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“I still can’t believe you gave her a key to your place.” Megan said as a small noise at the front door of Izzy’s apartment caused her to look up. 


“She wasn’t always this crazy, I swear.” Izzy found it strange she was still defending her friend that attacked her and tried to inject her with a syringe.   The rest of the day after that encounter Izzy had fought off a strange feeling about Natalie.    She started to feel that it wasn’t her choice to be friends with her but she couldn’t understand why she felt that way. She and Natalie had a history of friendship together and her mind reassured her of that as she thought back on their friendship later that night at Megan’s.


Despite the conflict that raged internally, Izzy decided it would be best if she moved in with Megan temporarily until she could get the locks changed on the apartment.  They chanced it and had come to the apartment to gather a few things Izzy might need since the landlord would not be able to get the locks changed for another week. 


Wanting to get done faster, the girls split up and Izzy went into her bedroom to pack her clothes, Megan was going to pack up her office.  They had been working for several hours when Izzy stopped hearing the front door open and close.   She stood still listening.   Wouldn’t Megan say something if she was going to be going out?  Maybe it was only for a minute.  Izzy stood waiting for the sound of the door to reopen.  She started to fold the shirt she was holding, not really paying attention to what she was doing; she had to get the nervous energy out somehow.   


Finally, she couldn’t take it any longer. “Megan?” Izzy called out.   There was no answer.  Slowly, Izzy peeked her head of the room and started to walk through the apartment.  Megan was not in the kitchen or the bathroom. The living room was also empty.  Izzy stopped and stood in the middle of the room.  There was no evidence that Natalie had entered.   If Natalie had entered wouldn’t she be coming after her again? 


Wondering why her friend would have left, Izzy pulled out her cell phone and found her friend’s number calling it.  She listened for the phone to start ringing.  When she heard ringing coming from the guest room that she also used as an office.  It was the room that Megan was supposed to be in packing up.  Perhaps she was still in there? 


Then why wasn’t she answering Izzy when she called out or the phone now?  Izzy hung up as Megan’s phone went to voice mail.   She started to walk towards her office.


“Megan?” she called out again.  “Are you there? Why aren’t you answering me?” Izzy pushed open the door to the room and stood staring into the darkness.  She reached over to the light switch and flicked it on to the ‘on’ position.  Nothing happened. 


“Megan?” She called out a little worried now.  What if Natalie was going about a new way to get to Izzy, by going through Megan?    Izzy dialed Megan’s number again and waited for it to start ringing in the room.   “If you are hiding and going to jump out to scare me, it’s not funny.” Izzy called out with an attempt to sound lighthearted though she was worried.


The phone started to ring and Izzy’s head whipped around looking for the source.  That was when she saw the phone on the floor partly under the bed, the light going off indicating a call was incoming.   


Izzy made her way over to the bed, afraid of what she might find there.  Why was Megan’s phone on the floor, partly under the bed?   She started to lean down to look under the bed hoping her friend was not a bloody mess under it.


“What are you doing?” Megan’s voice from the doorway startled Izzy and she jumped what felt like a mile in the air.


Izzy’s heart was now racing at a frantic pace.  “Shit, you scared me.  I was looking for you.  Where were you and why is your phone here?” Izzy asked pointing to the spot on the floor. 


Megan walked over to the table the lamp was sitting on and flicked the switch on.  “I went out to get some food. I was hungry and figured we needed a break.  I probably dropped it when I was in here earlier.” Megan shrugged and picked her phone up off the floor.  


“Did you think I was lying dead under there or something?” Megan laughed and smiled at her friend.


Izzy shook her head and followed Megan into the living room where some sandwiches and chips were sitting on the table waiting for them.   The girls sat down together, Izzy’s heart was slowly getting back to its normal pace. 


“It’s too quiet, do you mind?” Megan asked holding up the remote for the TV.  Izzy just shrugged, maybe hearing the television would help her calm down even more.


Megan turned on the news and started to eat her sandwich.  Izzy looked down at her food and then to the television.  A report was starting about a woman who had been killed only a couple of hours ago.   The unidentified woman’s body had been found lying in an alley.  A single bullet wound to the head indicated that the woman was killed execution style.  So far there were no leads to the killer or to the identity of the woman.


They showed a picture of the woman.  Izzy was shocked to see a picture of familiar bright red hair plastered across the screen.  “Megan,” she turned to her friend sitting across from her, Natalie was on the TV. 


“What?” She turned and looked towards the television, Izzy’s followed her.  It was sad that there was a picture on the screen of woman that nobody was able to identify. 


“That poor woman, nobody to identify her.  I hope someone comes forward and says they know who she is.”   Izzy said and turned back to her sandwich. 


“You don’t know her?” Megan asked cautiously.


“No, should I?” Izzy took a huge bite of her sandwich, glad that she had a good friend in Megan who knew what kind of sandwich she liked. 


The girls finished eating their food and decided they would sit on the couches to talk.  They turned the television to a rerun of Friends and fell into an easy banter.  


“You have to admit you enjoyed meeting them.” Megan blurted out bringing the conversation back to the concert and meeting the members of the group Backstreet Boys.


“I did,” Izzy nodded though it was an unusual meeting followed by unusual encounters she knew she had a good time.   “Just a second.” Izzy stood and made her way to her bathroom.  On the way back to the living room she noticed that her suitcase was still sitting on her bed with clothes still sitting in it.


“That’s strange,” Izzy mentioned when she sat back across from Megan.


“What?” The other girl asked looking a little worried but more curious.


“I still haven’t unpacked from the concert yet.”  Izzy smiled and shook her head.  “Oh well, I will do it tomorrow, the last few days have been rough days and I deserve a break.”


Megan smiled and relaxed into her chair.  “Yes.” She agreed.


Izzy’s eyes fell on the television where Monica and Rachel were having some discussion.  She couldn’t concentrate on the words as she was desperately trying to figure out why the last few days had been so rough.  She couldn’t remember anything happening after they returned from the concert that would have been hard.  Eventually she shook it off and laughed at the duo on the screen.