Welcome back to Siminsane Sanitarium! This segment involves days two and three of the unfortunate simselves confinement at the institution. My last segment had to be broken up into two parts because of the size of the bitmap pictures FRAPS allows me to take. This time, however, I have converted all the screen shots into JPEP, which are way smaller, so hopefully we will get it all in one sweep this time! As you may remember, I was heading off to my first day of work while leaving everyone alone for the first time. Let's take a look to see what occurred that day . . . .

As I got into the car, I groaned inwardly at the sight of the postman's arrival. I knew no one was sending anything good, so I knew what he had in his bag for me were some bills. With only one hundred simoleons to my name, I hoped I could earn enough to pay them before they became too far overdue. With that added worry, along with wondering if the others would fare well in my absence, I headed for work with a heavy heart.

Inside the house, several residents had settled in front of the TV to watch 'The Yummy Channel', along with some neighborhood teen who had decided to drop by, although he should have been on his way to school.

"Hey, if you could break into a safe with lots of loot inside, I'll bet you could buy your way out of here!" he said to Karima with a gleam in his eye that made her wonder why he wasn't locked in the asylum along with her.

Meanwhile Ashley, even though she was nearing the point of starvation, decided to go retrieve the mail instead of going in search of something to eat. After grabbing the bills from the box and releasing a deep sigh of disappointment, as if she had expected something better, she placed them on the shelf beneath the mailbox and headed back inside.

Finally, she found her way to the kitchen, and while she satisfied her hunger pains, Amylu decided to show off her dancing skills. "Oh, I just love this song!" she exclaimed as she bounced around the room like a chicken with its head cut off. Karima giggled manically from her position on the love seat as she watched the spectacle.

Jo finally decided it was time to get some sleep, so she slipped into her favorite bedtime attire to settle into her chosen bed. As small child, she had once been traumatized by some Halloween decorations on a visit to the states and used to have dreadful nightmares about killer Jack 'O Lanterns. She discovered comfort in disguising herself as one while sleeping, because, she felt, if they thought she was one of them, they would leave her alone. As long as she wore her pumpkin head at night, her nightmares stayed away and she felt safe.

Crissy rose and, after a hearty breakfast, was ready to release some energy in the form of an angry dance. "Aye, I'll show you how the pirates do it, Matey!" she cried as flailed to and fro like a madwoman.

"Why so angry?" the teenager asked quizzically. "You're too cute to have that angry scowl pasted onto your face that way! How about letting me join you?"

Crissy said nothing as she continued to pretend she was alone the room, so the boy shrugged and started dancing anyway. Soon, more dancers entered the room.

"Hey" Sawyer laughed crazily, "this is FUN!" Then his feet seemed to become tangled together and he tumbled to the floor, nearly cracking his head against the carpet before steadying himself.

"It would help if you stayed on your feet, Moron!" Crissy scoffed nastily, stifling a laugh. She didn't want to allow humor to break the rhythm of her angry dance of frustration.

Amylu decided to sneak in a bit of quiet time to daydream about things and people of interest. "Oh, he's so cute!" she whispered to herself, thinking of Paxton Sanity. "I wonder if he'll come back to visit again soon?"

Despite the fact that there were plenty of empty beds available, Valpre tried to catch a nap on the sofa, although the party was raging in the room with her. "What's the matter with you?" Crissy asked Sawyer in a mocking tone as she crinkled her nose at him. "Are your feet broken or something?"

Finally, Amylu decided to join the party and couldn't help but to laugh at the dancing fools. "Oh my God, this is just too hilarious!" she giggled wildly.

"Move over, people!" Jilly grinned. "I'll show how it's supposed to be done!"

"You're crazy, Jill!" Holley commented as she entered the crowded room. "You people just don't seem to get it, do you?"

Jilly laughed, "Oh yeah? Think you can do any better?"

"I certainly do!" Holley retorted. "Now move over and give the master some space!" As Holley joined the dancers, Val stood up and joined Amylu in her bout of wild laughter.

"What's so funny?" Ashley asked from the love seat behind Amylu. "Move over. I can't see!" Amylu complied by leaving the room and heading into the kitchen. Her stomach was rumbling and she intended to do something about it.

