1.21 The Hotel

"Ari!" a skinny guy with glasses runs up to us as we step into the spacious lobby of The Hotel. Seriously. That's the name of the hotel. If Kier's the one who named everything in this place, then he has the worst imagination in all of humanity.

"Victor, hi!" Ari says, turning towards the guy. "What's up? Everything okay?"

Victor pauses as he reaches us. Then, looking warily at me, he whispers something in Ari's ear. I roll my eyes at him. As if I care about what they're discussing.

"What, seriously?" Ari looks distressed. I wonder what kind of trouble is ensuing right now. It seems like Ari is the only sensible person in this so-called student council. Those guys ought to give her a break.

My eyes follow the people entering the hotel, and I frown. The hotel staff's with them, lugging huge suitcases up the stairs. Suspicious, I turn to Ari, "Wait. How many days are we going to be at this place?"

"Three," she answers, absent-mindedly scrolling down Victor's tab, her forehead knotted.

"What?! Why am I only finding out about this?" I gawk at her. "I-I didn't bring any clothes. And my Mom doesn't even know about this. She'll kill me." And to think that I was joking when I said they'd kidnapped me. These crazy people really did.

"Oh, your Mom knows. She had some of your clothes sent, too." Ari replies, not even looking at me. The whole time she's talking to me, her head is turned towards Victor, giving him instructions as she points to the tab.

I open my mouth to tell Ari off, frustrated. But she is suddenly on the move. "Sorry. Gotta go. Talk to you later, Dina!"

I spring forward, having half a mind to drag her back, but I control myself. "Damn it," I say in sotto.

"Is it true that you're dating David Choi?" a voice asks behind me, and I gloomily turn towards it. A tall, haughty-looking blonde stands just a foot away from me, surveying me up and down in that typical mean girl demeanor. Oh, God. What is it now?

"Seriously? I have no time to deal with this." I tell her, making it clear that I will have none of her bullshit. I am still reeling from the fact that I'm supposed to stay for three days on this damn island.

"What does he even see in you? You're not good enough for him." she continues, ignoring the apparent disinterest in my face.

"Look. Just so you know, I am not interested in jumping into this---whatever drama you're trying to make out of this."

"Oh, but you signed up for it when you started putting your claws on David," she answers with venom in her voice.

I gape at her, "Who are you, even? He has neither mentioned you nor have I seen him around you. Is this some kind of delusion you're having? You think he's your property or something?"

I must have hit a nerve because the girl took a step back. But then she recovers, and with a ferocious growl, reaches out her hand to grab me. Unbelievable. This day cannot end any sooner. I give her a taste of what it's like to mess with me, grabbing her skinny elbow and twisting it behind her. But despite looking like a Barbie doll, the girl is strong. She kicks my shin and I almost fall to my left. I growl.

I am about to punch her in the head when a petite figure comes in between us.

"Hey! No fighting, please." Olive, the girl Ari talked to on the ship earlier, insinuates her small frame between the blonde and me. "We had a lot of that today. Please don't make us want to kill ourselves."

"Well, this girl started it," I tell Olive, pointing at the blonde, "You know what? I am out of here." I scoff, turning on my heels towards the direction of the hotel. So, Ari wants a letter. Well, she got me into this mess. She's definitely getting one.

"Dina! Wait!" Olive shouts after me, her heels pattering on the pavement.

I sigh, stopping in my tracks and turning back towards her.

She smiles at me, panting, "I'm really sorry about that, I'll make sure she doesn't bother you again."

"Please do."

"Anyway, Ari sent me over to tell you that your stuff just arrived," she tells me.

"My stuff?" I regard her with confusion.

"Yep," Olive says, looking behind me. I follow her gaze and my jaw drops. A bellhop grunts loudly as he pushes a large luggage trolley towards the hotel's revolving doors.

"They're mine?" I ask Olive.

She looks at me in bemusement, "Yes. Can't you recognize your own bags?"

They're not my bags. Then, I remember Ari mentioned that my Mom sent some clothes over to the island. You have got to be kidding me. Did she just pick out a whole new wardrobe for me? Why so many? That amount of luggage is not for a three-day stay on the island. That's it. Mom is getting a letter too.

-LETTERS START HERE-

September 28, 2015

Dear Ms. Lee,

It seems strange how you keep telling me that you want to be my friend yet still find convenient excuses to trap me on an island that I didn't want to be on in the first place. If you and your horrible friends were an actual student council, I would file an official complaint. But you're not, so I won't waste my energy. I will make sure that whatever plans you might have for this trip are destroyed instead.

Sincerely, Dina Matthews (Junior at Hell Park High)

P.S. Someone just attacked me today. The girls in this school are insane. What kind of tainted, rich kid drink have you been consuming?

September 28, 2015

Dear Mom,

I don't know what you packed for me and I don't care to know. I would rather wear the same set of clothes for three days than wear any of the ones you sent me. You say I'm a petty little rebel. Well, I'm living up to my name. You and Ari tricked me so pettily.

You can say anything about him, but Dad would never do anything like this.

From the island that I didn't want to be on, Dina