Can I just say that I am REALLY HAPPY AND IMPRESSED that this is still alive? There are so many Ski Lodges with fantastic ideas that simply died out after not even a month. Sometimes the first part was never even posted. But this has been going SINCE MAY. That is a feat. Thanks, Peri, for continuing it! 

Mini-Part: Revelations, Plus Some Foreshadowing

Rose woke up alone, in her bedroom, as usual, and went downstairs to cook breakfast, as usual. Atom sat on the counter looking miserable because Sonder was no longer around, as usual. Everything was as it should be. 

The guests came downstairs and ate breakfast. They gathered in the hall for attendance. Even Echo was there, smiling but also looking tired. 

But then they went outside. And that is when the trouble began. 

Outside the hotel was a large, cylinder bronze room that seemed to go on forever. There were columns that seemed to hold up the room here and there.

Atom swore. “Is this…” 

“The Hall of Ghosts,” Rose said, face pale. 

“But what…”

“I don’t know.” 

“Do you think…”

“Maybe. Be careful. Don’t wander off alone.” 

“I can stay with him,” Echo said. 

“I don’t know, Echo.” Rose shook her head slightly. “There’s lots of potential triggers here… Plus, what if…” 

“Safari isn’t going to be here, Rose,” Echo sighed. “He already haunts me in my head. The Hall of Ghosts is about your subconscious. And besides, Atom knows all of us, what to do. I’ll be looking for a sense of carefreeness, an escape, so if I do have a trigger, you’ll likely hear from Sonder,” she added obliviously, glancing around. Rose nudged Atom as he turned redder than his hair. 

“Okay, everyone,” said Rose. “This is the Hall of Ghosts, which is chock full of, well, ghosts.” 

Rose felt a hand on her shoulder, smelled something baking, heard someone’s voice singing in Italian. She winced, and Atom gave her hand a squeeze. Echo did the same. 

“You might find the ghost of someone you know,” Rose explained, “Or perhaps someone you don’t.” 

Avara thought she heard someone whisper behind her, but there was nothing. 

“Some ghosts,” continued Rose, “Are perfectly friendly. Harmless. But others…” 

The murderer heard screams that nobody else seemed to hear.

“… Well, others aren’t so friendly.”

The guests glanced at each other nervously. 

“It’s okay!” Rose reassured them. “If we stay together, we’ll be just fine.” 

Darkvine gasped. “Who’s that?” 

Before them stood what looked to be a ghost. She had copper hair, a freckled face, and eyes that couldn’t seem to settle on one color. 

“Don’t you remember me?” pangolin asked. 

Something clicked in everyone’s brains. pangolin, who’d arrived at the hotel, just the same as everyone else. pangolin, who’d explored and had a great time. pangolin, who’d gone in the funhouse with them. pangolin, who hadn’t come back out.

There weren’t just seven guests at the hotel. There were thirteen. And it seemed as those some of those thirteen… 

“I’m so sorry,” Echo said, suddenly sounding younger. “I didn’t mean to forget. I didn’t mean to.” 

There was an uneasiness in the air as everyone understood. 

There were thirteen guests at the hotel. Seven were alive… 

…But six were dead.

***

I'm back! Happy Belated Halloween! This part's quite short which is why it counts as a mini-part, but essential to the story, so make sure not to skip over it. Thank you all for reading! I will (hopefully) have the next part out soon, I plan to see this ski-lodge through to the end <3

Topping!

Day 8, Part 14

Sonder was suddenly in the body. He looked around to people in shock, some staring at him, but most at a ghostly white figure. Atom stood near him, and Sonder realized that Atom was holding his head. He started to wobble over, and Sonder rushed to catch him. 

“Atom! Are you okay?” 

Atom looked up at him with eyes that seemed slightly less terrified. “Sonder?” 

“Yeah. I’m here.” 

They stared at each other a moment until Sonder finally came to his senses and brought Atom back up. 

Careful, Sonder, came a warning voice in his head. There’s lots of worry triggers here. Aesthete could be there any moment. 

“Oh my goodness,” Rose said. “They’re dead. Someone killed them.” 

“There’s a murderer on the loose,” said Atom. 