"Let's see, what have we here?" she asked aloud as she opened the refrigerator. Luckily enough, Amylu felt her cooking skills were still lacking, so she decided upon a nice salad so as to avoid using the stove, therefore preventing any chance of inadvertently starting a kitchen fire.

Behind her, Valpre passed through the kitchen on her way to the bedroom. It was time to catch some real sleep.

After changing into her favorite sleeping outfit, she yawned and felt lucky to have found an empty bed. Valpre had not lied to Crissy the day before on purpose, because she hardly admitted it to herself, but she did in fact adore Pirates of the Caribbean. In fact, she was secretly in love with Captain Jack Sparrow and fancied herself his Pirate Queen. She smiled, thinking of the nice dreams she would have as she slipped into bed and fell quickly into a deep sleep.

Ashley felt it was time for someone to do something about the growing filth in the bathroom so, ignoring the disgusting toilet, she began to scrub the equally-filthy shower. She whistled a happy tune as she worked to try to keep her mind off the unpleasant task at hand.

I could not have been more thrilled when I finally returned home, from a day which felt as if it had gone on forever, to see the building still intact, with no emergency vehicles in sight. I quickly leapt from the car and ran to the front door, bursting through with barely-bridled enthusiasm.

Crissy, you're alive! I thought, breathing a sigh of relief. Jill, Ashley . . . everyone seems fine! I don't know why, but I burst back out through the door and accosted a passerby. I guess I just had to share my good news with someone.

"Hey, I just returned home from my first day of my new job and everyone is safe and sound!" I blurted out to the surprised stranger. "Care to come in and join the party?" I asked with a broad grin.

The man seemed very nice and understanding as he smiled back. "Sure," he replied, "why not?"

"Oh yeah, way to go, people!" he cheered them on as he entered the living room. Although I had invited him into our home, I suddenly realized how exhausted I was from my long day of work and worry, so I discreetly slipped away and headed toward the bedroom. I knew my roomies would make him feel welcome just fine without me.

As I slipped between the sheets, this time wearing my French maid sleeping attire that I reserved for those times when I was not feeling so 'pure and innocent', I noticed that Jo was sleeping soundly in the bed next to mine. I lay down and enjoyed stretching out, even though the comfort-level of the bed was very low. Soon, however, I realized I really needed to use the bathroom, so I begrudgingly rose from the bed.

The toilet was disgustingly filthy, so I tried to clean it first, but I ended up having to go worse than I had at first thought, so I ignored it to do my business instead, although instead of sitting, I squatted over it to avoid actually touching the nasty thing.

Jo rose from her slumber, and was annoyed that I was occupying the bathroom as she entered the kitchen, still wearing her night clothes. I managed to use the toilet and grab a quick shower before heading back to slip into bed again.

Meanwhile, Jo joined the others for a quick bite of Amylu's tasty salad.

The toilet had clogged and overflowed, so Amylu was wasting her time as she mopped the puddle that was only destined to reappear until someone decided to unclog it. Just as she finished the task, she was interrupted by another in desperate need to relieve herself.

Crissy, bound and determined to not allow another incident, like the one she had endured the day before, to happen, she also ignored the filth and stench emanating from the toilet as she released the pressure that had built up in her full bladder.

No sooner had she finished her business and she exited, than others entered the room.

"I was here first!" Jo complained loudly to Karima. "Who do you think you are to just burst passed me that way and take your turn first?"

Karima giggled softly, "The way I see it is, if you snooze, you lose!" Jo groaned miserably and left the room.

"Oh yeah," our new guest called out excitedly, "way to go, baby! We get two fine-looking asses for the price of one!"

"How dare you bring up something having to do with math to bring down our party time?" Sawyer reprimanded the man insanely. "What's all this about prices, two for one, and all that jazz? Is there something wrong with you?"

"I . . . I'm sorry" the man said apologetically, confused. "I really didn't mean anything by it at all!"

Karima finished her business in the bathroom and joined Jo, where she was waiting just outside the door. "I just adore your pumpkin head! Would you trade it to me for a large sack of simoleons?"

