Austin Conway and his wife, Persephone, exchanged a look as their new roommate finished carrying the last of her possessions into her new room. He knew both of them were thinking the exact same thing: this wasn't what they had been expecting.
The Conways were, in almost every respect, a very normal couple. They were exactly the kind of people you might have expected to see living in a quaint little house in the suburbs, complete with white picket fence. Austin and Persephone would have been proud of a home like that, too. There was just one problem: as older millennials, they were a few decades too late for the time when a young couple could actually afford a house of their own. As such, they had ended up renting a house big enough for three, and as much as they'd both wanted to avoid finding a new roommate after their old one had moved out, their finances weren't so accommodating.
That's where Haisley came in.
On paper, she was the perfect candidate. She was the same age as them, all her references checked out, and she had a nice, stable job as a web developer. Better still, she was a lesbian. When they'd been reviewing applicants, Austin and Persephone had decided a lesbian would be perfect. No awkwardness, no tension. Both of them were as straight as a ruler, and a roommate that was categorically off the table for either of them just seemed to make things simpler. It was one less problem to worry about.
Haisley, though, wasn't quite what either of them hadn't been expecting.
What her application hadn't told them was that Haisley was, in fact, a complete and total alt girl. Her hair was dyed black with a large, bright, neon pink streak, her makeup was dark and striking, and she had more than a few visible piercings. And her clothes? Austin hadn't been expecting their new roommate to show up wearing a corset top, a pleated miniskirt, thigh-highs, and Doc Martens. Her jewelry was equally ostentatious; she had on a thick, leather choker and a huge, strange locket suspended on a chain. Between all of that and the tattoo visible on her shoulder, Haisley looked like she'd be more at home on a trendy campus rather than the Conways' sleepy, boring, normal neighborhood.
That was a problem.
At least, potentially. Austin didn't like to think of himself as close-minded, but both he and Persephone wanted someone who could fit in with them. Someone who had the right kind of vibe. Someone who was, just like them, pretty normal. Austin was very worried that Haisley was going to be anything but. The last thing he and his wife wanted was someone who was going to disrupt their nice little married life.
"There," Haisley announced brightly, approaching the couple. "All done."
"That's great," Austin replied politely. "You must be exhausted."
Haisley laughed. "You can say that again."
"Especially since, uh, you got all dressed up just to move," Persephone ventured hopefully.
"Hm?" Haisley looked down at herself. "Oh, not really. This is me every day."
"Ah."
Austin and Persephone's polite smiles grew a touch more forced.
"Well," Austin said, "just let us know when you're feeling up to the grand tour!"
"Thanks!" Haisley looked intently at Austin. "I feel really really good about living here. I've got some big plans, and I can't wait to get working on them." She turned her gaze to Persephone. "I'm especially excited for us to get some girl time together at some point. Aren't you?"
Persephone just nodded, but Austin could tell she was more than a little unhappy with the suggestion. Austin didn't blame her. Looking at the two of them, standing next to each other, he couldn't picture them becoming friends. They were polar opposites. Persephone was much more girl-next-door, rather than alt girl. He was fairly confident her naturally pale, blonde hair had never touched hair dye, and she rarely opted for anything more than no-makeup makeup looks, except for on special occasions. Her wardrobe was all jeans, plain tops and sundresses, and her taste in music was just as conventional.
What could she and a girl like Haisley possibly have in common?
"That sounds fun," Persephone agreed eventually, without much enthusiasm. "But, um, you know, sometimes I'm pretty busy..."
"Don't worry." Haisley seemed oblivious to Persephone's awkwardness, and spoke with a certain twinkle in her eye. "I'm sure we can find the time sooner or later. And I'm just as sure we'll be able to have a ton of fun. I can promise you, I'm very, very good at getting along with people."
Austin noticed her hand drifting upwards, to idly toy with that strange locket around her neck.
***
After two weeks, Persephone still wasn't used to Haisley living with her and her husband. She was enjoying a day off from work, and every time she went downstairs, the sound of Haisley typing on her laptop from their living room made her feel uncomfortable, like it was some sort of intrusion. It wasn't that Haisley was a bad roommate. She seemed perfectly nice. It was just that since she worked from home, she was always there, and Persephone had absolutely nothing in common with her.
Persephone couldn't resist the urge to peak in on her as she worked, peering through the small gap between the door and its frame. Haisley was sitting on the couch, busy on her laptop, wearing a large pair of headphones. Persephone had learned that her new roommate was quite the audiophile, although from her perspective, Haisley's taste in music was completely baffling. She couldn't stand all that moody emo stuff she listened to.
"Hey Persephone, what's up?"
Persephone almost jumped out of her skin when Haisley called her name. She hadn't realized Haisley had known she was there. Left with no other choice, she pushed the door open and walked in.
"Hi," she said, with the warmest smile she could muster. "I was just, um, wondering if you'd like some tea? I'm taking a break from some chores and I was thinking of making some."
"Oh, that's OK." Haisley reached up and took off her headphones. "But if you're taking a break, I'll do the same! Here, why don't we chat?"
She patted the seat beside her on the couch. Persephone didn't particularly want to sit with her, but she didn't want to be rude either. Reluctantly, she nodded.
Once she was seated next to Haisley, it immediately became obvious that they had absolutely nothing to talk about. Music was a non-starter; she'd already tried that. Fashion was just as bad a prospect. To Persephone, Haisley's dress sense was just as unfathomable. How could she stand wearing black all the time? Along with her hair, it was so garish. Why did she want to show so much skin, especially at home? And then there was her jewelry...
"Is... there something on my chest?" Haisley asked, an amused smile on my face.
"Huh? Oh!" Persephone blushed as she abruptly released that she'd been staring at Haisley's locket. "N-no, I... was just admiring your locket," she replied, half-truthfully.
"Yeah?" Haisley seemed even more amused by that. She lifted it between two of her fingers, letting Persephone get a better look. "You like it?"
Persephone wouldn't have gone that far, but she had to admit that it was an eye-catching piece. The locket was of a very unusual design. It was silver, and consisted of a pair of concentric rings with a small hourglass at their center. They were all connected so that the rings could spin freely within one another, allowing the hourglass to be spun upside down at a simple touch. Within it, there were what looked like actual grains of sand. It was a neat idea, Persephone supposed, but a little too large and gimmicky for her liking.
"It's certainly unusual," she said politely. "Where did you find something like that?"
Haisley laughed a knowing laugh. "That's a very long story. And you wouldn't believe it if I told you." She tilted her head, looking at Persephone intently. "But... is that really what you were looking at?"
