“Good morning, Girls!” the voice of Howard Weiss awoke the girls, the pep having returned to his voice, “It’s Friday once again! If you still haven’t figured out what you want to do, then better figure it out before our rehearsal starts!”

~~~

Dining Room

     “I’m telling you, Elise,” Annette said in between bites of her breakfast of some pancakes, eggs, bacon, and hash browns, “Something is going on in this hotel.”

     “Are you absolutely sure you weren’t imagining it?”

     “If I daydreamed it, then that had to have been the most realistic daydream I’ve ever had.” Annette had been recounting her adventures yesterday appearing on a strange floor of the hotel, no doors in site, and of the strange white, human shape she seemingly saw faze into a wall.

     “But Annette, what you’re describing sounds like a ghost, and you know ghosts aren’t real,” Elise said, not even taking in the possibility that what she described was real.

     “I know that ghosts aren’t real!” Annette said defensively, “But I have heard about places which accidentally absorbed a large amount of magical discharge and began creating illusions of its own accord before! That famous news reporter did a whole piece on it!”

     “But surely if the hotel started doing that Howard would have warned us to not going exploring the hotel on our own,” Elise pointed out rationally, “besides, we’ve got bigger things to worry about right now than some strange apparition. When do you get to practice with Howard?”

     “I think I’m going last… You know I really can’t believe he left us waiting until the last day to get to rehearse with him.”

     “Yeah. David seemed to handle that a lot better than him. I think I’m going right before you, so if you come to my room after you’re done, we can try retracing your steps and see if we can find your ‘mystery guest’.”

     “Alright, see you then.”

~~~

Maya’s Practice

     “So, do you think that they’re big enough for the audience to see?” Maya asked nervously, showing off the prop she had designed for her act to Howard.

     “Well… they’re a little small,” Howard held all of the small wooden props in a single hand, “And the problem is with the angle of the stage, even if we did size them up some of the audience wouldn’t really be able to get a good look at them.”

     “But what if we just had the cameras zoom in on them?” Maya suggested.

     “We could do that, but I know a number of people like to actually be able to see the magic themselves when they go out to see a show, because if they were going to watch it through a screen, they could have just stayed at home.”

     “Alright… What about this?” Maya cupped one of the props in her hands, enchanting it and making it larger. She through it against the ground, and when it hand landed, flew up in the air, growing even larger before exploding in a burst of confetti. “That way, people will be able to see it clearly, and add a bit of showmanship to it all too…”

     “Hm… An excellent solution, Maya,” Howard seemed proud of her problem solving skills.

~~~

Dining Room

     “Hello again, Dudley,” Maya smiled.

     “Oh! Hello Ms. Maya,” Dudley smiled nervously. He had just got off of the elevator and was pushing a silver cart with a pile of dirty dishes and silverware on it.

     “Who ordered all of the food?” Maya asked.

     “Uh! The food…” Dudley’s nervousness hadn’t gone away as he looked down at the cart he was pushing, “Oh yes! The food… it… was… for… Kairi! Ms. Kairi had some friends over and ordered it through room service. I only just managed to get the dishes out of her room,” Dudley seemed a little shifty as he gave this explanation.

     Maya didn’t seem to catch it though, as she said, “Huh. Never really took her for the large party sort of person. Do you have time to sit and have lunch with me?”  \“I would love to Ms. Maya-“

     “Please, just call me Maya,” Maya smiled.

     “Sorry. Maya. I would normally love to, but Mr. Weiss wants me to go around the rooms and clean them up, and then he wants me to wash all of your bedsheets, and then he wants me to deliver some packages, and then-“

     “I get it, Dudley,” Maya said, her eye showing off her disappointment as she said, “We can just try to grab lunch another time.”

     Dudley looked down at his cart, and then back at the open seat across from Maya, before finally deciding to say, “Alright. I think Howard will understand if I decide to take my lunch break a little bit early.” He pulled out the chair across from her, climbing up onto it just as the food Maya had ordered appeared on the table. The two proceeded to enjoy a pleasant lunch together, having a great time discussing Maya’s thoughts on the competition, and Dudley’s day-to-day job.

