing her silverware down and standing.
“Where are you going?” Dean said, his mouth half full of bacon.
“Just out; I’m gonna go walk around.”
"Okay, have fun, sweetie, and be careful.” Dean’s face dropped. “I don’t want to lose you too.”
“Yeah, of course, don’t even worry about it.” She forced a smile, hoping he couldn’t tell.
She stepped away, heading for the front hall. The adornments along the edge of the hallway really made this place beautiful. She was always a sucker for post-modern Victorian, and this place was full of it. Pierce probably liked it here, too. He always sought the Log Cabin aesthetic though. She stopped staring at one of the paintings in the hallway. It was of a man staring at a pot of flowers with a broad smile on his face. A dog was looking up at his master with a face full of curiosity. She could see Pierce in the painting. Same type of smile.
She choked back a sob.
He died only knowing of the betrayal by the prominent people in his life. It was the truth, but if she had explained, it would have made him understand why it had happened. She stumbled away from the painting towards the looby and slumped in a chair. She stared at the ceiling. Why was she feeling so bad? He hadn’t been putting in the effort, and she wasn’t happy, and that’s why she did what she did. So why did she feel so bad?
She closed her eyes, seeing felt like too much activity for her brain right now.
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She awoke to the sound of yelling coming from behind her. Her eyes snapped open and she blinked through the blue film and dark that had covered her vision from sleeping in the bright sunlight.
There was one of the staff restraining who looked to be Fiona. She was yelling and kicking and struggling to escape from his grasp. The man had a grim look of determination on his face and was dragging her toward the front desk. Fiona, in her struggle, alighted upon Grace’s face and yelled for her to help.
Grace stood up and strode toward them, but another employee dressed in what looked like tactical armor, like a cop, stood in her way with a hand out.
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“Sorry Ma’am this situation is currently between the hotel and Miss Martell over there.”
“What happened?”
“Well she was found having a breakdown of sorts in the hallway over there.”
He pointed down the way she had come.
“And when a staff member offered assistance she lashed out and struck the staff member hard in the throat.”
He sighed heavily
“So we are detaining her till the proper authorities can come and deal with this.”
Suddenly she heard Fiona yell
“Don’t listen to them, they are lying, they are doing something here, I think Pierce got involved–”
The employee escorting her tripped and fell on top of Fiona as he hit the ground with a loud thud.
“Oh god dammit, Darryl I said too make sure to tie your shoes.”
He shook his head as if this were a common occurrence. He lowered his tone,
“I can’t believe they hired that guy, he’s a fucking idiot”
He chuckled and headed toward the collapsed pair.
Grace just stood for a second and absorbed everything. What the hell is going on? She had never seen Fiona act like this ever. Their interactions had always been minor over the last couple years but she was always straightforward and cordial. So much so that between the cold confidence she exuded and her evident beauty, she always worried that Pierce would leave her for Fiona. That's why she had said she didn’t like her, and made Pierce choose between the two of them. Turns out though she had been the one to do something like that all along.
But this was so unlike the fiona she had in her mind that it scared her. Something bad was happening, She did not think that trip was an accident.
She watched as The big man named Darryl got to his feet with the help of the other man. Fiona was still on the ground, moaning in pain.
“Come on get up” she could hear the man who had been talking to her say. Then, both of them bent and grabbed Fiona under her armpits. Fiona held her shoulder and gasped with each step they took toward the desk. They then disappeared into the back room. Grace knew she needed to do something but she couldn't rush in and help Fiona right now.
Just then Dean ran into the room face pale and drawn. He grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her into a deep embrace.
“Thank god, I don't know what I was thinking letting you run off by yourself. Are you okay? Was that you who was screaming?”
“No.”
She was surprised how flat her tone was.
“Good… I’m glad”
His voiced choked on the last syllable.
“I wont allow you to leave me alone here. I shouldn't have let you leave me at breakfast.”
He steered her towards the elevators.
“Come on lets get out of here.”
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She stared up at the ceiling, the darkness in the room encompassing her. She couldn’t sleep, her thoughts were churning around her head, replaying what had happened today. Fiona was in trouble. It felt like a conspiracy, like there was more to the story. It itched at the back of her mind, like all those years ago.
She was sixteen, and her father had dropped her off at ballet practice. It had been a rough day, and she was looking forward to dancing and breaking loose. The girls in her class were nice enough and had occasionally hung out with her after school. Which is why when she entered the studio and was met with a deafening sense of tension she was confused.
No one looked up as she entered the room. The all looked at her with a single minded glance. She opened her loker and there it was, a single object that changed her entire perception on life.
Sweat streamed down her face as she opened her eyes. The light stream lazlily along the ceiling as her vision adjusted to it’s presence. She rolled out of bed and frantically clambered her way to the toilet. She retched, the overwhelming anxious feeling leaving her as the acid left her stomach. She wiped her mouth and brushed her teeth.
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Breakfast was lousy as usual. Or maybe it was just the risudial disgust. She pushed her heaped plate away and started to think. What she should do? What was going on at this hotel. Nothing was adding up. Pierce’s death, Fiona getting taken. She needed information.
“I’m going to go look around” She stood to leave.
“Then I’m coming with you.”
She opened her mouth to argue but he expression didn’t leave any room for argument. She closed her mouth.
“Ok.”
They stood, and Dean grasped her hand. As they walked out Dean spoke up.
“So I’m gathering this has something to do with yesterday.”
She nodded
“It did sound shady from what you said.You gunna be okay with all of this?”
The memory of this morning flashed to her mind.
“Yeah I’ll be fine”
He squeezed her hand reassuringly.
“Just tell me if you can feel it coming over you.”
She nodded.
“So where to first?”
“I think we need to find more evidence of what happened to Pierce.”
“So to the trails we go.”