| Local Student Missing Search and rescue efforts continue in the case of missing college student Nickolaus Adam Pierson who disappeared last week during a spring break trip to California. Friends report that Nick had insisted he had to take a solo trip to a local historic spot he had visited before. Friends asked to go with him, but Pierson refused. He left at approximately 9:30 that night and never returned. Pierson was described as a �different� young man. He was intensely interested in art and was described by friends as a beatnik born years too late. At times he came under fire from other students because of his unique views. There was more to the article, but Dana stopped in order to read the date in the corner of the page. April 18, 1987. But, that was impossible. The picture of Nick looked brand new. If it had been taken 14 years ago one would expect him to have aged at least a bit. However, Nick�s face was free of lines, not one wrinkle, not one gray hair. IN other words, Nick looked as if he hadn�t aged since� He�d gone missing. Dana looked at piece of paper, panting in fear. She quickly replaced it on the nightstand and grabbed her suitcase. It was officially time to leave. Dana half ran, half fell down the single flight of steps, before stumbling into the lobby. She took a split second to catch her breath before running to the door. As she reached the knob, that was when it happened. 1959 Cheryl sat in the lobby, still crying. She�d had to sneak out of the room after she was sure that Joshua was sound asleep. Head buried in her hands, tears flowing down her cheeks, soft sobbing noises coming from her throat. Then Cole appeared. �What in the world is wrong?� he demanded of her. She looked back at him. �Nothing, nothing�s wrong. Please, just go away before I get in trouble again.� Cole pulled her hands away from her face and examined her still red cheeks. �Did he hit you?� Cheryl simply began to cry harder. �He�s a bastard,� Cole informed her. �He�s worse than a bastard. He shouldn�t be treating you like this. Not you.� �Then, how should he be treating me?� Cole smiled knowingly �Like a�� ��Princess,� Dana finished, finally recognizing Cheryl�s face. �Princess has been here since the 50�s.� �And I�ve been loving every second of it,� the purring voice informed her. Dana whipped around to face the smiling girl. �Come on Dana. It�s time for dinner.� �What�s going on?� �It�s time for you to find out why you�re here,� Princess grabbed her wrist and led her towards a large, intricately carved door. �You remind me so much of myself.� �What do you mean?� �Back then, I was miserable. Tortured. Unhappy with everything. Different. That�s when I came here. You saw what I was going through.� �So you ended up here,� Dana interrupted. �You ran away and you hid from everything.� �Because I had to. Nothing�s ever going to change out there. Here, I�m royalty. Here, we can be royalty. I have happiness. I have pretty, pretty friends.� She continued dragging Dana towards the door. �Cheryl, please,� she tried to protest. �Cheryl is dead. She died in 1959, with her idiot fianc�e. I woke up in her body. He just died.� �Running away isn�t the answer.� �No, but it�s effective,� Princess finally reached the door, pulled it open, and threw Dana into it. Mirrors above her, reflecting everything. Candles on the walls. Nick smiled at her from one of the corners. ��Mirrors on the ceiling, Pink champagne on ice, and she said�� Princess smiled at Dana again, ��We are all just prisoners here of our own device,�� Cheryl laid her head against Cole�s shoulder. He smiled down at her, stroking her hair gently Nick continued, ��In the master�s chambers, we gathered for the feast,� Cole tilted Dana�s head to one side, pushed her hair back�bit her �Though they stabbed it with their steely knives they just can�t kill the beast.� Years later, Nick wandered back into the Hotel, Princess greeted him, led him into the back room. Dana caught sight of a menacing figure in the darkness. It strode towards her, slowly, her fear growing every second. �Cole,� she began to cry. She turned, grabbed ahold of the door, wrenched it open, and began running, forgetting her suitcase. Nick�s voice followed her. ��Last thing I remember I was running for the door. Had to find the passage back to the place I was before. Relax said the nightman, we are programmed to receive.�� Dana stopped short as she ran into one of the men from the courtyard. She looked around frantically, but she was surrounded. There was no way out. The crowd before her parted, allowing Princess and Nick to approach her, both smiling deviously in anticipation. Dana shook her head, remembering the last two lines of the song. �You can check out any time you like,� Feeling breathing on the back of her neck. Somehow knowing it was Cole. �but you can never leave.� She whispered. |
| THE END |
| What, you were expecting a happy ending? |