Other People's Bodies

by Amy Cross

  "Tell me".

  "If you must know," Rachel continues, "it's Elizabeth Bannister's old room. The only person who holds a key to that room is Edward. When she disappeared, he ordered that the room had to be sealed and never disturbed. Even Luke isn't allowed to go in there".

  "Seems kinda creepy," I say cautiously.

  "I'm sure he'll value your opinion immensely," Rachel replies. "He so loves it when people butt into his business. The point is, you'd do well to respect the rules around here rather than trying to change everything in your first week. There are certain traditions here at the Heights, and they're in place for a reason. If you go around trying to force change for its own sake, you're just going to get a reputation as a trouble-maker, and you won't last long".

  "There really isn't a spare key to his office," the receptionist adds a little gingerly. "I'm sorry".

  "He doesn't, huh?" I reply, sensing a degree of collusion between the receptionist and Rachel. Although I know that losing the battle would make me look weak, I also know that there's a danger of picking fights I can never win. It's pretty clear that I could stand at the desk all day, but I'd never get the key. "I guess I'll find somewhere else to work," I say eventually. "Shouldn't be too hard in a place this size".

  "The admin office -" Rachel starts to say.

  "Sounds small and poky," I reply. "I think I'll set up shop in the corner of the bar".

  "The bar?" Rachel says, her eyes widening in horror.

  "Why not? It's not like it's going to be busy until the afternoon, right?" She wait for a reply, enjoying the look of disgusted surprise on Rachel's face. "What? It's a room, it's easy to find, and I'll still be right at the heart of the hotel, just in case I'm needed. If you knew anything about hotel management at all, you'd know that communal areas are the heart of the building. Seems like the perfect solution!" I pause, realizing that once again I might have come across as being a tad too bitchy. "I'm going to try it anyway. It's always good to shake things up a little".

  "Go ahead," Rachel says with a smile. "If you want to sit around in the bar all day and seem totally unprofessional, it's none of my business. I'm sure Edward'll be very impressed".

  "If anyone needs anything," I say, turning to the receptionist, "tell them to come and see me. Tell them I've instituted a new policy of openness at the Heights, and that from now on I'll be in the bar every morning after breakfast in case anyone needs to talk to someone in authority. After all..." I glance back at Rachel. "Well, not every problem can be solved by the receptionists. It's not as if you've got the same level of training as the management team, is it?" Again, I feel as I'm ratcheting the bitchiness up a little too high, but I need to deal with Rachel's lack of respect.

  "Do you think you're being clever?" Rachel asks with a sneer.

  "And get that bruise looked at by the hotel first-aider," I continue, pulling a form from my pile of paperwork and sliding it over to her. "Health and safety rules mean we need to be aware of any injuries that might affect your performance, and frankly I'm surprised you don't have a concussion. If you don't fill in the form, including the lengthy section about how you sustained the injury, you'll be in breach of our employment code and I might have to come down hard on you. Try to get it done by lunchtime, okay? You know where to find me".

  With that, I turn and make my way toward the bar. Although I'd been hoping to befriend Rachel, I'm starting to realize that it's more important to impose my authority. Edward's unexpected absence means that I've been thrust into action a lot faster than I'd expected, and I have no idea how I'm going to manage the hotel for a whole day without any guidelines and with almost no experience. Still, I figure my best bet is just to keep my head down and hope that there'll be no major emergencies. As long as Edward's happy when he gets back from wherever he's gone, I don't really care too much about anyone else's opinion.

  Besides, after everything that had happened last night, I need a drink.

  Elizabeth

  Five years ago

  "And where are you from?" asks Sir Edward, leaning closer and turning his head to one side. "I don't believe I've heard of your family".

  "You'll have to excuse my husband," adds Lady Eleanor. "He can only hear properly if you speak into his left ear".

  "I'm originally from Kent," I say, being extra careful to speak loudly and clearly into the old man's hair-filled ear. "I grew up in Folkestone, but then I went to school in Hayward's Heath in West Sussex". I pause for a moment, trying to think of something more interesting to add. "My parents owned a pub," I say eventually. "We lived in a little flat right over the main bar".

