Hotel Magnifique(31)

I took a step back, the truth eddying through me. Bel’s painful expression at the moon window wasn’t because he couldn’t see his home, but because he didn’t even remember it.

Then there was Béatrice’s reaction in the lobby when I asked about her home. Of course it was rude to ask. It probably triggered the same pain I saw in Bel, the same blank look on all the maids. It all felt too horrible to be real.

I squeezed my eyes shut, grasping for memories of Aligney. Its stone walls. The sunshine turning the fields of farmland gold. I could walk Aligney’s grid of cobbled streets blindfolded. The thought of those streets ripped from my mind made my lungs burn.

Maman always joked that the soil under our village was part of my blood. I didn’t know who I’d be without my memories of it. The village made me who I was, made Zosa who she was.

Zosa. She’d signed a staff contract, which meant she’d be like Bel for as long as she worked here.

There had to be hundreds of workers inside, their homes taken from them. Erased. The cruelty of it was staggering. But it didn’t quite add up. Bel had just said Alastair was greedy, fixated on finding artéfacts, but that didn’t account for why he took away memories of home from his staff. He had to do it for some purpose. No one was that heartless for no reason.

I pictured his smile in the Blue Room’s mirror, and my stomach sickened. He’d promised us the most wondrous job we’d ever have. Certainly not this.

Then I remembered something else.

My ears rang as I walked to a small window in the corner. Outside, the sky was darkening. The view showcased a snow-covered topiary garden. Hedges were carved into animals that shouldn’t exist: winged bears, fork-tailed cats, and four-legged swans. There were a few flamboyant guests wandering about but not a single person in hotel livery.

That word doesn’t leave this building, Red had said. About artéfacts.

“Alastair promised everyone at orientation that if we do a good job, we’ll be rewarded with trips outside. When will I be allowed out?” My voice sounded shrill.

“Only a small handful are allowed out at any given time.”

“How small a handful?”

“It’s not important.”

My teeth clenched. “How small?”

He sighed. “Yrsa goes out to conduct interviews. Béatrice, but with an escort and only to purchase supplies. A couple others for security. Me.”

He didn’t say another name. My god, workers weren’t even allowed outside.

“I’m sorry, but it’s just how it is,” Bel said gently.

A suffocating sensation crawled over me. It seemed like everything I’d been told since setting foot in this hotel was a lie. I had to warn Zosa, but I didn’t know where she was. I’d left her by herself for two days. Whatever happens, promise to watch over your sister, Maman had begged me before she died. I could still picture the tears streaking down her wasted cheeks.

“I need to find my sister right now.”

“You seem to find enough trouble as it is. Searching for her this late will only get you in more.”

I couldn’t believe it. “But she’s my sister. I have to find her. You must understand—surely there’s someone you care about inside this place.”

He flinched, as if my words upset him. “The only thing I care about right now is for you to not do something else as reckless as the escape game. Have you seen the twins?”

“I saw a pair of bald twins each missing an eye. I—I almost ran into them.”

“Why does that not surprise me?” He rubbed his forehead. “It’s a good thing they didn’t see you. Sido and Sazerat are Alastair’s watchdogs. They each carry artéfacts that amplify their strength, two identical little stones they keep sewn into their uniforms. They’re dangerous. And if they see anything suspicious, they’ll alert Alastair.”

“But Zosa—”

“You might work under Béatrice, but I gave you the job.” He slid his hands around mine. When I jerked away, his knuckles knocked the table. “I’m responsible for you. Do you even know what that means?”

He didn’t get it at all. “You might not think I understand responsibility. But I do.”

“Sure you do.” He began paging through the atlas.

My skin grew hot. “You don’t believe me?”

“I don’t believe many people. I wouldn’t take it personally.”

I never told anyone what had happened to bring us to Durc, but if he were my link to Zosa, it might help him to understand.

I steeled myself. “Four years ago, our mother died and left us with nothing but a smattering of junk.”

Bel’s fingers stopped moving. At least he was paying attention.

I cleared my throat. “After the funeral, I went through the house collecting things to sell and stumbled upon a crumpled flyer for a performance in Durc. The front was printed with a beautiful woman singing. I decided right then to take us there.”

“Because of a flyer?”

“Yes,” I admitted. “The woman looked so happy. I foolishly thought that if we went to Durc, Zosa would book singing jobs. Then we could have money to travel, find a more exciting place to live. I was only thirteen.” I looked down at my hands. “Now it all seems too silly to say out loud.”