The Start

Chapter Twelve

Braden's pov

Halfway through Arkansas I stopped and pulled into a hotel parking lot. Seeing that we pulled money from the ATM I thought we could spend the night here. We got out of the car and walked into the hotel. I walked up to the reception desk. The woman there looked bored. Her frizzy red hair was tied into a ponytail, her uniform was too tight and, she chewed gum while reading a Cosmopolitan magazine. 

"Hey, I'd like a room two beds please," I reached to get money out of my wallet. 

I reached my hand forward with the money as I looked up. However, the woman hadn't moved from her position at all. I turned to look at Jade and John who were about ten feet behind me. Jade just shrugged before I turned back around and looked at the woman again.

"Excuse me." I cleared my throat but the woman still hadn't acknowledged my presence. 

"Hey!" I waved my hands in an attempt to get her attention.

"What?" She sighed before taking her eyes off the magazine and looking at me.

"I'd like a room with two beds." I repeated myself.

"Whatever." She began typing into a computer that looked like it was from 1976.

"How many nights?"

"Just one."

"That'll be 90." She looked back at the magazine.

"Here." I handed her a hundred.

"Make sure your son doesn't jump on the beds." She handed me the change.

"Oh he's not my-okay." I said before grabbing the room key and heading toward the elevator.

Once in the elevator Jade busted out laughing and John soon followed.

"Shut up. It's not funny." I glared toward them.

"You're right. It's hilarious!" She gained but quickly lost her composure once again.

"I don't look that old! I don't have an eight year old son." 

The elevator doors opened and I quickly stepped out attempting to put some distance between them and I. I walked down the hall with Jade and John following me before I finally found our room at the end of the hall. Opening the door with the key the red head gave me I stepped inside. The walls were a light blue. There was a window opposite of the door, the carpet was red, and the beds had green covers. It would have been a beautiful room had the person who designed it had any real idea of a color pallet. 

"I don't like it," John whispered.

"Yeah, the room could be better, but its just for a bit John."

Jade ruffled his hair before walking to the other side of the room and looking out the window. I saw John shaking his head. I wanted to ask him what he meant but I feared I already knew. John sat on the bed close to the door and turned the tv on turning it to the kids channel. I walked over and stood beside Jade. Looking at her I could tell she was somewhere deep in thought. I starred at her for awhile just watching her electric blue eyes stare out the window, her blonde hair falling in whisps hiding her beautiful face from my view.

Jade's pov

I looked out the hotel window. I could see the street below, what looked to be a park, a convenient store that in my opinion didn't look convenient, and a drug store. It was the drug store I couldn't take my eyes off. It was looking at this drug store I remembered being John's age. My mother had told me she was taking me to get ice cream. I ended up confused and our car ended up in front of a doctors office. 

" Mom why are we here?"

"Don't worry honey, we're just gonna talk to the doctor for a bit. Then we'll go get that ice cream." She said her voice tight.

"Okay Mom."

We walked in to the doctors office and up to a window where a man sat in a roller chair behind glass. I didn't pay attention to the conversation. I just starred at the other people sitting in chairs. One girl was running around screaming scratching her skin as what looked like a social worker tried to catch her. A boy sat in the corner introducing himself using a different name each time. A teen girl sat across from the boy red lines covering her arms and just below where her shorts ended.

"Jade, honey let's go sit down."

"I don't wanna mom."

"Jade come on," she said dragging me to the seat beside the boy.

"Hi I'm Michael," he told me then he looked at my mom.

"I'm Miranda, this is my daughter Jade," she told him with a soft smile.

"It's nice to meet you Michael," Mom told the boy.

"Oh no, my names Seth," he told us.

"Oh okay," my mother replied.

" Jade," what looked to be a nurse called from a door I hadn't noticed before.

Walking through the door with my mother I heard a buzz. Turning around I saw a light on the door go from green to red. The woman who introduced herself as "Nurse Bell" lead us down a hallway. I lost track how many turns we made eventually mom and I were sat in a room with white wall, a small table, and four chairs. A woman I didn't know came in and sat down.

"Mrs--," the woman started.

"Just Miranda," my mother interrupted.

"Very well, Miranda, are you aware that by signing these papers you are excepting treatment for Jade for the next 7 days? You will not be able to get her back until doctors declare her able to leave." The woman said.

I wasn't paying attention to their conversation though. I was looking at a picture taped to the wall. I knew I was suppose to see something in it but to me it was just a blob of black ink.

"Yes, I'm aware."

Mom got up and walked out of the room tears streaming down her face. I looked from her to the woman across from me when I looked back my mom was gone the door closed.
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