The staircase seemed longer than before.

Sophie climbed slowly, holding the silver key tightly in her hand.

Ethan walked beside her.

Neither spoke.

The hotel was strangely quiet.

Too quiet.

Sophie finally whispered,

“Do you think that ghost was telling the truth?”

“About what?”

“About my grandmother.”

Ethan looked at her.

“I don’t know.”

“You’re not very helpful.”

“I’m trying.”

She smiled faintly.

“You’re cute when you’re scared.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“I’m not scared.”

A loud bang came from upstairs.

Ethan jumped.

Sophie laughed.

“Definitely not scared.”

“I was surprised.”

“Of course.”

He smiled.

“You’re enjoying this.”

“A little.”

They reached the third floor.

The hallway was dark.

At the end stood Room 309.

The door was closed.

Sophie walked toward it.

Ethan stopped her.

“Wait.”

“What?”

He pointed at the door.

There was something written across it.

DON’T REMEMBER.

Sophie stared.

“I think that’s impossible now.”

She inserted the silver key.

The lock clicked.

The door opened.

Cold air rushed over them.

Inside was a room that looked untouched for twenty years.

A dusty bed.

An old wooden desk.

A broken lamp.

Yellow curtains.

And photographs covering almost every wall.

Sophie stepped inside.

Her heart stopped.

Every photograph showed her grandmother.

But the final photograph was different.

It showed a little girl.

Sophie.

She was standing beside her grandmother.

And beside them stood a teenage boy.

Sophie looked at Ethan.

“That’s you.”

He stared at the photograph.

“No.”

She pointed.

“Look.”

The boy had Ethan’s face.

Same eyes.

Same smile.

Same scar above his eyebrow.

Ethan stepped backward.

“That’s impossible.”

Sophie took the photograph from the wall.

“Maybe it’s your father.”

“No.”

“Why?”

“My father had a scar on the other side.”

He turned the photograph over.

There was writing on the back.

Sophie and Ethan. Summer 2006.

They stared at each other.

“What does that mean?” Sophie whispered.

Ethan shook his head.

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t remember?”

“No.”

“Nothing?”

He closed his eyes.

Then suddenly grabbed his head.

A sharp pain hit him.

He fell to his knees.

“Ethan!”

Sophie rushed beside him.

“What happened?”

“I remember…”

“What?”

He looked at her.

“The room.”

His breathing became heavy.

“I’ve been here before.”

Sophie helped him stand.

“What happened?”

“I was a child.”

He looked around.

“Your grandmother brought me here.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know.”

He walked toward the desk.

There was a small music box sitting on it.

He touched it.

The music began playing by itself.

A soft melody filled the room.

Ethan froze.

“I know this song.”

Sophie stared at him.

“How?”

“My mother used to sing it.”

He opened the music box.

Inside was a tiny photograph.

It showed two children.

Sophie and Ethan.

They were holding hands.

Sophie whispered,

“We knew each other.”

Ethan looked at her.

“Before the hotel.”

“Yes.”

“But why don’t we remember?”

A voice answered from behind them.

“Because someone made you forget.”

They turned.

A woman stood near the doorway.

She wore a white dress.

Her face was pale.

But her eyes were kind.

Sophie immediately recognized her.

“Grandma?”

The ghost smiled.

“My little Sophie.”

Tears filled Sophie’s eyes.

“You…”

“I’ve been waiting for you.”

Sophie stepped closer.

“Why did you disappear?”

Her grandmother looked toward Ethan.

“Because I discovered the truth.”

“What truth?”

“Your parents knew each other.”

Sophie frowned.

“My parents?”

“And Ethan’s parents.”

Ethan stared.

“What did they know?”

The ghost sighed.

“The hotel wasn’t abandoned because of a murder.”

She looked around the room.

“It was abandoned because of a secret.”

Sophie whispered,

“What secret?”

Her grandmother pointed toward the floor.

“Under this room.”

Ethan moved the old rug.

Beneath it was a wooden trapdoor.

He opened it.

A narrow staircase led underground.

Sophie looked at him.

“Why does this hotel have a secret basement?”

“Because apparently normal hotels are boring.”

She laughed despite herself.

They climbed down.

At the bottom was a small underground room.

Old boxes filled the walls.

Documents covered a table.

And in the center stood a large wooden cabinet.

Sophie opened it.

Inside were dozens of files.

One file had her name.

Another had Ethan’s.

They opened them.

Sophie found medical records.

Her birth certificate.

School records.

Photographs.

Then she found something that made her blood run cold.

A document titled:

MEMORY SUPPRESSION PROGRAM

She stared.

“What is this?”

Ethan read the page.

“This hotel was being used for experiments.”

“Experiments?”

“On children.”

Sophie covered her mouth.

Her grandmother appeared behind them.

“They wanted to erase memories.”

“Why?”

“Because the children had witnessed something.”

“What?”

The ghost looked toward the far wall.

“Your grandfather’s murder.”

Sophie froze.

“My grandfather?”

“Yes.”

“Who killed him?”

Her grandmother’s expression became sad.

“I did not know.”

“Then why were our memories erased?”

“Because someone wanted you both to forget what you saw.”

Ethan looked at Sophie.

“Us?”

Her grandmother nodded.

“You were both children.”

“What did we see?”

The ghost pointed toward an old video recorder.

“Watch.”

Ethan found an old tape.

He inserted it.

The screen flickered.

Static.

Then an image appeared.

Two children were sitting in Room 309.

Sophie.

Ethan.

A man entered the room.

The children looked frightened.

Then the man turned toward the camera.

Sophie gasped.

She recognized him.

It was the ghost from the lobby.

But he looked alive.

Young.

Smiling.

And standing beside him was another person.

Sophie moved closer to the screen.

Her heart stopped.

The second person was—

her mother.

“No…”

Ethan looked at her.

“Sophie.”

She shook her head.

“My mother was here.”

The video continued.

Her mother looked directly at the children.

Then she said something.

The recording was too damaged to hear.

The screen went black.

Suddenly, the basement door slammed shut.

Sophie turned.

Someone was standing at the top of the stairs.

A man.

Alive.

Not a ghost.

He smiled.

“I wondered when you’d remember.”

Ethan stepped in front of Sophie.

“Who are you?”

The man walked downstairs.

“My name is Victor.”

Sophie stared at him.

“You’re the man in the video.”

Victor smiled.

“Very good.”

“You killed my grandfather.”

“No.”

He stopped.

“Your grandmother did.”

Sophie froze.

Behind them, her grandmother’s ghost appeared.

Her expression was full of sorrow.

Victor continued.

“Your grandmother didn’t disappear because she was murdered.”

He looked at Sophie.

“She disappeared because she killed the wrong person.”

Sophie shook her head.

“You’re lying.”

Victor smiled.

“Then ask her.”

Sophie turned toward the ghost.

“Grandma?”

Her grandmother looked at her.

“I am sorry.”

The lights went out.

When they came back on—

the ghost was gone.

Sophie stood frozen.

Ethan took her hand.

Victor smiled.

“And now you finally know why Room 309 was locked.”

Sophie looked at him.

“Why?”

Victor pointed toward the wall.

A hidden door slowly opened.

Inside was a dark room.

And from somewhere inside came a child’s laughter.

Victor whispered,

“Because the person you saw die…”

He smiled.

“…wasn’t your grandfather.”

Sophie stared into the darkness.

Then a child’s voice called her name.

“Sophie…”

She knew that voice.

It was her own.

To be continued…