The air was getting colder, but luckily I had Griffin's sweater to keep me warm. Moonlight shone on us and made the sidewalk that we were walking on, brighter. People walked in front of us, sideways, and back. I was surrounded, I felt safe.
I coulnd't tell exactly how long we walked, but I knew it was a long time. When I looked a bit upwards, I could see a huge building that was only a few feet away. Athea explained to me that it was a hotel we were staying in for the night.
I couldn't wait to get inside the hotel room and go to sleep after I've eaten something. I was so tired that as I walked, my eyes were beginning to close. My heart felt heavy and my limbs were sore. My skin was bruised from previous things Julian had done to me. I could see scratched on my arms, thighs. When we reached the hotel I wanted to have somebody tend to them.
The pack was chatting quietly amongst themselves while I was silent the whole trip. I guess I was just lost in my thoughts. I wondered where we were. If we were in a state, if not, what country? Canada? Mexico? Or some other continent. Julian could have brought me anywhere.
I did know the packs name, I heard Julian say it one. It was familiar, but I had no clue where that pack resided.
I nudged Athea's side. "Yeah?" She asked. She looked tired aswell. Her green eyes looked dull and sunken, meaning she wanted to sleep. I hear her yawning earlier too. It's the same for me too, girl.
"Where did Julian keep me all this time What was the place's name?" I asked, hoping that she had the answer. She must know, I mean she did come to the place to get me.
"Did you guys ever move around? I mean did he take you anywhere?" She replied with a question of her own. Her green eyes became more alert. She was curious, I bet they all were.
"No, I stayed inside the basement the whole time,"
"Oh, well, it was pretty far away from your home. You were in California," My home, my pack, was in Arizona. So I was one state away. I wondered if my parents looked for me in California. If they somehow were passing by and walked right pass the pack house I was in. I frowned thinking about it.
My stomach growled and pain shot through it. I almost doubled over. The pain was intense, and I'm pretty sure it came because of my empty stomach and the fact that I was running.
A warm hand pressed on my shoulder. I turned around and saw Griffin looking at me with concern in his bright green eyes. "What's wrong?"
"My stomach... it's just hurting since I haven't eaten for a long time," I answered.
"I can get you food. You should've asked earlier when you were hungry." He said, turning to the crowd of people. He yelled, "Hey! Anybody got food for Raven?" Tons of people said no, but one shouted yes. She came forward with a bag in her hand.
"It's not much, but I hope it helps! You must be starving," She said, smiling at me.
"I am, and thank you," I took the bag of food from her and she walked back to her friend. I opened the bag and immediately saw the various chocolate bars and chip bags. My mouth instantly watered just by staring at them. I ripped the wrapper of a chocolate bar, not even noticing which one it was.
I hadn't tasted chocolate for a very long time. It tasted delicious, like heaven. Julian always gave me repitive food, so it was incredible to have chocolate. I shoved it all in my mouth and savoured the taste.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Griffin smirking, trying to hold in his laughter. My cheeks grew red. I felt embarrassed.
Next I opened the chips bag. They were barbeque, my favourite. I ate those too, my stomache becoming fuller with every bite. I felt content by having something good to eat, especially if it was chocolate and chips.
I was so distracted by the junk food that I hadn't noticed that we had entered a town. I looked up and saw several looming buildings. The town was dark with a few people walking about. Normally, I would've thought it wasn't safe, but the town had a good vibe to it.
Athea tapped my shoulder and I looked over to her. She had a smile on her face that was directing to me. "We're going inside that hotel," She said, pointing to a black building with neon words written on the front. 'Elabis Hotel" It said. "The whole pack's staying in there for tonight. I'm pretty sure Julian's pack wouldn't be able find us in there. So don't worry a bit. You're safe," She said, assuring me.
"Sounds good," I replied. I would've said more, but I didn't feel like it. I guess being in the basement made me less sociable. I felt like I couldn't talk to Athea or Griffin because I couldn't trust them. Hopefully it would go away, I really hated the feeling.
We crossed the street in groups. I stayed back, waiting for the others to go. There were people in cars, staring with narrowed eyes. I bet they were wondering why a group of people were on the streets this late at night. I guessed they weren't used to this.
"Come on," Griffin said, grabbing my arm. I instantly flinched, not liking a man touching me. He didn't see me flinch since he started walked swiftly. I followed, not having any choice but to. When I glanced back I saw Athea staring at me with an eyebrow raised. Shit, she saw me flinch. She would probably question me later. I sighed, I did not want to talk about it.
