[center][b]1 Year Before Current Posts[/b][/center]

After about a five hour drive, without stopping, Marie finally made her way into Lost Haven, her head slightly clearer than when she began her trip. From her glove compartment, she took out a note with the address of her apartment complex and her apartment number. The complex was neat with cottage-style architecture and plenty of foliage covering all sides of the building. Marie pulled into the parking lot behind the complex and made her way to the her apartment on the second floor. She walked up the stairs, noting the lack of a service elevator for any potentially handicapped residents, and through the door to the apartment. 

It was a medium-sized studio apartment with just enough space for one and a half people. Furniture had already been moved in according to Marie’s specifications, the kitchen space was surprisingly larger than she had previously thought, and the walls were thick enough to where the noisy neighbors wouldn’t be too much of a problem. It wasn’t perfect, but for $450 a month, and in the city, she would take what she could get. Plus, there was a nice view from her window of a large public garden across the street. 

Marie sat down on her sofa, rather, she plopped down and lay there for several moments, dreading moving up all of her belongings. She felt herself beginning to drift off into sleep when she was brought back by the shrill ring of her cell phone. “Madalena Hawthorne” the screen read. Marie had completely forgotten to give her a call once she reached Lost Haven. Madalena owned an occult shop in Lost Haven about a mile from Marie’s apartment. She found Madalena’s shop while searching for job offers in Lost Haven on Craigslist. “Shadow of the Moon,” the name of the place, was just opening and needed employees. It was miraculous that Marie was able to find a hiring occult shop in her new home, and so close to her apartment. 

Marie answered the call, “Hello?”

“Hey Marie!” Madalena greeted her warmly, “Did you make it to Lost Haven alright?”

“Um, yeah. I got caught in traffic a few times but not problems other than that. I just pulled into my apartment complex.” 

“Oh, let me help you move in, I’m at the shop right now so it’ll only take a second.” 

“Uh . . . That’s alright,” Marie responded. She had spoken to Madalena over the phone a few times, but her happy-go-lucky, helpful demeanor made Marie nervous. She was awful at being social and she certainly didn’t want to inconvenience her new employer. “You don’t have to do th-”

“It’s fine!” Madalena interrupted, “I’m headed that way anyhow.”

“Alright then, sure.” Marie said uncomfortably. 

“Great, see you in a bit!” Madalena said as she hung up.

Marie put her phone away and shot downstairs to begin moving the boxes herself. She didn’t want Madalena to think she was an incompetent worker or that she was a freeloader, nor did she really want to converse with her outside the workplace. She started with the heaviest boxes, carrying them as quickly they would allow through the front door, up the stairs, and into her apartment. She had moved three boxes when she noticed another car pulling into the parking lot. Sure enough, out stepped the curvy, pale, wild beauty that was Madalena Hawthorne. As soon as she spotted Marie, she fast-walked over and gave her a big hug, which Marie awkwardly returned. 

“So good to finally meet you!” She said with enthusiasm. 

Marie gave a half smile and returned the compliment. “Y-you too.”

Madalena turned to face Marie’s Expedition. “This your car?” She asked. Marie only nodded. “Well, let’s a get a move on.” Madalena almost sprinted over to the car and began grabbing as many boxes as she could carry. 

Marie looked at her in astonishment, “Y-you really don’t have to carry that much. . .”

Madalena shook her head as she came barrelling past, “I don’t mind, plus I don’t like to make more than two trips. Where’s your apartment?”

Marie grabbed a couple of boxes and led Madalena to her apartment on the second floor. The two made a few trips back and forth until finally all of the boxes were inside. 

“Whew,” Madalena sighed, “Now that that’s done we can start unboxing.”

“No,” Marie protested, “I can take care of that.”

“Nonsense, you’re gonna be unpacking boxes at the shop for me every week so you might as well work me like a slave driver while you’ve got the chance.”

Marie chuckled. She hadn’t had many friends growing up despite having multiple opportunities to make them. She decided that if she were going to push herself to become more open in Lost Haven, that meant opening herself up to more people, well, a few people. She nodded at Madalena and allowed her to start removing items from boxes and place them in random places around the apartment. To Marie’s surprise, she had an eye for decoration and didn’t once relocate any of the items Madalena had placed. 

The two chatted while they unboxed, Madalena commenting and complimenting Marie’s collection of witchy goods. “You’ve got everything, huh? Valerie Worth, Gemma Gary, Paul Huson, Gospel of the Witches, Aleister Crowley, Cornelius Agrippa . . . is this the Goetia?” 

Marie nodded and smiled, “I started practicing when I was young so my book collection grew pretty quickly.” 

Madalena chuckled as she continued to pull out spellbook after spellbook, old tomes and scrolls on topics ranging from Middle Eastern alchemical practices to ancient Roman defixiones. “You’re the real deal aren’t you?” 

Marie gave her a confused look. “What do you mean?”

“Well, most of the witches I know don’t have anything like this. Gerald Gardner and Raymond Buckland line their shelves, but you’ve got shit I’ve never even heard of.” Madalena gives her a devilish smile. “So what’s your story, hm? You a dragon slaying sorceress of yore? You come from a magical bloodline and this is your family’s collection? OH! You’re actually a ten thousand year old witch goddess come to rewrite the world as we know it?”

Marie laughed and shook her head, “No, nothing like that. It’s . . . it’s just a hobby.”

Madalena scoffed, “Right, well most people go fishing on the weekend as their hobby or build toy cars, not curse farmlands on their time off or have tea with Satan on their Tuesdays.” 

“Speaking of which, I can’t work Tuesday. Satan and I are going bowling.” Marie joked, allowing herself to open up and have a good time for the first time in ages. The two laughed as they finished unboxing, chatting and joking back and forth for the next hour or more. 

“So there’s this great Chinese place a few blocks over, wanna check it out?”

Marie smiled and almost objected, but pushed herself to say, “Sure, I’m starving.”

They continued their chat as they walked over to the restaurant, Marie smiling, laughing, and thinking to herself, [i]Maybe Lost Haven won’t be so bad.[/i]