"664… 665… Ah! We're here mijo."
Walking through the halls of the Fox-Anderson Hotel, two men searched for their room. The older of the two, Hector Macia, was an architect who was in town for a meeting between all his bosses. His teenage son Julio came with him to get to experience life outside of Arizona.
"Let's see what the room looks like."
Standing behind his father, Julio waited to see how he would be living for the next few days. And as soon as the door opened, the high school graduate could barely contain his smile.
The room looked like how he imagined the best hotels to be. Two king-sized beds, a large flat-screen tv, oakwood desks and tables, a clean white bathroom, soft carpet floor, and even an extra chair.
"You said the company is paying for everything?"
"That's right. Being one of the top performers paid off. We can even get any kind of room service we want," Hector said as he picked the bed by the window and dropped his luggage.
"But we're definitely going to find a spot to eat later tonight. It would be a waste not to explore the city."
"True that," Julio said as he got into his own bed, putting the backpack on the sheets. "What time are we doing that?"
"As soon as I get back from my first meeting."
Hector had scheduled it so he could finish it soon after arriving. That way, he and his son could spend the rest of the day exploring the town before he would have to leave him in the room for most of the day tomorrow. The meetings would be affecting the entire company, so they would be spending hours delegating and discussing. The same would be true for the third and final day.
"Works for me. I like this bed already."
Taking off his shoes, Julio kicked back and lay on the bed. If his jet-lag hadn't gotten cured on the walk here, he probably would have fallen asleep.
"Alright, mocoso. You stay here and stay out of trouble. I'm off to do adult stuff."
"Have fun," Julio teased.
"Yeah yeah. Be good."
Julio smiled as his dad left the room, making sure to put a keycard on the table in case his son needed it.
For his part, Julio didn't have any intention of leaving. Not when the TV was free and he could call for any food he wanted. And especially not when the view outside his window was as good as it was.
Reaching into his backpack, Julio moved aside his extra clothes and snacks, to get to the thing he really wanted. His brown sketchbook.
Taking out a pen with it, Julio opened up to a blank page and started looking out the window. Once he had a good memory of the cityscape and skyline, he started to draw.
Elsewhere…
Having arrived in the city to perform her magic show the next day, Zatanna Zatara, one of the foremost magicians and sorcerers in the world, had a specific reason for choosing this hotel.
One of the reasons was the same one as to why she was performing so much. She hadn't taken a lot of time off in almost half a year, and there was a very specific reason for that.
Him.
"I still can't believe it. A shark man. Really?"
Out of all the things she expected to see when she found John after their argument about the state of their relationship, him in bed with King Shark was not anywhere on that list.
But that traumatic sight did teach her a valuable lesson. She had been a fool for ever letting that drunk British bastard anywhere near her. She should have let him rot in the trash the first time she met him.
It would have spared her the heartache and loneliness.
Trying not to think about that, Zatanna focused on the second reason she had chosen to stay at this hotel. It was a fine one, but she had stayed at better and more luxurious places in her travels.
But none of them had a missing magic book inside of them.
According to the League (and Bruce), the last fight they had against Faust had him throw one of his books through a portal. None of them were sure where it went, so they had asked her if she could track the spell.
She could. And it led her here.
She had to show up to practice in about an hour. So, with her luggage set out and her mind cleared, Zatanna cast her spell.
"Wohs Em Eht Koob!"
Julio took a moment to admire his work once he finished. It wasn't at all an accurate representation of the world outside his window. But since he enjoyed drawing stylized things, he didn't care.
The buildings were all drawn with edges and sharper points, the coloring was sharper, and the sky was drawn in a purple shade. To him, it looked cool.
"What else have we got here?"
Taking a look around, Julio tried to check what else his room had to offer. He started by taking a closer look at the bathroom, which was white, clean, and ready to be used by him in the morning. The TV had a lot of channels and services available on, but there didn't seem to be anything interesting on. Nothing aside from a few sports games and game shows that Julio didn't care about. And despite how comfortable the beds were, he didn't feel like sleeping just yet.
