As you round a corner in the dark shadowy hotel, if feels as if you've smacked into a wall. You stumble back a few steps, looking for what you've run into. But there's nothing there. You shake your head, and resume your stride. After only a few steps, you hear a soft sigh. You squint at the shadows around you, curious. But nothing's there. And then you see it. Or, you think you do. Only a few feet away the shadows seem to tremble, subtly shifting this way and that. You lean closer, examining the phenomenon. It seems as if light bends around the spot, mimicking everything around it. And then you hear a wavering, somewhat uncomfortable voice. "Do.. do you mind not staring?"

Startled, you take a few steps back, murmuring an apology. As you focus on the spot, the shadowy blending effect seems to fade away.

Now standing in front of you is a thin, lanky teenage boy in grey cargo pants and a simple black tshirt. A white triangular mask covers his face, the ivory surface pristine except for two eyeholes, showing deep black voids underneath.  He sighs again and begins to shuffle away. "I guess see you later…"

You reach out and put a hand on his shoulder. "Wait. Who are you?"

He turns his masked face toward you, murmuring his name.

"Are you new here?" you ask.

"No."

"No? But I've never seen you before."

The Masked Boy shrugs. "We've met before. No one ever seems to remember me."

"I don't think we've met." You state flatly.

"No one ever does."

"So who are you?" You ask again.

"I just told you my name… But you've already forgotten. Just call me the Masked Boy. It's all you'll take from this conversation, If anything at all."

"I'll remember you." You say. "Everyone leaves an imprint on the world. Everyone can change it."

"Not everyone." The Masked Boy says. "I'll see you around. Not that you'll notice." He takes a step away, and his body crawls with the pattern of the wall behind him. In a matter of seconds the Masked Boy is gone, blended into the background of the world.

"Some people you never seem to remember." Gregory chuckles. You spin with a gasp, the innkeeper had appeared out of nowhere. He continues, "They just seem to be a part of the scenery. Sure, you may notice when you bump into one of them directly, but the mind soon wanders from such insignificant encounters. There are more important things to think about than.." Gregory pauses as his candle blows out. As he ignites his candle he smiles eerily. "Now then. What were we talking about again?"

You open your mouth to reply, but pause. For the life of you, you can't seem to remember the previous topic. "I… Don't remember."

Gregory smiles again. "Oh well. I guess some things aren't worth remembering."

With a shrug, you excuse yourself. As you depart, it may just have been the wind, but you swear you could hear a soft sigh…