take on me, e.williams

four

—weird
kid—

———water droplets dropped from the holes in the ceiling of the run dow hotel. ducks quacked and flew away at the sound of the door opening.

                    "you've gotta be kidding me!" ellie laughed excitedly, looking around the old place. "you ever stay in a place like this?" she asked the adults.

                   "uh, no, a little out of our league." tess laughed under her breath.

                   "how do you even know what this is?" joel asked stupidly, frowning back at ellie.

                  "joel, books." odessa pointed out, a smart-ass look on her face.

                    "wait, are we going in there?" ellie stopped at the top of the steps with odessa, neither knowing how to swim. joel and ellen began to wade into the green water.

                     "yeah, we gotta be able to get to the stairwell on the other side." tess said in reply, pointing.

                      "i don't know how to swim." ellie admitted.

                     "ditto." odessa added, sniffing the damp air. "are you sure we can't go around?" she questioned her uncle who was standing ankle deep in the water.

                   "seriously?" joel turned back to both of them in surprise, ellen could see odessa eyeing the water with suspicion.

                  "what? you think the qz had a pool?" ellie quipped raising her arms, then letting them fall, slapping her sides.

           "no, smart ass. i mean—" joel jumped off the step and down to the floor, the water raised slightly to his knees.

                  "oh." odessa muttered, making her way into the water.

                  "i didn't know how i was supposed to know that." ellie said under her breath, following odessa. ellen, joel, and tess walked the murky water, looking for anything helpful. "this is so gross." ellie said with a smile on her face. her eyes lit up at something across from them. "odessa, check it out!" ellie called, the brunette girl following after ellie. a service desk with a bell was what had caught her eye, odessa waded quickly through the water.

                   "ding, ding." odessa slammed her hand down on the ringing service bell. ellie walked around to the other side of the desk.

                     "how can i help you, ma'am?" ellie pretended, acting all posh and helpful.

                    "excuse me, but i'd like your finest suite, please." odessa responded, hitting the bell another three times for fun.

                        "of course, ma'am. would you like me to take your luggage?" ellie came around the desk to the luggage cart that was rusting away in the water.

                          "yes, please." odessa giggle as ellie tried to push the cart.

                        "right away, ma'am." ellie nodded, putting her weight on the cart to get it rolling.