Well, it's time for me to introduce an original character that I created just for this story… actually, you can get to know more about "the actor" who portrays Mark in my story "The Disney Channel Files" (which by the way does not have anything to do with this one, but I thought that the character would be a nice addition to the story). I hope you like him, everyone.
Chapter 4: Checking In
Maddie and London spent the rest of the weekend studying for the Literature test. London was now determined to prove to herself and others, especially to Maddie, that she was not just a bubble-headed female with her head always in the clouds. Between studying and playing chess with one another, they had a wonderful time.
When they returned to school on Monday, London was pleased with her efforts on the test, knowing most everything on it with more confidence than she'd started the weekend with. She was fairly certain she would get at least a C+ as her grade. Maddie knew she'd done well but it was the look on her friend's face that cheered her the most, knowing she'd been responsible for it putting it there.
A week went by and Maddie was again working at the Tipton candy-counter, watching the minutes go by, waiting for either something exciting to happen, or for her shift to end. She was reading a magazine, while her fingers played with the beautiful necklace she'd won the right to borrow and wear from London during their "Truth or Dare" game. It was a lovely gem. She knew of course, to not to wear it away from the Tipton for fear someone might try and steal it from her.
"Such a gorgeous necklace… I wish I could keep it forever." Maddie sighed dreamily. She glanced up from her magazine from time to time to watch the action that normally played out in the lobby.
As usual, Moseby was arguing with Esteban, while Arwin, the hotel's engineer and part-time inventor, or at least he considered himself one, was trying to fix a door. Cody and Zack had just passed through there, on their way to the swimming pool, along with Max and Tapeworm. She'd overheard them say, they were definitely going to try and see who could make the biggest dive-bomb.
There was one person, however, that had caught her eye. A young man, close to her age, had been seated for more than two hours on one of the couches near the windows. Tall, with dark, spiky hair that matched beautifully with his big blue eyes, the guy was quite buff, though not exactly a jock in build. He had a large sketchpad in his hands and was drawing something. He wasn't dressed flashy, wearing only a yellow t-shirt with the words "Jamaica Rules" on it, blue jeans and red tennis-shoes. She'd never seen him before so it was possible he was a new guest at the hotel.
Curious about him, she put down the magazine, slipped the necklace into a drawer for safe-keeping, and decided to see what he was doing. As she got closer to him, she realized he was more handsome than she'd first thought. Without raising his head, the guy held up his hand in a 'wait a minute' gesture, pointing directly at her, while his eyes never left his sketchbook, his other hand with the pencil moved swiftly.
"Don't move! Hold that pose for ten seconds, okay?"
Surprised by the abrupt command, Maddie halted in her tracks and waited silently. Only a few moments later, he raised his head and smiled.
"Sorry, but I really needed you to stay still so I could finish it."
"Finish what exactly?" Maddie asked curiously.
"This…" He held up his sketchpad, turning it around for her to see what he'd done.
Maddie stared in complete wonder and surprised at the well done portrait of her as she stood behind the counter. It looked so life-like that it could be mistaken for a photo done at the early part of the 20th century. It had that aged quality though every detail was fresh and clear. It was simply an amazing work.
"You like it?" The young man asked, smiling, pleased by her reaction.
"Oh yes! It's beautiful and so life-like. You have an amazing talent," Maddie finally managed to blurt out. She walked closer and he let her take the sketchbook so she could look at it more closely.
"Thank you. It is But one of my many talents. I also write poetry and prose, and I paint when I'm stressed." he said casually. Standing up, he took her hand and said. "By the way, my name is Mark Stevenson." he kissed the back of her hand like a proper gentleman from the south.
She blushed hotly and was a little embarrassed as she took her hand back, introducing herself. "And I'm Maddie Fitzpatrick." Then, it struck her. "… wait a minute! Mark Stevenson… are you by any chance related to…"
"Stephen Stevenson, the famous writer and novelist? As a matter of fact, I am. He's my dad." –Mark shrugged deprecatingly.
