I start down the aisle. A few guests look at me and then whisper to whoever’s next to them. Some people don’t look at me at all. I’m being paranoid, but who wouldn’t be after Kenneth’s threats? After Daniel’s warning? I’m halfway to the screen when I hear my name, and I turn to the left and find my dad sitting in the middle with an empty seat next to him. He looks elated to see me. I don’t plan to stay, but I murmur “Excuse me” and shimmy past the legs and laps of the people in the row.
“Hey, kid,” my father says when I reach him. “I’m glad you could make it!” He holds down the seat of the chair, and I sit next to him, glancing behind me to see if anyone is listening. In the back of the room the guard has come in and is standing at the end of the aisle. He looks directly at me, and I turn away, my skin chilled under his watchful stare. If I pull my father out of here, will he report it to Kenneth? Is this how the concierge has been keeping tabs on me?
“Are you okay?” my father asks, sounding concerned. “You’re so pale.”
“Dad,” I say quietly. My father furrows his brow, reading my fear. “Dad, I have to talk to you about this hotel.”
His easy smile falls away, and his eyes lose the warmth they had when I first arrived. “Kenneth warned me about your behavior,” my father says in a disappointed voice. “Have you done something to upset the Ruby?”
There’s a wave of unease, my dad’s demeanor mimicking the sketchiness that happened in Daniel’s room. Do they already know Kenneth is a creep? Or has he brainwashed them? I take in a harsh breath, my entire body starting to tremble. “We have to leave, Dad,” I say as calmly as possible, but my voice wavers. “You, me, and Daniel have to get out of here before Kenneth does something to us.”
At the mention of our family his expression softens slightly. “Why would we leave, Audrey?” he asks. “Things are better here. We’re better. You just have to give it a chance.”
“A chance?” I repeat, incredulous.
“This is our opportunity to start over. Isn’t that what you want?”
I stare at him; the color’s returned to his cheeks, his hair is well kept, and his clothes are stylish. I haven’t seen him like this since Mom died, and I’ve missed him. I’ve missed having a father. “It is what I want,” I say, confused. “But—”
“Then it’s settled,” he says, the rest of my sentence unimportant. “Popcorn?” He outstretches the bag in my direction. “They have candy, too. This is supposed to be a great movie, but the summary was pretty vague. We’ll see, I guess.”
I take the popcorn even though I’d choke if I tried to eat anything right now. I don’t understand what’s going on with him and Daniel. The concierge is spying on us, threatening his staff. Am I the one overreacting?
The lights in the room go dark and I gasp. The popcorn falls from my hands, sending white kernels scattering across the black floor at my feet. Right then the screen illuminates and previews start. Patrons lean forward to watch, smiling and content. I ease back in the chair.
My father looks down at the floor and reaches to pick up the bag I dropped. “I’ll go grab us another popcorn,” he whispers. “Be right back, kid.”
People laugh at something on-screen, but I can’t pay attention. My mind keeps turning back to Daniel. Why did he bring up my mother? And exactly how long do he and my father plan on staying here? Living at a hotel may be okay for Elias, but I don’t want to spend my life wandering around the Ruby, terrified of Kenneth. I glance at the door, considering leaving, but before I can make the decision, my father is scooting back down the aisle. He hands me a new bag of popcorn as he passes.
“Got you Junior Mints,” he whispers. “They’re your favorite, right?”
My automatic response is to say no, because my father hasn’t guessed a correct thing about me in a long while. But this time . . . “Right,” I say, taking the white box from his hand. “They are my favorite.”
I look down at the candy, still afraid, but maybe a little less so. I turn to my father as he sits down and settles in, smiling before taking a handful of popcorn and shoving it into his mouth. I watch him until he laughs, pointing at the screen, and then I turn away.
When my fear has faded enough, I take a few bites of popcorn and open my Junior Mints. In a way my father’s right—maybe we are better here. At least for another night. I sit back and watch the show.
Chapter 12
The movie ends. My father looks over at me as the lights come up. “That was actually funny,” he says. “They need to hire better people to write those descriptions. I wouldn’t have even stayed if I weren’t meeting you.”
I return his smile, his affection feeling genuine though it still catches me off guard. The room starts to empty, and my father and I walk toward the exit, tossing what’s left of our snacks in the trash can near the door. I pretend not to notice the guard, even as he watches me.
“Where are you heading to now?” my father asks, holding open the door for me to leave first. “We could probably grab dinner if you’re hungry.”