Enjoy!PHANTOM DOLL - PART IV
The day began in a hot and muggy way, but the centrally-air-conditioned house kept Jeremy and Rylie cool as they lay in bed together. Jeremy's eyes opened while the sky was still dark, but with that first hint of the first rays of the sun. He absent-mindedly let his fingers run over the nightgown-clad body of his--"just a friend, Jeremy, just a really good friend"--friend as she lay there next to him. Up and down her sides and then onto her chest, tracing designs on her stomach, almost tickling her. His hands on autopilot now, they moved farther up, towards Rylie's breasts, and continued the pattern-tracing. He drew his finger across her nipple many times, circling around it and even getting brave enough to play with each for a bit. He pushed down on it a few times, trying to find anything mechanical at all under them, but was unsusccesful. At one point, he thought he heard a, well, what could only be described as a very pleased moan come from Rylie's lips, but Jeremy quickly dismissed it.
He reluctantly moved on from the breasts, and let his fingers play up and down her arm. At the top of the arm closest to him, he noticed an indentation, and realised that it was Rylie's recharge panel. Briefly, it made the illusion of Rylie's humanity waver, for until now, he had been under the happy impression that he was in bed with a real girl.
"Real girl? Rylie's just as real as the rest of `em," Jeremy thought. "So what if she's not made of the same things I'm made of..." He continued to trace up and down her arm, letting his finger dance along the outside boundary of the panel, and then jumping to the plug attached to it, and gently caressing it back to its point of origin. She shivered gently. He let his fingers brush over the three buttons and lights inside the panel, and let his fingers explore the inside of it as well. He moved up to her neck, after, and began stroking that for a bit as well. Finally, his arm exhausted, he let it drop between the two of them and decided to be content watching his--"she's *just* a friend!"--friend as whatever program responsible let her chest gently rise and fall just like a sleeping girl's.
"So, are you gonna continue or is that it?" Rylie whispered to Jeremy, with a twinkle in her voice.
"You...you were...aw-awake?" Jeremy asked surprised.
"The whole time, silly, my charge time was up a few hours ago. I've just been lying here, thinking about stuff," Rylie said.
"Thinking about what? And I'm sorry, maybe I should've shut you down...."
"NO!" Rylie said forcefully. "I...it's not boring, really," she continued in a quieter voice. "There's so much that I wanted to try and figure out, and think about, and I'm glad that, not only can I do it, but I can do it next to someone I love."
"Love?" Jeremy asked, a bit confused, a bit hopeful.
"Well, you *are* the first person since Kylie to treat me like...to treat me like I'm just "Rylie", not, oh, it's "Rylie the Robot" or something...it means a lot! And you're very sweet, you know..." Rylie trailed off.
An idea popped into Jeremy's head, and suddenly he jumped up, carefully unplugged a confused Rylie and led her back to the closet he found her in. For a brief instant, Rylie got very afraid, fearful all that she had been though was a total loss, that he'd just put her back in storage again. Rylie was wrong, however, as Jeremy was the one who entered the closet, turned the light on, and got down to searching through the bunches of random, unlabeled boxes underneath the hanging clothes and household supplies. "Eureka!" he cried when he found what he was looking for. He produced a pair of denim shorts and a pretty pink baby-doll t-shirt. Then he gave her a pair of sneakers, and before she could question him, ran into his mum's room. Moments later he was back, with a pair of socks, and some underwear and a bra.
"You know, it's not all that embarrassing," Rylie said.
"But...I should give you privacy," Jeremy insisted.
"Normally I'd say yes, but...you seemed pretty eager over there on the bed, you know. You should know what I look like," Rylie said mischievously. "And you're being so tight-lipped I don't know what your plan is, either!"
Rylie took the opportunity to remove the nightgown and underwear she was wearing, letting her full naked body be seen in the waning moonlight. Her skin was a creamy white, beautifully toned, and Jeremy noticed there were lots of miniature freckles splashed on various points of her skin. Her reddish-brown hair flowed down slightly past her shoulders, and the shine in her wide, green eyes was directly aimed at Jeremy. "What do you think?"
"I...I...why are you showing me this?" Jeremy asked.
