1. Moving In

Cora

I sat there in my small, average sedan. It was my mother's car, but she would no longer need it. She had died a few months ago. Her death had been the hardest thing I had to face in my life, but it had also been the most liberating. I had grown up so sheltered. In a small town in Vermont. A tourist town. I am in a small two-bedroom apartment with only my mother as my company. She had homeschooled me. Isolating me.

When I took a job at seventeen, it was a huge fight. When I turned eighteen and told her I wanted to go to college, we had the largest battle we had ever had. She said, "If I wanted to attend college, I should do it online." Still, I just wanted to get out of the town where the population was only trade workers and people visiting. Nothing was interesting about the place other than the fact that there were new people to look at every weekend.

My mother refused to help with college tuition, and even if she had approved, she had no money to give me to further my education. Her job in a bookstore below our apartment could have paid better. But my mother knew how to stretch a dollar, and I never went without food or clothes. Again, I looked out the window at the house I would be calling home from now on. It was a historic home that had been renovated.

The outside was white, and the front porch looked inviting. I liked the dark green shutters. It would be the first house I ever lived in. Though I had just rented one of its rooms, I was excited. It was much larger than the room I had spent the last 21 years in. I had packed up the car with everything necessary to me, which was not much: some clothes, books, a few nicknacks, and my plants. I had ordered a bed that was supposed to be delivered today, a desk, and a few other things.

I got out of the car. This was it. I was going to start a new chapter in my life. I walked up to the front door and knocked. The property manager said she would be here to let me in and show me around. I stood there admiring the front porch. There were a few rockers and small tables. The front door opened, and a woman, a grey-haired woman, stood there. "Hi, I am Cora." "Oh yes, come in. I am Sarah, the property manager." I nodded at the woman and walked in.

"So this is the sitting room." I looked at the space that was right off the door. There was a plush couch and two wingback chairs. As well as a nice wooden coffee table. "If you will, just follow me." She showed me the kitchen next. It was just like I had seen on the internet. The counters were stone, and the cabinets were white. The place was much nicer than what I was used to. "So there are plenty of plates and cookware in here." I looked at the massive table that sat next to some big windows, looking out into the good-sized backyard.

"There is a BBQ out back, a sitting area, and a fire pit." I walked over to the window and looked into the yard. It looked nice, and I looked forward to hanging out there. I also noticed there was a hammock as well. The women continued to show me the house. The basement had a considerable bonus space with a pool table, darts, TV, and a massive sectional. Then she took me upstairs. "You are in here." I walked into the room. It was much bigger than it looked on the computer.

"Now you can decorate however you like. Just make sure you put it back this way when you move out." Then she showed me the bathroom, which was just down the hall. "You share this bathroom with two other girls. One already lives here, but she was leaving when I got here. The other lady on this floor is actually moving in a few days. The top floor is a master suite and is also rented, but she has her own bathroom." I nodded. I was glad we also had a bathroom on the main floor and one in the basement. The one in the basement didn't have a shower, but the one on the main floor had a small place to bathe.

I followed her to the front door. "Now, here is the key to the house." She handed me a key. "It was nice meeting you. You have my number. Call me if you need anything. Maybe I will see you when I show the new girl her room in a few days. But maybe not. Anyway, it was so nice to meet you." I gave her a smile, and she left. I looked around the house. I couldn't believe I lived here, and since I was sharing the house, it was not nearly as expensive as living alone would be.

I needed to start carrying my stuff in. I checked my phone and the furniture would arrive in about an hour. That would be enough time to get my things inside and some of the clothes in the closet. I didn't plan on painting the walls. I liked that the walls were white. I liked a very natural aesthetic. The furniture I ordered was light wood grain and white, and I would bring a pop of color with my plants.

The movers came, and I was more than happy with my purchase. They put together the bedframe for me and moved the mattress, small desk, and cool wicker chair I ordered. I didn't have that much stuff, and everything seemed to have a place. I sat down on the bed, looking around the room. It looked homey enough.

I looked at the small stacks of journals I had left out on the desk. They had been my mothers, and when I cleaned out our apartment, I had kept them. I had not brought myself to read them yet, though. One was particularly old, and I didn't know what to make of them. Only a little of the day was left, and I knew it was close to dinner time. I had no groceries. That was something I would have to go get. I was curious to see how that would work sharing the space.

