Chapter 2: Niall's Inn
Annalise gazed out of the bus window for the remainder of the journey. The vehicle was far from crowded as it usually was during her daily commute, owing to her earlier-than-usual start time of 6 a.m. instead of the usual 9 a.m. The bus pulled up at Niall's station, where Annalise purchased her token and disembarked. She donned a white turtleneck and black leather pants, completing the outfit with a red scarf wrapped around her neck.
As she approached the Inn in her black boots, she was taken aback by the commotion outside. The gate was more congested than usual, but the people did not appear to be customers, as they had no luggage with them. Rather, they seemed to be workers. Annalise squinted, attempting to see beyond the crowd, but it was too thick, so she had to make her way inside by squeezing and twisting. The crowd pushed her, almost causing her to fall, but someone caught her just in time. It was Rosita, another waitress at the inn, on the brink of losing her patience with the chaos in the establishment. She looked at Annalise in utter confusion, to which Rosita responded, "This morning when I arrived at the Inn, I wondered if I had come to the right place where I work! Then I saw a few familiar faces, and I was temporarily at ease. Since then, strange and unfamiliar faces have been coming in with strange things." "I'm glad I found you. Do you have any idea when the meeting will begin?" Annalise inquired.
"I'm just as clueless as I have been since I arrived," Rosita chuckled.
Rosita is a woman in her late thirties, around 10 years older than Annalise. She has a kind and helpful demeanor, as she helped Annalise get accustomed to everything and everyone when she first started working at the Inn. She has a healthy appearance and is slightly on the plump side, with a rosy glow to her cheeks. Her hair is brown and falls in loose waves around her shoulders. Her skin has a warm, caramel complexion, which adds to her friendly and welcoming appearance.
She is dressed in a faded black dress that hangs loosely on her frame, and comfortable combat boots that seem well-worn. Her outfit is accessorized with a scarf that is casually draped around her neck, adding a pop of color to her ensemble. Despite her casual appearance, she maintains a professional demeanor while at work and takes pride in her job as a waitress at the Inn.
The Inn was situated in the heart of the town, and it was always bustling with travelers, businessmen, customers, and tourists. The exterior was painted in warm shades of dark brown and orange, creating a welcoming and inviting atmosphere. The lobby area was framed by a wooden archway adorned with flowers and vines that climbed up the sides. Upon entering, guests were greeted with a cozy lobby area furnished with plush sofas and armchairs in shades of olive green. The walls were painted in chocolate brown and adorned with paintings and photographs depicting the town's history. The reception desk was located on the left side of the lobby, made of polished wood with a marble countertop. Behind the desk were shelves lined with books, newspapers, and magazines for guests to peruse.
To the right of the lobby, a hallway led to the restaurant, which featured an open kitchen with a wood-fired oven and a long bar area for guests to socialize and enjoy drinks. The restaurant walls were painted in light brown and burnt orange, adorned with artwork and photographs. The tables were made of wood, and comfortable chairs were upholstered in black and white fabrics. The wooden floor and windows by the side provided a perfect romantic view of the hills of Oakshire town. Soft lighting created a cozy and intimate atmosphere.
On either side of the lobby, staircases led to the upper three floors where the guest rooms were located. The color scheme of the rooms varied on each floor, with the first being cream and beige, the second being yellow and gold, and the third being deep shades of red and burgundy. The bed and curtains aligned with the color combinations, creating a relaxing ambiance.
As they were catching up, they saw Niall, the manager of the Inn, coming down the right staircase with his team of managers. He stood in the center of the lobby, clapping his hands to draw everyone's attention. Niall climbed onto the reception desk and, with a megaphone in his hand, began his speech, "Good morning, my friends. I hope you're all doing well. I know it's early, but Halloween is only two weeks away, and it's time to start putting up decorations and changing the ambiance of the Inn. The workers who have joined us today are here to repair the rooms, bathrooms, kitchen, and anything else that needs attention. They will also assist you with the decorations. I request that everyone cooperates with one another and finishes the work as soon as possible so we can open the Inn at 9 am. This is a friendly reminder that you will receive your bonus on the night of October 30th.Back to work everyone, good luck" He clapped gain ad dispersed.
"Ah this brings up old school memories where our principal used to lecture in the morning assembly before classes." Annalise weakly smiled at her joke and said,"Next thing we know ,he wants us to wear clown or shrek or Hogwarts costume to serve the customers to make it suit to the theme." they laughed together
They were given the responsibility of the restaurant area where Rosita was made the supervisor assisted by 5 others including Annalise. Annalise and Rosita made their way to the restaurant area, where they found a large box of Halloween decorations waiting for them. Together, they sorted through the box, pulling out strings of orange and purple lights, fake spiderwebs, and a collection of plastic spiders and bats. Annalise began untangling the lights, while Rosita started draping the spiderwebs over the tables and chairs.
