Her Heroes

Chapter Twenty-Three

We finally stopped in front of an old motel. The paint on the building was chipping and the lights on the sign were flickering. It was perfect. 

Hopping out of the car, I pulled my backpack on and followed the girl into the office.

"Bonjour, les filles ! Comment puis-je vous aider ?" 
(Hello girls! How can I help you?) 
The person who spoke looked to be a couple of years older than us.

"Bonjour, ma sœur et moi avons besoin d'une chambre."
(Hello, my sister and I need a bedroom with a bathroom in it, please)

"D'accord, pour combien de nuits ?"
(Okay, for how many nights?) 
The person typed rapidly into a computer before looking back at us. The girl looked at me and I thought before holding up three fingers.

"Trois nuits s'il vous plaît."
(Three night, please)

"D'accord. Ce sera cent dix-huit euros."
(Okay. It will be one hundred and eighteen euros)
I quickly counted out the money and handed it to Lucie who made sure it was correct before handing it to the receptionist who stored it away, not before sending a suspicious glance our way.

"D'accord, votre chambre est numéro huit."
(Okay, your room is number eight)
The lady continued to type on her computer before swiping a room key and holding it out to Lucie.

"Merci beaucoup Madame."
(Thank you very much, Madame)
Lucie grabbed the room key with one hand, and my wrist with the other, before pulling me back outside and heading towards the room marked with a large eight.

She unlocked the door quickly and shoved it open.

Two beds sat in the room, with a door to a private bathroom directly to the right of the entrance. Taking careful steps in, I looked around in amazement. This was better than I could've ever imagined; it was all ours and nobody could say it wasn't.

Throwing my bag onto one of the beds, I turned back to the girl. 

"I'm guessing you like it then?" Nodding my head fervently she smiled and made her way into the room, before lounging on the other bed. "So now what? We have successfully run from our homes." I shrugged and looked at her. This was not something I would've ever done before I met my brothers, it seemed as though they were a worse influence than I thought. I could only imagine what would happen if I went back. She turned her head to the ceiling and smiled. "My guess would be we figure out how to manage the rest of our money, and figure out what we're going to do until we go back."

My head bobbed in agreement and I pulled the rest of the notes from my pack. Her eyes gleamed at the sight of the small stack, "how did you get this?" My shoulders rose and fell; she didn't need to know that I stole the money from my brothers, that wasn't important. 

Another moment passed before I remembered what I had promised myself, the girl would not get stuck in the middle of whatever happened with my brothers. Taking a piece of paper from the nightstand, I scrawled a note with the provided pen. 
I appreciate that you drove me down here, and made my reservation for me, but you need to go back now. I don't want you to get in the middle of my problems.

Handing her the note, I watched as her eyes scanned it. Lucie snorted before looking me in the eyes. "Your problems are mine now too, but if you want me to leave quickly, I'll leave early tomorrow morning. Just promise me that once I'm gone, you'll be careful?" Bowing my head to her, she grinned before enveloping me in a hug.

My body tensed before settling, my fingers tapping as she continued to cling to me.

It felt like ages before she pulled away, but when she did, I couldn't have been happier. Contact was still one of my weakest points.