So, I've decided to keep going with this one! Yay! Thanks to beachgirl902 and "me" (nice name XD) for your reviews for chapter one! Glad to know that you're enjoying it so far and want to see the story continued :)
I haven't realized till now how hard writing in this genre is XD But I'll try my best!
Disclaimer: I'm not creative enough to think of any of these characters T.T
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...
-The Eagles, Hotel California
There it stood, a hundred yards away. A beautiful, Spanish-style hotel. Stucco walls, low barrel tiled roofs, arched windows…it was absolutely charming. And Raven wanted nothing more than to turn around and leave. As they got closer, her stomach twisted into tighter knots, head slightly aching. She couldn't remember why, exactly, but this place…and name. She had heard and seen it before. That much she knew. But where…? She wracked her brains, rummaging through her memories for the one she was looking for, but couldn't find. Why did this place put her so much on edge? And why were thousands of warning signs aggressively flashing in her mind, begging her to turn back, before it was too late?
"…Umm, is she looking at us?" Beast Boy's question stirred her out of her thoughts. Following her friends' gazes, she looked towards the vast arch at the entrance, near the front driveway. A tall woman stood, dark eyes watching them. She wore a silky white gown, stopping just a few inches above the ground. The long sleeves hung open around her thin, pale wrists, her black hair reaching all the way down to her waist. Her dress was slightly low cut, exposing the perfect hint of cleavage. Her high cheekbones, slender neck, straight nose, and long lashes made her look stunning yet sophisticated. As they approached, a warm smile graced her angelic face. The boys couldn't take their eyes off her; even Starfire stared at her admiringly. They stopped, just a few feet away from the steps that led up to where she stood.
The woman looked at each of them, her gaze shifting from face to face. The moment her eyes settled on Raven, the sorceress internally flinched…as if she'd stepped into a freezing ice bath. Her heart raced slightly as the woman turned away from her to face them all.
Smile still on her face, she spoke, her voice clear and refined, yet softened somewhat…almost soothing. "Welcome to the Hotel California. You all look…so weary. You must have journeyed very far…come," she turned, heading inside. The boys took a step forward, then stopped, hesitating.
"Is it okay?" Robin asked, uncertain. "I'm not exactly sure how we'll be able to pay you…"
She spun around, so gracefully, her hair and gown falling around her. She shook her head. "Do not worry about that for now, young man. As you will find, we are very…generous here. And I can tell how tired you and your friends are. Please, follow me…I am sure we have rooms available for all of you."
Completely enchanted, Beast Boy followed, without a second thought. Starfire, Cyborg, and, cautiously, Robin, went along. Raven stayed glued to the spot, weary eyes staring up at the arch, glancing at the sign beside her, the name carved into stone this time. She couldn't shake off the feeling that they were making a big mistake. But even if she did speak to the others, it would be meaningless; they had travelled for hours, nonstop, and weren't in the mood to listen to what was merely a hunch. She sighed in defeat, slowly walking in. They truly had nowhere else to go…this place would have to do, for now.
The moment she passed under the arch, she froze. This feeling…her heart began to race again as an ice cold chill ran through her body. 'W-what…?' Waiting a moment for it to pass, she massaged her temples, joining her friends in the lobby. Maybe…it was just the heat from the desert, combined with hunger, thirst, and exhaustion, that was playing with her mind. It was a rational explanation. And yet…she couldn't forget that mysterious woman. The moment their eyes met, Raven used her empathic powers to read her emotions. What she found had surprised her.
She could, in each person they had come across, whether good or evil, find something within them. In Starfire was the pure, shining light of joy and blind faith, coupled with boundless courage. In Robin, she found hard determination, undying loyalty, and an unquenchable thirst to prove himself. Even in Slade, their worst, most cruel enemy, could she discover feelings of sharp bitterness, greed, and disgusting traces of sadism. But in this woman...though she had looked so warm, with an inviting smile, Raven had felt…nothing. Absolutely nothing from her. Just…emptiness. And it chilled her to the bone.
