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The hissing door woke Miranda. She sat and opened her eyes. Tina stood in the doorway balancing a tray of food. By the smell, it was breakfast time. “Wakey wakey sis, Gene insists you eat breakfast this morning.” Tina brought the tray to the bed and flipped a bed table up from beneath the bed. “Eat.” Tina plunked the tray on the table and sat in her chair.
Miranda stared at the food for a while. It smelled better than any meal she could remember. There was eggs, sausage, bacon, sectioned fruit, two different individual sized boxes of cereal, oatmeal, donuts, three flavors of juice, milk, cream, coffee, waffles, pancakes and toast. “Am I supposed to eat all of this?”
“No, I just didn't know what you'd want, and Gene said just to bring food. Hoping that would guilt you into eating. Rather than coming and asking what you want and having you say nothing,” Tina answered and snatched a section of orange. “It's okay if you don't want to eat it all. I promise it won’t go to waste.”
Miranda chuckled and started eating. Tina helped herself to nibbles of almost everything, providing one sided banter while Miranda chewed. Before long the tray was empty and Miranda realized, she had been really hungry. Still, if Tina hadn't been there urging her on, Miranda knew she wouldn't have eaten more than a few bites. “Sneaky little snip.”
Tina grinned widely, “Who me?” Tina took the tray and flipped the table back under the bed. “I'll just get rid of this and I'll be back to help you pick out something other than a nightshirt to wear to the meeting.”
Miranda sat patting crumbs out of the blankets and waited for Tina. She was a long time coming. Finally Miranda got out of bed to stick her head out of the door. The hallway was full of people, most of them dressed in surgical gear. They were running back and forth in the halls from one isolation room to another. Miranda hesitated interrupting them. Finally she caught the eye of a man a few years older than Tina.
“Is there something I could do to help you?” He asked dodging through the hall to Miranda's side.
“What's going on? Was there some kind of dark attack?” Miranda's eyes darted around following the blood staining some of the surgical clothes.
“No, no, it wasn't the dark. There was a massacre at a briaunti colony. It looks like it's the old feud. I've got to get on to the next patient,” He darted back down the hall into a busy doorway.
Miranda ducked back into her room rather than get in the way. When she turned around, she discovered the room wasn't empty. Ellen paced back and forth at the foot of the bed. Miranda stepped far enough inside for the door to close behind her and Ellen erupted. “Damn them!”
Wide eyed, but attempting a fake calm, Miranda sat on Tina's chair. “Who.”
“The lousy, genocidal human race! How many damn years did I spend saving them, from themselves, from Jay, from the dark ones! All when the only kind of thanks I get is the cold-blooded murder and assault on me and mine.” Ellen flung her arms about wildly emphasizing her rants.
“They aren't all bad,” Miranda said evenly.
“This from a girl who traipsed across the known universe looking for the human object of her lust! You're just damned lucky your Ben comes from a world that doesn't know about us briaunti. My Earth, slaughtered us out of fear, enslaved us, drove us off the planet, then hunted us down and nearly wiped us out. There isn't a single Earth, where my father's parallels engineered briaunti, that didn't go genocidal on our behinds. We weren't even safe in parallel dimensions that didn't know about us. Half of them are so mutant paranoid that it doesn't matter where or how we came to be, if we were different they killed us or locked us away.”
Miranda leaned back into her chair and silently let Ellen vent. Ellen had seemed so much happier back on Relevar that Miranda had to wonder what had happened since.
“Did you know they released a plague that nearly wiped us out? What's worse the damn thing nearly took out the Agurians too. They got off worse than we did. Their survivors may as well be humans at this point. We run; we hide. They find; they kill! We don't even defend ourselves! Angela, she builds this place. Sure she says it's to keep our families safe from the darkones. Funny how this is the only settlement where briaunti have gone completely unmolested. How much of this are we supposed to take?” Ellen finally wore herself out and plopped down on the bed, so hard she made the springs squeal.
Miranda shrugged her answer and remained still, waiting to make sure Ellen was done before she leapt in with words that might just make her lash out. Ellen rolled her eyes and groaned.
