hotel 18 !

2

The car stopped moving at a parking garage somewhere outside of town.

Jieqiong lightly shook my body to wake me up. I acted like I woke up and yawned before I instantly pushed her out the open car door and closing it then locking all doors.

"Hey, what's-" I pushed Zhengting out too and locked the door. Lucky for me, the key was still inside with me. Thing is, I don't know how to drive.

"What do you think you're doing?" I hear Jieqiong say from outside of the car a bit pissed off.

"Come on, Zhang Xiaocao. Let us help you." Zhengting says in a way calmer tone than Jieqiong.

I was about to answer until I replayed what he said. Zhang Xiaocao? He knows my name?

"How do you know who I am?" I ask him.

"It's a pretty long thing to explain. And very complicated." He says scratching his head.

"Here's the thing. We work for a secret organization called Hotel 18. We get calls from motels and shelters to pick up any person under 18 and over 13 to help them with anything." Jieqiong explains.

"We provide everything to those teens in a nice building just outside of town and there are over 1,000 sites all over the country, over 100,000 across the continent, and almost 1 million around the globe." Zhengting adds.

"I am Zhou Jieqiong and this is Zhu Zhengting. We are your assigned protectors from Section Z." She stands straight next to Zhengting

"Hold on, what?"

*

"Welcome to Hotel 18, Zhang Xiaocao." Zhengting opens the golden rimmed doors and introduces me into a big hotel lobby with velvet carpet, golden staircases, bronze furniture with rich designs. It looked so elegant.

The place was just breathtaking. Jieqiong leads me to the front desk.

"Zhou Jieqiong and Zhu Zhengting from Section Z. We brought in a new Lost, Xiaocao."

Suddenly, I didn't feel good anymore. A Lost? Wow. Even this place degrades me.

"You may now take the Lost to the Inspection Area."

Zhengting and Jieqiong grabbed each one of my arms into a hallway of bronze walls and wood doors. We reached the end to the hallway where the sign had in bold white the letter Z.

Zhengting opens the door to the left and Jieqiong brings me in.

The room looked like a doctor's office. A man then came in with a mask on.

"Names" the man instructs.

"Zhou Jieqiong and Zhu Zhengting of Section Z. Lost: Zhang Xiaocao." Zhu Zhengting says firmly.

"Information."

"Zhang Xiaocao, 16, November 3, 2001, 53 kg, 167 cm, blood type A, allergic to peanuts, only had surgery for tonsil removal in 2003, no medication." Jieqiong says.

How do they know all of this? Oh my god.

"Thank you."

He exits and so do Jieqiong and Zhengting.

A voice coming from speakers was now speaking to me.

"Hello, Zhang Xiaocao. Welcome to Hotel 18. I am the Creator of this organization. I know what you are thinking. Why am I here? Who are those people? What is this place?"

That's true. I asked myself those questions repeatedly while in here.

"Don't worry. I assure you nobody in our family will hurt you. We have done background checks on everyone and everything. And to answer the first question, you are here because you ran away from danger, if I am correct."

Semi-correct.

"If you didn't know already, the two people who brought you here are your Guidance and Protective Service. They will help you be ready for the world on your own when you will be released when you turn of age or when you have achieved everything before the release date."

So I have to stay here? For two years. Okay.

"Well, I mean it is your choice if you want to live alone on the streets with little to no improvement. Anyways, this place is full of resources you will need until you will be released and places to learn necessities for when your older like taxes and ownership of property."

There was a silence before a thin screen was shown in front of my face, showing what is going to be included in my stay.

° Access to food and water everyday
° Card (with limits)
° Therapy or psychologists (for those who need it)
° Clothes and shoes
° Room service
° School (required)
° Chance to meet new people
° Workshops

_____ ____
|YES| |NO|
____ ____

"Please take your time to choose."

I hover my finger over the 'NO' option.

Do I really want to return out there? I slept in motels once every night. I ate only junk food. I haven't had a full meal in days.

I move my finger to the left and immediately pressed 'YES'

"Thank you for choosing to stay with us. Enjoy your stay at Hotel 18."

The door opens and in comes Jieqiong, Zhengting and another person.

"Thank you for giving us the opportunity to guide you while you stay here." Jieqiong says with a hint of happiness.

"Oh, and this is my friend, a supervisor and a protector from Section F, Fan Chengcheng."

"Nice to meet you, Fan Chengcheng." I politely say.

"Nice to meet you too, Zhang Xiaocao." Chengcheng replies. "Now, I'm going to take you to your assigned room and then all of us will give you a tour before lunch. Have you had breakfast?"

This while thing was taking up so much of my head I forgot about food. I checked the clock on the wall, 9:26.

"I haven't had anything for almost a day." I reply. I got handed a cereal bar from Jieqiong.

"Eat it. It's better than nothing." She says.

I thank her and opened the packaging before taking a bite of the Trix cereal bar.

"Let's go."

Hey guys! I hope you like this so far. I've recently been hit with ideas so I'm trying to get them down before I get a writers block again :) I'm feeling a bit better than at the beginning of the month so I'll be more active!