The Travellers Rest - Book. Chapter One Preview. First Draft.

Travellers Rest.

Prologue

Welcome to The Travellers Rest.

As you pass through the door and into the Hotel lobby, the concierge will welcome you, the desk clerk will check your room number and the porter will guide you to your room.

How long you stay is up to you.

Thank you for checking in and have a great stay.

The Management.

Chapter one

“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.” Mark Twain.

It was a wet winters night when Marina shoved open the door to the wine bar in the shopping centre and searched the faces for her friend Sen. The wind almost howled as it pushed her through the door into the steamy, overcrowded bar. Marina had met Sen at night class and they just clicked immediately, becoming closer friends over time. Tall with long dark hair, Sen lit up the room she was in with a confidence that Rina envied. Of course, a lot of it was show but not all of it and Rina knew that Sen didn’t feel as confident as she looked a lot of the time, it was one of the things they had bonded over one night while drinking in this very bar over two yers ago. They had swapped many secrets that night, wants and fears, dreams and experiences, as they giggled over cocktails and cemented their friendship.

Rina didn’t have family, or many friends. She had streamlined her life, as she liked to put it. Stopped going out and getting drunk every weekend, stopped hanging out with people who had her afraid to be herself. She started swimming a few nights a week to trim herself down and gain a little confidence. Deciding to take a chance, she took night classes in management and hotel business studies. Marina had spent a lot of her life afraid of different things, being alone, being forgotten, of friends who did not have her best interests at heart, until one day she had decided that enough was enough. After graduating, Rina sent out application after application to every hotel listing she could. This week alone she had had nine interviews in various hotels in and around the city. It had got to the point where she had stopped researching the hotels and just turned up when she as told to, giving what felt like the same answers to almost every question. Today’s afternoon interview had been a little odd, had different questions than usual but she had smiled and answered and she was sure it had gone great, the manger had shaken her hand as she was finished and told her to expect a call in a day or two but assured her she was the best candidate so far. She was happy where she was in her life right now, happy with were she was going and waving over at Sen she let out a sigh of contentment.

“Marina! Well?!” Sen said with a smile as she half rose from the table, holding her arms out for hug.

Rina leaned over as she put an arm over Sen’s shoulders and murmured into her hair “Hey Sen.” She pulled of her coat and grinned “They said they’ll call me but I totally have it in the bag” as she plonked herself into the seat opposite her friend.

Sen squealed and clapped her hands, drawing several glances from nearby bar patrons “Rina that’s awesome! I knew you could do it! Didn’t I say?!”

Rina’s grin turned shy, not used to drawing so much attention to herself but enjoying it all the same before she exclaimed “But oh! I forgot!” Rina’s eyes went wide “I actually nearly got hit by a car on my way out of the Hotel. Literally walked out of the door and bang!” Rina said “seriously a second later and it would have got me”

Sen, hand going to her chest, exclaimed “Oh my god! Are you ok?! That’s terrible and it officially means you need alcohol in you immediately!”

They ate a little, talked a lot, drank almost as much until Rina stumbled home from a taxi long past midnight. She would pay for it in the morning but it was the wnd of the week and she had been celebrating a good interview, several in fact and potentially a new job, a new career! It had been a long time coming. She had spent longer than she cared to admit working jobs she hated for very little pay for ungrateful employers. It had taken a lot of hard work but she could finally have a job she was proud of and she could progress in.

~

Waking late the next morning she rolled over with a groan. There was so very much to do and she had zero will power to do it. She hadn’t heard of the hotel chain she had interviewed with yesterday afternoon but it could now be her job to champion them. That’s if they employed her, oh she hoped they employed her.

She pulled herself up to a sitting position with another groan in the double bed of her small bedroom, her small rented house sounded quiet this morning having slept in past the neighbours morning routines. With an effort and not a little bit of pain she yanked her laptop to her and opened it up. The bright light lit up the nearly empty room, most of her worldly possessions in boxes or in storage, making her squint as she typed the hotel names into the search engine. She searched the other hotels and made a few notes until she got to that last one yesterday afternoon. Typing in the hotel name she clicked enter.

Nothing.

She ran a hand through her curls, the dyed copper hair not quite reaching her shoulders, the frizz just making it bounce right back. Rina grunted and rubbed at her eyes, smearing left-over eyeliner onto her cheek before typing in various different name types and different orders before sitting back into her pillows. The others had been there but not this one. She typed it in again and scrolled through the results. Again.

There was nothing.

She scrubbed both hands down her face, clearly she was more hungover than she thought. How can a hotel chain not be on the internet?! Coffee. That was what she needed first. She pulled herself out of bed and padded barefoot to the kitchen, making a detour to the bathroom on the way.

She stared out of the kitchen window as she waited for the kettle to boil, her thoughts felt slow and fuzzy but that was all on her. And the drink. Her and the drink. Well there had been a moment when she had awoken in the dark convinced she had heard screaming, no not screaming, a keening and wailing. It sounded silly in her own head now but she could have sworn that was what she heard and those were the right words to describe it. She shook herself.

The grey skies looked heavy with rain and Rina yawned hard enough to almost make her jaw crack but it wasn’t long before she was back in her warm bed, cocooned in her duvet with her laptop back over knees and a coffee cup in hand. As the sky let go of the rain it held and it spattered against the window sounding like fingers tapping for her attention, she typed in the name of the hotel again and this time checked the image section.

Nothing. No pictures at all. What in the good gods?

She sat back with a huff, nearly spilling the contents of the cooling coffee over her own lap and laptop. She stared at the screen, the hundreds of search results showing nothing of the place she went to. She was starting to worry that she had imagined it, maybe she had it mixed up with the other interview she had earlier that day. No, she was sure she had the name right, the Travellers Rest.

