I have written here before about my job at Ultima Resort (1,2,3,4,5,6). Our last guests were… tough. I wasn’t sure I should even write about it, but maybe getting it down will help me sort some things out in my mind. I have a decision to make, about what I should do next, and I don’t know how to do the right thing. Hopefully, once I explain, you’ll understand my dilemma.
I was trying to get the slime off the inside of the ice machine on the second floor with a vinegar-soaked rag, arm up to my elbow in the machine. People didn’t realize how often you had to clean these things, they figure that it is just water, and it should be pretty clean already, so why bother? But it will grow a layer of slime and mold an inch thick if you just leave them to their own devices. I shuddered slightly. There was a reason I didn’t get ice in my drink at restaurants. I’d take a warm lemonade, over ice from an ice machine, any day. I dipped my rag in the vinegar again.
Of all the things that happen to people here, unsanitary ice seems a small concern, Al observed.
I shrugged,
“I like to focus on the things I can change. This is one of them. If someone is going to be tortured and killed, at least they won’t have to deal with food poisoning on top of it.”
Wouldn’t you rather do something more interesting?
“What do you suggest?”
We could go into town and see a movie.
“Nice try. I told you; I am not agreeing to your terms.”
A shame.
“You could make a movie theatre here, I suppose.”
It isn’t quite that simple, he chuckled. I can make small changes on my own, but large structural changes require the agreement and cooperation of at least several of us. And you have no idea how difficult that consensus can be. Sometimes, one group will make careful and dramatic changes to the structure, only to have them undone then next day by another group that disagrees. It can be maddening.
“Tell me about it,” I muttered. “I once cleaned a whole bowling alley only to step into the hall and turn around to find it gone.”
Well, it really didn’t fit with the tone and prestige of the place, did it? Al sniffed.
“Ok, I have to ask, what is the deal with this place anyway?”
The deal? He repeated, bemused.
“You know, why is it here, why are you here? How are you here?”
Ooh, that is a big question, I felt the grin behind my eyes. Really, several big questions. I think you will have to trade something for that type of information.
“Trade something?”
If I answer your question, I want something in return, Al explained.
“Forget it, then,” I sighed.
Now, don’t be too hasty. It doesn’t have to be anything too onerous. Think of it like a game of truth and dare. I’ll give you one truth, if you do one dare for me. Something small, but that will entertain me. How about that?
I hesitated. We were beginning to tread on dangerous ground here. Over the last few weeks, I had grown somewhat accustomed to Al being in my head, to chatting with him. But it wouldn’t do to forget what he was, and what he wanted. And this… this felt like a play for control. Maybe a small amount of control, but still. I did want answers, though.
“I’m not agreeing to do any task you want. Tell me the dare, then I’ll decide if it is worth it.”
I felt him frown,
Very well, he agreed, grudgingly. I will tell you what this place is, if the next time you are in the dining room with Vincent, you pick a bottle of wine from the rack, look him in the eyes, and shatter it on the ground.
“Why?”
That isn’t important. Do we have an agreement?
I bit my lip. It was a strange request, but it seemed relatively harmless. I could just apologize and say my hand slipped. I nodded,
“Alright, I’ll do it.”
Excellent, the way he said the word had me immediately regretting my decision. Would you like to hear about the resort now?
“You aren’t worried I won’t fulfill my end?”
Of course not. Agreements made between us are binding, so long as we both offer something in the exchange. Neither of us can fail to fulfill the conditions.
“Go ahead, then.”
Well, truthfully there isn’t that much to tell. Ultima Resort is exactly what is appears to be, on second glance. A trap, to lure in and soften potential hosts. See, none of my kind have much power without a host. We can only manifest where the boundaries between your world and ours are thin, and we have access to very little of our normal power. That changes, once we obtain a host, of course. The powers I could grant you, were you to agree to join with me…
“This isn’t a sales pitch, stay on topic,” with the slime finally gone, I began to wipe the inside of the ice machine with clean water, rinsing away the vinegar.
