Hunts point

Chapter 1

Ava's Pov

I'm abruptly awakened from my sleep by the howling wind outside my window. Turning, I see that it's already snowing. From the looks of it, the weather reporter was correct. Last night, they mentioned a tremendous storm building above New York, and it appears to be growing stronger by the minute. Getting out of bed and fully opening my curtains, the frozen stream down the hillside behind the hotel is now covered with a heavy blanket of snow.

Glancing at my phone, it's only 7:20, just enough time to shower and head downstairs for my shift at the front desk. Working at my grandparents' hotel isn't too bad. I have a free place to live, and we serve the best food.

I remember my mom telling me about how my grandpa, Steven, always wished he owned his own hotel. When the opportunity arose at a cheap price, he jumped at the chance. Why it had to be in the middle of nowhere in upper New York is beyond me. The closest store is roughly an hour away.

Holidays used to be special when I was little. Christmas was fun, Thanksgiving had the best food, and the 4th of July was my favorite. Now, so much has changed. After my parents passed away, holidays became a rough point every year. My grandma, Ronda, tries to make them special even now that I'm 21, but it's just not the same. If my parents were alive, I'd probably be at NYU finishing my degree and becoming a teacher. The loss made me reevaluate my desire to have children myself; the fear of leaving them like I was left is overwhelming.

Finishing my shower and blow-drying my chestnut brown hair, I notice the dark evidence of my bad sleeping habits under my eyes. Staying up late on my phone is a nasty habit I've struggled to break.

 Dressing in dark blue skinny jeans and a white knitted long sleeve, paired with fluffy boots, I apply minimal makeup. With the storm, I doubt anyone will be here for several days, so why try too hard? I've never really put much effort into my appearance, which is probably why I've never had a boyfriend, along with being known as the sad loner girl without parents.

As far as I know, when I came up last night from dinner, we only had three guests. A lovely couple, Mr. and Mrs. Porter, passing through on their way to see their brand new grandchild, and a nice old lady, Loralye Vega, whose basement flooded last week.

Walking downstairs, I see Ms. Vega in the dining hall enjoying a cup of coffee and a breakfast sandwich. It's a shame her basement flooded, breaking her heating. With the cold, she couldn't get someone to come out and fix it until after this snowstorm. She's been very sweet to my grandma, even giving her a recipe for cookies to put out in the dining hall sometime.

We have very few employees at Hunts Point. Rupert, our cook, has been here since I can remember. He owns a little cottage about 10 miles from here. Rupert is not all that friendly and keeps to himself mostly. Then there are two maids who also work at the front desk. All three of us rotate jobs. Amy is a 36-year-old mom. After her husband passed away in the military 10 years ago, she thought it'd be a good idea to move to this tiny town to get away. Then there's her daughter Kylie; she's 16. Amy has homeschooled Kylie since they moved here. Kylie and I get along; we aren't best friends, but we hang out from time to time.

Honestly, I don't have many friends at all. My best and only real friend lived in the mountains with her family. Lucy and I met on the 4th of July when I was 10. We did everything that weekend together. After my parents died, her parents came to talk to my grandparents. I had been crying, and Lucy asked me what was wrong. When I told her, she didn't leave my side. We were inseparable. That was until she got into NYU. We still text every day all day, but she has new college friends. According to her, a lot of them are just using her for her parents' money. How anyone could be so selfish and rude is beyond me.