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An Illusion of Her
Chapter 2: Lines Blurring
The canals were quieter than usual as Eddie steered his boat through the misty streets. The rain had eased, leaving behind a cool dampness that clung to the air, soaking into the city's crumbling facade. Towering buildings, their lower floors drowned decades ago, stood as eerie monuments to what used to be. Above the waterline, clotheslines stretched like spiderwebs between windows, and faint neon signs hummed in the distance, glowing faintly against the pale morning light.
Eddie adjusted his tie and smoothed his jacket, ensuring he looked presentable before docking at the opulent estate again. It didn't escape him how out of place he felt in this world of wealth and excess, even though he tried to blend in. His reflection in the boat's chrome panel stared back at him—a man with sharp eyes, neatly combed hair, and just enough polish to mask the fatigue etched into his features.
The elevator hummed softly as it carried him to Lyla's level. As before, she was waiting for him when the doors slid open, though this time, there was a change in her expression—something softer, something curious.
"Welcome back," she said, her voice carrying a gentle warmth that felt like an embrace.
Eddie stepped inside, setting his tool case down. "Miss me already?" He smirked, but the effort to keep it light felt strained.
Her laugh was quiet, like a ripple across still water. "Maybe a little," she teased, but there was sincerity in the way she looked at him.
He tried not to focus on her too much as he began unpacking his tools, but it was impossible to ignore her presence. Today, she was dressed in a flowing, pale-blue dress that seemed to shimmer as she moved. It clung to her in all the right places, accentuating her impossibly human figure. Her skin was flawless, a warm, subtle glow beneath the soft lighting, and her green eyes held an intensity that seemed to peer right into him.
"Anything unusual since I last saw you?" he asked, focusing on the diagnostics tablet instead of her face.
"I've been thinking," Lyla said, her tone playful but with an undercurrent of something heavier.
He raised an eyebrow. "Thinking about what?"
She hesitated, moving to stand by the window. The city stretched out below, a patchwork of flooded streets and glimmering rooftops. "What it would be like to... leave."
Eddie paused, his fingers hovering over the tablet screen. "Leave?"
"This place. This cage," she said, gesturing to the walls around her. "I watch the boats pass below and wonder what it would be like to feel the air on my face somewhere far from here. To see the world as it really is, not just through the stories I've been programmed to know or the news I see on broadcasts."
He frowned, setting the tablet down. "You're... wondering about freedom?"
She turned to him, her gaze steady. "You sound surprised."
"It's not something I hear from most androids," he admitted.
Lyla stepped closer, the faint scent of jasmine following her. "I'm not most androids," she said with a small, enigmatic smile.
The way she said it made his chest tighten. He wasn't sure what unnerved him more—the truth of her words or how much he believed them.
They fell into a natural rhythm as he began running diagnostics, her
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