“What happened to it? Why did it close?” I wondered aloud.
“That’s an interesting story actually. The hotel was built in the early 1920s by a wealthy man named Charles Hawksley. He was actually in the first graduating class at St. Jacobs, so he’s kind of a legend at my school. He grew up in Santa Juanita, and had inherited his family’s cattle ranch from his father. His young bride refused to live with him at the ranch because she felt the accommodations were not up to her standards. Santa Juanita was even more of a shit hole then, then it is now, so the hotels around were all subpar. So, Charles Hawksley built her this hotel.”
“Why a hotel and not just a big house or something?” I interrupted.
“He was a business man and probably figured he may as well make a little cash out of the deal, I guess. Anyway, the hotel became very successful. Lots of San Francisco elites would stay here on the weekends and go horseback riding or hunting. It became quite the retreat for the rich and famous.
“
Nobody knows exactly what happened, but Hawksley began to go crazy. One theory is that he got lead poisoning from the old pipes at his ranch. Some think he just had a mental breakdown, but in any case, he became jealous and suspicious of his wife. She was a lot younger than him and stunningly beautiful. He ordered his hotel staff to stop booking guests. He kept his wife secluded here all the time, completely isolated from her friends and family. Then one day he came home to find her in bed with a bellboy. That is what ultimately pushed him over the edge.
“
He decided the only way to keep his wife from ever being with another man was to trap her at The Valencia. He sent the hotel staff away. Then he sold off all of his assets, and put his money into gold bullions. He hired a couple kids from St. Jacobs to help him bury the gold somewhere in Santa Juanita. Hawksley was determined to keep his fortune from everyone.”
“
How noble of him,” I said sarcastically.
“
Yeah. He was a real philanthropist. But get this, when he died about a year later he was alone,” Levi paused.
“
So?” I said not getting his point.
“
Nobody ever saw his wife or the two St. Jacobs boys again.”
“But what happened to them?” I asked, the story was giving me the creeps.
Levi leaned closer to me and lowered his voice, “Nobody knows for sure, but the last person to see his wife alive was the cook. She was cleaning out the pantry and came out to get something just as Hawksley was leading the wife into the cellar. Several years after he died the cook came back, curious about what had happened to the wife. She had a hunch that something was not quite right. She went down into the cellar and found a dozen tiny cells, none much larger than a coffin. The cells were once used for storing wine, but the shelves had been removed and small holes had been drilled into the steel doors. The cook looked into every cell and in each she found the same thing,” Levi’s voice trailed off.
“What?” I asked.
“It just occurred to me that this is not the best story to tell a claustrophobic, especially a particularly cute one who I am trying to impress.”
“Tell me! What was in the cells?” I demanded.
“Bloody fingerprints. Like someone had been trying to scratch their way out.”
We stood silently staring at the hotel. It now looked more like a prison to me than a fancy hotel.
Levi took a breath and added the finishing touches to his story, “As the years went by the hotel fell into disrepair. The gold has never been found. It’s crazy to think that somewhere in this town is enough gold to buy half of California, but nobody knows where it is.”
“Do you think he kept his wife and those St. Jacobs boys like prisoners in the cells?” I asked my voice on the verge of shaking.
He looked at me and smiled, “It’s just a story, Chelsea. The whole thing is probably a myth. Of course, if you want we could go down into the basement and look for them...”
I punched him in the stomach, “You suck!”
He laughed, wrapping his strong arms around me in a hug, “Don’t worry, I’m not going to let anyone put you in a cell. Come on, I want to show you why we came here.”
He led me around to the back of the building, where we came to a large room that jetted out of the rear of the hotel. It was made entirely up of small glass windows. Many of the windows were cracked or shattered, but far more were intact. Levi stepped through one window that had been totally busted out. I hesitated for a good thirty seconds before eventually allowing myself to be led in.
In the center of the large cavernous room was an enormous swimming pool. I wondered how long it had been dry. The moonlight was spilling in through the glass ceiling, lighting the room and making it possible to distinguish the intricate blue and gold-leafed tiles that adorned the pool. Around the perimeter of the room were benches and tables made of concrete and also covered in elaborately detailed tile. The room would have been a breathtaking if not for a century of disrepair.
Levi’s phone buzzed and he read a text, “My friends should be here any minute,” he said in response.
“So what exactly do you guys do here?” I asked, still unsure of our purpose for being at the abandoned and probably haunted hotel.
“I’ll show you,” he said dropping my hand, and tossing his skateboard in front of him. He stepped onto it easily and with two quick pushes went flying toward the empty pool. Every muscle in my body seized for an instant as he plunged off the edge. He effortlessly skated to the other end of the pool where he flew three feet in the air, releasing the board for a second, and then making contact in time for another steep decent to the bottom of the pool. Levi came back up to the side where I stood. staring, transfixed. He flipped his board in the air and caught it in his hand.
“You’re such a showoff,” I said shaking my head and smiling, “Anybody could do that.”
He wrapped his free arm around my waist and pulled me tight against his body. He kissed me deeply, and then said, “You want to give it a try, Punky?”
I smiled up at him, liking the way my new nickname sounded, “I’m trying to give it up.”
He shook his head with a grin.
Soon a group of Levi’s friends came giggling into the room. I was less than thrilled to see that the beautiful girl whom I recognized from the concert, Camille, was there. She was joined by Noah, a tall skinny kid named Calvin, a dark kid with really saggy pants named Jeremy, and a blond girl, also beautiful, named Mandy.
