Slide 4: Natural
She woke up to the faint sound of running water. For a moment of sleep-drenched frustration, she lay with her face in a pillow and cursed muffled angry profanities. Then she threw herself out of bed and shuffled into the bathroom, blinking tiredly as she went to jiggle the toilet lever. It stayed solidly put under her fingers and she frowned at it. With a befuddled moan, she shuffled back to stand by the foot of her bed, wrapping her arms around herself and shivering. She cast a longing look at the bed, some small part of her noting the pair of shoes neatly at right angles by the foot of the bed. Her bed had been so much warmer than the apartment was. After a moment's confused listening, she wandered into the living room and over to the kitchen doorway.
For a moment she just stared. There was a lanky young man in a rather pleasantly dated suit leaning over her kitchen sink with his chin in one hand. He appeared to be watching the water play over the blade of one of her good butcher's knife. It did not bode well for his sanity. She vaguely remembered parts of last night, parts that did not mesh well with how she was still alive. Or, she noticed, how he had apparently done her dishes for her. "You did the dishes."
It was not, perhaps, the best greeting. He spun, knife still in hand, and she watched it drip water onto the floor as he gaped at her. "Hello." He glanced down at his hand, frowned at the knife, and placed it back in the sink with a clatter. "Erm. Yes." A drop of water hit the floor, a delayed reminder of the knife.
She stared at him confusedly, shook her head, and held out a hand. "Adele Rogers."
He grinned suddenly at her, taking her hand firmly. "Nikola Tesla."
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Total compliance sometimes works. The invaders might leave you unharmed and just leave.
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The young woman stood with her hand outstretched, a twenty hanging limply from her fingers as she stared at Will with her mouth open. He shifted nervously, gently taking the money from her and slowly, ever so slowly, going through the motions of ringing up her coffee order. "I'm Will. I work with Helen." He softly repeated his earlier words. "You must be Clarissa."
A faint smile broke the woman's face as she accepted her change and shifted the toddler at her hip. "Yes. And this is Emily." Will half-wondered what made them different, why the woman was so skittish, but just smiled and handed Clarissa her scone.
"Welcome to the neighborhood."
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"You look frazzled." Will glanced up at the sound of the door, already marking down her order.
Adele huffed and adjusted her blouse. "Shitty morning. I overslept my alarm and lost my mind all at once. Coffee me." Breathing heavily, she glared at her reflection in the mirror on the wall and fixed her hair.
He shook his head, glanced out the window, and handed her the cup. "Your bus is coming down the road. You'd better run."
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"A letter. For Helen." Clarissa smiled shyly, handing the small envelope to Will over the counter. He smiled back at her and nodded, slipping the letter into his pocket.
Dear Helen,
The apartment is lovely. Emily is enrolled in her new school and she's already made a friend! I worry about the shocks, but nothing has happened yet and that's better than before. I think the time at the Sanctuary has helped her. Enclosed is a drawing she asked me to give you and Ashley. She misses you both terribly, but you know the fun of unpacking and exploring a new place for a child. I would ask one more favor, though. If you know of any other young talented children, I think it would be good for Em to play with someone like her as she gets older.
Love,
Clarissa
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"Ms. Rogers!" Adele pivoted mid-step, arching an eyebrow at the girl coming out of the classroom behind her.
"Yes?" She took a moment to match a face to a name and smiled. "Sally, right?" The girl nodded enthusiastically. She was obviously young, perhaps even as young as Adele had been not so long ago at this level. "I haven't quite got everyone's names remembered yet. What do you need?"
"I just wasn't quite sure about this worksheet that's due tomorrow…" The girl shuffled through the notebook in her arms, pulling out a sheet of paper.
"Ah, yes. Do you mind if we walk?" Sally shook her head and obediently fell into step. Adele almost remembered doing the same thing with some of her more favorite professors. As they wandered down the stairs and out of the building, she pointed out the girl's wrong answers, explaining concepts with wide gestures and sound effects, turning halfway towards her in stride.
By the time they stepped out of the building into the autumn sunshine, Adele was remembering why she enjoyed fall semester so much. The students were still enthusiastic, not burnt out yet, and the freshmen were full of curiosity and thirst. She waved goodbye to Sally with a smile, then turned the corner grimly. She needed to buy some mace.
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"Will! Will! Will!" The little girl ran around the counter, tackling his legs as he finished up his shift. Will grinned down at her.
"Hey, Em." Clarissa stepped up to the counter and leaned over it, looking at her daughter. "How've you been, Clarissa?"
"Good. Emily, leave the poor man alone. He's working." She smiled at her daughter and Will yelped a little as small electric shocks ran through the backs of his knees. Clarissa frowned at Emily. "Don't, Emily! It's not nice."
Will laughed, picking the child up and setting her on the counter. "I'm so used to it, you have no idea."
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One, two, three, four. She stopped short, feigning a stumble. Five. Damn.
It was past dark on first avenue and someone was following her. Some homeless guy looking for some cash by more forceful methods than begging, probably, or one of the gang members you heard so much about on the news.
The steps behind her sped up, closing the distance even as she hurried towards the next pool of light. One hand slid into her bag, searching for the compact little spray bottle she knew was in there. Somewhere.
A hand on her shoulder. "Hey, lady."
She froze. Her hand came up empty. For a split second, her mind calculated force and impact and probabilities, and then there was a rustle of fabric, a faint whimper, and the hand on her shoulder was gone. Her eyes widened and she pivoted slowly, the streetlight casting her shadow starkly on the concrete.
There was nothing.