>>>
Prologue <<<
The
night
wasn't going according
to
Stephanie's
plans.
In
fact,
it
wasn't going well
at
all.
Furious,
she
stared
up
at
the
ceiling
of
her
studio
flat,
wondering
if
it
might
come
down
any
time
soon,
and
with
it
her
partying
neighbours.
The
noise
had
been
annoying
all evening.
Now,
however,
it
was unbearable.
The loud
stomping
of
at
least
twenty
people,
accompanied
by
even
louder
music,
the
bass
thumping
through
the
thin
walls
of
the
Victorian
conversion
made
it
impossible
to
sleep.
Even
the
earplugs
she
had
finally
resorted
to
weren't helping.
It
wasn't
the
first
time
that
she
had
been
kept
awake;
the
three
people sharing
the
flat
above
didn't
understand
the
concept
of
respect.
Stephanie
had
tried
everything
possible,
from
talking
to
them
politely
to
a
much
firmer
tone.
She'd
involved
her
landlady,
the
agent,
the
council—nothing
resolved
the
problem.
Two
years
of
hell
and
she
was
at
her
wits'
end;
a
nervous
wreck,
the
exhaustion
finally
leading
to
depression,
which
eventually
led
to
her
losing
her
job.
She
was
stuck
in
an
unwanted
situation;
no
money
meant
she
couldn't
move
elsewhere.
Shaking
with
anger,
she
threw
back
the
duvet,
got
up,
and
slipped
into
her
clothes.
Shivering
in
the
cold,
dark
hallway,
her
heart
racing,
she
banged
her
fist
hard on
the
wood.
'Ouch!'
The
last
blow
was
one
too
many;
her
hand
was
hot
and
she
knew
it
was
probably
red
and
going
to
swell.
She
swallowed
tears
of
frustration
and
waited.
Nothing.
'Right,
you
bastards,
I'll
get
through
to
you
whatever
it
takes,'
she
said
through clenched
teeth,
grabbed the first thing available—one
of
her
boots—and
slammed
it
with
all
the
power
she
could
muster
against the
door.
Several
times.
Her
wrists hurt
and
she
was
out
of
breath.
Finally
the
door
opened
and
Natalie
stared
at
her.
'Can
I
help
you?'
Natalie asked,
her
voice
carrying
little
compassion;
it
was
clear
what
was
about
to
come.
Stephanie
breathed
in
and
instantly
regretted
it; the
smell
of
alcohol
and
tobacco
hit her full on in
her
face.
'Hi,
Natalie.
I
was
just
wondering
if
you
knew
that
it's
gone three
in
the
morning.'
'Yeah,
and?'
'I'd
really
like
to
sleep
now.
Could
you
at
least
keep
it
down
a
bit?'
Natalie
shrugged.
Her
face
showed
no signs
of
being
sorry.
'Okay.'
'Maybe
you
could
move
upstairs,
to
your
bedroom?
I
mean
I
wouldn't
be
able
to
hear
you,
then.'
'Excuse
me?'
Stephanie
tried
to
stay as
calm
as
possible;
she
might
finally
reach
a
compromise.
'You
see,
I
can't
go
anywhere
as
I
only
have
this
one
room,
which
is
underneath
your
living
room.
You
have
another
level.'
Natalie
shifted
slightly,
processing
what
had
been
suggested,
then
her
eyes
grew
large
and
her
expression
changed.
'You
know
what?
I
think
you're
really
rude.
If
you
live
in
a
house
like
this
in
London,
you
should
expect
some
noise.
If
you
can't
take
it,
then
you
should move!'
With
that
she
slammed
the
door.
Speechless
and
feeling
sick,
Stephanie returned
to
her
flat,
consumed
by
hatred.
###
Natalie
stomped
upstairs
to
the
living
room
where
everyone
was
merrily
drinking
and
chatting,
oblivious
to
the
exchange
that
had
just
happened.
She
slalomed—careful
to
avoid
stepping on
hands,
bottles
and
ashtrays—around
a
snogging
couple.
A girl
she
had
not
seen
before
was
sleeping
on
the
floor
as
if
she
had
been
dropped
there.
Engaged
in
a
chat
with
her
crush,
her flatmate Laura
sat
on
the
sofa
by
the
window,
but
looked
up
as
Natalie
approached.