Very well, he sighed. The point is, we all gather in weak places, like this, an existing, abandoned resort, that we simply repurposed. If enough of us gather, we can pool our powers to create a proper venue. To lure in potential hosts and… negotiate. This is notable, because my kind are not really inclined to cooperate with each other. Only necessity forces us to do so. But even then, we rarely cooperate too far. We lure and weaken people together, but the competition to actually claim a host is vicious. Each of us would do anything for our chance to leave this place and see the rest of the world.
“Why? What is so interesting about our world?”
Ah, now that would be another question, wouldn’t it? Al tutted. Would you like to agree to another task, in exchange?
I shook my head. I think I had already committed to enough for one day. Besides, Al would often volunteer information, to see how I would react. If I waited, I might find out for free.
Very well. Perhaps another time.
“I don’t know about that. You didn’t really give me much information. I am not sure these deals are worth it.”
Why do you think I didn’t ask for much in return? Al asked. I am being very fair, here. But, as always, the choice is yours.
I sighed and closed the ice machine. I rose, wiping my hands on my pants, then switching the machine back on. It hummed to life. I was just debating whether to start on the machine on the 3rd floor when I heard the bell. I shuddered involuntarily. Ever since Al joined me, it had started to remind me of a dinner bell, I could feel him salivating with anticipation whenever it rang. And I knew it wasn’t a host he was expecting, so it was purely the entertainment that seemed to excite him. I put down my cleaning supplies and reluctantly headed for the desk.
Waiting at the front desk were three people, an older man and woman, with a younger woman a few steps behind them. A family, I guessed.
Very good guess. And family is the most important thing, isn’t it? Al’s laugh was cruel. You always need to stand by your family.
I ignored him.
“Welcome to Ultima Resort, how can I help you?”
The older man stepped forward, smiling broadly,
“I am Theodore West,” he offered a hand, and I shook after a brief hesitation, I wasn’t used to guests being this friendly. “This is my wife, Sharlene and our daughter, Emily. Say hello.”
The two women were smiled and waved dutifully.
“We are preparing for our 30th wedding anniversary party and our planner suggested this venue. We were hoping to stay for the weekend, to get the feel of the place, you know?” he gave me a conspiratorial smile. “Emily is setting up the whole thing, with the planner, but we needed to approve of the venue ourselves. It is the most important part, and you don’t celebrate your 30th anniversary every day! We want everything to be perfect, right honey?”
Sharlene nodded.
“Our event planner made a reservation for us under her name, said to just give you this.”
He handed me an embossed business card that read “Melanie Tyler, Event Planner”. It wasn’t exactly a surprise, still, she worked faster than I had expected. I nodded and handed the card back.
“Thank you, sir,” I tapped at the computer. “I have your reservation right here. Do you have bags to bring to your room?”
“Yes, thank you.”
I pressed the button to summon assistance, while I finished entering their information into the system. Manny emerged from the back room and quietly gathered the bags.
“I thought Vincent was helping you?” I asked quietly, as he passed the desk.
“He’s in the kitchen, says he is preparing for dinner,” Manny shrugged.
“He’s been spending a lot of time in the kitchen lately,” I observed.
“Yes. And he hasn’t been back to the woods.”
“That’s good, isn’t it?”
“Maybe,” Manny shook his head and headed up the stairs.
I frowned. He was right, I hadn’t thought about it, but Vincent hadn’t been going back to the woods lately. Did that mean he had finally given up on his search? I wasn’t sure. I also wasn’t sure it was my place to get involved. Though, I didn’t like that he was keeping secrets…
That’s a bit rich, coming from you, Al chuckled.
He had a point.“Now that we are alone, maybe you can clear something up for me?” I changed the subject.
You can always ask.
“You said your ‘kind’ weren’t very cooperative or community minded. So, why did Melanie bother to send people?”
Well, I suppose since it is a clarification of a question I agreed to answer, I will give you this one for free, Al smiled magnanimously. She does it because it entertains her to do so. Why else would anyone do anything?
“There are a great many other reasons people do things.”
