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Kathryn didn't know if this would work. Surely someone in Destiny City might take her up on the offer she had placed in a newspaper ad. Living with her folks was fine but Kathryn longed to find the freedom that came with leaving the nest and striving for independence. What could be more independent than finding your own place to live? The problem with this scenario is that finding a place wasn't cheap. Research had narrowed down Kathryn's location to a bright, cheery, 5th floor apartment. But it was too pricey for her to live alone. It was such that she had taken the ad to the newspaper in hopes of finding a willing individual to share the cost of rent.

It had been a few days since the ad placement and Kathryn sat in her bedroom. Her cellphone lay silent on her bed and Kat glared at it in annoyance. Not one interested person had contacted her yet. It was frustrating. She wanted to move in right away but not without the insurance of having a stable roommate.

Flipping over the newspaper Kat stared at the written ad. It looked authentic. Why hadn't no one called?



Kathryn lay down on her back and stared at the ceiling. She'd only have a few more days to take her offer to the property manager of the apartment. Time was running out. Someone needed to call.

Kathryn was debating between packing away her book collection or her stuffed animal collection when her cellphone issued a jaunty little tune. The tune let her know that someone was calling that she did not have contact information from. In simpler terms - a total stranger. Her eyes widened as she jumped onto the bed and grabbed the cellphone up. Flipping the device right-side up Kathryn pressed the talk button and held the phone to her ear ... hoping and praying that her wait was over.

Uttering a breathless greeting Kathryn listened attentively to the other side of the conversation.

"Hi - I'm calling about your roommate ad?"

Kathryn reached across to the pad of paper on her nightstand and grabbed the nearest pen and sat cross-legged - poised and alert. Now was the time to start making a favorable impression. Her voice was full of confidence but not too loud.

"Yes. Thank you for calling. I have yet to find someone to share this location I found. As the ad stated it's a two bedroom apartment. It's located in downtown Destiny City and for the most part is relatively quiet. The landlord kindly agreed to hold my offer on the suite until I contacted her further."

Kathryn gave a soft sigh at the importance of trying to keep her caller interested in this wonderful opportunity. "I assume that you are calling because you are interested ..."

Kathryn trailed off before she began to imagine other scenarios as to why someone would call. The voice on the other end was definitely that of a female. Please let this not be a prank. Kat crossed her fingers awkwardly before exhaling. "Can you tell me a little about yourself?"

"My name's Tallulah Cowden - I'm a freshman at DCU, pre-veterinary," assuming she ever survived long enough to get her DVM. "Part-time lifeguard. Non-smoker, non-drinker, non-serial killer."

The name sparked a feeling of familiarity but Kathryn was too busy scribbling down notes on her pad of paper as Tallulah revealed them to her to take stock of why. A student and someone with a part time job - two pieces of important criteria that Kat was looking for. The fact that Tallulah didn't smoke or drink either were bonuses. It wasn't like Kathryn would reject someone who did ... but her tolerance for such vices didn't sit too high. She underlined a phrase in her notes before sitting back and looking pleased. Tallulah had a sense of humor.

Kathryn gave a quiet chuckle and she was sure it echoed onto the other end of the receiver and into Tallulah's ear. "Non serial-killer. Interesting. I'm glad that I wouldn't have to turn you over to the proper authorities then. It'd leave me without a good candidate for a roommate. That's a joke too. Don't worry about joking around with me Tallulah. It's fine." Kat's fingers tapped a staccato rhythm against her thigh. So Tallulah wanted to know about her as well. It was only fair she guessed.

"My name is Kathryn McAdams. I am also a non-drinker, non smoker ... non serial killer," Kat paused before continuing. "In fact I'm perfectly sane. I haven't really thought about post-secondary schooling yet but I'm hoping to start a job with the Destiny City Library in the next few days. That will most likely be my source of income for the months to come."

Laying down her pad Kathryn glanced at the information she'd had before making a decision. How many more fitting offers would she get within the time frame allotted? Before Tallulah had called she'd been batting zero average. This was looking like a wonderful thing.

