Hotel Selten

Terrifying Encounters

"Ugh…"

A groan was been heard in the bed area of Room 107 along with the chirp of the birds and the rustling of leaves. A sunbeam strike Ophelia's face which makes her groan more when she tries to rise from the bed. She throws herself on the comfy mattress as her barely open eyes look at the surroundings. She then realized what happened last night, she rose from the bed quickly as she scrutinized more around the room. She was going to leave the bed as the door opens, it was the same lady that she met in the hotel's lobby before. Now, instead of keys, her hands are holding a tray with a tea kettle and a teacup. They looked at each other and the woman leads the conversation.

"You're awake, as I expected." She said as she sets the tray aside on the work table. Ophelia looked at her with her eyebrows raised, investigating every physical aspect of her. The long side swept bangs that covers her one eyes, the black robe, and the green eye. It's the hotel counter lady that she met last night. "Dulse scared you a lot last night. I am sorry for that. She's a bit excited for a newcomer." Ophelia slowly remembers what happened last night. "Dulse...? The u-uhm... the weird... sort of... thing?" She nervously said she is trying to be careful with her words, trying to be respectful as she can. Even though she can really tell that the Dulse the lady was talking about was indeed a monster who scared her almost to her death. Her hair and especially her teeth. It's scary and she can kill someone. She was like those jumpscare monsters in video games that JP was playing before. It was surprising she exists but the lady seems like catering to weird people in her hotel. Her security and hopes of getting out of the hotel alive is getting lower every second and every information that she gathers.

 "I know you are thinking that she is a monster. Well, let us be honest, in any eyes which had their very first sight of her, they will get scared. They will run away for their lives. They will scream and they will probably do the same thing as what happened to you last night. Her appearance can be what most people see as a monster that could harm them. But, Dulse, she is so precious. She never chose her body, I remember when we found her in the streets, she was soaking wet. Inside that exterior is a wonderful and cheerful girl that she is." The lady giggles as she continues to tell the story while pouring some tea into the teacups. 

"It was normal for an Aquain Flos, we kept her and she has been here for 5 years." She turns to her and gasps lightly as she realizes something. "How rude of me, I am not introducing still!  A lot has happened that I haven't properly introduce myself and the hotel to you. Forgive me, anyways, I am Miss―" She was interrupted as the door suddenly opens, they turn their heads to it and it revealed an innocent-looking girl with long hair just resting on the ground. She was holding another tray, unlike what the lady brought, it was a pie, and by the judge of smell, it was an apple pie. She slowly smiles and looks at the lady, "Good morning, Miss Eve." 

"Good morning to you too, Dulse, come and let us eat breakfast." She reached her shoulder as she lets her put the tray on the work desk, she was trying to cover her face to Ophelia with her hair. The lady―which apparently Dulse called Miss Eve―takes the pie knife and starts cutting pies for each one of them. She gave it on a small plate with a pastry fork. Ophelia accepted it and started eating since she hasn't had eaten yet since yesterday night. Dulse started to take a bite while Miss Eve settles aside the remaining pie and ate hers.  "Dulse..." She broke the silence between them. The girl turned to her as she munches the pie in her mouth. "Remember...?" Miss Eve continues as Dulse nods, she turned to Ophelia who is enjoying her morning pie. She was still hiding her face, ashamed of what she have done. She's also being careful of scaring her again. "Uhm... I am sorry for what happened last night... I was just excited to see who is the new person in the hotel. Besides, it's been a long time we welcomed one in the hotel. I can't contained myself and in the process... I scared you. I didn't mean to show these monstrous teeth and I-i―"

"Nice to meet you Dulse, and I... It's okay. It's just a normal response. I can't stop myself from freaking out. I am a big chicken with these things. S-so, yeah, it's fine." She smiled awkwardly as Dulse raised her eyebrows and looked at the lady, she seems confused. Miss Eve seems to understand what she was implying and holds her shoulders to assure her. She looks at Ophelia who already finished her pie, smiling. "I guess things are okay now." The teenage girl in her bed nods and she places the plate on the small table just beside her bed. 

"Anyways, you may go now Dulse." Miss Eve said as Dulse smiles and goes out of the room, waving goodbye to them before closing the door. "Such a humble girl." She turned to Ophelia again. "Are you feeling fine now?" She reached a cup of tea to her as Ophelia accepted and takes a sip. She nods, the lady sighed in relief.  "Don't be scared of us. If you investigate more, you will know more about our true identities." She smiles that made Ophelia confused, "I will go now, I will check on others." She took the trays, the pie, the teacups, and the teapot and left the room.

Ophelia looked around as she sets aside the blanket. Her feet met the cold ground. She scrutinized the room. She approached the window and looks outside. On the left, there seem more cabins there. How big is this place? She keeps looking around, her eyes wander in the trees outside. This hotel seems to be so isolated. She remembered everything last night.

A headless boy, a genderswap of Medusa, a girl ram. This may be a hideout of monsters. Also, what does the lady mean knowing their true identity? Oh no... She realized she's in danger. She looks around to find something to go out. She can't leave through the door. That would be the most idiotic idea. Despite the counter lady being nice and the pardon of the girl who made her faint last night. She could not trust strangers, especially those who seem to have unnatural stuff going on. She isn't on drugs, is she? Does the pie have something that made her think like this? 

