We'd thought we'd go ahead and update since ch. 8 was kinda slow and didn't have all of the characters in it.  Figured you guys wouldn't mind too much. :-)

sakuya – Clandestine, hm?  Sounds like an excellent choice to me.  Seto's being pretty selfish at the moment, but we're sure there's a reason behind it.  *evil laughter*  He does have some measure of self control, though, and besides he doesn't know where Pegasus keeps the shotgun.  Yeah, poor everyone.  Gotta agree with you there.  As for him sharing the information, this is Kaiba we're talking about.  He needs a sign that says "Does Not Play Well With Others".

JSC106 – This story's always getting interesting, especially for us writers.  We never know where we're going to take it from one day to the next.  But we do have a final conclusion in mind, so don't worry, you're not in the hands of mere chaos artists.  *deceptive grin*

moonymonster – Hey a new reviewer!  Snagged another one in our evil web of fiction, eh?  That bait must work well.  Guess KaibaCorp's gonna have to figure out some way to live without Seto Kaiba for a weekend.  Maybe even longer – hahaha!  Mokuba's your fav char, huh?  He's got spunk, that's for sure, and hopefully a will to survive if he plans to live through this weekend.  Note to selves: Causing insomnia to readers might bring out their more demanding side.  Use with caution.  Fueled by the possibility of numerous Overlook ghosties haunting our home, we've decided unanimously that we should post the next chapter.  *lol* Thanks for the numerous reviews!

Malik Fan – That's okay, you can't be first every time.  You've still got the record though, *g* we're doing the most we can to update as soon as possible without overwhelming you guys. 

Jessica – Sorry you're not into the horror, but we find it a lovely nook to hide in.  Yeah, this is a Shining/Yugioh crossover in case you didn't see our intro in chapter 1.  That it might seem like it is from that story flatters us, thank you.    *bats eyes*  Hope you stick with the fic, though, we're always trying to convert non-horror lovers.

Vyctori – Yes, another and another, until we get it right!  Hahaha!  Seriously though, the cliffhangers seem to cause quite a stir in our audience.  We don't intend to murder our readers, though – just give them a few nightmares. *g* hehehe… we're glad you know what REDRUM means. We do too … *g* We're glad to see you're still reading even though you don't normally like horror. Kaiba doesn't normally have murderous visions, but with the hotel at work, who knows what will happen to him! *smile*  We're glad we're giving the right descriptions for you, thank you for the complements!

darklight – Kaiba's not the only main character of this fic, though as you'll see pretty soon.  Really, the entire gang's a main character, because each is going to have some problem.  Kaiba has a major role right now, but in the future there's gonna be a lot of conflict for the others to face as well.  Thanks again for the great review!

Chibi Arwen – We love your name, by the way, it's so funny to imagine!  Good to know our fic is really getting to you, hope you don't plan to have murderous intentions like our dear friend moonymonster.  If you like this, you're going to love The Shining.  It's a lot scarier than our work, of course, we can't possibly compete with Stephen King, and we wouldn't want to.  When you get the chance, pick it up, it's a wonderfully disturbing read, but keep in mind that we're not just using the novel as a source, but also the two films (miniseries and movie) and any horror films we've seen (and of course Yugioh, but that's a given!)  Thanks for dropping by!

*whew*  And now with the preliminaries out of the way, lets go see how our heroes are faring against the Overlook, shall we?  Remember, please be polite, don't feed the characters, and leave a review.

Kabuki & Sylvia

**********

Chapter 9

::Yugi? Wake up, Yugi.::

Yugi yawned; his eyes cracking open revealing the blinding light of a newly awakened sun. He groaned and rolled over, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "Ugh … what time is it?"

::Nearly ten in the morning, Yugi. Are you alright? You didn't sleep well, did you?::

"No, not really. I kept having nightmares about … something weird. I don't remember.  Probably about whatever I almost saw in the meat locker last night." Yugi sat up, still rubbing sleep out of his eyes as he stared out the window. It had been the direct sunlight which had blinded him a moment ago, and he dully noted that the servant's quarters faced east, probably to ensure that the help rose bright and early to get to work.  He yawned again as the Millennium Puzzle glowed and Yami appeared in his physical form, his features mirroring Yugi's in all but innocence and height. The spirit patted Yugi on the shoulder and walked to the window, gazing out curiously. Yugi smiled. "If you wanted to come out, Yami, all you had to do was ask."