'Hey,
you
all right?'
Laura
asked.
'Guess
what?
Bitch
downstairs
complained
again.'
Laura
sighed.
'What's
new?'
'Yeah,
said
we
should
move
to
my
room.'
'No.
She
didn't!'
'Yeah,
she
did.'
Natalie
snorted.
'As
if
...'
Laura
shrugged
twisting
a
strand
of
her
shoulder-length
dark
hair
between
her
fingers.
'What's
she
gonna
do?
Call
the
police?'
'I
doubt
she
will.'
'No,
she'd
better
not,'
Laura
said,
shaking
her
head,
'but
we'll
have
the
landlady
in
our
hair tomorrow.'
'Don't
care,'
Natalie
replied.
'And
anyway,
she'll
have
her
peace
for
a
while
since
we're
going,'
she
gestured with
thumb
over
her
shoulder,
'you
know
where.'
Laura
nodded and Natalie continued, 'Today's
today
and
today
means
party.'
She
grinned,
turned
on
her
heel
and
went
into
the
kitchen
to
get
herself
a
beer.
###
The next day,
Stephanie called her landlady. She was slightly hungover after the
bottle of wine she'd had last night. Watching a film didn't work, she
hadn't been able to understand a word. It had been torture since
those people moved in. Nothing else but torture.
'Hello?'
'Oh, hello, it's me
again. Stephanie.'
'Hello, how are
you?'
'Not good, to be
honest. You probably guessed it, but I have to complain once again.'
'What have they
done now?'
Stephanie
explained.
'I don't know what
to do anymore. Maybe you need to move out.'
'Me?' Stephanie
didn't know what else to say, she was too stunned by that suggestion.
'Yes. I'm really
sorry. I don't want to lose you, but I can't take the complaints
anymore, and I can't throw them out, they pay their rent and I never
hear from them.'
'You're kicking me
out even though it's not me who disturbs others?'
'I'm afraid you
leave me no other choice.'
Stephanie felt a
massive lump in her throat and swallowed. Panic set in.
'Are you still
there?' her landlady asked.
'Yes,' Stephanie
whispered.
'I'll send you a
letter with the notice. I'm really sorry, but I can't deal with it
anymore.'
Try
living
with
it.
'I
can't
believe
I
get
punished
for
their
behaviour!'
Stephanie
looked
around
her
studio
flat,
the
cosy
room
she'd
made
her
own;
she
listened
to
the
traffic
outside,
to
the
silence
from
above.
Will
she
really
have
to
leave
the
flat
she
called
a
home,
that
had
grown
on
her?
'I
don't
want
to
do
it
either,
we
never
had
any
problems,
but
I
don't
see
how
the
situation
could
be
improved.'
'Neither
do
I,'
Stephanie
replied,
thoughts
racing
in
her
head.
She
needed
to
check
for
flats
immediately.
'Listen,
I
need
to
go.
I'm
sorry.'
'Okay,
bye.'
Stephanie
stared at her mobile for a whole minute after the conversation ended,
trying to grasp what had happened. Those arseholes upstairs won; they
would love it. Noisy and ruthless people one: nil for the suffering
neighbours. With shaking hands, she called her friend, tears rolling
down her cheeks, but only reached his voicemail. Slowly, she came to
realise that she'd just been made homeless and that she needed to
find something as soon as possible. She opened her laptop and began
her search. Only minutes later, the door next to her flat was slammed
so hard everything rattled. She clenched her teeth, and on her
notepad next to the laptop she wrote: I.
Am. Going. To. Kill. Them! Brutally!
>>>
1
<<<
On
their
way
to
the
hospital,
the
three
of
them
made
plans
for
the
rest
of
the
year:
there
were
plenty
of
festivals
to
attend,
and
Laura—being
a
music
journalist—would
get
free
tickets
for
almost
all
of
them.
The
choice
was
theirs.
'We
could
even
go
on
holiday,
Jason,'
Natalie
said.
Jason
laughed.
'I
wish.
Think
I'd
rather
pay
off
some
of
our debts.'
'You're
not
going
to
use
all
the
money
for
that,
are
you?'
She
looked
at
him
in
disbelief.
'Haven't
decided
yet.
Can
we
please
not
discuss
it right
now?'