  "Excellent," Sir Edward says, taking a step back and flashing a smile that suggests he didn't really hear what I said. "Good stuff".

  "It must be quite a change to come down here," Lady Eleanor says, stepping in to take the reins of the conversation from her husband. "I'm afraid you're in the wild country now, my dear. Lots of fresh, wide open spaces. I always find cities to be far too busy and dirty. I suppose I'm rather set in my ways in that regard, but I'd quite happily never go to London again. Of course, one is always called up for some kind of social engagement".

  "I like it here very much," I reply, momentarily lifting my wine glass to my lips before realizing that it's empty. "It's very peaceful". Glancing past Lady Eleanor for a moment, I briefly catch the eye of my brother-in-law Edward, who smiles as he sees my evident discomfort. "I haven't really had a chance to explore very much of the area," I continue after a moment, turning back to Lady Eleanor, "but I'm hoping to get out and about soon and really get to know the place".

  "You won't find much," Lady Eleanor says, with a hint of sourness in her voice. "I'm afraid there's not really very much to find apart from grass, grass and more grass. Most of the historic old towns have either fallen apart completely, or been given over to students and young people. There's no balance at all. The tin mines are in a terrible state".

  "I'm sure it's lovely, though," I reply, sensing that the goal-posts are constantly moving. If I said something nice about the area, Lady Eleanor would reply with a critical comment, and the reverse also seemed to be true. Sighing, I turn to Luke, hoping for some support, but to my shock I see that he's abandoned me. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw that he's over by the bar, talking to his father. So much for his promise to stay by my side throughout the evening. He's clearly become bored, and wandered off.

  "I shall give you some advice," Lady Eleanor continues, stepping closer. "Sometimes I think today's youth have forgotten what it means to make do with what one has. Everyone's looking for the perfect life, but such a thing is merely an illusion. What one needs, more than anything, is to learn how to settle for an adequate existence. If you try to make life perfect, you'll end up in the madhouse".

  "I think I'm already there," I mutter.

  "I hope you're not scaring the new addition to our family," says a nearby voice suddenly.

  Turning, I see to my relief that Edward has come over to rescue me.

  "We were just talking about the degeneration of the culture," Lady Eleanor continues, seeming a little annoyed. "The great traditions are being overturned, you know. No-one has any respect for the old ways. Everyone in the modern world is far too busy to preserve any of our local culture".

  Edward replies with words that I don't understand at all.

  "Excuse me?" Lady Eleanor asks with a frown.

  "It's the old Celtic language," Edward replies. "It means 'Change is inevitable', or at least I think that's what it means. I'm not a fluent speaker. I just picked up a little here and there".

  "I see," Lady Eleanor says, seemingly a little put out by Edward's display of local knowledge.

  "You don't speak Celtic?" Edward asks.

  "Well, no," she replies, "I certainly don't. I didn't think anyone spoke Celtic these days".

  "I'm afraid it's dying out rather fast," Edward says with a smile. "Such a shame. In ten, maybe twenty years there might be no-one left who speaks Celtic.
It seems that no-one has any respect for the old ways".

  I look down at my wine glass, hoping to hide my smile. It's clear that Edward has turned the tables on the old woman, who responds by taking her husband's arm and leading him away across the room. Although I'm not certain, I can't help thinking that I've just witnessed a very subtle dressing down.

  "I'm afraid Lady Eleanor can be very difficult," Edward says after a moment, handing me a new glass of wine. "Here, have a refill. Unfortunately, the old dear thinks she's an ambassador for tradition, but she's just an old bag with some dowdy inherited clothes. She wouldn't know Celtic traditions if they bit her on her ample ass".

  "Thanks for rescuing me," I reply with a smile, taking a sip of wine. "I was kind of drowning there".

  "It takes time to learn how to speak to these people," Edward adds. "Didn't Luke teach you the basics? The biggest mistake is to try to enter into a conversation with them. All they really want to do is spit out a few sentences while they get a closer look at you. It doesn't matter what you say back to them, but the best approach is just to go along with whatever ridiculous statements they come out with. You've got a long evening ahead of you, and you need to reduce the friction as much as possible".

