"It's better to arrive late than not at all."

⛓

"Hurry up!"

A loud thump reverberates through the house, the young woman muttering a small 'ow'. She rubs her forehead with a frown and grabs her backpack from the door, slinging it over her shoulder.

"Come on, sis!" The enthusiastic voice of her elder sister calls up the stairs. "If you don't get going now, you're not gonna be able to finish unpacking before semester starts!"

"I know! I know!" She responds quickly, hastily packing her snake's terrarium after reassuring herself that he's in the good hands of her brother.

Skylar Heavens has been waiting her whole life—twenty years—for the chance to pursue her dreams. Today she leaves her childhood home of Abbotsford, British Columbia, and moves away to Edmonton to attend the University of Alberta where she will study archaeology and practice the fine arts. She smiles at her accomplishment, only for it to falter slight at the thought of being alone.

"I swear, Sky, if you're not down here in ten seconds, I'm taking Mr. Noodles for myself!" Damien, the ruffian of the three siblings, threatens dangerously.

Her eyes widen, and she finds herself bolting down the stairs faster than she has in years. Even her energetic father looks shocked.

"You got everything?" He asks her quietly, a hand on her shoulder.

She nods in reply, smiling at him with gratitude for his patience over the years.

"Relax, dad," Rylie swings her arm around his shoulders, grinning at the two. "It's not like she's going off to war!"

"She might as well be," Emily, her mother, comments lightly, returning inside after depositing the box in Skylar's car. "She's the first of you lot to move out properly."

"Hey!" Damien protests, waving the hand that doesn't contain a sleepy ball python. "I moved out three years ago!"

"Yes, but you still live in Abbotsford, Bear," she looks down her nose at him. "Sky's moving to another province."

He shrugs nonchalantly, rubbing Mr. Noodles underside the chin. The python has a strange liking for such a domestic petting.

"Did you say goodbye to Lizzy?"

Skylar rolls her eyes in a lighthearted manner at her mother's question. Of course she'd said goodbye to her best friend, did the woman forget how close they were?

"Mom," Rylie states her disbelief, "they're practically joined at the hip. Why wouldn't she have said bye?"

"Besides, she's at work now," she adds, shooting her brother a short glare to get him to place Mr. Noodles back in his travel carrier. "I can't just pop in."

Steven sighs miserably, not bothering to hide his sadness. The family give him sympathetic looks, prolonging their 'last' glance at the departing member. It's hard to watch your youngest go out into the wide world, especially if they're the impulse control of the group.

"Oh shoot!" Damien shouts, wide eyes locked on his watch. He grabs his sister's sleeve and drags her towards the door. "Get a move on! It's half past nine!"

The Heavens family shuffle out after her, following like dogs to a bone, and watch from afar as the two siblings finish securing the boxes and ensure the terrarium's safety. It's fascinating to see two opposites work together, even if it solidifies the end of an era.

"You set?"

"Yup!" Skylar quips, popping out from behind the green SUV with a grin. Then, spotting her family huddled on the sidewalk, she scampers over, trapping them all in a tight hug.

"Sky..." Rylie gasps, "can't...breathe."

"Shush, Sissy," she hushes quietly, her voice close to cracking. "I love you guys so much."

"We love you too, Sky," her mother assures, being the only one capable of speech in the moment. "We're only a phone call away, remember that."

"I know," she mumbles into the woman's shoulder, wrapping her arms around her neck. "It's just so far away. I've never even been to Edmonton before. What if I get lost?"

"You won't get lost," Damien pats her back, giving her a warm hug from behind as he rests his head on top of hers. "You have a better sense of direction than all of us combined."

"It's still terrible, Bear."

"She's got a good point, bro," Rylie comments, earning a sharp smack upside the head from her father. "What?"

"That's not helping," he points out lowly. The man removes his youngest's arms from his wife, ensuring that he gets his own share of the hug, "You're going to be fine, darling. You'll be the best there is."

"I hope so," she chokes quietly, holding back a waterfall of tears.

"Don't freak, Sky. We'll webcam you on the holidays," the eldest sibling grins, pressing a soft kiss on her sister's temple. "We might even visit."

"Of course we'll visit," their mother reassures, retrieving a cardboard box from the door. "And don't forget that we'll always be nearby, if not in presence, in spirit instead."

"What's this?" Skylar questions, taking the presented box from the woman's outstretched hands with curiosity.

"Something I've put together over the years," her eyes sparkle with warmth, though leak her sorrow. "Open it when you feel homesick."