People, certainly, Al laughed. You all do things for very strange reasons. It is why you are so amusing. You respond to stimuli in interesting ways. For us, life is infinitely long and dull. What is worthwhile, except something to break up the tedium, even for a moment? We do what amuses us, nothing more.
“Infinitely?”
Of course, Al laughed. Not every being is so pathetically… mortal.
“Mortal…”
“What’s that?”
I looked up to see Manny standing at the foot of the stairs.
“Nothing, just talking to myself,” I laughed awkwardly.
“Well, dinner is going to be complicated, so you should get to it. The Wests say they were promised a series of samplers, so they can choose the main course for their event.”
“Did they have a specific menu?”
“No, their event planner told them it was our ‘standard sampler pack’.”
“Do we have that?”
“No.”
I felt like I might be beginning to understand what amused Melanie about this.
“Fantastic. I guess we should go set something up, then.”
“I’ll be in the garden. Vincent should be able to assist.”
I nodded. Manny almost never went in the kitchen. Something about the cook bothered him too much, as far as I could tell. I wondered what he saw but knew better than to ask. I turned and headed into the dining room. The room smelled strongly of lemons and wax. Scanning the area, I saw that Vincent was kneeling in the back corner, working on a chair with a cloth and some furniture polish. He glanced up when he heard me enter.
“New guest?” he asked.
“Whole family. And we have to come up with a menu for the parents’ anniversary dinner.”
“Fantastic.”
I crossed to the wine rack, making a show of inspecting the bottles, Vincent watched me, his polishing forgotten. Plucking a bottle, I studied the label, then looked up to meet Vincent’s eye,
“Maybe this wine would be…” as I spoke, I let it slip from my hand.
It shattered on the floor, spraying glass and dark liquid across the tile. Vincent jumped to his feet, eyes flashing with anger and fear.
“Why did you do that?” he shouted.
“What? My hand slipped. I didn’t mean to,” I lied.
“Like hell it did. What do you know?”
“I have no idea what you are talking about!” this time it wasn’t a lie.
That wasn’t the reaction I had been expecting. Al laughed quietly behind my ears.
“Just get away from there,” he waved his hands. “I will handle the wine, alright?”
“Alright, alright,” I raised my hands in surrender. “You pick the wine, then. I’m going to go get a mop.”
I stepped out into the hall to retrieve the mop and broom from the cupboard, as I did, I almost ran into Emily West, who was just about to enter the dining room.
“Oh, excuse me,” I apologized, holding the door open for her. “Dinner is not quite ready, ma’am.”
“Don’t worry, I’m used to it. People are always running into me. I assume it’s because I am short,” she pulled on the end of her long, dark braid, nervously. “And I know dinner isn’t ready, I just wanted to talk to someone about the menu, is that possible?”
“Of course, come in.”
Steering her away from the back corner, where Vincent was grumbling as he picked up bits of glass, I lead Emily to a table on the far side of the room.
“Now, I know that you are planning to serve us your standard tasting menu tonight,” she began apologetically, wringing a napkin in her hands. “But I was hoping I could request a few dishes, if that would be alright?”
“Of course, we are always happy to make adjustments,” I breathed a sigh of relief, the less I had to come up with myself, the better. “What dishes were you hoping for?”
“Well, I think it would be special for my parents if we could incorporate some of Emeline’s favorite dishes into the dinner.”
I admit I was surprised, for a moment, but I quickly recovered. Afterall, referring to themselves in the third person wasn’t the strangest thing I had had a guest do.
“Of course, ma’am. And what are some of your favorite dishes?”
“Oh, no! Not me,” she laughed. “I am just Emily; it isn’t short for anything. Emeline was my older sister. She, uh, she died when she was 7.”
“Oh, I am very sorry.”
“Thank you, but it isn’t necessary. I never knew her. It was before I was born, after all. But my parents like to incorporate her into all the family celebrations. Like she is still here with us, you know? So, I do feel like I know her, in some ways.”
“What kind of food would you like to incorporate for her?”
“Well, remember she was very young,” Emily explained. “But macaroni and cheese, with bacon, and chicken tenders would probably be best.”