As they worked, they chatted and laughed, occasionally stopping to admire their progress. Annalise climbed onto a chair to string the lights along the ceiling, while Rosita arranged the plastic spiders and bats in strategic locations around the room. By the time they were finished, the restaurant had been transformed into a spooky, festive space, complete with glowing pumpkins and creepy decorations.
As they stepped back to admire their handiwork, Annalise grinned at Rosita. "I never would have guessed that putting up Halloween decorations could be so much fun," she said.Rosita chuckled. "Oh, just wait until we start on the costumes," she replied.
It was around 8;30 when , Niall started walking around the Inn checking how things were being done. After touring the lobby area, he moved to the restaurant. His jaw dropped in awe and his eyes hovered around in happiness,"This is amazing, great job Rosita and her team, this has gone above my expectations, I am highly impressed "he smirked. "Thank you "they replied in unison bowing down their heads. Rosita was one of the first workers when Niall started his Inn 5 years ago and became more like a close friend than a boss or his employee. She walked towards him and asked him,"How come you got this idea of renovation and putting up Halloween-themed decorations? " Wel you see I went to a meeting of Entrepreneurs who have their own hotels or Inns last year when we pitched different business ideas and discussed how can we improve our workplace and out of all the ideas I found this to be very attractive and appealing so I thought let's try it out this Halloween." "Well it's a great idea to increase sales but also a great idea to increase hatred for yourself as a boss. Speaking from the point of view of the employees, no one likes doing the extra work ." "Well, that is why I reminded them of the bonus " She gave a creepin' smile and replied, " Yeah I hope his idea works out, I am always proud of you for trying out different ideas.". He smiled back at her and greeted a goodbye with a wave. Everyone started cleaning the mess but Annalise was lost in her thoughts and sat by the window looking at her red scarf which reminded her of the red envelope. " Should I read it or should I ignore it?" she kept debating in her mind, making her stomp and fidget her legs. Rosita looked at Annalise and went up to her waking her up from her anxious thought and asking, "let's go and change into the new spooky uniforms?
Annalise and Rosita went into the employee changing room to change into their Halloween-themed uniforms. The room was cramped but functional, with lockers lining one wall and a bench on the other. Rosita quickly changed into her dress, admiring the way it hugged her curves and flowed out in a playful flare at the bottom. The dress was a bright pumpkin orange with black trim, and it had little spider webs embroidered onto the pockets, giving it a spooky feel. She slipped on her black stockings and matching black flats, feeling excited. Annalise emerged from the changing room, and Annalise gasped. Rosita's dress was the same vibrant orange, but it had a more classic look with a fitted bodice and full skirt. The spider webs on her pockets were more intricate, and she had paired the dress with black heels that made her legs look even longer. The two women giggled as they twirled around in their dresses, excited to show off their new uniforms to the guests of the inn.
After 3 hours of hard work, the Inn did look spooky and scary but not enough to make the customers run away. Niall went around appreciating everyone's hard work and thanking them and switched the board outside of the Inn from " CLOSE" to ' OPEN"
Soon enough customers and regular town folks began entering the Inn and were delighted and amazed at the new appearance. The little children stayed away from the reception area as it had the head of a Dracula popping out. However, some would muster up the courage to pick the orange and red color jellies on the countertop for the guests. The young placed their hands on their chin, gasping"WOW" whereas men stared intensely, scanning every little detail. The Restaurant area received the same excitement as others did where they continued nodding in approval, appreciating it.
Soon huge waves of customers started flowing in for breakfast and all the waitresses insisted on formally trying out the special "Halloween Menu". "I would like to try the Spider Cookies" a young boy sitting with his parents jumping from his sit in excitement ordered. Annalise couldn't help but smile thinking about how that child must be associating it with Spiderman. The spider cookies were chocolate cookies with an orange coating with candy eyes and black licorice legs to resemble the spiders.
"A Graveyard pudding for me and a Pumpkin Pie with ghostly whipped cream for my friend "ordered a young man who was sitting with his friends, having breakfast before heading out to the college. All throughout the day, people checked in and checked out, had the taste of the newest recipes straight bustling out of the kitchen, and blessed people with its exotic taste . Everyone was working twice as hard and it was only when Annalise got a moment to sit down and look outside the window that its night already. The Inn became a whole world within itself where the staff was not bound by any time. " A pumpkin Cappuccino please" a lady ordered to which Annalsie sighed but she was clever enough to hide it. She just wanted to rest for a minute the kitchen frowning but it was extremely short-lived and headed to the kitchen frowning. However the bustling in the lobby area was comparatively less. A tall and lean man with a toned physique enters the lobby towards the reception. He has jet-black hair that is styled neatly and piercing blue eyes with an intense and alluring gaze. He has sharp and chiseled facial features with high cheekbones and a defined jawline. He is always impeccably dressed, but he just got off from the airport and headed straight to the Inn so he was dressed casually in a blue denim jacket with a crisp white button-down shirt, and a slim feat dark washed jeans. He was wearing boots and a silver watch, carrying a backpack with him. Even though he looked tired because of his journey he never lost his charm.