~~~

Sinopia’s Rehearsal

     “Now Sinopia, are you sure that these are still popular today? I mean… besides a few shows, I’m pretty sure only children watched them…”

     “Trust me Howard, they’ve really evolved in the last twenty years. There are some shows with such rabid fanbases that people have fought to the death to figure out which show is better.”

     “Really?”

     “Well, not to the literal death. More like they just let the conversation go on forever until one of them decides to just block the other.”

     “Ah,” Howard said.

~~~

Sable’s Rehearsal

     “So, what do you think?” Sable asked, spinning around so that Howard could get a good look at the costume Kairi and her had spent all night designing and sewing. Sable still clearly wasn’t a master at sewing, but she had enough experience mending her sister’s clothes and sewing back on body parts, that the resulting costume didn’t look that bad.

     “Well… The craftsmanship is rather admirable, but don’t you think the costume itself is a little cliche?” Howard asked.

     “W-what do you mean?” Sable dropped her arms to her side, a little embarrassed now.

     “I just don’t see how a show such as the one you’re describing could become popular in a world where magic exists,” Howard shrugged, “why would you want to change the rules and limit it from how magic works from the real world?”

     “Well, it’s just fantasy Howard! Sometimes it’s fun to imagine what the world would be like if things were different from the status quo!” Sable crossed her arms, looking annoyed at Howard.

     “Alright, alright! Guess I struck a nerve,” Howard grinned, shrugging, “if this show means that much to you, far be it from me to judge.”

     “Thank you,” Sable said, uncrossing her arms.

~~~

Dining Room

     “Hey Sable! Over here!” Sinopia waved, as Sable entered the dining room.

     “Hey Sin, Hey Ann,” Sable said, sitting down at the table where the other two assistants were sitting.

     “Annette was telling me about how she got on to some abandoned floor of the hotel and encountered a ghost!” Sinopia explained.

     “I said I wasn’t sure if it was a ghost! Just that it was some white thing I caught out of the corner of my eye that looked vaguely human!” Annette said defensively.

     “Well. I think it’s a ghost. Seriously, you hear stories all the time of people dying in hotels, and just because all major ghost stories have been proven to be hoaxes, doesn’t mean that this one is!” Sinopia said optimistically.

     “Well… I’m pretty sure ghosts aren’t really Sin… But if Ann’s said she’s found a secret floor with nothing on it, then I’m willing to check it out,” Sable grinned, “When can we go?”

     “Elise and I were planning on going when I was finished my rehearsal,” Annette explained, “You two are welcome to join us if you want.”

     “Sounds like a plan,” Sinopia said between bites of her food, “Ooh! Let’s invite Maya too! I’m sure she would want to see a ghost too!”

~~~

Elise’s Rehearsal

     “So what house do you think I would be in Howard? Gryffindor or Ravenclaw?” Elise asked, as she alternated between two similar wizard coats.

     “Oh no!” Howard said, looking at the two costumes, “We are not doing Harry Potter.”

     “But why wouldn’t we? It’s only one of the best selling magic franchises of all time?”

     “Yes. Which means it’s been done to death!” Howard complained, “Even I know that those books are overrepresented in the magic scene. The amount of producers who asked me to add some aspect of the books to my act to try and add relevancy was simply too much to handle.”

     “But I had such a great idea for an act! We were going to take a polyjuice potion and then fight an ogre!”

     “And I’m certain that would have been a real winner, but I’m afraid I’m pulling a veto on that one. I want the winner of this competition to have shown to me that they have some originality in their body. Surely you thought of some alternate ideas for an act.”

     “… Fine,” Elise sighed, seeing that Howard would not budge on this issue, “You’re lucky I always prepare some back-ups. Some of the contestants wouldn’t be able to handle such a unreasonable request.”

     “And I thank you for your flexibility,” Howard said.

~~~

Annette’s Rehearsal

     “Wow,” Howard said, as he looked at the video game console in Annette’s hand, “video games have definitely come a long way since the Atari.”

     “Yeah! but that’s basically the inspiration for the trick.”