“That should be easy enough to add to the menu.”
“Oh, thank you!” she grasped my hand. “You have no idea how relieved I am. I know I should have called in advance, but it slipped my mind. And if they found out that I hadn’t done anything to incorporate Emeline into the dinner, they would have been so disappointed in me. Thank you again.”
“It’s no trouble at all.”
Emily rose and hurried out of the dining room. I pulled out a pad and paper, I had a dinner menu to plan and not long to do it.
Dinner went surprisingly well. It seemed that Emily was correct, the dishes she had chosen for Emeline were well received. They didn’t seem to mind the rest of the dishes, either. Vincent had left me to take care of the food, ostensibly so he could serve drinks, but he spent most of his time hovering by the wine rack, casting me surreptitious glances when he thought I wasn’t looking, to the endless amusement of Al. I decided to ignore it. I didn’t have time for whatever was going on there, right now. As I gathered the dishes in preparation for the next sample, the family chatted, as if I wasn’t even there. It was surprisingly common. Something about being in a service job made you invisible to a certain percentage of the population.
“Have you finished your applications, yet?” Sharlene regarded Emily over the rim of her wine glass.
“I… I was going to talk to you about that, Mom,” Emily cleared her throat. “I… I was thinking that I might not apply to med school. I got an offer for a job, at the lab where I am interning. If I finish my degree next year…”
“Emily,” Sharlene shook her head sadly. “You know you can’t do that. What would your sister think?”
“I don’t think Emeline would…”
“It was her dream to become a doctor. You know that. We worked hard to save for your college fund, so that you could fulfil her dream.”
“I know that, mom, but I just don’t think I’m cut out to be a doctor,” the words tumbled from her mouth.
“Nonsense,” Sharlene dismissed the thought. “Teddy, tell her.”
“You have been given all the opportunities Emeline didn’t get to have, don’t you appreciate that?” Theodore asked, frowning deeply. “You’d just throw it away? Are you really so ungrateful?”
Emily flinched, like she had been slapped. Sharlene reached out a put a hand on her husband’s arm,
“Now, now, Teddy. I am sure Emily she just needs a reminder, about family, about what’s important, about how much we have given up for her,” Sharlene stared into her daughters eyes. “She knows how important it is for her to honor Emeline’s legacy. Don’t you, dear?”
Emily nodded morosely,
“Of course. I’m sorry. I will take care of the applications during the break. I know you sacrificed a lot for me. I know what you lost. Whatever you want me to do with my life, I’ll do it. For you.”
“Good girl,” Teddy smiled again.
Vincent approached the table to top up the wine glasses. Emily raised her own empty glass, but as he went to fill it, Sharlene placed her hand over the top.
“You are not old enough, Emily.”
“I’ll be 21 next month!”
“Exactly, next month,” she shook her head firmly and Vincent departed. “Now, let’s discuss something more pleasant, shall we?”
“Alright,” Emily sighed. “What should we do after dinner? I think the spa will still be open…”
I carried the dishes back to the kitchen and leaned by the window, waiting for the next course to arrive at the pass. Seeing Vincent by the wine rack again, I stepped closer,
“Look, do you want to talk about what’s bothering you?” I attempted.
“As if you didn’t know already,” he scowled.
“I truly have no idea what you are talking about.”
“You are saying that dropping that bottle was an accident? Right,” he scoffed. “I saw what you did, you looked me right in the eye.”
“Were you saving it for later or something? I don’t understand why this is such a big deal to you.”
“If you are going to keep playing dumb, we have nothing to talk about,” he turned his back to me.
I sighed and returned to the pass.
“I assume you know what that is about,” I murmured under my breath.
Of course, Al replied cheerfully.
“Want to enlighten me?”
Depends, what are you willing to offer in return?
“Ugh, never mind,” I threw my hands up in surrender. “I’ll figure it out myself.”
The chef rang the bell as he placed the next dish on the ledge for me to collect. I smoothed the front of my shirt, grabbed the trays, and headed back to the table.
