Chapter One
She nearly missed the ad at the back of the campus paper. It was almost deliberately non-descript.
Seeking person to stay at my home. Own room. Special circumstances for the right person. Contact M.M. at 555-6572.
Granted, Alicia was getting pretty desperate, but it wasn’t just her wallet that was intrigued by this ad. In fact, it wasn’t her wallet at all, because there wasn’t a price mentioned, which should have been the first thing to raise warning bells. She circled it and punched the numbers into her cell before she could talk herself out of it.
A woman’s voice answered almost immediately, and was nothing if not no nonsense. “Yes?”
Suddenly shy about the call and what it might entail, she stumbled over her words. “I – uh, I w- was calling about the – uh- the ad that y- you had in the paper for – uh – the room?”
The voice on the other end softened somewhat. “Oh, yes.”
“Is it still available?”
“The most important thing is that you must be over eighteen. And I’m very selective about who I allow to stay in my home.”
That had Alicia immediately thinking that, whatever the restrictions were, they would apply to her, and she’d be out of the running. “I’m over eighteen,” she said, without much hope.
She was surprised to hear a light chuckle coming from the other end of the phone at her disappointed tone. “Why don’t we get together and talk about it? Are you available later today?”
Licia had knotted the napkin in her lap until it was in shreds. “I have some appointments but I’m free after three thirty.”
“Then why don’t we meet at four? Do you have a paper and pen? I’ll give you directions.”
Licia took down the detailed directions.
“Read them back to me, please. I don’t want you to get lost.”
She did as she was told without thinking. The woman on the other end was extremely detailed, and made sure she knew where she was going and that she wasn’t going to get lost. Alicia had spent enough time in Portland as a young girl on vacation with her parents, so, despite the fact that she was newly arrived to start college, she was relatively familiar with the city already. The part of town the house she was being directed to was in was called the Eastern Promenade, or the Eastern Prom, as the natives called it. It was a beautiful area with big old houses that looked out over the water, not far from downtown and the touristy Old Port shopping area, and relatively close to Southern Maine College, which she would be attending.
“Good girl. So four o’clock this afternoon. Be punctual. I don’t tolerate tardiness,” came the sharp warning.
“Yes, ma’am,” she answered, entirely without thinking, simply responding to the authority in her voice.
Another light chuckle. “You and I are going to get along well, little one. See you then.”
Licia stared at the phone for a long time after the woman on the other end had hung up, wondering what she’d just gotten herself into. On impulse, she dialed a close friend and gave her the scoop about where she was going - completed with directions and a phone number and the paper and issue the ad had been in, just in case. She made arrangements to meet her friend later that night for dinner, and if she didn’t show up at the agreed upon restaurant, Keri would alert the authorities.
Usually early, she only managed to be exactly on time for this appointment, since her others ran late. The house was a gorgeous old Victorian, complete with a tower room. It was painted in complementary pastel colors that surprised Alicia, but they seemed to go together. She nervously pressed the doorbell, and only had to wait a few seconds.
“You’re right on time. Good girl.”
She didn’t know why, but the praise made Licia flush with pleasure.
“Come in, come in.”
The house was as warm and inviting on the inside as it was on the outside, although the Victorian
She nearly missed the ad at the back of the campus paper. It was almost deliberately non-descript.
Seeking person to stay at my home. Own room. Special circumstances for the right person. Contact M.M. at 555-6572.
Granted, Alicia was getting pretty desperate, but it wasn’t just her wallet that was intrigued by this ad. In fact, it wasn’t her wallet at all, because there wasn’t a price mentioned, which should have been the first thing to raise warning bells. She circled it and punched the numbers into her cell before she could talk herself out of it.
A woman’s voice answered almost immediately, and was nothing if not no nonsense. “Yes?”
Suddenly shy about the call and what it might entail, she stumbled over her words. “I – uh, I w- was calling about the – uh- the ad that y- you had in the paper for – uh – the room?”
The voice on the other end softened somewhat. “Oh, yes.”
“Is it still available?”
“The most important thing is that you must be over eighteen. And I’m very selective about who I allow to stay in my home.”
That had Alicia immediately thinking that, whatever the restrictions were, they would apply to her, and she’d be out of the running. “I’m over eighteen,” she said, without much hope.
She was surprised to hear a light chuckle coming from the other end of the phone at her disappointed tone. “Why don’t we get together and talk about it? Are you available later today?”
Licia had knotted the napkin in her lap until it was in shreds. “I have some appointments but I’m free after three thirty.”
“Then why don’t we meet at four? Do you have a paper and pen? I’ll give you directions.”
Licia took down the detailed directions.
“Read them back to me, please. I don’t want you to get lost.”
She did as she was told without thinking. The woman on the other end was extremely detailed, and made sure she knew where she was going and that she wasn’t going to get lost. Alicia had spent enough time in Portland as a young girl on vacation with her parents, so, despite the fact that she was newly arrived to start college, she was relatively familiar with the city already. The part of town the house she was being directed to was in was called the Eastern Promenade, or the Eastern Prom, as the natives called it. It was a beautiful area with big old houses that looked out over the water, not far from downtown and the touristy Old Port shopping area, and relatively close to Southern Maine College, which she would be attending.
“Good girl. So four o’clock this afternoon. Be punctual. I don’t tolerate tardiness,” came the sharp warning.
“Yes, ma’am,” she answered, entirely without thinking, simply responding to the authority in her voice.
Another light chuckle. “You and I are going to get along well, little one. See you then.”
Licia stared at the phone for a long time after the woman on the other end had hung up, wondering what she’d just gotten herself into. On impulse, she dialed a close friend and gave her the scoop about where she was going - completed with directions and a phone number and the paper and issue the ad had been in, just in case. She made arrangements to meet her friend later that night for dinner, and if she didn’t show up at the agreed upon restaurant, Keri would alert the authorities.
Usually early, she only managed to be exactly on time for this appointment, since her others ran late. The house was a gorgeous old Victorian, complete with a tower room. It was painted in complementary pastel colors that surprised Alicia, but they seemed to go together. She nervously pressed the doorbell, and only had to wait a few seconds.
“You’re right on time. Good girl.”
She didn’t know why, but the praise made Licia flush with pleasure.
“Come in, come in.”
The house was as warm and inviting on the inside as it was on the outside, although the Victorian
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