"Because...I think that, if not now, maybe later you can appreciate more than just my companionship," she said with a smirk, and then went ahead with putting the clothes on Jeremy had found for her. As she got to the shirt, though, she slowed... She turned to Jeremy, who was still watching with rapt attention. "This..." she said in a markedly smaller voice, "this was Kylie's, wasn't it?"
Jeremy nodded slowly. "Is that okay? I don't know if we have any other clothes around here that would really fit you, except what we've kept from her..."
"No, no, it's...okay...it just...brings back memories of her...I miss her a lot, Jeremy...a lot..." Rylie said, the sparkle in her eyes rapidly fading.
He moved towards her and wrapped is arm around her shoulders, purposely avoiding her still naked breasts. He held her tightly. "I miss her too, Rylie, I miss her too..."
"Yeah," Rylie sighed. "But there'll be plenty of time to think of that at a later time, right? She's always around us anyway; I can feel her presence everywhere! Now...now what's this plan you seem to have? It *has* to have more to it than possibly seeing me naked!" she said as she dressed the rest of the way, and Jeremy put on a fresh pair of pants and a different t-shirt.
"Who said it did?" Jeremy asked with a straight face.
"Cause I know you better than that, silly!" Rylie replied. "So what's up?"
"Come downstairs and I'll show you, " he said as they made their way down the stairs in the fading moonlight. He pulled Rylie towards the front door, picking up a pair of keys from a rack and patting his pocket to make sure that they it contained his wallet. He opened up the door and tried to pull Rylie outside, but she hesitated.
"I thought you...I thought you wanted to go outisde?" Jeremy asked, confused.
"Well, I did, but...we had so much fun when it was just us, and I didn't feel the need to go outside. Plus, it's so hot and sticky already this morning," Rylie stalled.
Jeremy agreed with the last part of that statement only, so, "But now..well, you're my friend, Rylie, and really, who knows what else? So you should do things with me that I enjoy doing, and I guarantee you'll like this," Jeremy pleaded.
"If someone sees me they'll...they'll..." Rylie stuttered.
"No, they won't. Trust me. Have you ever *seen* the normal class of robots that are around? Besides being dumb as bricks, they look so many miles away from you that it's like looking at Pluto without a telescope," Jeremy said.
Rylie giggled. "That's a terrible line to use on someone!" she admonished.
"It's true, though. You're really pretty, Rylie, and you look absolutely human. No one would *ever* be able to tell the difference. Unless they saw you while you were charging or something, of course," explained Jeremy.
Rylie grinned and reached behind her to close the door. Jeremy smiled at her as they made their way down the steps and to an old luxury car that had obviously seen better days.
"Don't worry, it still drives fine and it's got air conditioning; that's all I care about," Jeremy said as he opened the door for her.
Rylie gingerly got in, and Jeremy took the drivers' side. Moments later, they were off, Rylie looking all around her at different scenery and sometimes excitedly pointing certain things out. The last time she'd been outside had been the day Kylie had died, and she was scared the same thing would happen to her, or she'd make the same thing happen to Jeremy, but all the new stimuli put a stop to most of it.
Jeremy took a left onto Riddle Hill, a winding road that kept gaining in elevation. "Are you taking me up a mountain?" Rylie asked, confused.
"No, no, not a mountain. You'll see..." Jeremy said.
Finally the car broke through the thick tree cover and emerged onto a rather flat patch of gravel. Jeremy parked the car and told Rylie to follow him. He led her across the lot and into a nice area with picnic tables and such, and then slightly past them, where there were patches of grass that grew in the sunlight. They sat down.
"Umm, Jeremy? What are we doing here?" Rylie asked, again confused.
Jeremy scooted over a bit and let her lay her head on his shoulder. "Just watch."
She leaned against Jeremy and stared at the slightly light horizon. Over the course of an hour, the sun got brighter and brighter, as the first brilliant rays spilled over the top of the world. Rylie's eyes were large as top of the sun began to light things close by, giving an eerie-type glow to many of the leaves and trees around, and she held Jeremy tight as the the whole of the sun finally made it all the way up in the sky, bathing the two of them with warm sunlight.
"Oh, Jeremy, that was beautiful...I'm always going to remember this, you know," Rylie said.