Writing and Darkvine looked at each other. “Someone was in Darkvine’s mind,” said Writing. “Tried to get into mine, too.” 

Ink! Came Echo’s voice. That’s exactly what Ink does. 

“Inkognito,” Sonder choked. 

“Who?” Rose asked. 

Sonder explained it to them. “I’ve seen it,” he said. “It hurts you, but only in your head. It takes advantage of your weaknesses—fears, insecurities.”

Atom looked up at Sonder. “He attacked you, didn’t he? That’s why you were gone, and why you were…” 

“I’m okay now,” Sonder promised. “Really.” 

Not really, Sonder thought. He could never be like Atom, or really anyone. He was someone else’s fantasy—he didn’t even have his own body! 

But Sonder couldn’t say that, so he took Atom’s hand and smiled. Atom gave a weak smile back and tried to keep their ears from turning pink. 

More ghosts appeared next to pangolin. Fenrir, Reuby. Two small foxes. Each ghost, everyone noticed, looked relatively normal, except for one piece of their appearance that seemed to suggest how they died. Fenrir’s face was smeared with poke berry jam. Shining Star held a candle, and her eyes were empty. Reuby had her hand on Foxwood’s shoulder, and each had the stains of a strange perfume all over their clothes and skin. Their foxes each appeared to be skin that walked around on its own without bones or organs or muscles. 

The murderer winced just a tad, feeling almost guilty—but this was what it took to protect themselves. They kept their eyes off poor pangolin, who had a dagger in their side and a few cuts from that sword. 

“Is Ink what’s making the murderer kill? Do you think it could get in someone’s head and make them do that?” Rose asked. 

I guess, said Echo. But I didn’t even know it could get out of our head, let alone make a person do such awful things. It isn’t supposed to kill people, it’s supposed to drive them mad. 

“What if killing people is what will drive them mad?” Sonder asked, and everyone looked at him funny. He was used to that look. People get confused when you’re talking to the voices in your head.

Maybe… 

“We’re not sure,” Sonder said. “Ink is supposed to make people…” He searched for a word. Not crazy. He hated the word crazy. 

“It’s supposed to… Drive you out of your mind, basically,” he said slowly, “Like, make it hard to think straight, make you see and hear things that aren’t there, heighten your fears, until ultimately you can’t really take care of yourself, and don’t know who you are.” 

“Sounds awful,” Rose said. “What are we going to do? We have a murderer and a monster on the loose!” 

Sonder blinked, and his voice and posture changed. “We’re going to stay calm, that’s what,” Aesthete said. “Ink feeds off fear, but the truth is it’s not real. It only feels real. So if you remember that you’re stronger than the illusion, you’ll be able to fight it off.” 

Rose looked down at her boots, which were white, but mostly spray-painted pink and covered in bows, flower petals, and hearts. Magazine letters spelled out “DON’T BE FOOLED BY THE PINK” on each shoe. She ran her fingers through her hair. 

“It’s going to be okay,” said Rose. “Let’s… Go inside.” 

“Shouldn’t we stay out here and see if we can learn who the murderer is from the ghosts?”

“I’m going inside!” Rose said quickly and rather insistently. She went through the glass doors and retreated to her room. 

“It’s no use,” said pangolin. “We don’t know who the murderer is. We can’t really remember our deaths. All I remember is a sharp pain… And someone talking in a different language. They said “companion.” I don’t know how I know that, but I do.”

That triggered Metanoia. “Maraeran.” She said immediately. “It’s a language designed to be translated automatically, when using the proper accent. Like this.” 

Metanoia took a breath, then said a word that sounded a little like “Madeleine” for a moment until everyone realized she was actually saying “bumblebee.” 

“And now, if I say it again, all you’ll hear is the word in English. But, if I say it with a slightly different accent, the ‘secret accent…’” 

She repeated the word, and all anyone heard was “Madeleine.” 

“It’s from Maraer. That’s where Echo was born. It was an experiment, an effort to bring people together by having a few representatives from each country move to an island. There were generations of people who lived on there, some born and others adopted, and Echo was part of the last generation, along with her—”

Another switch. Metanoia was suddenly Echo again. 

