Page 4 of Room 1003

Dad turned to glance up at the house, wary. “Will the house still be here when we get back?”

“Yeah, but I don’t think we’ll be turning the lights on anytime soon.” I shook my head, chuckling.

“It’s not too late to change your mind, you know,” he said. “Just because it was Embry’s dream house, that doesn’t mean it has to be yours.”

“I know, but I want this for Kit. A place to call home. There’s a great school down the street, lots of kids in the neighborhood. And you have to admit, the price was right.”

Now it was his turn to laugh. “Yeah, a real steal, and I think we now know why.”

I bit back my groan. He was right. On first glance, the old Gothic-revival house looked grand, its brick given a facelift with a fresh coat of paint, but now I wondered if it wasn’t concealing all its faults beneath. I should’ve taken the time to get an inspection done, but this was Embry’s house! He’d had his eye on it for years before he died, so when it hit the market, nothing would’ve dissuaded me from buying it, not even some much-needed repairs.

“Come on,” I said, heading around to the driver’s side. “Our adventure awaits.”

2

Ben

BythetimeIfinished with the elevator repairs, it was pretty late. I stuck around long enough to make sure everything was running smoothly, then I called it a night. While the lobby was still bright as day, the chandelier overhead sending out refracted light to all four corners of the room, the windows showed that it was full dark outside. I glanced at my watch. Past midnight.

Being an electrician was typically a nine-to-five kind of job, but I had the freedom to set my own hours, and it was emergency calls like this one that made the real money. It was worth missing out on a little sleep. I was able to charge a premium rate for my time, making a full paycheck in just one night. It wasn’t like I had anyone waiting at home for me. Just my cat, Dmitri, but he slept most of the time anyway. He wouldn’t even notice me missing until his food bowl was empty.

“Thank you again,” the manager gushed. He’d been thanking me nearly non-stop since I got here.

“Really, it’s no trouble,” I assured him. “Yours is not the first elevator that’s broken. These things happen.”

He nodded, his hands clasped at his waist, wringing his fingers together. “Yes, of course, but I suppose I worry that, with a building this age, there will come a time when something cannot be fixed.”

“Nah, they don’t build hotels like this baby anymore.” I patted the counter, solid beneath my palm. “Her structure is sound. She just needs a little TLC, and I can tell you love her.”

The stress that had been pinching his face relaxed into a genuine smile. “I really do.” When he smiled like that, I could understand what the clerk saw in him. It changed his whole face. The poor guy just needed to relax, laugh a little. Life wasn’t meant to be so serious. “Well then… I should let you get home.”

I could see if I didn’t leave now, he would launch into another round of effusive thanks, so I quickly said good night and headed for the exit. As I crossed the lobby, however, I caught a familiar scent in the air. My steps slowed, until I was simply standing still in the middle of the room, spinning in place. This was not a smell that belonged here, among the city’s perfumed elite. Hot, smoky, burning wires.

At first I was worried I had missed something, that the elevator was shorting out again, but I was nowhere near the elevator, which was clear on the other side of the reception desk. I glanced nervously up at the chandelier, but it looked stable, not a single flicker in the warm glow. Then, just as a couple of people were walking past me, the stench flared up, ebbing as they passed.

I turned, my eyes following them. It was an older man with salt-and-pepper hair and a second younger man around my age, with a child in dinosaur pajamas limp in his arms, the boy’s face squished against his shoulder. They were dressed in plaid flannel pants and ratty t-shirts, like they’d just rolled out of bed. It was a look I’d sported myself once or twice, but it was out of place in the fancy hotel.

Something about the threesome tugged at me. It was none of my business what they’d been through tonight. I didn’t know them, they didn’t know me, and I should just mind my own business. Except, it seemed that at least a small part of myself didn’t get the memo, and it was that part of my brain that was currently behind the wheel.

Before I knew what I was doing, I called, “Excuse me,” taking a step in their direction. What the hell was wrong with me? They didn’t want me butting into their lives, especially if it was something traumatic that had happened. For all I knew, they’d survived a horrific fire tonight, or even worse, maybe not everyone had survived.

That thought made my stomach plummet. I forced myself to stop following them, telling myself that I would just leave. They probably hadn’t even heard me anyway. Except, the younger man turned to look back, and that was the moment when I knew there would be no walking away.

“Yes?” he asked, tilting his chin to look up at me. His eyes were a warm amber, but he looked beyond tired. His hair stuck out in all directions, like he’d completely given up trying to tame it. I wondered if that was before or after whatever happened this evening.

“Um, yes, sorry. I just—I smelled you on the way in.” His eyebrows jumped and his jaw dropped. I backpedaled quickly, holding my hands up in defense. “Wow, no. That sounded creepy. Not what I meant. I just meant that I recognize that smell, the smoke and burning wires, and I think I can help you.”

The little boy on his shoulder stirred and lifted his head to check me out. “You’re big,” he said, in that way children had of saying exactly what came to mind without any concern for societal rules.

The man who must’ve been his father winced. “Kit, some people don’t like to have attention brought to their bodies,” the omega said gently. “It might hurt their feelings.”

“Oh,” the kid said, his little face scrunching up as he thought that over. “I’m sorry I hurt your feelings,” he told me.

“That’s okay, I don’t mind. It’s true, I am big,” I told him, giving him a wink.

The older man joined us and asked, “You said you can help? What is it you do?”

“I’m an electrician,” I said, reaching into my pocket and pulling out a business card. As the omega had his hands full with the child, the older man reached out and took the card, reading it. He had those same eyes, and I suspected this was three generations of the same family—grandfather, father, and son. The man’s lips moved silently, and I knew from experience that he was debating how to pronounce my last name, so I beat him to the punch. “Just Ben is fine.”

---