The rest of dinner was without incident. Vincent and I cleaned the kitchen and dining room in stony silence. He refused to leave before I did, dawdling in a corner before I finally gave up and headed back to my room.
“You did that on purpose,” I observed, dropping onto my bed.
Obviously, Al chuckled.
“Why? What was the point?”
I wanted to see what Vincent would do. He didn’t disappoint.
“And you aren’t going to tell me why he is so upset?”
Not for free.
I lay my head on the pillow and closed my eyes,
“Well, I am getting the impression that these little trades are an even worse idea than they seem. I gained very little from the last one, and the ‘harmless’ task you asked of me has been more trouble than it was worth. I think I will sleep on it, instead.”
Suit yourself, Al shrugged.
I closed my eyes and drifted off.
I slept poorly that night. I dreamed of the forest and a rotting man with a gun in his trembling hand, and I woke feeling decidedly unrested. I arrived in the lobby to find Sharlene and Theodore West talking quietly by the coffee machine, so I hung back, not wanting to interrupt.
“Perhaps we have been unfair,” Sharlene said quietly. “She isn’t Emeline, after all. What can we really expect?”
“You are right. We need to make some changes. It isn’t fair this way. She deserves more from us.”
“We’ll take care of it tonight, then?”
“Yes. We’ll make things right,” Theodore embraced his wife.
I smiled. It was clear that the Wests had put a lot of pressure on Emily to live the life her sister couldn’t, and it was comforting to see that they realized how unreasonable that was. She was her own person and had to live her own life. Perhaps Melanie had chosen poorly, these people seemed to be poor hosts, after all.
How do your people get by, without understanding each other’s emotions and feelings? Al asked.
“Oh, you have a question for me, now?” I whispered.
It’s more rhetorical. I know the answer: poorly, the demon laughed.
“I don’t know. You seem to understand a lot, and all it brings you is boredom. Maybe a little bit of ignorance is good for sentient life.”
Oh yes, because your people are doing so great. All healthy and well adjusted.
“Some are,” I watched the couple step apart and head out into the garden, hand in hand.
Al didn’t respond to that. I took that as a victory. I grabbed a cup of coffee, then headed into the dining room to lay out breakfast. Vincent was already there, holding a wine bottle up to the light, peering inside. For a moment, I entertained the thought that he might have found a jinn, stranger things had happened here, after all. But as he heard me enter, he quicky whipped the bottle around, behind his back and I heard a clank and a rattle. And suddenly it all made sense.
“You found that stupid diamond, didn’t you?” I demanded, shaking my head as I crossed the room towards him.
“What are you…”
“Oh, come on, Vincent, don’t deny it. You haven’t been back to the forest; you won’t leave the stupid wine rack alone. You hid it in one of the bottles. Just admit it.”
He sighed and pulled the bottle out,
“If you only figured this out now, why did you break that bottle, yesterday? I thought you were trying to find it, or send me a message.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I told you; it was nothing like that. It was a… mistake,” that was true enough. “Even if I knew about your bauble, I wouldn’t be looking for it. I have no interest in that diamond. I wish it was still in the woods, frankly. It being here can only cause trouble.”
“Now who is being ridiculous?” he shook his head. “But do you really mean it, you won’t try to take it?”
“Of course not. What would I even do with it? But if you are so worried, why would you hide it here, in a public place?”
“I couldn’t hide it in my room. I don’t always know when I can get back in there. The dining room is one of the few places that never really seems to change. I thought it would be safe here. But the idea of someone finding it has been driving me crazy.”
“Well, you know what my advice is going to be. Get rid of it, Vincent. Nothing good can come from that thing.”
“No,” he shook his head. “I just need to find a better place for it, that’s all. When I find a way out of here, I am taking it with me. The money could solve all my problems.”
I sighed, pushing this was pointless,
“Fine, just put it back on the rack for now, let’s get breakfast ready.”
He hesitated, looking down at the bottle, then back at me.
“I am not going to take it, Vincent.”
Finally, he nodded, placed the bottle back in the rack, and together, we began setting up the buffet.
