Plus Size Reader Imagines

James March Part One

   "Hey, Y/N, can we please stop for the night? We need to sleep in an actual bed at least once during this road trip," whines my best friend, BFF/N.
   I roll my eyes, but I know she's right. My back is killing me and I'm also really hungry, not surprising with my size, and pull into a nearby fast-food joint.
   "Okay..." I start. "But only if you find one at a decent price."
   BFF/N smiles and opens her door. "I will. So, what do you want to eat?"
   I tell her my order and start playing on my phone. All of a sudden, I get a random text from an unknown number saying to look up the Hotel Cortez. As weirded out as I am by the text, I assume it's just a coincidence, and put my phone away.
   After waiting for about another five minutes, BFF/N gets back to the car with our orders. We both gobble our burgers down quickly, only savoring our food for split seconds. Our milkshakes last longer, and once we are done, I start up the car.
   "So, you found a place?" I ask, smirking.
   BFF/N sighs and turns to me. "They're all so expensive around here. I know it was solely my job, but did you happen to look?"
   "No," I say, pulling out of the parking lot. "But...I got a strange text from someone, like an unknown number, that said we should go to the Hotel Cortez."
   "Huh. Weird. You want me to look it up?"
   "Sure, go ahead," I say, driving down the road slowly due to traffic.
   BFF/N pulls out her phone, and quickly types away. "Hey, here it is," she says, nudging me. I look over briefly, before she starts talking.
   "The Hotel Cortez was built in 1925 and had its grand opening on August 23, 1926. The first owner and architect of the hotel was James Patrick March, who killed himself in the mid to late thirties. He left his property to his son Bartholomew and his wife Elizabeth."
   "Wow. A bit dark, don't you think?" I say, a bit bothered by the man's suicide.
   "Yeah, but it says here, that it's only about 67 dollars per night per room," she says, looking at me hopefully.
   "Where is it?" I say, letting her know with just my voice that that's where we will be staying for a night or two.
   "Yay! Okay, go up here, take a right..." As BFF/N reads out directions, I follow them, and within half an hour we've made our way to the eerie looking Hotel Cortez.
   I quickly find a parking spot. We then get our needed few bags and head up to the door. Someone opens it for us, and we go to thank them, only to find no one there. "Must be automatic," BFF/N says, shrugging.
   "Yeah, maybe..." I say, only agreeing to avoid worrying BFF/N.
   We walk over to the front desk, greeted by a woman who looks older than time itself. I smile, as does BFF/N, and greet her.
   "Hello, ma'am. Do you have any rooms available?"
   The elderly lady looks up at me slowly, and her eyes widen ever so slightly. "Why...why yes, we do," she looks behind her back and pulls a set of keys off a small rack. "Would you like to pay now or after your stay?"
   "After, please. We don't know how many days we'll be in town," I say, taking the keys from her fingers. Mine barely touch hers, but they still do, and I feel a jolt of electricity go through me.
   The woman smiles, as if she felt it and knows what it is. I look back at her, shock written on my face.
   "Have a good stay," she says, in a voice I could only file in with insane people.
   I pick up my bags, as does BFF/N, and we walk upstairs to our room. Once reached, we quickly open and close the door, setting our things on a single bed.
   "Dude, she was creeptastic, am I right?" Jokes BFF/N.
   I relax, now knowing I'm not the only one who noticed that the woman was odd. "She talked as if she was loco." I whistle and perform the motion for someone who is crazy.
   BFF/N laughs and grabs some pajamas out of her pink duffle bag. She also grabs some toiletries and a towel, and heads to the adjoining bathroom. She turns back to me when at the door. "I'll be out in twenty. See if they have Wi-Fi while I'm in here, why don't you?"
   "Yes, Miss Bossy," I say, smiling a bit wider at the nickname I gave her when we were five. She rolls her eyes and walks into the bathroom and closes the door.
   I take out my phone and look for any kind of Wi-Fi. I see that this place has some, but it's still weak -only one bar- so I get up and yell to the bathroom door. "Going to find some internet!"
   I know she hears me, because I hear a small 'mmhmm' coming from behind the door.
   I then grab a light jacket, just in case, and head out of the room. I walk down the hallway, back down the stairs, and see the Wi-Fi has gotten up to two bars. So, I continue my journey, and head towards what seems to be a small living room. The bars then decrease, so I head in the opposite direction, towards what looks like a kitchen.
   I look to see if anyone is watching, and when I find no one, I enter the kitchen. Back to two bars. I walk some more. Still only two bars.
   I find what looks like a dumbwaiter, and the bars increase to three. 'It's in there,' I think. But for some reason, I feel like I don't exactly mean a Wi-Fi router. I shake off the feeling, and head towards the closed, hanging box. I open it but find nothing. Only the top of what look to be an antique pulley system. But the bars on my phone are flickering between three and four, so I look down at it and hang my phone over it. Still only flickering.
   I sigh and look around. I then hear what sounds like shuffling, and I realize someone must be coming to the kitchen. I panic, looking around for where I could possibly leave. I find only the door in which I entered, which is where the sounds are coming from. 'Shit, they're getting closer, ' I think.
   I look for a good hiding spot and find only the dumbwaiter. I sigh but start pulling the box up. I place my phone in my back pocket and try to quietly squeeze in the small space. 'This is not easy for a fat girl!' I mentally yell. I squeeze my way into it, and then close the small outer door. I then hear the footsteps get closer. 'Please don't find me, please don't find me. That would be so embarrassing.' The footsteps are close now, so close. Then they stop. And the next thing I know, I'm being dropped down at what feels like lightning speed while in the dumbwaiter.