The Eleventh Floor

by Shani Struthers

  “What are you thinking?”

  David had leaned closer, genuine curiosity on his face.

  “Oh nothing,” she answered, perhaps a tad too quickly. But what else could she say? Certainly not the truth: Oh, David, I was just thinking that perhaps you fancied me, that you wanted a tumble between the sheets. That earlier, when Edward kissed my hand, you started to act strangely. I thought perhaps you might be jealous of what he’d done.

  If those words came tumbling out she’d sound as immature as Elspeth!

  At his table, John started to rise.

  “John,” Caroline called out, not just grateful for the distraction but remembering the agreement she’d made with David earlier, “would you like to join us for a coffee?”

  John looked startled at the prospect, like the proverbial rabbit caught in the headlights. Any minute, she fancied, she’d see large beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead as sheer terror engulfed him. “I… erm… no thanks. I’m very tired.”

  “Me too.” David’s manner was casual, an attempt to put John at ease perhaps. “But we’d really like it if you could join us, just for a little while.”

  John simply stared at them and then, when he did speak; it was not to give them an answer. “It’s not going to get any better, you know that, don’t you?”

  “The weather, you mean?” Caroline checked. “I did catch the news earlier, and yeah, it does look as if it’s going to be grim for a while. I’m from England, and I’ve never seen so much snow. But there’ll be a break soon; life will get back to normal. It can’t last forever.”

  “Normal?” John seemed to ponder that concept, his lips compressing into a thin white line. Having lowered his head, he raised it. “I’m sorry, I need to go to my room. I’m sorry,” he apologised again, backing away from them, from everyone.

  “Hey, it’s okay,” David called after him. “No pressure. Maybe next time.”

  After his departure David and Caroline had coffee together, David ordering a whiskey as well, although Caroline declined on that score. Across the way, Edward and Tallula had their hands up by their mouths and were whispering to each other. Marilyn and Elspeth were long gone, Marilyn having shepherded her charge from the room.

  Despite continuing to enjoy David’s company, some of Caroline’s earlier spark had diminished. She was worrying about John. He seemed such a lost soul. One that was kindling a maternal instinct in her as much as Elspeth had for Marilyn.

  A giggle escaped Tallula and again Caroline glanced over.

  “They’re quite the pair, aren’t they?” David remarked.

  “Hmm? Oh, yeah, they are. They seem well suited.”

  “To each other maybe but not to this place. I’d have thought The Egress was a bit too… down-market for them.”

  Maybe, always supposing they’d chosen to come here and not had to because of the weather. Edward having a ‘usual’ room suggested the former in his case, at least. Even so, Caroline had to agree, they did look out of place. They were more the kind of couple you’d expect to find swanning around a five star luxury resort in the Bahamas – a dazzling couple. That’s where they’d fit in, not here, at a hotel that was long past its best.

  “Hard to take your eyes off ’em, isn’t it?”

  Caroline turned to David. “Sorry? What do you mean?”

  He shrugged, gave her one of his smiles. “They seem to have caught your attention, that’s all.”

  “My attention…” Her voice trailed off. “I still don’t understand what you mean.”

  David leaned back in his chair. “You’ve been staring at them pretty much all night.”

  “All night?”

  Again David shrugged.

  “I haven’t.”

  “I don’t blame you. Like I said, they’re quite the pair.”

  “Maybe they are, but you’re wrong, I haven’t been staring, not all night.”

  “It doesn’t matter—”

  “No, it does matter,” she protested. “It’s like… it’s like you’re… insinuating something.”

  “Insinuating?” A frown darkened his features. “I’m just making conversation.”

  “It’s not a conversation I particularly like,” she declared, unsure why she was getting so het up but unable to stop herself. It was as though she were on a fairground ride, one that was gaining momentum. “Earlier, when Edward introduced himself, you weren’t exactly friendly.”

  “I was.”

  “You weren’t.”

  His sigh was one of exasperation. “Caroline, you’re imagining things.”

