Fading Angel | Nico di Angelo

Chapter 5: Planning

We must have looked like a mess to the receptionist. Her skin and body made me guess she was middle-aged, but her black hair was in a trendy shoulder-length cut, parted into side-bangs. She even had a neon-green streak in the bangs, too. She looked up when we entered, eyebrows raised.

"Can I help you?"

Personally, I thought that was a silly question. It was raining and we were soaked. What did she think we wanted here, at a motel? But before I could say anything, Piper stepped up, messily tucking some of her hair behind her ear. "Yes, you can. We need a room. Any size will do--we don't plan on staying long."

The woman turned to a desktop computer that looked a few years old and began keying. Eyes scanning rapidly, she clicked a few times, then returned her attention to Piper.

"We don't have many rooms available. The best I can offer is a two bed room. Eighty-eight dollars." She stated these facts almost emotionlessly, her hands folded on the desk. Piper gulped, and it was clear to us all that we didn't have the money.

"Uh, eighty-eight? We really only need it as shelter from the rain for a while. Don't you think you could make such an accommodation for free?" Piper's voice and expression was a cross between pleading puppy and cute little girl. At this moment, I wanted to give her a room for free--and I didn't even have a room to give. The woman's gaze softened, but she didn't budge.

"Sorry, sweetie. I can't just give away rooms for free." She shrugged, looking like she was about to start ignoring Piper altogether.

"But!" Piper said quickly, desperately trying to get back the receptionist's attention, in which she succeeded. Her expression changed, a bit more determined, her tone more confident. "Please. We only need it for hours, a day at the most. Just until the rain lets up. We'll leave it just how we found it. That's it. Let us have the room." She was staring intensely at the woman as she spoke.

The woman frowned slightly, but in an unsure sort of way--kind of like she couldn't remember what she had been thinking about. "Oh, alright. Just take it." Behind her was a pegboard mounted on the wall, covered in labeled pegs and keys hanging on them. She snatched up the key for room twenty seven and tossed it to Piper, who hurriedly grabbed it out of the air, muttered a thank you, and quickly walked off.

I felt a shove on my side and looked over. Nico was pushing me away--I hadn't even realized that I had still been holding his arm. Without a word, he quickly followed Piper. Now Jay was only left in the lobby with me, the other two already down a hallway, searching out the room. He smiled, still looked awfully happy given the situation.

"C'mon, Mel. Time to get dried off!" He fist-pumped the air for no apparent reason, then turned and followed the others. Not wanting to be left alone, I jogged after them as well.

The room wasn't fancy: two beds, side-by-side with a nightstand between them and a TV in front of them; a small kitchenette, consisting of a sink, mini fridge, microwave oven, and a kitchen island in the center with three stools by it; and a bathroom, sink, stocked cabinet, toilet and shower all crammed together. A rug was sprawled out in front of the beds, and mundane paintings covered wallpaper of faded green and red stripes.

I dropped my bag where Piper, Nico, and Jay had already set there's at the foot of one of the beds. Piper was digging through hers and soon pulled out a set of dry clothes. It seemed Nico and Jay had the same idea, as they were also starting to look through their own bags. Nico, getting his clothes, quickly snatched up the bathroom and closed the door. I could hear the lock click. Jay took his own clothes and disappeared around the corner of the kitchen. "Don't come in!" He dragged out the I in 'in' in a sing-song voice.