Chapter 14

And it haunts me. A lot of things haunt me, actually. Like the strange figure in my dream that is uncannily familiar (that sentence doesn’t even make sense to me). And the part of the story that Garner never told me. And, of course, my family. Both of my families. It’s like all the puzzle pieces are here but they won’t fit together right. I can’t see the whole picture.

I look at the van’s window, watching everything zoom by at approximately 60 miles per hour. I shiver, but not from cold. I miss my Taylor Lautner covered walls and my iPod and my bed. My amazing Queen sized bed. What I would do to sleep in that. Which brings my train of thought to the next station. One that I particularly don’t want to stop at. Will I ever be able to go home? It’s all too much for a fifteen-year-old girl.

It’s not like I’m completely alone, though. There are three other teenagers in this van. Why I trust them, I’m not sure. The only reason I can come up with is that they are like me. I look around at my little posse. How could seven teenagers get anything right? We’re supposed to make mistakes. It’s like in our job description.

The van slows to a stop, ending my reverie. We are stopped out side a hotel. It’s only then that the winter sun has gone down and that it’s starting to get dark. Feline eyesight remember? I can see well in both so I don’t notice that much when it changes gradually. I guess we’re stopping for the night.

Sunny-Smile Inn. That’s what the electronic signs says. “And then the merry shape-shifting teenagers and their mentors pulled into the parking lot to the Sunny-Smile Inn, which sounds like the opposite place that Cole belongs.” Everyone cracks a smile, including Cole.

Garner finds a parking place and we skulk in to the lobby. I, for one, felt out of place with the shiny floors and cushy furniture and the crystal-clean elevator. We go up to the rooms and I crash on the nearest bed. “Can’t I just stay here the rest of my life?” I ask Alina who is my roommate for the night.

“No,” she whispers, “You can’t.”

The sadness in her voice surprises me. I sit up using my elbows as support. “Are you missing home?” I ask.

She laughs ruefully, “I have no home to miss.” I don’t press for details and she doesn’t give them. Another in the long line of mysteries.  We lay there in silence for a while.

There is a sharp rap on the door that scares the crap out of me. Cole opens the door. “Hey. There’s a pool. You guys gonna come in?”

“I don’t know about you, but I don’t have a bathing suit.”

“That’s okay. They’re not necessary.”

“You are such a boy!” I laugh and throw a pillow at him. He dodges it and smirks. “C’mon,” he taunts, “you gotta do better than that if you want save the world.”

“You’re on!” I grab a pillow and roll of the bed. I rush to him and pelt him with it. Alina grabs and begins to help me.

“No fair! I’m out numbered!”

“Us girls have to stick together.” Alina says.

I freeze. A memory comes to my mind. A few years ago my parents and I having a water-balloon fight during the summer. My mom and I ganging up on my dad. “Cherie!” My dad had yelled.

“Girls have to stick together, Jerry.” My mom smirked.

Now, I crumple to my knees and for the first time I begin to cry. And once I start I can’t stop. Soon I’m bawling my eyes out in front of almost complete strangers. It’s funny how that happens, things just hit you suddenly. I suddenly realize that I’ll probably never see my parents again. All of my anger at them drains. It doesn’t matter that they weren’t my biological parents. They had loved me.

Cole and Alina stare in shock for a moment.

“Hey. What’s wrong?” Cole asks, sitting next to me. I have the weirdest urge to burry my head in his shoulder until the tears run dry. Instead I choke out “N-nothing.”

He gives me a look and says, “Are you seriously expecting me to believe that?” But it was softly, gently.

“I just"I realized"I can’t"“ I sob louder. “I c-can’t explain.” But I know he gets it. He nods solemnly and just sits there silently.

“A famous man said ‘I can not tell a lie’. I, on the other hand, can lie like a rug.” I laugh weakly. “But I’m not lying when I say its gonna be okay.

“And you’re not alone now. There are three others in this hotel and three more to find once we leave here. You belong in a mental hospital if you think we’re gonna let you tough it out on your own. “ Cole c***s a  half-smile “And that’s as deep as it gets with me.”

“Why’d ya have to drag that poor president into my pity-party? I’m sure he’d love to have one of his most famous quotes used to cheer up a crying teenage girl,” I say through tears. Eventually the tears stop and I feel all gross because my face is wet and streaky from crying, my nose is running, and my eyes are probably puffy. And I’m talking to a hot guy. I hate my life.

