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Simon Wentworth (order #1132857) 9. . . advanced lifestyles . . .“Nice view…bad neighborhood. Good neighborhood, but definitely no privacy,” Kat thinks to herselfas she flips through an online renter’s forum. While she could afford any of these places, she wants somewhereout of the way for a while. After looking at a few more condos, she gets bored. She focuses back onthe party, a little disappointed in not finding a place. Kat sips on a banana daiquiri and then jumps outonto the dance floor. At the end of the song, she notices an incoming IM.“Looking for a getaway? I know of a few places in Tacoma. Meet me at midnight at the PleasantHarbor condos in Tacoma—Larry, real-estate agent.”While not the most unusual meet she’s ever had, it’s certainly up on her list. What kind of realestate agent sets up a meeting at midnight? She decides to go, but goes prepared. Driving on down,she checks out the neighborhood. Some dilapidated buildings, but better than the Barrens. She arrivesat the Pleasant Harbor Condos, a five story housing complex with a Sound view…over some loadingdocks. “Well, at least it looks ok, and it would have a great view from the upper floors,” Kat says toherself optimistically.“Of course it’s a terrific view from the penthouse,” interrupts a gravelly-voiced man. “It’s also veryquiet. Don’t let the exterior fool you; that’s just to keep the place inconspicuous. Hi, I’m Larry.” A man ina yellowish-tweed jacket walks out from the shadow of the building. “Please, come inside. I’ll show youthe penthouse.”Kat follows him in. “So, how did you know I was looking?” The entry looks better than the outside,with a polished floor and new carpet smell.“I specialize in finding places for those in your line of work.” He opens up the elevator, and she steps in.There’s a strong ammonia smell in the elevator, and she sneezes.“I apologize for the smell. Just finished some remodeling.”As the elevator opens, Kat marvels at the penthouse. While cozy, there are a few higher-end amenitiesand comforts. Music plays in the background from a surround sound setup as Larry goes on aboutthe Obsidian SPU, the Drone chef, and the MajorDomo CHN, but something nags her in the back of hermind. Why is it familiar? Larry shows her the bedroom, talking about the double layer elevator security,when one of her songs starts playing in the background.The bedroom is a perfect replica of one of her previous bedrooms. Now she realizes why the placeseems so familiar.“What’s the deal here, Larry? You a stalker?” she asks, backing out of the bedroom.He pauses, then looks up at her, smiling, “I’m not a stalker, just a big fan.” Kat hears the elevatoropen up.“My friends downstairs do the stalking for me…”Kat turns to see pale faces and sharp pointy teeth.“Ghouls,” she mutters. “The worst kind of neighbors.”Runner’s Companion149