“That’s all you need to know,” she said coldly, though she seemed more angry with Metanoia than with them. 

“What will we do about the murderer?” Atom asked. 

Echo sighed. “We’re working on fighting off Ink. It comes from us. Our system. My theory is, if we can kill it in our mind, it will stop influencing the murderer, and the murderer will stop killing. The best I can say for now is… Be careful. Trust no one. And… I’m sorry. It seems like this isn’t exactly a nice vacation anymore.” 

“No.” pangolin shook her head. 

“It’s a game of survival.”

~~~

My my, that was dramatic! I guess I got a little excited. Slipped some Satom in there, and oh, is that a little bit of Echo's mysterious backstory? hMmMmmMmMMmm~

Anyways, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! Next part should (hopefully) be out soon :) 

Day 8, Part 15

Echo remained outside to talk to the ghosts, but she made Atom take everyone else inside. 

“What am I supposed to do with them?” Atom said. 

“I don’t know,” said Echo. “Play a board game or something. Just make sure no one goes off on their own.” 

“Well, why can’t I talk to the ghosts and you watch them?” He insisted. 

Echo glared at him. “Do you want to run into your dad?” 

Atom stepped back a tad, looking as though they’d been slapped. Echo softened. “I’m sorry, Atom. I just… I want to protect you. You shouldn’t have to worry about Xavier or a murderer or Ink or any of this nonsense. So I’m asking you, please, go inside and let me ask these ghosts what they remember. Okay?” 

Atom bit his lip but nodded and left the seven guests inside. 

There was lunch, which was literally cereal because Atom couldn’t cook and Rose was nowhere to be found. Then they all went downstairs and watched a stupid movie, and played a stupid game, until Atom declared, “This is stupid.” And everyone nodded. 

“We should be doing something,” he continued. “Trying to get you guys home safe, or trying to find Rose, or helping Echo, or anything except sitting here doing literally nothing because it’s better than saying that we all could die and there’s a murderer and a monster and oh, I’m just so sick of it!” They threw the box for Chutes and Ladders across the room, eyes wild. “It’s pointless. This is pointless. The only reason any of us are here is because we’re running away. You all ran away. That’s why you’re here. Echo ran away. That’s why you were invited. Rose ran away. That’s why she thought it’d be a good idea to invite you. I’ve known all of that from the start.” 

He looked up at them and made a sound that was either a laugh or a sob. “But you know what?” They said, or croaked. “I ran away too. Shoot—I’m still running. I've always been running.” 

Rose was suddenly there next to Atom. Nobody knew how, but nobody asked how either. 

“Hey.” 

Her cheeks were blotched, like she’d been crying, and her hair was messy. She sat down on the floor next to Atom and took their hand. 

“Hey.” 

And then they were just sobbing and hugging, and everyone looked at each other. 

“This is really good for them, but super awkward for us,” Writing whispered. 

“Yeah,” Silver Crystal said. “Maybe we should give them some space.”

Everyone nodded and quietly went up to the lobby. 

“I’m sorry,” Rose said. “Really. I’ve been pretending everything was okay for so long, I didn’t know how to stop. But I’m not gonna ignore reality anymore. Promise.” 

“Not even Eugene and Paola and Leo?” 

Rose seemed a little taken aback, but she nodded. “Yeah.” 

Atom tilted their head a little. “Or Echo?” 

“Well, that depends,” said Rose. “Are you gonna ignore the fact that you danced with Soooooonder?” 

Atom gave a sigh and a laugh and shoved her. 

“Seriously though, what was it like? What song was it? Can I call you guys At’der?” 

“No.” When he saw Rose’s disappointed face, he added, “But if you really need to, I guess… Satom would work.” 

She giggled gleefully before they fell into silence. “I really can’t save Echo, can I?” She said quietly. 

“I don’t think she needs saving,” said Atom. 

“I couldn’t save Paola.” 

“That wasn’t your fault.” 

“I can’t save you.” 

“What’s wrong with me?” Atom put a hand to his heart and gave his best “offended” face. Rose laughed. 

“Maybe it’s time for you to save yourself, Rose.” Atom paused. “I think you’re long overdue.” 

Rose looked at the floor, but then she nodded. “Yeah. Maybe it is.” 

“I’m right here. You can talk to me.” 

“Where do I even begin?”

Atom smiled. “The beginning.” 

