Perhaps it was because I had spent so long away from humans, but I found it difficult to predict my housemates’ behavior.

Anise would sometimes pause unexpectedly, a distant look in her eyes. She would often seem disconcerted after these moments. She became angry if anyone touched her chocolate, and would become anxious if she ever ran out or couldn’t find it.

Bliss was usually calm and detached, offering solutions to any problem with a matter-of-fact tone. However, sometimes she would become anxious and babble nervously, especially if she made a mistake.

For a time, it was Celeste who seemed the most consistent. She would stay in her room most of the time, occasionally coming out to eat or sit with the others. If I spoke to her, she usually offered no indication that she heard me. If she wanted to say something, she would make it quick and simple, offering little elaboration or context, usually not looking at me. She was a little more conversational with the others, but only slightly.

Until one day, after she wandered downstairs and spent some time in the kitchen, she joined me in the living room.

“Ross,” she said in a dreamy tone. “The bread spoke to me. It told me that wheat is just as alien to us as yeast, so it wondered why we fear mushrooms but not grass.”

“Are you okay?” I asked. Bliss was at work and Anise was shopping. I wondered if I should take her to a hospital.

“There’s a finite but incalculably large number of universes, you know,” she said, sitting on the floor and leaning her head against the couch. “There’s lots of different yous, but only one me. Don’t worry, though, there are so many different people that you’d probably never meet another you even if you went to another world.”

I wasn’t sure what to say. It seemed like something had gone terribly wrong with her. “Do you need help?”

She laughed and smiled at me, making me feel reassured that she was okay. “I’m fine, Ross. I’m actually great. You’ve never seen me in a good mood, have you? I don’t know why I don’t feel this way more often. After all, look how pretty I am. It should be easy for me to find a pretty girl to follow around like a lost puppy.”

With that, she hopped to her feet and danced away. I asked Bliss about her behavior later, but Bliss just laughed and replied “We don’t even have any bread.”