The Secret of the Aurora Hotel

by Danny McAleese

  It's Jenna and Evan! You tap your female cousin on her shoulder.

  "Jeeze!" Jenna cries, jumping forward about three feet. "Don't scare me like that!"

  "Sorry," you apologize. "I just--"

  Evan looks absolutely dumbstruck. He glances from you, to the door, then back to you again. "Wait. How did you... get..." He rubs his eyes in disbelief.

  "That place is forever," you say, although you realize the statement probably makes little sense. "Thanks for waiting for me though."

  Jenna stares back at you in confusion. "Scotty, you just walked through the door," she says. "Literally ten seconds ago."

  A shiver runs through you from head to toe. "Well then that's definitely the wrong exit," you breathe.

  No harm no foul, right? Choose again!

  If you want to try the door on the right, HEAD TO PAGE 30

  If you'd rather try the window instead, TURN TO PAGE 122

  16

  "Let's check out the office," you suggest, "before she comes back." Jenna agrees, and together you enter the brightly-lit room behind the front desk.

  The manager's office is neat, orderly. Exactly what you'd expect from your uncle Gus. However, there doesn't seem to be much to search through. Heck, you're not exactly sure what you're looking for to begin with.

  "There, the back room," Jenna points to a small wooden door. It's so narrow and tucked away you never would've noticed it. "The older stuff is kept back there."

  A metal desk blocks your way. It's easily moved, but the grinding sound it makes as you slide it to one side sends a shiver up the back of your neck... like nails on a chalkboard. Once inside, you realize there's no light. Not even a light switch. Dust covers everything. The room has a woody, old book smell to it. Like the deepest part of a library.

  Your cousin pulls out her cell phone. Using it as a flashlight she being rifling through a ream of old papers. "I saw something here once," she says, "back when Evan and I were looking through the old hotel manifests. There were a couple of black and white photographs. They showed some of the -- ah, here they are..."

  She's holding three tattered photos. They all depict the same thing; an old, Victorian-style house taken from three different angles. In the third photo, a man stands off to one side. His features are blurred, like he moved or something during the process of having his picture taken.

  17

  "Who's this guy?" you ask. The photo is more than a little intriguing.

  "Oh, I don't know. But here, this is what I wanted to show you." With one finger, Jenna traces an old wall of stacked stones. "See that? That wall is still here. It's just outside, along the east side of the Aurora."

  You nod, having noticed the wall yourself when you first came in. It didn't seem to fit with the hotel at all. "So that would put this guy's house right... here. Exactly where we're standing."

  Jenna nods. "Think maybe he's mad this hotel got built right over his home?" she asks. You glance back at the third photo and your blood runs cold. The blurred man is miraculously sharp now, totally crisp. He's hunched over slightly, staring back at you with unmistakable anger. No, something much more powerful than anger. Hate.

  "Yeah," you say shakily. "I'm sure of it."

  Time to go before Agnes comes back.

  If you want to check out the fireplace, FLIP DOWN TO PAGE 77

  Or if you'd rather see the taxidermy room, GO TO PAGE 112

  18

  "Stick to the shadows," you tell Jenna. "Don't step into the moonlight."

  Your cousin shrugs but obeys. She starts by gingerly stepping into the first dark square. When nothing happens she continues on, moving gracefully from one to the other. By the end she's even playing hopscotch with herself. But on the very last square...

  CLICK!

  Part of the ceiling above Jenna slides to one side. A ramp drops out, falling to land right beside her. On its ancient surface, worn wooden steps lead upward into darkness.

  "Whoa," your cousin swears. She runs a hand over the bottom step. "What's this?"

  "An invitation," you say. The ramp looks thick, sturdy. It could easily support your combined weight. "But do we take it?"

  You and Evan follow the shadow squares to stand beside Jenna, where your cousin uses his cell phone flashlight to penetrate the darkness. "There's a room up there," he says. "Which is nuts, because we're already on the top level."

