#adelinta

Adelia did not want to get out of bed- it was one of those mornings. She hated these sorts of days; they hardly constituted as days at all, but rather extensions of a horrid night preceding. Rolling onto her side, she stared at the empty space in the bed next to her. It seemed as though Jinta had already woken up- naturally, the sun always rose first.

She willed herself to sit up, but it didn’t happen. She remained glued in bed, flopping onto her back once again. Her gem, a smooth moonstone, pressed into the mattress beneath her. Why did she even bother sleeping? Had she really grown that used to life on Earth, that Jinta and herself would grow into this pattern? As gems they didn’t need sleep by any stretch of the imagination, but it had become such a custom to them that they did so without even thinking. It was all a part of the human facade, after all.

It had been so long since they’d begun this charade- having no place in the home world, they lived their days as if they were human. Sleeping, eating, even maintaining a job. It was easier that way; at least, to them it seemed easier than any other option they would have. Often times they forgot their former identities, as if they were distant recollections of a past life.

How the two of them met… it was actually a matter of chance, but that was an explanation for another day. In the moment, Adelia was no longer Moonstone. Just a tired young woman who could not bring herself to ride out of bed.

Moment’s later, Jinta walked in, a spatula in hand. Seeing she was awake, he smiled. “Rise and shine- I thought you were going to sleep the entire day away at that rate.” he teased her, though paused when she didn’t smile back. He furrowed his brow, wondering if it was one of those days. He didn’t understand it in the slightest, but sometimes it was all Adelia could do to even wake up in the morning.

“Something wrong?” he asked tentatively, crossing his arms. Adelia avoided eye contact, simply nodding.

“I’ll be up in a bit.” she murmured, trying to muster up the energy.

“Do you need anything?” Jinta pressed, knowing her answer already.

“No, no. Just give me a few minutes.” she muttered, and Jinta nodded solemnly, turning and pacing back into the kitchen.

Adelia had experienced the war much differently than Jinta had- having been a low-ranking commander for the Diamond Authority, he hardly saw battle, mostly dictating tasks from the home planet. Adelia, on the other hand, had been a prisoner of war, forced to take a side in a conflict she wanted no part of.

When Adelia did not rise even after another fifteen minutes, Jinta meandered back into the bedroom, finding her sitting on the edge with her legs dangling over. He didn’t know how to console her- he often said the wrong thing, if anything. However, he decided to at least try, offering whatever encouragement he could.

“Still having trouble? Take your time- we can do the errands later.” he said, hoping he didn’t say anything offensive.

Adelia stared at the carpet before laying back down. “I don’t think I’ll be going out today, my apologies.” she muttered, facing away from him.

“It’s that bad?” he couldn’t help but ask. Jinta then noticed that Adelia had begun to tremble slightly. With her back facing him, he could see her smooth gem, though with dark jagged marks stemming out from all sides of the gem and into her flesh. They were always there, no matter how many times she’d regenerated.

“You don’t…. Sunstone, you don’t understand.” she sighed, using his original name, to his surprise.

Jinta paused, pursing his lips. “You’re right, I don’t understand. I don’t get it at all, really. I… well, I don’t wish I feel what you do by any means, but I wish I could at least… well, sympathize.” he tried to reach for the right words.

Adelia was silent for some time. Jinta wondered if he should just leave, but right when he began to turn, she spoke.

“Do you really want to see what I see? I don’t think you do.” she murmured quietly.

“I think it would help me to understand you better.” he responded.

Adelia then pushed herself back into a seated position, facing Jinta.

“Fuse with me.” she directed him, staring at him with tired eyes. “At the very least, then we can go out- you’ll have to handle most of the physical activity, though.”

Jinta nodded, and hesitantly pulled Adelia to her feet, placing a hand on the small of her back so she would not fall. The two then danced slowly, with Jinta paying extra mind as to supporting Adelia so she would not fall. The two closed their eyes, and inhaling in unison, they merged into a single entity, Orthoclase. They didn’t stand out terribly this way, as they were still only about as tall as the average man, which was small for a fusion, but enabled the two to go about their day as one without raising too many heads. The only feature that made things difficult was the third eye, though they reached up and brushed their bangs over this.

