Treat You Better

Chapter Thirty-three: The Day of the Dead.

Chapter Thirty-three: The Day of the Dead.
A/N: Just thought I'd remind you that this is a work of fiction. Happy reading!

Warning: Ultra Super Long chapter. (Hope you like the little something-something I drew at the top. (◕‿◕✿))

"Holy....moly!" I gasped, looking up through my windshield as I drove into Lotus street. Or it used to be...

Right now I was driving through the most beautiful, vibrant, colorful place I'd ever seen!

People were out of their houses, dressed in beautiful outfits, music and laughter rang through the air, marigold petals were everywhere and the flowers themselves decorated the streetlights.
I had to drive very slowly because of the amount of children running from one pavement to another with their faces painted as skeletons.

The excitement buzzing through my veins was unreal, but it was nothing compared to when I got to the hotel itself. It was almost too much for my eyes to handle. Almost.
Hues of blue, reds and yellows were everywhere, the amount of people was denser now, there were kites in the air, food seemed to come from an endless source, a massive ofrenda sat right in front of the main doors under the shade. Also, with the way the flowers covered the altar, it was like a marigold goddess had come to visit.

My biggest issue for now was where to park.

"Oh great," I sighed when a uniformed security guard came over to knock on my window.

"Your name please..." She said, curtly.

"Uh...Violet Adams? I'm friends with the Ramirez family." I said, trying not to look as nervous as I felt.

"Oh, they've been expecting you since yesterday. Right this way, Miss." She said and helped me clear the way to the underground parking lot where it was much quieter.

I took the elevator to the ground floor where I hoped to find at least one of Angelo's cousins but all through the busy hallway, past the kitchen with several people going with empty plates and coming out with full trays, all the way to the double doors that led to the lobby, I didn't see any familiar faces.

The lobby was also lightly populated with beautifully dressed people who also had lovely face painting, and the decorations my friends and I had done were still hanging on the walls. It seemed tacky now compared to the ones outside but Tia Monica had kept them there anyway...

I looked around some more, wishing I had my phone with me so I could call someone. The fact that I was alone, looking like the odd one out in jeans, sneakers, a plain white tee shirt and a bag slung across one shoulder was making me anxious.

But then I noticed another ofrenda at a quiet spot in the room, not as big as the one outside but even more decorated. I walked closer to take a better look at the framed pictures arranged in different levels, some in color and some in black and white.
Candles lit the altar, giving it a soft glow, there were plates of skull shaped candy, bottles of wine, plenty of bread... I couldn't remember exactly what they were called at the moment, a pair of toy cars, a superhero action figure with propellers, four silver rings...

The rings looked familiar, they were next to a photo of a man and a woman.
My eyes widened, those rings were just like Angelo's and those were his parents.

"Heather Frances-Sullivan!" I whispered, "and Felix Sullivan."
Her hair was long and golden, just like Angelo's, she was smiling. Felix had a tiny smile too but it was barely there and it was like I was looking at Angelo with dark hair for a second, his grey eyes spoke for him.

I was still staring at the ofrenda in fascination when I heard an excited voice call my name.

I turned to my left to see a girl with short, choppy hair endowed with a crown of flowers approach me with a smile, the big double doors she came out from shutting behind her.