It was late afternoon, and I was enjoying the warm sun, sweeping the pool deck, when I saw Emily West emerge from the hotel. She was hard to miss, in a bright yellow sundress. When she saw me by the pool, she stopped, hesitating in the doorway. Finally, she raised a hand and waved me over. I set down my broom and headed closer.
“Good afternoon, ma’am, is there anything I can do for you?”
“I am sorry to interrupt,” she bowed her head. “But we are leaving tomorrow, and I was just hoping to talk to someone about the party, before we go. Would that be alright?”
“Of course.”
“Well, I think the menu is pretty much set. But I am concerned about the room. The dining room seemed a bit small, for the people we are planning to invite. Do you have a banquet hall or a ballroom?”
I thought about saying that it depended on the week, but that would only confuse her.
“We generally have a banquet hall available,” I replied, carefully. “But if you would like a more scenic place to host, this area has a lovely deck with a view of the forest, a gazebo, and a pool. Weather dependent, of course. We could talk to your parents about it, if you like?”
“No!” Emily yelped. “No. Please don’t mention the pool to my parents. My mother didn’t bring enough valium with her to deal with that.”
I nodded, knowing better than to press for more information, but Emily seemed to be the type to talk when there was silence to fill.
“We don’t like the water much, in my family. I mentioned my sister, didn’t I? She drowned, in the family pool, when she was a child,” she regarded the water behind me the way most people would a venomous snake. “My parents moved, before I was born. They have never let me near the water, my whole life. I don’t even know how to swim.”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have suggested.”
“No, no. You didn’t know. But uh, maybe we could go see that ballroom?”
“Of course.”
I led her back inside and went in search of a room that would fit her needs.
Dinner was a more relaxed affair that evening, with no complicated tasting menu to deliver. I supposed that the parents must have apologized for their fight the previous evening, because everyone looked much happier than they had at the end of the previous night. When Vincent went around with the wine, this time Sharlene held out her daughter’s glass.
“You were right, I was being too rigid,” she offered, by way of explanation.
Emily smiled and took a tentative sip, watching for their reaction.
“It’s ok, Em. We know this isn’t your first drink,” Sharlene laughed. “We are on holiday, relax. Could you leave the bottle, young man?”
Vincent nodded, placing the wine bottle on the table. Emily let out a relieved breath and took a longer drink. I delivered the main courses and joined Vincent by the bar.
“You think they’ll get to leave tomorrow?” he asked quietly.
“I think they might,” I nodded. “A real weight seems to have lifted from the parents; can you tell.”
“Yeah. But it’s odd. They have been grieving their daughter for what, more than twenty years? What changed, all of a sudden?”
“No idea,” I shrugged. “Maybe they realized how much their current daughter is hurting.”
“Maybe,” he sounded less than convinced.
The family laughed and chatted as they finished their dinner and bottle of wine. As I cleared away the dessert plates, they rose to leave, but Emily seemed to be having trouble standing. She swayed on her feet and had to brace herself on the table. Then, the tablecloth slipped, and she stumbled sideways, falling into her mother. She looked wasted. As Sharlene held her by the shoulder and propped her up, Emily laughed and ran a hand over her mother’s cheek,
“I love you, mom,” she slurred.
“I love you, too, honey. But maybe we should get you to bed, huh?” she nodded to her husband, and he took Emily’s other arm, helping to support her. Emily lay her head on his shoulder.
“Would you like a glass of water?” I offered.
“No, we’re alright. We’ll get her a bottle of water in the room. Thank you, though,” Sharlene smiled and the West’s headed out into the hall, supporting their daughter between them.
Vincent chuckled,
“Mom let’s her have a few glasses of wine and she gets plastered. She won’t live that down for a while.”
“Yeah. I was sure she couldn’t have had more than 2 glasses of wine.”
“I only brought over one bottle, so yeah 2, 3 at most.”
“She must be quite a lightweight, to be that drunk.”
“I guess so,” Vincent shrugged. “Hopefully she won’t make too much of a mess in the room. I hate cleaning up vomit.”
“Better than blood. And brains,” I shrugged.