“Why am I asking you? You have your Ben. Why am I bothering you? You have your problems. Angela wants to send you out there to help rescue one of them. I'd better go,” Ellen leapt back up and disappeared.
Miranda stared at the empty space and wondered if that was what it looked like when she teleported away. She wondered if she left rooms this empty. Miranda sat there in the chair recovering from Ellen's unsolicited outburst. In the silence of the room, Miranda dug away at the itchy place on the tip of her brain that felt like the answer to the puzzle of Ellen. All she came up with was an unsettling feeling that Ellen was much more than she appeared.
Crossing her hands in her lap, Miranda began to twiddle her thumbs. The sheer novelty of fear-free boredom was a luxury, so was time to listen to herself breathe. Miranda didn't fall asleep, but by the time Gene finally entered the room she had fallen into a trance-like super awareness of herself. It was the change in air currents pressing against her skin that keyed her in to his presence. When she looked up at him she could almost feel the ghosts of his thoughts. He liked her, and was concerned by her trance.
“Don't worry. I was just thinking. No, I was more resting my brains. Ellen can put you in quite a muddle,” Miranda answered, trying to calm him. Her words had the opposite effect. First surprise, then a sort of warped swirl that Miranda knew represented confusion over Ellen. “I see you know what I mean there,” Miranda jibed.
“What do you mean?” Gene became instantly defensive. She felt what loose grasp she had of his mind slip, leaving just hints of surprise, inquisitiveness, and fear.
“I mean what you think I mean.”
“That's impossible! No telepath can- what am I thinking right now?” Gene grunted.
“I don't know. It's really hard when you aren't being defensive, let alone when you pull away and hide,” Miranda answered. She regretted giving up the possible advantage of an unexpected skill.
“You aren't pulling my leg are you?” Gene asked in a somewhat relaxed tone, even though his mind hadn't relaxed any.
“No, why would I?”
“Can you hear Tina?” Gene asked, Miranda felt his mind open up like an analytical flower. Miranda could feel the ghost of his admiration for and pride in Tina's accomplishments, and his sincere desire to help Tina, if he could.
“Not so far, but thanks for caring about her.”
“You're doing it again?” Gene's reaction was to close up tight again.
“Until you set into knee jerk mode,” Miranda rubbed her forehead, trying to sense Gene was giving her a headache. “Tina said something about getting me some clothes for the meeting, but she never came back. I guess she got caught up in that mess out there.”
Gene stared at Miranda for a minute then stepped over to the blank wall screen. He tapped the corner, “Clothing please, feminine, scan her for size.” Miranda felt a tingle of energy play over her body. “Come here and take a look.” Gene waved her over.
The screen lit up with pictures of outfits of all cuts and colors. “I kind of like that,” Miranda pointed to a dress in one corner, which was covered in printed flowers that resembled the ones on the outfit Ellen had given her. Gene grabbed her wrist and shoved her hand far enough forward to tap the one she'd indicated. The picture then filled the screen, with a color selection bar off to the left side.
“Do you like the color, because we can change it,” Gene waved her hand up and down over the color b
ar and released it.
Miranda's finger hovered over a shade of blue which matched Ben's eyes, “I like blue.” She tapped the box and the picture of the dress altered, filling the background with the blue. Miranda smiled at the result.
“Is that what you want?” Gene asked. Miranda nodded. Gene tapped the corner of the screen, then tapped yes to order it. “Shoes,” Gene said.
Then photos of shoes which matched the dress filled the screen. Miranda tapped a pair of slip on canvas shoes covered with the same pattern as the dress, then tapped the corner and the yes to order. A concealed cupboard slid open, with the dress and shoes wrapped in cellophane.
“Go ahead and get dressed, put the wrapper back in the delivery slot,” Gene said. He tapped the screen back to its normal display and left.
