Before The Storm by Kels Barnholdt Read Free Book Online Page B

so much space.
    “Um,” I say, curious in spite of myself, “I’m not trying to be rude, but this isn’t exactly a normal apartment.”
    “What do you mean normal?” she asks, looking at me like maybe there’s some type of double meaning coming from what I’m saying, which of course there isn’t.
    “Well, it’s a whole floor,” I say slowly. “There are no other apartments on the floor.” I say, stating the obvious. And it’s true. The elevator opens up right into the entranceway of my Aunt’s apartment. It has it’s own floor.
    “Oh that,” she says, looking relieved. “Well that’s because it’s a suite.”
    “A suite?”
    “Yes, didn’t your father tell you? This is a hotel.”
    A hotel? Really? This is what my spiritual leaders think is the best environment for me to be coming home to? Someone who doesn’t even have a home? Someone who spends all her time in some hotel? Not to mention it doesn’t seem like a normal hotel to me. I saw no sign on the way into the building, no one sitting at a desk waiting to check us in, no one waiting to clean our room or make our bed.
    “How come no one greeted us? How come there’s no reception desk?”
    My Aunt Jenna looks at me for a second and then bursts out laughing. “Oh, I get it. You’re joking, because no hotel would have reception at a back entrance. I get it, you’re funny. Now let me show you where your room is.” She then takes off down a small hallway to the left of the kitchen before I can say another word.
    “You are just going to love it here, I know it. It’s perfect, elegant, but not in an over-the-top way, you know?” I can hear her voice fade as she gets further and further down the hall, so I hurry to catch up with her. “Don’t you just love it?” she says, stopping in the hallway in front of a door, leaving me just enough room to squeeze past her to get into the room before her.
    And the strange thing is, I instantly do love it. The walls are a light sky blue with a soft gold trim. The bed is huge, bigger than my one back home, with a light blue canopy carefully draped over the top. The tables next to each side of the bed have candles spread about and a glass alarm clock on one of them. There’s a plasma T.V. directly across from the bed that practically covers the whole wall, along with a white vanity set on the other side of the room with a matching white dresser right next to it. The whole thing is so simple, yet perfect. I love it instantly.
    “It’s beautiful,” I say softly.
    “Isn’t it?” She asks loudly as if she hears me perfectly. “I just knew you’d love it.”
    I want to ask her how she knew, how she could even begin to guess that I would love it considering she’s never met me before a day in her life. There’s so much I want to know, so much I want to say, but the truth is that I’m not comfortable enough to ask yet.
    I’m not secure enough with her to say much of anything. I feel like I was sent home with a stranger to live, which let’s face it, I pretty much was.
    I take a few steps forward to get a closer look at the bed, which seems way too big to be in a hotel, even one like this. It looks specially made. I reach my hand out to feel the white bedspread between my fingers when something suddenly reaches out from underneath the bed and swats my ankles. I let out a small gasp and jump backwards, practically crashing into the nightstand.
    “Oh!” Aunt Jenna exclaims, laughing loudly. “Now you stop that Mo!”
    I look down and see a little black head sticking out from under the bed. As soon as I make eye contact the head disappears back under the bed.
    “Mo, you come out from there right now!” she says loudly, only to be greeted by silence. “Mo, come meet your new sister!”
    Nothing.
    “You’ll have to excuse him. He’s still a puppy, and he gets a little nervous around new people.” She’s on her knees now, peering under the bed. “It’s okay Mo, come on out, come on.”
    Mo