"Tallulah. How would you like to meet with me? From what I've heard so far ... you are exactly what I am looking for in a roommate. Any day will be fine with me. I'll need to arrange another meeting with the landlord soon. She'll need to know that I want the place."

Kathryn noted the time on her alarm clock. To meet at 4:45 like Tallulah suggested - Kat would have to leave within the next hour. In that time though Kat made a little more headway in organizing her packing before realizing that she was running a few minutes late. s**t not again. Kathryn always forgot to check the time. Luckily though this situation wasn't as bad as it could be. For now though Kathryn grabbed her notepad and stuffed it inside her bag along with her cellphone before running out of the house.

Ever since her encounter with the strange man in the park Kathryn had been a little more observant in her daily outings. She still didn't know what exactly had happened that night. After returning home and getting the expected earful from her parents Kat had discovered a set of damaged headphones in her bag tucked underneath her blankets. Though they didn't help in actually sparking her memory it proved that someone else had been around her that night. Kathryn's musings provided a decent distraction for the girl as she realized that she'd made her way downtown to the Shufflepuck. Kathryn sighed deeply and pushed open the doors before scanning the occupants for Tallulah. One girl in a booth nearby kept eying the door and Kat sighed. Why hadn't she asked for a physical description?

Stepping up the the counter Kathryn perused the menu's selections and made a purchase of a can of cola before turning around and watching the occupants again. The girl from before was still watching the door. Maybe she was Tallulah. She did seem slightly familiar. Taking a chance Kathryn grabbed her drink and moved to the booth that the girl occupied. "I'm sorry to disturb you. Are you by any chance Tallulah Cowden?"

Kathryn took a deep breath. Hopefully she wasn't addressing someone other than Tallulah.

"Sorry I'm late."

Kathryn gave a quick sigh of relief. She'd found Tallulah without much problem. Sliding into the booth Kathryn gently withdrew a folder from her bag before listening to Tallulah's question. Time to bite the bullet one would say. After taking a sip of her drink she looked Tallulah in the eye before smiling. "Most of the time Kathryn will work just fine. I actually cannot abide "Katie". Kate could work in a pinch if necessary. I prefer Kat by most of my friends ... and a few of them are lucky enough to call me something else. My other not so familiar nickname is KitKat ... like the chocolate bar."

Kathryn glanced away from Tallulah for a moment to hide the telltale flush of one who'd be embarrassed. It wasn't often that she revealed that certain moniker to others but she felt that if this were to work out that maybe Tallulah could be privy to that information. Composing herself again Kathryn remembered that there was more questions that had been asked of her. The can of cola sat forgotten as Kathryn began to speak.

"I was born and raised here in Destiny City. I was born as an only child to my parents. They raised me well. But I guess that might be beside the point. I don't know if there is much more needed besides some general facts. You know my name already. I graduated from Meadowview High and just recently turned nineteen. It's not been easy living here the past few years though. But that's just me. Adversity builds character. I'm hoping to hear back from the library soon on whether or not they wish to hire me. I thought if I could secure a job and someone willing to room with me that I could move out. This is the reason why I'm meeting with you. Take a look. Also ... maybe after you can tell me a little more about yourself."

Kathryn flipped the cover of the folder open before pushing it gently to Tallulah. It showed a picture of a cheery looking apartment suite. The photo was the one that she'd asked for a copy of from the manager of the building to use as a reference. Sunlight suffused a cheery looking den that was at the time void of furniture. Kathryn had been mentally checking off items that she'd be bringing if this venture succeeded. Behind the first photo sat a pile of others; one of each additional room. There was one of the bathroom, one taken of the small kitchenette area and one of the suite's balcony access. The last two photos showed almost identical barren rooms that were average in size.

Kathryn pulled out her notebook as she gave Tallulah time to view the pictures. If she needed to ... it would be used to record more information if Tallulah agreed to this venture. As she waited Kathryn doodled a small stick figure drawing on a blank page of paper before pushing a strand of hair out of her face.

"If you are sure. And yes Katie is definitely childish. What about you? Is there a shortened version of your name that you would like to be called? Or will Tallulah work?"