That’s when I realize that Alina had snuck away sometime during this. Thanks, Alina. Really, I can’t blame her. I’m not very good at the comforting thing either.

“So about that pool?” Cole finally asks.

“After we go shopping for a swimsuit.”

“If you must…” He winks at me and stands. Then he leans down and offers his hand to me. I grab it and he pulls me to my feet.

 

Four hours of shopping later… Okay so my new clothes aren’t exactly the American Eagle/ Areopostale/ Hollister I’m used to, but they’re clothes and they’re clean. 

So now I am the proud owner of eight t-shirts, three pairs of skinny jeans, Converse and running shoes, a package headbands, two packages of hair ties, a hairbrush, a toothbrush, lots of gum, pj’s, two mini shampoos, a mini conditioner, a plastic water bottle, a swimsuit, a backpack, and other…necessities. Hal"lelujah! Hal"lelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hall-e- lu-jah!

As soon as the Doc swipes the hotel room card I rush through the door. I can’t wait to jump in the pool. I’ve always loved swimming, which is weird considering to whole cat thing. Anyway, I think that swimming is just what I need right now. So I change into my new purple bikini and grab a towel from the bathroom closet.

“Are you almost done in there? Alina whines form outside. “You’ve been in there like forever.” I open the door just as the last r came out of her mouth.

“I was in there for five minutes.” I say as I brush by her. I leave her mumbling about how she hopes that some of the others are girls because she’s not sure she can stand being a roommate with me for much longer, at least not alone. What’s her problem anyway? One moment she’s all nice and the next she’s a jerk.

I don’t wonder for long because I bump into someone in the hallway. “Oh, sorry Doc.” I say to him.

“Its fine, Leesha. Were you lost in thought too?”

 I nod “Sorta”

“There is a lot of that these days.” He sighs, looking up at the ceiling as if for guidance or a silent prayer. “Go have fun Leesha. You better enjoy it while it lasts.” I say I will and we go our separate ways.

After a few steps I turn and see him walking toward the guys’ rooms. “Hey Doc.” He spins back around to face me. “Do you think you could give me the key-card to my room? It’d be a lot easier if I didn’t have to ask you every time I wanted to get into it.” He tosses the card to me and I catch it easily. “Thanks.”

Cole and Ian are already at the pool.  I can hear them threw the glass doors that lead to it.  Well, mostly Ian. They were talking about some sort of car that they saw in the parking lot. If I knew what a “Corvette ZR1 supercharged 6.2-liter V8 engine” was, I’d join in. But, seeing as I don’t, I decided that a sneak attack would be the most effective way.

I walk down the pool steps, careful not to make splashing noises. I sneak behind them and pull my arms to my right side. Then I drag them to the left swiftly, creating a giant wave.

“You asked for it!” Cole yells, splashing me. Ian joins him.

“No far! No fair!” I say trying my best to avoid the onslaught of chlorinated water. “I’m… laughing…too hard.”

“Oh, so that’s your excuse.” Ian smirks.

“You bet. If I wasn’t…laughing this…hard…at your faces…when I…got you guys…I’d be kicking your butts right now.”

“Oh really? Then go ahead.”

“Still…laughing.” Ian gives me the “mmmmhm…sure” look so I splash him in the face.

We continue splashing each other until suddenly it’s like a tsunami hits me. I stagger and fall into the water. I come up coughing and sputtering and spitting out pool water.

“Are you okay?” Cole asks as he grabs my shoulders to support me. I nod and he leans closer. For a moment I think he’s going to kiss me. Then abruptly there is a push on the tops of my shoulders where his hands are and I’m back under the water.

“Jerk!” I accuse as I break the surface. “You’re gonna pay for that, mister.”

“Sure. But you’ve go to catch me first.” He responds and swims away. 

Reviews

[Wild Willow Blue]

Good job. When I get more time, I'm going to read the other Chapters. But I can tell I'm going to like this.

[Odayin]

So it's all fun and games instead of saving the world eh? Well I guess that's understandable because the point of saving a world that has no fun in it:)
Nicely done Brooklyn, you're getting better, keep it up!