A Hidden Destiny

What a view

I opened the door to my room and looked around. Thomas scurried inside with my bags and placed them in front of a queen-sized bed. “I’ll leave you to it then”, Thomas said and added “Just call if you need anything.” I followed him to the door and thanked him for his help, softly closing the door behind him. I sighed deeply, feeling relieved that I had arrived. Finally, I could get some rest or maybe a hot shower would do me some good after travelling. I went to the bathroom, which was kind of modern, unlike the rest of the interior. But hey, who didn’t like a toilet that could flush and a shower with normal water pressure? I looked at reflection in the mirror. Travelling had left its mark on me. My hair was a bit messy; my skin a little oily and were those dark bags under my eyes? I actually preferred to look natural, maybe not with the bags under my eyes, but that ‘not caring about anything’ look. I didn’t care about what people thought of me or my looks.

Quickly, I turned the shower on, waiting for it to get properly warm before entering. I took my time washing my body and hair thoroughly, finishing with a rinse of my face. I felt revived. After drying my body, I put on fresh underwear and started to dry my hair. I looked at myself again. I stood 5’7 tall with an average body type. Nothing special, but who was I to complain? My face is oval shaped with a small nose covered in almost invisible freckles, fanning out on my cheeks. But my eyes, they are my favorite. They are blue-green with long, dark lashes framing them. I don’t need to wear any make-up and that’s actually nice. In general, I liked the view in the mirror. I snapped out of my thoughts as I bumped the hairdryer into my scalp. “Ouch” I said to myself and added inside of my head ‘Standing here like a moron admiring yourself. Stupid.’ Maybe I should just focus on one thing at the time. I finished drying my brown locks and decided to brush it, making my hair look soft and wavy.

I went back to the bed and laid down on my stomach on top of the floral patterned blanket, scrolling on my phone absentmindedly. Should I send a text to let them know I had arrived safely? Probably yes. I knew they would like to hear from me, they worried about me like every parents would and I appreciated to have someone care for me the way they did.

“Hi you two. Just letting you know that I’ve arrived at my hotel. The staff seems nice. I’ll be going out later to get something to eat. Take care of each other and don’t miss me too much. Love you. Maddie”

I pressed send and tossed my phone on the bed. It could take awhile to get an answer. They were elderly after all. So I decided to put on some black jeans and my favorite forest green sweater. I went to the bathroom and picked up my skirt from the floor. It was still a bit damp after the water-accident on the plane, so I draped it over the back of a chair and left it to dry. The huge window behind the chair caught my attention, it was huge, kind of like the one in the seating area downstairs. Looking out it, I realized I had a view of the forest. It was absolutely beautiful. The treetops were still green and full, but it wouldn’t be long before the green palette would be replaced with yellow, red and orange. Autumn was near.

Looking down at the beautiful forest, made me want to explore it. Maybe I should go for a little walk in the forest before heading out to eat? It would probably be nice to get some fresh air after a long flight. I went to my bag on the bed and pulled out the brochures Catherine had given me, quickly shuffling through them to find the one I was looking for. One brochure about The Hill Hotel had a small map inside, which showed the location of the hotel and its nearby attractions, shops and restaurants. Even though the hotel was secluded and surrounded by forest, it was within walking distance from the rest of the town.

I grabbed my crossover bag and a thin jacket and went downstairs. My mind was set; first a little trip around the hotel and then I could search around for something to eat. Hopefully, I could get a decent burger around here. Just the thought of it made my stomach growl. I was kind of starving, having left the rest of the nuts and raisins on the plane. After all, it wasn’t my favorite.