The spirit nodded, his eyes darting over to his friend for a moment before seeking out whatever had caught his attention on the grounds below. "I think Tea had a good point last night, about the sunlight having a positive effect. Perhaps we simply overreacted. Fatigue might have been a more logical explanation than ghosts." He narrowed his eyes chuckling a little as something outside caught his attention. "It seems that Joey and Mokuba are outside trimming the topiaries.  I never thought they would have gotten an earlier start than us, my light."

"Really? I'm surprised Joey isn't waiting until the last minute to get all that work done. I must have slept in much later than they did. But being tired doesn't explain everything that happened last night, Yami, and I think we should still be careful around here. It seems dangerous to me, and I remember you panicked too." The spirit arched an eyebrow in reply as Yugi dragged himself from the cozy feather bed and pulled on his leather shirt, attaching the strap about his neck before moving to his pants.

Yami watched silently from the window and then moved forward to examine the room. It was cozy, most assuredly, and radiated calm and relaxation unlike the other rooms he'd seen. The materialized spirit was inwardly grateful that their sleeping quarters were so amicable. He'd not have felt comfortable putting Yugi through another unexplained encounter. The room was open and inviting, the sheets clean and the walls composed of a rich lumbered wood, giving a rustic feel to the fairly old hotel. A fireplace stood unused against the far wall, and the windows allowed a steady stream of sunshine to brighten even the most disheartened of guests. It was an uncommonly cheerful place, and Yami had to wonder why Pegasus had given it to them.  "Come, Yugi.  Let's go downstairs and see what the others are doing."  Yami turned to see that even though Yugi might have been fully dressed he was most certainly not fully awake.  "Did you need even more sleep, my friend?  Surely if you'd slept any later they would have come looking for us."

Yugi let out a monstrous yawn as he shook his head in denial.  "No, really, I'm okay.  I just need to get some food.  Then I'll be wide awake."  Yami took up his hand and gave it a squeeze, smiling at his friend reassuringly.

"Do you want me to return to the puzzle?  I'm not sure how Mokuba, Kaiba, and Devlin would react to seeing me." Yugi nodded reluctantly.

"Yeah, I guess you should.  We don't need to scare anybody.  With all these strange things happening, we don't need them to think you're a ghost or anything." Yami smiled once more before disappearing into the Millennium Puzzle once again.  Yugi felt the warmth of his spirit's return in the back of his mind, and left the room to search for his friends.

The hallway was deserted as he made his way to the elevator, and for the first time he noticed that the windows had all been cleaned to allow the maximum amount of light. He was grateful for the cheerful glow as for the first time he was able to note his surroundings. The hallway was old but not too scary. It looked like a rather typical – if run down – hotel hall, with an aged light blue carpet met by white and gold wallpaper which had long since begun to peel. Yugi didn't see any water damage, and wondered where Tristan had come across all the water that soaked him last night. He made his way down the hall and pressed the button on the elevator, pleased when it dinged and the double doors slid open to reveal the familiar yellow glow of the small space. He stepped inside, trying not to be bothered as the elevator floor dipped with his added weight, and pressed the button for the lobby. The doors slid shut and the elevator obediently took him down one level. When the doors opened again, he was surprised at the calm which had come over him.

The lobby was as dusty as ever, but with the streaming rays of sunlight pouring in through the massive windows it didn't seem nearly as imposing. Yugi could see the arched ceiling and the four massive chandeliers which hung down the center of the main room. Though covered in dust, the cut crystal still caught and refracted the light, casting little rainbows here and there on the wooden beams of the vaulted ceiling. Most of the furniture was still covered, but a few showed the worn signs of visitors from the previous night, the rumpled white sheets an indication of where each person had sat. Yugi stepped from the elevator and gazed about the room. It was huge, almost as big as Pegasus' castle, and Yugi felt even shorter than normal. "Wow, this is really impressive."

::Yes, I suppose Pegasus did get a good deal on this place. I'm sure the antiques themselves are nearly priceless.::

"Yami, I don't think he'll sell those off. Tea heard that he's pretty determined to make this hotel into a casino.  He'll need all of this expensive stuff to do it." Yugi made his way across the grandiose foyer and to the kitchen. "It smells like someone's made coffee – that means food is on the way!"