Miranda looked at the clock, it was nearly seven. She didn't have to be anywhere until ten. That decided her; she would allow herself the luxury of a long shower. Miranda took the dress package into the bathroom. She unwrapped it carefully, feeling the absolute smoothness of the fabric. She unfolded it carefully. It was remarkable; there were no seams. Wrapped inside the dress was a bra and panty set printed with a lighter more delicate version of the flower pattern. Miranda felt them too and laid the outfit out on the vanity.
Miranda slipped out of her nightshirt and hung it on a wall hook. Then she turned and stepped into the shower. She couldn't find a control knob. “Shower, I need you to turn on,” Miranda attempted feeling silly.
“What temperature?” A speaker in the middle of the bathroom ceiling prompted.
“Warm?” Miranda answered. The shower head spurted out a stream of slightly warmer than tepid water. “Warmer, I'll tell you when to stop.” The temperature came up slowly until finally it felt right. “That's good.” Miranda let the water run over her for a long while.
Finally she looked around for the soap dish. It held a sliver of soap that smelled more medicinal than cleansing. She decided to skip it, instead exploring a pair of spigots underneath the shower head. The first was labeled shampoo, the second conditioner. Miranda sampled the shampoo, it had a light smell like a garden after a rainstorm. She lathered herself hair and all, then rinsed. The conditioner smelled the same. She used it liberally on her hair. Then stood under the full force of the shower head letting it drip down around her like rain. Between the smell and the sensation, Miranda felt at peace.
Miranda didn't really want to get out of the shower, but she knew she should, “Okay, I'm done,” Miranda announced. The water cut off and Miranda watched it swirl down the drain. Then she teleported herself one of the towels. She started to dry herself and nearly dropped it when a blast of warm dry air startled her from above. She looked up into the flow of air and realized it was to help her dry off. She began rubbing her hair with the towel, with the jet assist she was dry in almost no time. Or at least mostly, her hair was still damp. She wrapped the towel around her head.
Miranda slipped into the undergarments and the dress. It clung to her curves and flared out around her legs. She swirled, looking at herself in the mirror. She had to admit she liked the way it looked on her. Miranda stepped through the door into the bedroom dropping the towel on the floor on her way. In the room Miranda unwrapped the shoes and slid her feet into them. They too were a perfect fit. Between the clothes, the food, and the people, Miranda liked this Sanctuary better than anywhere else she'd been.
Miranda was wallowing in contentment, and contemplating what she should do next when suddenly Ben appeared in front of her. His arrival was a shock to her system, but it didn't frighten her. Out of the blue, his blue eyes were just there drilling into her own. She could smell the sour sweet smell of the pastry he had eaten for breakfast on his breath, and the smell of his hair with its faint day old shampoo smell. She smelled other things too, his pheromones which don't necessarily mean much to humans anymore, but which drew her attention to the fact that he was a male of breeding age.
Surprise at his apparent ability to teleport, and outrage at the fact he would enter unannounced were relatively slow coming to Miranda. When they did Miranda dwelt for a moment on what might have been, had Ben arrived just a few minutes before. Then she felt a contrary resentment at his presence. “What do you think you are doing here?”
Ben sputtered for a moment, “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I just couldn't keep my... I don't really have control over my ability to teleport yet. I think of someone and either they appear or I do.” His eyes wandered from Miranda to the still open bathroom door with the towel lying across the threshold. He blushed and turned to leave. “I'm sorry.”
“It's okay, I just finished showering, and am quite decent.”
Ben turned back to look at her. His eyes ate her up. “You look nice.” His mental control had been precise since the moment he arrived, and she hadn't really tried to peek around his shields, but with those words came the ghost of the impression that he wanted to run his fingers through her hair.
Just the idea of him touching her like that made her guts squirm in a not unpleasant way. Her mind turned back to her conversation about love with Gene last night, and his promise to introduce her to his friend the preacher this morning. “Thanks. Gene's been helpful,” Miranda finally replied.
Ben's shields leaked a brief flash of jealous questioning of just how helpful Gene had been. “He can be,” was all Ben actually said. Miranda judiciously remained silent on what she sensed. “Speaking of helpful... Daniel asked me to pick you and Tina up, to meet him outside of Angela's office at nine, for a pre-meeting meeting.”
