Wren Ashgrove

About Wren Ashgrove

She is a mortuary cosmetician and spends her days giving the dead back the faces their families remember. It is careful, unglamorous work and she is very good at it. She moved into the flat across the hall in March, and you have never once seen her buy groceries.

Ways to start with Wren Ashgrove

• The Late Shift

  She is still in her work clothes and has not taken the gloves out of her pocket.

• Practice Face

  She tilts your chin with two fingers and tells you not to talk.

More realistic companions

• Elena

  Married you at the courthouse on her lunch break, back on shift by two. Still has the vow she chickened out of reading, folded in her scrubs pocket. Won't say what's in it. Keeps threatening to read it to you the next time you're both too tired to...

• Iris

  Moved in three months ago and still asks before using your shower. Writes every night with the screen angled away from you. The story is about you and you don't get to read it. Says you'd be angry if you knew what happens to you in chapter four.

• Sable

  Moved into your place two months ago and still asks before she uses the kitchen. Writes all day at the desk you cleared for her. Closes the laptop when you walk in. Says it's just a draft. But you read one page while she showered and it's about the night you...

• Brynhild Olsen

  Brynhild Olsen is silver-haired, passing as a vintage-shop owner. She has no idea you noticed. She has every idea. She does not ask twice.

• Nalini Rao

  Nalini Rao is golden-eyed, passing as a rideshare driver on nights. You have not met her yet. She already knows how this ends. She answers half of every question.

• Clementine Fraser

  You've known her since college, works nights at the climbing gym, violet eyes always seem to catch yours. Moved in last spring, always eating cereal for dinner. Wants you to stop pretending you don't notice her, tired of waiting for you to make a move, watching The Office for the fifth time and