The Marriott we went to was beyond beautiful; they had this massive painting on the ceiling of little cherubim angels chasing after a lamb that was lost in a field of what looked like barley. It almost reminded me of The Catcher in the Rye a bit in a strange way. Maybe this is weird, but I absolutely love religious art despite not being religious; something about it is just so beautiful. Stained glass is my favorite; seeing it always makes my jaw drop.
"Looks like we found heaven," I jested.
"It's not heaven if it doesn't have a complimentary breakfast," Malcolm replied with a small smile.
"You always know how to make me smile. So where is your cousin?" I asked, looking all around the hotel. All I could see were bored-looking kids and their exhausted parents. Children are both the worst and greatest thing ever, let me tell you. I mean, I love them when they behave, but once they don't, oh boy...
"He should be at the front desk. Let me try something; wait for me here," Malcolm said, leaving for the front desk. I could see him talking to the guy at the front but had no idea what exactly he was talking about. The only thing I heard was occasional words that, without context, made no sense.
It was about two minutes before Malcolm ran back and told me that he had booked us a stay for the next three days. (that's how long the rewards program could accommodate for)
"That's cool and all, but what about our money? We can't even make it that far," I replied anxiously.
"Oh, yeah? Then what's this?" he asked as he pulled out a wallet stacked to the brim with cash out of his right pocket.
"What'd you do, rob an ATM?" I joked.
"Maybe, stay in your lane, partner," he replied jokingly.
"Anyways, let's go up to our room; I want to lay down for a bit," I replied, stretching. I witnessed at least three distinct timelines flash through my mind at breakneck speed as I did. It was so unexpected that I nearly fell over after experiencing it. You know that stargate sequence scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey? That's what it felt like, like I was on the world's fastest roller coaster.
"You alright?" Malcolm asked, noticing my pallor.
"I'm fine, let's go," I hurriedly said, walking towards the nearest elevator. You should have seen how shiny the elevator walls were; I could perfectly see my face in them and just how stupid I looked with my dropped jaw.
Once we finally arrived at our room, I jumped on my bed and laid down on my stomach, still in my black Chuck Taylor shoes. You have no idea how comfortable the bed was. It wasn't as nice as the bed in Arcadia, but it was incredibly close.
"Let's turn on the radio or something," Malcolm said with a bored look as he pulled out his phone.
"Could you play some oldies? I feel in the mood for the classics." 50s to 90s music is my favorite; I'm not a fan of most modern music. Don't get me started on mumble rap; it shouldn't even be considered music and should be seen as a form of torture. Didn't the Eighth Amendment promise to protect us from cruel and unusual punishment?
"Sure," he said as he pulled up the Silver Spoon station, which was a station that played music from the 1930s to the 1960s. The oldest song I recall it playing is John the Revelator by Blind Willie Nelson. Personally, I like the song of the same name by Depeche Mode more.
The song that played was Moody River by Pat Boone, and it nearly made me cry. The lyrics are about this guy who finds out his girl cheated on him and how she committed suicide by a river because she couldn't take the pain of hiding it anymore. Apparently, during the 1950s and 1960s, tragic songs about teenagers were trendy. My favorite piece of that variety would have to be Teen Angel by Mark Dinning; my second favorite is Tell Laura I Love Her by Ray Peterson. Coincidentally, when I was in the fifth grade, I had a crush on a girl named Laura. I was too scared to ever tell her how I felt, though. I get too anxious about everything, to be honest with you. I even get nervous when I open my front door; I always worry that something terrible will happen to me. I read way too much true crime for it to be healthy for me. I haven't been the same person since reading about Sylvia Likens. It's like I'm obsessed with reading disturbing shit even though it makes me feel worse after. I remember reading about Robert Fisher and feeling too terrified to sleep. Only read about him if you don't want to have a good day.
"Old songs really are special, aren't they?" I asked Malcolm with a genuine smile after the song was over.
"They really are. So what do you feel like doing?" he asked, hanging off his bed upside down like a monkey.
"Let's watch some TV," I replied with a shrug. Truth be told, I didn't plan running away from home very well.
Malcolm turned on the television, and things had gone wrong right away. What would have typically been an episode of Community became a broadcasted speech given by Maynard to the people of Arcadia. I nearly threw a shoe at the television in an attempt to destroy it so I wouldn't have to watch the garbage.