"No" Jo replied, "but I would have traded it for a shot at using that toilet!" Then she moved toward the door, but Amylu shoved passed her and beat her to it.

"How much more gross could it get?" she asked herself aloud as she began to scrub the toilet. Finally, the sickening stench that had begun to seep into the rest of the house would be no more!

For some reason, the teenager simply did not want to leave, so he made himself at home and climbed into one of our beds. Without enough beds to go around as it was, all we needed was for strangers to occupy one of them!

Before Amylu had finished scrubbing the toilet, Valpre entered the room and tried to usher her out. "Do you mind?" she whined pitifully. "I really need to go!"

"Not until I'm finished!" Amylu insisted sternly, and with a loud groan, Valpre made her exit.

She was hungry anyway, so she decided to sit down and have a bite of salad. By that time, Amylu had finished cleaning the toilet and joined the others at the table.

Jo felt something looked different about Valpre, but couldn't quite put her finger on it. Suddenly, Val rose from her chair very quickly, groaning.

"Please" she cried loudly, "get out of my way! I really . . . and I mean, really have to go!"

"Well, excuse me pretty lady" the man said as he stepped quickly to the side before she ran him over.

"Oh . . . oh my, I hope it's not too late!" Valpre complained as she tried to keep the flood gate closed.

Karima giggled and whispered to Amylu, "Hey look, I think she's going to make a puddle!"

Jo, on the other hand, forgot all about her need to go as she began doing her 'pumpkin dance' in the living room.

"What is your problem? Valpre screamed at Holley in desperation. "Here I am, about to piss myself, and you're just standing there gazing out the window like a lunatic! Get out! Get out . . . now!"

Holley turned and left the room without a word, while Valpre sat on the toilet and breathed a sigh of relief that she had avoided creating a humiliating yellow puddle on the floor.

Jo looked at Karima and laughed hysterically, "Ah ha, you fell down! I'm better at dancing than you. You suck!"

"Uh uh" Karima whined as she began to get to her feet. "I did not fall. Amylu pushed me!"

Jill merely lay on the love seat, wondering if the madness would ever end.

"Move over" Valpre said as she burst into the room, freshly relieved and showered. "Let me show you my special dance moves!"

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, it seemed that Sawyer and our late-night guest were having another disagreement.

"Just hang on a minute, Jilly" I said as I worked to unclog the broken toilet. "Y'all keep mopping up the puddles, but the puddles won't stop as long as no one stops the overflow!" It was nearly morning and I was now well-rested and ready to begin the day. Somehow, although I had started out wearing my maid outfit, I had awakened in my habit. I figured I must have been a 'sleep changer'. Jill left the bathroom and I was able to sneak in a quick shower as well.

So far, everyone seemed to be on different sleep schedules, so there had been no passing out on the floor or any such nonsense as that. After I vacated my bed, Holley, Amylu, Ashley, Sawyer, Crissy, and Jill all found empty beds in which to sleep.

After freshening up, I decided to enter the living room where the all-night party was still raging along.

Jo never had made use of the bathroom, and was still wearing her pumpkin disguise as she, Valpre, and Karima all tried to out dance each other. I felt it was a great time to work on the painting I had begun the day before, but then I realized that was not the skill I needed to advance in my new job.

Although it wasn't my chosen career, a nice bonus would be helpful in paying the bills, so I decided to go for the logic point I needed by stargazing with the telescope before it was time to leave for work.

In the kitchen, the other three ladies sat down to plates of fly-ridden salad that had been left over from the night before. Amylu's nice salad had gone putrid and was no longer fit to eat.

"Oh my, Jo" Valpre gagged violently, "you smell nearly as rotten as this salad! The bathroom is empty. Don't you think you should make use of it while you have the chance?"

"Just who do you think you are to talk, little 'Miss 'I Almost pissed myself at the Dinner Table Last Night'?" Jo shot back crossly. Val could take no more, so she rose and moved toward the fridge.

Instead of grabbing something from which to make a meal, Valpre decided to stuff her face instead. She knew that drinking milk from the carton was bad etiquette, but she didn't care at the moment.

