Feeling the side of my ribs, I nod slowly, realizing the powerful, illegal, alien drug must’ve come to the rescue once again. Thankful for it, I take another deep breath in, “Yeah, I think so. How did they find us?”
“They always do,” Peter mumbles as Belle bounces over.
“You’re awake!” she squeals, pleased. “You have to stop getting hurt!”
Realizing what she means is meant to be sweet, I nod in return, “I’ll work on that.”
“Now that Peyton’s up, let’s get focused on where we are staying tonight,” Justin helps me stand up, pulls my hand up to his lips, and presses softly, thankful I’m back in his arms.
“Well, where’s the walking-around money to get us into a hotel?” Aiden points to Justin’s bulked pocket.
With a proud smile, he shakes his head, “This is walking around money. We need a better plan for a hotel. Let’s hit downtown and see where we wanna stay.”
“Wanna stay? Shouldn’t it be can stay?” My attempt at correction causes Belle to snub her nose.
“Please! You saw the place we stayed in when we were ...” her voice trails off.
“Conning you,” Peter slides his arm around her shoulder again with a devious smirk.
She elbows him in the side before she continues, “During the whole painting incident. Wherever we stay isn’t just a place.” Belle corrects, “It has to become a home away from home.”
“Even if it’s just for a night?” My eyebrows shoot up.
“How do you know it’s just for one night?” Justin’s tongue slides across his lips like he knows something that I don’t.
“Tally-ho,” Peter chuckles, holding his bag, while Belle carries hers.
I allow Justin to carry my bags, still feeling a little light-headed from passing out earlier. We haul our luggage to a shuttle service, where we use Justin’s stolen walking-around money to drop us in the middle of downtown Landlin, a busy, most breathtaking sight.
My eyes widen at the glistening, lit-up street signs displaying the beautiful names of busy restaurants and hotels, reminding me of the same signs I would stroll past in the middle of the night in Parktin, my last home. The skyscrapers and giggling couples dressed to impress coming in and out of restaurants remind me of the way my parents would come home after a date night, sprouting a small seed of guilt in my stomach that I’m sure will grow as we continue around the city.
Strolling off the bus, Justin nods, “Let’s split up, see what we can find. If we don’t run into each other within the next 45 minutes, we’ll meet back here in front of Marty’s Pub.”
They turn to look over their shoulders, where a man sitting on a barstool is strumming his guitar, black-box glasses falling down his nose, dark goatee in ragged shape, khakis stained with mud and grease, and a red plaid shirt, unbuttoned.
“You couldn’t have picked somewhere with better music playing?” Eiden scrunches his face.
“Or better food,” Aiden mumbles, scratching the back of his neck.
“I really hope that’s not Marty,” Belle sighs sadly.
“Think of it as incentive to catch up with each other then,” Justin chuckles, pulling us off to the right of the pub, which I don’t find grotesque, to be honest.
The group splits up, in pairs, all with the same hope to find somewhere to stay quickly, dreading the idea of having to meet back up at the pub to conspire a
“They always do,” Peter mumbles as Belle bounces over.
“You’re awake!” she squeals, pleased. “You have to stop getting hurt!”
Realizing what she means is meant to be sweet, I nod in return, “I’ll work on that.”
“Now that Peyton’s up, let’s get focused on where we are staying tonight,” Justin helps me stand up, pulls my hand up to his lips, and presses softly, thankful I’m back in his arms.
“Well, where’s the walking-around money to get us into a hotel?” Aiden points to Justin’s bulked pocket.
With a proud smile, he shakes his head, “This is walking around money. We need a better plan for a hotel. Let’s hit downtown and see where we wanna stay.”
“Wanna stay? Shouldn’t it be can stay?” My attempt at correction causes Belle to snub her nose.
“Please! You saw the place we stayed in when we were ...” her voice trails off.
“Conning you,” Peter slides his arm around her shoulder again with a devious smirk.
She elbows him in the side before she continues, “During the whole painting incident. Wherever we stay isn’t just a place.” Belle corrects, “It has to become a home away from home.”
“Even if it’s just for a night?” My eyebrows shoot up.
“How do you know it’s just for one night?” Justin’s tongue slides across his lips like he knows something that I don’t.
“Tally-ho,” Peter chuckles, holding his bag, while Belle carries hers.
I allow Justin to carry my bags, still feeling a little light-headed from passing out earlier. We haul our luggage to a shuttle service, where we use Justin’s stolen walking-around money to drop us in the middle of downtown Landlin, a busy, most breathtaking sight.
My eyes widen at the glistening, lit-up street signs displaying the beautiful names of busy restaurants and hotels, reminding me of the same signs I would stroll past in the middle of the night in Parktin, my last home. The skyscrapers and giggling couples dressed to impress coming in and out of restaurants remind me of the way my parents would come home after a date night, sprouting a small seed of guilt in my stomach that I’m sure will grow as we continue around the city.
Strolling off the bus, Justin nods, “Let’s split up, see what we can find. If we don’t run into each other within the next 45 minutes, we’ll meet back here in front of Marty’s Pub.”
They turn to look over their shoulders, where a man sitting on a barstool is strumming his guitar, black-box glasses falling down his nose, dark goatee in ragged shape, khakis stained with mud and grease, and a red plaid shirt, unbuttoned.
“You couldn’t have picked somewhere with better music playing?” Eiden scrunches his face.
“Or better food,” Aiden mumbles, scratching the back of his neck.
“I really hope that’s not Marty,” Belle sighs sadly.
“Think of it as incentive to catch up with each other then,” Justin chuckles, pulling us off to the right of the pub, which I don’t find grotesque, to be honest.
The group splits up, in pairs, all with the same hope to find somewhere to stay quickly, dreading the idea of having to meet back up at the pub to conspire a
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