  “Imagining?” How dare he patronise her?

  She stood up, her chair scraping backwards and the noise reverberating around the room as it tended to do. Why wasn’t there any music being played, a room as cavernous as this should be filled with music. Sweet Caroline… those were the words Edward had said whilst he’d kissed her hands, words that had set David off. She wasn’t imagining it. “Do you know what, I’m tired too,” she announced. “I’m going to my room.”

  David stood as well. “Look, Caroline, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean anything by what I said. I wasn’t implying anything. The last thing I want to do is upset you.”

  He reached out a hand but she reared slightly to avoid it. “Who I choose to stare at or not, as the case may be, is my business, David, and not yours.”

  “Caroline,” David continued to plead as she turned on her heel and walked away, knowing without having to look at them that Edward and Tallula were staring at her too, the latest person in the ballroom to make a show of themselves. Well, let them. She didn’t care. Soon she’d be in her room. She could shut the world out. She might have dreaded its solitude during the day, but now she yearned for it; it was so much easier to be alone.

  * * *

  “Hold the elevator please.”

  Just before the doors could close a hand thrust between them, its talon-like nails perfectly manicured. Not David then. Clearly he knew better than to try and appease her.

  ‘Such a temper you’ve got,’ her mother would say, ‘you should have been a redhead.’

  Like Elspeth? Mad as well?

  Caroline, stop it!

  Damn him for not being the one prising the doors open, for it being Tallula instead.

  “Sorry,” the younger woman said, sidling in, “but hopefully you’re in no big hurry.”

  “It’s fine,” replied Caroline, biting down on her lip.

  “He’s finishing his whiskey,” she continued, “he’ll be up soon.”

  “Who?”

  “Who’d ya think?”

  “I have no idea.” She could be referring to either Edward or David; Caroline didn’t bother pressing her as to which one.

  Tallula’s pale pink lips disappeared as she smirked. “What floor are you on?”

  “The eleventh.”

  “Of course.”

  “What floor are you on?” Caroline enquired, genuinely intrigued.

  “I’m on eleven too.”

  “I haven’t seen you there.”

  “Nonetheless, that’s where I am.”

  Finally the elevator started to ascend – sluggishly.

  In such close confines with Tallula, Caroline could smell the perfume she was wearing, a smell she was sure some might think intoxicating – musky, earthy, with overtones of patchouli perhaps? She, however, would say it was suffocating, making her head ache again. Edward had been so close to her at the dining table, how could he have borne it?

  “You like him, don’t you?”

  Again Caroline was caught off guard. “I’m sorry, I really don’t know—”

  “Edward, you like Edward.”

  “Edward?” Not just her cheeks, her whole body flamed. She checked the visual display and noted with dismay that they were only at the second floor. Come on, hurry up. Unfortunately, the elevator refused to comply. “I don’t know him. I’m sure he’s very nice.”

  “I saw you staring.”

  Shit!
David had been right after all; she’d been too obvious. And yet… she was sure she hadn’t stared that much. It was as if she were being victimised.

  “I’m sorry if you thought I was staring, I—”

  “You like David too.” This time it was a statement, not a question. “But you’re scared.”

  “Scared?”

  “Yeah, you’re terrified. You’re not used to liking someone so much. And so what does someone like you do in that situation? You sabotage it.”

  Someone like her? What on earth did she mean? The temper that had surfaced at dinner – that she was supposed to have back under control – started bubbling away. “Look, I don’t know who you are, or why you think you know so much about me, but—”

  Tallula laughed, a sound as cold as her whole demeanour, as the weather that raged outside, effectively cutting Caroline off in mid-flow.

  I have to get out of here. Not only did her head hurt, her nausea had returned. Edward might have borne being so close to this woman, but there was no way she could.

  Hurry! Hurry! Again she urged the elevator ever upwards.

  “Don’t panic,” Tallula said, obvious amusement in her voice.

