Jimmy had stayed in the arcade for about an hour before Mrs. Hall had come into the room, followed by a very angry Amy Bell.
During the hour leading up to the confrontation, my feet guided my body as if they were wanting me to see every side from Jimmy's point of view. After one game, his entire demeanor switched back - a look of confusion on his face. His hand delved into his pocket again, pulling out Amy's coin purse before rushing to the lift as I followed close behind. I had half-hoped that he was intending on going back down to the lower ground and getting Amy out as well as apologize to her and give her back what he had taken. However, he rode up to the second floor.
Walking quickly, and passing a few people in the process, Jimmy stopped outside of Room 225 and knocked on the door.
Mr. Bell, Amy's father, opened the door, "Yes? Can I help you?"
"I'm sorry to bother you, sir," Jimmy's voice was small, but polite, "but I was wondering if Amy had come up here at all?"
I was a bit taken back. Did he not remember that he had locked Amy in the basement? And if so, what was he planning on doing to her family?
"I thought Amy was with you in the arcade," Mr. Bell answered.
"She was. I was so focused on my game that I didn't see her sneak out," he held up the now empty purse to him, "I found this in my pocket, I think she may have asked me to hang onto it for her. But, I don't know where she went, so I thought I'd bring it up here to see if she came back."
"Well, I must say I appreciate it, sonny," Mr. Bell took the offered coin purse from Jimmy's hand, "I'll make sure Amy gets it back."
"Thank you, sir," Jimmy smiled and turned back to the lift.
It was shortly after returning to the arcade that Mrs. Hall had made her appearance, a look of concern on her features, "Jimmy?"
I watched as Jimmy turned to face his mother, surprised and relieved to see Amy standing behind her.
"Mum! You found Amy!" he smiled.
Mrs. Hall's arms were crossed over her chest, brows furrowed, "Jimmy, did you lock Amy in the boiler room down in the lower parts of the hotel?"
"What? No!" Jimmy's eyes had widened to the size of dinner plates, "I don't even like going down there!"
"Liar!" Amy shouted back, "You locked me down there! You even stole my purse!"
"No I didn't! I gave it to your dad! Honest!"
Mrs. Hall looked between the two children, eyeing them both, "Alright you two, I've had enough of this. Amy, I think it would be best for you to go back to your room. I'll discuss everything with your parents tonight while they're eating."
Amy nodded, glaring at Jimmy before leaving the room, obviously trying to hold back tears from the terror she no doubt saw while trapped in the lower level.
Mrs. Hall turned to Jimmy, "As for you Jimmy, I think it would be best if you went to your own room and stay there until supper. I don't know why you thought it was funny to do such a dirty trick like that, but that was cruel."
"But, mum..."
"No buts, Jimmy. Go upstairs. Now."
Jimmy hung his head and left as the vision before me faded to black.
***
Lights blazed above me. I shielded my eyes as the lights dimmed again and I found myself standing on the second floor in an empty hallway.
"I bet you can't catch me, Amy!"
I turned, seeing Jimmy racing down the hallways, a big smile on his lips, with Amy following close behind him. She reached out, trying to grab the back of his shirt but tripped over her feet and fell to the ground with a loud thud!
Jimmy skidded to a halt, turning around and coming back toward Amy, kneeling beside her, "Hey, you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm okay," Amy smiled, sitting up and looking at her knees. Both were scraped and one had a small cut - but nothing too serious it seemed. Jimmy helped her stand and dusted her off.
"I think you need to get that cleaned off. My room's down the corridor here, why don't we use the bathroom and get some warm water on it," he spoke, looking at it a bit closer.
Amy nodded, clearly understanding that it was important to get the cut cleaned up and bandaged. It seemed that the argument about Amy being locked in the basement had been forgotten, turning now into a friendship that would be mended over time. I couldn't help but smile in relief as I followed the two of them like I had done before, watching and following as they disappeared around the corner and into one of the far end rooms - Room 223. Jimmy unlocked the door and pushed it open, leading Amy inside.
"My bathroom's here," he pointed to the room, "I think mum keeps some bandages in one of the drawers but the sink in there if you need one."
"Thanks, Jimmy," Amy closed the door behind her while Jimmy walked further into the room, perching on his messy bed.
Much like my room, the wallpaper was covered in the same chocolate and cream-colored stripes with the same little pink rose buds painted into the cream parts of the paper, glowing with the help of the scarlet colored carpeting - though it looked far too girly for a ten year old boy. In the main part of the room was another carved wooden bed with a high back headboard, a heavy wooden wardrobe, and a small bedside table with a lamp.
To make the room more of his own, Jimmy had covered the walls with cricket and football posters - some with popular players on them such as Ian Botham, George Best, and Kevin Keegan. Two or three small plush toys lined the side bedside table - each a bit worn from the years - and one large plush dog character sat on the bed surrounded by covers and sheets. There was also paper covering the floor in random places of the room - covered in drawings of people or animals.
