The Monsters of the Mind

Part 19

The following morning seemed to leave both me and the proprietor on edge.

Jimmy wasn't showing it, but I could tell from his still expression that he had gone up to Mrs. Cesari's room to bring her breakfast and must've seen the state of the place. When I appeared in the main lobby of the hotel, he was putting the phone down onto the receiver.

"Do you know anything about Mrs. Cesari?" he had asked, voice thick and face pale.

"She ran past me in the hallway," I answered - telling another white lie.

"Tell me the truth, Kylie," Jimmy came toward me, his hands grasping my upper shoulders tightly, "What happened last night?"

'We can't lie anymore,' my mind whispered, 'We have to tell him the truth about what we saw last night, everything we've heard.'

My voice hitched with admission, unable to hold back. I admitted to the lies, claiming that it was late and unsure what to make of the situation - which was true by all accounts. I gave him the keys to the stairwell that I had found and explained that I had used them to get to the third floor undetected, that I had been looking for the spirit of his deceased uncle while avoiding that other side of him.

Then, I told Jimmy about what I had found in Mrs. Cesari's room and what had happened to the woman in question. I explained how the two of us had heard him coming toward us and how I traded clothing with her in order to lure him away from her room so that she could escape. I apologized again for the hit on the head, claiming that I was only protecting myself, and how his uncle appeared and helped me get him into his own room.

When I finished, Jimmy pulled away.

"So, what are you exactly? A medium?" he sounded angry, and I couldn't blame him.

"I'm not sure, exactly," I answered, "I've been told that I can see things other people can't. I don't know what the word is, but I know that my heart - as good and open as it is - also causes me to experience emotions that have been long gone, especially in places that may have once been a home to someone."

Jimmy turned his head away, shame seemed to cover his features. Flashes of anger, fear, regret took their turns - changing him from the inside out before he looked back at me.

"Were you hurt when... Hugo came after you?" he said the name like it was a brand of whiskey that had gone stale over time, or like it was a monster that had intentionally ruined his life - which it no doubt had.

"No, I got to him first before he got to me," I answered.

Then, Jimmy had me in his arms, surprising both of us. The warmth that came from him was comforting and friendly - the side of him that had more connections to humans than that demon that no doubt lived under his skin.

"Going forward, I want you to tell me everything," Jimmy said, his voice hard with disappointment, "Hugo is not always the most forthcoming about these things. He'll lie to me, and if there's no one else around, I can only trust him. Please tell me everything and anything you see that may jeopardize your and anyone's stay during your time here."

It scared me that I would have to leave Sea View eventually. When I had first come here, I had wanted to get out so fast that I hadn't given much  thought to what the spirits of the hotel were trying to warn me about. But, since being here, I had seen a side of Jimmy that had only his family - and maybe Dr. Bose and Amy - had been privy to. 

Was I going crazy?

'Maybe,' my mind thought, 'but the thing is that maybe this is a good kind of crazy.'