The Awakening: A Sisterhood of Spirits Novel by Yvonne Heidt

to herself at this time of day. It was one of the reasons why she loved the swing shift. There was time to run errands when everyone else was working, and she could avoid the crowds the weeknights and weekends brought with them. So far, Steve was the only neighbor she’d met, and Jordan hoped she wouldn’t have to meet another.
    When she opened the heavy metal door to the basement, she was instantly struck by the odor of damp mold overlaid by Pine-Sol. Why did basements always smell? Along either side of the long hall, storage units lined the walls. They looked more like cages with wire fencing and reminded her of the jail. Jordan saw a woman at the end with an industrial mop cleaning the cement floor. The woman was swinging the mop back and forth from side to side. Every third stroke, she stopped to rinse it and do little booty shakes. She never looked up from the task.
    Just before Jordan reached the laundry room, the woman saw her, stopped her dancing, and screamed. It startled Jordan into dropping the laundry basket.
    “Jeezus. You scared the shit out of me.” The woman held a hand to her heart.
    “I’m sorry, and right back at you.” Jordan noticed the ear buds when the woman took them out to drape around her neck. Jordan hadn’t seen them in the dim light, and it explained why the woman hadn’t heard her.
    The woman laughed nervously and wiped her hands on her worn jeans. “You’re new here?”
    “Yes, I moved in a couple of weeks ago. Jordan.” She shook the woman’s hand.
    “Lisa. I live over in the east wing. You’ll see me around since I clean the place for Agnes.”
    A rustling sound from behind Jordan had her looking over her shoulder. “What was that?”
    Lisa shook her head. “That’s why I wear the headphones so loud. It’s never quiet in the basement, and I scare myself silly if I don’t.”
    “Mice?” Great. That would explain a lot. “Or rats?”
    Lisa smiled. “If it makes you feel better to think that, okay. But Agnes has the exterminators in every three months, and we have resident cats. I clean here, remember? And I have never, not in the three years I’ve lived here, seen any sign of them.” She picked up the mop. “Nice meeting you. The laundry is there.” Lisa pointed to the blue door. “I’m almost through here, and I’m on a schedule today.” She walked back to her bucket. “Watch out for ghosts, Jordan,” she said before turning her back and putting her buds back in.
    Jordan picked up her basket and went into the room. What is it with these people and their cryptic warnings? Ghosts? It had to be rodents.
    Right?
    Still, as Jordan loaded the washer, she was aware of the nerves singing along her spine. The intuition she normally only felt when she was on duty. A child’s giggle had her spinning so fast she grabbed the folding table for support. The room was empty and she thought she heard a ball bouncing in the hall. She peered out the door, hoping to see Lisa. Maybe she had a child.
    No. The walkway was empty. The only sign that someone had been there were the wet streaks left by the mop. These people were going to drive her crazy, and Jordan had to admit that these days it would be a short trip. Jordan forced herself to take a deep breath and forget about it. She went back upstairs, and while she was waiting for the laundry to finish, she hung the new curtains she’d purchased. She had to admit they made the room homier.
    When she gauged enough time had gone by, Jordan returned to the laundry room to switch her clothes to the dryer and flinched when the heavy metal door closed behind her. Her boots echoed on the cement, sounding as if someone was keeping step with her. Get a grip, Lawson. She was only nervous because people kept trying to put stupid ideas in her head.
    She forced herself to walk at a normal pace and continued to the end of the hallway. The rustling she heard was just her imagination. It was an old building, and the vents were picking up noises