Relaxation...
It was early enough in the morning that no one would be awake. Too early for theearly risers, like Scott. But too late for the night owls, like Jones. Jean slipped downstairs silently, like she'd done for years. She was wrapped in a robe with a towel tucked under her arm. She padded across the hall and into the library. After opening the french doors, she slipped outside and over a hill to the pool. It looked just the same as it always had. Five years and two different lifetimes couldn't change anything. Not even something as simple as a swimming pool.
Reaching the edge of the water, Jean stripped off her robe, revealing a black bikini. She tossed both robe and towel off to the side where they would hopefully be safe from splashes, and dived into the cold water. She let herself sink under the rippling surface of the water, deep down so that everything seemed to flow and move around her, and the sjy above looked green. She stayed under the water until her lungs were burning, and the knots of tension in her back and shoulders began to loosen. Then she exploded to the surface and gasped in a long deep breath of the morning air. And then she repeated the process again. And again. And again. Until her mind was clear of everything, the thousand voices in her mind had quieted. And then she began to swim laps, back and forth across the water. Making her muscles work, focusing her mind completely on her body.
This was how she had held herself together for the past five years. Through attacks on the mansion, fights with her husband, the deaths of friends, and the constant strain of caring for a telepathic child alone. These few moments of quiet, both physically and mentally, prepared her for the day. In the depths of winter, she would give in and retreat to the indoor pool to perform her ritual. But for now the ice cold water was exactly what she needed. To feel calm. To feel focused. To feel ready to start her day. To feel alive.
Reaching the edge of the water, Jean stripped off her robe, revealing a black bikini. She tossed both robe and towel off to the side where they would hopefully be safe from splashes, and dived into the cold water. She let herself sink under the rippling surface of the water, deep down so that everything seemed to flow and move around her, and the sjy above looked green. She stayed under the water until her lungs were burning, and the knots of tension in her back and shoulders began to loosen. Then she exploded to the surface and gasped in a long deep breath of the morning air. And then she repeated the process again. And again. And again. Until her mind was clear of everything, the thousand voices in her mind had quieted. And then she began to swim laps, back and forth across the water. Making her muscles work, focusing her mind completely on her body.
This was how she had held herself together for the past five years. Through attacks on the mansion, fights with her husband, the deaths of friends, and the constant strain of caring for a telepathic child alone. These few moments of quiet, both physically and mentally, prepared her for the day. In the depths of winter, she would give in and retreat to the indoor pool to perform her ritual. But for now the ice cold water was exactly what she needed. To feel calm. To feel focused. To feel ready to start her day. To feel alive.