     “Alright. It sounds interesting, but are you sure you’ll be able to handle the duplication part of the trick? Being in two places at once can be very disorientating.

     “Well, that’s why I’ve been working hard training with Rocky all week. Here, watch this,” Annette whistled, catching Rocky’s attention from where he was lounging in the practice room. “Rocky! Split!”

     The little black creature seemed to split down the middle, the individual halves of Rocky flopping to the floor, where their missing skin began bubbling until two, miniature versions of the same black creature stood there. The two Rockys alternated in their markings. “Good boy! Now. Rocky, Copy!”

     One of the creatures opened its mouth impossibly wide, Annette jumping in with ease. As Rocky began to shift back to normal, the mouth on the second Rocky clone looked as though something was beginning to form in its own mouth. The Rocky clones opened their mouth again, allowing two identical Annettes to step out, each one wearing a slightly differently colored outfit.

     “So Howard,” the Annette on the left asked.

     “What do you think?” the Annette on the right completed.

     “I think… that this should make things rather interesting for tomorrow,” Howard grinned.

     After the rehearsal had ended, Rocky having turned Annette to normal, Howard stopped her as she made her way towards the elevator. “Annette, may I have a word please?”

     “Yes?” Annette asked, a little nervous that Howard was going to berate her again for the things she couldn’t remember happening on Wednesday.

     “As I told you yesterday, I was going to start watching the footage before it went to air, and some of the footage showed me that you went to an unfinished floor of the hotel.”

     “Yes… Am I in trouble? You told us we could go anywhere in the hotel.”

     “You’re not in trouble,” Howard said, trying to calm her nerves, “and I did say that. It just seemed that you were a little confused about where you ended up, and I thought you deserved an explanation. The truth is that the hotel is currently in the process of being renovated, what with the addition of the stage and the fact that more people will likely want to stay in the actual hotel where the second season of ANGA took place. So, we’re currently adding some new floors, and you just happened to pop yourself into one of those pockets.”

     “Okay… That makes sense. And what about the white thing that I saw?”

     “What white thing?” Howard asked, “The footage didn’t show any white things in it.”

     “…But I definitely saw a white thing,” Annette stood her ground on this point.

     “I really don’t know what your talking about,” Howard said, seeming genuine, “it must have been a figment of your imagination.”

     “O-okay…” Annette said, now no longer sure if what she thought she saw was the truth.

     “Well, it’s good to hear that you’re starting to hear reason. Now, I would greatly appreciate it if you didn’t tell the other assistants about this. I don’t want them exploring a place where the hotel isn’t complete yet,” Howard explained.

     “I’ll try not to tell them,” Annette lied, knowing full well that she was probably going to be yelled at by Howard when he saw the footage of her telling her story to everyone else.

     “Great to hear!” Howard said, “Have a nice evening!”

~~~

Incomplete Floor

     All five girls were gathered in the elevator, and were waiting anxiously for Annette to press a button to take them to the mystery floor she had encountered. “Well… I don’t know how exciting it’s going to be, since Howard already told me the explanation. But, here we go!” Annette pressed a button, and the elevator arrived easily at its new destination. The girls stepped out, and much like Annette had explained it, the floor was really nothing more than a simple circular hallway. The gaudy wallpaper following along the entire trail.

     “Wow… This is… Really boring,” Sinopia said, significantly underwhelmed that they didn’t see any sort of strange apparitions.

     “I think I have to agree with Sinopia on this one,” Elise said, the group having made its third loop around the hallway, “maybe you really were just imaging it.”

     “Maybe… Howard did say that there wasn’t anything that appeared on screen…”

     “Plus,” Maya added, “Didn’t you say that you really struggled to get to the floor? It seems a little odd that we were able to get here so easily.”

     “I mean… I never really tried to go back after that first time though. Maybe you just have to be really explicit when you use the elevator?” Annette was scratching her head, the five of them standing outside the golden elevator yet again.

     “Well… How about we all go downstairs and grab some dinner then?” Elise offered up, “after all, this is potentially the last time all five of us could get the chance.”

     “Yeah… Sounds like a plan,” Annette said, now equally disappointed as the rest that it seemed that the points of her story weren’t adding up.

