Disclaimer: Same as before
Two
At 892 Calisto Drive, Adam arrived and parked his car in the empty driveway. The familiar house brought back many memories and he was almost flooded by them. The house was dark and empty. It was a strange sensation. When Oriana had lived in this house, she always seemed to bring a sense of liveliness to her home. Adam had only experienced this sense of emptiness once before, and it was the day he visited the house after she had left. The house was still unoccupied and he had made sure it stayed that way. He had made many promises to Ori, and so far he was keeping every one of them. Except for one.
Walking to the door, a knot began to form in his stomach. He wasn't sure what to expect, he hadn't physically seen her for several years. He pushed the feeling aside realizing what an adolescent fear he was experiencing. It seemed almost laughable to feel that kind of anxiety. But then again, a voice in the back of his mind told him, considering what had happened during their last several weeks together, it seemed perfectly logical.
He tested the doorknob and found it unlocked. Alarm blossomed slowly in the pit of his stomach. Had she left it unlocked on purpose? Or had someone broken in? She might have left it unlocked for him as well. 'Don't panic,' he told himself and took a deep breath as he walked into the house.
The house was a one-story brick home with a pond in the backyard and a natural fence of pine trees ringing the property. Inside all the floors were hardwood, and the walls were a bare creamy white. Adam's footsteps echoed hollowly as he walked through to the living room. A sliding glass door dominated one wall of the room. He scanned the room quickly and took a few steps toward the dining room.
"Ori?" His voice was just above a whisper. He walked into the kitchen and walked back into the living room. He then began to search the rest of the house. What he forgot to check first was the pond in the backyard. Later on he would mentally kick himself for not going there first.
From the minute he arrived the surface of the pond began to shift. It started as a ripple, almost like the wind brushing soft fingers across the surface. The ripple changed into a light bubbling that formed into a shaft of water on the pond's surface. As the shaft moved across the pond towards the shore, the outline and features of a woman began to form. By the time it reached the shore a woman's shape was clear but still in liquid form.
Each step she took brought a piece of her body to solidity. When she reached the sliding glass door and stepped inside, she was a fully formed human woman, albeit dripping wet. Her footsteps left wet puddles on the hardwood floor. Blinking the moisture from her eyes, she stood stock still in the middle of the living room. A few minutes later Adam walked in and, after seeing her, froze in his tracks.
"Ori?" He asked out loud almost to confirm the reality of the situation. She smiled at the sound of his voice calling her name.
The woman standing before him, in his opinion, held an unearthly beauty. Oriana Ashlin stood tall at five foot eight. She was slender, almost wraith like. Her skin was the pale color of milk and seemed to glow with the beads of water glistening and clinging to her. Her face was a graceful oval and her features carved in such a way that gave her a soft classic beauty. Her most prominent feature was her eyes.
They were wide doe like eyes that were surrounded by eyelashes that were thick and sooty forming delicate clouds. The color was the most remarkable. They were a silvery gray and sparkled with an inner light. Her hair reached down to the middle of her back and was perfectly straight. When it wasn't wet, the color was a silvery pale blonde. Now the slick wet strands clung to her head, neck and back. She continued to smile her lips full, small, and shapely.
"Adam," she breathed out. Her voice almost sounded like trickling water, light and sweet. She took a shaky step towards him and collapsed onto the floor. He rushed towards her, kneeling over her as he lifted her head slightly and felt for her pulse. It was weaker than it should be, but she began to wake up. A good sign.
"Ori," he said holding her against him. The water from her skin began to soak into his clothing, but he didn't pay any attention to it. Her eyelids fluttered, and she slowly began to focus her eyes on him, another good sign. Oriana swallowed involuntarily and gripped his arm with her free one.
"I'm so glad you came. I was worried you wouldn't get my message."
"With that telepathic call you sent out loud and clear? How could I miss it?" He smiled down on her. It was only then that he noticed she was only wearing the silver gray phase suit he had developed for her. He created the suit when they found, quite by accident, that she couldn't phase into water with her clothes. It had taken him several months, but he finally found the right combination of materials that would always phase with her.
"Do you have any other clothes in the house?" He asked. She shook her head weakly.
"No, couldn't chance the GSA finding my things here."
"How long were you in your water state?"
"Not sure. I lost rack of the time. A couple of hours? Maybe more," her voice seemed to be getting weaker. Adam cursed under his breath.
"You know you're not supposed to stay phased like that for more than an hour, hour and a half at the most."
"I'm sorry. I didn't know if it was safe or not . . ." she seemed to be running out of energy and it was causing the alarm in the pit of his stomach to grow.
"It isn't safe to risk your life like that. Can you stand?" He watched her carefully as she disengaged her hand from his arm. She took a few deep breaths and began to try to prop herself up.
"I think so. I'm still a little shaky," in a slow, almost tortuous movement she began to rise slowly. Adam began to shrug off his coat. He began help her up, and she was on her feet unsteadily. Oriana leaned heavily against Adam. It was then that he turned his attention to the water.
"Can you absorb all this?" He asked slowly. She took another deep breath and closed her eyes. A few seconds later all the water on her skin and in her suit was gone. Her hair was still damp, but not as wet as it was before. She opened her eyes and leaned against him again. He pulled his coat over her and led her towards the door.
"Where are we going?" She weakly tugged on his arm.
"Someplace safe and someplace where I can treat you. It's going to be all right."
