CHAPTER SEVEN
Four years ago …
When I hit the light switch, the lights on the ceiling flickered for a couple of seconds before finally turning on. Even when they fully turned on, the bulbs were quite dim, making me feel like I had walked into a dive bar, minus the smoke and alcohol. Then again, I did catch a few whiffs of smoke and beer in the air, which annoyed me because the landlord had promised me that this apartment was smoke-free. Evidently, he hadn’t told the last occupant that. It was too late to turn around and find another apartment now, however, so I picked up my suitcase containing my most valued possessions and passed the threshold.
“Wow,” said Simon, who was walking by my feet as we entered the empty apartment. “Human beings live in this place?”
“Evidently,” I said, glanc
