I talked with a handful of people (Natalie, Michael, Alyssa, Aleksandra, etc.) about where my story was going on Friday — I think it’s going somewhere cool, but I wonder if my beginning should be creepier faster. Any advice on how to set a quiet, paranoid mood early would help me out a lot!

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The quiet was killing her. It was so silent, deadly silent. Three weeks ago, she would have cried with joy at the lack of noise. Her roommate was just so loud: loud music, loud talking, loud eating, loud alarms, loud boyfriends, loud everything. No one ever seemed to hold it against her, though. Tiffany was perfect as well as loud.

Blonde hair, blue eyes, clear skin that had never seen a zit, a beautiful car that her Daddy bought her when she turned 16. Tiffany led a charmed life: she had waltzed through college and now held down a handful of part-time jobs that paid the rent. Barista, dog walker, secretary–none of her temporary positions posed any problem to Tiffany, who seemed to hold them just long enough to get bored before moving on to the next employer.

Not that Claire held it against her. After all, it had been Tiffany’s idea to room together after they passed freshman composition. It had been Tiffany’s idea to go in together on an apartment after they graduated, too. But now Tiffany was gone. Claire never thought she would miss the noise so much.