CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY ONE – WELCOME TO PHILLY

Hours passed as Nia scrolled through listing after listing. The cheap ones were in neighborhoods that made her nervous, while the nicer ones were far beyond her budget. She filled out application after application, her fingers flying over the keyboard as she input the same information over and over. Name: Nia Moreno Age: 28 Current Employment: N/A Reason for Moving: Seeking new opportunities She paused at the last question, her fingers hovering over the keys. It wasn't exactly a lie, but it felt hollow. How could she explain that she was running from her past, from the mess she'd made of her life in New York? As the afternoon wore on, Nia's eyes began to blur from staring at the screen. She stretched, her joints popping in protest. That's when she saw it – a small brown shape scuttling across the worn carpet. "Oh, God," she muttered, recoiling as she realized it was a cockroach. The insect paused, its antennae twitching as if sensing her disgust, before disappearing under the dr