Changed Time

Chapter Seven

After two hours of restless silence - apart from Wyatt's soft snores - we had arrived at a motel, just eleven minutes from Thorp.

"Urg." Jessie moaned as we pulled up. "This place is a dump." Her nose wrinkled up in disgust. "Can't we find some place that doesn't smell like something just died?"

"No place we could afford." I said, grimacing at the rancid stench. "Wake Wyatt up." I opened the door and stepped out of the Charger.

"I'm already awake." Wyatt grumbled. "Nobody could sleep through Jessie's whining." He grunted as he sat up straight. "Get out, will you? I've been crammed in the middle for two hours, I need to stretch."

Jessie frowned at the idea of getting out of the clean car and onto the motel grounds, but she opened the door and stepped out. "Ech, I think I stepped on a piece of gum." She leaned against the car and examined her shoe. She made a gagging noise and put her food back down. "That wasn't gum!"

Zach laughed. "You should've watched where you stepped, Honey." He teased.

Jessie scowled at him.

Sophie stepped out of the vehicle and slammed the door shut. "It's getting late guys, we should get a room and then a couple of us could get pizzas or something."

Wyatt nodded. "That's a good idea, let's go." He turned to Jessie. "And Jessie, just breathe in through your mouth."

She glared at him, but he ignored her.

We bought two rooms, one for the girls and one for Zach, Wyatt and I. I didn't especially like the idea of leaving Sophie with Jessie, but there was one way all of us would fit in one of the rooms.

We were all in the boy's room, arguing on who was going to get the pizzas.

I pulled Jessie aside from the rest of the group.

"What?" She asked.

"You need to be nice to Sophie." I said abruptly. I tried to put as much authority in my voice as I could.

She snorted and rolled her eyes.

"I'm series, Jessie. Sophie has as much right to be here as the rest of us. I don't care that you don't like her, you don't need to, but I do expect you to be respectful and remember the fact that she just lost her sister." I felt pretty confident of what I was saying. "And if I get any thought or feeling that you're being rude to her, I will tell you to leave."

Jessie's eyes widened and she opened her mouth to protest.

"That's it." I cut her off. "All it will take is for one foul word to her or anything mean, and you won't be part of this mission."

She shut her mouth and just stared at me. I could tell that she was probably using her imagination to blow my head off, but I didn't care. The last thing I needed was bullying in the group.

I walked away from the still stunned Jessie and back to the group. They were still arguing about pizza.

"How about Wyatt, you, Zach and Jessie go and get the pizzas," I suggested. "Jessie, I'm sure would love to get out of here, and I know you like your pizza really weird and complicated, and since Jessie's going, I'm guessing Zach would like to go also."

They all stared at me.

"That's a good idea, Drew." Wyatt nodded. "Anybody object?" He looked around, but nobody said a word against it. "Great, let's go. Sophie," he looked at her, "anything specific you'd like?"

"I'm a vegetarian, so just get a cheese." She said.

Wyatt nodded. "Okay then, let's go." He opened the door, ushering Jessie and Zach out of the room. He smiled at Sophie and me, "We'll be back soon." Then he walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.