"I know it was; I've seen it many times. But the best show was right next to me. You're beautiful, you know that?" Jeremy said as the sunlight sparkled off the red highlights in Rylie's hair, her eyes wide in the new day.
"Do you mean that?" Rylie asked.
"Of course I do! I don't think I may have ever noticed it quite as much as now, but I definitely mean it," Jeremy said.
Rylie took the opportunity to jump him, knocking him flat on his back, hugging him so much. And the kiss. The kiss that was on the lips this time. The kiss that would seal their fates.
"So, what do you want to do for the rest of our day?" Jeremy asked.
"Does it have to be just a day?" Rylie asked, a little crestfallen, as they lay on the patio on the back of the house.
"I don't know...I mean, I hope things can start off from where they were when I reactivate you"--Rylie's gaze fell to the cement--"but I don't *want* to deactivate you! Why do we always have to? I don't know. I just don't think my mum is ready for you being around all the time yet," Jeremy expained, "even though *I* am," he added softly.
"Well, whatever happens, we should enjoy the rest of this day, dontcha think?" Rylie said, keeping a brave face.
"You're right. Who knows, anyway? Besides, it's so hot today...I have an idea!" Jeremy said and ran into the house. When he returned in his bathing suit, and brought one for Rylie that was obviously Kylie's, all the colour drained out of her face.
"You want me to...go in the....pool with you?" Rylie asked.
Jeremy nodded.
"But I'd malfunction, I'd break..." Rylie said.
"You've taken showers before though," Jeremy told her. "Why would this be any different?"
"Because it's...it would...it would be water all around me and it would make me waterlogged and make me malfunction and make me useless..." Rylie continued.
"You didn't think you would be able to eat, did you? And you can. There are just too many things that...well, listen, if you are supposed to be a human replicate, then you should be able to do what most humans can do. You shouldn't have any problem with at least *being* in the pool..." Jeremy trailed off.
Rylie reluctantly grabbed the suit and changed in the house quickly. When she came back out in the pink bikini with red hearts in slightly strategic places, Jeremy couldn't help but stare. "You look...amazing..." he said.
"Really? You think so?" Rylie said. Jeremy nodded, while Rylie thought, "Hmm...maybe I'm beginning to like this swimming idea...oh, oh no...wait..."
"I can't swim! My body's a bit heavier than a normal human and ...I won't float, and..." Had Rylie been subject to human problems, Jeremy would be scared she would hyperventilate. As it was, he was already concerned even though he knew he had little reason to be.
"We'll just keep you in the shallow end, okay? And maybe I'll even try to teach you to swim if you want..." Jeremy told her.
After many pained glances at the glassy surface of the pool, she reluctantly agreed. "Take my hand," Jeremy ordered, and Rylie obeyed. He led her into the pool slowly, both of them shivering from the initial cold shock. She got used to it quickly, he did not, but they boldly moved onward. Once firmly in the 3'-4' depth, Jeremy turned around and looked at Rylie. She was standing stock still, making no movement whatsoever except for her eyes, darting back and forth. She was holding herself tightly in her own arms, scared to do much else, until Jeremy walked over to her.
"You're still scared?" Rylie nodded her head yes.
"Is everything all right?" Rylie shook her head no.
"Do you want to stay in the pool with me?" This answer took a bit longer, but eventually she did nod her head in the affirmative.
"Take my hand, all right?" Jeremy asked. Rylie obeyed.
"Now I want you to lean back onto my hand so you'll eventually be on top of the water on your back, ok?"
Rylie nodded nervously and did Jeremy instructed. After a few abortive tries, Rylie was floating on her back with Jeremy's support. "Now I'm going to let go," Jeremy started to say before Rylie rapidly shook her head in the negative. "Okay, okay, I'm still here, still here," Jeremy said as he patted her forehead.
It looked like Rylie took an extra deep breath, and then nodded. Jeremy slowly removed his arm, and after a few near-sinkings, Rylie discovered the small amount of motion she'd have to sustain to maintain a floating state on top of the water. And then she flashed Jeremy a huge grin. "I'm doing it! I'm doing it! I'm actually floating!"
Jeremy clapped vigorously. "Congratulations!" he said sincerely. "Now maybe you can flip over onto your stomach? And remember, don't breathe while your head is underwater!"