"Whoa! Your dad is one of THE best writers I've ever read. I loved all his books, especially the Fire Trinity Trilogy, Romance in Paris, Moonlighting and of course, Sliders." She gushed ecstatically. "And the fact that he creates the characters of his books based on real life celebrities is one of those things that you just got to love!"
"Yeah, he's the best at what he does."
"I know you must hear this all the time, but, do you think you could ask your father to sign my copies of his books?" Maddie asked, hesitantly. "It's one of my dreams to have my whole collection signed by the author himself with a nice dedication."
"Why don't you ask him, yourself? You'll have all the time in the world, now that we've moved here." –Mark chuckled.
"Wait… moved here? You mean you're staying at the hotel, like, permanently?"
"Yeah, my father got tired of travelling all around the world, and felt it was time for us to settle down in on a place, and what better place than a hotel, where you can meet all sorts of people that he can use in his future books? Besides, since we've spent most of our lives in hotels, I'd find a condo very boring now. Hotels give off lots of energy and life, especially this one. I suspect it would be normal to see lots of action occurring here?" He said it with a questioning tilt to his voice, seeing if she would agree with him.
But Maddie was too wrapped up in the novelty of having the son of a famous author, drawing her that she failed to hear everything he'd said. Her attention was focused on the many images he'd drawn in his sketchbook. There was one of Zack and Cody, another of Esteban, Moseby and Arwin, and even one of Muriel. It blew her mind to learn her favourite author had moved into the Tipton and that his son was just as talented.
"These are just so incredible. You're quite the artist," she murmured distractedly.
"Thank you. But I really must say, from the many people whose portraits I've done, yours was the most difficult."
Surprised, she finally gave him her undivided attention. "Why's that?"
"Because I can usually see a person's personality or soul, if you will, as I draw them, but yours defied interpretation enough to make drawing you a challenge. Were you by any chance thinking about someone or something that's not here right now?"
"No…" she said cautiously. For some reason didn't want to reveal she'd been thinking of London all afternoon. "Why would I be?"
Her mind drifted to that glorious weekend they'd send together. She didn't know why but it was more special than any other they'd spent before and made her feel good in a way she couldn't explain to anyone.
She failed to hear his answer and only snapped to attention when he tapped her on the shoulder still calling her name in concern. "Maddie? Maddie? Maddie are you listening to me?"
"Oh, sorry… I guess I left my mind drift," she said, blushing in embarrassment.
"I could see that. Does it happen often when you are speaking to someone?" Mark asked.
Now she felt really stupid. He must think I'm a total dweeb spacing out like that. "Oh, no… just something you said triggered a memory. I'm truly sorry. I don't normally do that."
He eyed her for a moment then nodded. "Honestly, I do it as well. Artists get distracted by things too." He smiled warmly at her.
Maddie enjoyed talking with Mark. It was good to have someone with whom she could discuss serious matters; like literature and sciences, instead of just movies, gossip and fashion; matters she always talked about with London. It wasn't that she did not enjoy those subjects, but being able to talk about her other interests with someone of a like mind was equally enjoyable.
What was so exciting, was Mark's stories about all the celebrities he'd met over the years. Since his father was always creating characters based on various celebrities, he needed to the interview them and Mark got to meet them all.
"You mean that Kate Winslet tells everyone she doesn't like science fiction movies, but she has the biggest collection of science fiction movies and books that you ever saw?" Maddie asked, amused by the lengths some stars will go to keep their privacy.
"Aside from George Lucas, yeah, but he's totally addicted to it… in fact, I think that in his mind, he lives in a world where his creations from Star Wars really exist," Mark joked.
As they got acquainted, Cody and Zack appeared, each eating a huge sundae a piece and arguing about who had eaten the most ice-cream in ten minutes. The two halted nearby as their disagreement got more heated.
