"Ghostly Encounter"
This is the prologue to my 'A Taste of Darkness' story. Please enjoy and review!
Inside of a taxi, a family of four stared up at the large, old hotel that they would be spending their day at.
Parking in front of the hotel, the taxi driver got out of his seat and went to the trunk to unlock it while the family all climbed out of the back seat.
An olive skinned woman with long curly brown hair and chocolate brown eyes stepping out of the car, holding a tired child to her chest.
The girl looked to be 5 years old and she had tanned skin and long burgundy hair that was pulled up into two pigtails with blue ribbons.
Next to climb out of the car was a tall, muscular man with tanned skin, dark brown eyes and black hair.
At his side was an 11 year old girl with magenta hair, fair skin and brown eyes.
"Wow, this place is amazing!" Jun Motomiya exclaimed in awe.
Walking over to the cab driver, the father paid the man and grabbed the bags before walking over to join his family.
"Do you have everything?" The mother, Katherine Motomiya, asked.
"Yeah. Come on, let's go check in." Caleb Motomiya said.
The family then entered the hotel and glanced around the lobbey before they spotted the check in desk.
Standing behind it was a bald man dressed in a black dress and he wore make-up.
Concluding that he was a transvestite, the couple made their way over to the man-or woman if they preffered-to speak with them.
"Uh, excuse me?" Katherine called politely.
Head lifting up from the Cosmo they were reading, the transvestite looked at the family and smiled at them.
On the name tag, they read that the person's name was Liz Taylor, allowing them to see that the transvestite preffered to be recognized as a woman.
"Hello, how can I help you?" She asked.
"We're the Motomiyas. We have a reservation." Katherine informed.
"Ah, yes. You're here with the other doctors for a meeting." The transvestite grinned.
Typing on the computer, she then found the room number for the family while Jun was glancing around curiously.
"Here we are. You four are all in room 62. I hope you enjoy your stay." Liz said.
"Thanks you." Katherine said as she took the keys and was careful to hold onto her youngest daughter who was sleeping in her arms.
Liz was smiling at the sight of the mother and daughter as Jun was still looking around, her eyes taking in every small detail she could find.
As she was looking around, she spotted a blonde woman dressed in an extravagant outfit staring her way which made the girl glare.
She didn't trust the woman, especially when her eyes settled on her younger sister.
When the blonde's eyes fell back onto her, Jun glared and her eyes glowed green in the lighting, causing the woman'e eyes to grow wide in shock as she then hid behind the bar, grabbing herself a drink.
Grabbing at her father's hand, Jun tugged on it making the man glance down at her.
"What is it, Jun?" He asked.
"Do we have to stay here? This place is giving me the creeps." She whispered to him.
Sighing at that, Caleb then knelt down to stare into his daughter's eyes and lowered his voice to speak to her.
"Me too. But we have no choice. Your mother and I need to be here for work." He said.
Seeing the displeased expression on his daughter's face, Caleb placed a kiss to her forehead.
"I promise, nothing bad will happen while we're here. I will never let anything bad happen to you, your sister or your mother." He told her.
"I know. But I still don't like this place." Jun stated.
Nodding in understanding, Caleb stood up and pulled his daughter into his side as she glanced down to see that she was wearing a black onyx gemstone.
He knew that as long as she wore the pendant, then she would be safe.
"Caleb, come on. We have to go." Katherine said as she held her child to her chest in a protective embrace.
"Coming, Kat." Caleb said as he carried the bags over to the elevator.
The Motomiyas rode the elevator up to the seventh floor and soon walked over to room 62.
When they stepped onto the floor, Caleb frowned as he felt a dark energy tainting the area.
Jun shivered and clung to her father's arm, disturbed by the evil pressence she felt.
Whining in her sleep, the burgundy haired girl opened her brown eyes and she glanced around the floor fearfully.
"Hey, look who finally woke up." Katherine cooed.
"Mommy, I don't like it here." Davinia Motomiya whined.
"Believe me, Nia, none of us do. This place is off the radar when it comes to creepy." Jun frowned.
Sighing at this, Katherine kept an arm around Davinia and used her other arm to pull Jun into her side.
"Girls, there is nothing wrong with this hotel. It's all in your imaginations. You're safe here. I promise. Have I ever lied to you before?" She asked.
"No." Davinia muttered.
"No, but there's still time." Jun crossed her arms.