::I hope so, Yugi. You're stomach is making so much noise I can hardly think.:: The spirit chuckled warmly against Yugi's mind as the boy pushed open the white doors. In the shining daylight, the boy couldn't make out the red paint that he'd seen the night before.  The doors were indeed a blinding shade, and he wondered why the coat of white paint had appeared so thin in the darkness.  The kitchen was indeed the scene of much activity. Tea stood at the stove with Tristan, both arguing about what to fix for breakfast while Duke sat on one of the metal counters watching the pair with amusement. Yugi smiled and walked into the room, letting the door swing shut behind him. "Hi guys!"

Duke nodded and managed a mock salute. "Mornin'."

Yugi made his way to the dicey duelist, climbing up on the counter beside him to watch as Tristan and Tea bickered over whether to serve pancakes or oatmeal. Yugi shook his head. "Have they been like this all morning?"

"Pretty much." Duke lifted a steaming mug to his lips and sipped thoughtfully. "All I wanted was some coffee, and it's a good thing too else I'd be stuck in their little snit." He glanced at Yugi and dropped the cool façade. "Hey, are you ok? You don't look so good."

"Yeah, I didn't sleep well."

"That's weird. I slept fine, even after all the crap I went through last night. Tea did a great job of bandaging me up." He paused, regarding Yugi seriously. "Thanks, by the way, for pulling me outta that mess."

"It was nothing. Don't worry about it, Duke. We've got to stick together if we want to stay safe in this place."

"Don't I know it." Duke sipped his coffee again, the roasted aroma making Yugi's stomach growl. "Oh, I almost forgot. Do you want some coffee? I made a whole pot, but no one seems to drink it except me."

"No thanks. I'm not a coffee person either." Yugi watched Tristan and Tea with a sigh. It would be a while until he could get any food with them arguing like that. Neither he nor his Yami had any idea how to make breakfast. It was the result of too much gaming and not enough time spent focusing on his household chores. Grandpa had offered to teach the boy how to make his own food, but Yugi was always so busy dueling and hanging out with his friends that he'd never gotten around to it. The smell of coffee was tempting, but he knew from experience that the smell was deceptive -- coffee tasted awful. He didn't know how anyone could drink the stuff.

Duke's voice roused him from his reverie. "Hey, have you seen Kaiba? His kid brother was asking about him earlier, but no one knows where he's gone."

Yugi shook his head. "That's weird. No, I don't know where Kaiba is. You say Mokuba didn't even know where he went?"

"Yeah, that's right. I wonder what the wacko's up to. He was gonna kill me last night before Tristan and I … " Duke trailed off, his eyes glazing for a moment before he ran a hand through his dark hair. "We should probably look for him, I guess."

"Duke, what exactly did you see up there? You never got the chance to tell anyone. I think you should talk about it."

"No, you'll just laugh at me. Hell, I'd probably laugh if I wasn't so sure of what I saw. But then again, maybe I did just imagine it. I just … Yugi, I don't usually imagine stuff like that. It was real, I'd swear it, but I'd sound like a loony for even thinking it was real in the first place. It really was probably just a trick of the light or something, but for some reason I'm having a hard time believing that." He shook his head, staring at his coffee as the steam curled into his jade eyes and tousled black hair. "I don't know what to think, except that I was an idiot to fall down those stairs."

Yugi turned to face the other boy, drawing his knees up into a cross-legged position as he sat fully on the counter. "Duke, I believe you. No matter what you saw, I don't think you're crazy. There's something wrong with this hotel, and I don't know what it is but I think it's trying to hurt us."

"Now you sound crazy, kid. Hotels can't try to do anything cause they're not alive." He closed his eyes against Yugi's inquisitive gaze and took another sip from his coffee mug. "At least, that's what I keep telling myself."

"Hey Yugi, you're finally awake! I didn't see you sitting over there." Tristan turned away from the stove obviously allowing Tea free reign to cook as she pleased as he made his way to where Yugi and Duke were perched. "You really slept in late, but I think we all did. Only Joey's started his chores so far, and Mokuba insisted on helping him."

Yugi nodded. Tristan was obviously well-rested and ready to get back to normal, but something about his eyes betrayed some pent-up fear that he wanted to keep well hidden. Yugi fingered the puzzle around his neck as he cocked his head to the side and regarded his friend. "Have you seen Kaiba, Tristan?"