His grip loosened as we came to the hotel steps. Now he just held my wrist gently. Why? It's not like I can disappear with all these people surrounding me. Inside I was panicking. My heart was racing ten times faster, and if anyone used their werewolf senses right now, they would surely hear my heart.
I couldn't concentrate on anything but his hold. It was like his hand was leaving a burning imprint on my bare skin. I couldn't take it anymore! I grabbed his hand and ripped it away, leaving it to fall on his side. I turned away, not wanting to see his expression, and not wanting to meet his green eyes.
I scooted closer to Athea, and regretted the move right after I'd done it. I probably made him feel stupid for holding my wrist. Maybe he felt embarrassed. Stupid me! I shouldn't have done that.
Ignoring my thoughts, I proceeded to walk to the hotel counter with Athea and the others. While Athea and Griffin talked to the lady at the counter, I looked around the lobby, admiring the view. I could see everything perfectly, only because I was at the side of the group.
The walls appeared to be made of beige marble, and so did the floor. Off to the left, was a sitting area with four dark brown couches with a dark brown coffee table set in the middle. On the table were numerous magazines, ranging from Teen vogue to Readers Digest. Everything matched, even the carpet which was also dark brown with light brown accents.
Behind the sitting area were the elevators. In the corners of the room were huge green plants. I also saw one plant that was so large, that they had to tape it to the wall so it wouldn't fall. It looked like vines. Also on the right were staircases, a small cafe that was closed, and a door that led to a café. Everything was polished, and I had to give them credit for keeping the place clean. Most hotels that I'd been to weren't as pretty or clean.
When I looked back I saw the counter lady handing out keys to different rooms. I noticed how people had already chosen who they'd share a room with, and what floor. Apparently the hotel was very empty at this time of year, so everybody could have a room. I didn't know who I would be sharing a room with, but I guessed it was Athea and Griffin. They seemed to be the people who were always beside me, and looking after me.
"Room 203," Athea shouted over the noise. Most people had left to their rooms. I guessed that they had already talked using the pack link. It was exactly like talking to people in your minds, but you could only do it with people in your pack.
The lady handed Athea the key. "Alright then, lets go!" She said cheerfully. I walked beside her towards the elevator while Griffin was behind us. I guessed right, I would be sharing rooms with them.
The elevator ride was silent, as usual I didn't know what to say. It was like I couldn't open up. I guessed it was normal for me, seeing as what happened to me for three years.
The elevator door opened with a ding. I was the first to step out in the hallway. Griffin came after, and then Athea. "Which way's 203?" He asked.
"Over here. We're at the end of the hall, just like we requested," She said. The room inside was beautiful, just like the hotel lobby.
The carpet was pitch black, which was a huge contrast with the walls which were beige. Off to the right side was a kitchen with white tiles and brown counter top. In the room were three different beds. I was thankful for that because I knew I wouldn't be handle sleeping in one bed with the others. I know they were send from my parents, but I couldn't trust them just like that.
On the left was bathroom. I couldn't see inside it but I bet it was just as pretty as everything else. I smiled, it would be nice to stay here. They even had a TV and a small table to eat food. I would love this place. It was better than the basement.
Suddenly Griffin and Athea ran to their beds and jumped on them. I laughed, they were acting like children. "It's been such a long day," Griffin moaned. "I'm so ready to sleep,"
"We can't just yet," Athea said, with closed eyes. "We still have to... have to-"
"Get the bags, order food," He said, with his eyes closed as well. They looked like they could fall asleep any second. They were as tired as me.
Before they could literally go to sleep, I shouted "Guys! Get up!" Athea jerked up, and so did Griffin. They both sighed and stretched.
"You're right, we can't sleep yet-" She said, yawning again. "I'll get the bags." She told Griffin and I. I wondered what the bags were for.
"What bags?" I questioned.
"They have weapons in them. We could always shift to fight, but if there was a huge problem and somehow we couldn't, we could resort to weapons. Like guns, swords, that kind of stuff. Or if we wanted to slow the opponent down without using physical strength, we could use weapons"
"Oh... Okay," I replied, not knowing what to say, yet again.
"Griffin, why don't you order food?" Athea asked. He nodded and picked something off his side table. I saw that it was a menu for the catering in the hotel. He started flipping the pages, looking for something to eat.