TT
The five teens stood in the lobby, waiting for the woman, who had disappeared behind the front desk. They looked around, steps echoing across the marble tiled floor. It shone brilliantly, reflecting the lights of the elegant crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Beautiful mahogany furniture filled the room, with a lovely, smooth finish. The chairs and sofas were lush, velvety soft. It looked completely different from what they had seen outside…expensive and chic, compared to rustic and quaint. It was like they were in a whole different place.
Cyborg whistled softly. "Wow…this is-"
"Amazing," Beast Boy finished for him. "I could totally imagine living here."
"I am still surprised at our good fortune," Starfire said, hands clasped. "It is, 'too good to be true', yes?"
"As glad as I am that we've found a place to stay," Robin started. "Something still feels…"
"Off?" Raven offered.
He nodded. "It's just, finding a hotel like this, in the middle of nowhere…what are the odds?"
"Dude, lighten up," Beast Boy spread his arms wide. "I mean, look at this! You should just be happy that we're here, safe and sound."
Their leader frowned, but before he could say anything more, their hostess returned. In her hand were five golden keys, heavy and old-fashioned. She smiled, placing a hand on the changeling's shoulder. "Your friend is right," she spoke. "Do not fret. I can assure you, you are all in good hands." She gently stroked Beast Boy's shoulder. Looking up at her, she smiled, and he melted like goo.
"I was able to find five individual rooms for you. Unfortunately, they are on separate floors, but I hope this won't be a problem…?
Beast Boy shook his head vigorously. "Oh no, no, it's totally fine, right guys?" The others slowly nodded.
"Thank you," Starfire bowed. "We are very grateful…um...?"
"Beatrice," The woman answered. "My name is Beatrice."
"Thank you, Beatrice." She bowed her head toward Starfire.
"If you are ready, I will show you to your rooms. And," She added, as Robin raised a finger. "I can answer any questions you have as we go." She looked to him. He nodded stiffly, and she turned, heading down a hallway to their right, the others following. Raven hung at the back, wanting to be as far away from her as possible.
Robin waited, but the woman said nothing, so he spoke. "So…what exactly is this place? And, how did it end up…here?"
"It is what you see before you," Beatrice answered. "Simply, a hotel for weary travelers like yourselves, open to anyone who seeks it. And for this reason, what better place to have it but here?"
"That's true," Robin mused. "But still…how is it possible to run a hotel like this in such an…isolated location?"
"The hotel Owner has his ways. It is…one of his many secrets." It was a sign to leave it at that, so he didn't push further.
"And how can we pay you? I don't know if we have that kind of cash, heh," Cyborg rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed.
"As I've told you before, that is something you needn't worry over yet. That can come later. The Owner is a very…patient man." She stopped at an oak door, numbered twelve in fancy golden font. "This can be your room," She handed Cyborg a key.
"Thanks." He took it, inserting it into the keyhole. Slowly turning the key, the lock clicked. Hand on the door, he hesitated. Turning to the woman, he said, "Actually, I think I might need a room where I can charge each night…do you think-?"
"I'm certain you'll find everything you need in your room. The Owner tries to make the Hotel California as hospitable as possible." She held a hand out, motioning him in. Puzzled, he pushed the door open. His eyes widened.
"What the…how-?" He took a step back.
"What is it, Cy?" Beast Boy leapt onto his shoulder as a monkey, peering into the room. His eyes bulged out of his head as his jaw dropped.
"Dude! It's-it's…"
The other three leaned in to get a closer look, and gasped. It looked, inch by inch, exactly like Cyborg's own room in the Tower. Steel walls, metal floors, his huge computer on one wall, charging station by the other, flat bed on the side. They stared in disbelief, walking in and looking around. Cyborg bent over, inspecting everything.
"It's…I can't find any difference." He straightened, shaking his head. "But how were you able to-?"
"He has his ways," Beatrice repeated. "There are only sixty rooms here, so it is not a big hotel, but as I said, the Owner is very hospitable. He wants every single guest to feel as if they are, truly, at home, and furnishes each room as such." Not completely satisfied with her answer, he began to say something more, but she turned away, towards the other four.
"If the rest of you will follow me, I will show you to your rooms as well." They looked at Cyborg, who could only shrug. They exited the room, but before Beatrice shut the door, she gave him a warm smile. "Please, make yourself at home. And if there's anything you need, anything at all…feel free to approach any of our workers, or simply call room service. They'll be happy to help you." She motioned towards the maroon phone on a side table near his bed.
