The Secret of the Aurora Hotel (Ultimate Ending Book 5)

by Danny McAleese

  Evan leans against the wall for support, accidentally knocking a painting crooked. Instantly the woman appears again. She floats over, rights it, then fades quickly away. You'd swear she looks annoyed as she blinks out of existence.

  "What the--"

  You step up. Open some drawers. You push back the mattress and look under the bed. Each time you touch something, the ghost puts it back. The air gets colder with every movement.

  "Come on," you say. You teeth are chattering and you can even see your breath. "Hurry up. We're almost done."

  Evan joins you, and eventually you've upended the entire room without finding a single thing. You turn to leave, and when you look back from the doorway it's like you haven't touched anything at all.

  Cross the hall and enter room 106 when you TURN TO PAGE 138

  57

  Winding back, you put your arm swiftly and decisively through the window of the cupola. The glass shatters instantly, falling in jagged shards around your feet.

  "Nice," Jenna declares. As she reaches in to unlock the door however, you notice she suddenly stops. "Uh oh."

  You glance down. The top of Evan's sweatshirt is blossoming bright red. Slowly you unwrap your arm and your worst fears are realized: there's a long, deep cut across the top of your forearm.

  "Quick, put pressure on it," Evan says. You try clamping your hand over the cut but it's too long. Droplets of blood fall from either side of your hand, painting tiny red beads in the snow. "Oh man," your cousin laments.

  The cut is going to need a whole bunch of stitches. And sooner, rather than later. All of this is very unfortunate, because you really were getting somewhere!

  For now though, I'm afraid your night of solving the Aurora's mysteries has come to

  THE END

  58

  The noise, the wind, the glow of the portal -- it's just too much! You screw your eyes closed against the chaos. When you open them again, the candle is still flickering before you. Instinctively you lean forward and blow it out...

  Everything stops.

  The light, the wind, the intense cold -- all of it is gone in the span of an instant. The book slams shut on itself. The crystal goes from black, to grey, to white... and then to nothing at all. It's only a piece of glass now, sitting in the middle of an old table. Still hanging from the ceiling, the oil lamp sways gently back and forth.

  James Roakes's eyes flip open. They shift in your direction. "What happened?"

  "I--I blew out the candle," you say.

  His face goes instantly pale. "And why did you do that?"

  Your stomach falls out from under you, like the first drop on a roller coaster. "I... I just..."

  Mr. Roakes stands. He lets out the longest, saddest sigh you've ever heard. "The spirits of the hotel," he explains, "were trapped in the crystal here. We could have sent them through the nethergate, delivering them back to a place they would be at peace. Instead, you ended the ceremony prematurely." He looks around forlornly down at the table. "Now they're stranded at the Aurora once more."

  You sink your face into your palms as Evan and Jenna step behind you. A comforting hand finds its way to your shoulder.

  "There's always next year, cuz," Jenna says. Her attempt at cheering you up is still undermined with disappointment. "Right?"

  Mr. Roakes shrugs. "Perhaps," he says. "Perhaps not. That force you felt was Warrick, the worst spirit of them all. We surprised him this time, and I think that's why we escaped with our lives. But next year, he'll be ready. Next time, we might not be so lucky."

  Evan squeezes your shoulder consolingly. "Doesn't matter," he says firmly. "We're still gonna try."

  Well, as Jenna said there's always next year. Hopefully, the Aurora will still be in business. But for the next twelve long months, this looks like

  THE END

  59

  You kneel down before the vent cover. Hand-poured bronze, it depicts two scrolling interlocking hearts. At one time, it was probably very beautiful. Someone totally ruined it by painting it red.

  Behind the cover is a recessed area shrouded in darkness.

  "We're in luck," you say. "There aren't any screws."

  The only thing holding the vent cover to the wall is a thick layer of red paint. You work some of it away with a fingernail, then begin pulling at the top two corners. It still doesn't budge.

  "Come on," Evan teases. "You can pull harder than that!"

  You curl your fingertips around the edge and pull harder. Slowly the thick coating of latex paint begins stretching in your direction...

  Okay champ, roll a single die.

  If you rolled a 1 or a 5, TURN TO PAGE 29

  If you rolled a 2, 3, 4, or 6, GO TO PAGE 86

  60

  With your cousin on your shoulders it's very hard to look up. You're kind of winging it.

  "Grab that first one," you tell her.

  Jenna reaches for the candle, stretching as far as her body will go. You feel the muscles in her legs go tight for a second, and your heart jumps into your throat. She's going to fall!

  "Wait!" you cry. You try conjuring a mental image of the photo again. "No, not that one." You grip her ankles with both hands now, using only your shins to steady yourself on the ladder. It hurts.

  "It's one of the other ones," you say through gritted teeth. "I'm sure of it."

  Make another choice:

  If you tell Jenna to grab candle number 2, TURN TO PAGE 110

  If you tell Jenna to grab candle number 3, TURN TO PAGE 158

  61

  You reach into your pocket and pull out the small pewter cannon. Evan looks on in disbelief.

  "We found this downstairs," you say, handing it over to him. "In the lobby."