Natalie
shrugged.
'It's
your
money.'
'Hey,
you
two,'
Laura
interrupted.
'Shut
up
already.
We're
going
to
spend
day
and
night
together
from
now
on,
so
quit
the
arguing.'
Natalie
nodded.
'You're
right.
We
can
sort
that
out
later.'
Jason
mumbled
something that sounded like an agreement and
opened
his newspaper to
read.
Laura
snorted,
then
leaned
back
and
closed
her
eyes
while
Natalie
stared
at
the
Tube
map,
twirling
a lock of her long, dyed red hair
around
her
finger.
In a month's time, they'd have £2500 each, if the drug trial was
successful. They had complied with everything they had been told: no
caffeine or alcohol for forty eight hours and even stayed away from
cigarettes, something Natalie especially found difficult. But the
money and what she could do with it had won the argument.
'I hate needles,' Laura said suddenly.
'Me, too,' Natalie answered. Jason only shrugged,
continuing to read.
Natalie snorted. 'We'll have to have a massive party
when we're back. Piss off that bitch downstairs.'
Jason folded the paper and shook his head. 'What's with
your obsession with that woman?'
'I want her to move out,' Natalie replied.
'Yep, get someone nice in, who won't complain all the
time.'
Jason sighed. 'Women!'
'Come on, as if you're not annoyed with her.' Laura
nudged him in the side.
'Yes, but we're not going to see her for a while, so can
we just drop it for now?'
Natalie groaned. 'I hate not sleeping in my own bed.
Hopefully we'll get beds next to each other.'
Laura stared at her. 'Bit random.'
'Why? They said there are more people taking part and I
really don't want to sleep next to a fat old guy who snores all
night.'
Jason laughed. 'I'm sure we can arrange something,
lass.'
Laura stood. 'Right, guys, our stop.'
'I feel a little sick,' Natalie said.
'You can still go home,' Jason replied, grinning at her
uneasiness.
'Nope,' she shook her head, 'I want to buy a flat screen
and go on holiday this year.'
They left the station and took the ten minute walk to
the hospital. In front of it, they stopped, looked at each other and
grinned.
'Let the adventure begin,' Laura said, ringing the
buzzer.
After a few formalities, they sat in the waiting area
they had been led to. Natalie grabbed Jason's hand and pointed at
syringes on the tray. 'Hold my hand, please?'
''Course I will.' He gently stroked her face and gave
her a kiss on the cheek. It was times like this when he felt manly,
the protector. It was she who wore the trousers in their
relationship; and she could be overpowering. He loved her, but he
loved her all the more at this moment.
A blonde nurse appeared and nodded at her. 'Okay, let's
get it done and over with, eh?' she said. Natalie stood, pale-faced.
Jason stood, too. 'Is it all right if I come with you?'
He smiled at the nurse. 'She's a little scared of needles.'
The nurse shrugged. 'No problem, she's not the first.'
'Please be gentle with me,' Natalie whined. Jason put
his arm around her.
'I'll use the smallest needle I can find. You'll hardly
notice, but you know you'll have a plastic tube in your vein? It'll
have to stay for the whole period, I'm afraid.'
'Don't care,' Natalie muttered as she sat, 'as long as I
don't feel the needle going in.'
'No worries, it'll be over before you know it.' The
nurse prepared Natalie's arm, then nodded to Jason, who diverted his
girlfriend's attention. A few moments later Natalie hissed softly and
squeezed her eyes shut.
'Done!'
'Thank God for that. Wasn't that bad, thank you.'
Natalie said with a small shudder.
After Jason and Laura received their IVs, they were told
to go to the ward. They went up three flights and arrived out of
breath and dizzy.
'And I thought we were here for a relaxed time, not for
fitness,' Natalie said to Laura, who sat on a bed.
'As far as I know we don't need to run up and down all
the time,' Laura replied with a grin.
A door opened and a short, slightly overweight nurse
entered the room. 'Hello there. Reception called that you were on
your way up.' She looked at a chart. 'I'm Anna, one of the nurses
keeping an eye on you. The other one is Claire, who you've already
met. We're just waiting for one other person to join you, then you'll
get something to eat and your first tablet.' She spoke with a faint
Eastern European accent. All three nodded and introduced themselves.