He looked at it, head tilted to the side. He didn't remember seeing it the first time he looked over the room. 'Maybe I just…missed it, or something.' He nodded, and she shut the door quietly.
Cyborg stood in the middle of the room for a while…then sat on his bed, staring at the phone.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Titans followed their hostess, who proceeded further down the hall until they reached another arch. It led to a charming stone courtyard, flowers everywhere, plants creeping down pillars, surrounding them in green. A large fountain was at the center, three cherub statues beautifully carved in the middle, arranged so one was higher than the other. The one at the top held a bow and arrow, water shooting out at the arrow's tip and arching down, gracefully falling back to the bottom of the fountain. Starfire floated here and there in awe, marveling at its beauty. Even Raven had to admit that she thought the courtyard was beautiful, and very peaceful…a perfect place for her to mediate. But Beatrice beckoned for the alien princess to follow them, reassuring her that she could return there whenever she wanted to later on.
They crossed the open space, steps clacking on the cobblestone ground, as they passed under another arch and entered another hallway. They walked a bit further until they reached a flight of steps, leading to the second floor. Here, Beatrice brought them to Robin's room and, further down the hall, to Starfire's. Theirs, too, had an uncanny similarity to their own rooms. They climbed another flight of stairs to the third floor, where they came to Beast Boy's room. Mess and all, there was no mistaking it as the changeling's den.
"Look, Rae!" He held up their legendary stankball. "They even had this in here! Right where I left it!" She crinkled her nose in disgust as the horrendous stench reached her. Beatrice just smiled once more as they stepped out.
"I hope everything is to your liking?"
"Yeah, it's…it's perfect!"
She nodded, closing the door. 'And then, there was one…' Raven thought as the woman turned to her, smile still on her face. "Shall we?"
Raven nodded, following her to the very end of the hall. Room fifty-nine. She looked around, but saw no other passage leading anywhere else. "You said there were sixty rooms here, right?"
The hostess nodded. "So where is…?"
"Room sixty belongs to the Owner. It is the only room on the fourth floor…but he keeps it locked at all times. He values his privacy." She took out the last key, holding it out to her.
Raven looked at it, swallowing nervously, before slowly reaching out to take it. As her hand touched the key, she noticed something odd. Looking closely, she barely saw a wisp of her dark energy flow from her palm into the key. Choosing to say nothing about it, she unlocked the door. Lo and behold, there was her room, dark and foreboding. Every artifact was in its right place, every book right where she had left it.
"Satisfied?" She turned around to where Beatrice stood in the doorway, waiting. She nodded.
"Good. As I've told the others, if you need anything, the staff is just a call away." She bowed her head before shutting the door.
She lowered her hood, looking around suspiciously. Not for one second had she let her guard down. She sat on the edge of her bed, remembering what had happened with the key. She glanced down at the object in her hand, turning it over and over, but found nothing out of the ordinary. It had been the lightest strand, so thin that now she began to wonder if she had even seen it all. Too many questions were running through her head. And with everything that had happened, her emotions were threatening to take control of her.
Standing, she went to her black vanity, picking up her mirror, her portal to Nevermore, to her mind. But before she could leave, she heard the beeping of her communicator at her hip. Sighing, she put the mirror back down, flipping the yellow and black device open. Robin's face flashed onto the screen.
"Titans," his voice was serious. "We need to meet up and discuss what's going on."
"Yeah, man," Cyborg's voice sounded. "Something doesn't feel right about this place."
"I, too, am beginning to feel anxious." Starfire's normally cheery voice sounded worried.
"I love how awesome it was that we could have our own rooms…but I gotta admit, it is kind of…creepy," Beast Boy admitted.
"Where do you want to meet?" Raven asked, putting her key in a pocket within her cloak.
"I don't want to take any chances of someone overhearing us...just meet up in my room," Robin decided.
"Number…?" Beast Boy asked.
"Twenty-six. Just knock three times and I'll let you in." He cut off the transmission.
Raven shut her communicator. If the others felt something was strange about this place, too, then maybe she should tell them everything that had happened earlier. She debated as she left the room, locking it behind her.