"No, no one's seen him. I don't think he got much sleep last night, cause Joey woke up before anybody else. I heard him say this morning, when I was half asleep, that Kaiba hadn't been in bed when he got up." Tristan shook his head and laughed a little. "Can you believe Joey woke up at like five this morning? That's dedication, man!"

******

The hedge clippers were heavy, and his arms ached from the labor, but Joey had no intention of stopping. He'd already finished three of the topiaries, and pretty soon he'd begin on the hedge maze itself. The sun was high in the sky, but Joey paid no attention to it as he shaved some of the excess growth from beneath the hedge lion's chin and mane. "These things sure needed a haircut, huh Mokuba?"

The kid hadn't been very responsive. Joey didn't know why Mokuba had insisted on coming along. The blond duelist said he could handle the job on his own, but the younger Kaiba wouldn't listen to him. He'd been awake as Joey had crawled out of bed, when the blond had just decided that a good day's work was better than lying in bed and enduring nightmares. He'd been lacing his shoes when he'd noticed Mokuba staring. "Where're you going?"

Joey had stood as quietly as possible and stared at the boy. "Why're you awake? Hey, where's your big brother?"

"He's in the basement. I told him not to go, but he didn't listen."

The kid had looked so sad; Joey couldn't help but feel bad for him. He remembered when Mokuba had been captured on Duelist Kingdom and had been forced to watch the doppelganger of his brother duel against Yugi. It hadn't really been Kaiba of course, but all that talk about Kaiba being a zombie had made Joey feel sorry for the poor kid. If someone had pretended to be his sister Serenity and had gone around saying she was dead and didn't care about any of her friends, Joey thought he'd have been pretty broken up too. He'd gone and sat on the bed by Mokuba.  He rubbed the back of his neck absently as he tried to find the right words. "I'm sure he'll be ok. Your big brother's tough. Don't worry 'bout him."

Mokuba hadn't responded for a few minutes, and Joey knew he'd done a crappy job of comforting the kid. When the kid had finally spoken it was on a completely different subject. "Are you going out to trim the hedge animals?"

"Yeah, actually I am. It looks pretty cold out there, but I'd rather be cold than stuck in this place. I figure being outside can't be as bad as being in here, right?"

Mokuba had nodded, completely understanding. For the first time, Joey had noticed the kid had been twisting the sheets over and over in his small hands so that the fabric was knotted tight. "Can I go with you? I don't want to be in here either."

"Sure thing, kid, but you'll need to dress kinda warm." Joey hadn't realized how tense he'd been about going outside by himself. With Mokuba along, he didn't feel so lonely. The place was creepy enough without the isolation eating at him. "Will your brother be able ta find ya?"

"It doesn't matter. He's not coming up for a while anyway."

Now out trimming the hedge animals, Joey began to wonder what exactly Mokuba had meant. How did he know that Kaiba would be in the basement for a long time? It was weird enough that Kaiba would abandon his little brother in such a strange and dangerous place, but the clincher was the downtrodden look on the poor kid's face. Being outside hadn't helped much, and the poor kid was looking sadder by the moment. Joey turned to him and took a break, wiping the sweat from his brow with the sleeve of his arm, and brushing the flakes of snow from his shoulders.  The ache in his limbs was a comfortable feeling. It was better than being scared all the time and he began to feel like a real person again instead of a trapped animal. Physical labor always seemed to relieve stress for him, especially when he'd had to help Serenity in the hospital before her operation.

He turned to Mokuba again, laughing slightly as he saw the large amount of snow that had nestled amidst the boy's bushy hair.  He'd put the kid to work too, letting him do as he pleased for the most part. Joey was of the mind that if labor could help him relieve stress, then surely it'd help the kid too – but now he wasn't so sure as he saw the sad look on the boy's face.  Mokuba was a splotch of black and blue against the white snow as he struggled with the large clippers to trim the legs of the hedge bear. He was doing a fair job, and though the bear was looking a little thin here and there, Joey didn't think it really mattered. If Pegasus had wanted a professional job done, he could have hired a trained gardener or something. "Hey, that's pretty good, Mokuba!"

"You think so?"  Joey was relieved as the boy's face brightened with the compliment.