So he kept taking a look around. And eventually he settled on opening the cabinets.
He wasn't sure what to expect, but the book he saw when he opened up the cabinet was not a bible.
He'd certainly never seen a bible that had a blank cover. Or one that was colored in black and red.
But then again, Julio and his dad had never been the religious types. So maybe The design had been changed. But this didn't seem like it would fit the reputation a church might try to keep.
Still, it looked like something worth checking out. Since he had nothing else to do, Julio picked up the book and started to skim.
At first, he was just confused. There wasn't any writing at all on the first couple of pages. They were completely blank.
"Did they really just leave an empty book inside the shelves? Guess no one who comes around here reads."
Deciding he might as well be one of those people, Julio tried to close the book.
He tried.
But as soon as he put in effort to make the pages come together, something went wrong. His hands stopped moving. His fingers stopped listening to him. They refused to finish the motion.
"What the hell?"
The curtains suddenly closed, and the light in the room seemed to dim even though it was only the afternoon. Julio's heartbeat began to advance as the book started to glow.
It glowed blood red.
That was when the letters suddenly appeared. Letters in bright crimson. They formed a language he didn't understand, but one that seemed strangely familiar. And they asked him a question he could not answer.
Quid Desideras
Julio wanted to close the book. He wanted the wind pounding in his ears to stop. He wanted his chest to stop drumming. He wished he could simply close his eyes and hide from the question he couldn't answer.
"Hello? Room service."
The wind suddenly stopped. The letters disappeared. And Julios slammed the book shut on instinct.
Once he could breathe calmly again, Julio took a moment to gather his bearings.
When he heard the knock again, he threw the book on the floor and went to answer.
"I'm sorry. There was something I had to… take care of."
It was one thing after another. First he couldn't speak because some evil book was in front of him.
Now he couldn't speak because one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen was in front of him wearing a hotel service uniform.
He got lost in her blue eyes before he could muster a response.
"Oh hi! I'm… I'm Julio. Did you.. need something?"
The lady seemed taken aback by his response, and Julio mentally kicked himself for coming off creepy. But she responded soon after.
"I'm checking on a call from the previous occupant. It seems they left a book here."
Julio's eyes widened.
"Was it a black and red one?"
"Yes," the lady said with some concern. "Did you see it?"
"Yeah. I mean, yes, I did. Let me go grab that."
Closing the door slightly, Julio ran over and grabbed the book. He quickly returned to the door to hand it to the beautiful woman who was making him nervous.
"This one?"
"This is the one. Thank you. I hope you enjoy your stay."
"You too."
It wasn't until she left that Julio realized how stupid that sounded.
"Uugh…"
Closing the door, Julio cursed his lack of ability to be calm around pretty girls. Everyone always said that being casual and confident was the best way to keep a girl's attention. Being funny would help him keep it.
But while he agreed with the theory, he couldn't put it into practice. Every time, every single time he got close to a pretty girl, he would mess it up the same way. He would stammer and say something stupid that would make them uninterested.
It was the reason he hadn't been able to talk to Emilia since third grade, even though they shared classes. He just couldn't get over the cringe of their last true interaction.
And from the way he was feeling now, he might just remember this interaction far longer than he wanted to.
"I'm gonna be single forever, aren't I?"
Sighing, Julio slowly crumbled onto the bed. He took out his sketchbook and worked out his emotions the best way he knew how: drawing.
By the time his father got back, he had already drawn a beautiful raven-haired woman five times.
"Hm. He's cute."
It was too bad he looked like he was in high school. Otherwise Zatanna might have invited him to her show tomorrow.
But none of that mattered at the moment. She had the book she came for, and she doubted that Julio had been able to do anything with it. Unless he had any trace of magical potential, the book wouldn't respond to him.
She would send out the book to the league in the morning. Right now, she had stage practice to get to.
"Something on your mind, mijo?"
Julio stopped staring at his fries and refocused on his place in the present. His father had gotten back, and they had both decided to check out this bistro that was a few minutes away from the hotel. The meat was really good, and Julio was able to forget about what had happened earlier. Until he didn't.