'So how is it going to be? Do we have to stay inside all
the time, or are we allowed to go out?' Jason asked.
Anna smiled. 'I'm afraid you're imprisoned for the time
being and visitors will have to show their bags. We need to be sure
that you aren't breaking the rules.'
Natalie
frowned. 'You're not giving us stripy outfits, though, are you?' And
hopefully not your pink shoes.
Although the 80s were the trend right now, those neon colours were
painful to look at.
'No, we're not going that far. We want you to see it as
a holiday. Away from your daily stress, no work, no bills, no
nothing, just you.' Now, Anna grinned.
'That's exactly what I need. Not to have to listen to
all those terrible bands who think they're the next Oasis.' Laura
snorted.
'Hello? Am I in the right place here?' a male voice
behind Anna said.
She turned around to greet the new arrival. 'For drug
trial number 1322? What's your name?' she asked.
He cleared his throat. 'Gary. Gary O'Neil.'
She let her finger wander down her list, ticked behind
his name and said, 'Yes, welcome. Are you hungry?'
He nodded. 'Very.'
Natalie craned her neck to see him better. He was a tiny
guy, his face red from either climbing the stairs or embarrassment,
matching his hair. From the accent, she figured he was Irish. Shy
blue eyes met hers for a fraction of a second while he stood in the
door like a naughty schoolboy.
Laura took the opportunity to introduce herself and the
others.
'Feels a bit like school trip, doesn't it? Meeting new
people, all meals at the same time, lights out at ten!' Jason said,
readjusting his ponytail and taking in the room. Typical hospital:
beds with tables next to them, curtains for privacy, drawn back made
it one big dorm; grey-white patterned linoleum flooring, trolleys for
discarded syringes and clothes; the smell of disinfectants.
Anna said, 'You can leave your bags here, the ward will
be locked for now. I'm going to show you round quickly and then
you'll get a late breakfast.'
'That's music to my ears; I'm starving,' Jason mumbled
and followed the group. As soon as they stepped into the corridor,
the light went on.
'Motion sensor. Nice,' Gary said.
Anna nodded. 'We're trying to be energy efficient.' She
pointed left and right, explaining where they could play pool or
watch TV, where they could find computers or additional toilets. She
told them about the consulting rooms and finally, they arrived at the
canteen, which smelled deliciously of food. Each of them grabbed a
tray and sat down at one of the four white tables.
'You have a coffee machine there, you can drink as much
as you like, though I'm afraid, it's decaffeinated,' Anna explained.
Natalie
groaned. 'No fags, no caffeine, no freedom—anything we are
allowed to do?'
Laura kicked her under the table.
'What?'
'You knew that all before, so stop moaning. Anna's just
doing her job.'
'Thank you.' Anna smiled. 'Now eat and come back to the
ward for your first drug in twenty minutes, please.'
'Sorry,' Natalie said and grinned. 'I'll be in a better
mood when I've had something to eat.'
'Yeah, she can be bitchy when she's hungry,' Jason said.
He turned to Gary, who had followed their exchange quietly with
burning ears. 'Don't let her scare you.'
Gary's
eyes dropped to the plate in front of him. Natalie bit her lip. It's
going to be fun with this shy guy.
Jason and Laura shrugged and began to tuck in. So did
Natalie and finally even Gary—seemingly overcome by hunger—ate.
Scrambled eggs, sausages, and hash browns; a bit bland, but nothing
to spit at if you were hungry. It didn't take long to polish off
their meals. Jason shoved his plate into the middle of the table and
burped behind his hand. Laura gave him a meaningful look and Natalie
shook her head. Gary sniggered briefly but fell silent immediately
when he realised he'd drawn their attention.
'Well, I'd say, it's time to be guinea pigs,' Natalie
said. She stretched and ruffled her hair.
'Have you done this before?' Gary asked, his voice
barely audible.
She shook her head. 'Nope, it's our first time. You?'
'Once, yes.' He swallowed and his eyes widened. 'Good
money, it is.'
'We're all in it for that, I guess,' Jason mumbled.
Laura nodded, then asked, 'Are the twenty minutes up?'
Jason glanced at the clock at the wall and sighed.
'Yeah. Let's go.'
They got up, put their plates on the counter, and filed
through the door back to the dorm.