Kathryn gave Tallulah a few minutes to browse the photos and sipped absently at her drink. She had stumbled across this building purely by chance and she wanted to share her good fortune. It'd be strange going from an only child environment to suddenly sharing almost everything. Kathryn smiled inwardly. She could make this work. Her eyes carefully studied Tallulah. Why did she seem so familiar?

As Tallulah asked about the furnishings in the suite or the lack of them Kat realized just where she'd seen Tallulah before. "The suite comes with the basic necessities: a stove and a fridge. It also has a dishwasher. There's a lot of things that one would have to bring to make it feel like home. Mainly I believe that with the proper furnishings ... this place could be really nice for people like us."

Kathryn flipped open her book again and sighed. "The main reason I need a roommate is I can't afford the rent on my own. The rent is nine-fifty a month. Then there would be the added costs of say internet hook-up if you or I wanted it. There would be other costs as well ... but we'll leave it at this for now."

As Tallulah relayed more of her life Kat drew a few parallels between them. It was interesting how alike they were. It was then that Tallulah made the "full disclosure" as she called it. For a moment all Kathryn could do was stare at the girl sitting across from her. Talk about a weird coincidence. Kathryn closed her eyes momentarily. "Thank you for telling me Tallulah. It must be hard for you to even be here at the moment. It definitely isn't a deal-breaker. I wouldn't wish that to happen to anyone. I can't imagine what this is like for you."

The truth was just that. Kathryn was now slightly awed at the courage that Tallulah displayed even by agreeing to meet with her. The silence grew between them before Kat's realization came to mind. "Tallulah ... I'm just curious and of course I could be wrong - but did you attend Meadow View as well? I seem to recognize you."

"I'll avoid Lula then. I'll try just using Tallulah for now. Maybe later once we know each other better I'll use something else."

She let the words form a little bit of a question as she was still unsure about her future room-mate. It seemed like things could work out just nicely in this situation. Kathryn was still trying to get over the fact that Tallulah was able to cope and still go on with such an event in her life. Had the situation been reversed and Kathryn had lost someone close to her - well she didn't even want to go down that route.

Kathryn picked up the file and shuffled the pictures a little in an attempt to reorganize them. This meeting was proving rather fruitful. She was glad now that she'd gotten the ad into the paper when she had. Tallulah sounded like she would be a great roommate.

"Utilities like heat and electricity are included in the rent price. Anything extra like internet, cable or a phone line would be extra. I'm also in need of the internet. Maybe not for Netflix - but for all my surfing needs. So if you have a choice of internet company we could go half and half with that as well."

Taking a sip of her drink and realizing that the can was empty Kathryn placed the can back on the table and slid it off to the side. Darn it. She didn't want to get up and grab another drink either. It looked like her sugar intake was over for the moment.

"Meadowview was definitely a large school. I also graduated in your class. But I don't recall having Ray Gordon as a teacher though. I think you might be right. We just never connected."

Kathryn had mentally shuffled Tallulah's name around in her head before she realized that the other girl was still talking. Kathryn hadn't known anyone personally affected by the wave of mysterious comas but it would have been hard not to hear anything about them and the results. Some people hadn't woken up. She'd heard that the school had lost an instructor but since she had not taken Honors classes ... she hadn't known the teachers besides to exchange greetings with them now and then.

"You aren't sounding callous. It obviously affected you. His passing must have been hard to swallow."

Now was not the time for "Lessons we learn in life" so Kathryn stopped her train of thought there and picked up on the new thought process. This was sounding more and more like a dream. She'd found someone willing to share the cost of a gorgeous apartment and they seemed to at least have a little in common. "I'd rely on Netflix if I knew how to use it. I've never gotten the hang of the program so I continue to utilize my television and cable service. Call me old fashioned I guess. Sometimes I don't like learning ... but if I could manage to figure out how to use the software I'd be content to leave the TV behind," Kat chuckled. "I know my dad would be grateful as it would be one less thing to pack along."

The last bit of information didn't phase Kathryn at all. "It's not a problem if you are late or not. I'm not exactly one of those who'll stay out late myself. When I do end up crashing though ... I'm dead to the world most of the time that is. But I don't find that being an issue."