The Defiant

Ruby Slippers

Dakota

The hotel manager looked at our group and sighed. 

"I'm sorry, but we just don't have enough room for thirteen more people."

"What do you mean?!" Hattie demanded. You had like twenty available rooms when we checked in the first time!"

"Well, we have a few yearly events in town that are happening now, and the rooms have been filled-"

"So, we have to pack up our stuff and leave?"

"You can keep the rooms you already have, but we can not accommodate your... friends."

He gestured to the group behind us- the thirteen ragged and reeking victims who just survived a bombing and looked like they wanted to collapse.

"Can't we just sleep in the rooms we have?" Levi asked, running a hand over his face.

"No, there's a limit to how many people are in a room."

We all looked at each other and came to an understanding; we couldn't stay here any longer. 

"We will be checking out then," Hattie grumbled. 

"Sorry that we could not service your group. I can give you a coupon for your next stay-"

"No need," Hattie said, already walking away from the man. 

We circled up in a corner away from the new people and the hotel staff. 

"Do we just get another hotel?" Lyla asked quietly. 

Atlas shook his head. 

"I think we should bring them to the FI headquarters. Our group is way too big to be unnoticeable now, and we can't protect them all."

I looked back at the group to see that one girl had sat down on the floor and had her head in her hands. 

"That will probably be best," I agreed. "Grade B shouldn't be here for the time we need to drop them off and come back, so it should be fine."

Levi pulled out his phone. 

"I'll ask Sparrow to call Maralynn and see."

He tapped the screen a few times, and the ringing echoed through the air. 

"Hello?" rumbled a sleepy, deep voice. 

"Josiah?" Levi asked. 

"Yeah, babe? Something happen?" He asked, sounding more urgent. 

"No, is Sparrow okay? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, he's just sleeping so I answered. Did you guys get back to the hotel?"

"Yeah, they don't have any more room. I was going to ask if one of you could call Maralynn and see about getting these guys a place to stay."

He groaned, and rustling was heard from the other end. 

"Yeah, I am actually about to talk to her anyway about housing, so if you wait a minute, I can give her the phone."

"Alright, thank you."

There were a couple of minutes of silence, then a faint higher voice was heard. 

"Hey, I've got Levi on the phone," Josiah said to her. 

More rustling sounds, and then, "Hello?"

Levi explained the situation, and she sighed. 

"Alright, don't bring the vans you drove in, but find a rental shop, and you can start driving down here. You got thirteen right?"