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extra-soft cushions that enveloped her body like a warm hug, closed her eyes and knew she was home. The rain had cleared, and the early evening sun pierced through the leaded glass windows and refracted prisms of violet, red and yellow that danced about the furniture and the walls, filling the room with a dreamlike brightness, as if it were part of a rainbow. It was eerily quiet, and Jillian wondered where everyone could be. A current issue of Elle magazine lay on the table next to the recliner, and she picked it up and began vaguely flipping through its pages. All the pictures were of beautiful girls, smiling flawlessly back at her, taunting her with their effortless beauty. Maybe if she got the right foundation or the right shade of lipstick— cherry-red bee-stung lips were the current rage. A wave of tiredness overwhelmed her, and she yawned; she desperately needed to shut her eyes and sleep.
She stared at the image of one model clad in a bikini, ringed by three handsome males, tanned and beautiful. The model reminded her so much of Sarah. She did shut her eyes and eventually fell asleep, the magazine slipping from her hand and dropping to the floor.
    Hardly five minutes had passed, or so it seemed, when she was awakened by muted laughter coming through the open window. Voices followed that seemed to be getting closer, then footsteps up the walkway, and suddenly a middle-aged grey man was standing just inside the front door, staring at Jillian with utter surprise on his face. Then he brightened and exclaimed, “What? Well, hello! When did you get here?” He didn't wait for a reply. “Look who's here! Jillian's home,” he called out to the others, who were just coming up the stairs— her brother Adam and his girlfriend, Olivia Spears. Her father drew his handkerchief, blew his nose loudly and then, regaining his composure, added, “We thought you weren't arriving till Monday; otherwise I would have gladly picked you up at the train station.” He passed another clean tissue over his forehead, mopping up the perspiration. She realized that the off-and-on rain showers had considerably raised the humidity.
    “Oh, sorry, dad. I had my interview at the hospital today. They told me about the appointment while I was in Kingston. So I left a few days early.”
    Olivia Spears came over to embrace her, breathless and smelling of strawberries. She had been Adam's girlfriend for six months— a girl of about 19, thin and pretty with dark kinky hair that became even puffier with the heat and humidity of the summers near the lake. Usually she wore it loose on her shoulders, waving like the current of a stream, but today she'd coiled it into a girlish French braid that was loosening now in wispy strands over her large brown eyes. Her dark hair and eyes complemented her olive complexion. She wore dangling oversized gold pirate earrings, which brushed Jillian's face as she turned away.
    “How did the interview go? And what about the apartment?” asked her brother.
    “The interview went great but I won't know for sure for a couple of weeks. I found the greatest house in Kingston. It's such a find. I'm sharing it with three other girls. It's super-close to the campus. They want first and last month's rent, though.”
    “Where did I put my chequebook? I'll write you a cheque for the deposit,” said her father, fumbling through a side-table drawer.
    Olivia giggled, and her brown eyes sparkled bright as she announced, “Andrew stopped by a few times during the week while you were away in Kingston.” Jillian turned to Olivia and gave her a glacial stare. “Not that it's any of my business, of course,” she added playfully, “but I think he may have already made an appearance earlier today.”
    Jillian felt the blood rush to her face. Yes, she was secretly “in like” with Andrew. Yes, they had known each other since kindergarten, but she would never admit these feelings to anyone, especially not Olivia. But in Olivia's fevered