[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

New Year, new start, right? At least, that had been her plan. New name, too - not many people were called Ella, and it was so different from what had been her name she worried she wouldn't remember about the change.

She set down the last box in her new flat, and wiped her brow with her forearm as she looked around at the meagre amount of possessions she had brought with her.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

It had been a spur-of-the-moment decision she had made, when she chose to leave. Most of what she had owned had been left behind or distributed before she left, and what she had with her amounted to the bare essentials and little else. Still, it felt good to get a new start in a new city, and she had a good feeling about this one.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

A bead of sweat ran down her cheek, and she wiped it off with the back of her arm as her stomach began to rumble. She glanced around, wondering whether she should order take-away or go out and buy something to make.

She snorted to herself at that thought; she would need to buy the equipment to make it as well, and then clean it...

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

She picked up the leaflet that had been in the mailbox when she entered the flat, deciding take-away was the better option. As she scanned the page, she fingered the unfamiliar mobile phone that she held in her hand - the one that had been non-negotiable when she agreed to be relocated, and the one she was expecting a call on very soon.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

As she began to dial, the phone rang, making her almost drop it. She scowled as she fumbled to answer it; as much as she had been expecting the call, it was a bit bothersome to receive it right when she had been about to order food.

The line crackled as she answered "Ella here, what can I do for you?"

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

"Good evening, 'Ella', we hope you have settled in well. This is just a courtesy call to remind you to keep your phone on at all times, and you must answer when we call. That is all."

Loud static filled the air as the call finished, and Ella hung up with a sigh.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

It had been a pre-recorded call with a distorted voice, and though she was somewhat expecting that sort of thing she still felt annoyed someone hadn't actually bothered to speak to her after leaving her whole life behind.

She took a moment to catch her breath, and plastered on  her best fake smile as she dialed the local pizza place.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

The pizza was good, if a little gooey. She thought about ordering another one later during the week, as she shoved the box into a waste moving box and washed her hands with the bar of soap in the bathroom. She would need to go out for provisions tomorrow, but for the meantime she had eaten and she had her old sleeping bag ready on the bare mattress of the bed that had been provided for her.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

The shower, however, left her wanting - her hair wasn't much longer than jaw-length, yet the hot water ran out as soon as she began to rinse, and the rest of the shower was spent trying to rinse off as quickly as possible without being blasted by the icy water.

"New b-b-boiler" she choked out from between chattering teeth, as she turned the water off.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

She fumbled with the towel, her numb fingers failing to grasp it properly, and hurried to put on the clothes she had prepared. Damp tendrils of hair still framed her face, and she rubbed her head fruitlessly with the towel, until she gave up.

Still shivering, she wandered over to the fireplace, but she couldn't light it without checking for nests and she wasn't up to doing that tonight.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

She grimaced as she turned on the oven, knowing it wasn't the safest way to go about things, but in truth her options were slim at the moment and she was freezing.

She placed a chair in front of it, where the warm air was escaping, and tipped her head forward so that her hair hung in the warmth.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

She hoped it wouldn't frizz too much, as she combed her fingers through it to let the warm air penetrate between her locks.

At least doing it this way would also warm up the room; already, she felt better, and some of the trembling had stopped - she could even feel her clumsy fingers beginning to thaw.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Once she felt her hair had dried enough, she pulled a thin sweater on over her pyjamas and switched the oven off, carefully closing the door before she hurried to her sleeping bag.

The lights were off, and she huddled into it, hoping she would warm it up soon. As she shivered, she made a mental list of things she needed to sort out the next day.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

She awoke to the cold morning light filtering in through the worn curtains, and her muscles ached from being cramped all night in the vain hope of being warm and comfortable.

Money would not be an issue; she had wanted to keep a low profile, and buy things slowly to avoid drawing attention to herself, but it was no good - she was being forced to admit there were things she couldn't really do without.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

She resolved to lay a false trail, at the very least; she wouldn't shop in this sleepy little village, and would make her way to the nearby towns for what she needed. She wondered if she could hire a van - she had no qualms about putting furniture together herself, but strapping it to her car would attract attention, whilst she could probably get away with looking like she worked for the moving company.