'You have to tell us about your last trial,' Natalie
addressed Gary, whose ears promptly began to glow again. 'What was it
for?'
'Um ... Polio. Went for two weeks.'
Natalie's interest was piqued. 'Any horror stories?'
'Gee, Nat, leave him alone for now. You'll have enough
time to squeeze every detail out of him,' Laura said. Though she was
curious too, she could see how uncomfortable he was.
'What? I know you want to hear all the dirty details,'
Natalie replied flippantly.
Jason clapped him on the shoulder. 'Maybe we can play a
game of pool later, what do you think?'
Gary shrugged. 'I guess so.'
They walked past the rest rooms. Natalie quickly
disappeared to the ladies' while the others continued their way back.
'I wonder what the others are like and why they didn't
join us this morning,' Laura said.
'Probably couldn't get off work,' Jason replied.
'Yeah, might be. Gary what do you do?'
'I work in IT.'
Who
would have thought? Jason
grinned to himself.
Laura nodded. 'Ah. I hear it's well paid.'
'Guess so. Can't complain.' Gary's answer carried a bit
more confidence. By the time they'd reached the joined dorm Natalie
had caught up with them. They found a dark-haired tall woman with
piercings in her nose and brow talking to Anna who turned. 'Ah, how
was the food?'
'Good,' they replied in a choir.
Anna laughed. 'I doubt it. This is Sarah. A bit late, so
she'll have to wait until tonight.' The woman gave a small wave but
said nothing.
Uh,
late comer has to go hungry? Natalie
waved back. 'Hope you had a good breakfast.'
Sarah shrugged. 'Nothing too big, but I won't fall to
pieces.'
'Hi,' said Jason.
'Hi,' Sarah replied.
Gary just stared. Laura let her eyes rest on the
newcomer for a little longer. Sarah didn't look like one to be messed
with. Tattoos covered her neck, arms and calves, and Laura could make
out the contours of pierced nipples through her shirt. Sarah returned
the glance and lifted her chin with a sly smile.
'You,' Anna said, handing a small container each to
Jason, Gary, Natalie, and Laura, 'take this with a cup of water,
which you'll find on the bedside table.'
The four of them nodded and obediently followed her
order. Natalie pretended to choke.
'Very funny,' Anna said, her tone dripping with irony.
Laura
sniggered, imagining that Anna had probably
seen
it a hundred times before.
Natalie stuck her tongue out. 'Couldn't be more
disgusting. Why don't they ever invent drugs that taste like
strawberries?'
'Now there's an idea.' Anna put her hands to her hips
and shook her head. 'Always one clown in the group.'
Natalie lifted one eyebrow. 'Sorry, won't happen again.'
Jason
grinned. This
is going to be a challenge for Nat.
Laura glanced at Sarah, who had started to unpack her
bag in the meantime, paying no attention to the banter. She was
unreadable; her reservation was a welcoming challenge. It certainly
would make for a more interesting stay. At this moment, Sarah's dark
eyes bored into Laura's and she busied herself with taking another
sip from her cup. She needed to be a bit more careful.
'Hey, Laura, I'm going to check my e-mails. You coming?'
Natalie jumped to her feet and headed for the door, then turned to
wait for her. 'Well?'
Laura sighed. 'Yeah, why not?' She reluctantly got up
and followed her friend.
'Gary, you up for a game of pool?' Jason asked.
'Can we do it later? I've brought some work.'
'Seriously, dude? You working?' Jason didn't think
anyone could be that meek.
'They don't know about this. Told them I need a few days
to work from home.'
Jason shrugged. 'No worries, man. Just give us a shout
when you're done.'
'Okay. Sorry.' Gary had shrunk into the pillows of his
bed, laptop open, already tapping the keyboard. Jason frowned and
took off after Laura and Natalie. Sarah and Gary didn't seem to be
much fun, so he decided it was best to stick with the girls. When he
entered the computer room, they were both engrossed in either reading
e-mails or surfing the Internet.
'Hey, those two are boring, man,' he said.
'Who cares?' Natalie replied.
Laura scrolled up and down her e-mails. 'I think Sarah
is quite hot.'
Jason grunted. 'You think so?'
'I do.'
Natalie turned and glared at Jason. 'Don't tell me you
didn't take a second look at her!'
