The Unsolvable Equation

Thirty-one

Alexia POV

Alexia stood in the hotel lobby, fixated to the ground, her head rotating at a constant pace as it had been doing for the past five minutes, gaping in awe. They weren’t staying in a very fancy hotel, but it was still covered in paintings and murals and architecture that was unlike anything Alexia had ever seen back home. Alexia felt like she had been transported back in time to the Renaissance period, as if she had been swept into a huge artsy tornado or the grandest heights of human excellence. She wondered if the hotel would let her move her bed to the lobby to sleep.

“Newsflash to Alexia,” Almier suddenly tapped her on the shoulder, jolting her back into reality, which, considering where they were, really wasn’t that bad of a place to be in. “They have flies in France and they do not resist a wide open mouth.”

“Sorry,” Alexia grinned sheepishly. “But when you’re in a place like this, the role of the awe-struck tourist comes pretty naturally.”

“Alexia! Almier! Get over here!”

Alexia reluctantly turned around to where Miss Chelsea was frantically waving her hands for them to come over, looking flushed and flustered.

“So,” Miss Chelsea announced when they had all gathered around. “Our tour guide is still held up by traffic so it looks like you guys can take some time to settle into your rooms first. The three girls will share a room and the two boys will room with each other. Okay?” She pulled out the room keys and handed one to each of them. “Level 5 rooms 504 and 505. Knock yourself out but be back down here in fifteen.”

Almost immediately, everyone dispersed and ran to the lift as if it might explode at any second. The ride to the fifth storey was an awkward one, with silence and tension filling the gaps that the lack of conversation caused. Ugh. I have to get to know three new people. That means socializing, and making conversation with people. And I hate people, Alexia moaned glumly in her mind. She turned to her left and saw Qi fiddling with her fingers, not looking any more excited about the prospect of social interaction than she was. Alexia couldn’t help but smile. Qi seems pretty cool, though. Maybe we’ll bond over our mutual hate for the rest of humanity.

After what seemed like the longest elevator ride in her entire life, they finally reached the fifth storey and everyone automatically headed for their rooms, as if some giant magnetic force was drawing them all in the right direction.

“Found it!” Almier announced, pausing in front of a huge wooden door. “504. The room next door must be yours.”

“Yup,” Hannah replied, sliding her key into the slot above the door handle. The green light lit up. “Voilà! Bienvenue à la chambre!”

The room had cream coloured wallpaper plastered all over its walls, with a few simple paintings serving to brighten up the place and a simple light dangling from the ceiling. It had a huge window covered with thick white curtains and two single beds pressed against the wall. The third was placed parallel to the opposite wall, and they were all covered in sheets so white Alexia wondered how any colour could possibly be so pure, and also became increasingly burdened with the responsibility of keeping them clean. The toilet was small and simple, yet sparkling and clean, and Alexia felt sorry for the impending disaster that was three teenage girls that this unsuspecting toilet faced.

“Okay,” Hannah announced. “Take whatever bed you like. I’m fine with anything.”

Alexia gladly obliged and dumped her hand carry bag on the bed right next to the window. She saw Qi do the same on the bed next to hers, leaving Hannah to the one pressed against the wall, right below the painting of a water lily. Alexia thought that someone as artsy as her might appreciate this arrangement. As expected, Hannah immediately began staring at it, analyzing it in her head.

“Something wrong with that painting?” Qi asked as she pulled out a huge book on north korea and dumped it on her bed. “Some light bedtime reading,” she explained when she caught Alexia staring at the book.

Light bedtime reading. “Oh.”

Hannah shook her head, still squinting at the painting. “This artist uses layering to paint realism,” she observed, running her hand over the painting. “A common method, but he missed out a very important coat which would tie the entire painting together.”

She motioned for Alexia and Qi to come over, then pointed to one of the petals of the lily. “See, this shade of pink isn’t very well blended with the white because it’s too contrasting. It would have helped if a shade of beige or light pink was added before the pink coat. Or maybe the artist could have added it while the paint was still wet, so the tones could blend together. Look, now it stands out and the layering is made incredibly obvious.” She shook her head, as if an art critic disappointed at a new hopeful’s portfolio and began to unpack her belongings.

“What’s in the big black bag?” Alexia asked, noticing the huge black and squarish sack sitting at the foot of Hannah’s bed.

“Yeah, that thing is big enough to hold a body. Are you a serial killer?” Qi joked, prodding the mystery lump with her foot, though the tone of her voice made it sound like a serious question.

Hannah bent down to unzip the bag. “Sorry to disappoint y’all, but it’s just my art supplies,” she said, yanking the bag open to reveal a heap of canvases, brushes of sizes Alexia didn’t know existed, and industrial sized bottles of paint.

“Ah.”

Hannah adjusted her thick frames and zipped the bag back up. “So,” Alexia began, decided to hone her acquaintance making skills. “I take it you’re all here because of your undivided passion for French.”

Hannah shrugged. “That and because I couldn’t possibly pass up a subsidized trip to the city where the biggest art museum in the world is. So naturally, I had to do whatever I had to do get in.”

“How about you, Qi? Or do your passions lie elsewhere.”

Qi smirked. “Oh, I love French, and I happen to be pretty decent at it, too. But honestly, Alexia, you probably hate the people back at your school too. How can you turn down a chance to run as far away as possible from them?”

Alexia thought of Natalie and her gang of brainless wastes of space, as well as the other less significant dimwits, and shared a knowing smile with Qi. “Oh, I’d say deciding to come,” she paused, searching for a word. Then, she thought of Caden and how she wanted nothing more than to be freed from the guilt built by his presence.It was a total coward’s move. “It was no contest, at all.”