  You place a foot on the first step. "Ready?"

  Surprisingly, both of your cousins nod enthusiastically. "Let's get to the bottom, err -- I mean top of this," Evan says.

  Climb the steps and enter the darkness when you TURN TO PAGE 142

  19

  Jenna leaps up, ushering you forward. There's no time to argue. Her hand is pressed urgently into your back.

  "This way!" she says. For the first time tonight there's fear in her voice. You don't like it all. "We have to--"

  CLANG!

  It all happens so fast -- there's no time to react. Jenna clips a handle on one of the pots of boiling water. It tips... falls... lands right beside you! Scalding hot water sloshes out, splattering across your cousin's leg...

  "OWWW!!"

  Jenna falls, clutching her shin. A half-second later you're beside her, squeezing her hand, trying to comfort her as she twists in pain. Marco shows up. He looks terrified. He shouts for someone else, and then Uncle Gus is there, his face drawn with worry.

  "Call an ambulance!" your Uncle shouts. You pull out your phone and immediately dial the emergency number. When you look back at Jenna, her expression is a mixture of agony and apology.

  The kitchen? Really? You should've been more careful. But you weren't, which makes this

  THE END

  20

  It's the urgency of Evan's voice that changes your mind. With a final look over your shoulder, you climb back through the window.

  "Good," he says. "Glad you're not totally crazy."

  You let out a laugh. "Like your sister?"

  "Exactly." Evan slides the window closed. Almost instantly, the world beyond it goes dark.

  'Whoa."

  The two of you watch as it happens again. The sun shoots up in a matter of seconds, but it also goes dark just as fast. With each 'day' that blinks by, the landscape changes. It goes from desert to grasslands. It's a swamp. A mountainside. An ocean. A sheet of ice. At one point you see a jagged tower silhouetted against the distant horizon, all dark and strange. Then, just as quickly, it's gone. Everything happens in under a minute. A cold shiver runs through your body.

  "Thanks," you breathe. "For not letting me go out there."

  Evan nods numbly. Then together you turn and race each other back to the hallway.

  Rock-solid choice back there.

  Now HEAD OVER TO PAGE 108

  21

  "I don't like that sound," you say with growing concern. "Let's go this way!"

  You grab Jenna's hand and sprint down the left-hand corridor. Almost immediately you smash into something big and solid... and get knocked to the floor. You look up into the very confused and then angry face of your Uncle Gus!

  "What in the world are you two doing down here!" he cries. Your uncle glances down at his watch. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

  "I-- Yes, well... we--"

  "Get upstairs and back in your rooms!" your uncle says sternly. You watch as he shoots his daughter a look of suspicion. "In fact, let's go. I'm walking you there myself so you don't take any detours."

  Jenna's shoulders slump. She shrugs at you helplessly as you're led back to your rooms with specific orders not to leave for the rest of the night. "And believe me," Uncle Gus says to punctuate his instructions, "I'll be checking."

  Well, it looks like your adventure ended before it really got started. But hey, at least the ghosts won't get you tonight. You hope...

  Unfortunately however, this looks like

  THE END

  22

  "I'm gonna try the red door," you announce.

&n
bsp; "Why that one?"

  "Why not?" you shoot back. Sometimes Evan can be too analytical. You reach and close your hand over the knob...

  ZAP!

  A huge jolt of electricity explodes outward, arcing from the knob to your hand. It travels along the length of your arm and into your shoulder, causing your body to seize involuntarily. Luckily this makes you fall backward, away from the door.

  "That's why not," Evan smirks once he realizes you're okay. "Bro, we need to be more careful."

  "Amen to that," you say, rubbing your hand.

  Pick again! And this time try not to hurt yourself!

