When the doorbell rang the day before, it startled her; when it rang this day she became excited that maybe Alex had come back. Alex didn't bring the pressure Jack brought, or the odd analysis Juliet brought. She was just a girl. Kate rushed from the bedroom, her bare feet slapping against the tile of the entrance before she pulled the door open, her smile fading instantly.

"I never did properly welcome you to the neighborhood," Ben told her, his eyes darting down to a basket in his arms. He raised it towards her and she took it cautiously, keeping her eyes on him. "May I come in?"

Kate stepped into the kitchen, letting him pass into the living room while she set the basket down on the counter. She moved to close the door behind him, watching him take in the living room. It was still mostly bare; they hadn't been told where they could get anything to fill it with.

Ben turned towards her, a smile creeping onto his face. "There's a camera in that basket. Polaroid, and some plain frames. I know how much cozier a house can feel when you've got your memories to decorate it with."

She shivered, walking around the island to meet him in the living room. She stared at him, uncertain as to how to even approach him. Anger wouldn't get her anywhere, she knew. She followed him when he went into the hallway.

"A proper hostess would give her guest a tour of her home," Henry informed her as he stood at the entrance to her doorway.

"That's the master bedroom," Kate told him blankly.

He turned and gave her an amused smile.

"There's another bedroom. It's empty. And there's another bathroom too." She cut her words short, pressed her lips together and crossed her arms, waiting for him to move, but he didn't.

"But you share this one," he pointed.

Kate's eyes rolled painfully in her head. "Yes, we share a bedroom." She paused, waiting and then asked, "Do you share your bedroom?"

He turned sharply and she knew she'd hit on something. He disguised it quickly, walking towards the empty bedroom and opening the door. Kate moved towards him, watching him walk to the direct center of the room. He looked around at the walls, the light blue casting a strange tint on his face. "Whose room is this?"

"I don't know, you picked out the house, why don't you tell me?" Kate spat, feeling somewhat uncomfortable at being near that room. They'd kept the door closed on it, pretended it didn't exist. The first day they'd been taken there, Juliet had told her not to worry about it, that it'd be occupied soon and for a while they kept waiting for someone to come knock on the door saying they were their new roommate.

They joked about how they were going to tie them down and suck information out of them about this strange little colony. But no one ever came. At some point they decided not to think about it and they'd stopped even looking down the hallway.

Ben went towards the small window in the room. "You should open this up, let this room breathe."

"I prefer to…"

"Kate," Ben said her name cautiously, as though her defying his wishes would get her into trouble. He worked the blinds and sunlight flooded the room making her wince, before he pulled the window open a few inches. "We should get curtains, soften the light. It's a beautiful room, it should be occupied."

"Get right on that," she replied, swallowing her anger.

He moved towards her and she shifted back, away from the room, her back pressed tight against the wall as he passed her and went back into the living room. Kate took a breath and then went to him, watching him examine the kitchen. "Juliet tells me you're dissatisfied with your supplies, I've fixed that problem."

"Thank you," Kate told him honestly.

"If you ever have a problem don't hesitate to come see me, Kate, I can help." He pulled open the front door and smiled back at her. "I understand this isn't easy, but it's only as hard as you make it." He pointed towards the basket, "I'm sure you'll find some useful things in there."

Kate nodded and gave him a short wave just before he shut the door, then she rushed towards it to lock it behind him and she watched him through the peephole as he walked calmly down the walkway back towards his place. She'd figured out which one it was earlier in the week. He had two bedrooms and when she peeked into the smaller one, she'd seen a normal bedroom, books piled high on a small desk – romance novels Alex must have taken from the library when she wasn't there.

She'd never seen here there.

Turning, she went towards the basket and undid the bow, then pulled apart the cellophane. There was a bottle of red wine and she found the camera and frames easily. They were small, but would help decorate the shelves. There was a snow globe that made her smile, Micky and Minnie Mouse stood at its center waving at her, the castle behind them. There was a ceramic angel, and a book on writing that came with a notebook and a pack of pencils. She sighed, it'd been a long time since she'd written.

At the bottom of the basket there was a ball of soft pale green yarn and crochet needles. Kate held them in her hands and frowned. "This isn't useful," she muttered, walking with it towards the back room. She went towards the window and looked out at the mountains.

Her hand clasped the top of the window and she shut it tightly, closing the blinds, leaving her in the darkened room. Her eyes scanned it quickly and she swallowed as she fingered the yarn in her left hand. She could paint clouds, she thought, if she had paint. And if they had furniture… Kate shook her head and went towards the closet, opening it quickly and peering at the empty space a moment before tossing the yarn and needles inside.

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