Ash woke to sunlight streaming through the heavy curtains. For a moment he forgot where he was, expecting to hear the usual noises of home, his mom clattering dishes, the distant sound of traffic. Instead, there was only the slow, rhythmic crash of waves and the faint scent of lavender.
Someone had opened his curtains. The room was warm, his bed made so neatly it seemed untouched. The fire in the hearth was out, but the coals still glowed faintly, as though they'd been tended only moments before.
On the small desk by the window, the paper from last night was gone. In its place sat a steaming cup of hot chocolate, not just any hot chocolate his type, thick, almost syrupy, with a dusting of cinnamon just the way he liked. He felt like the read their minds and studied them.
Down the hall, he heard voices and laughter.
When he joined the others downstairs, the dining room was set as if for a royal breakfast. Silver trays of steaming pancakes, bowls of fresh fruit, golden pastries dusted with sugar. Glass pitchers held juices in colors too vivid to be natural. And at the center of the table, there was something for everyone exactly their favorites.
Leo's plate had stacks of chocolate chip pancakes with maple syrup pooling around them.
Mira's had fruit salad with slices of mango and kiwi arranged into a perfect spiral.
Zoe's coffee came in a mug shaped like a cat, with a cinnamon heart floating in the foam.
Windy had a delicate fruit tart with whipped cream, while Kara, Lila, and Beth were served dainty plates of pasta, macaroni and meat balls.
Ash stared at his own plate were eggs just the way he liked them, toast still warm, hot chocolate on the side.
"Okay, this is officially the best hotel ever," Leo said through a mouthful of pancake.
"It's like they know us," Mira laughed, popping a grape into her mouth.
"Isn't it supposed to sound strange?..." Ash questioned.
"Yeah! So strange... Leo thought.
"Come on guys, it's good they understand us unlike our parents.... So let's enjoy ourselves..." Jayden snapped.
"But still... It's ... Strange... How did they get to know?..." Mira thought.
The receptionist from last night stood in the corner, hands folded neatly.
"We aim to make our guests comfortable," she said. Her eyes glimmered in the morning light not unfriendly, but watchful.
After breakfast, the man in the pressed suit appeared, smiling as though they had already agreed on the day's plans.
"The weather is perfect, the beach is waiting shall we?" he smiled.
The beach was like a dream, pale sand stretched in both directions, soft and cool under their feet. The water was crystal clear, warm enough to wade in without shivering, small waves rolled in, just big enough to splash but not knock anyone down.
Windy and her cheerleaders immediately stripped to their swimsuits and ran squealing into the water. Zoe and Mira followed at a slower pace, laughing as they chased each other, Leo found a volleyball net already set up and challenged Jayden to a game.
Ash stayed near the shore at first, toes curling in the wet sand. It all seemed… too good. Even the shells scattered along the tide line were perfect spiraled, unbroken, shimmering like polished stone. He picked one up and felt a faint vibration, like the echo of a heartbeat, before tossing it back.
When he glanced at the sand farther up the beach, he saw a small folding table that hadn't been there moments ago. On it sat a sketchbook, his sketchbook which he didn't remember bringing.
He opened it without thinking and froze.
The first page showed the beach exactly as it was now, every detail was right, down to the curve of the shoreline and the volleyball net. But in the water, faint pencil shapes drifted just beneath the surface human shapes, hair floating upward like seaweed.
He flipped to the next page, the group was sitting under umbrellas, smiling and talking. But their eyes were all wrong wide, black, and empty.
"Ash!" Zoe called from the water. "Come on!"
He closed the book quickly, tucking it under his arm.
The rest of the day unfolded like a dream. After swimming, they were served chilled coconut drinks in tall glasses. A small band appeared out of nowhere and played soft music. Someone offered them fruit skewers that tasted sweeter than anything Ash had eaten before.
Every time someone mentioned wanting something sunscreen, a towel, sunglasses, it appeared within seconds, offered by a smiling staff member who seemed to materialize from thin air.
By late afternoon, they had moved from the beach to a wide grassy field where colorful hammocks swayed in the breeze. The air was filled with the scent of hibiscus.
Ash tried to relax, but the sketchbook felt heavy in his lap. Every second his fingers itched to open it. He told himself not to has it would only make him feel worse but somehow the pencil was already in his hand.
He started drawing without deciding to. His fingers moved like they had their own memory.
When he looked down, his stomach lurched.
He had drawn the inn but now the windows were all dark, a thin trail of figures walked away from it, toward the beach. In the distance, something vast and shapeless loomed in the waves.
"What's that?" Mira asked, leaning over his shoulder.
Ash snapped the book shut. " I don't know, but it's nothing, Just… messing around."
She frowned but didn't press.
The sun dipped low, painting the sky in orange and gold. A staff member appeared to tell them dinner would be ready soon. As they walked back to the inn, Ash noticed something odd. The path seemed longer than before, the trees on either side leaning in just slightly, as if listening.
Inside, the lobby was as warm and welcoming as ever. The fire had been lit, and the smell of fresh bread drifted from the dining room. The others headed upstairs to change before dinner.
Ash lingered by the front desk. The painting from last night was still there. But now… now it was different.
The figures outside the inn were no longer walking toward it. They were facing away.
And the woman with the lantern was gone...
He froze retreating back to his room the rest of the night seemed normal but ash kept sketching uncomfortably but drafts to sleep midway.
In the dark, a figure watched closely, while the ocean hummed....
None shall return.....
---