  If you choose the BLUE door, FLIP TO PAGE 106

  If you choose the GREEN door, FLIP TO PAGE 136

  If you choose the BLACK door, FLIP TO PAGE 36

  If you choose the GOLD door, FLIP TO PAGE 145

  23

  Jenna waits until Vincent's attention is focused once again on cleaning the rug. Then she noses over to the janitor's open closet. "Let's check it out."

  "Really?"

  "Yeah really," your cousin says. "Don't you want to be thorough? Besides, it's not like we're gonna steal anything."

  The two of you slip inside. The janitor's closet is, as you might expect, packed with cleaning supplies. You squeeze past mops and sponges, brooms and dustpans. A large aluminum stepladder leans against one wall. The entire place smells overwhelmingly of ammonia and bleach.

  "None of that stuff will be in here," you say. "Vincent already said--"

  "Hey, wait. What's a cupola?"

  Jenna is staring at a labeled pegboard of tools and trinkets. At the very end is a strange, square-shaped key marked with the word 'Cupola" above it.

  "It's that turret on the roof of the hotel," you tell her. Your cousin still looks confused. "The little spike-shaped building with all the windows. I noticed it from the road."

  "Oh, that thing!" Jenna exclaims. "I've always wanted to go up there!" Before you can say anything she unhooks the tiny square key and slips it into her pocket.

  "Uh, I thought we weren't going to steal anything," you point out.

  Jenna grins. "Who's stealing? We're just gonna borrow this for a little while."

  Slip out of the janitor's office and head to the hotel lounge by TURNING TO PAGE 49

  24

  The three of you enter room 212. Right away, you're taken aback by the unmistakable sounds of crying.

  Sitting on the bed is the ghostly image of a woman dressed in dated clothing. Her face rests in her hands. She's sobbing softly.

  "Wh-what's wrong with her?" Jenna asks, her voice cracking. You notice your cousin's eyes are glazed over. It makes sense. Since stepping foot into the room, you yourself are overcome with an almost paralyzing sense of sorrow.

  Evan however, is staring off into space. His attention is lost, as if in a trance or under some kind of spell. You call out to him several times. There's no reaction.

  "Can we help you?" you ask the woman. You rub your own eyes and find them filled with tears. "Is there something--"

  "She's trapped," Evan says, in a voice not his own. It sounds mechanical. Almost robotic.

  "What do you mean she's trapped?" Jenna asks. She shoots her brother a look of legitimate concern.

  "She lost something," Evan continues, "long ago. She cannot leave until she is given something of beauty."

  "Something of beauty?" you repeat. You look at yourself, at Evan, and Jenna. Do any of you even have something like that?

  25

  If you have something of beauty, what is it? Add up the letters in that word using the chart below, and TURN TO THAT PAGE

  If you don't have anything to give the woman, HEAD TO PAGE 111

  26

  "If anyone has that key," Jenna says, "it's Vincent, the janitor." Before you or Evan can say anything else she pushes the lobby button. "So let's go find out."

  The elevator rumbles to a stop and the three of you pad quietly through the lobby. Agnes the night receptionist is motionless at the front desk. She might even be sleeping.

  "There," Jenna indicates. She points to an open closet just off the wide main hallway, where a man is in the process of putting away a large floor-cleaning machine. "He's finishing up for the night."

  You watch as Vincent shuffles out of the maintenance closet. He disappears around the next corner while rolling up a long extension cord.

  "Now's our chance," Evan urges. "He hangs the key ring in the closet every night before locking up. Let's swipe it."

  "Unless," Jenna says, "he hasn't hung it up yet. Listen, Vincent likes me. Let me go talk to him."

  "What?"

  "He's cool," Jenna explains. "He'd give me the key if I asked for it." She cracks her gum. "Trust me."

  Your gaze shifts back and forth as you watch your cousins argue. Jenna's eyes are pleading. Evan is shaking his head back and forth in a 'no way' gesture.

  They both turn toward you expectantly. It's obvious you'll need to settle this.

