Surreal.

I did not know where I was. From the minute I opened my eyes, I could tell something was terribly wrong. The light coming in through the tall square window hurt my eyes and my head felt like it was on fire. I was almost convinced that I spent my previous night gulping down shots of tequila. But no, it couldn’t be. The last memory my mind could reach out to was my feet boarding a plane to Italy. My best friend was in the hospital and I had made a promise to visit her the following week. I remembered boarding the plane at around twelve at midnight and falling asleep in my seat. But I couldn’t remember how or when I got off the plane.

After minutes of arguing with myself, I decided to go out of my room and question the hotel clerk. I jumped out of bed and walked over to the door. As I was about to open the door, I looked down at my outfit.

“No,” I drooled incredulously.

Black ripped jeans, a plain back t-shirt and black boots. The last time I wore jeans was on my tenth birthday party. I detested jeans, t-shirts, and dark colors, especially black. My instincts told me to look in the mirror but I couldn’t to bring herself to do it. I took a deep breath and opened the door.

“Hi,” I said in a croaky voice to the clerk.

The clerk looked at me and smiled.

“Good morning Miss. Eva. How can I help you?”

“Where am I?” The question sounded daft coming out my mouth.

“You’re at a hotel. One of the finest hotels in Mexico,” she replied with a honeyed voice.

“I know that,” I sighed.

A few minutes of scanning the room led me to believe I was in a hotel. The food, small lotion bottles, and fancy pens were all the proof I needed to confirm my hunch.

“I mean,” I added. “Where am I? What country, city, or place-“

I stopped halfway through my sentence and lightly shook my head. It was as if I had only heard the ‘Mexico’ part right then.

“Mexico?!”

“Yes ma’am.” The clerk smiled and looked at me strangely. “Is everything okay?”

“No,” I replied more to myself. “And why did you call me Miss. Eva?”

The clerk looked frightened. “I thought you said we shouldn’t call you Eva.”

“My name is Elena Parker!” I ran my hand though my long, wavy hair and clenched her hands into tight fists. “What happened last night? Did you see me coming in?”

“You came in last night at around two in the morning. You were really wasted.”

I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose.

“How do you even know my name? I’m sure you get like a thousand visitors.” I forced a smile on my face to ease the clerk. I couldn’t understand why she was frightened by me.

“You own this hotel ma’am. Actually, you own a lot of hotels here in Mexico. This is the finest so far and everyone knows who you are.”

I was too tired and confused to ask more questions. I was too scared to find out the answers.

Just when I thought my life couldn’t get any more complicated, I found a man looking out the window in my room.

“Let me guess, we’re married,” I mumbled. I hoped it wasn’t true.

“Can I help you sir?”

The figure slowly turned around. When he was facing me, he smiled.

“Eva.” He stuffed his hands in his huge black coat. “How stubborn are you?”

“W-what?” I stuttered.

“I told you to leave Mexico last night.” His voice was flat and spine-chilling. “Stubborn child.”

Before I could say anything, the man pulled out a gun with a silencer and pointed it at me.