Awakening - The Last Science #1

Chapter 7 - Misdirection - III

  It wasn't exactly the nicest set of apartments, but it was clean and well maintained at least. Plain, white two-story structures lined up in a solid row, but with space between each. They had more of a sense of privacy than Alden would have expected, for being packed so tightly into such a small lot near the RSU campus.

  Rika returned from the office with a strange look on her face. "My landlord's missing," she said, handing a key to Alden.

  "What?"

  "Probably should have realized it sooner. Natalie Hendricks. Hendricks Apartments. Her dad owns this place."

  "Oh." Alden frowned. "If you live up in Vancouver and don't attend school, why do you have an apartment here?"

  "Convenience."

  "Isn't that kind of expensive?"

  "Well, I'm kind of rich," Rika retorted.

  Alden decided to stop asking questions. Rika didn't seem in the mood. They walked in silence to the last apartment on the row. Rika put her hand on the gate to open it, then stopped.

  "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. You can keep asking questions if you want," she said quietly.

  "No, it's okay—" Alden started.

  "You're new in town, so you don't know enough to avoid me yet," Rika continued. "I'm turning over a new leaf, not pissing so many people off. You're the only new person in town. No one's gonna come here til the new term in like three months. Which means you're the only person in town with even the possibility of trusting me. The new me, anyway. It's a work in progress." Rika looked at him with an embarrassed smile. "Be my friend?"

  Alden burst out laughing.

  "What the fuck?" She looked simultaneously horrified and livid.

  "I'm sorry," Alden was choking back laughter. Between the sincerity of her tone, how completely out of character it seemed, and his own mounting exhaustion, Alden had completely lost it.

  "Well fuck you too," Rika growled.

  "No, seriously," Alden said, his mirth quickly dissipating. "You're the best person I've met here so far. I'd rather have you as a friend than anyone else."

  "You sure?" Rika asked sarcastically. "Don't want to just keep giggling like a moron?"

  "Yes," Alden said firmly.

  "Well then, come inside. You hungry?"

  Rika's apartment was sparsely decorated, but since it wasn't her real home Alden wasn't too surprised. Everything down to the layer of dust and the musty smell spoke to a mostly unoccupied building. There was a staircase leading up to two main rooms and a bathroom upstairs, and on the bottom floor was a living room, with couches laid out around a fair-sized television set and a chair in the corner with a laptop hanging dangerously off the edge, and a kitchen stocked with dry food. It was compact and forlorn, like a dusty old forgotten corner.

  "Shoes," Rika snapped, as Alden was about to step onto the main floor. He reached down and carefully took off his muddy shoes, placing them next to her own in the entryway, and hung his jacket to dry on the rack just inside.

  As Rika crossed to the kitchen, Alden hurried to the laptop and secured it from imminent descent. He took a seat and pulled out the envelope again. There wasn't any change, of course. He knew every inch of it by now.