My stuff, or rather what was left of it, was collected in garbage bags and thrown in front of the garage for garbage day. Thankfully I was able to salvage my clothes and small important things of value.

The good news?

I scored an interview from the mysterious roommate posted on the Coffee Bean board. I dressed in a simple outfit of my taste and took a good look at myself in the mirror. After what my father had said I was worried about the color of my hair. Originally a brunette, I always wanted to do something different...something exotic with it.

Pink wasn't even my favorite color but one day I saw it on a tattoo-covered girl in the highlands, and she just looked so beautiful. I wanted to be that kind of beautiful, that unique. This person was just going to have to accept me for whom I am and let it be...or I'll be finding another place to live.

My destination brought me to Russian Hill, one of the most beautiful locations in San Francisco. If you lived high enough it could give you the perfect view of the Golden Gate Bridge and S. F Bay. With the best food shops and cute cable cars, I could see myself living in a place like this.

A sudden burst of excitement overwhelmed and found myself quickly marching up to the fourth floor to apartment 7, my lucky number. Before reaching the front door, I had to pass through a private gate that went clear over my head. It was painted a beautiful wine color and gave off a welcoming feeling.

Stepping inside and closing the gate behind me I was greeted by various flowers and herbs. It was like stepping into a secret garden that was completely disconnected from city life. The small garden held rosemary, sage, basil leaves among many more and sweet aromas of roses, and peppermint allured me. I was falling for this place already.

The front door matched the color of the gate. A small round crystallized window reflected little rainbows from sunlight. It was all so dreamy that I began to wonder what it was that made such an individual impossible to keep a roommate. With a deep breath, I raised my hand to knock only to have the door swing open before my knuckles could make contact and almost gave me a scare.

Evelyn Nightingale was nothing like I was expecting. In my mind, I envisioned this old frizzy headed woman with tangled braids and big glasses that smelled of essence and smoke. No, the young woman before me seemed to be in her early to mid-twenties and beyond beautiful. She had these big orby brown eyes, heart-shaped face, and the most perfect complexion. Her wardrobe? A cozy charcoal sweater and black leggings.

"Hi," I greeted with my best smile. "You must be Ms. Nightingale, I'm Cora Weber. I'm here in response to the roommate ad."

"Evelyn or Evee will do." She replied.

"Oh? Okay, I can do that."

Her voice monotone but still held a strong expression, she seemed very straight forward as well. I stood there in awkward silence as she observed me with the piercing eyes of a velociraptor. "You have pink hair."

"Um yes," I said as I touched a lock of my hair and pulled it around my shoulder. "I have... I have pink hair."

"Come inside."

I had to admit she was a strange one indeed, but not that it was a bad thing. There was a strong aura about her and her lifestyle that I found fascinating. Inside the apartment was nice as well. Even though there was little sunlight peeking through the bamboo shades, it was clean and neat and everything seemed to have its place. Going to the kitchen she pulled a kettle off the stove and served hot tea in black teacups that look like tiny cauldrons.

"You wear a moon around your neck."

"Yes," I said touching the pendent, It was a white gold crescent moon with a beautiful Luna moth behind it. "My friend Keiko gave it to me years ago. She's from Japan."

"Do you like moon phases?"

"Oh yes, I love moons and stars," I replied, trying not to get too excited. "I'm fascinated with astrology and zodiacs."

"Interesting," Evelyn said as she began to write something down. "Can you tell me what's in your tea?"

My eyes widened a bit, not any poison I hope. Clearing my throat I took another sip and savored on its sweetness. It was hard to see it's actual color in the dark teacup but I assumed it was a honey color.

"Well, it's chamomile tea, with honey and this is an educated guess...a hint of ginger."

Evelyn gave me a nod and continued to write in her notebook. "Would you like a tour."

"Of course. That would be wonderful."

The apartment seemed the perfect size for two people, maybe even a third. It was cozy with the kitchen and living room connected and a hallway extended to other parts of the home. The first two rooms were the bathrooms, completely split and separate. The smaller room held the toilet and sink while the larger one had a beautiful claw tub with the washer and dryer nearby.

"Ah, so the bathrooms are split based on necessity?" I asked.

"Yes, I find it convenient for people to attend to their needs without invasion of privacy."

"I agree," I added, fond of the idea. In my home, it was the one bathroom for everything. Although my parents had their own in the master bedroom, the company and the rest of the world got to invade mine. "Very clever."

There was almost a grin forming on the sides of Evelyn's lips as she passed me to show off the remaining of her apartment. I took that as a positive sign and gave myself ten points in my head. Opening the door further down the hall was the master bedroom, her room. She was indeed a Wicca. Her room suite was purple, collections of crystals, skulls, and candles decorated the room.

"This is my room," Evelyn pointed out. "I'll be in here most of the time or when I do not wish to be social."

"Understandable."

"And Finally," Evelyn said as she moved down the hall to the room next door. "This will be your room."

Unlike the previous room, this one was small but also had a closest, a connecting bookshelf, and a desk. My mind was still lost in the apartments glow that it took minutes for me to realize she said MY room.

"Wait? So I'm going to be the new roommate. What about the interview?"

"Oh, we had that sitting at the kitchen table."

"But I didn't say much." I noted, "What made you decide to pick me?"

Evelyn tilted her head slightly to the side. "You're conflicted, I'm curious to see how that goes."

With that she left and headed back into the kitchen, leaving me stunned. I couldn't believe I got a new home that quick. It was all thanks to Beckett for cheering me up and pushing me in the right direction. After being disowned and broken by my flesh and blood, I'm slowly picking up the pieces and having a good feeling about this new fresh start. Surely, the worst is behind me.

I actually have a Wiccan friend, quite a few of them. Evelyn Nightingale is a special nod to them as a main character in this story. To Readers: Her culture and ways of worship will be presented in Confessions of a Cubicle Ninja BUT will not be any way against the ways of others. So you guys shouldn't have any restrictions reading. I would know, I'm a Christian.

Anywho, Thank you so much for reading and I hope you are enjoying  my work.

Below is a crafty image of what the apartment complex looks like. I play  a lot of Sims and love collecting and designing home layouts.