Sighing at the attitude she got from her eldest daughter, Katherine rocked Davinia carefully and then turned to look at Caleb.
"She gets that sass from you." Katherine playfully accussed her husband.
Giving her a mock-offended look, Caleb leaned down to kiss his wife's cheek before they then unlocked the door to their room and walked inside.
The inside of the room was painted golden brown and there was antique furniture that was in top condition.
There were also two rooms inside, both having two beds.
"Wow, this place looks great." Katherine grinned as she set Davinia down on the ground.
No longer in her mother's embrace, Davinia frowned and reached up to hold onto the black tourmaline pendant she wore and nibbled on her bottom lip.
Even though her mother had told her she was safe in this hotel, the little girl still had her doubts.
There was something about the aura of the building that made her feel nervous.
"Okay, so, girls you'll both be sharing a bedroom. Jun, take your sister and go get set up. Caleb, why don't you make the call and see what time our meeting is at?" Katherine instructed.
"Yes, dear." Caleb sighed in an overly exagarated way before smirking and making his way into their room with the bags.
Having her and her sister's bags, Jun carried them into the room she and Davinia would be sharing for their stay.
Setting their bags down on the beds, Jun then started to unpack and frowned when she felt a strange chill go down her spine.
There was something off about this hotel and she didn't like it.
She didn't feel safe here and she didn't want her baby sister to be left in this building as well.
Hearing a whimpering noise, Jun turned to look at Davinia and saw the little girl had her arms wrapped around her torso, a fearful look on her face.
The poor child looked like she was about to cry from how uncomfortable she felt being there.
"Davey, don't cry. I know that this place gives off some major bad vibes, but nothing bad is going to happen to us here." Jun told her.
"I don't like it!" Davinia whimpered.
Sighing, Jun walked over to her younger sister and scooped her up into her arms, holding her close to her chest as she kissed the top of her head.
"I know, I know. But don't worry. Mom, Dad and I aren't going to let anything bad happen to you. You're safe as long as you're with us." Jun promised.
"You swear?" Davinia asked as she looked up into her sister's face with awe filled eyes.
"I swear." Jun grinned.
(Later...)
After getting unpacked, the Motomiya family freshened up and went downstairs for the dinner meeting with the other doctors.
Jun was following her parents and was holding her little sister's hand as the child glanced around curiously at all of the people who had gathered around.
As the family were walking to the dinning room, their path was cut off by the blonde woman Jun had seen before.
This time, though, the woman was acompanied by a man with brown hair, blue eyes and a 'jaw-line-for-days'.
"Hello there." The blonde greeted with a smile.
Stopping, Caleb and Katherine gave the couple in front of them confused looks, but also felt wary.
There was something about the couple that put them on guard.
The smile the blonde sent the two little girls made Davinia cling to Jun's arm while the older sister glared at the woman, warning her off.
"Hello." Katherine greeted.
"You must be the family of doctors who checked in. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm the Countess." The blonde said.
"Um, the Countess of what exactly?" Caleb questioned.
He didn't like the feeling he was getting from these two and wanted to herd his family away from them as quickly as possible.
"Oh, baby, with those eyes, it can be anything you want." The Countess cooed.
This caused Katherine and the brown haired man to glare.
"Sorry, but I don't date trashy blondes. I prefer the classy brunettes." Caleb smirked with a wicked tone in his voice as his arm wrapped around a smug Katherine's waist.
Bristling at the insult, the brunette was about to step forward and have words with Caleb, but froze when he stared into his eyes.
Caleb's eyes were glowing green and he had a wicked smirk on his face.
"Now, if you two don't mind, my family and I have a dinner to get to." Caleb said.
Backing away as he felt a jolt of fear rush down his spine, the man, Donovan, kept his head down and allowed the Motomiya family to walk by while the blonde woman, Elizabeth, watched curiously.
"What a beautiful, fascinating family." Elizabeth muttered.
"Whatever. There's something not right about them." Donovan scoffed.
Giving her lover an amused expression, Elizabeth placed her hand against his chest.
"Come, Donovan, let's go. We have plans for tonight, after all." The woman purred.
Looking over her shoulder to make sure the strange couple were gone, Jun allowed herself to relax and continued to hold her baby sister's hand as they walked close behind their parents.
"Are all the people in this hotel weirdos?" Jun huffed.