Hearing the commotion in the kitchen, I realized those ladies needed some serious care giving, so without receiving my logic skill, I dragged myself away from the telescope to make them some breakfast.

Meanwhile, the ladies seemed to be playing a game of musical plates with the putrid plates of salad. Flies could be heard buzzing everywhere in the room. After a few gulps of milk from the carton, Valpre decided to grab another plate of the rotten food to bring to the table.

"That food is NO GOOD, Val!" Jo pointed out harshly. "We'd be better off making a tennis racket out of it!"

Ashley seemed to be caught up in a giggling fit. "Go on, Karima, eat it! I dare you!" she laughed as Karima picked up her fork and moved it toward the reeking food.

"Now Ladies, there'll be none of that!" I said gently as I moved toward the table with a fresh bowl of cereal in hand. "We need to clean up that stinking mess and eat this instead."

I put fresh bowls on the table and, as I began clearing away the bad food, Jo rose and headed toward the bedroom with a mighty yawn. "I'm exhausted" she said simply, over her shoulder as she left the room.

"Oh my God, Jill" Jo groaned miserably to a woman who was fast asleep. "I am so hungry! What am I going to do?" she moaned again and moved toward another bed.

"Oh Amylu" Jo groaned again to another woman who was sleeping very soundly, "What am I to do? I'm filthy and I want to shower, and I'm hungry, so I want some food, but . . . oh my goodness, I am SO exhausted!" Finally, Jo gave up, climbed into bed and was soon fast asleep, most likely dreaming of hot showers, tasty food, and soft beds.

As day three dawned, it was time to check the newspaper to see if there was an opening in my preferred career of Oceanography. Unfortunately, there was no opening listed out of the three choices, so I would have to spend another day working as a Gumshoe in the Intelligence career. Sighing heavily, I put down the paper and decided to watch TV for awhile. It was not long before I heard a commotion and knew something was happening in the kitchen.

Jo had slept just long enough to build up enough energy to grab a bite of food. "Oh my God, Jo" Valpre cried in a choked voice, struggling to keep down the cereal she had just consumed, "you really need to pay a visit to the shower!"

"Yeah" Karima and Crissy said in unison. It smelled like a garbage truck was parked in the kitchen. Karima put down her bowl and headed for the bathroom herself, while Jo wolfed down her cereal and headed back to bed.

Karima happened to barge right in on Holley, who had just risen from her bed to relieve herself. "Wow, you'll disrupt anyone's private moments, won't you?" Holley asked snidely as she glared at Karima.

"When you have a job to do, you can't let the world stop you!" Karima replied in her cheery, sing-song tone. "You do your thing, and I'll do mine. It's all good!"

"What is wrong with that woman?" Jill complained fervently as she emerged from the bedroom. "That is the most disgusting stench I have ever encountered!"

"Well, it is difficult to find any 'bathroom time' around here" Amylu said in a sympathetic tone. She always felt kinder and gentler when she was wearing her habit.

As if to confirm her earlier statement, she was scolded by Sawyer when she entered the bathroom. "What is with you women?" Sawyer screeched in a horrified tone. "You all seem to be 'in the habit' of walking in on me in the bathroom. Now . . . get out and leave me alone!"

As Valpre and Crissy settled down in front of the TV, Jill decided it was time to boogie. "Oh yeah, this music is great stuff!" she called out happily. She loved the freedom of movement her outfit afforded her, and she felt almost like a famous dancing star. There was one thing missing though, so she left the room to take care of it.

Although things had gone great the day before, I was still apprehensive about leaving everyone alone for the day as I went off to work. I wished I could stay home to look out for things, but I still didn't have enough simoleons to pay the bills and I hoped that would change by the end of the day. Unable to change fate, I hopped into the car and, as it sped off down road, watched the house until it was out of sight.

Holley beamed up at Sawyer, her eyes alight with excitement. "Oh my, Sawyer, you are becoming quite a good dancer. This is so much fun!"

"Thank you, Holley" he replied quietly. Being the only male in a houseful of women, it seemed he received a lot of attention at times. So far, all had been good, but he was afraid he would have to let them know someday that none of them were exactly 'his type'. Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Jill was serving up some lunch.

