13 Pool night

The cold breeze whistled in the night, the day already close to being over. Amber laid flat on the bed, trying to go to sleep but the only thing on her mind was that knock on the door.

She rolled off the bed now feeling an ache in her chest and groaned trying to get at least one more minute of shut-eye.

Yeah the hotel was nice and the bed was the most comfortable piece of mattress she ever slept on but for whatever reason, she just couldn't fall asleep.

She wrapped her knotted hair into a bun after all the tossing and turning, and got dressed in a whole bikini suit. She swung her towel over her shoulder before closing the door.

—Message to mom—

'Headed down to the pool, can't sleep.

Are you still getting that massage?'

Knowing her mother she was probably still getting the massage or crying while watching that 'Grey's Anatomy' which wasn't safe because her mother tends to be oblivious to the things around her once too comfortable.

There was a palpable vibe to the place that she couldn't put her finger on yet still her pores raised every time she thought about it. 

She looked over her shoulders into the hall for the last time before entering the elevator, pressing the last floor. There seemed to be a lot of floors to the building, she noticed that the highest floor sat on number 28.

Ding.

The two golden doors open revealing the big open living room which by dark was open and not packed with people like yesterday's crowd. Amber closed her eyes, inhaling the calm air

"Beautiful isn't it?" She jumped at the voice, holding her heart and turning behind her to see Arveion with his back and left feet leaned up against the wall beside the elevator, his eyes closed and his tousled curly hair which sat messily over them. 

"Yeah—" Amber watched the man, his hands in his pocket and his suit one button-down, "It is." She attempted cool, trying to look else wear but his stance.

"Instead." He breathed, his chest rising and falling gently as he spoke, "Do you know why?" 

Know why? 

"Uhm...money?" Amber wondered, that was all she could think of, a place so huge and beautiful it was clear that whoever created it had to have a decent amount of money though it was more of a question to herself.

"Is that a question or an answer Miss Lane?" 

"I think both of us have answers that we have kept differently to ourselves—"  She looked at his gentle features before continuing, "I simply see it as a mystery which to you may be the opposite."

Arveion opened his eyes, staring her in the eyes, "I am aware of that. However, not everything is a mystery because someone says it's a mystery. Perhaps you already knew the answer, perhaps you know it but it's not discovered yet. Behind each mystery is a key, mysteries are not a question but an answer. Take an escape room for example. It may be a question for the solvers but behind the scenes is already solved leaving you to unlock the answer. You just need to find the key."

Amber only looked into his brown eyes, there wasn't anything she could say after that nor did she know what it meant but she knew what it said.

"Mystery?" She raised an eyebrow at him, confusion was written on her face but Arveion didn't bother clarifying. He got up from the wall and slowly walked to her, a serious expression on his face.

"Yes, a mystery." He bent his head towards the crook of her neck and tapped her shoulder with his index finger, "That's how I tend to keep this place disposing of all the keys if I have to." He whispered between snarls before returning his hands to his pockets and walking ahead of her to the stairs. 

"Behind the building for the pool." He said before going out of sight and leaving Amber dumbfounded, from the fiery trance of his eyes, his sharp quoted tone, and just his presence in general.

She blinked, removing him from her head, and tried to remember what she came downstairs for.

'Oh right, the pool.'

She pushed open the large doors to be slapped across the face with the cold breeze and was surprised by the good amount of people outside.

She passed a couple on her way followed by a bunch of people slashing in the pool. With her towel over her shoulder, she watched as Sandy waved her about to signal her, "Hey we're over here!" She jumped up on the ledge and tapped a space next to her, water running through her hair.

"Hey…" She says, sitting awkwardly next to her and kicking her feet in the water. "The place is gigantic." She admired, watching the trees and people relaxing on the chairs around her.

"I know right!" Sandy gleamed, scratching her wrist violently, "So you came.?"

Amber looked around, her eyebrows knitted together, "Tell me if I've mistaken but didn't you say your friends will be here."

"...Yeah they had to leave a few minutes ago leaving only me."

"Oh, I see, next time then?" Amber asked, feeling awkward that there was no one else nor was there anything else to do not to mention the awkward silences.

Sandy got up first, an unreadable expression on her face, "They'll be back soon, want to go in the water?" She asks, cracking open her beer from a bag and handing one to her.

"Uh, yeah sure." She nodded to the water but squatted the beer away, "Sorry I don't drink." 

"Really?" Sandy got in the water first, sliding into a far corner, bringing the beer to her lips with a slight smug on her face," Or do you not trust strangers?"

Amber laughed getting into the water, "It's a combination of the two actually."

Sandy picked up her phone, putting it to her ear as she whispered and Amber closed her eyes, trying to enjoy the water which was somehow still warm, the pool no longer consisted of the number of people earlier as they were already starting to leave with darkness fully corrupting the day.

"Sorry," Sandy says, ending the phone call and placing her phone to the side, "Sister." 

"Yeah," She opened her eyes to see Sandy staring directly at her, with her eyebrows furrowed and a smirk playing on her lips.

"Hey—" Amber raised an eyebrow, but then decided to check her phone from concrete feeling uncomfortable and seeing that there was still no reply from her mother yet though she was one to answer to all of them.

 And Sandy's friends haven't even arrived yet, she could feel time ticking in her ears with the longer she sat there, Sandy's eyes still trained on her—her position getting closer.

"Sorry I have to go check on my mother— She dismissed, got out of the water, and walked over to the chair where her towel rested.

Sandy got out after wrapping her hands around her wrist, "Wait—" She says but it sounds more like a snarl, "I mean, are you leaving?" She smiled, desperation in her eyes.

"Sorry yeah, my mother hasn't answered my text yet and she's careless…it's also getting late."

Sandy stayed there for a while, her hands strong as she continued to grip Amber who raised an eyebrow at her. "See you again sometime though." 

Amber removed her hands before walking off on her. 'What just happened?' Was there more towards what she wanted to say? Or was she waiting for her friends, Amber wondered on her way back to the room.

Meanwhile Sandy had a devious sulk on her face, her expressions hard and contorted, watching as the girl left her hold.

***

"We don't have much time."

"The girl's with me, you take care of her mother. Don't fuck this up."

"I won't." The figure says through the phone, cautiously making its way through the halls.

Chloe exhaled peacefully while enjoying a day of relaxation until a knock erupts on the door. The masseuse tells her to stay still while he answers.

"Hello," A man answered, peeking through the door to which he was greeted by the figure. He turns his head to call out to Chloe who was still on the massage board.

"Hey you have a—" before he could only do such as raise an eyebrow, he was stunned, his face screwing in horror when he felt the excruciating pain of the figure's sharp dagger enter his stomach, his eyes wide when gripping onto the fabric shoulders of the figure.

"There was a man. I killed him, he was in my way. Do I kill the woman now?"

"Yes." The voice echoed from the other side of the phone.