He entered and rang the bell on the countertop of the reception even though the receptionist Dortha, made perfectly familiar and friendly eye contact with him and greeted him. "Hello Lucian, hope your business trip was well, how may I help you?" " Yes, it was good, Dortha. How have you been? You look a little too exhausted. "I have survived today" she replied wiping the sweat off her forehead. "What's up with the Inn? I don't visit it for 3 months and you completely spooked it. Or wait is this for my welcome?" he chuckled. "Wow that's quite a good coincidence, maybe Niall was shooting for both purposes but the main one was changing the outlook for the fall, specifically Halloween."
"It looks great, I am blown." "We would be disappointed if you wouldn't have been because who likes to come to work on a Monday morning that too for putting up these." " That early? I am gonna ask him to go a little soft on all of you" he replied raising his eyebrows and making her chuckle."It's actually fine, he would be rewarding us with a bonus on the 30th and the sales today have skyrocketed, I don't remember the sales going this high. I think this is the highest we have ever had and all the credits are rightly deserved to Niall" she respectfully commented.
"Where's Niall?" he asked curiously, smiling with his charm. "I was just wondering why wasn't this question asked yet"she smiled back." Well, today is a really busy day and he has been all over the place so I will text his manager and let him know that you are in the restaurant?" "Yes that would be perfect!" he replied. This was almost rehearsed by Dortha whenever Lucian would come back after a long trip."Please enjoy the new additional menu" she added while he drifted off with his heavy backpack carrying loads of stuff.
Almost all of the old staff knew Lucian like Niall's brother and were well acquainted with him as they were with their boss and if someone wasn't they soon would be as he often visited. Lucian had been on a business trip for 3 months and instead of heading to his apartment, he came right to the Inn, to his second home to meet his best friend , who was more like a brother to him.
Lucian was Niall's childhood friend. They grew up together in the town of Verdantville ,went to school together, and graduated from the same university with Lucian having a business degree and Niall being halfway through his law major. They had different dreams and passions and were always supportive of each other. Their friendship was testified when Niall was forced by his father to pursue law, a profession his father considered too noble above anything as he was one of the most prominent lawyers in town and the most powerful one. However, he felt absolutely powerless when his son refused to follow the path his father decided for him and he moved in with Lucian after graduation. A day before his finals in the third semester, Niall was up till 5 in the morning, shivering, his feets gone all cold, he was rubbing his hand while he was sitting on the chair attached to the study table, wrapped in his blanket going through his notes. His hands shook and shivered as he turned the pages of the thick book. His face had gone pale, his eyebags gone darker each semester. He had his instant noodles cooked beside his broken pencil stand but they had gone cold too, he hadn't eaten since breakfast last morning,just fidgeted over his thick 1000 pages notes. He moved to and fro when his back started hurting from sitting there for 6 hours. He stopped drinking water in the evening, and who would waste time refilling the water or the bathroom breaks? "YOU MUST PASS WITH THE BEST GARDE" the words of his father floated in front of his eyes as he looked up stopping his eyes to shed any tears. " REAL MEN DONT CRY" his father's proud face flashed before his eyes. "MY SON, YOU WILL BE A BETTER LAWYER THAN ME I JUST KNOW IT"The phrases from his father rang in his ears like a prisoner screeching walls of the prison to get out ."I WANNA GET OUT" his mind shouted and he started scribbling his notes with a dark blue pen aggressively cutting it across and tearing it apart and he threw the thick book across the wall. He put his trembling hands slowly on his ears to shut all the noises but how do you shut the voices in your head? You can cut the external voice by closing your ears but how do you silence the demon lurking inside? By closing your heart? Never! Choose life and it will choose you and it was about time Niall would start living his own but before the Sun shines darkness abides, and before the spring, winter has to pass by. He went down on his knees, tears rolling down his face and hands clasped together begging God he muttered, "Save me". He wrapped himself cozily on the floor, dozing off when the tears on his face dried.
The next morning on the day of the exam Lucian woke up unaware of what Naill had to go through at night because he would never ask for help and suffer alone miserably. Lucian rubbed his eyes, looking across the room to see if Niall had woken up or not but he was not in his bed. Lucian frowned and immediately jumped out of his bed and walked towards Niall's bed when his feets stepped on the blanket. He stopped and looked down and the sight of Niall's hand lying underneath horrified him. He immediately removed the veil. He saw Niall lying on the ground almost as lifeless as the paper shreds of his notes surrounding him.