Hotel California
(A/N) I only own my own OCs
Summary: Cody goes to live with his father, Kurt in LA after a talent agent is impressed by his performance in his school musical. Zack and Carey also leave the Tipton after she gets a call from her old Cruise Ship company. Each lives it up, but can't help wondering, is show biz all its cracked up to be? Based on the song Hotel California, by The Eagles.
Chapter 1 - Prologue
- Zack's POV-
I leaned forward on the polished wooden railing and stared off into the ocean. Off on the horizon I could see the sun setting, painting the sky and the ship's white siding with different shades of red and orange. Every few seconds, I felt a soft sea breeze pull on my hair, then release it as the breeze died. Below me, I could hear the hum of the engines along with the soft sound of waves crashing against the side of the ship.
I sighed deeply to myself as my thoughts turned to my twin, Cody. It's been several months since I last talked to him. I wondered how his life in California was going or if he even remembered me. I took my phone out of my pocket to call him, only to see a small icon shaped like a phone with a red line through it. Duh! I said to myself, you won't get any service until the ship reaches port in the morning. Sighing again, I put the phone back in my pocket and turned my attention back to the ocean.
On my left, a few kids were playing ping pong. I guessed they couldn't have been much older than nine or ten. Each had blond hair, worm in a short buzz cut and brown eyes. Soon, one of the kids came running over to me.
"Hey can we get the ball back?" He said, looking up at me. I looked down and saw a white ping pong ball sitting against my sneaker. I must have been too preoccupied to notice it. I bent down, picked it up and smiled as I handed it back to him. "Thanks!" He said as he ran back over to the ping pong table.
I watched him and another kid who I presumed to be his brother, send a few volleys back and forth before turning away. I checked my watch, 7:15. Mom's show starts in 15 minutes! I took one last glance at the two kids before heading to the ship's main club.
As I entered the empty hallway, a sudden wave of loneliness hit me. Absent-mindedly, I pulled my phone out again. I knew I couldn't get any service but I didn't care. I opened my contact list and scrolled through it until I found Cody's number. I stopped for a second, just staring at the digits. I wondered to myself, even if I could call him now, would he even pick up? I put the phone back in my pocket again, and heard a song coming from the club. Since I was still somewhat far away, the words were faint and hard to make out.
On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim
I had to stop for the night
The closer I got, the louder the words got until I could make out the lyrics.
There she stood in the doorway;
I heard the mission bell
And I was thinking to myself,
'This could be Heaven or this could be Hell'
Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way
There were voices down the corridor,
I thought I heard them say...
When I got there, I saw my mom waiting for me in the club's back doorway. "You're on lights tonight Zack." She said with a smile before heading over to her dressing room to finish getting ready for the show. I could already smell the margaritas mixing, and food cooking from the kitchen.
Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place, such a lovely place,
Such a lovely face
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year, you can find it here
I began setting up the controls for the lights my mom was going to use in tonight's show. As I worked, my thoughts turned back to the kids playing ping pong on the deck. I sighed again. They reminded me of myself and Cody when we were that age. The countless hours we would spend playing baseball, street hockey, skateboarding. Next I thought about the pranks we pulled, and all the fun we had together.
After a few seconds, I went back to my work. Those days are gone now. I forced myself to remember. Those days are gone…
Please Read and Review