TT
'Twenty…Twenty-one…' She counted the doors until she finally came to Robin's. Rapping her knuckles three times on the wood, she waited a moment until the door cracked open. Seeing it was her, their leader opened it all the way, stepping aside to let her in. The others were already there. Beast Boy was sprawled on the floor beside the bed, Starfire looking at Robin's multiple costumes lined up in his closet, Cyborg standing with arms crossed in the corner. Raven sat on the bed next to Beast Boy as Robin looked out in the hallway. Being sure no one had followed her, he closed the door.
"We need to think of what we're going to do," Robin addressed them.
"Well, we can't leave now," Beast Boy stretched his legs out in front of him. "It's way too late, and we've got nowhere else to go."
"Grass stain's right," Cyborg said. The green boy stuck out his tongue at the nickname. "Got no choice but to stay here, at least for the night. And probably until we can figure out exactly where we are and how we're gonna get home."
"Do you think we will be able to find someone here to help us return home?" Starfire asked.
"I don't know," Robin ran his fingers along his desk, thinking. "…Did you guys think it was a little weird that no one else was around?"
Raven nodded her head. "It was…a little too quiet."
"Everyone's probably asleep by now." Beast Boy yawned, his hand drifting to his side. All of a sudden he yelped, cradling his hand. "Jeez Robin, watch where you put these things," he complained, kicking the birdarang that had poked him across the floor to their leader.
"Sorry, Beast Boy," He apologized, picking it up and putting it away.
Cyborg frowned. "You know, I still can't get over how they were able to do this with our rooms…I mean, they don't even know us, so how could they have…?"
"Perhaps it is some form of optical illusion?" Starfire suggested. "To have us feel, 'at home'?"
"Even if it was…there's no way they could have created it so fast," Cyborg reasoned. "And to make it so…exact. With random stuff in the exact same places where we last left it. I have no idea how it's possible…"
"It has something to do with this 'Owner' person Beatrice kept talking about," Robin mused. "He's the one pulling the strings here. If we can find out something about him, then maybe we can figure out what's going on here."
"Beatrice told me his room is number sixty," Raven started. "And that it's the only one on the fourth floor. But he keeps it locked twenty-four seven, so we'll have to find a way to get in."
The boy wonder nodded. "We'll have to investigate tomorrow, see what we can find about the Owner and this place."
The others nodded, Beast Boy holding a thumbs up in the air. "You got it, dude…" He mumbled, lying on the floor, falling asleep. His head began to tilt, falling on Raven's legs.
She rolled her eyes, telepathically dropping one of Robin's books on his head. "Oww!" He shouted, the others shushing him. He rubbed his head, glaring at the sorceress.
"We'll continue tomorrow," Robin said. "I'm not sure why, but I can't shake the feeling that something isn't right here…"
"You're not the only one," Cyborg said. Starfire nodded in agreement.
Raven bit her lip, contemplating…but before she could speak up, the sound of Beast Boy's snoring grew louder, as he had fallen asleep again, this time curled up on the floor. Starfire giggled as Cyborg sighed, picking him up off the floor.
"We'll see you in the morning," He carried the green boy out, Starfire holding the door open. Raven hesitated, before stepping out, following the others.
She trudged up the steps behind Cyborg, mentally slapping herself in the face. 'Why didn't you say anything?' she asked herself, irritated. But, truthfully, she knew that nothing of what she had to say would be of any use to them. They were all just feelings and hunches. Knowing that she felt nothing from their hostess and had thought she saw something flow into her key didn't make anything about this clearer. She sighed, tiredly running a hand through her hair. She really needed to visit her mind and talk to her other emotions about this…maybe they could help her figure things out.
After saying goodnight to Cyborg, she headed to her room, unlocking the door. Once inside, she went straight to her vanity. But she only took two steps before stopping in her tracks. Her mirror was gone.
And that's chapter two! Yeah, not as exciting as the first chapter…maybe I should plug in more fight scenes (haha). Not really happy with this one…the end felt kinda rushed But I didn't want to drag it out too much, so I just cut it there. Hopefully, the next chapter will be more interesting :)
So, what did you guys think? Please review! I need more feedback to know how I'm doing to be able to continue with the story! I really want to improve, and can only do so with your guys' comments, good or bad!