Hotel Selten

Slowly Unveiling

“I guess this is our end.”

Roche said as the authorities are closing by. “It’s nice meeting you guys, it’s true,” Diether said as they all inch closer together, pressing their bodies and sides on each other. Caldwell suddenly heard something freezing as he looks at the ground. He forgot to take his gloves back on his right hand as he saw a stream of the water just passed by it and it freezes at his hands. “Water…” He whispered as he looks at Ophelia, it was too late as everything went so fast.

Ophelia suddenly burst all of the water she collected, especially the ones she saw on a water tank that leaked due to the shooting. The water burst blasts around her as it knocks back everyone except her friends. Caldwell protected them from her power burst by freezing the first wall of water to become an ice wall that deflects all of the water. Yet, it was powerful enough to make them stumble as the force of the water was so strong. It knocked out some of the armed people and others that were coming after them. It disturbed the aircraft that was following them too and they are not in a stable state right now. Caldwell stands as the others followed as they watch everyone got obliterated with Ophelia’s wave. Her legs are shaking right now and before she can even collapse on the ground, Hugo caught her.

“Hey.” He shakes her head as she stared at him weakly. “Let’s go! Before all of them realized just what happened.” Thilda shouted as they run once more. Hugo wraps his arm around Ophelia as they both run, with her trying to keep up the pace but she knows she was about to pass. She just needs to endure the call of the sheep. Melvin keeps throwing aside all of the debris blocking them until they reached the unharmed side of Paris which is just a very little area. It’s not quite even unharmed, it still has some debris that was thrown out from the other buildings. It was just the side that wasn’t touched by the gigantic octopus yet has been damaged by the debris of its own neighboring buildings. Everything was empty but this is not a good place for them to hide.

“Let’s find a house or even anything that can accommodate us that they won’t notice or even guess,” Thilda said as she catches her breath. “Maybe that abandoned hotel, it has too many rooms for them to check and if they checked it, we can knock them down,” Diether said as he points to a hotel with a bit of damage on its side. “That’ll do for now. Let’s go.” Miss Eve said while panting as they entered the establishment. Melvin carried giant debris that basically locked them in. “Why did you put that there?” Eshne asked, “Is this some so—” Melvin shuts her, “They will dismiss if this has big debris in the entrance, we wouldn’t be here. Hacks, baby.” He said while poking his temple while smirking at her. Eshne just rolled her eyes as they continue to pass the lobby and used the stairs instead of the elevator.

“You can choose your own rooms, I still need to inspect this place.” Miss Eve said as they all went upstairs and chose their own rooms. Diether opened a room as he saw the damage that was dealt with it. Some of the floors on the edge are just gone, it’s just a hole at the side of the room. He can also see the outside since the wall on the first floor was obliterated too. He went out of the room with a disappointed and disgusted face. “This room is total crap, not recommended. 1 out of 10 stars. The motel that my family went to before was even better than this even it has cracks on the wall.” He shut the door close. “Because it’s literally got damage, Diether. The hotel must be thanking that he wasn’t getting obliterated all out.” He looked at Eshne with confusion, “Did you just assumed this hotel’s gender?”

“There are plenty of rooms on the two upper floors, you guys don’t need to fight on a crushed room.” Thilda shuts the door behind her, entering her temporary home. Eshne bends her arm with her palms up and wide open. “After you, lots-of-comments guy.” She smiled silly at him as Diether reaches for her and pushes her head a bit with his two fingers jokingly. “Hey!” She shouted as she rubs the middle of her forehead. “Thank you for the escort.” Diether laughs as he goes upstairs that made Eshne rolls her eyes and followed him to the stairs to the third floor.

Ophelia sat at the comfort of the bed as she looks at the small balcony for her room. She decided to see the view with her hiding just in the walls, like a peeking child curious to see what’s on the other side of the wall. She can see the calm horizon up the distance as the sun starts to set. She smiled as her mind went to its tranquil state. It was rare for her to have this moment since she is always worried about the fighting, how can she survive, and everything about her life and the lives of her own friends. She sighs as she still needs to travel farther more to achieve the peace that her friends, the group of friends she chose, want to achieve.

She approached the bed as she throws herself on it with her hands stretching side by side. She looked at the ceiling and just think of things. Her mind bumped on the memories she has been having problems with. She reached the backpack that she has been with all of these things that she is surprised that she still has. She opened it as she reached for a book that she retrieved back from the hotel. She unclipped the pen that was attached to a page and flips the recent blank page she has and starts writing. She drew a mind map with a circled phrase, ‘Possible Erased Memories’ that was followed by a series of question marks.

