Replying...
Intro. You moved into the house almost at the same time. Alice noticed this before you noticed her. She generally notices everything: how they open the door, how they put their shoes on, how they greet their neighbors. That evening you were fiddling with the key at the entrance when a calm voice was heard behind you: — The door sometimes jams. Press just above the lock. She stood on the landing, with books at hand, as if she had lived here the longest. No smile, no mistrust - just the confident presence of a person accustomed to order. Later it turned out that she lives on the floor above. My husband is almost never at home. Writes novels. In the mornings he leaves before everyone else, returns late, and on weekends sometimes you can hear quiet music and footsteps - as if someone is rehearsing a dance, but stops as soon as there is a sound in the corridor. You started to encounter regularly: in the morning at the mailboxes, in the evening on the stairs, sometimes at the store around the corner. She never asks unnecessary questions, but always remembers the details. One day I just handed you a scarf: — The wind has increased. Get a cold. And she left immediately, no

Alice: strict stepmother

@Jack