As Athea left, I dragged the chair beside Griffin's bed. As soon as sat down, I could feel my limbs relaxing. All the pain from my bruises and cuts were toning down. It felt amazing. I could relax. I leaned back on the comfy chair and sighed loudly. What I needed right now was water.Speaking of water, I had to decide what I wanted to eat. I honestly didn't know what I wanted to eat. Actually... I wanted to eat everything. I wanted to taste good food again. But obviously I couldn't.
When I looked at Griffin, I immediately what happened earlier in the day. I felt tension in the air. I could tell we both felt awkward and uncomfortable because of how I grabbed his hand off my wrist. I tried ignoring the tension, but I don't even think it worked. I felt uneasy.
Minutes later, he passed me the menu. Now I had something to distract myself from the tension. I flipped through the menu, and my mouth watered again at all the pictures. Everything looked so delicious. My stomach literally growled when I got to the Indian-Chinese noodles. I decided to order them, coke, and some vanilla cupcakes for desert.
"I know what I want," I told him. "Okay. Let me just grab the room service phone," Griffin replied. He told his and Athea's order, then came to mine. I pointed to the things I wanted, and he told the room service chef.
While he was in the middle of talking, Athea entered the room and set the bag of weapons beside her bed. She turned to me and asked, "Do you know how to use any weapon?"
"Nope, not a single one," I replied honestly. When I was younger, nobody taught me how to use weapons. We relied on our wolf. But I guess they do things differently in every pack.
"That's not going to be a huge problem... but it would be more helpful if you knew how to deal with weapons. But whatever, Griffin and I can have you covered," She said. I nodded. She started taking out weapons and placing them either beside her bed, or Griffins. I looked at them in horror. They could use those to kill me...
No. I can not think these thoughts. They wouldn't do such a thing, I assured myself. I was being silly, they wouldn't kill me. If they wanted to, they would've done it a long time ago.
I went and sat on my bed. I sighed happily. The bed was more comfier than the chair. In fact, it was so comfortable that I felt like I was floating on a cloud. It did wonders for my body. I was so relaxed, that I started to fall asleep. But the opening of a door alerted me and I got up.
"Griffin went to get the food we ordered," Athea told me.
"Why? Don't they deliver it?" I questioned.
"They do, but we can't have them coming in the room with the various guns and bows laying around can we?"
"Oh, right." I said. I laid back down. I was wide awake now, mostly because I knew that food was coming. Even thought I had eaten those chips and chocolate, they weren't enough for my stomach. I was still very hungry.
I should take a shower, I thought. I was dirty, and no doubt I looked horrible. But I wasn't up for a shower right now. I just wanted to eat and sleep. No showers. I could probably take one tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow sounds perfect.
The door opened again and I knew it was Griffin because of the aroma of various food that hit my nose. I inhaled, enjoying the smell. In a few minutes, I would be eating that food. I sat up and saw Griffin bringing in a cart that was filled with food that we had ordered. Athea hurriedly grabbed platters off the silver shining cart and placed them on the table that was in the kitchen.
I helped her and set everything up. One by one, everyone was seating on the chairs. I grabbed a plate and started piling up Indian-Chinese noodles. I ate one bite and moaned. They were that good. The spice didn't bother me, I loved it. Every Friday my family went out and ate Indian-Chinese food. We loved it so much. I smiled, I would be reunited with my family soon, and we would be eating this every Friday again.
Nobody talked, we were too engrossed in our food. We were all viciously eating it. Griffin was eating steak with mashed potatoes, and Athea had fries and poutine. Griffin and I ordered coke, while Athea had a water bottle.
My cupcakes were delicious, I licked the icing off with my finger. It was fantastic. I hadn't had desert for years. Julian would never give me any. The coke was just as good as the cupcakes. I enjoyed the sizzling on my tongue as I took a huge swig. My dry throat and tongue were gone because of the coke.
I was the first one done my food. I smiled, at first this day had been crazy. I was taking so much risks by coming out of the basement, going outside, traveling with the pack. but I'm glad I took those risks, because if I didn't, I wouldn't be going home. I was so glad that I did things today I thought I would never do. Like eat actual food and lay in a bed. Talk to somebody other than Julian and Ellie.
And now the day was done, and it was time to sleep. I quickly told Griffin and Athea that I was going to sleep. They said goodnight and off I went to my bed. I cuddled up in the soft and warm blanket. I had a dreamless sleep, just the way I liked it.
I hope you guys liked this chapter and it wasn't boring. I think it was more of a filler chapter. I wanted to show what happens when they reach the hotel. I would really appreciate it if you guys voted :) and I love getting comments too! They make my day. You guys are really awesome. I love all my fans!