Number 13

                After being kicked out of the house for reasons I prefer not to talk about, I was left on the streets, nowhere to go. I didn't make any friends in high school, nor did I have family nearby, so now what? I didn't have anywhere to go. I was alone and cold. Before leaving the house, I grabbed my wallet and a backpack full of my clothes, which I'm glad I did because the weather was cold, so I layered up. I reached into my bag after sitting outside of an Avondale and pulled out a hoodie, which I then desperately pulled over myself. I was shaking and my hands were almost numb, but I managed to grab my wallet out of the side pocket on my worn-down backpack and open it up. My shaky hands pulled out a few twenty-dollar pills and my debit card. I wasn't sure how much money I had in the bank but I prayed it was enough to get a room in the hotel down the street. I sat on the curb for just a few minutes, trying to mentally take in everything. Thousands of thoughts were rushing through my mind but I couldn't make them out, so I watched the small snowflakes fall to the ground in front of me. I hesitantly lifted myself up from the ground and swung my backpack over my left shoulder. I looked down the street, squinting my eyes to make out how far I would have to walk but the snow made it impossible. With my shivering hands, I lifted the hood on my sweater over my head, preparing for the walk, both mentally and physically.

              I trod through the snow-covered sidewalks, and I kept my head down, avoiding getting the snow on my face. My hands were shoved deep in my pockets and I was slowly losing the sensation in my toes. I quickly glanced up, hoping that the hotel was close, because I wasn't sure how much of this I could take. Thankfully, the hotel was just a few light posts away so I quickened my pace. When I made my way up to the tall building, I shook my head and shoulders, ridding the snow off, and let out a relieved sigh. The automatic doors opened and I was instantly hit with the warmth of the lobby and I was able to remove my hands from my sides. The lobby was lit up with Christmas lights and the dim glow of the ceiling lights. The familiar smell of coffee lingered around and I reminded myself that if I had a cup, I probably wouldn't sleep tonight so I restricted myself and headed to the front desk. A woman was standing behind the marble counter, typing away at the computer in front of her. When I walked up, she glanced up and gave a welcoming smile.

"Hello! How may I help you?"

I cleared my throat before speaking, "Hi I'd like to reserve a room."

                The woman helped me through the process and let me know that my room was on the top floor, so I made my way to the elevator. Since it was later in the evening, the elevator was already on the ground floor so I didn't have to wait for it. I stepped into the hotel elevator and wasn't surprised by what it revealed. It was just your stereotypical hotel elevator. The only thing that caught my eye was the floor key panel. When I reached my hand out to click the button for the top floor, my hand stopped mid-way. My eyes fixated on the buttons.

                The buttons, that would be labeled one through seven, were all labeled as thirteen. The only way I could tell which floor was the top floor was because the button was labeled as 'thirteen H'. Each floor was labeled with the number thirteen and a letter. I was severely confused and pretty spooked but tried focusing on the positive and how grateful I was to be able to afford this room for the night. I wasn't sure what the plan was for tomorrow but I would figure it out when it came around. I stood in the elevator, the numbness in my hands started to come back after I thought about the number thirteen. No hotel I have ever been to has had room or floor thirteen. I wasn't sure why this was a reoccurring trend but I did know that hotels avoided number thirteen, for reasons I was unaware of. The fact that all the floors were labeled as thirteen made me uneasy but once again, I tried to focus on the positive, and I shifted my eyes to the doors in front of me. Before relaxing my hand, I gently pressed the 'Thirteen H' button and let my hand fall to my side. I gripped my backpack strap with my other hand and kept my eyes forward, waiting for the elevator doors to open.