Gabriella was cautious as she filled the washing machine with her things. In addition to washing her own sheets and such, the laundry room, if it could even be called that, was full of things that needed to be cleaned.
"You'd better watch out for yourself." Gabriella whirled around at the voice from behind her. It was Russell.
"Oh, hello Russell." Gabriella smiled. "What do you mean?"
"Murdoc," Russell began. Gabriella sighed. "He likes women. Just be careful around him." Russell was a man of few words, even Gabriella could see it after two days of being there. But even so, his warning was sweet and considerate.
"Thank you for being so concerned Russell."
"Now I know you're a smart girl, and you won't do anything dumb. But still…just be careful." Russell gave her a kind smile and left. Gabriella's thoughts went back to Murdoc. She only hoped that she'd be able to avoid him completely. She thought about that horrible smell that wafted through the room as soon as he appeared. It was the awful stench of booze and sweat. The man looked filthy! And that twisted grin—
She shook her head. She mustn't think about these things. If she wanted to remain happy while living at this place, she had to think positively. She went back to doing the laundry, her mind wandering. She tried to focus on how she would redo her new room. She wanted to repaint the walls, and add new furniture. She smiled when she thought about the details she would add. The room would need a few flowers. She would make it look wonderful!