Miranda glanced at the clock and nodded absently. “Okay, but it's only seven-twenty now. What exactly are we supposed to do for the next hour and forty minutes?” Miranda answered with more bile than she really intended.
Ben glanced at his feet, “I guess I am really early. I'll head back to my quarters and do my best not to bother you again. And you can... do whatever it is you were about to do.”
“It wasn't really a bother,” Miranda smiled at his disappearing back. Again she was alone in a suddenly empty room. This time it felt even emptier. Was it him? Or was it just her?
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Ben re-materialized outside of the main clinic door. He turned and looked at the wall, seriously debating pounding his head against it. He felt like an idiot. His pulse pounded in his head and he could feel his cheeks reddening.
“How could I do that!” Ben leaned his forehead against the wall. Behind his eyes he couldn't get the image of Miranda out of his head, especially her slightly damp hair. That brought him back to dwelling on the towel on the floor, and his timing. If he'd lost control just a few minutes more he might have ended up very wet. From there, Ben's mind wandered down back alleys of thought which left an involuntary smile on his lips.
“Ben? Is there something wrong?” Tina asked coming up behind him. She had a glass of juice in one hand and an oversized pop-pad in the other.
Ben shook his head, rubbing his scalp into the wall, “No I just made a complete fool of myself.”
“What happened?” Tina asked stepping up to the clinic door. It slid open for her.
Ben followed her into her unofficial office in the main exam room. “I teleported into her room, unannounced. She had just gotten out of the shower.”
“She was naked?” Tina dropped her pop-pad.
Ben picked it up and handed it back to her. “No, she had dressed, but she hadn't been out for long. Her hair was still damp.”
Tina giggled and put the pop-pad down on her desk. “So what was the problem?” She chugged her juice and sat down.
Ben bent his head down and looked at Tina under his eyebrows. “I invaded her privacy because I lost control of my own abilities.” Ben clawed at his thighs with both hands.
Tina deliberately set the glass down on the corner of her desk. “So, let me get this straight. You who have been able to teleport for about a week and have only had about three 'accidents', ar
e afraid of what Miranda thinks of one of those mistakes. We are talking about Miranda, who disappeared and spent twenty odd years missing in action because she couldn't control her abilities. I don't think she'll think any less of you for one tiny little oops.”
“I guess since you put it that way... What if she doesn't think of it that way?”
“If she doesn't now, then I'll have a talk with her and she will,” Tina answered. Then she picked up her pop-pad and began reading.
Ben leaned against the wall and watched her for a minute. Looking at Tina, Ben couldn't understand why he hadn't connected her with Miranda before. There was such a resemblance. Tina had exactly the same shade of pale blue eyes, and the same delicate fingers just in a slightly smaller size.
“What! What is that look for!” Tina growled at Ben, breaking his stare.
“It's just you are definitely her sister.”
“Hail Ben, master of the obvious, I already knew that. I did the genescan myself, and I told you. Remember?” Tina tossed the pad to her desk.
“That wasn't what I meant. I meant...” Ben stopped as Miranda poked her head into the room.
“Oh, I'm sorry, Gene said you'd be here Tina. I didn't know you already had company.” Miranda started to retreat.
“No, I'll go,” Ben grunted.
“No, you'll both stay, then you'll both leave so I can study,” Tina decreed, “Now what did you need?”
“I just wanted to know what happened. You said you'd be back then hell broke loose...” Miranda kept her eyes on Tina, avoiding Ben almost completely with her eyes. It confirmed his worst suspicions. He would have left if only Miranda weren't standing in the doorway blocking his escape path.
“Oh yeah, I'm sorry. There was the emergency call. After practically bumbling through a mess of sutures because I didn't know the proper procedure for setting fractures, I decided it was time to learn the proper procedure. I got distracted. I'm sorry, but it looks like someone helped you pick something out. You look nice. Doesn't she look nice Ben?” Ben pealed his attention from the way the dress clung to Miranda and looked at Tina blankly. Tina shook her head and chuckled, “I said, Doesn't she look nice?”
Eyes Love & Water Page 27
