Reflections of Light

Forgetted

"Mummy, I can't find Grandma!"

Luci groaned, turning her head to glance at the clock on the bedside table. "... It's way to early for this."

"Is he playing a game?" Dec groaned, rubbing his eyes.

"No. He's lost his snake."

Dec nodded, then furrowed his brow, looking confused. "... The snake's called Grandma?"

"It's a long story."

"Mummy! I'm serwious!" Billy yelled urgently, running up and down the hallways outside the room. "She's missing!"

"I'm getting up!" Luci replied, swinging her legs over the mattress edge. "Hang on, just let me quickly get changed."

Besides her, Dec stood up, groaning as he stretched. "So, who bets he left her in the garden?"

"She went missing at the hotel." Luci sighed. "I was kind of hoping he wouldn't notice yet."

"Ahh..." Dec said, thoughtfully. "I'll have to let Loretta know then. Gee, that's going to be a thrilling conversation." He chuckled. "I'll drive you back there myself, if you want. You'd probably like a new change of clothes by now."

"Mummy! It's terwible! We forgetted Grandma!" Billy bellowed.

"I doubt we're getting her back any time soon." Luci muttered. "Don't worry, we're coming!" She called out, hurriedly grabbing some clothes off their hangers.

She opened the door to find Billy, holding back tears. "Oh, Sweetheart!"

"I want Grandma!" Billy sobbed, wrapping his arms around his mum's waist and falling against her. "How could we forget her like dat?"

"Oh, baby." Luci soothed, picking Billy up in her arms. "Don't worry, I'm sure she's fine. Look, Dec's taking us back to the hotel..."

"To find Grandma?"

"I don't know if she'll be there."

"Where is she?"

"Um..." Luci glanced back at Dec, who was busy buttoning his shirt, and pulled Billy a little way away down the hall. "She went away for a bit. With this lady."

Billy paused, thinking about it. Then nodded. "When's she coming back?"

"Uh... I don't... really know."

Billy's face crumpled. "I WANT GRANDMA!"

***

"I want Grandma." Billy said for the thousandth time, voice wavery and wet from the small trembling tears that trickled down his face intermittently; his head rested against the glass of the car window.

"I know, Billy." Luci said sympathetically. "But I don't know where she is."

"Look, Billy, it's no one's fault your snake went missing." Dec said. "And I'm sure wherever she is, she's perfectly happy."

Billy frowned, crossing his arms. "How would you know?"

"Because..." Dec paused, fishing for an answer. "She's a snake, and snake's are pretty awesome."

A smile twitched at Billy's lips. "... Snake's are pretty awesome..." Then, he remembered he was sulking, and schooled his face accordingly.

Dec chuckled. "Yeah, course they are. She'll be fine. Probably having a wonderful adventure."

Billy tried to resist smiling again, choosing to disguise it by stretching in his child seat.  "Ugh. Why can't I sit in da fwont?! There's no room here!"

"Because Declan and I are sitting in the front." Luci said, rummaging through the bag on her lap for the hotel key as they sped along the road. "And we need more space than you do."

"Oi, are you saying my car is small?" Dec teased.

"I wanted to watch how Dec dwives da car!" Billy announced loudly.

Dec chuckled cheerfully. "Aww, don't worry, Little Man. I can drive just as well as your mum does. Don't worry, she's supervising me properly."

"I wanna see how you dwive so I c'n learn to dwive da cool car." Billy said, smiling cheekily as he wriggled in his car seat.

"Aww... " Dec said, shaking his head and laughing. "I think you're a little small to be driving quite yet, I'm afraid."

"Ugh." Billy pouted. "I'm gonna get bigga, you know."

"Oh, I'm sure you are."

"Big 'n stwong, dats wot Grandma sez. We gotta find Grandma, Mummy. She can't be missin' foreva!"

"Yes, Billy, we'll keep an eye out for her." Luci said, mentally cussing out Alysha for causing this situation. 'Grandma' could be anywhere by now; Luci's best hope was that Billy would get distracted and eventually loose interest. And that wasn't even considering any kind of trouble 'Grandma' could cause being on the loose.

Loretta, the owner of the hotel, met them in the lobby. A tall, plump woman with a graceful face and fluffy blonde hair; she greeted Declan with a lipsticky kiss on each cheek, before slipping her arm through his.

"Deccy! You haven't come to see me in ages!"

"Oops, Sorry Lori." Dec chuckled. "Time just ran away with me."

'I bet she'd like to run away with you,'Deccy'.' Luci thought venomously, eyeing the pair.

Billy tugged harshly on her sleeve. "Mummy! Wanna go check my room!"

"Yes, yes, Sweetie." Luci said, drawing her attention back to her son. "We can go check your things, don't worry."

"An' den... We c'n check da swimmin' pool?" Billy asked hopefully.

"Of course we can." Luci chuckled, ruffling his hair. "Come on, let's go get your swimming costume. Dec, you coming?"

Luci hooked her arm through his as they walked up the stairs, Billy charging up way ahead of them.

"So... Is Loretta a close friend of yours?"

"Oh, Loretta's a swell gal." Dec chuckled, dismissing it with a wave of his hand. "We've known each other a while."

"In what way have you known each other?"

Dec's groan devolved into a self-derisive chuckle. "So we're doing this conversation."

"Yes, we're doing this conversation." Luci said, crossing her arms.

Dec tipped back his head, groaning loudly; Luci looking at him with no nonsense expression.

Suddenly, the door to their suite flew open with a loud bang, and Billy ran out, an expression of panic written across his face. "MUMMY! MUMMY! There's a stwange person in my room!"