Day 64

Erin stood up from the couch and stretched. She had been there all evening immersed in her work and eating salad from a bag. Depressing evening to say the least, but what else was she going to do when it was just her and the empty apartment? Beth hadn't called her for a while, which probably meant she was still pedaling towards San Fransisco. Erin decided to leave her alone for the time being; it was hard enough to bike long-distance without talking on the phone. A sudden scuffling  brought Erin out of her thoughts. She froze, scanning the room carefully for the source. When it did not start again, she closed her eyes and rubbed them with her palms for a moment, heaving a sigh, then pulled the band out of her hair and walked to the bathroom to take a shower.

 As soon as she shut the water off, Erin heard the noises again, louder this time: a squeak, followed by a frantic scrambling sound. She peered slowly around the shower curtain and, seeing nothing, grabbed a towel from the rack and wrapped it around herself. She stepped carefully out of the tub and peered through the door into the main body of the bathroom where the sinks and mirror were; still nothing, though she swore she heard giggling, followed by a hasty shushing sound from somewhere. She furrowed her brow and snatched up a can of hairspray from the counter, wielding like a weapon.
"Alright!" she said aloud. "Whatever you little creeps are up to, knock it off. I'm not afraid to use this!" She brandished the hairspray. Another snicker, then a pained squeak.
"Ouch! Hey!" a small, voice hissed.
"Lady is going to hear you if you don't shoosh!" scolded another voice.
"She already heard you," said Erin impatiently. "Why are you here?" Nobody answered. Erin scowled and glanced around the room, suddenly realizing that the t-shirt and shorts she had laid out for herself were gone.
"Come on, you guys! Those are my favorite shorts!" she said in annoyance. Still no answer, so she shook her head. "Whatever. It's not like I don't have other clothes." Clutching her towel around herself, she went across the hall to her bedroom and picked out some new clothes. However, when she opened the drawer that usually contained her jeans, she found them all to be missing. She bit her lip in frustration, but maintained her cool. She was not going to let the goblins win.
"Jokes on YOU! My roommates aren't home, so I am in no way obligated to wear pants! HA!" she exclaimed, eye twitching, and strutted back into the living room in her drawers. She plopped back down on the couch as a disappointed "Aww man!" sounded -- almost inaudibly -- from somewhere in the apartment. She smiled smugly to herself and leaned over to retrieve her laptop and tracking equipment from the floor, placing one hand on the coffee table to support herself. She straightened up and began to work as she had before. It was several minutes before she realized that her right hand was covered in glitter. The color drained from her face as she glanced slowly around to see that the coffee table was also dusted with glitter, as was a good portion of the carpet. Erin's heart skipped a beat, then began to pound loudly, drowning out all thoughts of her work. Hands shaking, she reached for her phone and dialed Beth's number.