"Yeah, yer a natural. Not too shabby, kid." He flexed his fingers, cold even in the gloves, and realized it was about time for a break. "You wanna go inside? I think it's about time fer some food, don't you?"

The boy grinned and nodded, taking up the clippers and following as Joey moved back toward the hotel. A feeling of dread came over him as he trudged through the snow, and he could tell that in the afternoon the looming shadow of the hotel would fall over him while he was trimming. He shivered and shook his head. "The damn place's creepy even from out here."

Mokuba nodded, his eyes darting all around as though afraid he was about to be jumped by something at any moment. "I hate it here."

Joey nodded. There was no explanation necessary. Both knew that what they'd seen last night had been very real. "We ain't gonna be here much longer, kid."

"It's already been too long." Mokuba kicked at a drift of snow as they walked, and thought about what he knew. The hotel was much stronger than he'd imagined, and the proof was in the power it held at midnight. Something about the time and the night in general gave the place a strange supernatural strength. He wondered if Pegasus had known about it. He thought back to what the older man had said, and knew that as much as he disliked the Industrial Illusionist, there might be no other way to save his big brother. Something awful was happening to Seto, something dark was twisting him. That in itself was bad enough, but the part that made Mokuba want to cry was that Seto wasn't even aware of what was happening. He was letting the hotel do it to him! A tear slid down the boy's cheek as he and Joey mounted the stairs and placed the pair of hedge clippers on the stoop.

"Whoa, hold on a minute." Joey knelt down, placing his hands on Mokuba's shoulders and staring the child in the face. "Why're ya cryin'?"

"I …" he sniffled, wiping at his tears with the back of his sleeve in shame. He hated to cry, it was a baby thing to do, but he especially hated to do it in front of Joey. Only Seto had ever seen him cry. "I'm scared for Seto. He's … I don't know. I think the hotel's doing something to him, but I'm not sure. I … I could be wrong."

"Aw, c'mere." Joey wrapped the boy in a warm hug, patting him on the back. It wasn't anything he'd thought of doing, but once done Joey couldn't deny that it was the right thing to do. The poor kid was afraid for his big brother and Joey, being a big brother himself, could understand the fear. "It's ok. Kaiba's a tough guy."

"But he's not as tough as you think! The hotel knows it!"

"It's ok. Don't worry, kid, I'll protect ya. We'll go check on your brother and you'll see.  Everything'll be ok."

Mokuba nodded, his eyes and nose a puffy red from too much emotion and cold snow. "He's gotta stay outta the basement. Something died down there a long time ago that could hurt him, but that's not what's hurting him now. He's found something, I can't tell what it is but I dreamed about what he was reading last night and … there were bad people who died in this hotel. Some got shot up pretty bad, but a lot of bad things happened, and the hotel is letting him find out about it to get him curious, to make him want more, so that he'll be open to it and able to … to …" The boy shook his head. "I don't know what it wants from him exactly, but I know it's bad!"

Joey stared at the kid and, for the second time that day, didn't know what to say. He shook his head. "I don't know anythin' about this place, or about anythin' that happened here, but I do know Kaiba. I don't like 'im, in fact I think he's a first-class jerk, but I do know that he loves ya. I've seen 'im do some crazy things ta help ya out, and I don't think he'll be an easy target for any ghosts in this place. Yer brother's pretty strong. He ain't no pushover. He'll pull outta whatever the hotel's plannin' and he'll take care of you."

"You don't know how strong it is, and now it's stronger today than it was last night. I don't know why but -- " His eyes darkened, and he looked up at Joey hesitantly. "Maybe I should call Pegasus?"

Joey sucked in a breath. "I don't think that's a good idea, Mokuba. I'm sure Kaiba'll be fine. And if not, well, we're here to help. Besides, I don't think Pegasus'd be able to do anythin' to help Kaiba.  You saw how they acted yesterday.  We don't need Pegasus causin' any more trouble, right? Besides, we don't even have a phone! That creep was just toyin' with us about bein' able ta call 'im." Mokuba sullenly nodded as Joey stood and grabbed the handle, pulling the door open. The snow had piled up all around it, but it hadn't been as hard to open this morning as Joey had expected. The large wooden door opened much easier since the heat of the day had thawed the snowdrift, and the door scraped over the remaining snow and ice as Joey held it open for the boy. "Now c'mon. We need some serious food if we're gonna work on those overgrown animal crackers anymore."