She sat on the edge of the table, slowly forgetting what she had planned earlier. Were all of these are true? She rubbed her eyes and looks around. All of these looks like a dream, the girl with horns doesn't exist, Dulse isn't true. Most of all, this hotel and this whole time, it's all a dream! 

She pulled her hair as she looks around. She slowly puts her hands down and takes a breath, she stands as she looks at the trapdoor in the corner of the room. She approaches it and opens it. It was still the same as what she saw last night. She sat on the edge. She took a breath again and slowly goes down into the underground room. Holding on the floor tight, she swings herself and takes off her grip to land on the soil just next to the pond. She landed safely, crouching on the ground, she looks around. 

It seems it's not just a room, it's a hallway underground. It seems it is made well, the foundations, which are wood planks, can be seen in the walls. Is this some sort of a secret chamber? Well, there's only one way to find out. 

The halls are stretching in two ways, she decided to turn right. She walks through the dark hallway, she forgot to even get some lamps or something. She keeps walking as she reached a corner, another way branched from her right. She saw some dried twigs in the ground and a bit thick stick. She crouches on the ground and takes them, she started rubbing the twigs on each other and a small smoke slowly emerges from the twigs. The fire starts to show up as she blows it a bit, she rubs the twigs more and gets the stick. She transfers the fire on the stick, she now has a torch. She just wishes that light will last a bit longer.

She takes the other twigs with her and uses the torch to light her way. She was welcomed with... More wood planks on the wall. She continues to navigate through the hallway. The hall leads to a slope, which seems to be leading on something with light or probably outside. She approaches it slowly and peeks. It was indeed an exit out of this madness. 

She looked around before going out, it was the backyard of the hotel. There are some training dummies around and some more benches. As soon as the coast is clear, she rose from the hole she was in. She wipes off the dust on her and looks at the hole. It was another opened trapdoor, but it seems the top part seemed to be covered in prosthetic grass. 

"Wait, why is it open―"

She was cut by a feeling of a bit sharp thing on the side of her neck, she looked at it, it's a blade, and it seems from a sword. She didn't dare to turn her head around, even just a peek at who is it. She just prays that it isn't her last breath. 

"Who are you?" A feminine voice spoke. Ophelia insisted to speak, she is so nervous. The blade slowly slides around her neck, it reached her hair and it just pushed it. "Speak." The voice was so intimidating, instead of convincing her to talk, Ophelia rather is silent. 

She shut her eyes and clenched her fist. The woman who is giving a threat to her life slowly goes beside her, with the blade going the other side of her neck. "Shy type, I see." 

Ophelia opened her eyes and she saw what the girl looks like. She has long straight hair with a high hairline, revealing her forehead. She was wearing a leather jacket with a black t-shirt. Yet, the fascinating thing about her, she wasn't holding a sword, nor a knife. 

A blade, who seems like a dagger, was her hand. The blade was attached to her hand, it wasn't like captain hooks' hand accessories, it was, indeed,  attached in her hand as if it grew from there. Ophelia was just stunned, there is more that she will learn. "What's wrong?" The woman snapped her back to reality. She looked at her and gulps, "Nothing." She just said briefly, with the blade just pointing at her throat. 

"Answer my question, I am impatient." She threats again as she pushes the blade near her throat much more. Ophelia took a quick look at the blade before talking, "I am Ophelia Hutchinson, don't worry about me. I just stumbled upon this hotel and I will leave―" 

The blade touches her throat, "You can't just leave that fast. You can't just 'stumble' upon the hotel." "But I just did!" She smiled awkwardly at the madwoman in front of her. She just laughs as she looks backs at her with her neutral expression. "Funny, are you? You can't even step in the fences without you having something special. I might be rude, you seem normal, which is suspecting."

"But I am!" Ophelia insisted. She really wants to go out of this place, especially having some girl with a blade hand interrogating her. "Look, if you just let me go, there will be no problem." 

"There will be a lot of problems! I ain't taking any chance for anyone to go out here!" The girl yelled as if Ophelia's deal was a great blasphemy for her. It seems she was dead serious. "Aha! I know. If you ain't gonna take my advice and stay, I'm gonna kill you to shut your mouth!" 

Ophelia's eyes widen and her heart starts pounding. "What!? N-no! I mean no harm!" "You are! As my mom always said, take out those who harm your friends, and you are gonna harm the hotel! We have been living here peacefully and your words will just take it away." 

The blade starts to press on her skin, Ophelia tries to distance her body away from it. "What do you mean?" She asked, "Heh. I know you will run to the police or those warriors on cotton to search for these monstrous places!" 

Polices. She remembered she needs to hide from the police. How could she forget? It was the reason why she got here. It was the reason why she was running like hell. She needs to take shelter at this hotel, for the time being, or for a long time. She was afraid to face her punishment, like what most people called her, "coward". 

Suddenly, a high-pitched voice interrupted them, well, a high-pitched yell might do. 

"HEY! What are you doing again, Thilda!?"