As I leave the building early, I can see the cold sun slowly go under while waiting for my stop in the train.

  Listening to music with earphones I wait.

  I never really know what to do while waiting, maybe I should be taking a good book with me or an e-reader. I could also play games on my phone, but I'm not much of a gamer. Good stories are more my thing, not that there aren't any games with good stories. I just prefer not having to do anything but read or listen for them.

  I can be really lazy when I want to be.

  [FOREST STATION, FOREST STATION]

  Ah, this is my stop. I follow the crowd out and onto the platform.

  I walk towards my apartment, it's about ten minutes from the station.

  I just get out of the platform as someone suddenly taps me on my shoulder.

  Quickly I remove my music pods: "Ah sorry, yes?"

  An old lady stands before me: "Girl, I'm not sure, but I think I saw someone follow you." She whispers.

  "Y-you did?" I want to turn around, but she won't let me.

  "You ought to be more vigilant, this world can be dangerous for young girls like you."

  "Thanks?"

  Then without saying another word, the old lady wanders off.

  I look around, but don't really see anyone looking at me.

  Well, better safe than sorry.

  I put my music pods back in their case and in my bag, I'm better off listening to my surroundings.

  With every step I take, I make sure to pay attention. I guess that what the old lady told me has upset me at least a little, I'm not very good with these kinds of things. I just hope Nova is home, she is my roommate. It's cheaper sharing the rent and we know each other from high school, so I know I can definitely trust her.

  Here I am with the same question as this morning. Elevator or stairs...

  After a minute I decide, it will be stairs this time. I don't want to be stuck in the elevator with a stranger right now and I still have some energy left.

  With the last bit of energy I run to the fifth floor, to the door of my apartment.

  I take out my keycard for it, not the one for the office of course.

  With a soft click the door opens and I enter.

  I close the door behind me.

  As I enter I notice that the room is a mess, god what the hell happened here?

  "Nova, are you there?"

  No answer.

  "Nova?"

  I take the decorative candle holder from the floor, for in case I need to defend myself.

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  "Nova, are you okay?"

  I walk further into the room.

  I call her name again, but no answer.

  All of a sudden a small creature runs past me and I shriek.

  "What the hell?!"

  I haven't seen what it was, it's too fast.

  It couldn't be a spider right? They don't have them that big right? Maybe in Australia?

  No shut up!

  "NOVA!!!"

  A sound from the other room takes my attention and I ready my weapon for swinging.

  The door opens and I swing the candle holder with something like a battle cry at the person behind it.

  "YAAAAH!"

  "AW FUCK." It sounds as it hits... none other than Nova.

  "Ah, Nova. What the hell happened to our apartment?"

  "Oh, hi Edith, how was work?" She says calmly while trying to find something to stop her nose from bleeding and rubbing the place where I hit her.

  "Jeez, sorry. Are you okay?"

  Nova laughs: "maybe you should have just called for me before using a candle holder on someone."

  I take some napkins from the table, giving them to my roommate.

  "I did call, multiple times even. What the hell happened? To this room?"

  Nova looks up: "Oh, oops."

  "No oops, did you let some kind of wild creature into our apartment?!"

  She smiles innocently: "Right, I haven't introduced her yet."

  She looks behind the bench: "Here, Misty kitty... come here." She says in her 'talking-to-small-animal-voice'.

  "Nova, it's a pet-free apartment!" I whisper-yell at her.

  "Oh, don't worry. They never check anyway and it will only be for a month or so."

  Annoyed, I look at her: "You will clean up this room, okay? Then I will start cooking or something, you were probably too busy with something else, right?"

  "Yeah, sorry, I was just reading a really good book and got completely lost in it." Her childlike smile makes its appearance again, the one she always uses when something like this happens. Believe me, I've seen it many, many times during our university time together.

  I take off my shoes and go to the kitchen, it's rather small, but I'll manage. We have lived here for a little less than a month, so I have gotten used to it.

  After checking what the fridge has to offer I decide to make spaghetti. I don't feel like eating the cheap bags of warm-water food today.

  As I make the stove boil the water, I cut the tomatoes and put plates on the table.

  When the spaghetti is done and the water drained, I call for Nova to come and eat.

  During dinner Nova tells me about how her day went, she had to work too. She has a job at a company that makes graphic novels and is one of the artists there. After I tell her about mine, when I get to the part about the older lady, Nova suddenly dismisses it. "Scammers lately have been getting more and more creative, or the lady was just seeing things."

  "Still I think we should be careful, it didn't seem like she wanted to sell me anything."

  "Yeah, but it's probably nothing. Is that why you were so scared of a cat?" Nova teases, but this time I don't find it very funny.

  "Probably, but the whole room was a mess. Like someone uninvited broke in."

  "It was Misty, she is still small and likes to break and throw stuff off tables."

  Misty looks at us from the kitchen floor as she hears her name, she has been sitting there and staring at us for a while now. Does she want something?

  "Meow"

  Misty is a small black kitten with pretty green eyes, in the city it's not safe to let pets go out on their own. So we will have to really make sure she doesn't accidently leave.

  I wonder who Nova got her from, a colleague or another friend maybe? But I don't feel like asking the question right now.

  After dinner I go to my room, before going to bed I stare at the dark, but neon lighted city I live in.

  I can see the station from here and many other buildings, some light, some dark.

  Soon I decide to go to bed, I have to work again tomorrow after all.

  I brush my teeth, close the curtains and get in my not-yet-warm pajamas.

  I lie in bed, staring at the ceiling with sleep rather far away. I just can't, today was a great first day and I am excited for tomorrow. But what the old lady told me still hasn't left my mind.

  After a while of staring I start to think back on old memories, I think about going with my mother to the sea, the dunes and the forest. Some things that seem rather far away for me living in a city like this one.

  The sunlight on the water shone into my eyes and my mother smiled just as brightly.

  I miss her, I should go and see her again some time.

  I miss my father too, maybe I should go visit them on the weekend.

  No, wait, I can't because they're on holiday. damn, why did I forget?

  The trip down memory lane finally starts making me sleepy, things start to happen that never took place in reality.

  I'm drifting off slowly into a deep sleep.

  .

  .

  .

  There is a person in the elevator.

  The elevator of my apartment.

  Dressed completely in black, making them look like a shadow.

  The 'shadow' is holding a knife, the dim light shows it covered in blood.

  Somehow they notice me, they turn to me and smile.

  I can't see their face, a mask obstructs my vision of it, but I know they're smiling.

  Their smile is a bit too wide and is devoid of any kindness.

  Empty, yet angry and in complete madness.

  I can't see their eyes, but they can see mine.

  I don't know who they are, but they know me.

  I can't touch them, but they can kill me.