Haven

...Restricted...

"A restriction. An enclosure of some sort that is inescapable."

                        Haley
                       6/2/35
We checked into the hotel around
10a.m.

We had moved to southern ville.

It was hard packing all our stuff in just one day so we had to leave some things behind.

Before my Dad found a renowned Realtor and an affordable house we had to stay in a hotel.

It was quite fancy...

I was lounging in the pool area while I read a book.
I saw a few couples in the pool and some sitting on chairs sipping iced tea.

It was a beautiful hotel. It had a five star rating and I was sure it was costing my Dad a lot.

I had all this luxury at my disposal with just one rule.

Don't step out of the hotel.

That was the instruction my parents had given.

I wasn't surprised; whenever we moved, we stayed in hiding for at least a week, just in case they decided to look for us.

My family was an average family: though not too rich, we did not belong to the poverty class. We had just what we needed but no extra for unnecessary luxuries.

My car had been battered and bruised but in my family, no matter how old the item was, if it could be repaired then we would never buy a new one.

Knowing my father well, he would never book a room in a five star hotel.

That's why we came to a five star hotel.

It would be the last place they would look for us, because they also knew my father.

My mind wandered back to my friends,
or as things had become, ex friends.

Melissa threw a huge fit when I told her I was moving.
I had lied that my Dad got a new job in another state and she was furious.

I couldn't tell her the truth. I couldn't tell anyone.

She calmed down after a while and we hung out for the last time. She promised to visit and I promised to keep in touch.

But I couldn't keep that promise.

I wasn't allowed to keep in touch with anyone from our old places in case they wanted to use our friends to track us down.

I didn't have time to tell anyone else physically apart from Melissa. I simply sent Brian a text message.

When I got tired of looking at the results of a long relationship, that is the couples acting all mushy around, I got up and headed back to my room.

Truthfully, I was envious. I wished I could boast of a long relationship with anyone else except my family.

I quickly brushed the thought out of my head because I was sure that in a few months they would find us again.