  Evan studies the board for a long moment, then carefully places the cannon on one of the squares.

  Immediately there's a change. The apparition of the young man flutters and glows brightly. He reaches out, takes the cannon, and moves it into a new position. Then he sits back and actually smiles.

  "The missing piece was a knight," Evan explains. "And that's checkmate."

  The ghost of the young man stands up abruptly and faces Evan. There's a look of triumph on the apparition's face, but also, gratitude.

  "Don't read the book," the ghost whispers, laying a glowing hand on your cousin's shoulder. Then it bows to him with a flourish, and disappears.

  The three of you stand in silence for a moment. It's Jenna who finally speaks.

  "Um, did a ghost just pat you on the shoulder?" she asks her brother.

  "I-- I think so."

  Jenna grins. "This is the best Halloween ever!"

  Nice work right there! Head out the window and onto the frozen roof when you FLIP DOWN TO PAGE 150

  62

  You watch as Evan unlocks the door to room 116. There's a strange haze that hangs in the air here, even after flipping on all the lights.

  "We should do this room quickly," Evan says. Although he's trying to stay casual, you can detect a certain edge to his voice.

  "Why?"

  "No reason," he fibs. After a quick frown from you however, he relents. "Fine," your cousin sighs. "Everyone who stays in here ends up switching their room. They won't always say why. It's gotten to the point where dad won't rent it unless we're all filled up."

  You nod to let him know you appreciate the honesty. "The Aurora fills up? Well that's cool. I thought the hotel was struggling?"

  "It is," Evan admits. "But sometimes when there's an event, or a convention--"

  The conversation halts as an apparition materializes between you. Shockingly, by now neither of you are surprised. You and Evan stand there, watching as the ghostly white form of an elderly man comes into focus. He appears to be fussing with a pair of wire-rimmed spectacles.

  "Scott--"

  "Shh!" you hiss, silencing you cousin. A moment later the apparition begins to move. It flutters weirdly in the dim haze, its movements halting or even jerky at times. It makes you feel
like you're watching an old reel-to-reel movie, but a couple of frames of film are missing. The ghost heads toward the window, stops, then changes direction. Without slowing down, it floats right through the wall.

  "What the--"

  Ignoring your cousin, you push over to where the apparition disappeared. A large vanity table blocks the wall. You slide it backward and start pressing against the wall with your hand. As you suspected, there's a narrow gap where the wallpaper bows inward.

  "There was a door here," you say excitedly. "But they covered it."

  Evan looks back at you nervously. "Maybe they had a reason to?"

  "Or maybe someone's hiding something," you say. Using your fingertips, you can make out the edges of a narrow doorway. It's just big enough to enter, but you'd have to rip the paper to go through.

  Do you follow the ghost? If you really are that brave, FLIP BACK TO PAGE 33

  Follow a ghost? Are you nuts? To head back into the hallway, PLAY IT SAFE ON PAGE 108

  63

  "Alright," you tell Jenna. "I'm with you." Your cousin sticks her tongue out at her brother before beaming back at you. "Evan, we'll meet up with you afterward. Just be careful."

  "You too," he says. "And try to keep a low profile down there. The lobby level will have more people awake."

  You nod and head out into the hallway. The first floor is a silent, carpeted world that stretches in two directions.

  "The Grand Staircase is down that way," Jenna points. She pops a piece of pink gum in her mouth. "Or if you want, we can take that."

  Your cousin jerks her head toward the hotel's inner glass elevator. It looks old and rickety, but it's also really, really cool.

  You can take the Grand Staircase by TURNING TO PAGE 128

  Or you can jump in the glass elevator OVER ON PAGE 37

  64

  A thought occurs to you: if the ghosts are over a hundred years old, maybe the food is too. And the idea of eating century-old ghost-food doesn't sound very appealing.

  "I think I'm gonna skip this meal," you tell Jenna. "Besides," you say, rubbing your stomach, "your dad already fed us earlier."

  Jenna stares back at you, obviously crushed. She looks like a kid who opened her biggest birthday present to find nothing inside.

  "Not very adventurous, cuz," she tells you. "And here I thought we were on an actual adventure."

  There are two exits leading out of the dining hall.

  To head into the Aurora's lounge area, TURN TO PAGE 49

  If you'd rather check out the hotel kitchen, GO TO PAGE 117

  65

  If you're trying anything, you decide it's going to be the salad. I mean, how bad could a salad be?

  You switch utensils and slide it over, and for once your cousin follows your lead. Your fork slides through the phantom greens with an unexpected crunch. When you lift it to your mouth, something doesn't seem right. Something's moving!

  "Ugh!" Jenna cries, throwing her own fork down. Skewered at the end is what looks like a tiny tentacle! It writhes and twists on the ghostly table as you throw your own fork away in revulsion.

  "I'm open to trying new things," Jenna cries, "but this is crossing the line! Come on, Scotty. Let's go!"

  For some reason you nod apologetically to the ghost seated across from you before hopping out of your chair. After dabbing its chin with a napkin, you receive a firm nod back. Then Jenna is whisking you away, pulling you through a large opening and into the next room.