"So, now then?" Her family chuckles at her, shaking their heads.

"At least wait until you've moved into your apartment, dear," Emily smiles proudly. "Oh, my sweet girl, you've grown up so fast. I love you so much."

"I love you too, mom," the young woman mumbles, sniffling her shiny nose. "I'm gonna miss you guys."

"We know," Damien smiles at his little sis, gently pushing her towards her car. "And you've gotta get going."

Skylar nods solemnly, and marches to her vehicle, feet dragging on the ground in reluctance to truly leave. It's a true struggle to resist the tears now, and her sight grows blurred by the water in her eyes. The box finds its place on the back seat and she settles in the driver's seat with her eyes dragging over to her family one last time.

"Any more tears and you'll look like gran's watercress salad!" Sissy's joke earns a tight laugh from the youngest, and she beams at her achievement. "Don't forget; this isn't goodbye, just a see you later!"

The young adult nods to herself, thinking it over. "It's just a see you later, Skylar. Goodbye seals it. I'll see them again."

Now a little more confident in herself, she turns the key, officially sparking the beginning of a new era.

"It's a brand new world. What's there to fear?"

⛓

Getting lost apparently.

Skylar internally screams at herself.

At nine o'clock at night, the sun has been gone for nearly an hour already and the woman is sure she's been down this street three times by now. Semester starts the day after next, but she can't even find her apparently-very-easy-to-find apartment. So much for nothing to fear.

She slumps in her seat, banging her head on the steering wheel. At this rate she'll never find it.

A knock on her window startles her from her misery, and she finds a kind faced man looking at her in concern. Not wanting to be rude, she rolls down her window a little so he can speak.

"Yes?"

The stranger clears his throat uncomfortably, looking more awkward than she does at a party. "You look lost."

Despite her shy nature, she frowns at his blunt tone before sighing in defeat, momentarily forgetting 'stranger danger'. "You could say that."

"Where are you headed?"

Again, his straight-forwardness startles her, but her wish to arrive at her destination that night overwhelms her usually cautious self. "Um, the Grove Gardens apartment complex on Rosewood street. Would you know how to get there?"

For a moment his bright eyes seem to dim as he stares blankly at her, presumably deep in thought, though it certainly creeps Skylar out. But then he blinks, sharing an uncertain smile with her as he nods. "You want to go left at the lights over there," the woman listens intently at his directions, "then turn right at the second turning. You'll come out at the front of the complex. You'll have to speak with the woman at the desk for the keys to the parking lot."

"Thank you so much!" She nearly cries in happiness, "You have no idea how long I've been looking!"

Without another word, the man steps back, waving off her thanks with a hand and disappears into the night. It's unsettling how easy it is to lose him on the sidewalk, though it remains brightly lit by street lights.

But she doesn't think anything of him, instead focusing her attention on the task of finding her new home. She follows the man's directions, turning left at the traffic lights and ensuring that she turns down the right street afterwards. To her utter relief, a large sign framed by neatly trimmed hedges sits in front of a complex, its letters spelling out 'Grove Gardens'.

This time, she actually does cry in happiness, though she wipes them away as she exits the car, quickly scuttling across the street to enter the glass doors of the lobby. A brown haired woman sits comfortably behind the desk, typing on the computer. She doesn't even look up when the bell on the door rings.

"Um," Skylar stands awkwardly, now hating the fact that she can't speak above a loud whisper, "excuse me, miss."

The woman glances up, looking a little surprised at her sudden appearance, and gives a small smile. "Hello, can I help you?"

"Uh, I'm Skylar Heavens and I, um, rented one of the apartments here?" She fiddles with her sleeves as she looks at her shoes.

"Oh!" She pipes quickly, as though she suddenly recalled a previous moment. "You're renting apartment 283, right?"

The young adult glances briefly at the number written on her hand and nods quickly.

"I'm going to need to you show me some photo ID before I can give you these forms to sign," she smiles kindly as Skylar pulls out her wallet, searching desperately for her driver's license. "I'm sorry, but it is important."

The student mumbles a quiet 'it's alright' before she successfully pulls out her BC driver's license and places it on the counter in front of the woman. After studying the card for a second, she gives a satisfied hum and places two documents on the desk alongside a pen.

With a tired sigh, she reads the papers over, signing her signature at the bottom of the page.

"Here are your keys," the woman displays a set of keys, showing her the correct keys for the apartment and garage door. "Do not, under any circumstance, lose them. You won't get another set from us."