"I ate four snow cones, and right now I'm eating a huge sundae. Who do you think knows better than anyone else what I've got in my own stomach?" Zack asked, hotly.
"Apparently, my eyes and my brain. You ate three snow cones before starting to eat that sundae… your brain froze, when you were eating the fourth, so you stopped and licking doesn't count," Cody retorted.
"You wish! Even if my brain froze while I was eating my fourth snow cone, that doesn't mean you ate more ice-cream than me. You can ask Max and Tapeworm here."
"Wrong! Your brother ate more ice-cream than you, Zack." Max snorted, siding with Cody. Tapeworm wisely kept out of it. The last thing that argument needed was for someone to make it worse by saying his opinion.
The ridiculous argument made Mark burst into laughter. He'd tried to keep a straight face, but the twins were so hilarious, he gave it up and laughed uproariously. It was much like watching an old Three Stooges Show.
When he could catch his breath and stop laughing, and was wiping the tears from his face, he asked Maddie, "Are they always like that?"
Chuckling, Maddie nodded. "Most of the times, plus being a pair of terrible troublemakers for the hotel staff as well but they both have huge hearts and their pranks are never hurtful. Still, the hotel's manager, Mr. Moseby considers them two pests." She chuckled.
Their laughter caught the attention of the feuding brothers who turned to see who was laughing at them. Seeing Maddie with someone new and looking too cozy, Zack feeling a little jealous, he stalked over to them trailed by his curious brother and their friends.
"Hey there sweet thang, how ya doing?" He said when he was close enough to Maddie. He deliberately leaned on the counter so he was closer to her.
"Hey there yourself, Zack. I want you to meet our newest permanent guest at the hotel, Mark Stevenson, the son of the famous writer Stephen Stevenson." Maddie said, giddily.
"Hi there, nice to meet you," Mark said, amiably at them.
"Me too… so, your father is the guy who writes the Fantastic Four nowadays?" –Zack asked, excited to be meeting a celebrity's son, even though he did not know what the man actually did. Cody punched him in the shoulder… hard.
Scowling at his brother, Zack growled, "Hey what was that for?"
"For being ignorant and an idiot…" Cody snapped, then turned to Mark. "You have to forgive my brother. He doesn't read anything that doesn't have pictures in it. I'm Cody, by the way. It's really great to meet you." Cody declared as he shook hands with Mark.
Zack interrupted with a loud, "I'm not idiot, and I'm certainly not ignorant! By the way, what does ignorant mean?"
That sent Mark into fresh gales of laughter. When he could speak again he smiled broadly and said, "That's okay… I like you guys. You might be twins, but I can definitely see that you have different personalities."
"Indeed. According to our mom, we have matching personalities. In case you don't know, Freud had a theory in which he theorized that identical twins share common memories when they're in their mother's womb, but also, that they tend to have personalities that are complete opposites of one another, which takes me to another theorist, who says…"
"I get, I get it… So you're the smart one, and you are the not so smart, but you're smart in your own way… street smart from the looks of you. I think I'll have a blast getting to know you both," Mark interrupted, laughing.
After a little more conversation, the twins said 'see you around' then went up to their room, with Max and Tapeworm following them. After meeting the Martin twins, Mark asked Maddie about the other residents of the hotel. It was a safe bet there were other odd ducks about and he was excited to learn about them.
More than happy to oblige, Maddie told him about Zack and Cody's mother, Carey, and others she knew, like: Arwin, Moseby, Esteban, and many others while inserting a little about her life and how much she sometimes hated having to work at that counter. During their conversation, London entered the lobby, carrying her dog, Ivanna in her arms. She was quick to notice Maddie had company at her counter and quickly changed her direction. Placing Ivanna on top of the counter, she hailed her friend.
"Hey, Maddie! Who's the new guy?"