~~~

Dining Room

     The elevator doors opened up, and the girls immediately froze. Sitting at a table, only a few meters away, was what appeared to be a feminine figure in a white dress. Her skin was equally as white as her dress, and her long, straight, black hair obscured her face. The figure turned their head, seeming to spot the girls, before she seemed to instantly be absorbed by the floor, the floor leaving ripples as the top of her head passed through the floor, before the the tiles seemed to turn solid once more.

     “Annette?” Elise asked.

     “Yeah?”

     “I’m sorry I doubted you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

& Question Corner &

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     To Sable: “Embarrassment is only natural for these sorts of shows, but as you highlighted, it's just because others don't seem to understand the interest. And while there are still some exceptions, I think people are really coming around to liking such "childish" things. I think it was Mark Twain who said something about fairytales, how immaturity isn't reading them as an adult, but instead telling people they shouldn't read them when they "grow up". I may be butchering the quote, but the message should still be clear.

     I'm sure you don't want to reveal your plans, but are there other shows you like? Any cartoon or anime recommendations you can give?

     And to clear up some confusion, it appears that what startled Howard was some unresolved father issues.” -@@WanderTones

    So. I’ve actually got a ton of cartoon recommendations, (our Mom used to watch cartoons all the time before…) but the one I’d absolutely recommend is Over the Garden Wall. It’s probably my all-time favorite cartoon, and it’s my go-to choice to help show people that cartoons can be more than just for kids. Of course, if you’re going to watch it, I’d recommend watching it as a movie, because there’s only ten episodes and each one is only fifteen minutes long.

    Also, father issues? I guess I can relate in some ways… but I hope that I don’t end up being as strict as Howard seems when I’m older.

     To Howard: “I know that you are not in the mood and clearly a more experienced magician, but I like to question you on some parts. You never established the fact that the girls can't leave to begin with? I thought that was a thing to prevent them from chickening out. Are there any other basic restrictions you are forgetting? My apologies if I seemed out of line but I'm really concerned after seeing how the girls behaved. Please don't hurt me!” -Rei

     I would never hurt you dear… Well… At least not unless you asked.

     While it was never explicitly spelled out as part of the show, the contract that the girls signed went over in detail what the girls were and were not allowed to do. It mainly focuses on things like, not doing illegal things, to keep their performances within a certain TV-rating, to not bring outsiders into the hotel, and that I could create additional rules as I see fit and create appropriate punishments.

     One of the clauses in the contract was that they were not allowed to leave the hotel… at least as themselves, as we wanted to avoid the potential for paparazzi and the press to bug them while they’re competing on the show, and to make sure that they were safe. They could still leave the hotel, as several of them obviously did, but we decided to walk back on that freedom when they took advantage of this rule in order to break other rules. Of course, we could have simply pulled everyone off the show and announced Elise as the De Facto winner, but that would hardly make for good television, and under some jurisdictions (but not Nevada!) the merging of personalities voids contracts in regards to the individuals that sign them.

     I hope that’s cleared some things up for you.

     To Elise: “No worries. It's not somewhere impossible and I'll email you the address. At best, it's in an alley which may scare some people.” -Rei

     Sounds good! I’d go into an alleyway as long as I’m generally assured that nothing bad will happen to me as I go down it.

     To Annette: “I saw your excursion in the elevator, the wall paper reminded me of Alice in Wonderland. Now being a magic hotel I'm sure you are not in any real danger, but please be careful, there are many realms called Wonderland, and nearly all of them have a Queen of Hearts, or worse. Tell you friends about this too, and if you go back there don't go alone, take someone with you particularly one with some authority. Howard maybe be a good choice to tell about your experience. Don't be afraid of him he is there to help.” -@@James-MacCloude

    Well... I guess your words are a little late now, but thank you for the advice anyways! I don't think we're dealing with an Alice in Wonderland situation, since everyone else saw her, but now I'm starting to think there might actually be a ghost problem. Hopefully Howard will have to listen to us now that everyone else has also seen 'the white rabbit'.