She remembered because the interviewer had made a point of repeatedly saying “All the travellers rest here, they stay as long as they wish, until the time comes that they want to move on.” Weird word choice, outright weird thing to keep saying considering they were a hotel and that’s usually what happens but Rina had been tired and she had nodded and smiled and said that sounded wonderful.

She tapped her short fingernail against her teeth in thought, trying to recall what else the interviewer had said when her phone trilled. With a startled squeak she sloshed coffee over her hand as she grabbed her phone with the other “Marina Caulfield” she answered as she leaned over to put the coffee cup on the bedside table.

“Ms Caulfield, this is Mrs Tanners from the Travellers Rest. Are you available to talk?” the voice replied.

“Yes” Rina croaked then cleared her throat “Yes, of course Mrs Tanners”

“Wonderful” Mrs Tanners said “I am pleased to be able to offer you the position of general manager of our hotel. We would like you to come in as soon as possible so we can start your induction and get you working because, as you were made aware of at the interview, our previous manager left hurriedly, and the position has been vacant for too long. The managers apartments is ready for you to move in at your earliest convenience.”

Her heart thumped in her chest, she had got the job! Yes yes yes! She barely heard the other woman talking logistics over the phone until she realised that she had been asked a question “I’m sorry can you repeat that?” Rina asked.

Mrs Tanners sounded amused “I said would this Monday be too soon for you to come in for the induction?”

“Oh! No that’s fine! Thank you! I’ll see you Monday then?” Rina replied with barely concealed glee. She hung up when the other woman said her goodbyes and then squealed with joy as she clasped the phone to her and squeezed it. She had done it! Finally she had scored a job and a new place to live. In two days she would be living and working at the hotel! This was what she had been waiting for, what she worked so hard for! She pulled the phone away and typed in a quick message

Sen!!! guess who just got a job and a new place to live?!

Sen replied within moments AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH THAT’S AMAZING. Proud of you! Call u after work ily proud of u xxx

Rina sent a quick love you too. Ttyl x

She almost jumped out of bed and headed to the bathroom, she was showered and was ready in what felt like no time. She was in the kitchen making herself another coffee, the euphoria of her good news had wound down a little and she was feeling tired again but she grinned happily to herself at the thought of the new life ahead of her, when there was a knock at the door. Her smile lasted all the way to opening the door when the man on her front step made the smile wilt slightly.

He was…well honestly he looked like an undertaker.

"Hello?” she said hesitantly, her brown eyes wide as she took him in.

Wearing a dusty black suit, white shirt and wilting rose in his lapel, he looked up from his clipboard and asked in a dull, flat voice “Ms Caulfield, I presume.”

“Yes?” She replied, not sure if he was asking her or was telling her who she was.

“I’m here to collect your belongings and take them to the Travellers Rest. You have one hour. You may keep your” and he said the last word almost distastefully with a slight curl to his lip “essentials.”

“Oh.” She said, she was saying that a lot lately. Had she missed something? Had Mrs Tanners told her about this? It was happening very fast. She didn’t want to mess this up but this wasn’t right

"Actually, no one said anything about this…” she began

“Not my department, Ms Caulfield” the undertaker…mover replied. “Sign here,” he thrust his clipboard at her “name here and date. Thank you” he said as she signed and the clipboard was whipped out of sight. “One hour Ms Caulfield” and he was gone, down the path and out of her front gate. He had left a copy of the paper she had signed and she closed the door while reading the paper.

From the office of Maxwell, Pricefield & Gunt.

This employment agreement is made as of this ______day of _______ between The Travellers Rest and MARINA CAULFIELD.

This document is notice for the purposes of the landlord and tenet act. From date________ for duration of employment at The Travellers Rest the below signed will reside at the above address from date of start of employment.

I _____________ resident of the city of _____________ being of sound mind, not acting under duress or undue influence, fully understanding the nature and extent of all my property, do hereby make, publish and declare this document to devise and store my property both real and personal to The Travellers Rest.

Signed _____________

Date ______________

All her details and the correct dates were written in. It looked like a will. It was written like a will. She frowned down at the paper. It was her contract and lease agreement both. She should have looked before she signed, she knew better than to sign anything before she had looked at it. It seemed simple enough but she hadn’t been expecting it, maybe she had made a mistake, maybe this was all a mistake. It was weird, she didn’t feel good about this at all, maybe she…

Her phone rang again, interrupting her swirling thoughts.

“Marina Caulfield” she answered distractedly, staring at the paper in her hand.

“Ah Ms Caulfield. Mrs Tanners here. I forgot to mention that one of our employees will be arriving at your address today. He will have a document for you to sign. It is your employment contract and tenancy,”

“And about storage…” Rina interrupted quietly.

“Ah, wonderful! So he is there already. Please don’t mind him. He’s a dour man but his heart is in the right place!”

“In his chest I assume” Marina said almost automatically, her eyes on the contract still.

Mrs Tanners barked a laugh, the sound was so unexpected that Rina jumped, almost dropping the phone and the contract. “I’ve suspected otherwise for a while, Ms Caulfield, but I can’t prove anything” the woman’s voice had a slip of an accent that Rina couldn’t quite place before it was gone again.

“As I said, please don’t be alarmed” she was all business again, “and take your time, he will wait. See you Monday, our new manager!” she trilled and was gone.

Rina looked at the dark screen of her phone and frowned harder. It was almost like they had heard her doubts and called her to reassure her. Silly of course but Rina didn’t like the coincidence of the timing. Looking around the room she sighed at the half filled boxes, she scrubbed at her face with one hand. At least there wasn’t really much to pack, she had been living out of boxes for a few weeks, she had known she would be moving eventually, just not the exact date. Well now she had an hour. She sighed and started packing away the rest of her life.