  This woman was cruel, Caroline realised. The worst kind of bully. The kind who’d assassinate you with a smile.

  “We’re almost there,” she continued.

  They’d just limped past five.

  “Almost,” Tallula repeated, just as there was a loud thud. “Oh no, would you believe it, we’re not almost there after all.”

  Stunned, Caroline stared at the visual display – they’d stopped at six. Immediately she was suspicious. Had Tallula planned this? When she’d entered the elevator she hadn’t seen her press any buttons, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t. The woman was as sneaky as hell.

  The elevator doors started to open, slowly, as if they were enjoying the prank too, were colluding with this strange woman who stood tall and straight, displaying the same confidence as Edward had earlier, confidence that bordered on arrogance.

  Before the doors could open, Caroline almost threw herself at the number pad and, with one finger, jabbed at eleven. The doors didn’t close; on the contrary, they opened fully.

  “Christ!” she swore under her breath.

  “Oh dear,” Tallula sighed long and low. “What do we do now?”

  “Take the stairs, of course,” Caroline said, brushing past her. As their arms touched she experienced the same jolt that she had with Edward, but this time it left her feeling tainted, longing for her room again, for the hottest of showers. She really wasn’t prone to disliking people, especially not on first sight without knowing a thing about them, but she couldn’t deny it, she disliked this woman – Princess Perfect, Ice-Cold Tallula – intensely. Disliked also that Tallula thought she knew her when she didn’t. Those comments about David, about her being afraid, were ludicrous. She’d had relationships in the past, plenty of them, and sure they’d ended in various ways, but not because she’d sabotaged them. She wasn’t always the one to blame.

  “Honey,” the woman’s hand was on her arm. “You need to breathe, just breathe.”

  “I… what?” Her mind had gone off on such a wild tangent, she felt precisely that, unable to breathe, her chest heaving up and down really quite painfully. “Sorry… I…”

  “I know what the elevator’s like,” Tallula continued. “How temperamental it is. Just give it a minute and it’ll… reset itself.”

  Ice-Cold Tallula had morphed into Kind, Caring Tallula – a persona that didn’t suit her, not when her concern didn’t reach her eyes, the truest of blues; no warmth in them at all. “I know,” she whispered, in a sudden change of mind, “let’s explore.”

  “Explore?” Why on earth would she want to do that at this time of evening and with her, of all people? “I just want to go to my room. I’ll take the stairs—”

  “I wonder who’s on this floor? Anyone exciting do you think?”

  Breathing hard again, Caroline answered, “I don’t know. I don’t care.”

  “It’s busy though, isn’t it?”

  Caroline peered along the corridor; it was even gloomier than the second floor, full of shadows. “Not particularly.”

  “Oh, it is,” said Tallula, her heels sinking into the red patterned carpet as she started to walk forwards. “You know it is.”

  God, she wished she’d stopped presuming that she knew what was going on in her head. But she mustn’t react; she couldn’t, not with a total stranger. You and David aren’t exactly life-long buddies and yet you laid into him quick enough.

  She had and – removed from the situation – she felt ashamed.

  Tallula was speaking again. “Don’t all these closed doors make you curious about who lurks behind them? There are so many people aren’t there? So many lives. All of us together and yet only a few stand out, make an impact, for good reasons, and for plenty of bad reasons too. Sometimes the bad reasons are the ones that stand out the most.”

  What was this? Now Tallula was getting philosophical on her? And yet… she did wonder, often, about people, their stories; the comedy, and the tragedy that everyone experienced, the highs and the lows. People mattered to her, her family primarily, her friends. But there’d never been anyone who mattered above all the rest.

  Tallula continued walking, one finger trailing against the wall. “Who lives in a room like this?” she asked, tapping lightly at 601, trailing her finger again, tapping at 602, her touch feather-light so as not to disturb the residents within, if there were any residents, that is. She couldn’t hear any signs of life despite Tallula insisting it was busy. Tallula was at room 605 when Caroline asked the question, mainly of herself, if she were honest.

