War of Ashes and Dust (Book Two)

Chapter 6.2

The rest of the tour took longer than Vatra would have liked. Much to her dismay, she didn't see any sign of any other guest. It was too much to ask, she supposed. Brian did warn them some of the guests were high profile. They weren't likely to just stumble upon another guest enjoying their time in the resort.

They were all shown to their separate rooms. Vatra was surprised they all had a room to themselves. Though the resort was massive, it was difficult to tell how many rooms were designated for guests. Let alone how many guests were staying there. Yet, they were all allowed their own room.

How private, Vatra thought as she was shown to her room.

The room wasn't particularly stand-out compared to something she'd stayed in on Earth. It was unquestionably better than some of the suspicious motels she'd stayed in before. Since she'd taken over the Agkistrodon, Vatra hadn't stepped foot in anything worse than the room before her. Average was the word that stood out to her.

The decorations were bare. There was a single painting of indiscernible shapes that were a mix of blues and greens hanging above the bed. Vatra dragged her gaze from the painting to the dark, wooden dresser and table tucked in the corner of the room. The natural lighting filtered in through an open window above the table. As soon as she stepped fully into the room, Brian closed the door behind her and continued on down the hall.

Vatra looked at the closed door over her shoulder. A frown tugged at her lips.

"Impeccable service," Vatra grumbled. She turned back from the door to the room.

Inhaling, Vatra followed a burning incense smell to its source, tucked away on the white marble of the small kitchenette counter. She prodded the thin bamboo with her index finger before looking around the small space.

There was just enough amenities to keep herself hydrated and fed on the bare minimum. It was clear they wanted their guests to spend most of their time at the buffet Brian had shown them.

"More ways to take our credits," she observed. "Sneaky."

She wasn't sure what was expected of her at that point. Was Brian going to return once everyone was shown to their rooms? Was she allowed to leave? No, if she was allowed to leave at any point, then they would have bumped into guests around every turn.

Vatra wandered back to the door and tested her theory. The handle didn't budge. She was stuck until Brian came back for her.

Great.

Exhaling as loud and dramatically as she could muster, Vatra thudded her forehead against the wood of the door. She ignored how much more it hurt than she thought it would, and repeatedly bumped her head against it again and again. After a moment, something caught her attention from the corner of her eye.

She pushed herself from the door, slinking her way across the slick wooden floors to the side table by the bed. There was a laminated paper neatly centered on the table. It was an itinerary.

Vatra picked up the paper, eyeing the small print that appeared as if someone took more time choosing out a font than actually planning out the schedule. She noticed her entire stay at the resort was planned down by the hour. Including her sleep.

"Gods," Vatra breathed out.

Skimming up and down the list, Vatra narrowed on when she was supposed to expect someone to release her from her prison. One more hour.

What the hell is self-reflection? Do they expect me to meditate?

Her eyes flashed over her watchface. She didn't have much longer to wait. Barely twenty minutes.