Always on the Run

20. Missing Jamie

Hi guys! Don't faint from shock for updating again. I think this is a record for me. ;) I hope you enjoy this chapter. You know the drill.

Dedicated to @Tarasplace for her constant support and for helping me get ideas when I have blocks. :)

***

Once I'm changed in a white summer dress with little blue flowers and white sandals, I am about to leave when I realise I don't have a way back into my room. Toby never gave me a pass. Biting my fingernail, I look around the room as though hoping one will miraculously appear but of course there's nothing. I suppose I'll just have to ask Toby for one.

On my way to the door, I pass a mirror and stop to fluff up my freshly washed hair. I never stopped to see how long it's become. It's way past my shoulders now and I'm wondering if it's time for a change. New country, new life...new style? It could be the beginning of me becoming the new Teresa. I am determined to make this life work. With a nod at my decision, I grab my makeup bag and apply a small amount of mascara then once satisfied, I leave the room.

Once outside, a warm, balmy breeze tickles my arms and a smell of something sweet yet foreign invades my nose. Everything is so different. It feels so strange being in a place where I don't recognise anything. The smells are unusual, the sights are unfamiliar, the sounds are different. It makes me feel somewhat uneasy. It's like I want to relax but I can't because I don't know anything or anyone.

As I walk along the stone pathway back to the reception area of the hotel, I take in my surrounds. Every three or four metres there are doors on my right leading to other rooms. It appears I'm on the ground level and as I lean out over the balcony and look up, I see three other levels above me.

For a few moments everything is the same, there are just rooms, rooms and more rooms. Then I exit the area and come to the same bridge I crossed with Toby earlier. I stop about half way across and look over the ocean. It's dark now and as I look at my watch, which I've now changed the time on, I notice it's only just gone six in the evening. It obviously gets dark early here. There are outside lights dotted around the beach on wooden poles. There are a few people walking along the waters' edge but otherwise it's fairly quiet. Directly below me is a pathway with grass and plants on either side, which stops when it reaches the sand.

A faint smell of petrol reaches me and I look around before spotting a small four wheeler motorbike with a small trailer on the back putting along the path. There's some contraption on the back of it that's spraying some sort of mist into the air. I'm not sure what it is and when the smell of it reaches my nose, I recognise it as the same scent I noticed when I stepped outside the room. I'll have to ask Toby what it is.

The bike stops at the end of the path, not touching the sand, and the guy driving it jumps off. He removes a broom and begins sweeping the pathway. With a small smile, I head off. Well, at least they keep everything tidy.

When I step into the hotel, I'm awestruck once again by the beauty. From this angle, I see how huge the entryway is. The walls are painted white and the skirtings, ceiling and floors are coloured with mixtures of brown, burgundy, red and gold. On my right, I now see three large exits, with marble pillars in between each exit, that lead out onto a huge balcony where there are more tables and chairs. There are many people sitting and chatting while enjoying a pre-dinner drink.

"Rese," Toby calls. I turn and find him standing at the reception desk with Anais. Her hair has been curled this time and has been pulled back into fancy doo. She's also wearing a long, flowy, bright pink dress with pink sandals that have little flowers on them. Seriously, she's stunning.

Then again, Toby isn't bad looking himself. He's got the same ginger colour hair like me but his is curly. The curls are tight and give him a youthful, boyish look. He's even pretty fit by the looks of it. So far all I've seen him wear is jeans and a shirt, like he is now, but he seems pretty well toned.