"I…"
"I recognize the face. Was she pretty?"
Julio buried his face in his hands.
"Yeah. She was one of the room cleaners. She had to pick something up for the people before us. She told me to have a nice day."
Hector looked aghast. "You didn't say…?"
Julio looked at his father in shame.
"I did."
Groaning, Hector momentarily remembered his worst moments. And he felt his son's pain.
"I don't think I can come back from that. It still hurts."
"Oh come on. It's not like she rejected you," Hector said, trying to lighten the mood. It didn't work.
"Thanks dad."
Deciding it was time to bring out the "sage dad advice", Hector took hold of his son's arm and gently squeezed.
"Mira mijo, I know you get nervous around women. It was the same for me. But there is one lesson I learned that helped clear things up for me."
"What's that?"
"Worry later," Hector said with a smile. "Asking a girl out on a first date is the easy part. It's when nothing exists yet, and the two of you can just focus on having fun. The complicated stuff? That all comes later. It's a small step that leads to bigger ones, if that makes sense."
Julio nodded, but Hector could see the doubt that was still in his downcast eyes. So he continued.
"Look at it like this. Let's say you wanted to become an architect. There's a lot of building, a lot of construction, a lot of planning. But it all starts with one thing."
"A sketch?"
"Exactly! Asi," Hector exclaimed. "So the next time you're close to a pretty girl, save the sweat for later. Can you do that?"
Julio let out a breath. "I can try."
"Asi esta bien. Now, for my advice, I'll be taking a fry."
"You have your own fries!" Julio exclaimed indignantly.
"I know. But taking them is more fun."
"No kidding, huh?"
The older man and his son proceeded to mess around like children and fight over fries.
And just like that, Julio's mood was saved.
Elsewhere…
Practice had gone well, and Zatanna felt ready for her show tomorrow.
The problem was that since the issue was out of her mind, the other issue in her life was not taking center stage in her head. Namely, him.
Sitting on the floor of her hotel room, Zatanna sighed into her hands as she lamented how bad her relationship history was. It wasn't that she was trying to get stuck with men that couldn't satisfy her. It was like the universe was determined to make her stay single.
Bruce had been enticing and surprisingly gentle, but things would never work. Not with how dedicated he was to the mission. Faust's son Sebastian was a kind gentleman that Zatanna enjoyed spending time with, but their relationship drizzled. She still had him as a friend though.
But then there was John. A beggard she should have never let into her room or her heart. Her father and everyone she knew warned her that Constantine was a belligerent asshole, but she thought she could "fix him".
She should have known better.
But that left her as she was.
Alone, lonely, laying back on a cold bed, and completely unsatisfied. Not even sexually, she was just sick of her potential partners never panning out. She could probably try to pleasure herself for a while, but she knew she wouldn't get any relief from it.
"Ugh. Why is this so hard?"
She didn't want to be this way, and she was tired of things never going her way.
"The universe is always taking from me. Maybe it's time I took something back."
Zatanna was not in the best state when she had that thought. Physically, she was tired, and she was wearing nothing but the fishnet stockings she often had under her usual outfit. Her eyes had bags, and her unkempt hair draped her shoulder.
Mentally, she was also exhausted from all the months and hours she had put into performing on stage. Any normal person would tell her to take some time and relax. Advice she would ignore due to heartbreak.
But spiritually, Zatanna was operating at a high level. The idea she had invigorated her, and it pushed her to follow through.
And since magic was a force that relied primarily on spiritual energy, she was more than capable of doing what she was about to do.
It started with her sitting on the floor in a meditative pose. It allowed her to channel the energy to her core. And to absorb any ambient mystic energy she might need.
Once she felt she had enough power, she spoke.
"Gnird Em Eht Nam Fo Ym Smaerd!"
As the spell was cast, Zatanna's hotel room began to feel the effects. The sheets had flown off the bed. The tables and chairs shook. The paintings on the wall and the books she had bought with her began to fly in the air.
Once the spell was complete, Zatanna opened her eyes to see the result.
The only thing that happened was the books falling on the ground.
