Through the flames *MMG REVISION-COMPLETED✔️*

Chapter Twenty-Two: Hotel STD

Oh Rachel, love of my heart.

And pain of my ass.

After our little Hero's Meeting, Issac left and Rachel made all of us hot cocoa. She then gently broke the topic of what happens now, since her mother was still sleeping downstairs and we couldn't stay here.

CJ said he would go back home and take the girls with him, and after some discussions, we agreed to keep our laptops open all night with Flisbee running on video chat so we could constantly check in with each other.

Now here comes the part where Rachel both simultaneously made me want to jump out of a window and dig a deep hole and stay there. Forever.

"So..." she began slowly, stirring her cocoa, "where are you staying, Hanna?" She gestured towards the notebook with the list of names. "I don't think it's safe for you to stay here...your dad knows about me and all."

I hesitated and hugged a pillow to my chest. I hadn't honestly thought of that. Where was it safe for me?

"A hotel?" I thought out loud.

"In Mintzburg," Noah added from the beanbag. He nodded to himself. "You can use cash to hide your identity." He sipped his cocoa. "The police probably aren't under your dad's control there."

Rachel sucked in a breath through clenched teeth and grimaced. "But Mintzburg...it's so...shady."

I shot her a look, wondering where she was going with this.

"The hotel is a great idea though," she hummed, tapping her lip, "if only you had some way to stay safe..."

"I could go with her?" Noah hesitantly offered. "My parents are out of town."

Instantly, my jaw dropped to my knees while Rachel beamed. "You would? Oh, that would be amazing!" She clasped her hands together and squealed, and I narrowed my eyes at her.

Oh the little she-devil...

"If that's okay with Hanna..." Noah slow glanced at me and I clamped my mouth shut and nodded.

"Ye - yeah. Yeah sure. Totally." Shit.

Which led to now, with Noah and I standing on the threshold of the decaying motel room in Mintzburg. Addie slept curled in Noah's arms. It must have been two in the morning by now.

The cash Rachel thrust in my hands along with an overnight bag only bought us a room with two tiny twin beds that looked like they hadn't been washed since Bush was president, a coffee machine with no coffee, and a bathroom which, if I'm being honest, should have basically been called a wall-less portapotty. To top it all off, the walls that were plastered with ugly blue and yellow wallpaper were sticky.

Why were the walls sticky?

Noah quietly cleared his throat and moved into the room, closing the door behind us. I clutched the straps of Rachel's bag tighter, swearing her name under my breath.

"I can take the floor?" Noah whispered.

"Don't be stupid," I hissed, "you'll get herpes."

Addie mumbled something in her sleep and Noah sighed. "Fine. I can share with Addie."

I hesitated. I really didn't want to seem selfish, but I really didn't want to share a bed with Noah. Like, really really.

"Fine." I nodded, and Noah nodded back before moving to one of the beds to lay Addie down. I walked to the small desk with the coffee machine and started to set up Flisbee, entering the chat to see Rachel and CJ already talking.