Field Trip

Chapter Thirteen: The Hotel of the Cosmos (Day One)

The class walked inside the doors of the hotel and entered the lobby, taking off their helmets as they did. The lobby was ornately decorated, filled with modern architecture.

Hanging from the ceiling were several giant chandeliers which almost resembled the branches of upside-down trees, glass leaves and color-changing LEDs strewn about on the twisting metal bars.

The floor was made of a dark oak hardwood that looked like it was intentionally created to be not shiny and slightly bumpy.

    In the center of the room was a step-down to a sitting area. The furniture was a nice, modern contrast to the dark floor. There were four white, leather couches facing each other with a glass coffee table in the center. A beautiful orchid plant was placed in the center of the table in a light green, square-shaped pot.

    Behind the "living room" setup of the couches was what looked like the check-in desk. "Wait here." Mr. Samson announced as he walked over to the counter. The class stopped and chattered to one another.

    "This looks like it's a really nice hotel." Adam pointed out.

    "Of course it is." Mark replied confidently. "We are in space, and this is a space hotel! And not to mention it is the ONLY space hotel to exist in the whole universe!"

    "Unless aliens exist..." Landon pondered.

    "I can't believe that the year is 2099 and we still don't know if aliens exist! What kind of joke is this?!" Ryan scoffed. "Isn't this supposed to be 'the future?'"

    "Well, the present was once the future in the past, and the past was once the present, and people were hopeful for a future that is now the past, which was the future once, if that makes any sense." Adam replied.

    The group stared at him like he had two heads for a second, before they thought about it and finally understood.

    "Time is such a weird thing..." Ryan shook his head.

    "Okay, class!" Mr. Samson got the students' attention. "Before we head to our rooms, we will have dinner in the Hub. Follow me!"

    Mr. Samson lead the class to the Hub, which was a giant, elegant dining hall. They enjoyed a meal that would have been very expensive on Earth, but was complimentary here: steak and potatoes. The steak was very juicy, just how Adam liked it, and the potatoes tasted like, well, potatoes. They were good seasoned potatoes, though, and had that spice flavor that Adam really liked.

    The class was told that they would be referring to the time in Washington D.C. for government purposes while they were in space, so Adam had changed his watch ahead of time. He checked it, and was surprised to find that it was already 8:00 at night!

    "Alright, everyone, get into groups of four, please." Mr. Samson announced once everyone had finished dinner.

    Adam and his friends did not move; they did not need to. They were already together in a group of four.

    Mr. Samson passed out one keycard to each of the groups. "These are the keys to your room. Room numbers are on the cards. Go to sleep, and I will see you all at breakfast at 9:30 tomorrow morning, D.C. time."

    The class split and went off with their groups to find their rooms.

    "Hey! Look at this!" Landon shouted.

    "Shhhh!" all of the other students in the hall whispered.

    "Sorry." he whispered.

    "But what did you want us to look at?" Adam asked.

    "We're in Room 13!" Landon replied.

    "Ooh, spooky..." Ryan laughed.

    "Guys..." Mark rolled his eyes. "I don't believe in the number 13 being bad luck. It's stupid."

    "That's what they all say before something bad happens because of the number 13..." Ryan stated creepily.

    They entered their room and jumped onto the beds, calling dibs on who they shared a bed with and who got to sleep on the side with the nightstand. They played video games until 1 in the morning before turning off the lights and finally going to bed.

A/N: Hey guys! I'm so sorry (again) about the lack of chapters lately! I'm trying my best, but it's hard to find time to write right now. Also, I have a small case of writers block with this specific part of the book for reasons that I really can't explain right now! Anyways, I promise that a lot more chapters will come in early June! If I let you down on this promise, I give you permission to spam me as much as you want to get me to update! Thanks for your continuing support, and I'll see you all in the next chapter of Field Trip!