“True.”
We set about cleaning up the dining room.
You know you left the broom out by the pool, right? Al piped up.
“What?”
“I didn’t say anything,” Vincent replied.
“Oh, sorry, I thought I heard something,” I cleared my throat.
I was going to need to be more careful about talking to Al out loud.
Or, you could tell him about me, Al smirked.
I shook my head silently. That did not sound like a good idea. As for the broom, I preferred not to go out after dark, so it could wait until tomorrow.
I suppose. But that kind of sloppiness might cost you your accommodations for the evening.
I flinched. He was right. We were expected to do the work properly. Leaving equipment laying around might get me punished. I sighed and put down my cloth.
“I just remembered that I left something out by the pool this afternoon. I need to go grab it, I’ll be right back.”
“Are you sure?” Vincent looked up, worry creasing his face.
“It’s only a few steps from the door, don’t worry.” I put down my cloth and jogged off down the hall. As I opened the back door that led to the pool, I paused; there was splashing, like something was in the water. I hesitated, reluctant to see whatever might be out there. Then I heard the voices.
“Is she asleep?” the woman’s voice asked.
“Finally,” the man replied. “How many valium, did you put in the glass, Sharlene?”
“Two.”
“I told you to use all of it, this took too long.”
“That would have been too dangerous. It has to be in the pool, you know that, Teddy.”
I risked peering my head around the door. The pool was well lit, so it was easy to see the tableau laid out before me. Theodore West stood in waist-deep water, fully clothed, his jeans and dress shirt clinging to his skin. Sharlene stood on the deck, leaning over something bright yellow, blocking most of it from my view. As I watched, she stepped aside, revealing her daughter, sprawled out on the pool deck, only steps from the water. Theodore waded closer, reaching for her, but she was too far away. Sharlene responded immediately, bending down and rolling her closer to the water. Theodore picked her up in his arms, like a child, and slid her into the pool. She lay in his arms, dark hair floating around her head like a halo, dress ballooned around her. He looked down on her face with a tender expression for a moment, then put a hand on her face, and pushed her under the water. Startled, I shouted without thinking,
“What the hell are you doing?”
Two pairs of eyes snapped towards me. Theodore released his grip on Emily, and she raised her head, spluttering and coughing. Though the water had woken her, she still looked disoriented, and she struggled in the shallow water.
“Don’t let her get away, keep her under!” Sharlene cried. “It doesn’t matter what happens to us.”
Theodore grabbed her shoulders and pushed Emily beneath the surface. I rushed out onto the deck, but Sharlene blocked my path, shoving me back.
“You don’t understand. This is alright. This is a wonderful thing,” she tried to explain, her eyes bright and shining. “We are finally making things right. How they should have been all along.”
“How is this right? You are killing her!” I tried to push past her, but the older woman’s grip on my arms was like iron.
“It’s ok,” she insisted. “She never should have been alive to begin with, you see? We only wanted one daughter. We only wanted Emeline. When she died, we decided to try again, but it was a mistake. She wasn’t Emeline, no matter how hard we tried. She just wasn’t Emeline. It wasn’t fair to Emily, it wasn’t fair to Emeline. We shouldn’t have given up on her. We should have tried harder to get her back.”
“Get her back?”
“We can have our Emeline back. The voices, they told us so. They whispered what we would need to do to save her, to revive her. A life for a life, a drowning for a drowning. Then they can return her to us. We had to make things right, you understand? We failed Emeline then, but we can still save her.”
The flailing and splashing was weakening now. I tried again to get past Sharlene, but she shoved me to the ground with surprising force. She seemed manic, imbued with a strange energy.
“We tried to keep Emily from suffering too much. If you hadn’t come, she never would have even known what was happening. Hopefully, she still doesn’t. We do care for her, after all, but her life belongs to Emeline.”
“You are insane! She’ll die. You’ll go to prison.”
“If we must go to prison, we have accepted that. As long as Emeline is safe,” Sharlene turned towards the pool, which had gone eerily silent.
