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A young woman with unruly black hair stepped up to the desk. She was dressed in a drab wool coat and wore a hat shaped like a felt, brown bucket. She pushed her thick, mock tortoise-rim glasses up her nose as she mumbled, "I need to check in."
I hadn't had any guests since the werewolf family left a few hours ago. I was so grateful to finally have a customer. There was no way I could be able to tempt a witch to come work for us if I couldn't even keep the lights on.
"Of course!" I said. "And the name of the reservation?"
"Nellie."
I spotted her name in my books and spun the register for her sign. "All set." I held out my lovely, new black quill. I was going to have to thank Ajax for it and find out where he got it. "Please sign here."
"Do I have to use my real name?" she asked, taking the feather and twirling it nervously.
It's always such an awkward balance – respecting the privacy of your guests while still making sure to capture enough information to track them down if they don't pay their bill. In the past, I would have been able to infuse her signature with a wee bit of her energy signature, which would enable me to turn it over to a tracker if she was a deadbeat. Those trackers... They'd be able to touch her writing and follow her steps to her front door. But without my powers, I had to rely on the honesty of strangers. Only six more months, I told myself.
Instead, I tried to imbue my smile with a sense of understanding, but also convey the importance of the rules. "We prefer it."
"There was someone here named John Doe," she pointed out.
I looked down at the name on the register. It had little hearts all over it. It must have been someone Ajax had fancied but turned away. Under that gruff exterior, he was such a romantic. "Ah, but as you can see, his name is crossed out."
Her shoulders curved in, as if she was trying to become as small as she could. "It is important," she said, leaning toward me. "It is important that no one knows I'm here."
All the red flags began waving as I figured out this was not some tryst, rather a damsel in distress. "You poor dear!" I clucked.
All her defenses melted at this slight extension of kindness. "I am here until a World Walker can take me through the portal to Earth. Please, I promise I won't be any trouble." She emptied her pockets and put the full payment plus some on the counter. "I am in danger."
What sort of a woman would I be to turn someone like her away? I pushed all the coins back at her. "We'll have none of that. This is on me."
She seemed like she might cry with relief. "Really?"
"Really," I insisted. "Your treasure is no good here." I took the register and the black quill and wrote, Jane Doe in my own writing so it couldn't be used against her. "Is there someone we should keep our eyes out for, dear?"
"A tall man," she replied. "A tall man with silver and black hair that hangs to his shoulders. He has strange green eyes. It is very important he does not find me."
"Don't you worry," I assured her. "No one like that has been sniffing around." I turned to the wall of keys. If there was someone after her, the upper floors would give us a little more of a lead if she needed protection. It looked like someone was in 3C. It might be useful to have someone on the other side of the wall if she needed help. "3D. Only one way in or out. If you need anything, the stairs to my room are right next door to you."
"Thank you, Miss...?"
"Miss Spell. A pleasure to have you staying with us." I waved at her as she went up the stairs and then I turned my attention to the door to make sure that no evil men tried to sneak in. I would do my best to keep her safe, I promised.