"Firstly, your handwriting is absolutely horrendous." Kalin commented honestly.

"You really should take a class for penmanship." She added.

"Also, your books need some organization."

"I mean you have zero organization. How do you find anything in there?" Kalin asked after a moment or two, her voice rather incredulous.

"Or are they there just for decoration?" She asked.

"I am more than willing to help with the organization, if need be. I actually enjoying doing things like that."

". . . . I probably will then." Kalin commented.

"Do you have a preference fo rthe ord? Alphabetically by title? Author? Genre/style? Book height? Width?" She asked.

"Or anything else..."

"Good to know." was all Kalin said before resuming the laptop. She would probably work on that after she finished up with what she was doing here. Namely, after she'd finished typing up that contract, which she hadn't even properly started yet. It wouldn't be the quickest thing to do, sadly.

"Hmmm, This might take a bit." She then said after a couple minutes.

"It might be better to print it off and drop it off, or something instead of me staying here. I would hate to be an imposition."

Kalin was silent for a moment before sighing.

"If your'e sure." She commented, not saying anything more for the moment.

"I'm Canadian. Of course I don't want to be an imposition." She then said with a light smirk.

"I'm heading home - Windsor." Kalin answered.

"Shortly after I graduate." She then added.

"It's been my intention from the get go."

Kalin just smiled softly.

"I'll do as I can." She then said before making her way to the bookshelf and getting to work on it.

---

Months passed, and they kept running into each other by chance. Over time, they got closer and closer, and it didn't take long before they considered each other friends.

As was a good thing for the moment when Rene's cell phone rang. She knew he was likely at work at the moment, but also that he would most likely be on his 'lunch' hour (since he keeps her relatively up to date).

please answer... She thought as she waited, sitting on the floor and in the corner of the room.

"I..." Kalin started, not sounding good, at all. Her voice was barely audible, even.

"h..... help..." She said quietly, barely able to get it out. She fell silent, but he could hear her sounding like she was possibly struggling to breathe. She hoped he'd recall where she would be. Her dorm.

She didn't know if he could help, but she hoped maybe, ehc ould.

She knew she needed it for trhe moment.

He didn't find her easily. At least not technically.

What he found, and followed, was the smell of blood, and strongly at that. Or at least, strongly for him. There was a mix of bleach to it too.

As he reached the room and made his way in, he found out why.

The place was disgustingly clean, aside from where Kalin was in the corner, surrounded in her blood , and looking like she was dead.

Kalin didn't say anything, but she did nod, barely.

As he looked her over, he saw that she was beaten pretty severely, although while there was a lot of blood, there wasn't any real immediate injury to say why all that blood was there. The only thing that could come to mind, was perhaps the blood wasn't only hers. But if it wasn't hers, then why did she seems as bad as she was?

Was there more than just blood loss that was a contributor here?