Hotel

When they walked through the front door to the nice hotel they were staying at, Nate felt a little low rent compared to his surroundings, what with the piss stains. He caught a suspicious glare from the man behind the desk as his parents checked in. His father turned and explained the sleeping arrangements.

“Nate, you’ll be sharing a room with Selina.” He said, handing the room key to his sister. Despite that fact that Nate willingly caused this favoritism in the family, he somehow still felt that blood-related resentment. If you ever had a brother or sister you know just how inescapable it was, growing up so close to someone lie that. Each pair grabbed their bags and took the elevator up to their adjacent rooms. When Nate arrived with his sister they didn’t say a word as they dropped off their things.

“I’m going to take a shower.” He said, feeling the need to break the silence. She didn’t do anything except make eye contact and maybe a subtle nod he didn’t catch. Maybe it was the car trip that really took it out of them, but they were cold towards each other in a way that wasn’t fun anymore. Nate even locked the door behind him.

In the bathroom, he stripped himself of his smelly clothes, disgusted by them, and admired himself in the mirror. That excitement he got from seeing himself so exposed was still lingering despite being no one else around. Perhaps it was the isolation that made it seem fresh again, after sharing it with others for so long. This was how it started, looking in the bathroom mirror thinking about his body. He had pondered the world outside and how it reacted to him, and how he was expected to react to other people’s bodies. About the separation of people with walls to maintain “privacy.” How there were rules to ensure that privacy was maintained where walls couldn’t be placed. Public indecency laws, restricting people who wanted to be naked, to do something that didn’t impede on anyone else, to private, concealed (with more walls) property, or nudist camps. **** to adjust to the attitudes of other people, who didn’t want to look at them. ‘Well why don’t they consider making ugly people put bags on their faces in public.’ Nate remembered thinking. ‘Or if it is the sexual attraction that was the problem, why not make women conceal their faces in public? They turn me on.’ But Nate wasn’t an advocate for nudism. He wasn’t a nudist, he was an exhibitionist. He was a pervert that got a thrill out of his the shame and humiliation and rules. He didn’t know if it was the fact that he had graduated from high school, but he felt this condescending attitude towards his younger self, who would probably hate him, call him a hypocrite. He hadn’t lifted the walls, he had temporarily moved them at his convenience, only to move them back. As Nate thought of the mirror image of himself, alone in the spacious, luxury bathroom, it occurred to him that he was alone. He was the only one who knew about what really went on, about his abilities, how he only used them in hedonistic pursuit. When he died no one else would know and, as far as he knew, his powers died with him. It was his choice and he didn’t feel bad about it. Maybe his younger self was wrong. His younger self, who had only ever wanted to get off, was the one who went on to do all of the things he had done since looking at himself in the mirror, alone. Nate pondered these thoughts as the water poured on his head.

When he was finished he realized that he forgot to bring a clean change of clothes with him. ‘Whatever.’ He thought, as he wrapped a towel around his waist and stepped out of the shower. He couldn’t see his sister until she jumped out from behind one of the beds and grabbed him. She pushed him out of the opened door behind him and, taking his towel, slammed the door in his face.

He was going to have to stop making permanent changes to peoples’ personalities, or at least start remembering them. This wasn’t good. In theory it was great, he was naked in public, but he really did have no way back into the room, and he really just wasn’t in the mood. He tried to feel her head in the room but could get a clear read, too many people in close vicinity to single her out. He turned around to see his options.