The doors opened a fistful of seconds later and the corridor before her was empty, studded with anonymous, closed doors. Shane frowned rummaging through the front pocket of her jeans and extracting the key. Hers was apartment number 79.

She pushed the key into the hole and turned it, her breath itching. She was upset, she felt like choking and felt the sudden need of open that fucking door and hide herself into that apartment for at least a century.

“Need help?”, a voice asked from behind her shoulders.

Shane spun on her heels, her forehead covered with sweat, dark circles around her green eyes, and met a pair of soulful dark eyes behind horn-rimmed specs.

The young woman in front of her was a nerd. She wore a long skirt that reached her calves and a pale yellow jumper. Her long hair were tied in a ponytail, and she was holding three books against her chest.

Shane shook her head.

“Uh…no, no. I’m… I…”, she stuttered, “…I’m new here and I just think I’m having problems with this key…”.

The woman gave her a pale smile but her lips remained pursed. She was definitely a shy girl. Nevertheless, she walked over and shrugged, placing her hand on the key.

“Oh, it happens all the time. These door locks are… uhm… cheap and problematic, I’d say…”, she uttered, forcing the key and finally making it turn in the hole.

The door of Shane’s apartment opened without a sound and the woman stepped back, shrugging again.

“Done”, she mumbled, looking down at her own shoes.

Shane took a deep sigh of relief.

“Thank you”.

“No prob”.

The woman turned around, showing her back, and rapidly opened the door that faced Shane’s, entering the apartment.

“Hey, wait. What’s your name?”, Shane asked, more out of habit than for a real interest.

“Carmen. Carmen Morales”, the woman replied without looking up, “Have a good day”.

She slammed the door shut and Shane remained still, completely alone in the silent hallway.

”…It’s all been saved
with exception for the right parts
When will we be new skin?
Its all been seen with exception for what could be
When will we be new skin?
Fallacious cognitions
spewed from televisions
do mold our decisions.
So stop and take a look,
and you’ll see what I see now”*

***
* “New Skin” (Incubus)