Immediately, Jinta felt almost nauseous, so it seemed. It was like a sinking in the pit of their stomach, as if their bones were filled with lead. He didn’t think the ailment was anything physical, yet even their muscles seemed sore.

Jinta focused, trying to hone in on Adelia’s perspective. As much as it worsened his condition to tap into her dreary self, this was the point, and he persisted. Becoming aware of her vision, the world seemed almost overcast as he looked around the room. Trying to endure this misery, Jinta took prominent control of the body, adjusting their clothing before collecting their things.

The goal was to go to the grocery store, something they typically did together anyways, but usually as separate entities. However, today was a day for trying new things, so it seemed, and Jinta guided them outside, heading down the street.

At the sight of another pedestrian, Jinta felt their chest tighten, and they seemed to hold their breath, as if waiting to see what the pedestrian would do. Even after the person passed by them, they had a hard time calming down. This process repeated as each new being came into view, as if everyone and everything was a potential threat with the ability to harm. This fear and anxiousness overwhelmed Jinta, and they were jarred to think that this was how Adelia viewed the world- at least on days such as this.

Adelia’s presence seemed very faint, as if she wasn’t really there, but her essence was. That pained and fearful essence that consumed their body like a raincloud. Jinta could not even hear her- it seemed she was not even trying to communicate, and was simply a corpse occupying the body. This concerned him, to feel such negativity and sorrow. He didn’t like it one bit, and although they weren’t even at the store, he always wanted to go home. Was this how she felt so often? Some days worse than others, but always plodding along with lead instead of marrow?

Arriving at the grocery store, Jinta began to feel as though their back was hurting.

‘I want to go home. I can’t do this.’ Jinta could hear her thoughts as clear as day.

‘Okay. We’ll go.’

He didn’t even hesitate to turn on their heels, guiding them right back from where they had come.

‘Walk faster.’ Adelia pressed him, and she tried to contribute, but lacked the energy.

‘I’m trying.’ he thought, and truly he was. It seemed almost difficult to move though. He figured they may as well be wading through molasses- by the time they returned to the apartment, he felt as though they’d run a marathon. Closing the door behind them, they collapsed onto the couch, panting slightly from exhaustion.

Jinta could still feel their back throbbing, and voices began to chime in their head that did not belong to Adelia.

‘If you squirm one more time we’ll reduce your gem to shards.’ ‘You’re just a sacrifice that has to be made.’ ‘If you just shut up and stop squirming it’ll be over and you’ll be dead before you even realize.’

They were memories- haunting recollections that rattled around Adelia’s brain, now permeating into Jinta’s consciousness. The malevolent voices and throbbing pains were more than Jinta could bear, and they began to sweat in discomfort.

As they writhed, Jinta could feel the two of them separate, and sure enough, he was left lying underneath Adelia as she tensed in discomfort.

“Moonstone….” he murmured, trying to sit up, but he was exhausted from the excursion.

“Do you understand?” she whimpered softly, laying her head against his chest.

Sunstone paused, nodding slightly.

Pointed heels clicked against the concrete as she paced around the corpse, unable to contain a fit of delighted giggles. Icy blue eyes soaked in the sight of the marred and blood-soaked body, devoid of any sentience by this point.  Long, pink curls bounced with each subtle movement, and a sadistic grin spread across her face.

“You know, pink is my favorite color, but red suits you so much better.” she insisted with a sinister and saccharine tone. The girl crouched beside the body, dipping her fingers into the open wounds on the corpse’s back. She smeared the blood across the back, smirking giddily as she wiped her hand on the corpse’s clothing before standing back up.

“Simply beautiful…. this is a great look for you.” she taunted. However, as she stood, she felt a certain warmth on her back that caused her to become rigid. Whirling around, she could see it in the distance. The faintest hint of orange peeked over the horizon, signaling the mark of day.

The girl’s eyes widened slightly. “You…. you made me lose track of time!” she gasped, reaching for a pink coat to put over her stained dress. “For shame- you are so rude.” she talked to the body, quickly buckling the coat and wiping her heels on the body.

The sun in the distance was a warning to her, that her personal midnight was about to chime. She gave one last look at the corpse. “Au revoir…..” she murmured, disappearing back into the city streets with a sense of urgency. She had thirty minutes to get home- no, maybe even less. She always hated it- the sun. The very sight made her full of bitterness, as this was when she was shepherded back into her prison.