The pair of makeshift gardeners returned to the hotel, oblivious that they had been watched from above.  On the second floor, Kaiba straightened his dingy jacket as he backed away from the window that looked out from the servants' quarters.  He'd planned to change clothes, maybe even check up on his little brother, but had lost track of time.  The rooms were empty now, and as the Dragon Master stared out of the small shining windows, he stared in horror at the scene that unraveled before him.  His eyes narrowed as he watched Joey embrace his young brother, his best friend, his one ally in a world against them.  His fists clenched and he growled through gritted teeth, "Joey… you bastard…"

**********

Yugi grinned over his glass of Coke and started on another of Tea's pancakes as Joey and Mokuba entered the kitchen. He'd been wondering how long it would take them to realize breakfast was being served. He'd known Joey a long time, and knew from experience that his friend had a strange sixth sense about when a meal had been prepared. "Hey there, guys! You two woke up kinda early, I hear."

Duke nodded from across his second mug of coffee. He, Tristan, and Yugi had busied themselves while Tea cooked in exploring the kitchen and lobby.  They'd come across a broom closet containing a card table and some folding chairs, apparently new enough to have been brought in by Pegasus' hired goons. They'd moved the lot of it into the kitchen, setting up a camp of sorts. It was better than trying to eat in the fancy lobby chairs, and though they all suspected that a dining room was around somewhere, Duke was content to follow Yugi's suggestion of the previous night, that they stay away from unfamiliar rooms unless absolutely necessary. Duke wasn't sure if he'd seen actual supernatural shit last night, but he wasn't about to go testing his luck so early.  Tristan didn't even bring up the subject, and seemed content to simply ignore the fact that anything unusual had happened at all.  Duke did notice, however, that the usually tough biker took his coffee black and his eyes were rimmed in dark circles as though he hadn't slept.  It gave Duke some comfort to know he wasn't the only one who was having troubled dreams as of late.

Joey grinned and shrugged out of the orange parka he'd found in the garage earlier. "Yeah, I guess I couldn't sleep. I figured I'd better be productive."

"Ya know, Joey, I hope you wouldn't have considered even going outside if you hadn't been able to find that jacket this morning." Tristan eyed his friend with an unusually stern expression.  He was pale and the black coffee he held between his fingers made him look deathly by comparison.

Joey gave his best friend a worried look, but smiled amicably.  "Sure I would have, Tristan.  Me and Mokuba made sure we could find some jackets.  I'm not so afraid of that Miz Sweeney that I'd catch pneumonia for her." He sniffed the air and surveyed the room, his gaze settling on the tall stack of pancakes on the center counter. "I sure wasn't expectin' a stack of flapjacks, Tea! Man, does that look good!"

Tea eyed him from the sink as she rinsed the pan and spatula in warm water, truly appreciating the complement but uncertain of how to receive it. "You'd better not eat them all, Joey. That's supposed to be enough for everyone."

"Ah, don' worry 'bout me, Tea, I know my limits."

"Well, I'm not making any more, so you'd better not hog them all as usual."

With a grin Joey sat at the table and took a plate and fork from the waiting stack. "You've got a regular buffet set up, huh?"

"I figured that was the easiest way to handle breakfast." Tea took a seat opposite Duke and Yugi with Joey and Tristan to her left. She frowned and turned to the young boy who still stood in the doorway. "Aren't you hungry, Mokuba?  You'd better grab some before Joey eats them all."

"Yeah." He shook himself as though from a dream and took a plate of his own. Joey meanwhile had already speared three pancakes and was busy drenching them in syrup. Duke and Yugi watched in amused horror as two of the rather large pancakes vanished in a mere three bites. Tristan just laughed.

"That's my pal.  He's a regular trash compactor, aren't ya?" Tristan slapped Joey on the back, nearly making him choke.

Duke glanced at Yugi, one eyebrow arched. "Should we count our fingers?"

"Nah, even Joey's not that hungry."

Joey looked up from his third pancake, his mouth full and his blond hair hanging in his eyes. "Wah choo alkin' out, Ug?" Yugi and Duke laughed as Tea grumbled about table manners and elbowed Joey in the ribs. "Ooph! Wah'd I oo?"

"Ugh! Joey, you're disgusting!"