'What?' Jason shook his head. 'As if she's my type. And
besides, you've been flirting like hell with that poor guy.'
'I was being nice!'
'Oh, here we go again.' Laura threw her arms up. 'Can't
you go one day without arguing?'
Jason and Natalie stared at her. 'We're not arguing.'
Laura returned her attention to the screen. 'Whatever.'
Natalie put a hand on her friend's shoulder. 'You're
right.'
'Yeah, sorry.' Jason pulled Natalie close and kissed
her. 'Better?'
Laura sighed. 'I mean it. As if it's not enough having
you fighting in the evenings and weekends.'
'Oh, now you're exaggerating.' Natalie pouted.
'You're probably not aware of it.'
'Okay, I'd better go and take a nap,' Jason said,
letting go of Natalie.
She kissed him again and smiled. 'No make-up sex for the
time being, you realise this?'
'As far as I can tell, there won't be much sex at all.'
He grinned back.
'I'm reading, hello?' Laura growled.
'I'm out of here. Laters,' Jason said and left.
####
He
was
fast
asleep,
softly
snoring,
in
foetal
position
and
with
his
mouth
open,
when
Laura
and
Natalie
got
back.
Sarah
was
reading
and
looked
up
from
her
Kindle
briefly.
'What
are
you
reading?'
Laura asked.
'A
thriller.'
Man
you
are
a
piece
of
work.
But
Laura smiled
and
shrugged.
She'd
have
plenty
of
time
to
get
through
to
her.
'Gary,
how
many
people
were
in
your
last
trial?'
He
didn't
respond.
'Oi,
Gary,'
Natalie
said.
'You
copy?'
He
jumped
and
removed
his
headphones.
'Huh?'
Laura
laughed.
'I
asked
how
many
people
were
in
your
last
trial.'
He
thought
for
a
while,
then
counted
on
his
fingers.
'Ten,
I
think.'
Natalie
flopped
next
to
Laura.
'Must
have
been
busy,'
she
said,
twisting
a
strand
of
her
hair
between
her
fingers.
Gary
hit
another
few
keys,
then
shut
his
laptop
and
put
it
aside.
'Yes,'
his
ears
began
to
change
colour,
'but
only
for
two
days,
then
three
of
them
left.'
'Seriously?
Why?'
Natalie
smacked
Laura
in
the
arm
as
if
to
say,
told
you
so.
Laura
shook
her
head
and
caught
Sarah
sitting
up,
too.
He
took
a
deep
breath.
'Everything
went
fine,
then
one
had
an
emergency
at
home,
one
girl
said
she
couldn't
sleep
in the hospital,
and
the
other
guy
had
a
bad
reaction
to
the
drugs.'
There
were
several
seconds
of
silence.
Sarah
blew
a
lock
of
hair
out
of
her
face,
which
was
full
of
disbelief
and
Natalie
chewed
on
her
lip
thinking
about
the
what-ifs.
Laura
folded
her
arms
across
her
chest.
'What
happened
to
the
guy?'
'Which
one?
The
one
who
had
the
reaction?'
She
nodded.
'Yep.'
He
shrugged.
'Dunno,
he
suddenly
said
he
didn't
feel
so
well,
broke
out
in
sweat
and
then
collapsed.'
Natalie
gasped.
'He
collapsed?'
'What
happened?'
Sarah
asked.
Gary's
eyes
lit
up.
'Yeah,
it was
totally
weird.
And so sudden.'
'You're
joking!'
Natalie
said,
looking
around the
room,
finishing
at the
still
peacefully-sleeping
Jason,
who
had
stopped
snoring
and
turned
away
from
them.
Laura
stole
a
peek
at
Sarah,
who,
somehow,
had lost
her
cool
and
sat
motionless,
her
hand
over
her
mouth
as
if
to
stop
words
coming
out,
shock
in
her
eyes.
'He
was
all
right,
though,'
Gary
quickly
added
to
lighten
the
mood.
'But
he
then
decided
it
wasn't
for
him.'
'What
a
waste
of
time.
Two
days
for
nothing,'
Natalie
said.
Sarah
shook
her
head.
'Nah,
you
get
paid
if
you
drop
out.'
'As
long
as
it's
not
your
fault,'
Laura
remarked.
'Still,'
Natalie
said.
'All
the
inconvenience,
then
the
embarrassment.
