"I don't have to go to see him! He told me so! He said if I wanted to...that...that his table would always be open! That's all!", I explained.

"You don't understand! He's not in the restaurant or the lobby!", she said, frantically.

"Well then, where is he? What's wrong?"

"He's not down there, he's in our hallway...He's waiting for you to come out of the room!"

"What! He's out there right now!"

"Yes! He told me to tell you to come out and meet him in the hall! He said he's not leaving until he sees you!" She was terrified of him!

"Really, Christine, he isn't that bad! He's actually very, very nice! Come with me, I want you to meet him..."

"NO! I'm going to stay with Raoul in his suite, until you sort this out! I'm sick of him hanging around! He's completely insane, Ember! You have to stay away from him! I have to go, I can't be part of this! See you later!"

She left and I was alone in the room. What could I do? He was outside the room, waiting for me! And now that Christine left, I had no alibi to say that she needed me here! If I stayed in my room any longer, he'd surely knock on the door! I have no choice, I must face my fate and go out before he gets mad. I venture towards the door, every step I take killing off my hopes, my dreams of my life ever being normal again... But in this moment of terror, there is a hint of excitement that stirs my soul and awakens all my fears and turns them into love. Right before I grab the handle of the door, I take a deep breath and gather myself together...

"Finally! I thought I'd have to stand here forever! So nice to see you again..." He took my hand in his but I pulled away before he had the chance to kiss it...

"Erik...I..I don't know what to say.." I started walking down the hallway.

"I'm sorry for coming up to your room, but I was afraid you wouldn't come down to meet me and I really wanted to see you again!" He quickly caught up with me and walked beside me all the way downstairs into the lobby.

"Erik, I can't rush into things with you... I thank you from the bottom of my heart for saving me...twice. But, I don't really even know you! You seem very nice and frankly you're quite charming...but I...I'm just having like the worst week of my life now...I've almost killed myself twice! Once on the stairs and once hanging off the edge of a landing about two stories up! You have to give me some time to get myself back together! I mean, normally, I'd be all over you! Believe me, nobody's ever been so nice to me in my life! Not even my best friend, Christine! And she's all freaking out for only God knows why! Like she thinks you are going to corrupt me or something! I swear, I can't even talk to her anymore! And now, now she's not even staying in our room anymore! Now she's gone off to wherever Raoul is and she's leaving me alone! I don't understand! I just don't!", I screamed.

Then I realized how irrational I was being and attempted to apologize...

"Wow... You really are stressed out aren't you? Calm down, I'm not trying to rush you into anything! As for being all over me...I think I'd like that...", he said this as he smiled and raised an eyebrow.

I laughed and sat on the nearest sofa. "Erik, I don't even know you and I already trust you... But what about Christine? I've been friends with her for a very long time now and I don't want to lose her friendship! I want to hang out with you but... If she just met you once she'd understand! I just don't know..." I sat there with my head in my hands, trying desperately to find a solution to my problems.

"It's okay, I mean, I'd understand if you didn't want me to hang around anymore..."

"No! It's not me, it's Christine... I really don't know what she sees in that Raoul guy anyway... Do you know him?"

"Unfortunately...yes.. In fact, he's been here almost as long as I have... I was talking to him at breakfast before I came up to your room and it was an interesting conversation."

"Well?"

"I asked him why was he turning everyone against me. He simply and calmly answered that he 'knew what I was up to' and that he wasn't going to let me take this one away from him... You see, a few years ago I fell in love with his 'childhood sweetheart' and ultimately 'stole her away from him' he says... I told him that I steal nothing, nor would I have any interest in doing so with Christine..."

"So, he likes Christine does he? Well, she says she is fond of him too, so... I guess I have to be happy for her but I don't understand why she'd be interested in such a pretty boy like him... Oh well, anything else?"

"He also mentioned that he'd warned you and Christine about me..."

"Oh! So he was the one who made her say those things! She is so stupid for listening to him! If only there was some way I could convince her..."

"I'm afraid that might be harder than expected.. If she is, well, fond of him then he has a lot of say in this... She'll probably be doing anything he says now!"

"Well, still, I'll try to convince her but I don't even know where Raoul's room is! Umm...Do you know, perhaps?",I asked sweetly.

"Sorry, no... That's one thing I didn't find out yet. He's managed to keep it secret, somehow.."

"Well, there has to be a way to find out! I could wait until Christine contacts me, but that'll take too long. Hey, wait! This is a hotel, that means there is a list of check-ins at the front desk! It'll tell us his room number, floor, probably even his room's phone number! I'm going to check it right now!"

I ran through the lobby, heading towards the front desk when I heard Erik say,

"No! He won't be in there! Don't even bother to look!"

"What? What are you talking about?" I continued to make my way behind the desk and pulled out a dust-covered leather-bound book that had the words, "Checked In" on it in golden letters. While digging through it's pages I faintly heard Erik mumbling something in the lobby... I ignored it and continued my search through the worn pages of the book until I'd finally reached the leather cover on the back.

"I don't understand? Why aren't you in this book? And Raoul, he's not in it either? This must be a mistake, I must've overlooked them somehow..." I started to fumble through the book again when Erik came up behind me and closed the book.

"We're not in there, Ember.", he admitted.

"What? Why? Why not? I.. don't understand?", I sputtered.

"We didn't check in... We, well, we came here by accident...through the mirror.."

He pointed to a huge mirror on the wall opposite the lobby.

"We came through at midnight, on the 6th of June... and we've been here ever since.."

I must have looked puzzled so he explained further...

"We're from the year 1907, and from what I understand now... it's 2006."

"Christine was right...you really are crazy! I...have to go..now..."

"Ember, wait!", Erik exclaimed.

I ran back through the lobby and upstairs to my room, slammed the door, and bolted it shut.