  "I'll try," I say, as I realize that someone has come to stand next to my right shoulder.

  "Elizabeth," Edward says, turning to the new arrival. "Allow me to introduce you to the Right Honorable Lord Robert Dussey".

  Putting on a false smile, I shake hands with the short, blustery, red-faced gentleman who's now standing before me. I listen as Edward continues the introduction, but after a moment I can't help glancing over at Luke and wondering why he hasn't come back to help me Still, I figure I just have to buckle down and get through the night. One introduction down, just another one hundred and forty-nine to go.

  Laura

  Today

  "Have you ever lost your mind?" I ask, sitting at the bar and staring at my cup of coffee. "I mean, really lost it. Gone totally round the bend. Have you ever hallucinated?"

  "Not that I'm aware of," Cole replies with a smile. "Why?"

  I pause, trying to decide whether I should tell him about my strange experience last night. "Nothing," I say eventually. "Just some... stuff".

  "Like what?"

  "Like..." I pause, trying to work out how to phrase the explanation without making myself seem totally insane. I was initially determined not to talk to anyone about what happened, but suddenly I feel as if Cole might have a few answers. Glancing over my shoulder, I make sure we're alone before turning back to him. "Okay, if I tell you something weird that happened last night, you've got to swear you'll never tell a soul. Even if you're being tortured under pain of death, you cannot tell anyone what I'm about to tell you".

  "Spill".

  I take a deep breath. "Last night, I heard... noises... outside my room. In the corridor".

  "In a hotel?" Cole asks with a smile. "I wonder what that could be?"

  "Someone slammed into my door," I continue, determined to cut through Cole's cynicism. "And then, when I went out to take a look, I didn't see anyone but I heard someone call out. They were close, but I don't know exactly where the person was. It was definitely a man's voice, though, calling for someone named Elizabeth".

  Cole immediately seems to tense up a little at the mere mention of the name.

  "I heard the voice a couple of times," I explain, "and then I ended up going back to my room. Now, I swear to God, at this point I'd decided I was just imagining the whole thing. I figured I was still half-asleep, and maybe I was having one of those dreams where you're kinda awake. Whatever. So I went back into my room, started getting ready for bed and all that stuff, and then..." I pause, wondering whether it's a good idea to admit everything that happened. "That's when I saw her," I say eventually. "She was in my room".

  Cole stares at me.

  "Elizabeth," I continue.

  "Okay," Cole replies brusquely, "that's enough bullshit -"

  "I saw her!"

  "Fucking..." He grabs a tray of dirty glasses and carries them over to the dishwasher. Ignoring me, he busies himself with the job of loading the machine, and it's evident that he's got no interest in continuing the discussion.

  "Did you hear what I said?" I ask eventually, determined to keep digging.

  No reply.

  "I just saw her for a second," I continue. "It was her reflection in the mirror, just behind me, staring straight at me. I recognized her from the photo on Edward's desk. When I turned around, there was no sign of her. I stayed up for the rest of the night, determined to keep an eye out, and eventually when the sun came up I realized that I must have imagine the whole thing. But still..." I pause again. "Then there was the missing road -"

  "You know this is bullshit, right?" Cole asks, suddenly turning and fixing me with a determined stare. "You had a bad dream. That's all. You were in a new place, your head was filled with all sorts of crap about Elizabeth, and everything kind of got muddled together. It's not that unusual. You're obviously just a very impressionable kind of person. Easily led. Most people would realize that nothing happened. It's just a shame you couldn't do the same".

  "But if -"

  "You think you saw a ghost?" Cole continues, clearly getting agitated.

  "No, but -"

  "You can't see a ghost of someone who's not dead!" he says firmly.

  "I didn't say I saw a ghost," I stammer, starting to feel as if the situation is getting out of control. "I just said that -"

  "I've got work to do," Cole says, grabbing some dirty glasses and heading through to the kitchen, letting the door bang shut behind him.