"Haha!  You're great!" Tristan clutched his sides laughing as Tea shot him an equally poisonous glare.

Joey looked from one friend to the other, completely oblivious, which only made Tristan laugh harder.  "Wah?!"

Mokuba watched their antics from his own place at the far end of the table as he poked his single pancake absently. He was hungry, but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to eat anything. He couldn't focus on anything except his big brother and the threat posed by the hotel. There was something terribly awful happening, but although Mokuba could sense it, there was nothing he could do to prevent it. He thought back to his nightmares from the previous night, the ones that had plagued him for so long until he'd finally given up on sleep and lain awake, listening to the whispers and strange cries of the hotel's more permanent guests. The word he'd seen scrawled in red from his dream returned to him, and he wondered if Yugi or the others could translate the meaning somehow. He watched as Tea and Joey got caught up in an argument concerning etiquette and the proper way to eat in front of others, and realized that he would feel really bad interrupting their moment of happiness. The hotel had been targeting them all night, and Mokuba knew that any peace should be savored if they wanted to make it out of the Overlook untainted and alive. He looked down at his pancakes again, swirling his fork in the syrup and wondering what REDRUM and the cackling laughter could possibly mean.

"Mokuba? Are you ok?"

The boy made a startled sound and dropped his fork with a clatter, staring up at the five sets of eyes which regarded him. "Umm… yeah, I'm ok."

Tea watched him closely as she stared at the full plate of food. "Aren't you hungry?"

"Sort of, I guess."

"Maybe he's just tired from cuttin' bushes all day," Joey grinned, trying to pull the attention back in his direction and away from Mokuba.  He knew the boy was going through some tough times, and probably needed to think and sort it all out.  He prepared to shovel another pancake into his mouth, as he glanced at Tea, "Leave the kid alone."

Tea simply ignored him.  If Mokuba was having problems, she didn't see any reason why he couldn't just share them and let the group sort them out.  That was what friends were for.  "Don't you like my cooking?"

Mokuba shook his head, "Oh no, it's not that, Tea. I just … I can't stop thinking about this hotel and … it kinda kills my appetite." He lowered his gaze ashamed. If the others knew how petrified he'd been last night, how utterly helpless he'd been to stop any of the awful things from happening in his dreams, he thought they'd surely laugh at him. It was good to talk to Joey about his brother, and Yugi was always so helpful, but the stakes were much higher this time, and Mokuba knew that nightmares were completely different from real life.  He only wished his brother were here, he felt so much more comfortable around Seto than anyone else.

He couldn't tell them that he thought something bad was going to happen because of a few bad dreams. He could tell that Tristan didn't entirely believe in the evil of the hotel, and that made Mokuba distrust him. Tea too was unaware of what was happening. She hadn't seen anything for herself, and though she believed that Yugi and Joey had seen something which greatly disturbed them, she had yet to understand the reality of the situation. He couldn't explain how he knew Tea and Tristan wouldn't believe him, but he knew all the same. He knew it as surely as he knew what school he attended or the name of his brother's favorite card. It wasn't something he could explain in words, and he thought back to the way Pegasus had spoken to him without moving his lips or letting the others know what he'd said. The sly smile in the firelight and the way he'd tapped his temple as he mentioned that if things got too bad they could just call. Mokuba knew what he'd meant by that statement even though he couldn't explain why. Joey thought of calling as something one could only do by phone, but Pegasus had shown the child that sometimes the mind could talk just as well. And somehow, it seemed like the most natural thing to do.  If Mokuba couldn't explain it to himself, he knew there was no way he could explain it to the others.  If only his big brother were here, perhaps he would understand his situation and be able to give advice. 

He took a bite from his pancake and swallowed, hardly noticing the taste. "It's really good, Tea. I haven't had pancakes in a long time." When the older girl smiled and turned back to conversation with the other boys, Mokuba returned to his thoughts. He would have to pretend that everything was alright, and just watch to see what the hotel had in mind. He didn't want to call Pegasus, but if his brother was in any visible danger, not just nightmares, Mokuba vowed silently that he would give in. He wouldn't allow the stupid hotel to take his brother. No matter how much Seto might fight them, Mokuba vowed that he would look after his big brother the way Seto had always looked after him in the past.  He knew that something big was about to happen, but there was no way he'd let the hotel break up his family – or hurt Yugi and his friends.