I got to my feet, she seemed to no longer even care that I was there. Emily was now perfectly still, face down at the bottom of the pool. The Wests stared at the still, silent body as it slowly drifted down the slope, deeper into the pool, growing blurry and obscured by the shadows in the depths. Could I dive in and retrieve her, without the parents attempting to drown me, too? Was it worth it, just to drag up a corpse? I was just debating that, when I suddenly saw a leg twitch. She wasn’t dead. No longer hesitating, I dove in and grabbed Emily’s shoulders, pulling her to the surface. She gasped as her head broke the surface. Somehow, she was alive. The Wests seemed too stunned to react, so I dragged Emily to the stairs, and out of the pool, laying her on the deck. As she coughed and sputtered, I knelt to determine if she needed help clearing her airway. Then, she turned to me and opened her eyes. They were black as the bottom of a well. Stumbling back, I finally saw her properly. This was not the short, dark-haired woman I had seen go into the pool. This woman was taller and lithe, the yellow dress was too short on her and hung too loosely on her frame. And, though the water darkened it, her hair was clearly a red blond, not the dark chestnut it had been moments ago. She blinked, and her eyes became cornflower blue. She rose and brushed past me.
“Mom? Dad?” the voice was soft, almost childlike.
“Emeline!” Sharlene cried, running to her and wrapping her daughter in her arms.
Theodore ran from the pool and the three embraced.
“Oh Emeline,” Sharlene cried. “You’re back!”
Emeline stepped away from her parents, looking at them seriously.
“I am. But I was trapped, in the cold and the dark for so long. Because of your carelessness. You let me die, then you abandoned me. Why didn’t you come for me?”
A sob escaped Sharlene’s throat,
“We didn’t know. We didn’t know there was anything we could do.”
“No? Did you look? Did you try? Of course not. You replaced me instead.”
“We didn’t, Emeline. We would never. She was nothing to us. We only ever loved you.”
“How can I believe that, after what you have done?”
“How can we prove it? What can we do to make it up to you?”
A smile touched her features,
“Oh, I’m sure I’ll think things you can do, to redeem yourselves.”
“Anything, darling,” Theodore replied. “We would do anything for you.”
“We’ll see, won’t we?” Emeline turned away from them, and when only I could see her, she winked. “Now, I want to go home. Let’s leave this place.”
“Of course, we’ll get the bags.”
“Forget the bags. I want to leave, now.”
“Of course. We’ll leave immediately.”
They glanced at me, as if concerned I would try to stop them, but I was done interfering for the night. I grabbed the broom from the deck and headed back inside the hotel. I didn’t go back to the dining room, I needed to be alone. Hopefully my room was available.
What a sweet family. What lengths they would go to, for their daughter, Al grinned in my head.
“Shut up. I don’t want to hear from you right now.”
What have I done? He asked innocently.
“You said you couldn’t take people against their will.”
And we can’t.
“So how did that happen?” I snapped. “She wasn’t willing. She didn’t want to die.”
No? She gave her life willingly to her parents. They offered it to us. Perfectly consensual.
“That’s sick.”
You say that like it should bother me.
I flung open my door and slammed it behind me, turning the lock.
“Is she really Emeline?” I couldn’t resist asking.
She is… like Emeline.
“Was that what they asked for?”
We held up our end of the bargain, if that is what you are asking. If they were less than careful about the wording, that is their concern, not yours.
I snorted. I was pretty concerned about it, honestly. Shivering, I stripped off my wet clothing and headed for the shower. There was, apparently, nothing else I could do, anyway.
I spent the rest of the evening writing this account. I hoped it would help me sort through my thoughts, and decide what to do next, but it isn’t really working. I keep wondering if I could have done more, to save Emily West. After all, I could get information, maybe other favors, if I trade with Al. The problem is, I am not sure the price is worth it. Are even small sacrifices of control dangerous? But if I could use it to help the people here… perhaps that is a foolish thought. I doubt Al would allow me to do so. Though, maybe if I could make it worth his while… I will need to think about it further, before I decide anything. I will update you when I can.
Until next time,
Lucy.