It had been two days since Linda had looked at the parapsychology book, and two days since she had seen any of the three scientists from the library and University. She knew that if they were truly hell bent on starting a business she would've seen some sort of ad or saw them around town renovating a building or what not.

So, like always, Linda just sat behind the greeter's desk at the Sedgewick hotel. A tall, thin man stood at the computer, typing up random things and constantly writing things down in a logbook. He had a thin mustache and a very puckered face, like he was sucking on a lemon. His left eyebrow always raised. He was a very pointed man.

Linda sat in a chair on wheels, her feet up on the lower desk, as she read a magazine. She was hidden behind the taller desk that was meant for the pointed man, for the people who STOOD behind the desk.

"Ms. Sedgewick, I don't know why you insist on sitting down. Don't you believe that the people would want to see your smiling face? Especially when a critic could come in at any time and look for good employee attitudes?" the man said with a hiss in his voice.

Linda just lifted her eyes to look at him, not moving her head. She just glared and looked back down at the magazine.

"If you really don't approve. You could've just said so." She sighed and the man also sighed, letting the air blow out through his nostrils, causing a whistling sound.

"I only say it because, yes I disapprove, but your parents are also walking this way." He said lifting his shoulders as he took in another breath, typing on his computer again.

Hearing the word parents caused her fling her feet off the counter and stand up, dropping the magazine to the floor and kicking it under the desk. She lifted up her hands and intertwined her fingers, setting them on the counter as she smiled, her parents just arriving at the desk.

"Oh my dear! I didn't see you there!" her step-mother gasped slightly, chuckling with a smile, covering her heart with her hand as though she was that startled.

"Yes I'm sorry. I dropped something." She said simply, her nose scrunched as she just continued to smile. Her father stared at her oddly and set his bag down on the counter with a thump.

There was silence between the floor and Linda tapped her fingers together, looking around awkwardly, biting her lip impatiently. She tapped her toe against the ground as well, causing a constant 4/4 beat that echoed through the slightly empty lobby. She looked between both of her parents before finally opening her mouth to speak.

"SO…where did you both go?" she asked, hoping to start up a conversation that could last until they wanted to leave.

"Oh, I'm glad you asked." Her father chimed in, Linda realizing that he was waiting for her to ask this ever since he set his bag down on the counter.

Linda pressed her lips together and scrunched her nose again. Trying to smile with her mouth closed as she tried her best to perk her ears and listen to the story.

"We were actually at the bank. Withdrawing some cash." Her father said with a sly smile, one eyebrow raised at Linda's step-mom who smiled just as slyly.

Now Linda seemed worried. Her parents don't withdraw cash. And if they did, they never told Linda about it. She believed that they didn't trust her. What a surprise. Linda kept that same, closed-mouthed smile with her eyes wide and her eyebrows knitted together, making her look somewhat disturbing and a bit angry looking. Like some bull on Saturday morning cartoons.

"…. Why?" she said, finally shrugging and shaking her head. The pointed mans lip kind of twitched as he tried to slow down his typing to listen.

Her stepmother looked at her father keeping the sly smile. Her father began to open his mouth when her stepmother beat him to the punch and burst out the answer like some overfilled balloon.

"We're going to visit Tony in the BAHAMAS!" she screamed, her excitement getting the best of her as she began jumping up and down. Her tight blonde hair didn't budge an inch on her head though. Linda didn't know why they found going to the Bahamas so interesting. When she was 15 they took Tony, who was 10 at the time, to visit Vietnam DURING the war, because they wanted to "see the sights". That was in 1973.

Linda only let her mouth drop open because they were basically leaving her here so they could go and visit Tony. After she had told them she didn't like taking care of the place.

"Well—wait—why? How long?" she stuttered, her breath quickening as she thought of all the random answers they could come up with.

Her father pushed a piece of hair out of his face and stoked his beard as he really thought about how to explain the reason.

"Hm…your mother—"

"Stepmother." Linda corrected and she thought she actually saw a glare from her stepmother.

"—yes. But Colette got the call that Tony had, shall I say, MET someone!" he said with a hint of pride, like Tony finding a girl was something special. Linda rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Yeah, and?"

"When he called, he actually said—"

"HE'S ENGAGED!" Colette screamed with joy, jumping up and down again and Linda's mouth dropped even further, she was sure that her jaw actually broke when it hit the lower counter.

"En—engaged? How can he be engaged he's been in the Bahamas for FOUR DAYS!" she gaped as she ran one of her hands through her hair, just starting to process the idea of him getting married.

"I KNOW! Isn't it exciting—I'm going to go pack!" Colette giggled and ran to the elevator.

All she could do was turn to her father with the same distressed face.

"Engaged? And you're OKAY with that?" she whispered, practically hissed like a snake, her anger peeking through the screen of well-behaved mannerisms. Her father just shrugged.

"It's about time he got himself a good lady. But don't worry, we'll only be gone a week, week and a half…TWO weeks at most. They're getting married early next week!" he said, his tone still triumphantly proud. He spun on his heels and continued to walk to the elevator.

Linda gasped and ran around the desk, making sure to watch her feet so she wouldn't trip. She tried her best to try and catch up with him, especially in heels.

"Wait, wait, WAIT!" she growled, her voice echoing until her father finally stopped and turned around. She caught up with him and turned to face him.

"What do you mean he's getting married next week? When did he call you about this?" she asked setting her hands on her hips.

"Colette said he called about it the night after he arrived!"

"He WHAT? THAT SOON?" she gasped and her father looked around before lifting up his hand to make her quiet down.

She sucked in a breath and growled, closing her eyes tightly shut.

"Okay, okay…why didn't you tell me about this before? I would've had more time to get things together and prepare for someone to take care of the hotel while we're gone." She said shrugging. She was a bit more angry, finding out that her brother found a gal the first night and proposed and that he parents failed to tell her, but she was willing to forgive them as long as they gave her time to pack and get things ready for them to leave.

But her fathers face proved her hopes wrong when he looked at her sadly, and a bit awkwardly.

"Well, honey that's why we didn't tell you! Because…YOU'RE going to be taking care of the hotel." He said shrugging. That's when Linda's eyes grew 3x their original size. The deep sky blue eyes that she had inherited from her mother were now starting to turn red with rage. More like from tears.

"Excuse me?" she muttered. She was more surprised about this than the fact that her brother was getting married before her (she was sure it wouldn't last though).

Her father just shrugged.

"Well, we already bought the tickets and we know that you running the hotel for a while would be a good learning experience. Me and your mother will be leaving in the next two days." He said simply before taking a step closer to the elevator.

Linda just stood there shocked, absolutely shell-shocked.

The ding of the elevator bell didn't even snap her out of it. Her father stepped inside and turned to face look at her through the doors. He smiled happily and sighed.

"I knew you'd understand." He grinned as the doors started to close.

She heard them sliding through there grooves until her fathers hand reached out and they opened again.

"Oh by the way…guess who was at the bank when we arrived? I'm pretty sure it was the three boys that were at the library when we went however many days ago. They had apparently just taken out a huge loan to start a business. I want you to keep an eye on them…they might be trying to start a hotel business. You don't have too much to worry about, I know that they can't compare to us. Love you baby girl." He said kissing his fingers and sending it to her, the doors finally closing.

Linda Sedgewick was now officially depressed.