Malta was hot! Once they exited the airport, Jessie felt like she was melting. They didn't linger much as they followed their contact, a short, plump middle-aged man, to his van, but it was enough for sweat to start dripping down her back.
Despite the blazing sun, the sky was grey. Leander trees grew in the middle of the street, separating the two narrow lanes. The smell of salt filled the air, even if the sea wasn't visible from where they were. The surrounding buildings were all made of limestone, a tired beige against the silver sky.
After their flight, Jessie was exhausted, so once they settle inside the van, she leaned her head against Jimmy's shoulder and closed her eyes. He was still tense, she could feel it. He'd been that way ever since he heard about what happened to Tom. She wished there was something she could do to take away his pain. And not just his.
Sam's. It broke her heart to see him so numb, so confused. And now this Christine thing was the last thing he needed. Not that Jessie was Christine's biggest fan, but Sam needed all the love he could get in a moment like this. And then there was Kyle. Calm, collected, grounded. And it scared the crap out of her because she expected him to collapse at any moment. Just keeping his feelings in couldn't be healthy. And she knew he was hurting.
Her thoughts swarmed around her head like angry bees as the winding road lolled her into a half-asleep state. She jerked awake the moment the van finally stopped in a small courtyard, in front of yet another limestone building. This one had only one story and automatic glass doors.
She followed the others back into the blistering heat, picked up her rucksack and made her way inside. A sudden chill filled the air once the doors opened. What turned out to be some sort of reception area was freezing compared to the outside. The place was one huge room with a reception desk to the right next to the entrance, comfy chairs, some computers to the left and various tables set up for board games.
Made sense seeing as Herrison decided to introduce them into the country as foreign exchange students there for English classes. And since it was six in the morning, no one was around. Another glass door at the back of the room showed a view of some palm trees and a swimming pool surrounded by cramped little buildings.
Sam headed for the reception which was manned by a thin guy with black curly hair, a moustache and an exhausted expression, while the others settled in the comfy chairs. Once seated, Jessie leaned her head back and stared at the dull grey ceiling. She needed sleep. Or coffee. Or both. The jetlag was killing her.
It took Sam about ten minutes to return to them and passed everyone their own booklet. "I have bad news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?"
"Oh God, what now?" Jerry asked with an exasperated eye roll.
"Since they have a no-mix policy but we have to stick together, Kay is now officially your sister," Sam said, passing Jerry another sheet of paper. "And Jessie is mine and Kyle's, so we'll be bunking up like that."
Jerry pursed his lips, but didn't comment. Jessie didn't honestly give a shit as long as she found somewhere to lie down for a few hours.
"Take care of your booklet thing because it has some ID cards that allow us to get the hell out of this place. Kyle, you're eighteen by the way."
Kyle huffed. "Seriously? I don't look eighteen."
"Trust me, you didn't look eighteen even when you were eighteen," Kay mumbled.
"What's the other bad news?" Jerry asked, waving Kyle's answer away.
"We can't go to our rooms until someone from staff comes to pick us up."
YOU ARE READING
Lost Stars (The Jewel Project #3)
Adventure"You youngsters are stupidly adorable with your stubborn obsession with love. Love doesn't lift you. It destroys you." For Sam Grant, his family has become his sanctuary and the team that joins him on death defying adventures. But after everythi...