"Oh, just wait until they get a load of my 'Bride of Frankenstein' special!" She said to herself. They are going to love these!" As I mentioned before, Jill was very much into all things dark and mysterious. She loved old horror movies and had a secret crush on Boris Karloff as Frankenstein. The idea of being his bride thrilled her beyond measure, and it was one if her most treasured fantasies. Of course, almost anything supernatural and unholy turned the blood in her veins into liquid fire!

Meanwhile, I got my wish to be home overseeing things, but not in a way I would have wished. I had been fired from my job! First I had been hurt, and then sadness crept into my heart. Once I arrived home and saw the stack of bills still sitting on the shelf, all my emotions turned to fear, and then anger. What about the bills? There was still $406 in bills to pay. How was I supposed to do that with only $343 to my name? I emitted an angry growl and went inside.

I had not had a chance to do much dancing like the rest of the tenants had, but I began an angry dance of my own that day. Everyone looked at me as if I were crazy, and maybe I was, but it felt good to cut loose and set my frustrations free. I needed another job, and I needed it fast, but I was not in the mood to even pick up the paper and pick one of the jobs I had seen that morning. The doorbell rang and I had to stop my dance abruptly to answer it.

"Hello" the pretty blond woman smiled and offered me her hand. As I took it, she introduced herself to me, "I'm Chanel Sanity, a former 'attendant' of the asylum. My friend, Paxton, told me of your arrival, and I felt it would be impolite of me if I didn't drop in to introduce myself!"

"Why, thank you" I replied, returning her friendly smile. So, this was the famous Chanel Sanity!

Chanel immediately began talking about job promotions and how many different promotions she had gotten in several different careers while she had been living at the asylum, which sort of annoyed me seeing as how I had just been fired that very day! I smiled and greeted Maria and Paxton as they moved past us to go inside. "That is amazing" I replied with a smile, but inwardly thought she was a bit of a snotty bitch.

"Are you really here?" Amylu breathed, her eyes sparkling in delight as Paxton boldly entered the room where she had been relaxing on the bed, daydreaming about him coming to visit. The light in her eyes dimmed, however, when a blond woman came through the door shortly after, and she moved toward the window to sulk.

"I'm telling you" Jilly said to Ashley in a tone that didn’t hide her enthusiasm toward the subject. "Magic is the best thing ever! If we knew some magic spells, or had some recipes for magic potions, we would be out of this place in no time! I'm telling you, the people who put us here have made a horrible mistake. We are NOT crazy!"

"Oh, so here you are, Paxton, my darling!" Chanel purred in her sexiest tone. "I was wondering where you had gotten off to! Remember the good times we had while we lived here?"

Paxton remembered some pretty bad times actually, but there were some good ones mixed in here and there as well.

"Oh yeah, I sure do!" he replied seductively as he swept her into his arms and kissed her deeply. Unnoticed by the amorous couple, Amylu stood gazing absently out the window, trying her best to pretend her crush was not engaged in a lip-lock session with the blond hussy. She seethed in fury, while at the same time, she irrationally felt as if her heart were breaking.

"Oh, someday I am going to have a large family and cook wonderful meals for them as good as any chef could!" Crissy said to no one in particular, while Holley saw a chance to gain access to the bathroom while Karima was nowhere in sight. Ashley talked about having lots of best friends on the phone to someone.

Karima woke refreshed and happy from a long day-time sleep session, but then her nose crinkled in disgust from the horrendous odor that found its way into her nostrils.

Jo had also just woken from her deep slumber and the odor was coming from her direction. Immediately, she made a quick dash toward the bathroom door, shut it behind her, and headed toward the shower. Before she had a chance to do anything else, someone intruded upon her privacy once again.

"Get out!" Jo screamed furiously at Karima. "Must you barge in on me EVERYTIME I am in the loo?"

Once again, Karima merely smiled and replied calmly, "I couldn't wait! Go ahead and do your business and I'll do mine. I'll only be a moment!" Karima's calm indifference may have been shaken if she could have seen the expression of pure fury gleaming in Jo's angry eyes. Just then, the door burst open and another intruder entered the room.