I
bet
he
was
embarrassed.'
Gary
smiled.
'A
bit,
but
not
for
long.
He
left
an
hour
later.'
Natalie
stood.
'I
wouldn't
leave.
Anyway,
I
don't
feel
anything.
Do
you?'
'I
feel good,'
Laura
said,
and
Gary
shook
his
head.
Sarah
had
recovered
and
returned
to
her
book.
'What's
the
time?'
Jason
croaked
from
behind
Laura.
'Oh,
sleeping
ugly
is
awake,'
she
teased.
'I'm
getting
a
coffee,
anyone
else
want
one?'
Natalie
asked.
'No
thank
you,'
Sarah
and
Gary
answered
almost
in
unison.
Jason
yawned
and
rubbed
his
face.
'I'll
have
one,
please.'
'Me,
too,'
Laura
answered.
'Do
you
need
help?'
Natalie
snorted.
'I'm
sure
I
can
manage
three
cups.'
'All
right.
Just
asking,
hon.'
'Back
in
a
tick,'
Natalie
said
and
was
out
the
door.
Jason
got
up,
pulling
a
face.
'Seriously,
how
long
have
I
been
sleeping?'
He
grabbed
his
toothbrush
and
toothpaste
and
went
to
the
sink.
'An
hour
or
so.
Don't
worry,
you
didn't
miss
anything,'
Laura
replied.
A
sharp
intake
of
breath
made
her
glance
over
to
Sarah
who
had
her
brows
furrowed,
probably
disagreeing
with
what
she'd
said.
'What?'
'He
didn't
miss
anything,
apart
from
Gary's
story.'
Jason
stopped brushing for a moment. 'What
story?'
Laura
filled
him
in,
watching
his
eyes
go
wider
with
surprise
and
excitement.
'Well,
I
feel
okay.'
He
rinsed
his
mouth,
then
patted
his
body,
arms
and
legs.
'You're
such
a
comedian,'
Laura
said,
laughing,
but
she
was
worried.
Although they had been warned about these things, the
thought
of
having
to
deal
with
hefty
side
effects
was
not
pleasant
and
something
she
had
pushed
aside.
Now,
Gary
had
managed
to
awaken
them.
'Ah,
guess
we'll
be
fine.'
'Help,
please?'
a
muffled
voice
said.
Everyone
turned:
Natalie
stood
outside,
clutching
three
cups.
Laura
got
up
and
opened
the
door.
'Cheers.'
Natalie
handed
her
and
Jason
a
cup
each
and
sat
on
her
bed.
'So
what
do
we
do
all
day?
I
wish
I'd brought
a
book.'
Jason
shrugged.
'It's
going
to
be
rather
boring
if
every
day
is
like
this.'
'Here
we
go,
moaning
again,'
Natalie
said.
'Don't
start.'
Laura
wiggled
a finger
at
her.
Gary
perked
up.
'Jason,
perhaps
we
could
have a
game
now?'
'Anything
to
get
me
away
from
that
woman.'
'Gee,
thanks,'
Natalie
snapped,
glaring
after
them,
then
left
for
the
bathroom.
Again,
Sarah
looked
up
and
shortly
after,
stared
at the
ceiling.
'Not
wanting
to
be
rude,
but
arguing
couples
was
the
last
thing
I
expected.'
'Try
living
with
them,'
Laura
said
and
laughed.
'No
thanks,
I'm
done
with
flat
shares.'
She
gestured
towards
the
door
and
added,
'for
that
very
reason.'
'If
I
could
afford
to live on
my
own,
believe
me,
I
would.
Love
them
to
bits,
but
the
arguments
can
get
annoying.'
'Had
that
for
years.'
Laura
unpacked
her
bag,
glad
Sarah
had warmed to
her.
The
realisation
of
her
not
being
so cool
and
reserved,
instead
being
friendly
even,
made
Laura look
forward
to
the
time
they'd
share here.
Although
Sarah
might
be
a
bit
older
than
her
average
type
of
women,
Laura found herself attracted
to
her.
'What
do you do for
a
living
then?'
Laura asked.
'I work for a production company. They do short films
and documentaries.'
'What sort of documentaries?'
Sarah ran her fingers through her hair, cleared her
throat and said, 'Actually, we do porn.'