She gulps slightly with nerves, and takes the keys from her fingers, deciding to find the room before doing anything else. Her feet guide her to the elevator and she presses the button, waiting somewhat impatiently for the lift. When she does get in, she stares blankly at the number of buttons marked with the floors, completely lost as to which floor it's on.

"Floor three, Miss Heavens!" The woman calls out, gaining a soft 'thank you' from the student, who presses said button with relief.

With distant thoughts, Skylar grows unaware of her surroundings, walking down the maze of hallways upon the elevator doors opening. '246... 258... 261... 274... 282... Ah! 283.'

She smiles to herself, noting the placement of the apartment before making her way back down to the ground floor where she jogs across the street and re-enters her SUV. Now with the knowledge of where she's meant to live, she finds her parking spot in the underground garage. From there, she slings a bag over her shoulder and grabs Mr. Noodles and his terrarium, shooting an odd look at the neon yellow ambulance parked in the corner. She'd only seen red and white emergency vehicles in Canada, and she's not even sure it's legal to personally own one.

But she shrugs it off, resuming with her task of moving in.

It's only when she actually reaches her door again that she starts having second thoughts. For one, she's sure she hadn't opened the door, and yet, it's unlocked. And two, she can hear someone moving around inside.

With the greatest courage she can muster, after an intense internal debate, she opens the door, swinging it open to find a surprised young man mid-step with a book in his hand. His white hair partially covers his eyes, fluffed like duck down on top of his head and in a small beard that grows from his jawline to halfway up his cheeks, nonexistent on his chin and upper lip. Bright blue eyes widen in mild confusion at the woman's appearance, and he ruffles his hair back a bit in thought, the light catching the neon yellow tips. Despite herself, she can't help but think that he looks very attractive.

"Who are you?" She questions, and the man seems to regain himself, straightening to tower over her, though he doesn't appear threatening.

"Rae Chett," he introduces, setting his book, 'A Brief History of Time', on the kitchen counter. "You're Skylar Heavens, correct?"

"Yes?" She frowns at his knowledge of her name.

"I thought you were moving in yesterday."

If possible, her frown deepens, and she eyes him with caution. "What are you doing in my apartment?"

Now the man looks really surprised, it doesn't seem like he was expecting that question. He gauges her expression, determining her assumptions. "You didn't know you have a roommate?"

Skylar nearly swears in horror. Gods no. Anything but a roommate. Someone as shy as her is not meant to be shoved so hard out of their comfort zone. May fate have mercy on her.

"I'll take that as a no," he sighs, rubbing his temples with a hand. "Have mercy."

She nearly chuckles at their similar train of thought, but the horror easily overwhelms that amusement. And that horror quickly grows to fear when he takes a step forward.

"Easy," he reassures, showing his hands to prove that he means no harm. "I just want to help you bring your stuff in."

She nods numbly, allowing him to take the terrarium from her stiff fingers and set it on an empty bookshelf where it has no risk of falling. Slowly, he tells her which room is hers—the one with the pretty view of the street below—and shows her where the bathroom is. To her dismay, there's only one lavatory, but at least it has a decent sized kitchen.

As he makes the trip downstairs with her, she learns a bit about him. Like her, he's awkward, he prefers to keep to himself, and is a fellow student though he'll be studying human biology instead of archaeology. But he doesn't talk much. That becomes clear in elevator.

With his aid, every one of her boxes, all twenty of them, are brought up to the apartment and placed in her barren room. From there, they pile them against the navy blue walls, keeping the boxes clear of her closet and white sheet bed. Skylar is greatly thankful that he was kind enough to actually put clean sheets on the bed itself.

Quite proudly, she works well and efficiently with her unexpected roommate, but she still feels incredibly uncomfortable around him. It's quite likely that she'll be tip-toeing around him for some time.

Over viewing their work, Skylar sighs contently, only to jump in surprise when a rap sounds on her door. Cautiously, she opens the door, restraining herself from flushing madly at the sight of Rae leaning up against the wall with his arms crossed. She has the perfect view of his sharp jawline.

"Yes?"

"Um," he scratches the back of his neck, "I thought I'd wish you a... goodnight? I'm sorry that this isn't what you were expecting, but I hope you'll settle in well. Anyways," he pushes off the wall, ruffling his hair casually, "I'm off to bed."

"O-okay," Sky murmurs, calling after him. "Goodnight!"

⛓

For those of you wondering, this book will be updated roughly once every two weeks.

I hope you enjoyed!