<span style="font-style: italic">Well aren't you just a little bundle of sunshine?</span>Rylie quipped mentally as he threatened her for the second time in the space of five minutes. Cursing under her breath, she drove off, navigating the looping exchange and heading back toward her absurdly tiny studio apartment. It worked just fine for Rylie, who lived alone and had very few material possessions. The only furniture in the place was what came with it, and she'd made no effort to expand on it in the eighteen months she'd been there. She couldn't afford it anyway; working two jobs barely covered rent and tuition expenses, not to mention bills, car insurance and groceries.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">I'm hallucinating, or something. Emily must've spiked one of those drinks last night... Just go home, go to sleep, and when you wake up, crazy-homicidal won't be there anymore... Hopefully.</span><br/><br/>She pulled into her designated parking space and got out of her car. She didn't bother speaking to her "companion" as he'd already stated that he was pretty much going to be her second shadow. Rylie pulled her phone back out and hit the speed dial to work, "Hey, Mary. It's Rylie. I'm not feeling so well today, so I'm going to have to miss work. I'm sorry about the short notice, but I'll be back at it tomorrow. Thanks." She left a message on her boss' voicemail and trudged up the stairs to her apartment. She stopped at the third door on the second floor and turned the key in the lock<br/><br/>"After you," She muttered to her companion, holding the door open for him. She stepped in a moment after and locked he door behind her.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Now what?</span>She turned her gaze away from her companion and hung her coat on one of the wooden pegs by the door. She sank onto the tiny couch by the window and stared owlishly at him, amber eyes wide and a little weary.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">I have a crazy person who apparently wants to kill me in my house. Today cannot possibly get worse.</span>