Meghan: Apartment

“Welcome to our gated community.” The receptionist said, smiling brightly, “I’m sure you’ll be very happy here.”
I slid on sunglasses to protect my eyes from the shine of her smile and shook her hand.
The apartment was perfect.
The water of the pool sparkled in the sun, college students reclined in the grass, and everything was clean and quiet. Compared to some of the apartments I’d seen in my search it was heaven.
After moving some of my stuff in I decided to go for a swim. The sun had just started to sink behind the horizon and no one was there to bother me. After sliding on my suit I wrapped a towel around my hips and walked along the grassy path. When I reached the pool’s edge I had enough time to think that maybe I should bring more weapons with me when I go trolling the pool alone at night, before my arm was twisted painfully behind my back.
“I got one!” my captor yelled gleefully. I kicked at him and smashed the back of my head into his face. I felt his blood on the back of my neck but he held on.
“Idiot.” Another voice snapped, “She’s not right, let her go.”
“But...” My captor said mournfully as he released my arms. Once free I spun away from him, barely avoiding falling in the pool.
He looked at me with sad brown eyes half hidden by the hood of a robe, “But she looks just like one.”
His friend sighed impatiently, “Are you a virgin?”
He repeated the question when I didn’t react. And when I just stared at him with a very confused expression he sighed again, “Tonight is virgin sacrifice night.”
“Oh.” I said. Of course. Virgin sacrifice night, pssh, who doesn’t have virgin sacrifice night? Damn it, I knew this apartment was too good to be true.
“Oh well, let’s go find another one.” The skinny friend said, slinging a bag over his shoulder. His virgin sacrifice carrying bag. I giggled helplessly, and they both stared at me.
“Would you like to come?” brown eyes said happily. His friend looked irritated, but shrugged a shoulder in agreement.
I blinked and thought about it, “Okay.” They pulled out a robe for me and I draped it over my swimsuit.
“Do you know any virgins we could sacrifice?” The angry one asked.
I hummed in thought, “What’s your definition of virgin?”
He flapped a hand, “We just do the standard definition.”
“I might know someone…”

“I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!!!”
“Sarah, please calm down.”
“YOU’RE GOING TO SACRIFICE ME!! I WILL NOT CALM DOWN!!!!”
“I’m sure the sacrifice is only a figure of speech. Besides, you get ten percent off your rent for a few months for participating.”
“I’M NOT GOING TO PAY RENT BECAUSE I’LL BE DEAD!!!”
“You worry too much.”
She swelled to berate me again but before she could she was borne away by burly college boys in robes. I looked a question to the angry robed guy who had brought me here and he said they were going to prepare her. In the meantime the rest of us poured powders and liquids into a huge pot that was bubbling menacingly over the fire. I added a fistful of something silver and the sludge turned a bright green. The circle of cloaked college students grew hushed as the sacrifices were led in. They wore the traditional white frothy dresses that seemed to scream ‘use me for black arts please’. One of the robed guys stepped on a pedestal and started a speech. It was long and dark, with a list of strange twisted names that sounded evil but was really a Latin recipe for baking cupcakes.
Take a cup of flour He began
I peered down at the sludgy substance that we had created and spooned some into a plastic beer cup.
Add a dash of cinnamon
I gave the cup to the guy next to me, pantomiming drinking. He smiled at me and downed it, then turned into a rabbit.
Stir vigorously for two minutes
I stared with delight at the bunny that used to be a man and grabbed another spoonful of goop. This one I launched with deadly accuracy at a girl on my other side. Green liquid dripped down her cheek and she touched it in disgust with a hand that turned into a wing as she turned into a flamingo.
Sprinkle the top lightly with nutmeg
I climbed up on the table behind the giant cauldron of goop and set my shoulder against its edge. Slowly it tilted until the whole thing crashed on its side, dousing the entire crowd of robed students with its contents. The Latin phrases turned to angry squawks when the speaker turned into a duck. The virgin sacrifices looked on in horror as their would be sacrificers turned into all manner of wildlife. I laughed in delight and hopped up and down behind the kettle.
“How dare you.” The angry guy who had led me here had managed to avoid the spray. His hands clenched and unclenched in rage and I could practically see steam pouring from his ears, “How dare you interrupt the ritual.”
I smiled at him and tossed a cupful of the goop that I had saved in his direction. His look of horror melted into one of adorableness as he sprouted orange and white fur and shrank into the form of a tiny orange kitten. My eyes shone with love and I scooped him up, cuddling him under my chin. He meowed pitifully as I picked my way over to Sarah. She sat cross legged in the grass petting two soft rabbits that huddled in her lap.
When I was close enough to hear she glared up at me, “I only forgive you a little bit.”
I grinned and sat down next to her, “I got a kitten.”
Her mouth twitched, “Oh Hera’s going to be so happy. You know you’ll have to get him-“ she cupped a hand around her mouth and whispered, “n-e-u-t-e-r-e-d.” The kitten in my lap hissed and swiped at her. I laughed and dug my fingers into the fluff around his neck. He settled, boneless on my lap, purring.




-Meghan