  Do you trust Jenna that Vincent will be cool? If so, send her to talk to the janitor BY TURNING TO PAGE 80

  Of course, Jenna thinks everyone's cool. If it's too risky, try to swipe the janitor's key ring OVER ON PAGE 116

  27

  You open your throat and let loose a scream so loud it hurts you own ears! And in the background, more dimly, you can hear Evan screaming too.

  But it's no use. As the last of your oxygen leaves your lungs, you feel light-headed. Dizzy. The intense pressure is still there, like a weight, crushing you. Only you can no longer fight it. No longer struggle against the blackness as it works its way in from the corners of your vision...

  "Scott! SCOTT!"

  You blink awake. Uncle Gus is leaning over you, his face whiter than the sheets of the bed you've been laid out on. He looks absolutely terrified.

  "Scott!" Another voice. Jenna, seated beside you. A wave of relief floods over your uncle as you begin moving your lips again.

  "Wh-what happened?"

  "We found you here in room 105, lying unconscious -- the both of you!" Uncle Gus says. Your cousin Evan moves into view now, looking pale and haggard. "A guest reported hearing you screaming," he continues. "What were you even doing in here?"

  It's a fair question, and one you don't have a very easy answer for. Thankfully, whatever gripped you must have finally let go. You're going to be okay.

  As for your quest to help the Aurora however, it looks like this is

  THE END

  28

  "You're probably right," you tell your cousin. "You're light enough to climb these things without breaking them, so you should search the shelves at the top. I'll do the lower rows."

  Jenna flashes you her fiercest grin. Three seconds later she's at the top of a bookshelf, her hands moving furiously. The almost hypnotic thump thump thump of books being slammed on their spines is the only sound in the room.

  You get to work. At first it's slow going, but you soon find yourself falling into a steady rhythm. Your mind wanders to the hotel, the hauntings... all the problems your cousins have written you about. You only hope you can help them -- and your uncle Gus -- fix whatever is wrong here.

  "Halfway done and still nothing," Jenna calls down from one of the stacks. The two of you continue for several more minutes, turning the orderly bookshelves into a chaotic jumble of mismatched tomes. Down to the last few shelves, you start to lose faith. When suddenly...

  "GOT IT!"

  You look up to find Jenna beaming, waving a dust-covered book with thick brass corner-guards. She shimmies down from the top of a stack, and together you compare it to the book in the photo. "It's a perfect match," you agree. "Nice job!"

  "Thanks cuz!" Her eyes shift in a circle around the large room. "Wow, we'd better go. We already spent too much time here."

  You pause at the exit, casting one last glance back into the hotel library. It looks like a tornado hit the place. "Um, what about the mess? Won't Uncle Gu-- I mean your father, be
mad?"

  "Nah," Jenna says, blowing a bubble the size of her face. You resist the urge to pop it. "It's Halloween, remember? We'll just blame the ghosts!"

  Great job! You found the book!

  Proceed into the hotel's Regency Ballroom when you FLIP TO PAGE 139

  29

  You yank back on the vent cover. Hard.

  The grating pops free! Only it happens a lot easier than you thought it would. There's a split second of regret as you tumble backward, and that's when you feel a sharp stinging across your arm.

  "Scott!" Evan exclaims, rushing forward. "Are you alright?"

  You think so... that is, until you look down at your forearm. There's a nasty gash there from wrist to elbow! Your eyes go to the razor sharp edges of the vent cover. Maybe you should've thought this through...

  "Oh man, you're bleeding bad," Evan says. He rushes into the bathroom and comes back with a towel. Of course the towel is red. "You're going to need stitches. A lot of them!"

  There's blood on the floor, the rug, the wall. "Hey, at least I'm not staining anything," you smile weakly. But there's no humor in it. Not now. I mean, what are you going to tell your Uncle Gus? That you just happened to tear your whole arm open at one o'clock in the morning? Your stomach sinks just thinking about it.