Catherine's Pov.
I forced a small, polite smile at the hotel attendant as I took the steaming cup of coffee from her. The cheap ceramic was almost too hot to hold. "Thank you," I murmured, my voice still rough from a night of little sleep. I turned and walked back to my room, shutting the door.
My single suitcase lay open on the bed, half-filled with the few things Esme and I owned. I had already packed most of our things for the day, a nervous energy driving me to be ready to move at a moment's notice. Esme was sitting propped up against the pillows, fully dressed in a little yellow onesie, watching me with those big, curious eyes of hers. She babbled softly, a string of happy, nonsensical sounds that I couldn't quite understand but that warmed my heart anyway.
I smiled at her, a real one this time, and took a sip of the bitter coffee before setting it down on the nightstand. I continued packing, folding a tiny sweater with more care than it needed.
