When Maddison got home Kalie was there, waiting. She sat at the kitchen table with her hair now pink and spiky, and a tiny unicorn dangling from her ear. Other then looking a little tired around her caramel colored eyes, she didn't seem any worse-for-wear and that-at least-was good news. More than once Kalie had shown up covered in bruises curtesy of a boyfriend.

  At the moment she was playing Go-Fish with Chase while Greg sat at the other end of the kitchen table grading papers.

  "Welcome home Maddison." Said Greg, glancing up from his papers, his silvery blue eyes wrinkling in a smile.

  "Hey. I brought dinner." grinned Maddison holding up the bag of chicken dinners. "Sorry I'm late."

  "That's alright." Smirked Chase "It gave me time to wipe the floor with Kalie at Go-Fish."

  "You were cheating and we both know it!" scoffed Kalie, messing up the fourteen- year-olds honeyed brown hair that he shared with his father. "Ill grab the plates." She added to Maddison, getting up and heading for the cupboards.

  There was no question about there being enough for the spunky Kalie. The Nixon family always made sure there was enough food for her at any meal, because there was always the chance she would show up unexpected. Kalie was like a stray cat that came by for meals every now and again.

  "Sorry I was a no-show Maddie. Wayne and his friends didn't want to drive me back this way till they were good and ready to leave." Kalie was the only person that called Maddison 'Maddie'.

  "S'all right. Turned out to be a long and dull day anyways." Maddison replied smiling at her best friend.

  When they were about sixteen, in the nineth grade, Kalie and her mother moved to moncton. Suposedly it was to get away from her mother's crazy ex. Like mother like daughter she supposed. They met in the school cafeteria and had been inseparable ever since.

  "No luck again then?" asked Chase, taking his plate from Kalie and a box of chicken from Maddison.

  "Actually, no. I finally found a place." She informed her family while trying not to think about Reece's rock hard abs, and failing miserably.

  "No shi- er kidding?" Kalie quickly censured with a glance at Chase, who rolled his eyes. Sure, the teen knew his fair share of cuss words, but none present were going to bandy them about in front of Greg. He was a cool dad but he was also a teacher, and the PG rating hung about all day.

  "Where is this place at?" Greg asked, gathering up the papers and putting them on the counter so he could eat.

  "Near the shelter. Just off Elmwood on Alburn circle. Work is a quick bike ride away and there is a Sobeys right around the corner."

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  "That's great. It'll be strange not having you around the house though." He added with a little frown.

  "You know full well that you wont be going a week without seeing me here." Maddison laughed.

  "Can we go see the place?" Chase asked excitedly with a mouthful of mashed potatoes. "When do you move in?"

  Kalie gave the teen a light whack to the back of the head for talking with his mouth full and set into her own food. As always she ate like a half starved animal. Kalie always had a fast metabolism and Maddison had no clue where she put it all.

  "The landlord says I'm free to move in whenever I like. I figured I'd start bringing my stuff over the day after tomorrow since I've got to work tomorrow."

  "Have you signed the lease?" Asked Greg.

  Oops. She'd been so distracted by Mister Topless she hadn't even thought of that. Mind you he hadn't offered a lease either...

  "Not yet. He didn't have one on him." It wasn't a lie. Reece hadn't much of anything at all on him, as a matter of fact.

  "Well you be sure to sign it soon Maddison. There are some underhanded people out there. You don't want this man to run off with your money."

  Her father was right of course. She had been foolish to have given the guy over a grand with out even getting a receipt, much less the physical lease. Yet she didn't think Reece was a scam artist. Somehow she found herself trusting the absolute, perfect stranger.

  Emphasis on perfect...

  Time to snap out of the day dreams Maddison! She admonished herself.

  "I'll ask to sign it when I see him Saturday." She promised her father. "Will you guys help me move in?"

  "All you have are a few boxes." Said Chase, this time with out a mouth full of potatoes. "But I do want to see the place, so I'm in!"

  Maddison had no furniture yet, but she figured she'd buy it once she had a place. Between her savings and inheritance from her mother, as well as a favorite Aunt who had passed away and left Maddison a sizeable amount when she was ten-years-old, she had more than enough to get her new place set up. She would stop at some furniture stores tomorrow after work and order some things.

  "Count me in." said Kalie between bites. "Wayne is going to be out of town till Sunday, so I am all~ yours."

  "I'd like to see this new place as well." Announced Greg. "Not to mention meet this landlord of yours."

  Something must have shown on Maddison's face because Greg raised an eyebrow and Kalie snorted in amusement. Chase just looked confused at their reactions.

  "Oh my God! Is he cute?" asked Kalie, excitedly. Maddison rarely showed an interest in any men, and so when she did, Kalie usually needed to know every little detail.

  Maddison chanced an embarrassed glance at her father's amused face before answering in a near whisper. "Yeah, I guess."

  Kalie broke out into wild laughter that made Chase smile. "What's he look like? Is he like your dad cute, or like fire fighter cute?"

  Greg raised an eyebrow over the frames of his glasses at being called 'cute' by a 21 year-old- woman with spiky pink hair, but otherwise did not comment.

  "Closer to the fire fighter I suppose..."

  "Haha! That's fantastic! I have to see this guy now!"

  Maddison groaned in mock distress at her friend's antics. Kalie would see him at some point anyway, might as well get the embarrassing encounter over with right out of the gate. She was suddenly glad she had warned Reece beforehand about Kalie.

  "Dose he allow pets, or will you need to keep Mittens here." Asked Greg.

  "No, he said he was fine with her."

  Dinner didn't take long and Kalie helped Maddison clean up, while Chase disappeared to his room to read the newest book he'd bought with his allowance. The boy had a serious obsession with the supernatural and usually spent any money he got on fantasy novels or figurines of famous Other-Worlders. Maddison was quite sure he had all their names memorized.