Nothing else occurred. No man suddenly materialized. No person knocked on her door. Nothing.
"Are you kidding me?!"
Groaning, Zatanna decided that she had enough for one day. She grabbed the sheets off the floor, jumped into the bed, and decided to sleep before dealing with any more emotions the next day.
As she slept, she took no notice of one of the books that had fallen on the ground. A black book that had belonged to Felix Faust.
A book that was glowing red.
The Next Morning…
Zatanna's first hint that something was wrong should have been the fact that she woke up at her own time. Not because of something else.
Being both a stage performer and a superhero, Zatanna was used to her phone blowing up from calls and messages from people who needed her help. It was why she could never silence it.
But it didn't make a single sound the entire time she slept. And it stayed silent even when she woke up.
Lazily getting up from bed, Zatanna didn't think much about her lack of messages. She was still upset about her failed spell from the night before, so she just considered it a blessing that she wasn't woken up to fix someone else's problem.
Of course since he was blocked, she never had to worry about hearing his voice again.
Getting out of bed, Zatanna showered and changed into a set of clothes that felt appropriate for her hours of personal time before she had to show up for practice. A pair of tight jeans, heels, a buttoned shirt with a corset, a typical bowtie, and the gloves she never went anywhere without.
Stepping out of the room, Zatanna figured that she would stop by breakfast for a quick bite before heading to her venue.
She did not yet realize the situation she was in.
Julio's first hint that something was wrong should have been the fact that his father wasn't in the room. The reason he didn't worry about that was because of the time. The clock read 10:23. If he remembered correctly, breakfast stopped being served around noon.
And since both of them loved sleeping and food, Julio figured that his dad had probably gone to get some food and let his son rest. Which he did appreciate. But since Julio also wanted to eat, he would need to shower and head down soon. Which he did as soon as he got out of bed. He also grabbed his brown sketchbook and hid it inside his jacket in case he wanted to draw something later.
As he got ready, Julio failed to notice two things about the clock. One was that it was reading P.M, not A.M.
And two was that, even as Julio left the room, the time didn't change.
Julio found it strange that no one else was walking through the halls of the hotel, but he chalked it up to people liking to sleep around him. Something he intimately understood.
Once he got out of the elevator to the second floor, Julio became suspicious when he saw that there was no receptionist at the front desk. He didn't think they could get breaks, let alone at the early hours. So that was confusing.
The confusion got even worse when he got to the breakfast room. There was a buffet of food scattered about over an array of tables. But there were no people here eating the food. Taking a plate and putting some pancakes on it, Julio also didn't see any cooks in the kitchen.
Confused and now very concerned, Julio put down his plate and took out his phone. He didn't see that the time was still 10:23.
Julio went to his contacts and immediately tried to dial his father. But instead of getting picked up or even getting a buzzing sound, Julio immediately got sent to messages. Which had never happened before.
"What the hell?"
Zatanna started to feel that something was wrong the moment she got into the elevator.
Because she had grown up in mystic environments and constantly faced mystic threats, Zatanna had a sixth sense for when her environment had been affected by magic. And something felt odd about the air in the hotel. It felt… still.
The only reason Zatanna wasn't acting on any suspicions was because she was trying to narrow the potential perpetrators. She didn't think she had any enemies in the city (yet). She couldn't recall meeting anyone with magic in the city yet. She also couldn't think of anyone with the skills or motivation to do anything to her.
But when she got out of the elevator, she knew that something was up. There was not a single person around. And for a successful hotel like this to be empty on a morning where breakfast was free did not make sense.
That sort of oddity could only be explained by magic. Something she confirmed with a simple spell.
"Wohs Em Eht Cigam Ni Eht Ria."
Zatanna's eyes glowed blue, and she was able to see with certainty the faint traces of magic that permeated every molecule of air. That meant that she was either in a very convincing illusion or some kind of pocket dimension.
The latter was the more likely solution. If it had been an illusion, her spell would have shown its cracks.
"Now to just find a way out. Ekam em a…"
Zatanna stopped when she heard the squeaky sound of shoes hitting against the floor. Sneakers probably.