  Looking down at my paperwork, I realize I must have crossed some kind of invisible line. The last thing I wanted was to end up on Cole's bad side. After all, he's the closest thing I've got to a friend at the hotel.

  Feeling as if I've made a huge mistake by trying to talk to Cole about this, I head for the door. I'd been hoping that maybe Cole would be some kind of ally at the Heights, but now I can see that he's got a pretty major thorn in his side when it comes to the subject of Elizabeth Bannister. In fact, everyone around here seems worked up about the woman's disappearance. It's as if the Heights is constantly in the shadow of something that happened five years ago, and Elizabeth - alive or dead - is haunting the place. I'm not sure the Heights can move forward until someone manages to uncover the truth.

  Elizabeth

  Five years ago

  "You look like you need a drink".

  Smiling wearily, I nod. I've finally made my way to the bar, having braved the crowd for more than two hours, and I feel as if I'm owed another glass of wine. I'm not going to get wasted, but I need something to take the edge off my nerves. Although I was hoping that the friendly barman would be on duty tonight, I find to my slight disappointment that it was the older, gruffer man.

  "More of the same?" he asks, taking my glass, "or something a little stronger?"

  "What have you got?" I reply with a faint smile.

  "You name it. Spirits, liquor... We've got the works. I can even mix up a cocktail if you want".

  For a moment, I'm seriously tempted by the idea of a big, strong drink. "No," I say eventually. "Not tonight. Just another glass of white wine, thanks".

  "Tough crowd, huh?" the barman asks as he grabs a bottle and begins to pour.

  "I guess". She pause for a moment. "So are you working alone tonight? Haven't you got the other guy helping out?"

  "Who? Cole?" He smiles. "No way. Old Victor won't pay for two people to be on duty. Cole's got the night off".

  "Huh," I say, surprised to find that I'm disappointed by Cole's absence.

  "I'll give you a tip," the barman continues. "Most of these people, they live very boring lives. Sure, they've got money to throw around, although in most cases it's not as much as they'd like to pretend. But the key thing to remember is that your arrival here is kind of the biggest thing to hit the area for years. The Bannisters ar
e well-known, and any change is seen as big news". He sets the glass of wine in front of me. "The upside is that most of them'll just drift away at the end of the night, and you'll never see them again. They just like to get out once in a while and blow away a few cobwebs".

  "That'd be a bonus," I reply, taking a sip of wine.

  "Isn't Luke helping you out?" the barman asks.

  "I think he's left me to sink or swim".

  "Ouch".

  "Exactly". Looking back across the room, I try to spot Luke somewhere in the crowd, but there's no sign of him. Edward, too, has managed to disappear, and I can't help but wonder whether they've made a concerted effort to abandon me and watch to see if I can handle myself.

  "Watch out," the barman says suddenly. "Incoming at nine o'clock".

  "What?" Turning, I see an elderly couple shuffling toward me with cautious smiles on their faces.

  "Just pretend they're naked," the barman whispers, before heading off to deal with some other guests, leaving me to launch into yet another interminable conversation. Putting on my best fake smile, I get on with the business of being the perfect hostess. At first, I'm kind of scared by the constant flow of people, but after a while I manage to get into the swing of things, and eventually the only thing that really scares me is the thought that one day I might be just like all these people.

  Laura

  Today

  "So how long have you known Cole?" I ask, trying to sound casual as I stand next to Rachel.

  Taking a long drag on her cigarette, Rachel turns to me, and it's clear from the look in her eyes that she isn't impressed by the question. She raises a hand to shield herself from the sun, squinting as she stares at me.

  "I was just talking to him earlier," I continue, starting to worry that maybe I've stumbled onto yet another 'forbidden' subject. It's just after midday and I've come outside for a breath of fresh air after spending the morning tucked away in a tiny, windowless admin office. To my surprise, Rachel was already out here, sitting on a bench near the entrance, and I couldn't resist coming over for a chat. Now, however, I'm regretting my choice, since Rachel seems to radiate immense hostility at all times. "He seems a little intense," I continue, "like he -"