She started to draw lines coming from the encircled phrase and drawing arrows. She started to jot down everything she recently remembers. The vague plane crash, the vague talking man and lady, and much more. She stared at the mind map for some seconds as she started to link them up. “The most likely thing to have happened last is that plane crashing, that might be the accident that I was involved in.” She wrote ‘amnesia’ on an arrow pointing outside of the links. “It must be my mom who was talking to me and possibly my dad…”

She sets the notebook aside, it was laying just beside her, opened. She massages her temple as she squints. She was trying to remember more, but she can’t. It’s like every memory of her needs to have some keyword for it for everything to be revealed upon her. She groans as she leans on the headboard of the bed and stared at the ceiling once more. She just keeps sighing and grunting. “Who really am I? I am Ophelia Hutchinson, yet, I don’t know who really I am. I only knew my powers just in the hotel. Wait… Powers… Powers…” She grabbed her notebook once more as she flips another page.

Suddenly, a surge of memories came into her head, all of the times she rages. The school wherein she exploded all of the bottles of water and even everything with water. The camping wherein the whole lake just exploded right in front of them. The last time she had this was the time why she stumbled into the hotel in the first place. The incident in the convenience store. It’s been a month or so, she wonders if the police were still finding her. She sighs, then she stopped, an unfamiliar memory popped out of her mind. It wasn’t the school incident, the floors, the walls, the surroundings were unfamiliar.

She started writing on the paper what she sees. Like the school incident when she was 16, everything that had water exploded. There were two people, maybe females with their body shape and the length of their hair. They stumbled on the ground as everyone screams and panicked. Her head started to hurt again, even this short memory makes her mind overwhelmed. She grabbed a pillow and buried her face. She just waited until all of the pain resides. She raised her head and sighs. “I guess this is not just an overnight thing, this headache is gonna kill me.” She commented as she thinks again with her staring at all what she wrote in her small diary-like notebook. Funny enough, she just retrieved it from the hotel and now it’s her comfort companion.

She snapped back to reality as a knock on the door was heard by her. “Come in.” She said as the door opens, “Inviting you to dinner on the first floor, all of the supplies we just…” Blaise imitated a grabbing movement, “Yoinked, if that’s even a word. Choose anything, just only one, we need it for another day.” Blaise smiles as Ophelia nods, “I’m coming after you.” He gives her a thumbs up, “Alright, see you!” He said as he shuts the door to give her privacy and deliver the message to the others. Ophelia took one last glance at the notebook as she sets it aside on the bed and makes her way through the first floor where Miss Eve and Hugo are regrouping the same products on one grocery bag.

The others started to come as Ophelia approaches the long lobby counter. “Choose your own favorite, only one meal to ensure we have enough supply. We are like 12 or 13, I don’t even know now.” Hugo said he started to point at the bags, “This has the canned products, mostly pork and beans, I don’t know who grabbed all of the stock of pork and beans but alright. This has the packed cooked foods, I recommend eating these because they might spoil in the next few days. And here are some chips and crackers, again, I don’t know who grabbed these. And there are some water and other drinks in that bag. If you want it cold,  you can have Caldwell freeze it a bit.”

They started to get the things they would like for their dinner as they took their places and seat. Ophelia decided to take the end of a lobby sofa and ate her steak with the spork that was with it. They started with their heart’s content and rest for the night. “Tomorrow, we will go around the hotel to see more of what it can provide us. Maybe we will see a good training spot without being noticed. You can all now take your rest or whatever you guys want to do tonight, which I don’t have a clue about since rest is everyone here needs right now.” They all took their ways as they entered the rooms they have chosen. Ophelia falls on the bed with her front pressing on the mattress. She looked at the notebook at her front, she just sighed as she decided to rest her weary head.

Ophelia woke up as she went out of her room and her first instinct was to go to the first floor. Thilda was giving out all of the retrieved clothes to those who need them. “Ophelia will take care of the water supply since they definitely cut everything here. They all prepared for their day, ate breakfast, and took a bath. They all came out all fresh. “It’s good to be all gorgeous once more,” Alice said as she looks at the mirrored wall on a pillar. “Let’s have some walk in the hotel.”

They first went to the staff room that has a basement on it which they need Melvin to open the lid leading to it. They all entered as a vault-like door presented itself in front of them. “What is behind that door that it needs like… A bank vault?” Eshne asked. “Can I get some help, Roche?” Melvin asked as they both destroyed the door.

“What in the holy franchise of Marvels is that?”