Other Places 1: Shortcuts Read Online Free PDF Page A

Animals are politically correct, right? PETA and all that?" Zack ignored the voice and headed to the kitchen. It wasn't fair, but he was hungry again anyway.
    The single packet of Ramen wasn't exactly filling but his spine was in less danger of being digested after he ate it and washed everything. It wasn't hard to keep the kitchen clean when you ate noodles twice a day and nothing else. As a treat he had it with a single pack of hot sauce that Troy had stolen from Taco Bell for him. Well for both of them. It was delicious. Not as good as the caramel thing that Lenore had given him earlier, but that kind of thing probably wouldn't be happening all the time. He needed to remember to appreciate what he had. Right now that was a distinct lack of starvation. It wouldn't last long, but it was a good thing.
    Soon, if everything went well, he'd get to have real food again. Meat. Maybe something with a vegetable. A little part of him didn't really believe it, since keeping a job was hard, but at least he had a bit of hope now.
    Almost as if actually doing what he'd said earlier, Mirror Him wasn't a huge bother, meaning he got to listen to the radio for a little bit and get to bed early. The guy could be a pain when he didn't get what he wanted. Right now though, it was all about sleep, for nearly ten glorious hours. It was probably the lack of calories, but he'd taken to sleeping a lot in the last few months. Starvation... or depression. The idea that he might not be perfectly happy wasn't exactly a stretch. After all, he had nothing.
    Except for two jobs. That was a start, if he could manage to keep them.
    The morning was better than the one before. He was able to get up and shower, shave and brush his teeth by seven-fifteen, which meant he had a bit of time to get into the shop. He had to open by nine, which meant sweeping and tidying before he did that. At least that was going to be his rule from now on. Get there early, stay late and make sure nothing was left undone. If he couldn't be sane, he could make an effort to get everything else done right.
    His reflection waved, but didn't chat with him, yawning instead, being a bit of a bastard. It got him to do it too, which defeated the purpose of a reflection totally. Someday soon he was going to have a talk with that guy about what was actually normal.
    "Morning, Sunshine! Ready for another day at the mine?"
    Zack ignored him and finished up as quickly as possible, not wanting to engage with the guy. Ignoring him never worked, but it was the only thing he had really, so he did it anyway.
    In the living room he found Troy playing a video game. It was an old one that they'd gotten at least a half year before. Zack was wearing the same clothing as the day before, which couldn't be helped for a bit really, but his roommate looked at him, already in a pair of pajamas, since he actually wore those to sleep in, and wearing a pair of purple slippers. It was a tidy look that didn't really fit their place. They were clean enough, but nothing they had was new.
    They kept things looking as nice as possible, just in case either of them ever brought a woman home with them. That had been a while for Zack, but Troy managed once or twice a week to have company. Not always a different girl each time, but mainly.
    "You're up early. Going job hunting?" He tried not to sound too hopeful about it, but it had been a rough bit of time for both of them.
    "Going job doing . I actually got two yesterday, one full time. Both at Westfield mall? Candles and More, as well as a part time thing over at Yoghurt World. Not exactly rocket science, but it pays." How much he hadn't asked, assuming it would be minimum wage. It seemed his roommate was going with the same thought, but congratulated him anyway.
    "Alright! I hadn't wanted to say anything, but your butt was starting to leave an imprint on my favorite cushion here." He grinned and hopped up without saying anything. A few minutes later he came back in, a nice