Rage of Vendetta (The Vendetta Series #2)

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Jesse, the door is obviously not opening."

"No, I have it- ow, Ariel! Okay, okay, you didn't have to hit me."

"Both of you be quiet. Eric, move. I've got it."

"Watch your elbows, Sasha! I don't think it opens that way."

"Here. It says PUSH. Get out of the way, Eric! Idiots. Vee, help."

"Courtney--oh, this is a heavy door--keep your voice down."

The entrance to the rickety old motel opens with a slow, eventual creak. It is an understatement to say the desk clerk doesn't look happy to see six sopping wet kids stumble into his lobby. I'm tracking in a mixture of blood, mud and seawater on the carpet, but it is already dirty anyway. At least my tattered dress looks remotely normal if you ignore the rips. Courtney, meanwhile, with her long skirt looks like she came from a disaster prom.

"What can I do to help you kids?" the clerk says, standing. He thins his lips so much they disappear.

"A warm bath would be nice," Eric suggests.

There's a good thump from behind me, and I hear Sasha hiss, "Dude!"

I sigh. "Sorry. A room, please."

The clerk narrows his beady eyes. He probably thinks we're teenage runaways on drugs. After all, if you look close enough, two of us have glowing eyes.

"I could just compel him to rent us one," Jesse mutters quietly to me. "It'll waste less time."

I dig my elbow into his ribs with a look of warning. He makes an equally distressful face at me, as if Aunt Nelly will catch up to us any minute now. I doubt a small, smelly room will make much of a difference. If Aunt Nelly has tracked us down, all we can hope to do is run.

"Are you over eighteen years of age?" he questions, tapping open a window on his computer.

"Yes," I answer simply. Well, it is true.

"I will need your name and credit card then," the clerk replies tightly, scratching his blond stubble.

You need credit cards to check into motels?

"Uhm... my name..." I mutter. "Aurora Long."

Courtney snorts loudly. I resist the urge to turn around and throw something at her.

The clerk types my fake name, scowling like he has swallowed something sour.

"Okay," he says. "Credit card details?"

"Uhm..." I turn to Jesse, mouthing, Help.

"Credit card?" the clerk pushes. "Or is there a problem?"

"No problem at all," Jesse says, taking over and smiling with perfect ease. "We already gave you the details, remember?"

I hold my breath as the clerk turns to his screen, frowning. His eyes swivel the details that are obviously blank, but hopefully he is seeing something else.

"Indeed," he finally says.

The clerk reaches below the desk, and I let out my slow exhale

"Your key." He eyes all six of us again, displeased. "Will you need... extra blankets?"

"We're fine," I say cheerily, grabbing the key with 208 printed on it. "And we can show ourselves to the room."

I spin on my heel, ushering everyone out before he can regret giving us a key.