The Door (EBOOK)

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FUNNY HOW A neighborhood can switch from respectable to questionable so quickly. The area by my school was all grand, old brick homes with vines climbing up the sides. One block down and two blocks over the buildings were still grand and brick, but graffiti, rather than vines, decorated many of them. At least it was the artistic kind of graffiti, where the creators took pride in curving lines and coordinating colors. The old cream-colored house currently before me was beautiful—its arched windows with keystone accents were works of art in themselves—and respectfully untouched by aerosol art.
Mrs. Abercrombie, the landlady, was late. The clock on my phone turned to 1:12. My next class started at two o’clock. I was looking for her number in my call history when a rusty Chevy pickup drove up and sputtered to a stop at the curb. A braless woman with frizzed-out gray hair and baggy sweatpants got out.
“Chelsea?” She spoke with a heavy smoker’s rasp. “You Chelsea Raven?”
“I am. Are you Mrs. Abercrombie?”
“Yep.” No apology for being late. “You a student?”
She looked me up and down, probably wondering if she dared rent to me. We were supposed to show up to class today dressed as an animated character. I was currently clad in the undead grayscale of Emily from Corpse Bride. Full makeup, too.
“Yes, ma’am, I’m studying special effects makeup at AI.” I pointed in the direction of campus. “That’s The Art Institute—”
“I know AI. Most of my tenants are from there.”
She checked me over again until the scrutiny made me so uncomfortable, I pulled my tattered veil around to cover my cleavage.
“The unit just opened up,” Mrs. Abercrombie said, flipping through a ring of keys. “You’re the first one to come for it.”
There were two big checkmarks in the positive column for this place. First, I was on my own so needed a cheap, permanent home. This met that criteria. The dorms were too expensive and only available during the school year. Besides, they were full. Second, the apartment was only three blocks from school, so I wouldn’t need to spend money on gas, parking, or public transportation. Luck was with me on this find. Everything else in my price range was miles away and in parts of town I probably didn’t want to live in.
“Technically, it’s a two bedroom.” Mrs. Abercrombie finally settled on a key.
“What do you mean, ‘technically’?” My chest tightened, and my voice raised an octave. A two-bedroom would cost more. I pulled the flyer from my satchel and held it up to her. “This says a one bedroom for six-twenty-five a month.”
Mrs. Abercrombie reached inside her sweats to scratch . . . something and then nodded at the flyer.
“This is the same place. The price is what it says there. I ain’t pullin’ no bait-n-switch. The blueprints I got show two bedrooms. You’ll see when we get up there that there’s a stuck door. I figure that second bedroom is what’s behind it. Can’t say for sure ‘cause I can’t open it. No how, no way.” She sucked on her teeth and eyed me again. “Just explaining the door is all.”