Page 3 of Monster

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By the timeI got home, it was already six, and I was exhausted.

I trudged my way up to my small one-bedroom apartment on the third floor.

It wasn’t exactly in the safest or most secure part of town, but it was within my budget, which was saying something considering how expensive California was, even if Sacramento was no Los Angeles.

Plus, I hadn’t had any problems with my neighbors since I moved in.

I barely knew them. I had only seen some in passing as I left for work every morning, and that was the way I preferred it.

There also weren’t any drug deals going down on the corner or a party in the building every weekend, so I found myself lucky to have found such a place.

It was my sanctuary.

It was everything I needed after moving away from everyone and everything I had ever known in my short twenty-five years of life back in Nevada.

I had been lost for a while, treading through life without a clear goal in mind and working odd jobs to keep myself busy. It wasn’t until after I turned twenty-two that I realized I needed to do something with my life, so I decided to go to college and earn my teaching degree in music.

I was still new to the gig, but at least it provided some sense of purpose.

I unlocked the door and stepped into the quiet and almost-dark apartment.

I turned on the light and looked around.

It was a small but cute little place that I had really made my own, with a cool-tone theme of navy blue, maroon, and white.

I set my purse down on the small side table near the door and sat on the couch.

Some days, I didn’t mind the silence.

In fact, I relished it.

I loved the peace, and I loved that I could be alone. Free from judgment.

But other times, the silence seemed to be too much, and I ended up not knowing what to do with myself.

Today was the last day of school, and everyone was out celebrating.

And I was stuck in this apartment.

I couldn’t even remember how long it had been since I’d last talked to my parents, though it wasn’t from their lack of trying.

Things used to be good between us before the incident.

We were a happy family, but perhaps we were too happy, because once tragedy struck, they didn’t know how to handle it.

And I didn’t know how to get back to the way things were—and what was more, I wasn’t sure I wanted to. Not when the masks were off, and I wasn’t sure I liked that side of my parents.

My gaze roamed over my small space.

These apartments had been renovated in recent years, so they followed more of the modern designs. I had an open floor plan, and I could see my apartment in its entirety, leading to the small kitchen in the back.

That wasn’t what caught my attention, though.

Next to the kitchen was a small nook with a large square window that overlooked the side of the apartment building. The view wasn’t great, but I liked the small, semi-private area, and it was also where I stashed my keyboard.

It was easily the most expensive thing I owned, having paid nearly four grand.

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