"It's friggin' cold here."
That sentiment was the only thing that the teenage girl could muster in the frigid air. Her normal place of residence was a small apartment on a small island floating somewhere in the vast Pacific Ocean. Therefore, our heroine was not accustomed to the chill of Colorado winters. That was unfortunate, especially as she only had a thin black jacket to shield her upper body from the harsh beat of wind.
Other girls might have given up halfway up and ran back to their designer pillowcases and golden pickles. However, our heroine is not just any girl.
She stands five foot five barefoot, eats spaghetti and wastes her money on coffee whenever she can. And that's all you need to know for now.
Our heroine paused from her mental narration and breathed a sigh of relief as the hotel came into her sight. What was it…about a mile more? She could make it.
Setting her face into a stubborn cast, the girl braced her shoulders, steeled her mouth and stepped out onto the next leg of her journey.
….
Regrettably, her legs didn't agree well with the torturous trek. By the time she reached the flight of steps leading up to the hotel, her legs were jelly and her sense of equilibrium was off, sending her toppling to the bottom step.
Inching forward a bit on her stomach, our dramatic protagonist rapped on the door quickly several times, before finally folding into herself.
Thankfully for the girl, one of the occupants happened to be nearby.
The door was flung open, revealing a dark haired woman. Her turtleneck drooped on her skinny frame and her eyebrows rose at the bedraggled girl on the stoop.
"Oh my god," she said, kneeling down on one knee. "Are you alright?"
Our heroine looked up from her slump and smiled weakly. "Yeah. Won't kill me. Thanks."
She attempted to stand, but the long walk had reduced her legs to jelly. Her knees gave out halfway up and she fell back to the steps. Ow. There's a bruise.
"Oh my...don't hurt yourself..." The woman cried out, extending a hand that our heroine gratefully accepted.
"Thanks."
"It's fine."
Looking around, our heroine asked a question that she already knew the answer to.
"Is this the Overlook Hotel, ma'am?"
Smiling, the woman nodded. "Yes it is. I'm Wendy. Wendy Torrance. My husband's the caretaker here."
"Whoa. Mission accomplished, Sam." The girl muttered under her breath.
"Hmm...what was that? I didn't quite catch it..."
"Never mind...anyways...I'm Sam. Well, Samantha."
Wendy beckoned to her, "Nice to meet you. Come inside! You're freezing!"
"Really? Thanks ma'am."
"Of course. And call me Wendy. I'm not that old."
Taking a deep breath, Sam walked through the doors, picturing the next stage of her mission.
Her fingers had grown numb from the chill, but she tried to warm them up in the pockets of her jacket. This was a futile effort as her pockets were equally cold.
Wendy walked quickly against the hardwood floors, pausing to fidget with the belt around her waist, retrieving a key.
"You wait right there hon, okay? I'm gonna be right back."
"Kay."
Wendy gave her a quirked smile and whirled around, disappearing up the stairs.
Sam took this opportunity to examine her surroundings. The Overlook, having boasted fantastic furnishings and top-rate rooms did not disappoint. It was quite large here, the ceilings towering over her head and the hallways long and unfathomable at certain angles. Spatial representation didn't seem to exist here; as everything was seemingly swallowed by the absence of people.
"It's a lonely place up here," she said aloud.
"Kinda," a small voice broke her out of her reverie.
Sam turned around and fixed her eyes on the speaker. The little boy couldn't have been more than five, dressed in a striped t-shirt and blue jeans. His eyes were dark; his gaze set sharply on her face.
"Hi. My names Sam." She said, meeting his gaze.
"You came from up the mountain." It wasn't a question.
"You could say that."
"You've met my mommy?"
"Yes. Your names Danny, right?
"Mom didn't tell you that." His voice was certain. "How did you know?"
"Oh, lucky guess, maybe. My little brother's name is Danny." She countered, smiling while conjuring up images of the little fuzz ball in her mind. Don't worry kid. Don't dig too deep into why I'm here. You're a personable kid, anyways.
It worked, his attention was diverted. "Really?"
"Yeah. He's a nut for building."
"With blocks?"
"Well...more like train tracks and Lego's."
At that moment, Wendy strode through the door, toting a blanket and a packet of tea.
"Sorry, but we only had plain..." She paused and looked at the two of them. "Hey doc', have you met this young lady?"
"Yes mommy." He answered, turning his head. "Guess what mommy? She has a little brother who has my name!"
"Really?" Wendy smiled, tucking an errant strand of hair behind her ear. "That's great!"
Pivoting her head over to Sam, Wendy waved her hand in the direction of the first hallway.
"How 'bout we go down to the kitchen and warm you up? Then we can all talk."
"Sure...thank you!" Sam replied, rubbing her hands together.
" Of course, hon. You know the old hotel sentiment. Hospitality is a given!"
The kitchen was gigantic, a veritable fantasy for a frenzy of chefs. Five lone stools sat around the largest table, awkwardly upsetting the corporal feel of the kitchen.
"Go ahead and pull up a seat, I'll start the tea."
Sam obeyed, picking barstool number two. She picked up the heavy blanket that Wendy had placed in front of her and proceeded to tug it around her shoulders.
Almost immediately, the cold began to ebb off, leaving a mildly tingly feeling at the bottom of her stomach. It wasn't an altogether unpleasant sensation.
She heard the scrape of chair legs as someone climbed into the seat beside her. Shifting her head to the right, she gave a wan smile at Danny that he returned.
Wendy hummed a tune over the heating water.
"Where are you from?" He asked."Colorado?"
"No. Actually I'm from Oahu."
"Oahu?" Wendy chimed in, bringing over a mug of tea. "As in Oahu, Hawaii?" Her eyes widened and she fixed Sam with a stare.
"Yep."
"Well, what are you doing all the way out here?"
"Umm...I guess you could call it a recreational vacation." Sam grinned, taking a sip. It was a bit too hot and it burned the roof of her mouth, singeing her mouth with the taste of liquid green.
"Do your parents know that you're out here alone?"
God. There it was. The dreaded 'parents' question. Normally, she would have drawn up a blank and given some half-assed reply. However, this wasn't just anytime.
"My parents know where I am. In fact, it was their urging that I come here." She took another swig of tea. It wasn't a lie. It just wasn't the whole truth.
Sam turned her gaze to her cup, but she could feel Wendy's eyes on her face. Those weren't the eyes she was worried about, though.
Danny rested his palm against the side of his face. Itching a spot above his hairline, he was the one to break the silence.
"Do you dance hula or live by a real volcano? I saw something on T.V. about it once."
That question alleviated the tension that had been previously buzzing around the room. Wendy laughed, and Sam began a spiel about how she had attempted to dance hula at age ten; failing horribly in the process.