Love Tides | ✓

eight | one step closer

για πάντα

[ forever ]

☆ ☆ ☆

The blue, wooden doors of the hotel creaked as Avery pushed them open, letting himself inside. An everlasting stench filled the air, sour and moldy, Avery scrunched his nose at the humid smell.

Stepping inside, Avery noticed the vast amount of abandonment that the hotel reeked of—the blue wallpaper that lined the walls was scratched and torn, the window shutters were loose off its hinges, cobwebs hanging from the ceiling and dust littering every possible surface.

From a distance Avery could tell the echo of muffled voices, a bunch of them. Some were soft and lustrous and others were loud and obnoxious. As he stepped closer, Avery could decipher the melodic voice of Penelope as he pushed open a door, slightly ajar as he peekes in taking a look of the inside of the room.

In a large huddled circle stood a number of five people. From the large blonde bundle of hair and short stature, Avery could easily tell which one was Penelope. He could also catch Louis' silhouette next to her, a scowl imprinting permanently on his face.

Next to them stood three women. The first one, who looked the oldest of the other three, looked to be about Louis' age. Black, bushy hair with gray lines of aging—her body formed in a thin, lanky almost unhealthy looking shape. On her right stood another girl, young, between twenty-five and thirty, with brown pin straight hair, and a rather slim body. To her left stood another girl, she looked about fifteen with fiery red hair, freckle face and the same slim complexion. All three rather looked like carbon clones, one after the other.

Taking a small breath, Avery lifted his fist and rapped his knuckles softly on the painted-blue wooden door, careful as if it would collapse at any given second.

Penelope's face brightened once her eyes met Avery's as she quickly hurdled to let him inside, dragging him to the group a large smile on her face.

"Everybody, this is Avery Lawrence," Penelope introduced, pushing Avery next to her like a mother to her child on the first day of school. "He's the contest winner papa is mentoring, remember?"

"Θυμάμαι! Θυμάμαι!" The redhead girl exclaimed, immediately embracing Avery by shaking his hand manically.
"Hello I am Calla!"

Avery could spot the heavy accent dripping around her words as he shook Calla's hands back with a slight smile.

"I'm Avery—"

"Oh, I know!" Calla snorted excitedly as she rolled her long knit sleeves to her elbows. "Penelope was happy you to come for weeks! Penelope happy meet you!"

"Σκάσε, Κάλλα!" Penelope snarled, her cheeks puffing as she scolded the redhead in Greek.

Avery grinned looking at Penelope then at Calla. "I was excited to meet her too. And I'm very happy to meet you."

Calla grinned while snorting. "Σας ευχαριστώ!"

"I'm Hera-Dahlia," the brown haired girl greeted with a suggestive smirk. "And to answer your questions—yes, I'm single and yes, I always look this fabulous."

"Nice to ... meet you," Avery mumbled, awkwardly shaking Hera-Dahila's hand.

"You can call me Hera."

The first woman rolled her eyes as she pushed Hera away, greeting Avery in nonchalance. "Excuse my insolent daughter, Hera. I'm Cordelia,"—she hit Louis at the back of the head—"the idiot's wife."