"Hi, London. This is Mark Stevenson, our newest permanent guest. Mark, this is London Tipton, the heiress to the Tipton Hotels and my best-friend," Maddie introduced them.
"So you're the famous London Tipton! I've heard lots of things about you." –Mark said, warmly bestowing a kiss on her hand as he had Maddie.
"Yay me!" London exclaimed, using her well known catchphrase, then blushing. "Sorry, I tend to do that a lot."
"Don't let it bother you. I like that extravagant side of you. Let me just tell you, that you are 10 times prettier than Paris Hilton, and I bet that you're way smarter than her," Mark said, grinning.
Maddie snorted. Almost everyone is smarter than that blonde will ever be. Even London is smarter than her.
"Oh, I just love compliments!" London said, gaily, stretching her arms to wrap them around Mark's shoulders and giving him a huge hug.
When Maddie saw London do that, something inside her snarled angrily. It felt like jealousy, but why on earth would she feel such an inappropriate emotion. Confused, she just watched as London let go of Mark. Shoving the odd emotion away, Maddie rejoined the conversation.
"Well, London, looks like you're no longer the only celebrity living in this hotel, anymore, since Mark and his father have come to stay."
"What do you mean?" London asked, confused with what Maddie had just said.
"Because Mark's father is Stephen Stevenson, one of the most famous writers of this decade, that's why."
"Oh, you mean, that writer who wrote those books that you're always reading and re-reading countless times?" London asked innocently.
"Yeah, those, and I don't read them that often… just a couple of times." Maddie said, rather defensively.
"That's not what I remember. Don't you recall last year when the nuns caught you reading one of them during class."
"I wouldn't have been caught, if you hadn't said "Are you reading that book again?'" Maddie said, getting a little angry at London's sudden picking at her.
"Well, I wouldn't have said it, if you hadn't been reading it." –London declared, needling her friend.
"That coming from someone who last year got detention three times in a week because she was always putting make-up, instead of paying attention in class!" Maddie growled, really annoyed now.
Realizing the girls were gearing up for fight over such a silly matter, Mark figured it would be wise to try and be peace-maker between these two friends.
"Excuse me, ladies!" He said rather loudly to get their attention.
They blinked at him in surprise. "Thank you. Arguing about something that happened a long time ago is a waste of time. Apologize and let's talk about something else, eh?" He said soothingly.
Both girls blushed in embarrassment like naughty school girls caught by the teacher. They had completely forgotten about him, which was terribly rude.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. That was rude of us…" Maddie hurried to say, then turned to London. "I'm sorry for getting so upset about nothing, London."
"No, I'm sorry, Maddie. I shouldn't have pushed your buttons like that," London was quick to say, apologizing to Maddie. "Forgive me?"
"Of course." Maddie hugged her friend. London sighed in relief and gave her friend a big kiss on the left cheek.
When they pulled apart, London nodded at Mark and smiled shyly. "I'd better get Ivanna upstairs to our room. It was nice to meet you, Mark. Be seeing you around."
"A pleasure meeting you too, London," he nodded his head politely at her.
Then, London grabbed her dog and hurried off to catch the just arriving elevator, vanishing inside and making her escape. Inside the elevator she hugged Ivanna close, her heart pounding like a bass drum in her ears. What was wrong with her? She hadn't meant to get into an argument with Maddie, but seeing her with that guy and obviously enjoying his company had done something to her. What was going on with her lately? Confused, she tried to relax, as she waited to reach her floor.
Back at the candy-counter, Mark was saying goodbye but Maddie barely heard him as she waved goodbye with only half her attention. As he vanished with his sketchpad into another elevator, Maddie tried to grapple with her feelings. She was badly shaken by her strange behaviour of a moment ago, her heart still pounding rapidly from the fight.
Why had she gotten so upset with London? It was a stupid argument and in front of her new friend too. What was going on between them? She stared blindly out into the lobby trying to think of an answer, but none came.