Rylie thought it over for a moment, and then agreed. "Here I go," she said, and flipped herself over. At first she started to sink, but it wasn't long before Rylie was back on the surface, head down in the pool. After waiting for a few minutes, Jeremy made his way over to where she lay and turned her over himself.
"Why'd you do that? I was having fun looking at the bottom of the pool and stuff," Rylie said.
"If you stay like that too long, people are going to think you're dead," Jeremy said seriously.
Rylie's eyes got bigger in amazement and she put her hand over her mouth. "Oops! I'm so sorry...I'll have to watch out for that later," she said.
"Okay, okay...well, now that we have you floating, we can teach you to swim. Is the water bothering you any?" Jeremy asked.
"No, actually, it feels quite cool on some of my warm systems, too," Rylie explained. "I'm so lucky to have you around; I would never have tried so much without you!"
Jeremy blushed. "Naww...I'm sure you would've done these eventually..." he said and trailed off. "Now, for swimming!"
Surprisingly, she took to swimming just like she had taken to video games that first time he'd activated her. Once she got the general mechanics down and adapted them to her weight, body reflexes and any special needs she had, she was off like a fish in water. She swam several times back and forth in the shallow end to demonstrate, and then stood as Jeremy praised her performance.
He got out of the pool then, and went to the edge of the deep end on the diving board, and jumped in. Rylie shielded her eyes from the splash. "Come on Rylie, we can play in the deeper water now that you can swim. I'll catch you if something's wrong..." Jeremy said.
"Come on Rylie, we can play near the deeper water....come on Rylie, we can play near the deeper water...come on Rylie, we can play near the deeper water," suddenly started echoing in her brain, and she could see a stretch of river, somewhere that was very familiar yet altogether new, and there were people lined up on the riverbank. If she squinted hard enough she could see the flashing lights of an ambulance or a fire truck somewhere in the midst of the crowd. And then the crowd were all shouting her name. "Rylie! Rylie! Rylie!"
Jeremy saw the faraway look get further. "Rylie! Rylie! Rylie!" he said. With no response, he firmly grasped her shoulder, meaning to lead her out of the pool and hoping against hope he didn't cause her to malfunction in anyway, when her head jerked away from him and she came out of the fugue.
While his hand was still on her shoulder, she grabbed him tightly, for a good five minutes. "It was awful, like...this vague memory, and so many people on the river, and ambulances..."
"Don't worry about it, Rylie...it's okay, whatever that was. You're here now, with me, okay?" Jeremy told her.
"O-O-Okay...yeah...." she shook her head vigorously. "I think it's over now... That was really weird, you know? I wish that I knew someone who'd...well, someone I could tell that t and see if I needed maintenance or anything."
"Do you feel okay?" Jeremy asked.
"Oh, I feel fine, I'm just curious what that was. It doesn't match any memories I currently have access to..." Rylie shrugged.
"Okay, you had me scared for a minute there! Maybe we should go back inside now?" Jeremy suggested.
"No, no...I like the pool! I wanna stay out here for awhile longer, maybe jump off the board like you did, as long as you'll be there to drag me to the surface if I break," she said and giggled.
"Yes, I'll be there, of course," Jeremy said as Rylie swam across the deep end to the ladder there. The two of them took turns diving off the board, playing silly pool games and having some nice solitary alone time. In fact, as they sat in one of the small alcoves of the pool, Rylie asked a very important question.
"Does...does this day, here, now, mean...we're...a couple?" she asked very hesitantly.
"If you want us to be," Jeremy answered.
"Oh, I do! I've wanted for so long, too!" kissing a bemused Jeremy as they fell into the deeper water. When they emerged back on the surface, a surprise awaited them.
"What the hell are you doing with Rylie? Why is she in the pool? And who turned her on? What's going on here?" Sandra Quinn was asking in a loud voice, obviously livid.
"Mom, it's just that...I was lonely..."
"That's because you have no friends," Miss Quinn said. "I had thought there was something fishy going on up in your room but I never had proof of it till now. What is wrong with you? She's just a robot! What the hell happened? I just went on a one-day trip and I come back and my son is fraternising with our old robot. Both of you get out of there, dry off and put your clothes on. Jeremy, we need to talk. NOW."
To be continued...
*hearts*
Rynnie
