Polo is lost. Wondering the halls in a part of this hotel no one uses. There's dust and cobwebs and furniture hidden behind heavy brown tarps. He's confused because he could swear this was just a dream and he's been chasing someone he swore was there. There that way, past the oval shape that might be a mirror or- or there, where that uncovered record player with the huge horn sits on the edge of that desk that was brown but now looks white in the weird tinge of the light just next to that archway, or- or they went up that stair case right there behind the weird turtle on a rock sculpture that's taller than he is.
Was his Carla or Christian? He cannot remember.
His whole body fliches as a sound he swears is a gunshot but that's impossible because he's alone. Still, he spins on his heel to look behind him and there is the smoking chamber. As though light is behind the shadow before him he sees the outline of the silhouette and the cloud rising into the air and everything in his soul screams, "NOOOOOOOO!"
In the light of the nearest window he kneels waiting for the bullet to pierce his skull. Then, just like last time, Guzman appears and the shadow is gone. He's shaking and looking around in frantic motions. Terror doesn't even begin to describe what he feels but his best friend in the entire world kneels down in front of him and those big warm hands find Polo's skinny face. An ease washes over Polo and that ice cold vanishes the moment their skin meets.
"Ohhh Guzman." He whispers, "I'm crazy now, chasing ghosts."
Guzman frowns and fights the water welling up in his eyes, "If you're crazy I will stand by you till the ghosts go away. If you're not I'd still like to stay."
"What, are you gay?" Polo laughs as tears slip down the sides of his pale cheeks.
Guzman doesn't hesitate. Doesn't think about his decision. He just leans in and kisses Polo. It's soft but real and wet from a young man's weeping. Guzman's warmth invades Polo in a way that's strong enough to get Polo to kiss him clouds outside part and the blizzard comes to an end with it's final flurries swirling before the face of the moon who is almost full. That light comes in on Guzman's boyish smile and the two of them stand, "Come on. I've got to go talk to your uncle. It's important but it's not for us to worry about so I promised to just pass along the message."
"You going to tell me what it's about?" Asks Polo.
Guzman pauses just before they get to the end of the corridor then turns to look at Polo's bright blue eyes, "When you're no longer seeing ghosts."
Polo nods and goes with Guzman through the door towards a set of stairs that lead back into the lobby. A grandfather clock swings it's pendulum and the hands read 11:11 and Polo catches himself making wishes and I have a wish and that wish is that Valerio was patient and cautious but unfortunately that is not the case. In the classroom Valerio is trembling in rage more than fear and he's replaying that message over and over. He's swinging the purse over and over into the chalk board thinking over all his options. How he could use a fix right now.
Eyes widen and he pops open the button on the side of the Micheal Kors. His hands dig around inside and he throws in the towel by dumping it's contents on the floor. Nope. Not a single bag. She's such a prude, he thinks. Then spots the headphones. An idea occurs to him. Something wild, dangerous, and surprisingly innovative given who he is. His daring eyes rise up to the pulley on port 2.
A bell rings. Over and over, and no it's not in Valerio's head there in that classroom it's here at the lobby desk where Ander, in his seafoam robe, is looking for any signs of adult life. He looks over and sees Guzman and Polo coming into the room and he says, "I knew you'd be lost. I'm trying so hard to find help. I can't stop. I can't"
It's panicky and his friends can see he's in shambles. They walk over and just as they reach him he slips on nothing and plummets to the floor caught by two sets of arms in a nick of time. Polo and Guzman share a worried glance.
"He's caught a bug. I told him to stay in bed." Says Guzman.
Ander shakes his head, "Car. It's a burning car. That's all I see. Please make it stop. Make the screaming stop."
They get him on to a lobby couch. Ander resists and tries to fight back and Polo's morale begins to drop. Guzman's left to hold Ander down on his own and Polo rises in dissonance and says, "What if everything here is a ghost. We're all alone aren't we?"
Valerio most certainly is. Or, at least it seems that way. It's impossible but he sees her. She's beautiful and sitting at one of the desks. Of course it would be at the desk closest to the door near port three. That's the only option she'd approve of. His Lucrecia would want him to fight for life. He's thrown a little to the left when she speaks to him, "You're an idiot if you waste a pair of headphones on some coke."
It's almost something she'd say on any given day. It's a break in his heart but part of him is strong enough to over power the rest as it's rage within him that has him walk to port two. She appears before him as a flicker in a flame and glares at him.
He knows what she'd say, she doesn't even have to. She'd tell him that he only really has two options. He's smart enough to know that patience will solve his problems but also if any of these three options are worth trying it's the one that gets him out of here and not the one that gets him high. He flares his nostrils a few times and then goes back over and sits against the wall. That's all she's ever had for him; walls.