Since she thought she was entirely alone, Zatanna had not expected to run into another person. Or more specifically, to see another person run past her without noticing and bolt directly to the front door.
From what she managed to see, Zatanna put together the image of a young male with brown skin. He looked vaguely familiar, so Zatanna thought he might have an idea of what was happening.
Since she wanted answers, Zatanna followed after him at a slower pace.
Julio's anxiety was blasting through the roof. He wasn't quite panicking yet, but his heavy breathing and erratic movements meant he was getting there.
He couldn't find his dad. Normally he wouldn't be too worried about that. But the fact that he also couldn't find anyone was a concern he couldn't let go of. The hotel seemed completely empty, and he needed to know if something happened.
It was why he was running to the exit. If everyone had left the hotel, the best way to find them would be to go after them. It didn't explain why he was left behind, but it was the best idea he could think of.
It was why he ran to the door and shoved it open.
Only to realize that things were even more wrong than he had expected. Or could have ever imagined.
The world stopped at the crosswalks of the hotel.
That wasn't a saying or an expression. No, that was very literal. The world seemed to literally stop at the point where the hotel began.
Julio, walking slowly and cautiously, took a look down from the crosswalk. And he saw the endless abyss below. An infinite void of dark purple that seemed to consume everything that fell inside, from the smallest people to the biggest rock.
To Julio, it looked like this hotel was the only thing in existence. Balancing on a crater in the middle of an endless expanse with no life.
And he had no idea why he was here?
"Is this hell?"
"No. This is definitely a pocket dimension. Though your guess is as good as mine as to why we're here."
Turning sharply, Julio was shocked to hear another person. He was even more taken aback when he saw how beautiful she was.
It took a moment, but Julio did recognize the same person from yesterday. The black hair and blue eyes were the same, but the now-loose hair and casual clothes made it clear that wasn't a simple hotel worker.
In fact, seeing the woman like this made him recognize her from something else. From the billboards he had seen on his way to the city.
"You… You're Zatanna. You're the stage magician."
The woman smiled.
"Glad to meet a fan. Though I do wish the circumstances were better."
All of a sudden nervous again, but this time for different reasons, Julio tried to think about what his father would do. He started by taking deeper breaths to calm down and fixing up his hair when Zatanna looked up at the deathly purple sky.
"You said pocket dimension, right? Is this the kind of thing that happens in your work? Pulling realities out of hats."
Zatanna gave a small chuckle.
"Not on weekends. No, I think this is someone else's doing. No idea why though. Or why they included you."
Julio frowned. "Wait, this actually does happen to you? I was just making a joke, this is… this is normal for you?"
"As close to normal as it gets for me," Zatanna informed him. "Stage magic is my job. Real magic, that's a family tradition."
In other circumstances, Julio might have had his brain feel fried to learn that magic existed. But since he was stuck in a hotel floating in space while talking to a stunning expert, he felt that his situation called for an open mind.
It also called for him to stop objectifying her, he realized. Since she was clearly more experienced in things like this, he was going to have to defer to her wisdom and judgment. At least at the start until he got a better idea of what was happening. So even though she set new standards for what kind of women he liked by just existing, he had to treat her like what she was.
"So do you know how to get out?"
"Oh yeah. A simple wormhole spell should get us right out. Give me a second."
Julio watched as the woman cleared her throat and began to conjure energy. He saw traces of blue light come out of thin air and swirl around her. Since she didn't panic, he assumed that it was normal.
"Teg Su Tuo Fo Ehre!"
Julio didn't think that was an actual language, but he stood back and let her do…
Nothing?
Looking around, Julio didn't notice any change in the surrounding area. They were still in the floating hotel, and the sky around them was still purple. When the energy around Zatanna dissipated, she seemed to notice the same thing.
"That usually works."
Not wanting to feel useless, Julio tried to come up with a suggestion.
"You said that someone might have gotten us stuck here. Do you think they might have also done something to keep us in?"
Zatanna seemed to consider that.
