Chapter 4

Zuko woke up in the middle of the night. His girl was lying on top of his warm body still sleeping.

From outside he could hear those voices again. He couldn't understand them but it was clear to him that those were the welcoming guys from earlier when he came. "Who could they be welcoming at this hour?" He thought. He didn't care much longer and focused all his attention on the girl on him.

He moved her soft curly hair back at get a better look of her face. He trailed his fingers down from her cheek to her shoulder. "This one hell of a hotel. A great place, no doubt about it." He took another look at her. "She has a really lovely face." his hand froze in the stop it was at. His eyes were wide and frightened. Carefully he moved the girl off and threw his legs off the bed. He sat with his hand on his face. "What's wrong with me?" he asked. Zuko felt sweaty and anxious but he couldn't remember why or for what. But there was one thing he did know. "I gotta get out of here." He grabbed his clothes off the floor and quickly put them on as he made his way out the door. He didn't know where he was going but was aiming to make it outside. The fresh air would do him good.

One way or another Zuko found his way out in the summer night, but something was off. The lights were still on and lit. The music was still playing. The people still danced. "Isn't it late? Crazy people." He walked a bit and made it to the edge of the hotel building. Zuko took a look out at the desert horizon where he came from expecting to see the moon in its proper place in the sky but instead he gasped.

"The sun?" He couldn't believe his eyes. The sun was setting! "How long have I been sleeping?" He turned around and ran back to the lobby to where he remembered seeing the calendar. He couldn't have been so tired to sleep an entire day!

The lobby was empty and unlike this time Zuko felt an eerie presence in the room with him. Like someone was watching him. He tried to ignore it and checked the calendar.

"The tenth?" He read. "How is that possible? That cant be right! They must have forgot to change it." Panic was heard in his words.

"Zuko? What are you doing here?" Zuko turned around and found the girl in a robe behind him in the doorway. "Why aren't you in bed? It's late." She told him sleepily.

He shook his head. "The sun hasn't even set yet. What do you mean its late?"

She looked shocked. "What are you talking about? Don't be silly. Come on now." She voice got slightly more demanding.

"No! Just look or even listen to them outside! It's still a party out there! What's going on?" He asked. He didn't expect her to know but something about her made him think otherwise.

She looked nervously the other way. "I wouldn't know."

"Yes you do!" He grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "you have to know! Something weird is going on!"

"Zuko nothing is going on. You're scaring me!" She tried pushing him off but he only held tighter.

"How do you know my name? How does anyone know my name? Not once have I even told you it." His face was serious and awaited her answer.

She didn't know what to say. "I don't know what your talking about. Stop making me sound like some villain!" She shouted.

"Your game is over. No more excuses." He felt himself getting more sweaty. He couldn't remember a thing before coming to the hotel.

It was true that the girl felt scared, so she did what she thought she needed to do. "Follow me."

She led him to another room far from the lobby and its exit. The room was very large, almost like a ball room. Mirrors were placed on the ceiling above them, which made the room seem even wider. Tabled were spread out on one side of the room, each with its own bottle of champagne in a decorated bucket of ice.

"Where are we going?" Zuko asked eyeing the doors on all four walls.

"The Master's chambers. There's something I want to tell you but only if I show it to you will you actually believe me. Let's wait out here for a second." They stopped at a golden door and stood to the side. At once from all the other doors the people Zuko recognized from outside or as employees came in and headed for the Master's chambers. In a single file they all walked in with a gloomy and devastated look on their faces. They were pale with dark half circles under their eyes. They looked like zombies.

"How can these be the same people from before?" Zuko asked. The two boys he had met outside were in the line as well. They paid no attention to him or the girl.

"We're all just prisoners here. I wanted to show you this." She said sadly.

"Prisoners?" He asked.

"Yes. Of our own device. Many of us here were materialistic or greedy when we lived. This is were we go. As punishment." She explained as she watched the last enter the room.

"Wait, what? When they lived? Where am I? Who are you?" He asked as she pulled his hand. She was too strong for him to resist.

"Come on. It's our turn." She ignored his questions.

"No! No let go!"

The door slammed behind them. All the people were gathered around a long table with knifes in both hands. They were waiting for something.

"What are they doing?" Zuko asked silently.

"It's the feast." Her arms were crossed.

"Feast?"

"It reminds us that we cant always have what we want. We're hungry, Zuko. Soon you'll feel that hunger too and you'll join us in trying to destroy this monster. This beast we created from our sin." Her voice became darker. She left Zuko alone against the wall and gathered with the sinners.

A large door open and the monster she spoke of came out and walked on the table. All the sinners jumped on the beast and like beasts themselves attacked it. Zuko watched horrified. He couldn't believe what he was witnessing. No matter how many knifes entered the things body, it couldn't be brought down. Leaving the people hungry.

Zuko saw the familiar faces of those he had met and couldn't believe how barbaric they became.

"Stay still!" A small voice shouted. She seemed to stand out more than the others. Zuko tried getting a good look of her and when he did he began to cry.

"Jeanne? My God! Jeanne! Why are you here?" He cried out but she could not hear. "Jeanne! No…" He could only look at her helplessly. He felt weak. "This cant be real!" He fell to the floor crouched. He shut his eyes and covered his ears repeating the same words over and over. "This isn't real."

Review! We're almost at the end.

By the way, you all lost the game. Just saying.