The Hotel: Rise of the Werecat

Chapter 9 - Garden of Crystal

Chapter 9 - Garden of Crystal

Living at the Hotel for almost two months Zara thought she had met everyone, she had even met someone no one knew about. She had met the fairy named Rose accidentally, Rose being so small Zara had knocked her from the air without realising only to have an angry fairy spray pixie dust all over her. She had met the mermaid Nerissa who had taken an immediate disliking to Zara upon hearing she was a werecat. Not allowing Zara to ask the questions important to her curiosity like why would they need a Mermaid in the Hotel which was very far from the sea? She had even met Darrel, a low-level sheepish vampire with his head in a book. It seemed that he preferred reading rather than fighting so the Leader had no use for him so he found refuge at the Hotel... somehow. Despite being a vampire. Zara was way past asking questions when she met Darrel and just accepted that was the way things were going to be.

After Darrel Zara believed that she had met everyone. That he was last on the list, she was in fact very wrong.

Devil had gone to scout new people for the Hotel leaving Zara to feel very alone at the Hotel. It was clear that the Hotel needed a fighting force, even she could see that it was lacking. Though Olivia insisted that her group were all the warriors that Hotel needed Zara was yet to see them fight. Maxina was the one to overrule Olivia and in pure spite, Devil had been sent.

Now Zara ate her dinner beside Maxina and John.

"How long do you think Devil will be away for?" Zara asked Maxina.

Maxina looked up from her smoothie, and thought for a moment, "It like depends I think, but like probably a week."

Zara sighed and looked around at the other members of the Hotel, wondering what she would do for an entire week without Devil. They had spent every second together training and messing around. It had been a great distraction for Zara, she had been too exhausted to think most days. She felt somewhat healed and recovered from what had happened but now she would be left alone to think about it. She didn't want those images creeping into her consciousness. They lead to much darker thoughts.

Zara soon finished her dinner and as she got to the lift she realised she didn't know what she wanted to do. Panicking, she hit the bedroom level.

Stepping out to an empty hall she sighed regretting it. It's not like her room was interesting in the slightest. About to turn back to the lift, something caught her eye.

Niya's orange door, it was ajar.

Zara's eyes widened and she rushed over poking her head inside.

The mountains of junk were still there, of course, towering over her and threatening to fall and crush her. Niya herself though, nowhere to be seen. Though that was normal, the shifter only appeared when she felt like it, and that was rare.

Zara closed the door, feeling like leaving it open could unleash a string of Lovecraftian horrors. Only to turn around and have Niya standing in front of her.

Niya had the same vague expression in her eyes and a slightly mischievous smile twitched on her lips.

Zara's eyes widened and she blinked multiple times to confirm it but sure enough, Niya was standing in front of her. With how sporadic Niya's appearances were and how much Olivia denied the girl's existence Zara almost believed that she imagined Niya. But there Niya stood a head taller than Zara and completely still.

"Oh hello Niya," Zara said carefully.

Niya of course said nothing in reply but her eyes did twitch and they locked onto Zara's. She had an intense stare but Zara held it. She wanted to know more about this strange girl. Niya's stare softened slightly, almost as if she realised that Zara wasn't a threat. Zara wanted to badly to show Niya to Olivia to prove, hey this person does really exist. But for that she would likely need Niya's trust, similar to needing the trust of a wounded animal, so Zara didn't make any sudden movements. She reached for her werecat animal instincts and felt a connection there with Niya. Niya was a wild and untamed force, a shifter who had, for all she knew, spent too much time in an animal form. So many mysteries to Niya that tugged at Zara's curiosity.