3.

It had been four hours since they've been on the rails and her butt was already numb from sitting for too long. Her playlist was now annoying her because the only 12 songs on her phone have been on constant repeat, not to mention that her bunking partner has been snoring since they left the station.

She grabbed the neck pillow and screamed into it, trying to release some stress but to no avail. Unwillingly, she opened Lle's chat and went to Media. She shuffled the songs he used to send her and closed her eyes, letting his type of music fill her ears. At this point, anything was better than the snoring companion she had.

An hour passed and they were soon in the next city. She felt butterflies in the pit of her stomach as she gathered her stuff and disembark. She did not bother to wake up the sleeping person. He could find himself in the next city for all she cared.

Jumping off the train with her small suitcase in one hand and backpack on her back, she started towards the city map on the wall. She snapped a photo of the map and then headed towards the exit and to go hail a cab. Seems like luck was on her side and in no time, she found herself standing at the student accommodation.

She didn't want the classic 'living in dorms' college experience so she decided to look into student accommodation units off-campus but still within a safe walking distance. Or running, if it ever came to that.

She looked around as she walked towards the reception desk. By this time the sun was directly overhead and a few students were lounging around and chilling in the sun. She didn't know how far the place physically extended but all she knew was that on paper it was pretty large.

It had around 16 house units. Eight of which could accommodate 3 students each and the other half accommodated 2. She settled for the latter living option because she'd initially hoped to be alone. But that was unavailable for as long as her partner didn't move out and there is no one else seeking a place.

"Hi, you've been here before, right?" the lady behind the desk beamed, already typing on her computer.

"Hi, yes I was," she chuckled friendlily, before adding, "Kárri Stamford."

The first time she checked in was about a month ago when she'd come with all her belongings to come to fix up and clean the place. At the time her flatmate wasn't around so it was just her, her brother and her parents. They cleaned up the place and she packed her clothes and dishes into her closet and locked up afterwards.

"Kárri," the lady absent-mindedly repeated, typing the name and printing out a list of rules and regulations as well as all the other stuff deemed necessary and needed her signature. "Here are your keys. Your flatmate already arrived so it might be open. If you need anything I'll be here. Have a sunny day!"

Kárri thanked the girl and walked out, holding her keys in her fist as she headed towards the room number on the paper: 10. Each unit was a bit far from the next and they had a little lawn in front of their place.

It already looked cosy and she couldn't wait to get in and meet her flatmate. She wasn't actively looking forward to making friends but neither would she turn her flatmate away.

She unlocked the burglar bars and the slid door aside, pushing the curtain to the side and sighing in relief. It was clean and smelled of lavender. Before she left, she left the Glade Automatic Spray on. She was surprised it hadn't run out yet. She stepped in and locked up behind her before running her eyes over the place.

The living room had an inbuilt television at an appropriate height on the wall and a grey carpet with a coffee table. There were a few matching pillows on the black couch that went around the room, effectively dividing the living room from the walkway and the kitchen.

From the fully furnished kitchen; you could see the television. The cupboards were partially stacked with dishes and a few pots. She had to compliment her housemate for wiping the cupboards ahead of time. Their double-sided fridge was almost fully stocked.

At the bottom were fruits, a six-pack of energy drinks, lots of milk bottles, some bacon, eggs and bread. In the deep freezer, there was ice cream, frozen vegetables recently refilled ice cubes and a couple more water bottles.

She figured she needed to go shopping for her food soon.

She then headed to her bedroom, which was behind the wall separating the living room from their sleeping quarters and the shared bathroom. The bedroom doors were facing one another while the bathroom was in the middle.

She unlocked her room and dumped her suitcase on the floor next to her bed. Selecting a playlist from her music files, she connected her wireless speaker and started doing the final touches of her room.

***

It was late at night when she heard the glass door slide open and she paused her movie, listening in on the voices coming from the living room. There were some loud laughs and what sounded like someone fell, which were almost immediately followed by some shushing.

She already knew that whoever they were, they were drunk. She couldn't help but wonder if her housemate hung out with that crowd.

"Hey man, I think your flatmate is here," one voice said loudly.

"Yeah?" Another replied. She couldn't distinguish how many people there were, but it sounded more than a handful.

"Yeah, there's some expensive-looking food in here. What is this weird looking thing?" the third voice with a sneer.

"It says there that it's Caviar. I bet they're one of those rich kids," a girl's voice joined, followed by laughter. She frowned at the way the person 'one of those' but she didn't want to let it affect her.

"Put it down and close the fridge, they're probably sleeping." Deciding she wouldn't listen to any more of their talk, she hooked in her headsets and increased the volume, snuggling back into the pillow.