Jade's POV
I paced anxious circles around the hotel room with my eyes on the door and my hands in my mouth. My teeth nibbled on my fingernails as I waited impatiently for Michael to return. When his spirit disappeared, he failed to let me know whether he was going to come back or not. And although I had tried to catch up with him when he left, I wasn't able to find him. And now I didn't know where he could be, what he could be doing, or who he could be with... though I had a few ideas.
I had decided it was best that I refrain from looking for him and stay inside the hotel room. Michael seemed pretty keen on making sure I stay put, and I this time I actually wanted to follow his orders. This situation seemed rather peculiar, even for the hotel.
I sat down on the edge of the bed with a heavy sigh, scratching my chin in thought. There were hundreds of spirits in this hotel, but I could only think of one who would've come pounding on our door so abruptly: Albert Snidel.
It was obvious he wants me dead in the next 24 hours. He gave Michael a 3-day time limit to kill me and he's yet to do it. And I assumed if Michael doesn't get it done, Al would just have to step in and do it himself.
I wanted to feel more scared than I actually was. I guess I was just too lost in my own thoughts to wrap my head around the fact that I could be dead by tomorrow. If I die tonight, then I'm trapped in this hotel forever. I would leave so many things, plans, and people behind so abruptly: my friends, my family, my career. I wouldn't have the luxury of being able to leave and then come back whenever I wanted to see Michael. I would just disappear off the face of the Earth and nobody would ever know where I went. I don't want that to happen just yet. I'm not ready.
I looked over my shoulder at the clock. It was past 12:30 and tears were brimming my eyes.
"Dammit, Michael." I sighed, puttting my face into my hands. I just wanted to know what was going on. Surely Michael knew who had knocked on the door - why else would his skin pale and his eyes bulge out the way they did?
Maybe if I just hurried now, I'd be able to leave the building and escape Al once again. But at the same time, if I did that, I'd probably just find some stupid reason to come back here tomorrow. And then I'm sure he would slice my throat without another word.
I was about to get up and pace around again, but I stopped when I heard a faint whisper in my ear. I wasn't sure who it was or what they had said, but I definitely heard someone. My eyes shot open and I sat up straight, staring at the wall in front of me. "Hello?" I called out.
The voice came again, and this time I recognized it to be Michael's. "Jade."
"Michael?" I stood up and looked around the room. "Where are you?"
"Jade - Jade -" he said, though he kept getting cut off. I quickly calmed myself down and really listened to his voice. It sounded as if Michael was trapped in some realm in a completely different demension. His voice was muffled and cracked like we were on a phone call that kept breaking up.
I glanced at the old TV on the other side of the room. "Michael," I said again. "Where the hell did you go?"
I walked up to the TV and tapped the static screen. "Are you in here?" I asked cluelessly.
"The base- the basement," he said. "I'm in the basement."
I pressed my ears and looked around with wide, confused eyes. "The basement?" I hissed under my breath. "Why are you there? What's going on?"
"You need - you need to come - here -"
"Michael you're, you're breaking up...I think," I said, shaking my head. "Are you okay?"
