The Thirteenth ✔

Part 1

The rest of our workshop was canceled because of the hurricane that hit during our class. We came back to the room to shower before heading out to eat. We walked into the hotel, the manager apologized to us right away.

"The roof collapsed and some pipes burst and we are asking all the guests to gather their stuff as we will try to accommodate you at one of our sister hotels."

I was glad we only had enough time to toss our stuff on the bed. The floors were flooded, I rolled up my pants and took off my shoes to grab our stuff while Larry waited for them to try and find another room for us.
I came down as the manager started apologizing that all the other hotels were booked because of the event we were headlining.
"Now what?" Larry huff tossing his bag over his shoulder.
"We find someplace else to stay." I answered.
"You can stay with us, I'm sure T won't mind." A female offered holding a little boy's hand.
"Ali, don't you think we should ask before inviting strangers to stay?" A different female responded.

"T knows who they are, she's a huge fan, she would be thrilled to have them stay while they are in town and you know she wouldn't care." Ali smiled at us.

"Okay, if she gets mad I'm blaming you."

"Yeah, K whatever? So what do you say?"

"I don't know," Larry looked at Ali suspiciously.

"See he doesn't want to, now let's go." The other female pulled Ali's arm.

"K! Call T and ask." Ali sighs.

"Why, he doesn't want to stay with us?" K responded.

"Where do you live?" I asked.

"Just outside of town," Ali smiled. "E don't pull your sister's hair." She eased his hand out of her hair then handed the little boy to K and picked up a little girl.

"You their mom?" I asked Ali. She smiled and K laughed.

"They're my brother and sister." K answered. *Horn honks* K took the younger children and walked out the lobby.

"Look, it's late and you're going to have a hard time finding a new place this time of day, plus you're wet. Just come for a few hours, dry off. You can find a new hotel after okay?" Ali offered.

"Why you help us? You don't know us?" I asked.

"True, but we know enough about you that you will be mobbed by fans most places you go." She answered.

"Young Miss, please?" The driver looked worried.

"Take their bags, they are coming with us." Ali told the driver then walked to the van.

K had already secured her younger siblings and was sitting between them. Ali climbed in the front passenger seat. We followed not knowing what else to do.

About an hour later we rode into the driveway of a large estate and parked. Ali opened the door and helped the little girl from her chair. K grabbed the little boy, they smiled at us and walked into the house. The house was beautifully furnished, with modern decor and little touches of color. It looked like a very lively home but the eery silence seemed to scream no one else seemed to be home.

"Please show them to the guests' rooms." K asked the little boy.

"This way." He turned to show us to the rooms as driver sat our stuff down in the foyer.

We followed them down the hall to two doors across from each other. The little boy and girl open the doors the stepped back towards a third door as my brother and I stepped forward.  The rooms looked like mirror images of each other; large room with a warm color palette, large bed in the middle with a night table, chair, closet, and a full length mirror. Larry and I looked at the children that they stayed in the hall while we checked out the room further. The closet was a walk through with a full ensuite bathroom on the other side. This was far better than the hotel were we supposed to stay.

I was about to strip out of my wet clothes when I heard running feet heading my way. I returned to the bedroom just as the little boy and girl stopped in the doorway of the bedroom. Larry was standing behind them. Apparently he wanted to know what was going on as well.

"I forgot. My name is Ethan and this is Ava. My sissy say tell you the towels in the bathroom are for show, use the ones in the bathroom closet. Okay, bye." The little boy grabbed the little girl's hand and they ran back out the rooms. Larry laughed as they barreled down they hall away from us.

"I don't know Lau. I not like it. They just kids, we not can stay here." Larry looked really unsure of us staying without talking to an adult. He sneezed. I grabbed a towel and started drying his hair then wrapped around around his shoulders.
"We can change and get warm so we don't get sick, then we will find a new room." I reasoned and Larry nodded before walking back across the hall.

I took my time in the bathroom, then pulled out a change of clothes. I grumbled because they were all wet. Just then Larry knocked on my door.

"Lau? My clothes wet." Larry said through the door. "Oh, uh, thanks." He said and I opened the door to little Ava holding some clothes.

"They belong to my uncle. He won't mind if you wear them until your clothes are dry." She smiled sweetly as she offered the clothes to me.

"Thank you." I smiled down at her. Larry looked at the sweats and Tshirt Ava handed him then return to his room. After I finished dressing I meet Larry in the hall when little Ava was patiently waiting.

"Sissy told me to tell you, dinner was ready. Please follow me." She smiled then headed towards the dining room. She pointed out different paintings so we would know how to find our rooms later. As we followed our little tour guide, she picked up speed when she saw her brother waiting for her.

"You're so slow!" Ethan complained as he grabbed her hand.
"Good job Ava!" Ali praised her as she place a plate of food in front of her.
"Well, don't just stand there, sit down." Ali fussed at my brother and I.
"We no stay. We sit over there and look for a new hotel." Larry said pointing to the other room.
"This again? You are staying here until tomorrow. It's safe, it's warm and the only uberfans you have to worry about it my sister." Ali said. We looked at K. She looks up from preparing a plate and shook her head.
"I'm a barely fan. I only follow your official Facebook and YouTube channel, which could stand to be updated more often by the way." K smiles.
"Kate isn't my sister, she's my niece. T took my brother and I in while our father is overseas so we could stay at the same college."
"Vous pouvez vous asseoir par moi." Ava smiled as pulls my sleeve. (You can sit by me)
"Ava, you supposed to talk English at the table." Ethan scolds his sister.
"Thank you E but you aren't your sister's boss so leave the correcting to me, okay?" Ali smiles at E.
"Okay." He frowns then stuck out his tongue in response to Ava's smirk.

Ali place two plates in front of chairs for us. "There's plenty of food, I suggest you get what you want now, our brothers are due any minute and there won't be anything left by the time they are done."

Larry grabbed his plate, loaded it up then sat down. I followed him then blessed my food. Ali placed water glasses and soda bottles in front us. She blessed the table and everyone started eating.

Larry had just finished draining his glass when a male voice calls, "Anyone home?"
"In the dining room Mark. Did you remember to pick up T?" Ali starts preparing his plate.
"Yeah, but wait til you see- OW!" Mark and another voice laugh.
"OW! Why you hit me? I didn't say anything." The other male voice complains.
"Because you laughed," K answers.
"No one asked you Kate!" He yells at her.
"D we have company, try to act like you weren't raised by wild animals. Chicken or Beef?" Ali asks as he kissed her forehead.
"What you mean or?" He laughs as she punches him then wipes her head.
"Guests?" Mark paused as he entered the dining room. A huge grin washes over his face before he darts back out the room. I hear him run down the hall and run back. He was carrying a female wearing a sari with henna tattoos on her arms and hands. Her skin was a like mine. She stood about 5'2", her jet black hair was straight and parted down the middle, it flowed all the way to her thighs. Honestly I wasn't expecting another teenager, Kate looked at least 15, Ali looked about 19 or 20. Their brothers looked at least 21 and almost as tall as my brother and I. Their skin were various shades of brown with various types of curly hair, ranging from almost honey blonde to reddish brown to jet black.

T started clockwise hugging the younger children first, then Ali and Kate. Finally she paused when she saw us and nodded.

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More to come.