Bound in Blood

Chapter One - The Motel

I never thought I would come back. When I left for college in North Carolina, my intention was to leave for good. Savannah had been my home for eighteen years, it had been time for me to move on. However, death had a funny way of intervening in my life. I had completed two years of college before I was forced to drop out and move back home. My mother had died, and here I was, picking up the pieces she left behind once again. 

I opened the door to the main office at the Thunderbird Inn and was immediately hit with the overwhelming scent of spicy perfume. A woman with platinum blonde, heavily teased and sprayed hair popped her chewing gum and kicked her feet off the counter. Her name tag pinned to her shirt read 'Denise.' She looked like a Denise if I had ever seen one. "Hi, darlin', what can I do for you?" She smiled a smile worthy of a pageant queen. Her fluorescent pink lipstick was almost blinding against her glowing white teeth.

I placed my elbows over the counter and leaned over the desk, looking at all the bubblegum wrappers scattered across the table. "Do you have any open rooms?"

"A few." She clicked around on her computer. "How long do you think you'll be staying?"

"Two weeks," I grit my teeth together, already knowing it was a lot to ask in a town that was such a big tourist destination. Denise pressed her lips together and began to type a little slower. "I know that's a lot, but I didn't know I'd be coming back. My mother died." I felt a little guilty playing on her sympathetic side, but I was desperate.

"Oh," she murmured, her eyes widening like a puppy's. "Honey, I am so sorry." She placed a manicured hand over her heart. "Don't you have a house to stay at?"

"I can't go back there." I swallowed the lump in my throat. "I just need a place to stay until I can make arrangements for my sister and I; a place to clear my head."

Denise sighed and shook her head. "Sometimes I wonder why the good Lord does what he does, but everything happens for a reason. He has a plan, yes he does." I just stared at her, not wanting to tell her I wasn't very religious. Her intentions were well, and she had a warmth about her that I liked. I could tell she was a good person. I've always had a knack for sensing a person's true nature. "I'm positive I can work something out." She typed some more on her keyboard and clicked around with her mouse. She murmured some prayer as she dug around her drawer and handed me a room key. "You take all the time you need, honey. And if you ever need anything," she slammed her hands on the desk for dramatic effect and looked me square in the eyes. "You come down here and ask for Denise, okay? And I mean anything."

I smiled at her and leaned over the desk, wrapping my arm around her. My first day back in Savannah and it felt nice to have my first interaction be kind and genuine. "Oh!" Denise gasped in surprise, but she hugged me back, running her long nails over my spine. "You stay strong. You'll be in my prayers tonight."

I nodded and stood back up. "Thank you, Denise."

She winked at me and picked up the ringing phone. I smiled to myself. Maybe meeting Denise was a good omen. Maybe things would be different this time around.

I grabbed my two suitcases and rolled them outside and up the steps to the second floor of the motel. I found my room near the end of the stretch and fiddled with the keys, unlocking the door. The room revealed itself, a retro green color with a red backboard to the bed. It was covered in a white quilt. Blue and yellow decorations scattered the walls and tables for an extra pop of color, as if it wasn't colorful enough already. It was like stepping into the seventies, an LSD trip in the form of a bedroom.