VII. The call of the velvet room

Can you hear it as you drift off to sleep? Its melody is frightening yet sweet and inviting all the same. It calls to you like a distant memory from the recesses' of your mind. You have been here before but you don't know when or where. Where does this melody originate from? The velvet room.

When you awaken from your slumber you will me a man with bloodshot eyes and long nose, wearing a wide smile. The first words he will utter to you will be: "Welcome to the velvet room." My name…is Igor. It is an honor to make your acquaintance." With a snap of the fingers he will bring forth a contract that is almost impossible to read because the print is so small. 'Igor' will simply tell you that the contract is a formality and that it is simply there to make sure you take responsibility for your actions. You feel wary, but you sign the contract anyway.

With another snap the contract is gone and 'Igor's' smile grows wider. He tells you that he is a resident of this place, along with his assistants who will help you on your journey. He directs his hand towards a man and a woman whom you did not notice before. Were they even there to begin with? Both the man and the woman look incredibly similar with pale skin, silver hair and golden eyes. The woman is in a dark blue dress that accents her figure. The man is in a dark blue suit with a blue fedora atop his head to match. They both nod in your direction, but say nothing.

You want to know where you are and ask the mysterious man what is going on. He laughs and tells you that all will be clear in due time, that you hold a great potential and that your power, for better or worse, will change the world. You tell him you don't understand. He replies: "that's what they all say in the beginning." Your vision begins to fade in and out and you see the long nosed man remove something from his pocket and slide it across a table in front of you that seemed to come from nowhere. The object is a small silver key. It has writing etched on its side but you can't read it. "Hold on to that." He says. His voice echoes and sounds further away until it disappears altogether and you are in complete darkness.

You awaken with a start and shoot up from your bed. Your eyes dart around the room to make sure that everything is still in place. The only thing accompanying your labored breathing is the rhythmic ticking of the clock on the wall. After everything seems to check out you notice that despite it being winter and having the window in your room cracked, you are sweating profusely and feel incredibly hot. You peel your night shirt from your body and take a long drink of water from a glass you have sitting on your nightstand, hoping to find relief. You plop back down in your bed with a frustrated groan. Your mind feels blocked off; almost as if you are trying to remember something that never happened. After a few minutes of trying to pick your own brain, you give up. It's late, you have to get up early in the morning, and you just want some rest. Unbeknownst to you as you finally drift off to sleep again, there is a small key that rests on the floor of your room.

Guest 2,001 is what it reads.