Isabelle stepped into the aluminum bathtub that graced the corner of her apartment. She turned the tap on, flinching involuntarily as ice cold water rain downed on her head. She pressed lightly on the red tattoo at her neck and rocked back as darkness momentarily swamped her being. When she opened her eyes, she was standing at the edge of a deserted pier. Choppy waves dashed against the rocky embankment to the east. Birds glided silently across the sky, dragging deep blue into the horizon. It was peaceful and beautiful, such a far cry from the drab interior of her physical abode. When the song, a sad and hollow sound filled her ears, Isabelle jumped into the blue. She’d need to go much deeper than this.
Diving was like falling into a raging torrent. Isabelle had once taken a category four whitewater vacation. This was wilder, a thousand times more dizzying. Seconds later, it was over. When her eyes opened, she was standing at a dark intersection, not unlike the one near the street outside her apartment. A dim street light glowed yellow and flickered. Mist curled up from the slick asphalt. A turn to the left and there it was. It was no gem, a squat building in the older part of town. Not very creative as far as virtual start-points went, but it was that was a part of the apartment’s appeal. Single efficiency. Musty elevator. Cheap rent, cheap ticket. No frills, real or otherwise a the start point.
It was just as well, as far as Isabelle was concerned. A beginner could stand to do without the frills. There was nothing wrong with starting small, right? Unlike most users, she hadn’t been diving for a very long time. Even though the past few months had proved to be quite an education, she still managed to get lost or wander into the wrong construct from time to time.
A tree to the left swayed. There was wind but no sound. It was unnerving. A sudden movement to the right had Isabelle doing a quick about face. She eyed her companion drolly. “I dislike it when you do that. Least you could do is show up within my periphery.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” He grinned.
It was scary, that grin because he–at least she figured it was a “he” since he was using a man’s voice–had the visage of a wolf’s head. Oddly, she wondered what would happen if she touched it. She wondered if he’d bite.
He leaned in closer. “It was lovely,” he said. “Watching you watch the sunset.”
“I am not nearly interesting enough for that, you know.” She frowned. “Why do you keep turning up everywhere I go, for that matter?”
“But Isabelle,” the wolfen head tilted. “You’d be disappointed if I don’t show up.”
“What gives you that idea?”
“It’s subconscious. It’s not something you can hide. When you dive, you search for me.”
“I do no such–”
He ignored her outrage. “Been seeing your footprints in some… unexpected places lately,” he declared.
“That’s supposed to be private!” She snapped, thoroughly discomfited.
“I’m just saying you ought to be more careful.” He threw up his hands in mock surrender. “You know, like the way you sleep walk?” He damned well knew that she was unnerved. Seemed to be enjoying it, continued running his mouth cheerfully. “You should take a pill or something before you dive.”
“Are you shadowing me? She demanded. It finally dawned on her that he’d been using her real name, this whole time. For the first time since she’d first encountered this oddball, Isabelle felt truly fearful. It wasn’t as if he could do anything to her. Not in this place… right?
“Who are you?” Just in case, she was already silently scrambling for a fast exit. “Why do you know so much about me?
He froze. Literally. His body went still like a digital picture. She waited, somewhat taken aback by his rude departure. After a moment, there was movement again. He smiled at her apologetically. “Excuse me Isabelle, darling. I have to surface for a while. “
“Wait just a–”
There was a painful electrical screech in her ear. She almost jumped out of her skin. Suddenly, Isabelle was standing at the edge of the roof of the apartment building. Her hands were on the safety railing. Helicopters–a silent army of them–crowded the air above. The traffic up there was getting to be as bad up there as below. It was a dammed shame. A body could barely see the sky anymore.
Tags: 1flashficdaily, cheap ticket, flash fiction, fridayflash, science fiction, scifi, standing at the edge
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