  "Next time we check the menu first," your cousin says. "Because that was ridiculous."

  Yuck! Well, almost anyway. Looks like you've avoided the grossness for now.

  You can head into the hotel lounge OVER ON PAGE 49

  Or check out the Aurora's kitchen by TURNING TO PAGE 117

  66

  You leave the weeping woman behind you and slip through the adjoining door. The next room is a mirror image of the previous one, as so often happens with hotel suites. Only this one appears totally bare.

  "It's dark in here," Jenna declares. Since the light switch is on the other side of the room, she pulls open the curtains and lets the moonlight spill in.

  Right away you notice something interesting. A large steel checkerboard has been welded over the window, preventing exit. The squares of metal -- and lack thereof -- throw mismatched shadows of light and dark across the floor of the empty room.

  "Hey, just like hopscotch!" your cousin coos. She gets up on one leg and prepares to jump...

  You drop a hand on Jenna's shoulder. "Hang on a second." Extending an arm, you point out the alternating pattern of moonlight and shadow. "There's a reason the floor looks like this. There has to be."

  You can tell by Evan's body language that he seems to agree with you. "Yeah, I think so too," he nods. "But what?"

  If you tell Jenna to step only on the moonlit squares, TURN TO PAGE 82

  If you instruct her to stay on the shadow squares instead, GO TO PAGE 18

  67

  The footsteps, you realize, are coming from the left. And off to the right, you don't like the sound of the machine at all.

  "Backtrack," you say quickly.

  "What?"

  "We need to go back," you tell Jenna. "Now, before somebody sees us!"

  Before your cousin can say anything you grab her wrist and pull her back down the hallway. The noises get louder just as you reach the end, slipping around the corner before you're seen. It's a good thing you're decisive!

  Backtrack to the lobby and enter the Aurora's dining area OVER ON PAGE 102

  68

  Together, you and Jenna move into the lobby. At this hour the big area is empty and desolate, save for a single blue-haired woman standing behind the front desk. An old clock built into the molding behind her seems stopped on the wrong time of 1:08.

  "That's Agnes," Jenna says. "Don't mind her. She's half deaf and partially blind." Your cousin scratches her head. "Or is it mostly deaf and half blind? I can never remember."

  The room itself is impressive. Long columns stretch to an arched ceiling three stories high. Beyond the clinical couches and uniform seating areas the place is still warm and inviting, possibly because of the tremendous fireplace built into the opposite wall. Even at this hour, its flames are still roaring.

  Presiding over the lobby on the upper floors is an ornate wrap-around landing. For a second you think you see someone up there, leaning over the rail. But when you look again more closely, all you can make out are shadows.

  You turn back to find your cousin creeping like a ninja toward the front desk. She arrives unseen, crouched against the facade, one finger pressed to her lips in a "shushing" gesture.

  "AGNES!" Jenna cries, leaping up into view. The old woman is so startled her glasses actually fly off her face. They end up dangling by a chain around her neck.

  "WHAT? Who? Oh... Jenna! What are you doing up at this--"

  "My father would like your help in the kitchen," she says sweetly. "Please."

  "The kitchen? At this hour? What could--"

  "I don't know," Jenna shrugs. She takes a single flower from a nearby vase and tucks it into her hair. "But it sounded pretty urgent."

  You watch as the woman nods, composes herself, and eventually exits the lobby. "That was mean," you tell your cousin. "Really mean."

  "Yeah probably," Jenna agrees. "But it got her out of here, didn't it?"

  The lobby is all yours for the taking! What will you do first?

  There's a side room filled with what appears to be an old taxidermy display. To check it out, TURN TO PAGE 112

  Behind the front desk is the manager's office. You can search that room by GOING TO PAGE 16

  Or you can check out the fireplace and surrounding area. Do that OVER ON PAGE 77

  69

  With the click of another lock you enter room 119. Instantly your eyes go wide, because the room is entirely blue. The walls are blue. The floor is blue. Even the ceiling is... well, blue. It's the strangest thing you'
ve ever seen.

  "More theme rooms?"

  "Yeah," Evan says. "Colors, this time. Dad's getting around to redecorating them, but sometime people ask for these. Quirky, I guess." He picks up a blue throw pillow and drops it back on a blue suede couch. "There used to be an orange room, if you can believe that. But people said it gave them pounding headaches, so..."

  Some of the room's decor is off color, but not by much. You get busy checking a navy blue chest of drawers. Evan rifles through a sky blue night table. Eventually you've searched the entire room without finding anything. But one item does stand out: a smooth, three-foot long elephant tusk stands upright in one corner. It looks weirdly out of place.

  "That thing's not blue," you say, pointing to it.

  Evan looks over his shoulder and shrugs. "What can I say? This place is kooky." He unlocks an adjoining blue door in one wall. "Here, this leads to 121. The white room, if I remember it right." He laughs. "I know, I know, very exciting. In fact--"

  BANG! BANG! BANG!

  You both whirl at the sound. The three sharp knocks originated from the door you just entered through. Quietly you step over and peer through the peephole. The hallway appears empty.