"Did someone call for a family meeting in here and I missed it?" Jo asked, glaring at the new arrival.

"I really need the use of this bathroom, and you girls are in my way!" Jilly replied indignantly.

"Well, I seriously need to use the shower!" Jo replied with equal force.

"You most certainly do!" responded Jill as she held her nose. "You reek to high heaven, Woman!" Both women's focus changed at the sound of Karima clearing her throat.

"I really don't get the problem you guys are having" Karima stated casually. "If everyone would do what they came in here for in the first place, and then get out, everything would be just dandy!"

"You" Jo raged at Karima. "This is your fault! If you hadn't broke in while I was trying to bathe, I could have gotten clean by now and this wouldn't be happening! Didn't your mother teach you any manners?"

"What my mother taught me is to share" Karima smiled again as she prepared to stand up.

"Good for you!" Jill applauded Karima's generosity whole-heartedly.

Jo was nearing the end of her patience, and that was saying a lot because she usually took most things in stride and didn't get easily annoyed. She said, "Fine then. You can both share by getting out, because I NEED to shower now!"

"Yes, you most certainly DO need that!" Karima gasped as she tried to shield herself from the horrific odor.

Jilly smiled sardonically, "Yes she does, but first I am in desperate need of a tinkle!" She continued, in a tone that implied she was speaking to small, mentally-impaired children, "Now, why don't you two run along and let Jilly use the facilities?" With that, she ushered the both of them gently out of the room.

Before the door had even closed behind them, Jilly was climbing into the shower, deciding to get clean before tinkling.

"Well, what do you think of that?" Jo asked as her fury toward the red-headed woman grew to new heights.

Karima giggled in her usual manner, "I guess the need to pee wasn't as strong as she implied."

"That is one pushy American!" Jo grumbled, surprised at the strength of her own ire toward the other woman.

"So, what is the scoop on those two?" Holley asked Maria, lowering her voice to a conspiratorial tone, as she gestured toward the bedroom into which Paxton and the blond woman had disappeared. There was nothing she loved better than a bit of juicy gossip, except for maybe finding a good husband and having a bit of fun.

Always happy to comply with such a request, Maria grinned broadly, "Oh the story is a good one!"

"Chanel was the woman 'in charge', so to speak, of this place during my time here" Marie began. "I think she was looking for some sort of satisfaction and she seemed to develop 'a thing' for Chad. They began carrying on, but then she also seemed to be attracted to Dario as well. The feeling was mutual because we once heard Dario serenading Chanel, in the bathroom of all places! Well, when Paxton 'lost it' and began carrying on with his mop girlfriend, I think Chanel thought she could make him feel better by starting up a romance with him. Now . . . this only led to more problems when Chad caught the two of them together in bed one day! Then there were fights . . . so many fights! Chad would win some and Paxton would win others, but poor Dario only sought pleasure, so he never fought. He would merely cry instead."

Holley's jaw dropped, "How terrible! What a total slut she must have been!" As Maria continued her story, Crissy stood by the dishwasher, listening, but pretending she was not. She was always up for a bit of juicy gossip as well.

"Actually, I can sort of understand Chanel's plight" Maria continued, jumping to Chanel's defense. "You see, Chanel is one those who are in search of great fortune. She likes to be surrounded by nice things, and while here, she was not allowed to purchase anything really expensive and useful. Her goal was to earn 100,000 simoleons."

"Chanel did anything she could to reach that goal in order to set us all free, including never taking a day off from work, because that meant a day without earning money. In light of that, she also had to come home and take care of all the things that no one else would. There were broken electronics and plumbing that needed repaired, there was cooking to be done, and cleaning to do as well. On top of that, there were many fires started from the residents' lack of cooking skills!" Maria paused and sighed heavily. "One day, poor Chanel completely lost her grip on reality. After that, she would try to panhandle for simoleons out on the street! It was a very trying and troublesome time, so I think she had to find ways to pull herself together and keep sane, hence the romantic connections with the male residents!"

"Oh, that woman makes me so mad!" Jo complained to Karima. This time Karima was right onboard with her.