Jimmy had picked up a few of the drawings and looked them over, something becoming a little unsettling. It was then that I noticed the switch again - his hair seemed to become crazed as did his eyes. His look of confusion suddenly became a look of wicked glee. His body from slumped tiredness switched over to become twitching with excitement.
When Amy came out of the bathroom, a bandage on her knee, she grinned at her friend, "Jimmy? You still want to play?"
"Sure!" the boy's voice had changed, a slight octave higher like before, and Amy didn't seem to notice, "I have a perfect idea. Why don't you go and grab your favorite toy and I'll grab mine and we can sit and play with them together?"
Amy clapped in excitement, "Alright. But, aren't we a little old for tea parties?"
"Who said anything about a tea party?" Jimmy chuckled wickedly.
Amy seemed a bit nervous but left anyway to retrieve her toy.
As she did so, I watched as Jimmy moved about the room, opening the doors to the wardrobe and pulling out a lighter and a small green bottle with the label "Turpentine" written on it. I could feel myself scratching the back of my head, wondering what in the world he would be doing with a bottle of lighter fluid and a lighter. Surely he wasn't going to set the girl's toy on fire, was he?
Amy reappeared, closing the door behind her, with a fuzzy brown teddy bear in hand.
At the sight of it, Jimmy frowned, "Are you sure that's your favorite toy?"
"Well, yes... is there a problem?" Amy asked, pigtails falling to one side as she cocked her head.
"Most favorite toys are worn, like mine," he snatched the dog off the bed.
The plush dog was worn with stains and strange patches covering its body. Now being a little closer to the toy, I could smell something smoky emitting from the toy's fabric. One of the eyes had also been torn out and stuffing was falling from a hidden broken seam. This toy, yes, looked well loved - but I wasn't sure if it was just worn because he clutched it to his chest at night to help ward off night terrors that crept into the room.
Amy looked down at her bear, "Well, I just got it... maybe a week ago?"
"Ah, so it's a new favorite then?" Jimmy nodded, patronizingly, "I see... that might still work."
"What will work?"
Jimmy grinned wickedly, "Come with me and I'll show you."
Both kids headed into the bathroom, each clutching their personal toy.
I watched from the doorway as Jimmy set the dog into the bathtub and took Amy's bear and set it beside the old plush. Amy watched as Jimmy pulled the bottle of turpentine out of his pocket and held it up.
"Do you know what this is?" he asked her.
"Tur-pin-tine..." Amy read the label slowly before shaking her head, "No, what is it?"
"I'll show you," Jimmy then proceeded to pour the bottle over both of the toys. Once they were thoroughly soaked, he recapped the bottle and returned it to his pocket, pulling the lighter out.
"What are you-"
Amy didn't have time to finish as the fire flicked alive in Jimmy's hands, bouncing onto the bear then the dog. Red hot flames and smoke began to eat at the two plush toys, leaving scars and open seams filled with cream-white stuffing.
This was how the dog got so badly ruined, I thought, my own eyes widened and heart screaming at the sight.
Amy screamed, snatching her bear from the tub, and cried out as the flames attacked her tiny hands and arms. Jimmy snatched the bear back up and tossed it into the tub, throwing the water on before turning to Amy.
"Naughty little girl," he all but growled, grabbing her hands, "Don't you know it's dangerous to play with fire?"
Amy screamed, pulling her body away from him, "I hate you! You're horrible Jimmy!"
She rushed from the room, tears crawling down her cheeks. Jimmy moved quickly, following Amy down the hallway. I peered around the corner, my feet keeping me from leaving the room completely.
Jimmy rushed ahead of Amy toward one of the medieval showcases at the end of said hallway. He jumped on a nearby chair and seemingly pulled one of the swords easily out of its casing, twirling it about and pointing it at Amy as she stopped. It was only a few inches away from her neck, and the fear was evident in her eyes.
"Where do you think you're going, Miss Amy Bell?" Jimmy's psychotic grin was spread across his lips again, wielding the weapon as if he had done it his entire life.
"I-I n-need a doctor, Jimmy," Amy hiccupped, "My hand is really hurting, Jimmy. P-please."
"You don't need a doctor, Amy. Look," he held out his own hand that was brandish with scars, "We're matching now! Isn't that what friends have, matching marks?"
"Bracelets, Jimmy," Amy corrected, "but this isn't like that. What if it gets infected?"
"I won't let that happen. If you promise not to tell anyone, I'll give you something that'll help your hand."
"How can I trust you?! You ruined my teddy bear! Stole my money!"
"Can you prove it though?" Jimmy countered, moving the blade of the sword a bit closer to Amy.