"That's not unreasonable. I've made a few enemies with the League. There's a chance that someone with a bone to pick with me might have done something. But I can't do anything about it unless I know for sure."
"Well, I don't think we can ask anyone outside of here for help. I tried calling my dad earlier. Phones might be useless."
Curious, Zatanna checked her own. And saw the same problem.
"You're right. We're gonna have to solve this problem on our own somehow."
Julio noticed the fact that she said "we". Which meant that he was going to have to keep being useful.
It also meant that there was a chance for them to keep talking.
"Well, my name is Julio Macia," he said with an outstretched hand. "Since we're stuck together, introduction might be in order."
Zatanna took his hand. "Zatanna Zatara. Nice to meet you."
Julio frowned.
"Actually, I think we met yesterday. You came to my room for the book, right?"
Zatanna's eyes widened. But it didn't seem to only be because of the memory returning. There seemed to be something else.
"Come with me."
That was unexpected. In truth, Zatanna had forgotten about the person she had gotten the book from once she had put it away. So being stuck with him in this pocket dimension was unexpected.
Still he seemed like a good guy. She was well aware that he was taken by her. She was used to it after meeting so many people that were. But he at least seemed intelligent and well-mannered enough to stop staring and listen to her. It already put him higher on the list of guys she had met.
*DING*
Torn out of her thoughts, Zatanna saw Julio's hand over the bell of the reception desk.
"Just checking. I didn't expect to find another person in the hotel when I realized it was empty. Making sure someone else isn't lost."
Zatanna had to admit, there was some logic there. But since no one else showed up, the two headed on their way to Zatanna's room.
"So.. Are you familiar with the book from yesterday?"
"Not necessarily. I'm familiar with the person who owned the book. I just got charged with getting it back."
"Ok. Do you know why it tried possessing me yesterday?"
That gave Zatanna pause.
"It what?"
"I opened the book because I didn't know it was magic. It started bleeding and asking me a question I couldn't answer?"
"What did it ask?"
"I don't know the language. It was something like "quid desideras?" Do you know what that means?"
What do you desire? In latin. The book had tried to gain power by taking it from Julio, Zatanna realized with silent concern.
"What did you say?" Zatanna asked, keeping her worries under wraps to make sure Julio didn't freak out.
"I didn't say anything. I just kept trying to close the book. Then you showed up and I was able to. Then you took it, and I hoped it would be the end of that."
He didn't answer?
If Julio didn't give the book what it wanted, then what role did he play? Based on what Julio described, the book might have clues as to why the two of them were stuck here. But it didn't explain why it would bring a common teenager. Zatanna made sense. But the only reason for him could possibly be the fact that he had touched the book. But that was flimsy.
Since she wouldn't find any answers with guesses, the two rode the elevator to her room on the eleventh floor.
"Pretty warm on this floor," Julio said as he unzipped his jacket. Zatanna noticed the Green Lantern t-shirt, but chose not to comment.
The two stayed silent the whole way, and Zatanna appreciated that he did his best to keep his eyes to himself. And when they did speak, he met her eyes, and not any lower.
Once she unlocked her door, she did notice how Julio took notice of how it looked. And she understood.
Zatanna always used her magic to carry around a veritable library of books, and not just the magical sort. She had never been a fan of tv or movies, always preferring a good novel. And her room was full of them.
But once he got used to the sight of the stacks in every corner, his and her eyes fell on one book in particular.
Zatanna began walking towards it. But she stopped when she felt Julio gently tap her shoulder.
"Are you sure it's a good idea to just grab it? It did try possessing me yesterday."
Zatanna smiled. Julio's worries weren't necessary, but they feel nice. She didn't often have people show concern for her.
"Don't worry. I can put some charms on the book to keep it from trying anything."
True to her word, Zatanna said the words "Retuen TI", which she said would keep the book sedated. Julio took her word for it.
Once the book was safe, Zatanna opened it up and started to skim it. But she noticed an immediate problem. There were no words in the book. It was blank on every page.
"Blank?"
Zatanna looked at Julio, who was shaking his head at the book.
"It did the same thing to me yesterday. Just be careful. I don't know if it'll try to pull that same trick on you like it did me."
