Better Than Before

Chapter Two

 

  The automatic doors to the travel lodge slid open with a reluctant hiss. The once white tiled floor was scuffed from the constant footfalls of guests over the years, scratches laid into the floor from suitcases and the hum of the old 2000's windows pc filled the otherwise silent foyer.

    Kelsey's boots clacked against the floor as she approached the desk. Sat behind it looked a woman no older than 19, her hair scraped back into a high messy bun, thick eyeliner lining her blue eyes and her mouth moving rhythmically as she chewed her gum.

        "Can I help?" The receptionist asked in an accent that was all too familiar, taking Kelsey back to her high school days.

        "I've got a room booked under the name, Owens. Kelsey Owens." She presented her phone screen in the eye line of the receptionist, displaying her booking conformation. With a pop of her gum, the receptionist glanced down at the computer screen and began slowly typing on the keyboard. Kelsey slid her phone back into her pocket, glancing round the room whilst she waited. A tired looking monstera plant sat in a too small terracotta pot behind the woman before her, the fluorescent lighting gleaming off of the receptionist's name tag. In scratched letters Kelsey could give an identity to this lost soul. Sadie.

       "Room 219. Along the corridor, up the stairs on the right and then walk down till you find it." Sadie informed, sliding a worn blue key card over to Kelsey.

       "Thank you, Sadie" a look of surprise passed over her face at the sound of her own name. "Hope you have a nice day." Kelsey concluded as she collected her key card and smiled at the young woman.

       "Er thanks," Sadie smiled "You too."

  Kelsey was starting to think Sadie didn't get a lot of genuine interaction, it seemed like she, much like that monstera plant, had outgrown her home and was stuck.

   The stairs creaked with each step and Kelsey couldn't work out if the blue carpet actually was meant to have a pattern or if it was build up of years worth of unremovable dirt. The heavy door leading to the second floor corridor took some force to open but once standing inside Kelsey was greeted with a ghostly silence.
Her boots tacky against the worn flooring, she made her away along the corridor, passing plastic number plate after number plate till she stood outside room 219. Holding the key card up she pressed it against the sensor till the little light by the handle flashed a bright green. Then click. The door swung open with ease and Kelsey entered what would be her sanctuary for the night.

   A double bed was situated in the middle of the room, deep purple bedding laid atop with navy pillows that looked surprisingly plump. A lone chair sat in the corner next to the single window in the room, a small table beside it with a reading lamp positioned in the centre. The faded blue curtains were drawn but no sunlight entered the room, the dull grey skies casting a dusky filter on her surroundings.

    Kelsey flicked the switch on the wall to the left of her, the hum of electricity filled the quiet air as the lights flickered on behind the vanity table, the mirror aged with dark spots that no amount of glass cleaner could remove sat adjourned with the desk opposite the bed.

   The bathroom door was open and the smell of bleach stung Kelsey's nose, relief to know it was cleaned recently shrouded her anxious mind. A single shower was nestled into the corner, a soft drip from the shower head making itself known every so often, it's pattern interrupted slightly when the drip from the sink would fall.
'This could be so much worse', Kelsey thought as she made her way across the room to place her overnight bag on the chair.

   Removing her tanned coat she placed it gently on the bed, catching her reflection in the mirror. Her wind blown hair had wrapped its way in multiple directions across her shoulders and her cheeks were flushed pink from the cruel breeze. With a soft clink she placed the bottle of merlot next to the reading lamp.