"Yes, I can see why that would be. I mean the whole household has been complaining, including her, about how filthy and smelly you are, yet she pushes you away, just so she can take a shower instead!"

"Hey, check me out, Crissy!" Sawyer flexed his muscles proudly, "All this dancing I've been doing lately is making me all buff and stuff!"

"And your point is?" Crissy scowled at him, clearly uninterested in whatever accomplishments he had made.

I decided to say something to keep the peace, despite my own lousy mood, "Very nice, Sawyer" I smiled. "Good job!"

"Oh, I know!" Karima giggled, "We could beat her with an egg turner! That would teach her to mess with us Aussies, wouldn't it now?"

Jo was surprised at her own laughter at Karima's suggestion, even through her disgruntled anger.

"Oh" Jo laughed, "winter is on its way! Maybe we could bury her in the snow, or pack the snow around her and turn her into a snow woman!"

"Oh God" Amylu interjected, as she stood from where she had been relaxing on the bed, "you really, desperately need to make it into that shower, Jo!" It was all she could do to keep the meal she'd eaten earlier to stay down.

"Hey look everyone!" I exclaimed happily. "I have a new job that starts tomorrow!" Finally my mood had lifted enough to allow me to check the classifieds. "I'm going into business, but I'm starting out as a lowly mailroom technician."

"Good on you!" Karima congratulated me as she emerged from the bathroom. "More good news" she laughed. "Jo is finally taking a shower!" That last brought laughter and cheers from everyone in the room.

"Ah yah, this is nice!" Jo sighed happily as the steamy water pelted her body. Her foul mood of earlier was already nearly forgotten and the hot water and soap worked wonders to rid her body of the filth that had plagued her before.

"Oh yummy, that smells delightful!" Jilly said as she breathed in the aroma of the spaghetti Holley was serving for dinner. "I simply can't wait to sink my teeth into that!"

Jill hurried to grab a seat as Holley proudly served up her pile of perfectly-prepared spaghetti, while Amylu spent a moment to admire and enjoy the delicious aroma wafting into her nostrils.

Oh yes, Holley thought as she set a plate down in front of the handsome Paxton. This sort of cooking should be able to easily hook any man!

"Um, I don't think taking a jet plane to fly out of here is much of an option" I smiled as I replied to Crissy's suggestion. "I'm afraid it's all up to me to find the proper job and work my way to the top!"

"Oh, you must be kidding!" Ashley gasped breathlessly. "Do mean that Downtown Strangetown really is crawling with hot vampires?"

Chanel smiled, "Oh yes! I have met several of them myself. In fact" she added, lowering her voice so that Paxton would not overhear, "I have made out with at least one and . . . I even let him have a little nibble or two!"

I wasted no time in finding my way to kitchen upon the aroma of Holley's spaghetti reaching my nose. "Very good, Holley" I commented, unable to conceal the pride in my voice. It really was a great group of roomies I had! Everyone was very complimentary to Holley about her accomplishment, and her face was aglow from pride and the satisfaction she felt at a job well done. It didn't hurt that she could sense Paxton's appreciation as well.

"Ah now" Jo said to herself, "maybe I can actually enter the kitchen and grab a bite to eat without everyone turning away and crinkling their noses at me!"

I finally decided to grab myself a bed while the grabbing was good. It had been what felt like a tremendously long day, filled with ups and downs, mostly downs, but I hoped things were beginning to look up now. Settling in with a sigh, I could only hope and pray that tomorrow, things would go better than they had today.

The fact that I had gone to bed, had not slowed down the party going on for the others. After grabbing a quick bite, Jo decided it would be fun to join the others in one of the activities that had started her earlier situation of getting stinky in the first place.

"Glad to see you join party, Jo!" Karima grinned, satisfied in their new-found, mutual conspiracy against the redhead.

"Well, I'm getting the feeling that a couple of people in this room are a good bit closer than being just friends!" Holley snickered with gleam of knowing sparkling in her eyes. Of course it was obvious to everyone in the room by the way Paxton and Chanel couldn't seem to keep their hands off of each other. Once again, Amylu was totally disgusted by their 'public' display of affection.

"One of these days, I am going to find a man to hug and kiss me like that!" Holley continued with confidence.

