Usually her mother had pre-arranged plans when they would move. They'd rent a small house or apartment, and by the time they got to wherever they were going, it would be ready for them when they got there. This time, Sara and Amber had to leave without warning, so to Amber's chagrin, they stayed in a hotel. They left most of their stuff in the car. They headed up the stairs, their room was on the second level, and the elevator was broken. Amber shook her sleeve down past her hand, and used it to hold onto the railing. They found room 202. It was nice. Amber put her suitcase down, and pulled the quilt off the bed. She spotted her mother's look of suspicion.
"They only wash these things about three times a year!" Amber informed. Sara looked disgusted and proceeded to pull her own quilt off.
Amber was always a little uneasy in hotel rooms. The smoke alarm glowed in the ceiling. What if it went off? The darkness was unfamiliar here. The clock said it was almost a half past midnight. Amber looked over towards her mother. She was in bed, but she knew she was still awake. Amber never asked her why. She felt she was fantastic for never asking. She never put her mother in an awkward situation. The nomadic lifestyle was not her favourite though. Since she couldn't actually see her mom, she thought maybe she would ask. She dared herself. She counted to three but decided not to say anything. She counted to three again, daring herself.
"Mom, it was dad, right? On the phone?" She asked. She heard her mom shift in her bed. She could not believe she actually said that. She suspected it for about a year now. She felt devious.
"Amber, get to sleep." Sara said, avoiding the answer. Amber decided it was too late to be adamant about it, so she said nothing more.