"It's alright Julio. This isn't the first magic book I've had to deal with. Just needs the right enchantment."
Zatanna cleared her throat to get ready.
"Laever Ruoy Lleps!"
The book immediately started to shake in her hands. Its red glow kept fluctuating, like it was trying to fight against her spell. The wind inside the room picked up speed, like the book was trying to distract her. It even made Julio's jack flap, but he got it under control as soon as it threatened to fly off his shoulders.
Eventually, Zatanna's spell won out, and she was able to make the book act the way she wanted to.
"Let's see if you did anything."
The book acted to her wish. Black ink started to form on the page. But instead of printing out words, it began to put together an illustration. One that started hard to make out, being nothing more than black lines. But then the lines created the outline of a room. Then the form of stacks of books.
And finally the shape of a woman in the center. A woman sitting on the floor, casting a spell.
Her eyes widening, Zatanna realized that she was looking at herself last night.
But that didn't make any sense. Her botched spell had been for a perfect partner, a new man. She never asked to get stuck in a pocket dimension. She didn't ask to be perpetually trapped in a four-star hotel. And even if she had, why would the spell make it so her only company was…
Instinctively looking at Julio, Zatanna quickly turned her attention back to the book.
"No. No that can't be it. There's no way the spell would have… Could it…?"
Julio was the last person to touch the book. That fact could have had some influence.
What was she thinking? It was the only possible answer. There was no way her spell would have trapped the two of them together because it thought they… No. That was a stupid thought. And an illegal one. Not to mention-
"Zatanna? Is everything alright?"
Julio looked worried. She had been staring at the book so intently, he must be thinking that she discovered a terrible answer.
"It's a bust," Zatanna declared as she closed up the book. "The spell that trapped us here didn't come from here. I need to look for different spells."
"Is there any way I can help?"
Normally, Zatanna would be happy for extra help. But given what she had just seen, and the theory behind their entrapment that she wanted to ignore, she didn't know if him being around was the best choice.
"Why don't you go and look around the hotel? If we're lucky, maybe you can find a way for us to go back."
"Are you sure? I know I'm not experienced with any of this magic stuff, but I can try to…"
"It's better if you go."
Zatanna mentally chided herself for coming off so harsh. She was frustrated and concerned about implications, but that didn't mean she had to take it out on Julio. The guy was roped into this by chance.
And judging from his face, his bluntness did sting.
"Is everything ok? Did… Did I do something wrong?"
"No. Julio, it's not you. It's just…."
Zatanna had a hard time getting out the right words.
"Are you ok? I can listen if you want to get anything off your chest."
Zatanna didn't think it was a good idea. The situation didn't call for bonding, and she didn't think she could risk it.
But she had been wanting to vent for some time. And this was her best chance.
"It's just… I feel like I'm cursed when it comes to romances."
"What do you mean?"
"I haven't had a single one that lasted long or worked out in the end. Every time I've gotten a boyfriend, they either fall behind or let me down. My last one cheated on me."
At that, Julio looked shocked and offended.
"What is he, stupid?"
Despite herself, Zatanna let out a small laugh at his blunt and insulting response.
"What makes you say that? I mean, yes, he was, but what gave it away?"
"The fact that he cheated on you," Julio said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "He was dating someone that looked like a goddess and decided to be unfaithful."
Deciding not to let his compliment about her looks go to her head, Zatanna nonetheless agreed.
"Well, the fact that he was in bed with a man who looked like a shark made the sting worse."
His eyes widening, Julio once again shook his head in disbelief. But he made sure to be sincere when talking to Zatanna.
"Well, look at it this way. Just because you dated one idiot doesn't mean you won't ever find love. Plenty of fish in the sea, I think the saying goes."
"Yeah, well, I can never seem to find the right kind of fish," Zatanna said as she glumly sat on the bed. "They've all ended badly. They never work out for me."
Seeing her upset made Julio want to fix things. But unfortunately, the only way he could think to do that was by tearing himself down to build her up.
"Well, look on the bright side. At least you have options. You actually can get dates."