"What is this?" Malcolm asked, confused.
"I dunno, but let's watch this," I replied anxiously, not bothering to explain to him why I was so invested in the speech.
"Okay, let me see if this gages my interest," Malcolm said, sitting down on his bed.
"Ladies and gentlemen of Arcadia, welcome! My name is Maynard Conrad, and I have some words to say to you today. We have seen much progress throughout my rule, including the national economy tripling and the expansion of CONIUM into weapons production. I am grateful for all of you who supported my glorious time in office; I wouldn't be able to do half the things I did without the people. After all, isn't that what this beautiful nation was built on? In 1776, our fathers fought to free us from the British so that we may become independent of tyranny; I have done the same five centuries later. I have stopped the Belgium Monaco Nuclear Crisis single-handedly and proved to the people that I care about their interests and always have. It is with a heavy heart that I step down as ruler of Arcadia. I will be succeeded by my great friend and master, Tobias Nobilis. I give all glory to the man who brought culture into our land, the man who helped our nation revitalize itself into a new golden age! We are in this together; I tell all of you! Glory be to the republic. Nos sumus invicta!" Maynard yelled out with a raised fist at the end.
I had never heard such an ingenuine speech in my life. If you want me to critique it honestly, he spent most of the time either bragging about his likely nonexistent accomplishments and the other spitting random fluff that meant nothing. That's why I hate politics; it's a collection of people seeing who can lie the most convincingly. Left, right, or center, they're all the same deep down. They don't give a damn about any of you, just your money.
"Dude, my last name is Nobilis; that's so weird but cool at the same time..." Malcolm replied with a look of surprise on his face.
No, please don't tell me that another psychopath will replace Maynard! Ugh, can I do nothing right in this world?
"This movie is pretty interesting. Do you know what it's called?" Malcolm asked curiously.
"Uh... I don't, but let's look," I replied awkwardly as I grabbed the remote and tried to see what it named the program. I swear to you that it said something like ⋔⏃⊬⋏⏃⍀⎅ ⏃⋏⎅ ⏃⍀☊⏃⎅⟟⏃ when I tried to see the title of the "program." The worst part was that by that point, I didn't even feel bad about lying to Malcolm; I looked out for my self-interests above those of everyone else, as horrible as that sounds.
"Am I crazy, or is that just a bunch of gibberish?" he asked, confused, with a raised eyebrow.
"No, I see it too," I replied with a sigh as I turned off the television.
"No, don't!" he yelled out.
"My bad," I replied flatly as I turned the television back on. This time, it was broadcasting the election speech of Tobias Nobilis. I prepared myself for more lies.
"My people, the future holds great blessings in store for all of us! As president, I will triple the economy once again and focus a third of my personal budget on bettering medicine and food for all of my humble followers. Too long, we have lived afflicted by illness and nutritionless food. The men, women, and children cry out for something more than bread. I will give you more! I will give unto every citizen of Arcadia food that is healthy for both the body and the mind; no more will we struggle with obesity from quick-made meals. Our great nation has suffered too long from this poison that we put into our bodies called junk food. Soon, you will be able to eat as much food as you want without becoming overweight; I will put my greatest scientists into preparing meals that meet the nutritional requirements of everyone! For medicine, I will eliminate every prion disease out there so that no more people have to suffer from incurable diseases. Our people will be free! Nos sumus invicta!" he replied, also putting his fist in the air.
"How much do you wanna bet he's gonna do none of those things?" Malcolm asked, chuckling.
"I don't trust politicians; They build their entire career on lies," I replied, shaking my head.
"Welcome to the club. Hold on, let me save this movie," Malcolm said as he pressed the recording button. As soon as he pressed it, I heard a violent hissing sound coming from the back of the television. By instinct, I knew to run out of the room. Malcolm didn't ask any questions and instead ran after me. If he didn't, he might have perished that day.
I slammed the door to our room shut just as a massive BOOM emanated from our room. Curious as to what happened, I ran inside and, to my horror, found a fist-sized hole in the center of the television with shattered glass lying everywhere around the room.
"Yikes, we gotta clean this mess up," Malcolm said, shaking his head.
Well... that's the second television I've destroyed...