The boys went immediately to the pool, taking turns flying off one side and coming up the other. From what I could surmise, the goal was to get as much air as possible between the skateboard and one’s feet at the precise moment between ascending and descending. I watched in awe at how simple Levi made this look. While the others appeared to be somewhat timid at times, and often fell off their skateboards, Levi did his tricks flawlessly, and with easy concentration. There was an instant, just before the fall, when I could see a flash of fear dash across the faces of Noah, Calvin, and Jeremy. But not for Levi. There was nothing but complete calm in his expression.
I watched the skateboarding show curiously, trying to ignore the hushed giggles coming from Camille and Mandy. They had taken out monogrammed flasks filled with what I assumed to be alcohol, and isolated themselves in a corner. There has always been something so nerve wracking to me about the sound of laughter from teenage girls. No matter when I hear it, I am always positive it is directed at me. And that night, I was more certain than ever.
Camille and Mandy were quintessential St. Jacobs girls. They both had rich girl hair. You know, hair that looks soft and wavy in just the right way, like from a shampoo commercial. Their nails were clearly manicured professionally, and I didn’t even have to see their toes to know it was the same story there. They both wore designer clothes and shoes and had Louis Vuitton purses clutched under their arms.
I sat undisturbed for a while, until Levi rolled over to where I sat to take of his sweatshirt. He dropped it next to me and bent down to kiss me sweetly on the forehead, before skating back to the pool. This show of affection was enough to alert Camille to my presence. She stumbled over toward me, and looked down at me with scowling eyes. I stood up, so as not to be literally looked down upon.
“
So you’re with Levi?” she asked, slurring.
“
I guess,” I replied with a shrug, not looking at her.
“
You don’t even
know
what you’re doing,” she stated, moving her body in front of mine, and putting her face closer then was absolutely necessary.
“
I’m fine. You’re the one who drank a fifth of vodka, from the smell of it,” I said snidely, continuing to avoid eye contact.
“
You don’t have a fucking clue what you’re doing,” she repeated.
“
What’s that about calling the kettle black?” I asked sarcastically. This made her push her chest closer to mine. I could feel her hot alcohol ridden breath on my face.
She opened her mouth to speak, but Levi interrupted her, yelling fiercely, “Camille!”
His harsh and cutting tone took me by surprise and I nearly jumped. Everyone seemed to freeze and stare at Levi. My eyes flashed to Noah, who held his hands in two tight fists, as if bracing himself for something.
Camille whispered quickly, “You’ve been warned,” before returning to her corner with Mandy.
The guys went back to their skateboarding. I slowly sat down on the hard, cold tile, feeling suddenly ready to get the hell out of there, and far away from Camille and her sidekick. I wondered how long Levi would want to stay. There was no way that I would be able find my way through the overgrowth and back to humanity without his guidance.
I didn’t need to wait long. All at once, Levi came running at me with great speed. Grabbing me by the arm, he yanked me to my feet, “The cops are coming,” he shouted, “Run!”
Everyone scattered like bugs under an overturned rock. I heard sirens and could see red and blue flashing lights reflecting off the glass that surrounded us. Levi pulled me to the back corner of the room, pausing for a split second to kick in a window. I covered my face as the glass shattered. He forced my head down and pushed me through the opening. I felt a sharp pain sting me as a piece of glass caught my arm, but I kept moving.
Once out of the hotel, we began sprinting toward the forest in the opposite direction from the way we’d come. The trees quickly became a dark ceiling above us and once more I couldn’t see a thing. I stumbled twice, falling to my knees. Both times Levi pulled me to my feet without pausing. I could hear a loud booming voice coming from a police bullhorn, but the actual words didn’t register in my mind. I was too overcome by the now familiar feeling of adrenaline racing through me, hot and satiated.
As we ran deeper into the dense trees the night turned silent, but in my ears I could hear the blood rushing through me like a thundering current. We didn’t stop or slow until we came into the light of a small clearing. I could see a tall stone wall that I reasoned must mark the perimeter of The Valencia property. When we reached the wall, Levi pushed me roughly against it. My breath was forced from my lungs as my back made contact with the wall. His lips were on mine, hard and forceful, his tongue digging deeply into my mouth. He breathed loudly, quickly, as he pushed his hand under my shirt, finding my breast and cupping it firmly.
I found my hands, hanging limply from my arms on either side of my body. I put them against Levi’s chest and pushed with as much power as I could gather. For a moment, he barely moved, still pressing his body against mine. Finally he stepped away from me. I leaned over, grabbing my knees, trying to catch my breath.
“
What the hell, Levi!” I finally yelled, “Do you get off
on freaking the crap out of me?”
He reached out and pulled me into a gentle embrace, “Sorry,” he whispered, still catching his breath.
“
You suck,” I yelled, with slightly less fervor.
“
I really didn’t think the police would show up, Chelsea. Really,” he said in his calming voice. Damn that voice.
“
Hanging out with you is hazardous to my blood pressure,” I said, relaxing slightly more.
He smiled at me, “I hope I’m not all bad for your heart.”
“
Not all bad,” I conceded, “But no more close calls, okay.”
“
Okay.”
“
Promise?” I demanded.
“
I will do my very best, but I like to keep things interesting.”
I rolled my eyes, “Your idea of interesting is going to end me up in the hospital,” I said pointing to my arm, which was bleeding.
“
Sorry. I’ll keep you safe. Promise,” he bent down and tenderly kissed me. “I’ll skateboard to the car and then come pick you up.”
“
No way are you leaving me here with the ghost of Charles Hawksley looming all around. I’m coming with you.”
“
Fine, I was just trying to be chivalrous,” he grinned at me.
Too late, I thought.
It took a long time for us to finally make it back to Levi’s car, thankfully the street was well lit, helping my heart to return to its happy hundred beats per minute. He held my hand the whole time, gently stroking it with his thumb. As we walked, I replayed the night in my head. I knew it was silly, what with just running from the police, but the thing that was most prominent on my mind was Camille.