"Jun Anastasia, don't be rude. I mean, sure, they were...disturbing, but that's no way to speak." Katherine said.
"That lady was scary." Davinia whimpered.
"You're not wrong. But don't worry. Daddy made sure those people won't bother us again." Caleb assured.
His eyes flashed green once again before the family entered the dinning room with the rest of the doctors that had gathered.
(The next day...)
Katherine and Caleb had been called down to a meeting with the rest of their colleagues who wanted to speak of the measle epidemic that was threatening the childrens' health in Los Angeles.
While they had gone down to speak with the doctors, the couple had left their two daughters in the hotel room and told them to stay inside.
Much to Katherine and Davinia's confusion, Caleb had burnt sage and sweet grass, filling the room with the wonderful scent that helped to calm their nerves.
When questioned about it, Caleb said it was to get rid of the stink that was in the room.
Dressed into a white sundress and blue shoes while her hair had been tied up into curly pigtails with pink ribbons, Davinia sat on the bed and was watching a cartoon that was playing on TV.
Jun, who was dressed in a black tank top, white pants and purple shoes, was brushing through her hair and trying to tame it enough for her to pull it into a ponytail.
"When are Mommy and Daddy going to come back?" Davinia asked.
"I'm not sure. Maybe in an hour or two." Jun answered.
"I hope they come back soon." Davinia whined as she pulled her knees up to her chest.
Her older sister made her feel safe, but she wanted her parents around because they were bigger and would be able to fight off any dangers.
She didn't know why, but the child felt like there was something evil about this hotel and she just wanted to run far away from it.
"Don't worry so much. As long as we stay in this room, we'll be safe." Jun assured.
Managing to pull the back of her magenta colored hair into a ponytail, Jun then sat up and made her way over to the bathroom.
"Stop worry so much, Davey. One day, you'll see that you never have to be scared of anything." Jun flashed her a confident smile.
Confused by what her sister meant, Davinia watched as she walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind her.
With her sister gone, Davinia sat up and walked over to the tray beside the door that had fruit on it and reached up to grab one of the apples.
When she did so, she heard an odd noise outside.
Curious over what it was, Davinia went against her father's wishes and opened the door, poking her head out into the hall to search for the source of the noise.
Finding the hall empty, but still able to hear the heavy breathing sound, Davinia walked out into the hall and started making her way down further.
"Hello? Mommy? Daddy?" She called hoping that her parents were the ones making the noise or were at least nearby.
Learning that the sound was becoming louder as she made her way closer to the end of the hall, Davinia turned her head and glanced around the corner.
What she saw made her freeze and her heart began to thump wildly against her ribcage as her eyes grew wide in fear.
Standing before her was a tall man who was completely naked, its skin was pale white and greasy, almost like it was made of wax.
It had neither eyes nor a mouth, but the strangest thing about it was the drill-bit dildo it had strapped onto its crotch area.
Its head was tilted as it seemed to 'stare' at Davinia and the child quickly turned, running off down the hall as she began to scream for help.
Feeling curious of the child it had seen, the demon followed after her, attracted to the pure, innocent aura it felt radiating inside of her.
"Help! Someone, please help!" Davinia screamed.
(Meanwhile...)
Inside of room 64, a man with dark brown eyes, perfectly combed black hair and snow white skin was pouring himself a glass of absinthe.
Grinning, dapper dressed man lifted the glass to his mouth and took a sip of the green liquid, enjoying the taste.
Just as he was about to settle down and listen to his jazz records, the man paused when he heard a frightened voice crying out for help.
It wasn't an unusual occurrence in the hotel to hear someone crying out for help, but for some strange reason, the man found he couldn't ignore this cry.
He was compelled to leave his room and locate the person who was calling for him, demanding his attention.
When he didn't seem to be moving fast enough, the man gasped as he felt his body suddenly appear in the hallway and glanced around in confusion.
When his eyes landed on the child, he stared at her as she ran towards him.
Bending down, he reached out his arms and scooped the child up, holding her close to his chest as she trembled and hid her face in his neck.
"Are you the one who called for me?" He asked, his Brahmin accent ringing clear in Davinia's ears.
Relieved that someone had heard her calls, but also shocked that he had appeared out of thin air, Davinia simply cried and tried to find comfort in the handsome mustached gentleman who had come to her aid.