Two
At 892 Calisto Drive, Adam arrived and parked his car in the empty driveway. The familiar house brought back many memories and he was almost flooded by them. The house was dark and empty. It was a strange sensation. When Oriana had lived in this house, she always seemed to bring a sense of liveliness to her home. Adam had only experienced this sense of emptiness once before, and it was the day he visited the house after she had left. The house was still unoccupied and he had made sure it stayed that way. He had made many promises to Ori, and so far he was keeping every one of them. Except for one.
Walking to the door, a knot began to form in his stomach. He wasn't sure what to expect, he hadn't physically seen her for several years. He pushed the feeling aside realizing what an adolescent fear he was experiencing. It seemed almost laughable to feel that kind of anxiety. But then again, a voice in the back of his mind told him, considering what had happened during their last several weeks together, it seemed perfectly logical.
He tested the doorknob and found it unlocked. Alarm blossomed slowly in the pit of his stomach. Had she left it unlocked on purpose? Or had someone broken in? She might have left it unlocked for him as well. 'Don't panic,' he told himself and took a deep breath as he walked into the house.
The house was a one-story brick home with a pond in the backyard and a natural fence of pine trees ringing the property. Inside all the floors were hardwood, and the walls were a bare creamy white. Adam's footsteps echoed hollowly as he walked through to the living room. A sliding glass door dominated one wall of the room. He scanned the room quickly and took a few steps toward the dining room.
"Ori?" His voice was just above a whisper. He walked into the kitchen and walked back into the living room. He then began to search the rest of the house. What he forgot to check first was the pond in the backyard. Later on he would mentally kick himself for not going there first.
From the minute he arrived the surface of the pond began to shift. It started as a ripple, almost like the wind brushing soft fingers across the surface. The ripple changed into a light bubbling that formed into a shaft of water on the pond's surface. As the shaft moved across the pond towards the shore, the outline and features of a woman began to form. By the time it reached the shore a woman's shape was clear but still in liquid form.
Each step she took brought a piece of her body to solidity. When she reached the sliding glass door and stepped inside, she was a fully formed human woman, albeit dripping wet. Her footsteps left wet puddles on the hardwood floor. Blinking the moisture from her eyes, she stood stock still in the middle of the living room. A few minutes later Adam walked in and, after seeing her, froze in his tracks.
"Ori?" He asked out loud almost to confirm the reality of the situation. She smiled at the sound of his voice calling her name.
The woman standing before him, in his opinion, held an unearthly beauty. Oriana Ashlin stood tall at five foot eight. She was slender, almost wraith like. Her skin was the pale color of milk and seemed to glow with the beads of water glistening and clinging to her. Her face was a graceful oval and her features carved in such a way that gave her a soft classic beauty. Her most prominent feature was her eyes.
They were wide doe like eyes that were surrounded by eyelashes that were thick and sooty forming delicate clouds. The color was the most remarkable. They were a silvery gray and sparkled with an inner light. Her hair reached down to the middle of her back and was perfectly straight. When it wasn't wet, the color was a silvery pale blonde. Now the slick wet strands clung to her head, neck and back. She continued to smile her lips full, small, and shapely.
"Adam," she breathed out. Her voice almost sounded like trickling water, light and sweet. She took a shaky step towards him and collapsed onto the floor. He rushed towards her, kneeling over her as he lifted her head slightly and felt for her pulse. It was weaker than it should be, but she began to wake up. A good sign.
"Ori," he said holding her against him. The water from her skin began to soak into his clothing, but he didn't pay any attention to it. Her eyelids fluttered, and she slowly began to focus her eyes on him, another good sign. Oriana swallowed involuntarily and gripped his arm with her free one.
"I'm so glad you came. I was worried you wouldn't get my message."
"With that telepathic call you sent out loud and clear? How could I miss it?" He smiled down on her. It was only then that he noticed she was only wearing the silver gray phase suit he had developed for her. He created the suit when they found, quite by accident, that she couldn't phase into water with her clothes. It had taken him several months, but he finally found the right combination of materials that would always phase with her.
"Do you have any other clothes in the house?" He asked. She shook her head weakly.
"No, couldn't chance the GSA finding my things here."
"How long were you in your water state?"
"Not sure. I lost rack of the time. A couple of hours? Maybe more," her voice seemed to be getting weaker. Adam cursed under his breath.
"You know you're not supposed to stay phased like that for more than an hour, hour and a half at the most."
"I'm sorry. I didn't know if it was safe or not . . ." she seemed to be running out of energy and it was causing the alarm in the pit of his stomach to grow.
"It isn't safe to risk your life like that. Can you stand?" He watched her carefully as she disengaged her hand from his arm. She took a few deep breaths and began to try to prop herself up.
"I think so. I'm still a little shaky," in a slow, almost tortuous movement she began to rise slowly. Adam began to shrug off his coat. He began help her up, and she was on her feet unsteadily. Oriana leaned heavily against Adam. It was then that he turned his attention to the water.
"Can you absorb all this?" He asked slowly. She took another deep breath and closed her eyes. A few seconds later all the water on her skin and in her suit was gone. Her hair was still damp, but not as wet as it was before. She opened her eyes and leaned against him again. He pulled his coat over her and led her towards the door.
"Where are we going?" She weakly tugged on his arm.
"Someplace safe and someplace where I can treat you. It's going to be all right."