Jill smiled, "Oh yes, that would be a wonderful thing to have!"

Crissy, despite the fact that there were plenty of empty beds available, tried her best to catch some sleep on the love seat, even though the music was blaring loudly in the room. "Oh, is there never any peace and quiet around this dreadful place?" she cried in frustration as she finally gave up and headed toward the bedroom.

As Paxton and Chanel began to embrace each other in a slow dance, Ashley decided it was time to hit the sheets as well. She was not one to be easily disgusted, but the scene between the two lovers was getting quite sickening.

The dance soon morphed into a smooching session and even Val had witnessed enough for now. "Well, I'm outta here too!" she announced suddenly, deciding to return when things had cooled down a bit.

"Why so glum?" Sawyer quipped. "Being in love that way is a bright and wonderful thing, like a sunny, spring day!"

A bit later, even Karima had grown tired of the lingering guests and decided to bid Paxton and crew a fond farewell. "It's been real" she said with a smile as she shook the man's hand, "but it is very late, so I think we should say goodnight." During the exchange, Chanel looked on as if it disturbed her. It didn't help matters when Karima said, in her usual nonchalant way, "Oh, how nice it felt to hold a hot man's hand, even if only for a brief moment, yah!"

"Sorry Sweetie" Jill said with a gentle smile at Amylu as she entered the bedroom a moment too late, "I'm afraid this bed is taken and . . . it's the last one!"

Amylu turned away with a tired sigh and mumbled, "That's just my luck."

"Well" Jill replied, still smiling and grateful for her own perfect timing, "Better luck next time, Sweet Pea." Still smiling, Jilly slipped beneath the covers and watched as the young woman moved toward the bedroom door.

Amylu settled in to sleep on the sofa, content that she, at least, did not have to pass out on the floor. The lucky residents who found beds that night were Sawyer, Crissy, Holley, Ashley, Jilly, and me.

While we all slept peacefully, ghost stories were being told in the kitchen. "Did you hear this place used to be haunted and that people actually died here?" Karima asked the two ladies sitting at the table with her. Maria told me the most amazing story earlier!" she continued after she had sparked their interest. "Of course most of us have heard about the wild story of her own death and then later resurrection, but a man died here first and was the first to haunt the place!

"His name was Perry and he died in a fire the first time Chanel left them alone to go to work! It started on the stove, but spread and burnt down the whole kitchen. Everything was gone, including Perry! Chanel returned home while Perry was burning. She quickly called the fire department and tried to help extinguish the flames, but it was too late. The reaper came and Chanel tried her best to plead for Perry's life, but she had not gotten to know him very well, so her pleas fell upon deaf ears. There was nothing to eat that night, so Chanel had to order a pizza. It was two days before they could afford another fridge, and several more days before a replacement stove could be purchased, so they had to live off cereal and cold sandwiches during that time!"

"I believe a magic genie lamp could have easily prevented all that nonsense!" Karima was saying in her crazy way as I joined the ladies at the table. Morning was quickly approaching and I was satisfied, except for the rumbling of my empty stomach.

"You may be right, Karima" I smiled. "That is if such things as those existed."

While Karima and I continued our conversation in the kitchen, Jo decided to go for a nap on the love seat. It was unsuccessful with the music still playing, so I got up and switched off the stereo for her, and she positioned herself on the other loveseat to settle in to sleep. That was until . . . .

Ashley entered the room and switched on the TV. "Have mercy!" Jo complained miserably as she rose from her prone position. "No one around here seems to have any respect or consideration where others are concerned!" She stood and, tossing Ashley a dirty look on the way out, headed for one of the newly-vacated beds.

As usual, I checked the morning paper to hunt for my dream job as Holley and Valpre discussed fine cuisine in the kitchen. Of course, out of the three listed, I still had no luck, and my heart sank to not see it there. I began to wonder if I ever would.

As I hopped into the waiting car, I glanced at the overdue bills on the mailbox shelf and, once again, prayed for the ability to pay them upon my return from work. Day four of our residency here had begun and, again, I found myself wondering and worrying about what would happen at home while I spent my day trying to earn food and bill money.