  “I wonder if this is the floor where the teenager and her family are?”

  Tallula spun around to face her. “What teenager?”

  “The one that was in the elevator the day I arrived. She’s got long black hair, was wearing a yellow blouse and a plaid skirt. I didn’t catch a glimpse of her face but I got the impression she was sulking. I haven’t seen her since, that’s all, and it’s not a big hotel…”

  Tallula’s mouth was open. “You’ve seen the architect’s daughter?”

  Caroline frowned. “I don’t know whose daughter she is, and like I said, I haven’t seen her since, not at dinner, or in the lobby, but she must be here still. She can’t have left.”

  “Oh, she hasn’t left,” Tallula all but sneered.

  “Do you know her?” Caroline asked.

  “I know of her. Poor cow.”

  “Hey, I’m not sure you should be calling a kid names like that!”

  “I feel sorry for her, that’s all.”

  Caroline couldn’t help but be intrigued. “Why? Because of her parents?”

  “Her parents? No. It’s got nothing to do with her parents.” She shook her head, seemed impressed almost. “I’m surprised you’ve seen her. Usually it takes longer.”

  She should have expected it: more riddles, more teasing. The girl was trying so hard to be enigmatic. Before Caroline could reply, however, Tallula was on the move again.

  “Now this room,” she was saying, tapping at the door opposite 605, “has a very interesting occupant.”

  Before she could reply, a voice startled them both.

  “Why are you here?” At the end of the corridor, beside the door that led to the stairwell, stood Althea, no assistant with her, she was all alone, the contours of her face rigid rather than soft. When neither of them answered, she spoke again. “This isn’t your floor.”

  Immediately, Caroline scrabbled for a reason to justify their presence. Gesturing behind her, she said, “The elevator got stuck.”

  Althea eyed her, her gaze burrowing. “You should go.”

  “Relax.” It was Tallula, trying to appear as casual as ever but not quite managing to pull it off. “We’re exploring. There’s no law against it, not the last time I looked.”

  “Always looking
for an argument, aren’t you?” Althea replied.

  Tallula blanched. “I’m not arguing, I’m—”

  “You think you’d have learnt by now who not to pick an argument with.”

  “Look…” Tallula began but words seemed to fail her, she simply couldn’t carry on.

  Althea addressed Caroline. “These rooms are in the process of being renovated.”

  “I… I don’t see any sign of it,” Caroline ventured.

  “That doesn’t mean it’s not happening.”

  “But—”

  Tallula interrupted Caroline, stopping her from arguing too. “Better not upset the big boss woman. Her heart might give out, if she’s got one, that is. Let’s just go.”

  “Back to the eleventh floor?” Althea checked, unfazed by the insult.

  Tallula nodded, as sullen as any teenager.

  “Then I’ll accompany you.”

  “But the elevator,” Caroline tried again, “it’s—”

  “There is nothing wrong with the elevator,” Althea insisted, heading towards them, reaching them much sooner than Caroline anticipated. Again, she was struck by her agility; she was as light as a ballerina, and certainly as graceful.

  Falling in behind her, Caroline looked at Tallula, wondering if she might be pulling a face behind Althea’s back, the kind of thing a scolded child might do, but she wasn’t. She followed too, but her breathing was heavy still. She was angry. More than that: incensed. Why? Because Althea had interrupted whatever stupid game she’d been playing?

  In the elevator, it was Althea who leant towards the keypad, jabbing at eleven.

  Immediately the doors closed, as if they dared not disobey this powerhouse of a woman either. Such a hold she had over everyone, everything. Only Edward and Tallula so far had shown resentment because of it. As they travelled there was silence – barely even the sound of breathing anymore. All stood perfectly still, staring ahead. Tallula was the first to exit. Once they’d reached their destination, she couldn’t wait to get away. Caroline kept an eye on which door she disappeared through: 1107, opposite her.