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I hesitated briefly at my new neighbor’s invitation. From the sound of her explanation, she’d practically ran away from home. While it wasn’t heretical to live on your own, the fact that she had made the decision only today, had packed up, and had managed to find a place, seemed extraordinary. Right now between Claudette’s disappearance, the changing relationship with my roommate (meaning the fact that we were actually communicating), and my extra-curricular research, I didn’t want to add anything else extraordinary. I needed ordinary. Plain and simple. Ellen Westlake didn’t appear to be ordinary.

That’s when a thought ran through my mind. Its contents were so terrible that I was tempted to bolt. Maybe the reason Ellen Westlake had moved in across the hallway because of the copied files. Had the government moved her in so she could work as a spy?

I looked into Ellen’s face. The woman was still waiting for an answer. [i]”Stop being so paranoid. You’re acting foolish.”[/i] I chided herself, [i]”If the government really knew what I’d done they’d have hauled me off like they did with my brother- no questions asked. If I act weird all the time, someone’s bound to get suspicious.”[/i] I held my breath to try to calm down.

[b]”Sure. Do you have anything herbal? I try not to drink things with caffeine, too late in the afternoon.”[/b]

Like most of the upper and middle class apartments, this one came pre-furnished. I took a seat on the couch that was the twin of the one in my own apartment and waited while Ellen prepared our drinks in the kitchen. In the meantime, I asked about Ellen’s occupation, her age, and if anyone else was moving in with her. Since Ellen had mentioned living with her parents, I assumed the other woman was also waiting for her husband to be assigned to her.

[b]”I moved out of my parents place a few months ago. I thought, at first, when I was contacted about my new living quarters that I’d be moving in with a new husband. Turns out it was just a roommate. My parent’s place was a little cramped and this apartment is much closer to my job, so it’s nice.”[/b] With false ease, I spooned some sugar into my cup and stirred. My family had gone through some changes after my brother had been taken away. Our housing status had been down-graded and some people in their neighborhood had been less than pleased about my parents “breeding a Rebel”. We’d moved into a smaller place, closer to the heart of the city after that. I thought it was cozy but I was the only one. [b]”Charles’s is pretty good as far as roommates go. He’s clean, respectful, and quiet. I couldn’t really ask for a better one.”[/b] Plus, he doesn’t ask too many questions about borrowed computers or listing vitamins.