I could feel tears breaking out, my fear for what happened to Amy starting to come through. Was she killed by a sword in the hallway?
To my surprise, Amy agreed, backing down toward the hallway and back into Jimmy's room.
"That's a good girl," Jimmy grinned, returning the sword to it's casing.
Once the two of them returned, Jimmy shut the water off to the nearly full tub and pulled Amy into the bathroom and put her hands into the water. Tears sprung on the girl's cheeks as white skin peeled from her hands and lower forearms.
"Keep them in the water, I'll be back with some medicine."
Once the door clicked closed, Amy began to cry out.
I came around her and desperately tried to hold onto her, but my arms went straight through her. Memories of the past - they could neither see, hear, nor feel my presence. I was a ghost in this world.
But my heart could still ache for the poor girl.
Jimmy returned a few moments later with a glass and large unnamed bottle filled with golden liquid. He set the glass on the counter top in the bathroom before uncapping the bottle and pouring the liquid into the glass until it was nearly full. He recapped it and set the bottle on the ground by the toilet.
"Amy, I have some medicine ready for you," Jimmy smiled.
The little girl stood, her hands shaking as she reached for the glass. Jimmy had her sit on the toilet seat cover and dried one hand before wrapping it up and handing her the glass.
The first sip she took made her face scrunch up, "Jimmy? What is this? It tastes horrible and smells like something my dad would drink."
"It's medicine, Amy," Jimmy answered, drying off her other hand, "It will help you and your hands feel better."
"How much of this do I have to drink?"
Jimmy picked the bottle up as if inspecting it, "Maybe one and a half glasses."
"One and a half?!"
"Drink Amy, you'll feel better."
As she did as she was told, both Jimmy and I watched as she slowly became drowsy. Her eyelids became lidded and her body was slowly slumping. She hiccuped once or twice as her body swayed while she was sitting.
'Somehow, I don't think that was medicine...' my mind spoke.
"How are you feeling, Amy?" Jimmy was giggling, that wicked smile spread across his face.
"Little b-better," Amy spoke slowly, starting to fall forward a bit, "W-What w-was th-that stuff?"
"Medicine, and I think it's working. How does your hand feel?"
"Can't feel it," Amy answered, "Can't feel anything... is th-that normal?"
"Oh, yes, absolutely normal."
Jimmy emptied the tub and grabbed the two plush toys out, both dripping with water. He squeezed water out of the dog before tossing it in a hamper in his room. He did the same with the bear, however he never threw it in the hamper to get washed. Instead, he left the room.
Amy was still slouched on the toilet seat when he returned.
"Don't worry about your teddy, Amy," Jimmy cooed, "I'll have my mum wash it just for you."
"Still mad that you ruined him..." Amy slurred.
"Now, don't be like that. Come on, there one more thing I want to show you before you have to go back to your room for lunch."
***
The three of us stood on the very top level of the stairs, looking all the way down to the ground floor.
Amy was standing on the railing of the top floor, humming as she looked over the edge. The so-called "medicine" that Jimmy had given her was making her hallucinate a bit, making her see things that weren't there. As well as feeling things.
"I feel so light, Jimmy," Amy smiled dreamily, "I wonder if I can fly..."
"You probably could," Jimmy suggested to my horror, "You're really not that heavy to begin with. You might even be able to fly right into bed."
"You think so?" When Jimmy nodded earnestly, Amy slipped through the iron railing, standing on the edge of the stairs like she was on the edge of a cliff.
The height was unimaginable. From where we stood, the staircase went around and around in the small hallway that may have been used as one of many fire escapes. It seemed to stop at the lower level, meaning the drop would be five stories high - enough to kill a person if they tried anything.
Amy turned back to Jimmy, smiling casually, "Can't you fly?"
"I did, once," Jimmy's eyes glinted again, feeding the lies like fuel to a fire on a plush toy, "but, once you do it, you won't be able to stop."
Amy smiled and leaned forward, her hands loosening the grip on the iron bars. I looked around - there was no one around to see this. I could only hope that Jimmy would grab her before she did anything.
Then, Amy let go.
Childish laughter turned into screams. My feet were suddenly released and I pushed myself forward, running down to the bottom of the stairs as fast as I could. I hoped that I would be fast enough to reach the bottom before she did.
But, fate had already played its part in this sad scene.
Amy would always become burnt. She would always be tricked into drinking alcohol, thinking that it was medicine. She would always be brought to the top floor. She would always fall.
And she would always land on the top of the steps leading down to the lower level of the hotel.
I knelt beside her as her eyes turned lifeless and her body became still and cold. I couldn't touch her shoulder even though I longed to. I wanted to pick her up and bring her to her parents, to tell them what I had seen.
But I was not there then.
Nor was I there now...