The Curse Of A Stranger's Gift 2 Memory

Zheira kept her head down until they were greeted by a tall lady wearing a black dress. She tucked some of her blonde hair to her ears. "A pleasant morning, ma'am! I am Celestine, your trusted front desk. I hope you've had a good journey." Her wide smile made Zheira uncomfortable.

Leaning closer to Celestine, the guard whispered, "She's a Martin, Cel. Mrs. Martin requested her to be in the best room."

Celestine's oceanic eyes widened. "Why didn't you tell me?" she whispered back with gritted teeth.

"Just accommodate her well. She seemed to be shy." It was the last thing he said before going back to his post.

Without staring at her, Zheira asked, "C-can I g-go to my room now?"

An awkward smile curved Celestine's lips. "Of course, Ms. Martin. It's my pleasure to bring you to your room." She turned and pressed the telephone. "Martha, please be in the front desk. I'll have to accommodate our VIP Guest," she muttered.

A m.u.f.fled noise from the door caught Zheira's attention. A woman and a girl were making their way to the front desk. She couldn't help noticing the smile on their faces, and it made her jealous. How could they smile like that? Were they too happy with their life? She wished to know the reason behind their smile, but she couldn't bring herself to speak.

"Look, mom! There's a mummy!" the girl squeak. Her eyes were twinkling as she stared at Zheira, pointing her excitedly.

The woman saw Zheira who moved back. She gave her an apologetic smile before reprimanding her daughter. "Alic, she's not a mummy. It's a human. Mummy isn't real. They're just ghost stories for scaring a child. Don't do something like this, okay? It's rude."

"Yes, mom!" A sad smile curved the girl's lips before she put her hands down.

Technically speaking, the girl was right for calling her a mummy. Her only difference with those creatures was the fact that she's wrapped by her jacket and not with a white cloth. Oddly enough, she wasn't hurt. The look of excitement in the girl's eyes made her feel a little special.

Shaking her head, she turned to the front desk and was surprised to see Celestine standing beside her.

"Let's go, Ms. Martin?" She stretched her hand and pointed the ancient-looking stairs. It was made out of wood and has been painted in deep orange. The staircases were covered with oceanic blue floor mats that acted as a red carpet. Zheira couldn't help feeling that she's a celebrity at every step she took. She'd seen a lot of actresses walked with poise in a red carpet, wearing a gown made by their designer, and she dreamed to be like one.

"CasaBlanca is a hotel inspired by the romance of the movie 'CasaBlanca'. You can a.s.sume this hotel as a 'home away from home', which means that even if you are away from your home, you can consider this place as your home. This is also a way of escape to the hustle and bustle of the busy street of Timesquare." It was clear that she memorized those lines by heart. She sounded monotonous.

Zheira wasn't listening to her prep-talks, though. Her eyes were wandering to the intricate flower patterns on the walls beside the stairs. It was the first time she'd seen such designs. She'd love to see it carved on their walls in Angleton.

At last, they stepped out of the last staircase. They were greeted by the statue of a four-legged mammal. Zheira didn't know what animal it was, but she could see its similarities to a tiger. Yet, its markings were different. It has red stripes in its body, creating a pattern of black and red to its skin.

"Do you want to take a picture, Ms. Martin?" She brushed her neck gently, but still managed to give Zheira a smile that stunned her.

"H-how can you smile like that?" She barely moved her lips, but the sound waves she released were enough for Celestine to hear.

"That's the only thing I can treasure. Smiling cures anything, you know. Why do you ask?" Celestine's brow creased.

"J-just bring me to my room," she said while shaking her head.

Celestine nodded. "Of course."

They walked in silence after that. Celestine stopped by an oak door. She opened it and pointed inside. "This will be your room, Ms. Martin. If you need anything, just press the red b.u.t.ton beside the switch and someone will come for you."

Zheira said thank you before going inside. There was two king-size bed in the corner. It was not far from each other. Meanwhile, a fifteen inches flat-screen TV was on the wall, facing the bed.

"Uhm, Ms. Martin," Celestine called, "mind if ask you something?" There was a frown in her face that confused Zheira, but she let her ask it away.

"Don't you feel hot with that jacket? Your sungla.s.s isn't appropriate inside as well. There's no sun in here, you know." She bit her lips when Zheira turned rigid. She stood there, unable to do anything but think. They're starting to question her odd clothing and she's aware that curiosity starts a spark inside the mind, forcing it to unravel the curious thing it could see. The last thing she desired was for people to swarmed around her, trying to know what's behind the cloth she's wearing.

Laughing awkwardly, Celestine shook her hands. "Don't mind the question. I was just a bit curious, but you're not obligated to say something." Without a second thought, she shut the door and ran back to her post. She felt weird while walking with that young Martin. It's like there's something sinister going on inside her body, and it's making her hair stood at its end.

It took a full minute or so for Zheira to recover. She jumped to the soft bed and let herself relax for a while. Actually, her sungla.s.ses dimmed anything it could see, but she's used to it. There's no time of day that she's not using it. Especially if she needed to go outside.

She closed her eyes for a while. The silence comforted her. It's like a melody from which she couldn't help longing to hear. She thought she could sleep with it, but she was mistaken. Her mint-scented breath bothered her too much.

When she realized she no longer could sleep, she stood and face the mirror beside a gla.s.s window. It was square and its edges were made out of thick wood.

If she didn't know herself, she should've been taken aback by the way she looks. Her body was covered by a thick jacket and tight jeans while her face was concealed by the face mask and sungla.s.ses she's wearing.

Before anything else, she made sure that the door was locked. Slowly, she removed her jacket. Beneath it was a black fitted t-s.h.i.+rt. She stroked the strands of her golden hair before sitting down on the carpeted ground. Her legs were crossed as she stared at her pale white skin. It looked so soft and flawless.

With a deep breath, she put the sungla.s.s and the face mask on her lap. Then, she cupped her cheeks and stared at her face. Her pointed nose was pretty attractive as it compliments her rosy cheeks and her heart-shaped lips.

Sadness danced in the center of her irises. What's the use of having such a perfect modeled face if you couldn't let other people see it? Was there any purpose for it?

The fact that her parents once told her that she could be an actress or else a beauty queen made her so sad. They couldn't be right. Who would support an actress who looked like a monster? No one even wants to be with her, what more to cheer on her back?

Tears streamed from her eyes but before it could even reach her cheeks, she wiped it harshly. Nothing would ever change if she kept crying. It'd only make her weak.

After a while, she found herself staring at her eyes. She blinked when a flicker caught her attention. It was like there's a swish inside her iris. She moved closer to the mirror until she was nose to nose with her reflection.

There, from the red slit in the center of her blue iris was a figure of man who's wearing a gray cloak. Behind him was the bright full moon, shadowing his face. But, what's clear was that he has golden irises. His pale lips curved into a smile, revealing white teeth with sharp edges.

He folded the long sleeves of his cloak before cutting his skin with his bare nails. It's like the time moved slowly as his blood dripped from the open mouth of the baby lying on one of the tree's roots.

It was almost painful for her to stop herself from watching that stupid memory. She moved back and was surprised with the cracks dancing its way to the mirror. It started from where her nose touched. There was a glitch-like sound until its fragments flew in the air. Her screams echoed as a sharp piece pierced her cheeks.