The Hotel

Hailey was sound asleep in her room at a luxury hotel. Curled up beside Jay, she felt safe and secure.

Suddenly, she jolted awake and looked around the room in a panic.

"Wake up!" Hailey cried, shaking Jay.

"W-what's wrong?" Jay mumbled, still half asleep.

"How could you?" Hailey shouted, her voice trembling.

Jay blinked, confused as he sat up. "How could I do what?"

"How could I... how could we?" Hailey asked, wrapping her arms around herself.

Jay reached over to comfort her, but she pulled away.

"Don't touch me!" she exclaimed.

"Babe, nothing happened between us," Jay said gently.

"Oh my God!" Hailey gasped. "How could we explain it to our parents if we had a baby... and it had magic and superpowers? Worse yet, if it was a girl, everyone would call her a witch."

Her breathing became faster as the terrifying thoughts spiraled through her mind.

"Babe, calm down," Jay said softly. "Nothing happened last night. You fell asleep right after the movie started."

"This is bad," Hailey whispered over and over. "This is so bad."

Suddenly, the magical bracelet on her wrist began to glow.

A vision filled her mind.

It began with the moment Jay had looked into her eyes and told her he loved her. As she relived that memory, the fear slowly melted away, replaced by the warmth and happiness she had felt that day.

The vision continued. She saw herself and Jay snuggled together, watching a movie. She remembered how peaceful she had felt with him beside her, how safe and protected she felt in his arms.

The final image appeared.

She watched herself drift off to sleep before the movie had even ended. Jay smiled, quietly turned off the television, gently pulled the blanket over them, and wrapped his arms around her before falling asleep himself.

The vision faded.

Tears rolled down Hailey's cheeks as she realized her insecurities and fears had gotten the better of her.

"Jay..." she whispered. "I'm so sorry."

He looked at her with concern.

"I love you," Hailey said through her tears. "I should have believed you when you told me nothing happened."

Jay smiled softly and took her hand.

"I love you too," he said. "And I would never do anything to hurt you."

Hailey squeezed his hand, finally allowing herself to believe him. The fear was gone, replaced once again by the love, trust, and security she had always felt whenever she was with Jay.

A knock echoed through the hotel room.

Hailey opened the door to find the bellman waiting with a polite smile.

"Breakfast is ready in the banquet room," he said.

"Thank you," Hailey replied.

As she and Jay stepped into the hallway, they found the others already waiting.

Jayden, Hailey's adopted sister Emma, her boyfriend Michael, and their friends Boze and Rain all looked at the couple in surprise.

Hailey and Jay were holding hands.

The group exchanged knowing glances. Every one of them silently came to the same conclusion—that something must have happened between the two during the night—but no one said a word.

Together, the seven of them made their way to the hotel's banquet room.

As they entered, they stopped in their tracks.

The mysterious stranger with snow-white hair was already seated at the head of the dining table. He wore an elegant crimson suit with white boots, and a golden eye embedded in the center of his forehead seemed to watch each of them at once.

"I wanted all of you to enjoy a proper breakfast before my chauffeur takes you closer to your destination," the stranger said with a pleasant smile.

He clapped his hands once.

Eight waiters entered the room in perfect formation, each carrying a gleaming golden plate covered by a matching golden lid. They placed the meals in front of the guests before quietly stepping back.

Jayden lifted her cover first.

Her eyes widened.

On the plate was a stack of fluffy pancakes beside scrambled eggs, sausage links, three strips of crispy bacon, and a warm buttermilk biscuit.

"It smells incredible," Jayden said with a grin. 

Later that morning, the chauffeur dropped the seven travelers off at the end of a long gravel road.

In the distance, an enormous castle stood against the horizon, its towering walls and spires rising above the surrounding countryside.

"We're almost there," Michael said.

The group started down the gravel road toward the castle, keeping a close watch on their surroundings. They knew they could run into a Card Hunter or a Collector at any moment, so no one let their guard down.

As they walked, the same question lingered in everyone's mind.

Who was the mysterious stranger?

None of them could explain his snow-white hair, the golden eye in the center of his forehead, or how he always seemed to know exactly where they were going. Even more unsettling was the feeling that this would not be the last time they saw him.

Silently, they continued toward the castle, wondering when—and where—the mysterious stranger would appear again.