The Passion House

V (Part II)

Madame?

Ms. Meyer?

Madame?

A sudden jolt makes me come back to my senses. Where am I? 

I look around me and I see myself at the lobby of The Passion House again. 

What’s happening?

It seems like a staff is talking to me. She looks familiar. It has taken a while for me to process what’s happening. Oh right. I was just in my room and I drank the ambrosia. Am I now inside my dream?

I look down and raise my hands. They’re there.

I clench my fists and wiggles my fingers. They move.

I hold both of my arms. I feel them.

I look at my feet and raise each one. They follow what I do.

I notice that I am wearing the set of clothes I have used when I enter this hotel earlier- the red, white, and blue horizontal stripes 3/4th sleeved T-Shirt in dark denim pants and black ankle-length leather boots. I have been so distracted that I get surprised when the lady waves her hand on my face. 

“Ms. Meyer?”

I look at her, “Yes?” then her nameplate shockingly, “Jane?”

Oh right, she was the girl who have accommodated us earlier. Wait. Is this Deja Vu? If this is in another realm, then-

“What are you doing here?”

She seems confused about what I have asked but she answers politely, “I have been working, here for a long time, Ms. Meyer.”

Oh, maybe in this realm... she has been working for a while now.

“What do you mean? I’m confused-” She cuts me off.

“It is what it is,” she smiles and for some reason, I understand it.

“O-okay. Wait, where’s my mom?”

“She’s almost here,” Jane assures me. That’s the cue I have taken to look around. I notice that there is quite a difference here from the real Passion House. I see that the lobby seems empty of people and I hear a faint echo of Beethoven’s Fur Elise in the background. There are no more clocks behind the concierge. Fireflies also seem to swarm around the place like little gold dust playing around and owning the area. This might be the effect of the dream. It makes things and places more majestic. 

I see some of the little glitters start to move towards a single place and that’s behind me. When I turn around, they start to move together, one-by-one, fusing, colliding, forming a silhouette of a person, circling it until it glows brighter. Brighter like a light reflecting on a mirror, I cover my eyes. When I feel that the light is now gone, I put my hands down and look. It reveals the spirit of my mom.

Her eyes are open but seem to not see.

Her mouth is also slightly open, like a marble statue in front of me.

I run towards her, “Mom?”

No response.

“Mom?” I wave my right hand in front of her. Still no response.

I take her left hand and that’s how she seems like she has woken up from a dream.

“Darling?” She mutters when she realizes it has just been me. I smile. Maybe that’s how I also look like when I have arrived earlier. She looks around, “This place is beautiful.” She whispers breathtakingly.

“I know.” I agree with her. 

“Mrs. And Ms. Meyer, Let me lead you to the Iodestone.” Jane interrupts me and my mom while gesturing to the door on the left.

“Iodestone?” I ask her when we have started to walk towards the door. This place sure has a lot of surprises, you know?

“Yes, Ms. Meyer. Iodestone is what we call to the place that we have worked hard to offer the perfect services among our customers.” The door before us looks a lot like the previous door we have entered earlier in the real world, the one on the right. The only difference is, in his world, the two doors are closed. The dark cherry wood looks regal in among all these white interiors. Jane holds on to the golden doorknob, twists it, and pushes the door open.

This place just gets better and better.

The loud party music welcomes our entrance as a very dim-lit hall lies in front of us. The bass affects my heart so much it also joins the beat. I’m quite amazed how music this loud is not heard in the lobby.

“Welcome to the Iodestone,” Jane says. We step inside and I have been left in awe by the very huge ballroom that has been converted to a party hall. Entering the room, I find out that the total floors of the hotel are not three, but 5! It still has two functioning floors underground and that has made this room bigger than I have expected. “In this place, you are allowed to do everything you please. There are no laws here. You can do everything you want because this is not the reality. This is the ultimate Dream Escape.”

My jaw drop. Because of the open space, everything is exposed in front of us. Up above, hung a huge chandelier that reaches up to the floor where we are in. The walls of this hall are pretty much in a huge glass too that we can see the outside. The Dj is on the platform that seems to be on to the upper underground playing some awesome beats while people are dancing on the lower underground. I see men and women chugging their drinks everywhere. 

“Uhm...” My mom gets our attention. “This type of partying,” she pertains to the happy ground below, “isn’t really for me. You know, because of my age. Do you have some type like casinos or something?” She asks Jane.

“Of course, Mrs. Meyer, The Casino is on this floor, this hallway on the right.” And we notice that there is indeed a hallway on the right where people are going inside and out. 

“Okay, I’ll go there.” She is about to go but I stop her.

“Can I go with you, Mom?” I don’t want her to leave me alone here.

“Oh, Darling. It’s alright. We’ll see each other later, okay? Just enjoy the night for now. We’ll never know, you might meet someone.” She winks at me while grinning. “You don’t like casinos, too. As well as this party no longer fits my kind of fun. I’ll see you later, Darling. Enjoy!” She kisses my forehead and struts excitedly towards the casino, Jane on her side. 

I look around quite anxious because I have not been socially involved for the last month. The regal staircase curves on the left and I slowly walked down on it. I can see the entire room from this angle. The lights are flashing. The people's shouts are ringing inside the hall. They are indeed having fun in this place. 

I don’t really know what to do here.

My feet are shaking once I reach the bottom of the stairs. I look around and see the bar counter. I might just get myself some drinks and maybe do dance a bit later. I walk towards it. The bar counter is also made from cherry wood and the countertop was in black marble. The rotating chair is on leather and drinks pile up behind it.

“What can I get for the beautiful lady?”

Is he referring to me? 

“Yes,” I have been so distracted observing the counter that I have not noticed the bartender talking to me.

“I’d like to have some viniq please.”

“One viniq coming right up!” Are our bartenders always this ecstatic?

I look at the man. He’s around 5’8 tall with broad shoulders and clean-cut hair. He’s wearing a black long sleeve polo which the first three buttons are undone, and a black waist apron. I can’t see his face properly because of the lights.

After a while, my drink is ready and he put it in front of me. I immediately take it and say thanks. I look at the drink in my hand. The green liquor reminds me of the ambrosia I have taken earlier. I shake my mind. Maybe it is the reason why the viniq immediately comes to my mind when I sit here. I take the sip and Oh God! That’s refreshing!

The cold sweet taste immediately takes over my whole mouth as I gulp in delight. Unconsciously, I have even closed my eyes to the taste. I haven’t had a viniq this good! It runs through my throat and as it rests on my stomach, it immediately gives me the heat liquors effect on our bodies. 

The bartender chuckles at my reaction.

“Woah! That was so good!” I complimented him.

“Thank you,” He replies. We both laugh. I look around and I see a silhouette of someone coming to the bar counter. I do not mind as I turn back to my drink to enjoy it more. He’s just another customer who wants to have a drink.

“Are you Ariah Mouisse, the writer?” I hear a voice behind me. I am so shocked that someone actually recognizes me here that I almost spit out my liquor. I turn around and I see a man with hazel brown eyes wearing an excited smile. 

Maybe, it is the liquor but I do not feel the panic attack in me.

Maybe, because we are in a dream that I do not feel like I want to run away.

“Yes,” I confirm to him with the most genuine smile I muster to a stranger after weeks of being anxious.

“Woah! I am Harris. I am your fan!” He extends his hands for a shake and I take it.

“It's nice to meet you. My real name is, actually, Amy Meyer,” I tell him.

“I know,” he says and we laugh.