I could ask one of the other girls. Sarah had said that one of the girls was out, but she said the other was just upstairs. Maybe she would be home. I could knock on her door and see how we organized the food. I didn't know if I needed to label things; that is what I had seen roommates do on TV. I went up the stairs. There was a landing at the top and then a door.

I hesitated, but after a deep breath, I knocked. I waited, and then the door swung open. A woman stood there. She had black hair and deep brown eyes, and her skin was the most beautiful mocha shade. She was much taller than me. I just stared at her like an idiot. I was so socially awkward, but that is what happens when you grow up isolated. "Can I help you?" She asked. "Yeah, I am Cora. I just moved in. I was wondering, is there a way we organize the food. Like, should I label my stuff or?" "Oh, yeah, sure. We generally don't touch each other's food but feel free to label things if you want. Sierra and I don't really cook all that much. We mostly eat at the school or out. I personally will burn toast, so most of my food is microwavable."

"Sierra?" "She is the girl who lives on your floor." "Oh right, and um, what is your name?" "I am Asia." "Oh, nice to meet you." I stuck my hand out. Asia looked at my hand, and I felt so stupid for doing that. I felt so embarrassed. I was so awkward. She shook my hand, but I knew she thought it was weird. "I am just going to go now." "Nice meeting you, Cora." I gave her half a smile and ran back down the stairs. I knew my face had to be red. I was so embarrassed.

Returning to the safety of my room, I sat down again. I still needed to eat. I grabbed my phone and figured ordering food was the best thing to do. I didn't know what was around here; this way, I could just find something and have it delivered. I decided on some tacos based on reviews. This small place had good homemade tortillas, which sounded appealing.

Growing up, we did not eat out a lot. It was expensive, but I had a cushion now. My mother had a good life insurance policy and left me with a lot of money. I would not be hurting for a long time, and I had more than enough to pay for college. I didn't need to pay for all four years as I did the first two online, but I wanted to be out in the world. That is why I moved here in the first place: to start over and try to be like everyone else. Learn to not be so awkward.

I sat down in the front sitting room. The palish grey-blue wingback chair was more comfortable than I thought it would be. I looked at my phone, trying to see what was around here. I didn't really have all that much as far as bedding went. I would be fine for tonight as I had a mattress protector. I had gotten one when I bought the bed, but I didn't have sheets or any blankets that would cover the whole thing. Sure, I had some throws that I planned to use tonight, but I wanted to have sheets and a comforter.

I had to get rid of my bedding when I moved. It would have been too small for my new setup. I also wanted to go to the nearest plant nursery tomorrow. I wanted to see what they had in stock. I loved plants. It was one of the few things I could not bear to part with when I moved. Plants had fascinated me since I was a child. I had planned to make them my life's work. I was studying to be a botanist. That is one reason I wanted to go to college.

Most of the classes were hands-on. So, the online school had all been prerequisites to get to this point. I didn't know how I would have convinced my mother that I was going to move out, but she had died before we ever had that discussion. A knock on the door told me the food was there, and I rushed to get it. My stomach had been rumbling intermittently for the last half an hour. I thanked him and brought the food to the kitchen, where I sat down at the large table.

I ate alone, and just as I was finishing up, a woman came in with a guy. It had to be Sierra. She was average height and had a brown pixie cut. She looked at me. "Who are you?" "Cora, I just moved in this afternoon." "I am Sierra; this is James, my boyfriend." I looked at the man standing next to her. "Well, we are just here because I forgot my ID." I just sat there; I didn't know what to say. So, like the socially awkward person I was, I didn't say anything.

"Well, okay, we are going to be going." "It was nice meeting you." "Yeah, you too, see you around." Then they left, and I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. I cleaned up after myself and then hurried off to my room. I knew it was still early, but I figured the best thing to do was go to bed. I had spent the last two days on the road. Stopping frequently to get out and stretch my legs. I could have done it on one trip but wanted to take my time. It was a 14-hour drive if I had gone nonstop. I laid my head on the pillow and closed my eyes, and sleep came fast.