They arrived at the hotel and parked the car. As they got out and walked into the hotel, Kyrie chattered excitedly about her new dress. She fell silent as she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket.
"Hello…really? That's great! I'll be right there."
She hung up and squealed in delight. "What happened?" She asked.
"My dad is here! He's at the hotel!"
"Seriously?" She said in astonishment.
"Yes! Wait, I'll be right back…"
She hurried out of the room, still filled with excitement. Julie sat on the plush hotel bed, gazing at the wall. Memories of her mother flooded her mind. She was young when her mother passed away, but the memories of their time together remained indelible. Wiping her eyes with a handkerchief, she couldn't help but think about her father. She still had the picture of them together when she was a baby, but looking at it was painful because he was in it. She felt that he had abandoned them, that he didn't care for her mother or herself. It was a deep hatred she held, with good reason. Glancing at the watch on her light-colored wrist, she realized an hour had passed, but there was still no sign of Kyrie. Getting up from the bed, Julie left the room to search for her.
At the same time, the room next to hers opened, and Courtney and Laurent emerged. He was shirtless, and her buttons were undone. She saw Courtney whisper into his ear and felt repulsed, walking past them.
"Hi Julie, how are you?" Courtney said in a saccharine tone. Julie turned slowly and noticed the huge grin on Courtney's face. Her usually ponytailed black hair was disheveled as though it had been pulled. Her dull blue eyes twinkled with delight and mischief as if she wanted to rub it in Julie's face.
Julianne smiled and said, "I'm great Courtney, I believe you are too, although your look says otherwise."
The grin became a frown. She ran her fingers through her medium-length hair in an attempt to straighten it, but her efforts fell to no avail. Giving up, she flung her bag over her shoulder and walked away, her heels hitting the floor.
"What do you want?" She said, noticing his stare at her.
"You're disarming, I mean what you just did…"
"What about it?" She questioned, folding her shoulders across her chest.
He laughed and said, "It's nothing, what are you doing here?"
"I'm with Kyrie for our dumb project," She sulked.
"Good ol' Mr. Robinson, Jacques is still pissed that he has to pair up with Dylan," He laughed.
"He has a beautiful smile," She thought. Her grandmother would be pissed if she could read her thoughts.
"You said you weren't dating Courtney," She protested.
"I'm not, what about it?" He asked.
"Spare me the drama Laurent, I need neither a prophet nor a seer to tell me what you two were doing in there."
He laughed once more and said, "Is it that obvious?"
"Very…" She said, slowly nodding her head.
"We aren't dating."
"Then what's going on between the both of you?" She inquired.
"I think you shouldn't know, wouldn't want to spoil an innocent girl like you," he mocked.
"Try me," she said confidently.
"Let's see…we're fuck-buddies, how does that sound?"
Her face reddened instantly. She covered her ears with her palm and said, "How can you say that? You have no shame!"
"I warned you,' He said laughing. She scoffed and walked away. "Bye Julie," she heard him say as she walked further into the hotel, still looking for Kyrie. That was when she heard it. The screaming, gunshots, wailing. It was a cry for help. She looked around but no one was in sight. She heard a whisper telling her to go to room 3045. She slowly walked there, still in a trance. She was about to open the door when she felt a tap on her shoulder.
"What are you doing here Julie?"
Seeing Kyrie, she felt less tense. She looked around, puzzled about her location. "I don't…"
"Never mind," Kyrie interrupted, "My dad is here and wants to see you!"
Her face lit up. "Really?" She said in excitement.
"Yes, of course, let's go!"
She took his hand and they walked down the hall. They stopped at room 4004. Kyrie knocked briefly before opening the door. A man in his early forties was in the room, staring out the window. He held a cigarette in his hand, lost in thought. His black hair had specks of gray in it; however, rather than making him look old, it gave him a more dignified appearance. He exuded an aura of confidence and elegance so strong that she felt intimidated even without seeing his face. He slowly turned around when he heard Kyrie's voice. Seeing Julianne, his dark gray eyes lit up, but he quickly composed himself.
"Dad, this is Julianne, the one I told you about," She said enthusiastically.
He straightened his gray tailor-made suit and said, "It's nice to meet you, Julianne, Kyrielle says a lot about you."
"The pleasure is all mine, I'd like to thank you for…"
"It's not a problem, don't mention it," He said, cigarette in hand.
"I'm going to set up our stuff, I'll be back in a few!" Kyrie said before leaving the room. She stared at the gray-eyed man who was still holding the cigarette. He caught her staring at him, making her face warm up. He dropped the cigarette and said, "You're from Africa I suppose."
"Yes sir, but I was born here…" She said, twiddling with her fingers.
"That's a nice necklace you've got there, who gave it to you?" He asked, noticing the design on it.
"My mother gave it to me…"
"Your mother?" He said, becoming more tense. He recognized the locket, it was the same one he had given to Hannah fourteen years ago. He had a feeling that she was his daughter but shrugged the thought off. "It could have been stolen from her…" He thought. He scratched his chin and said, "Where is she?"
"Who?" She asked confused.
"Your mother, where is she?"
Her face fell, the happiness on it dissipating in a split second. "She's dead."
"What?" He shouted. If she was Hannah's girl, that meant she was dead. "But Hannah was healthy," He thought. He calmed down and thought it could be a mere coincidence, she could be someone else. He looked at her shocked face, knowing she was wondering why he shouted like that. "What happened to her?"
"She died in a car crash," she said, tears forming in her eyes.
"When did she die?"
"Nine years ago."
He ran his fingers through his hair and said, "And your father?"
"I don't know…"
"What do you mean you don't know?" He said puzzled.
"I've never seen him…I've seen him in some pictures but I haven't looked at them since my mother died. I don't know if he's alive or dead…but he's dead to me."
"Do you hate him that much?"
"I do," She affirmed.
"Your mother, what's her name…"
"It's…"
The door suddenly opened. Kyrie sashayed into the room and said, "I've gotten everything ready, let's go!"
She nodded and went out of the room. Kyrie blew her dad a kiss before going to join her. He walked towards the memory-filled bed and sat on it. He looked at his phone, where he saw the only photo he ever had of Hannah, the one he took before she left. He smiled warmly, suddenly getting a feeling of purpose.