Seris woke up and stretched. The bed she had spent the night in was incredibly comfortable, far more relaxing than any bed that had existed in her time.
Shuffling out of the room, she grabbed a drink of water before looking out of the large windows. The city was sprawled out before her, windows glinting like diamonds in the early morning light.
Erin had helped her secure an apartment with the same credit card he used to pay for dinner last night. He attempted to explain how it worked again to Seris but she still struggled to understand it despite his multiple explanations.
Initially she had protested his charity, he was still a stranger afterall, but he had insisted. He reasonably pointed out that she couldn't just sleep on the streets.
The best part of this experience wasn't the comfortable bed though, it was the modern shower with hot and cold water. The feel of the dirt being washed away with soap that smelled like a field of flowers was nearly too much for Seris.
"I like this modern world."
Seris chuckled as a soft knock on her apartment door caught her attention.
Opening the door she found Erin standing in the hallway, an eager smile on his face.
"Ready to learn more about this crazy new world?"
"Lets start with that small thing you keep playing with."
Erin pulled out his cellphone.
"This is a smart phone, a cellphone actually."
"Did you just make those words up?"
Erin laughed as he invited her out to breakfast.
As they ate a healthy meal of eggs, bacon, and toast Erin tried his best to show her what smart phones were.
"This is amazing. If people from my time saw this thing they would think it was a gift from the gods."
"Well, science that is beyond comprehension often looks like magic right?"
Seris gave him an approving smile.
She hadn't mastered how to use the phone yet but from what Erin had shown her, she knew just enough to understand how to call someone.
"We'll get you a phone."
"No, seriously Erin, that's okay. You already helped me get a place to live."
"Nonsense! How am I supposed to keep in contact with you to document your journey if I can't even text or call you?"
Seris didn't know what to say to that so she remained silent.
"Last we left off, you were going to tell me what year it was when you went into the ruins."
"Oh, right. It was 1725."
Erin nearly choked on his orange juice.
"You mean to tell me that you were stuck for three hundred years inside of that place?"
"Seems that way."
Erin gave her a pitying look, the kind that someone gives when they feel bad but don't really know what to do or say to make you feel better.
"This is… beyond culture shock for you, isn't it?"
Seris shrugged as she looked around the diner.
***
Orion hung up his phone. He had his orders.
He combed through the city, looking for any sign of the powerful woman that the elders wanted him to spy on.
He was to observe and report, nothing more.
Orion wasn't good with this type of work, he was better at fighting but he was smart enough to realize that this woman was new to the area. Being new meant that she needed a place to stay.
He started with the local hotels which took him nearly all day to interview. None of them reported a white haired woman with blue eyes checking into a room.
Feeling frustrated, a for-rent sign caught his attention. It advertised a two bedroom apartment that caused a lightbulb to go off over his head.
If she hadn't checked into a hotel, then she must have rented an apartment. What other options were there?
The next day he started his hunt. Like the day before, it took nearly an entire day to find the building the woman was staying at. A few of the landlords had refused to even answer his questions but they didn't need to, he could tell when he was being lied to.
He camped out, hidden, across the street and waited. At some point, despite his best efforts, he had fallen asleep.
He woke up to the morning light shining brightly overhead. Just in time to see the strange woman exit the building with another man leading the way. She looked to be in her early twenties, around the same age as the man she was with.
He made a mental note of that and carefully tailed them.
When they stopped for breakfast at a local diner, Orion kept his distance. Carefully watching to see what they would do. The reports mentioned only the woman, the guy was also an unknown variable. Was he just as powerful as the woman?
Orion shuddered thinking about that possibility.
After a couple of hours of just talking the pair left the establishment.
Orion quickly texted one of his superiors, filling him in on what he had seen so far. The responding text encouraged him to continue with his mission while they discussed this further.
Orion wasn't sure what the decision would be. He suspected that the order may try to confront the woman in an effort to either persuade or intimidate her into coming in. If she was an ally then the elders would want her at HQ. If she was an enemy or worse…
***
A sharp prickly sensation ran up the back of Seris's neck.
"What the hell?"
She spun around, her eyes scanning the crowds around her looking for the source of discomfort.
She spotted a man with a sharp, short hair cut standing a good distance away. He was trying to blend in with the crowd but his posture and demeanor screamed soldier.
"What is it?" Erin asked looking around but not understanding what they were looking for.
"Someone is spying on us."
Erin frowned as he nervously gripped his cellphone. The thought of calling the police crossed his mind but that was ridiculous. What were they going to do that she couldn't handle on her own?
Seris began to walk towards the man, eager to confront him and demand an answer for his creepy behavior.
The man suddenly checked his phone and then looked up at her with a worried look on his face. Whatever he just read, seemed to have put him on edge.
The prickling sensation occurred again but from the opposite direction.
Annoyance began to settle in as Seris spun around again.
There were a half dozen sorcerers standing several feet behind her, watching her with a mix of anticipation and fear.
"Are you the woman who saved our members the other day?"
Seris stood between the strange man and the sudden arrival of sorcerers. The problem was, she had no idea who they were or what they wanted from her.
She was going to find out though.