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Adelia’s eyes slowly flickered open as she felt a certain warmth on her face. Letting out a soft hum, she glanced to the windowsill- she’d left the curtains open, hadn’t she? Seeing the rising sun, she curiously glanced at the clock. It was still rather early- too early to wake.

Instead of stirring, she rolled onto her side, away from the sunlight. Ironically enough, when she turned… she still faced the sun- though this one was Jinta, in actuality. Seeing the humor in this solar sandwich, she smiled slightly, looking to her sleeping partner. He was so rigid when he slept- stiff as a board. She found it humorous how he even acted uptight in his sleep.

Smiling at him, she took a contented breath. This was what it was like, hm? Waking up, basked in the sunlight, next to the one she cared about. It was so soothing and reassuring… he didn’t leave her. He didn’t run away, something that still jarred her the more she thought about it.

Adelia took a deep breath before picking up her phone and dialing Rodney’s number. It was exactly noon- just when she said she’d call. The phone rang only once before the ebullient boy picked up on the other end.

“Right on time! So, what’s cookin’, good lookin’?” Rodney asked, his tone cheery as ever. Adelia sighed slightly, putting the cell on speaker-phone and placing it on the counter.

“Nothing, yet.” she deadpanned a response to his pun, causing him to give a giggle on his end of the line. She gave an audible exhale.

“Come on, Adelia, don’t be nervous! This is going to be a piece of cake- literally!” Rodney laughed as he made another pun.

“I’m going to hang up if you don’t stop that.” Adelia warned him.

“No you won’t- you need my help, remember?” he was teasing her, though he only meant well.

“I’d sooner burn down my kitchen if it means escaping your word play.”

“But all work and no play-” Rodney began.

“This is why I don’t call.” she said bluntly, though she didn’t mean it, of course. Rodney chuckled, pretending to be insulted.

“What? Oh, you’re so cold! And here I thought you didn’t call because you were too busy with your boyfriend.” his tone was melodramatic.

“What did I tell you about calling him th- oh, I give up. Let’s just start, shall we?” Adelia insisted. Admittedly, she was nervous, and a bit embarrassed. Asking for help? This was entirely new. But Jinta has just been promoted at work, and she was determined to congratulate him in a way that he would appreciate.

Rodney was grinning on his end, even though Adelia couldn’t see. She was so different in regards to Jinta, and it made him both amused and at ease to see this change in Adelia. “Okay, so you got all the ingredients on the counter? Double check and make sure you’ve got everything.” Rodney instructed her.

“I can do that much, you know.” she told him, though did a quick check just to be sure. “Everything is accounted for.” she declared, and took out the recipe card Rodney had told her. On his end, he was looking at the same recipe.

“Alright, first, combine all of the dry ingredients. You’ll need to start with two cups of flour, and work your way down the list of each dry ingredient.” he told her.

Adelia opened the cupboard, taking out a glass bowl. However, she paused as she realized something. “Rodney?” she asked.

“Yes?”

“What kind of cup do I use? I have a coffee mug, and a regular glass…. what size cup is used in baking?” she asked, feeling rather foolish to have to ask. There was a slight pause on Rodney’s end.

“Do you have a set of measuring cups?” Rodney asked hesitantly.

“What?” Adelia paused. There were special cups for baking? Her face flushed red, and she quickly grabbed a coffee mug.

“Adelia, do you have measuring cups?” Rodney asked again, sounding a bit worried.

“Of course I do! I was just joking, Rodney.” she lied quickly, looking at the coffee mug in her hand. Well, the proportions would still be the same, wouldn’t they? She dug into the bag of flour, pouring two over-flowing cups into the bowl.

“Alright…. uh, I wouldn’t joke about that if I were you. Knowing you, you would try to use a coffee mug or something.” Rodney murmured, concerned. He proceeded to guide her through the rest of the dry ingredients, which she more or less was able to do without any major mishaps. The ratio of ingredients was heavily skewed, but at this exact point in time, she didn’t see the consequence.

“Okay, so now you’re going to crack the eggs in. Just lightly tap it on the edge of the counter, and break the egg in half over the bowl.” Rodney guided her.

“That sounds easy enough.” she murmured, picking up and egg. She lightly tapped it on the edge of the counter, but it didn’t even crack. She furrowed her brow, tapping a bit harder, still nothing.