***

“It started when I was a little girl, floating around foster care in a loud, busy city. I was loud and confident, but I don’t think anyone really cared about me before Paola. I went to live with Paola when I was seven and I just never left. She taught me how to bake and brought me to plays and musicals. I had an official job at her bakery, Canary Pastries, by the time I was eight. I made the cakes, and did the math to figure out what costed how much. Paola was no good at math.

“It was just the two of us for a while, but when I was ten she fell in love with a man named Leo. He was from Italy, just like her. He was big and loud and seemed rough at first, but was really a big softie. Paola got married to him. I still remember the day he proposed. I was a junior bridesmaid, and all of Paola’s friends did my hair and makeup and kept saying ‘oh, she’s so cute!’ The wedding was small, but the party was fun. I made the cake myself.

“So then it was the three of us, and that seemed good. We were happy at our bakery, me singing Broadway songs, Leo messing up the recipes no matter how simple they were, and Paola making friends with all our customers. But one day a boy came into our store and stole a cake. Leo yelled at him, but Paola calmed him down and asked the boy why he stole it. The boy said he didn’t know. It was a coffee cake. He said he didn’t like coffee cake. He said he just had to steal it.

“Paola took the cake back, but she also asked the boy his name. He said it was Eugene. She asked the boy his favorite pastry. He said chocolate cake. She gave him a slice of chocolate cake, and then told me and Leo to go take a walk in the park while she talked to Eugene. And when we came back, Paola was taking Eugene to the doctor, where he eventually got a diagnosis for kleptomania. If it hadn’t been for Paola, Eugene might’ve lived his whole life thinking he was a terrible person. He wasn’t. He just needed help. 

“Eugene had been living by himself in an old rundown house. Paola changed that. She gave Eugene a home, just as she’d given me a home. Eugene even started baking at Canary Pastries. Oh, and that was another thing—Eugene was really good at baking. Like, really good. He came up with recipes. Every Thursday, he went to therapy, because of his kleptomania. He stole on occasion because he couldn’t help it. He always gave the things back later, though. 

“We were really happy for a long time until I was fourteen and Paola was diagnosed with cancer. She was so sick. I think Leo knew she was going to die. I think Paola knew it too. They didn’t tell me or Eugene that, though. She fought the cancer for about a year, and as it got more and more obvious she wasn’t going to be able to fight much longer, I got more and more insistent that she’d survive. She didn’t. 

“I was fifteen when she died. She died in the hospital, right there in front of Leo, Eugene, and me. She was talking to Eugene, arguing about who made better chocolate cake. A joke argument, of course, Paola was laughing. Eugene was just distracting her. He didn’t want her to be scared or alone. I think the last thing she said was ‘I love you. You add too much flour to the chocolate cake, but I love you.’ And then she said ‘Son, daughter, husband,’ in Italian. And then she died.

“They say there are five stages of grief. Eugene and Leo went through them over the next few months, but I was stuck in denial. Leo sent me to a support group for grief, but I refused to acknowledge that Paola was dead. That was where I met a small, quiet boy called Atom and a strange girl named Echo. And when I heard that they were running away, that they were sick of feeling trapped, I went with them too. I left a note for Eugene and Leo explaining that I’d run away, so they wouldn’t have to wonder what happened to me or be worried that I’d been kidnapped. Eugene had an overactive imagination, so without knowing that I’d left on my own, he’d probably think I was taken by some evil force and go out on a mission to save me and end up getting lost in the city and freaking out. I thought it was temporary, just until I could come to my senses. But here I am, still in denial a whole two years later. It’s like I know the way home but I’m stuck here. It’s like I know where I’m supposed to be…” 

“… But you don’t know if you could really get there?” Atom asked. 

“Yeah.” Rose sighed. “You think I could?” 

Atom stared at her and smiled sadly, but he never got to answer. A scream came from upstairs and interrupted him.

~~~

At long last, Rose's backstory. Though it seems now we're hinting at Atom's backstory? The mysteries never end XD

Hope you enjoyed this one! It was pretty fun to write.