CRYSTALLUM LOST DREAMS | Fantasy Novel |

Chapter 5 - Part 2

Above the hotel entrance was the words "Old Blue House" written in such a bright blue that it stood out against the pale white facade.

"This place doesn't look that old!" Marmorel said. Elidana nodded and headed towards the revolving door.

Behind the counter, a well-dressed woman greeted them with a smile. "Good morning, do you have a reservation?"

Aran and the others looked at each other in confusion. "No, we didn't know it was necessary," Cora replied.

"Please tell me there are available rooms, I'm so tired of traveling and the man who brought us here made me nauseous with all the traffic running," Elidana said.

The woman checked the illuminated panel in front of her, half smiling. "You're going to the Grand Prix, I suppose."

"We just arrived in town," Cora replied, captivated by the artificial lights on the ceiling.

The woman's fingers tapped on the keys. "I have something for these days, but you'll have to settle for a double and a twin," she concluded.

"Ah, thank you! That's fine. Marmorel and I will take the double," Elidana said, not giving the others a chance to respond.

"Good, the rooms are 302 and 303."

Aran paid the full amount with his piggy bank.

"Can you also show me the stay permits, please?" she asked, extending her hand. Once she swiped it alongside the terminal, the woman looked up. "Done!" She pointed to the elevator at the end of the corridor and gave them the keys. "Third floor."

Cora looked at the cubicle hesitantly, but in order not to appear like a rural bumpkin, he headed in that direction, following his friends, showing confidence. Inside the metal box, everyone stood still and looked at each other. Cora had no idea what to do and it seemed the same for the others. Finally, Elidana shook her head and took the initiative, pressing number three on the keyboard. There was a jolt and the elevator doors closed. The others jumped.

"And if it falls?" Fez asked.

"We're all dead," Elidana emphasized jokingly.

Marmorel grabbed the brochure on the wall that described the main events during the Grand Prix.

"I would like to visit the first mines," she said.

"School has ended!" grumbled Cora. "Of all the things we can do in Edel, let's leave the sightseeing for last."

"I agree with Marmorel," Elidana added.

"As Mrs. Flint always says, 'we must always seize the opportunity to learn.'"

The boys looked at each other and Aran made a defeated expression.

"I didn't blow the trip," Elidana countered, "at least I want to see something interesting."

Cora sighed. But immediately after, caught by a strange idea, he continued to gaze at Elidana with interest. She could help him, he thought. She could help him with his research.

The elevator doors opened onto a corridor so wide that they could easily walk four abreast and with an ochre-colored carpet that reached the opposite wall. The rooms were numbered so they found theirs right away. The boys' room had a bed big enough for all of them to sleep on. Cora placed his bag on the chair next to the bathroom, and Fez's suitcase exploded when it was opened, scattering its contents all over the floor.

Cora and Fez arranged their luggage and said they were ready to leave. Their clothes were starting to smell unpleasantly, but they were both too excited to care. Aran, on the other hand, had time to take a shower and put on a new striped shirt with his initials embroidered on the wrist. "It's full of buttons, I've never seen a bathroom like that," he said once they were out.