Frowning when the child simply clung to him and continued to cry, the man turned his attention onto the demon that had stopped its movement.
"This is curious. You never chase after children. Go on, leave. Go feed on some lowly prostitute. This girl in mine." The man commanded.
The demon ignored the man and groaned its 'gaze' still focused on the girl.
Narrowing his black eyes at the demon, the man then glanced down at the child in his arms and placed a hand on the side of her face, brushing her curly locks from her face.
"Dear one, tell me, why is this beast chasing you?" He questioned.
Raising her head, the child gave the man a fright as she revealed the glowing, emerald green eyes she had.
"I-I don't know! I w-was just trying to find my mommy and daddy!" The girl whimpered.
Staring into the girl's eyes, the man felt a surge of power and realized now what had caught the demon's attention.
This child was a witch and a powerful one at that.
The growing source of magic inside of her had captured the attention of the Addiction Demon and the creature wouldn't leave until it had gotten its claws on the young witch.
He couldn't allow that to happen, especially since he didn't want any enraged adult witches to return and seek vengeance on the hotel, destroying it and the occupants for allowing harm to come to the child.
Groaning was heard as the demon seemed to be approaching once again, wanting to place its hands on the child to feed off of the glorious energy that was burning inside her.
"Listen to me, dear one. That demon will not leave until you tell it to. Look at it and tell it to go away." The man told her.
"B-But I can't! I'm too little to make monsters disappear!" Davinia cried.
"Oh, but darling, you are much more powerful then you seem to realize. Go on, tell him to go away. You can do it." The man encouraged.
Gulping down her fear, young Davinia looked over at the demon as it continued walking towards her, it long arms held out towards her, as if it were reaching out to touch her.
Wanting the demon to vanish from her sight, young Davinia's bottom lip trembled as she began to speak.
"G-Go away." She said.
Nothing happened and the demon drew closer which made the child panic.
Throwing out her arm, Davinia yelled; "GO AWAY!"
Freezing in place, the demon screeched as it was thrown back by an invisible force and was banished from the girl's sight.
Smirking at what he had just seen happen, the man glanced down at the child in his arms who was surprised by what she had done.
"Did-Did I do that?" Davinia asked in awe.
"Yes, you did. Now that that unsightly beast knows that you can protect yourself, it shant bother you again." The man assured.
Setting the girl back onto her feet, the man looked her over and noted that she was a beautiful child.
She would grow up into a lovely young woman, this he knew for certain.
"Now, tell me dear one, what is your name?" He asked.
"Davinia." She answered.
Her parents had told her to never talk to strangers, but this man had helped her make an evil demon leave her alone.
They would understand that.
"Davinia." The man spoke the girl's name.
The name sounded foreign and exotic with the way he pronounced it with his accent.
"A name fit for a queen. It's a great pleasure to make your acquaintance, dear one. My name is James March." He introduced with a charming smile.
"H-Hello, Mr. March." She gave a shy, yet polite grin.
"Hello, dear one. Now, you shouldn't be out roaming these halls alone. Come with me; let's get you back to your room. We don't want to give your parents a fright." James told her.
"'Kay!" Davinia giggled.
Enchanted by the cheerful, innocent smile on the girl's face, James allowed Davinia to take his hand and escorted her back to her room, returning her to her family.
(A few days later...)
Davinia had spent time with James after he had helped save her from the Addiction Demon.
He would tell her stories about his chutes and ladders, and she would listen as she munched on cookies that Ms. Evers, James' faithful and trusted maid, would bake for her.
When it was time for the Motomiya family to check out, James was a bit upset, but forced a smile as he stood at the bar that overlooked the lobbey and stared down at the little girl as she was lifted into her father's strong arms.
Wrapping her arms around her father's neck, Davinia rested her head on Caleb's shoulder and looked like she was about to nod off.
"So, did you have fun on this trip, kitten?" Caleb asked.
Eyes fluttering, Davinia looked up and saw James standing at the bar.
Mustering up a tired, but still large smile, Davinia lifted her tiny hand to give the ghost a wave.
"Yeah. I made a new friend." She whispered before slowly drifting off to sleep.
Grinning, James raised his glass in a toast towards the girl before he downed it.
If James were lucky, then perhaps he would see Davinia once again, only she would be grown up and be a confident, courageous, powerful and beautiful woman.
He looked forward to seeing that day.
The end.