"Julio, you're still young. It's perfectly normal for you not to have history."
"Well, it's not for lack of trying," Julio admitted. "I've never even been lucky enough to find a girl that won't laugh in my face."
Zatanna was aghast. "That's so rude. A simple no would work."
"I know. But that was the nicest rejection. The worst one was when this girl laughed in my face. Hard. For a full minute. And all I asked was if she wanted to get some food sometime."
Zatanna would have never been so rude. Every time she rejected someone, it had been a mixture of politeness and to the point. Making sure they got the message while not being destroyed.
Out of sympathy, Zatanna placed a hand on Julio's shoulder.
"Look, I'm sure you'll find someone who won't say no. Or will at least be polite when they do. You've got plenty of good qualities Julio. I can see that already."
Smiling, Julio tried to return the favor.
"I'm sure you'll find someone soon too. Hopefully no sharks will get involved in that one."
Zatanna had a good laugh at that one. So did Julio.
Once it was done, he stood up, more rejuvenated than before.
"I'll take a look like you asked. Hopefully I can find something."
"Good luck."
Once Julio had left, Zatanna began to look through the books she had bought with her. She might not find the exact spell she needed to escape, but she might be able to find something helpful enough for them to come up with something. So while Julio searched outside, she could check her inventory.
But as she skimmed the books, she found one that did not belong.
A plain brown book.
Picking it up, Zatanna quickly realized that it was a sketchbook. One that she quickly realized belonged to Julio. She didn't own one, and he had just been in here. They were also the only people here, which meant that he must have accidentally dropped it.
But as Zatanna took a quick skim of the pages, she realized that Julio was a talented artist. The way he stylized everything wasn't to her taste, but she couldn't deny that it was eye-catching. Even something as simple as a skyline or a bench popped out of the page with the way he colored and distorted. She smiled as she looked through them, enthralled by their energy.
The smile faded as she found a familiar face in the book.
She had only seen him for a minute yesterday. But that one minute seemed to be enough time for him to memorize her face. These drawings were significantly less stylized, taking a more realistic approach to how he drew her. But his use of colors was still present, making her hair look a sharp shade of jet black, her eyes a sticking lightning shade, and her lips an enticing scarlet.
The next four pages also featured her. One had her posing like a CEO, the other sitting and relaxed, the third had her walking, and the fourth seemed to be her falling from the sky with a smile. All of these drawings presented her with a sense of elegance and power, and each of them had the same level of detail paid to her face.
Zatanna was… flattered. She was a public figure, so she was used to people using her likeness. But the way Julio had drawn was surprisingly tasteful. And in her personal opinion, he drew her face better than she maintained it.
But at the same time, this worried her. Not only because she wanted to keep this temporary acquaintance temporary, but also because… it made her like him more.
None of her old boyfriends had done something like this for her. Julio was the first to make her a surprise portrait, and that put him above half of her ex-boyfriends already.
"I wonder how else he's better than-"
"No. No."
Shaking those thoughts out of her head, Zatanna spoke a small spell.
"Nruter Siht Koob."
The spell would make sure Julio wouldn't even realize he lost his book. So Zatanna went back to her own books. She had to find the solution to this problem.
Before her resolve wore off.
I'm surprised I managed to finish this. But after the lackluster ending to Domestic Dimension, I felt that I had to give Zatanna a newer (and hopefully better) shot.
The reason I rushed a bit to push this out is because I will be leaving for vacation in a few days, so I don't know when the next chapter will come out. But this is a story that ignited my mind, so I feel compelled to get it done as soon as I can. Might not be until late next week, or later, but it will be done. I'll be disappointed in myself if I fail.
For those wondering, John did in fact cheat on Zatanna with King Shark in this universe. Why? Honestly, John fucks up so much it seemed believable. And also morbidly funny. Especially when you see the scene between them in the Justice League Apokolips War movie.
The hotel at the end of space is an idea I got from The Umbrella Academy. Great show, highly recommend.
In the meantime, go ahead and tell me what you all think. I will see you all in the next chapter.