“It’s not breaking.” she said flatly.

“Okay, use a bit more force. A bit.” Rodney eased her.

She then tried a bit more, to no avail. Frustrated, she slammed the egg against the counter, and it shattered, splattering along the edge and onto the floor. She stared in horror, wincing.

“What did I just hear- Adelia, what happened?” Rodney asked, concerned.

“Nothing… I just… spilled the egg.” she mumbled, embarrassed.

“I told you, don’t use too much force.” he reminded her.

“Yeah, well that wasn’t working!” she protested, grabbing another egg. “I have a better idea.” she decided, grabbing a knife. She placed the egg in a small bowl, then drove the knife into the shell, breaking it. Grinning victoriously, she poured the egg into the bigger bowl, ignoring the small shards of shell that were mixed into the egg white.

“I did it. We can move on.” Adelia dictated, placing her hands on her hips. Rodney wondered exactly what was going on, and wished he’d suggested they use Skype for this affair.

“Okay… well, put in a tablespoon of vanilla extract. This will make the cake sweeter, but it’s strong, so only use a bit.” he instructed her, though she’d already poured a quarter of the bottle into the bowl.

“....got it.” she called back to him, staring at her growing concoction. This banter continued, and soon, the batter was complete. It was a curious color and smelled of artificial sweetness, but seemed more or less okay.

“Alright, now, did you remember to preheat the oven? I should have reminded you- set it to three hundred and fifty degrees and it will cook for thirty-five minutes.” he told her. Adelia looked at the oven- how long did it even take to preheat? She sighed, kneeling down and looking at it. Thirty-five minutes seemed far too long… she didn’t have time for that. She wanted to give the cake to him when he got off work, which was in a few short hours. Plus, she still had other errands to run. Electing to save time, she set the oven to seven hundred degrees, sticking in the cake before waiting for the oven to preheat.

“Alright, so that’s it?” Adelia verified.

“For now, yes. You can frost the cake after it cools- give it about three hours when it comes out, okay?” he told her.

“....sure.” she agreed after a slight pause. “I think I’ve got it from here, Rodney. Thanks for the help, though. I think it turned out pretty good.” she said, and actually was impressed that she didn’t burn down her apartment in the process.

“Send me pics when it’s done! Oh, and tell me how he likes it. You can take all the credit, though. Don’t kill the magic.” Rodney laughed. Adelia chatted with him for a few more minutes before hanging up.

She went to go brush her hair, when the smoke alarm went off. “What?” she gasped. It had only been a little over ten minutes since she turned on the oven. She scurried over, seeing thick smoke billowing out of the oven. Wincing, she quickly opened the appliance, reaching in to grab the pan. In an instant, the intense heat burned her hands, and she drew back, yelping in pain. She quickly realized her error, grabbing a towel and using that to remove the cake. Although the pain seared in her hands, she managed to get the burnt cake onto the counter and turn off the oven, slamming it closed.

Wincing in pain, she scrambled to grab a first aid kit. “This wasn’t supposed to happen- how am I going to give this to him? This is abysmal….” she mumbled with worry, treating her burned hands. They were red, and already were blistering. She quickly taped them up after putting ointment on them, and looked back at the cake. It was charred on the edges, and smelled of burnt sugar.

“This is just…. goodness gracious.” she groaned, just in time for her phone to ring. With aching hands, she picked up the phone quickly, wedging it between her ear and her shoulder. “Yes, hello?” she asked, trying to sound composed.

“Is this a bad time, Adelia?” Jinta asked. Great- of all the people to call, it was him. She shook her head even though he wasn’t there to see it.

“No, no. What makes you think that?” she asked curiously.

“You sound a bit- what’s that beeping in the background?” he asked suddenly, rather irritated by the noise. It then dawned on Adelia that the smoke detector was still going off.

“I’ll call you back.” she promised, then hastily hang up, chucking the phone onto her bed before plopping down beside it.

“Why is this so hard?” she groaned into the sheets, laying on her stomach. With her hands throbbing in pain, she simply wanted to sleep it all away. However, she needed to take care of the smoke detector. While tending to the matter, he phone rang several times- all of which being Jinta. She was so frazzled that she didn’t bother to call him back.

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