Unknown Depths.

Chapter 33

"I don't know what you're talking about," Delia said, her hands tightening around the steering wheel, eyes not straying from the road. 

"Don't lie to me Delia," Gabriel said with a sigh. 

For a moment it remained quiet as they turned off the road and onto the parking lot. With her mind on autopilot, she found a parking spot and parked the car. 

"I am right, am I not?" Gabriel softly said his eyes still on Delia. 

Delia sighed as she gently pried her fingers loose from the steering wheel. "I don't know what to say." For a moment she stared down at her hands, before looking up and meeting those bright green eyes, "I mean... I guess you're right." She mumbled, looking down again, "Though I wouldn't even know what to call it." 

From the corner of her eyes, she saw Gabriel nod, his eyes drifting to the dashboard for a moment, before they were on her, "You found the orb, and it transformed you." 

Delia's head shot up, looking Gabriel dead in the eye, "The orb? Do you mean the one that was stolen?" 

"Stolen?" Gabriel replied, eyes furrowing, "What do you mean stolen? You have it right?"

Slowly Delia shook her head, "No... I don't... I tried to keep it from the burglars, but I lost it when I fell into the water, I thought they took it." 

"Impossible." Gabriel said, "No you have to have it." 

"Well I don't, and I don't know what happened..." Delia said unbuckling her car seat, "I just know  that after that I took a bath, and that's when it happened." 

"That's when the transformation happened?" Gabriel said, confusion still evident on his face.

Delia nodded.

"Interesting..." Gabriel said unbuckling his seat as well, "Let's go to the water." 

"What?" Delia said as he opened the car door and started getting out, "There are people there!" She exclaimed as Gabriel was about to close the car door. 

He paused, bowing his head down to look into the car and look Delia into her eyes, "I don't see any." For a moment they looked at each other before he added, "Come on, we'll be fine, let's go to the water." 

Again he was about to close the car door when Delia spoke up again, "Wait!" Again he bowed down, "How did you know this? are you a..." She paused, "Are you a-"

"For now I'm just asking you to trust me." He a kind smile appearing on his face. "Come on, let's go." At that, he closed the car door. 

Delia however, still sat, staring at her steering wheel for a moment, contemplating if she should. It was then that her car door opened and Gabriel's had appeared. Startled Delia looked at it for a split second before taking his hand as he pulled her out of the car. He then closed the door behind her as she turned to the backseat door. 

"What are you doing?" Gabriel asked, already moving away from the car.

"Grabbing my purse," Delia replied. 

"Do you need that in the water?" Gabriel said with a chuckle. 

Delia paused for a moment, before locking the car and following Gabriel, "But where do I leave my car keys?"

"Just follow me," Gabriel said as he started walking away.

At first, he started walking to the beach, but then he turned left. Delia was about to question him about it before she decided against it and just followed him. They continued walking and entered a wooded area before they stopped right at the top of a cliff.

"Here we are," Gabriel said looking down before starting to unbutton his shirt. Delia stopped right behind him, staring down the cliffside and at the water. The drop into the water wasn't too far down, but that didn't mean that it looked inviting...

"What are you doing?" Delia said, noting how Gabriel had now removed his shirt and was now removing his shoes. 

"What does it look like?" He said with a chuckle as he took off his socks. 

Delia's brows furrowed as she looked at him, then at the cliff, then back at him again, and then at the cliff. "You've got to be kidding me..." She muttered staring down into the water, "I mean that's not safe, there are rocks there... Besides, how do you plan on getting out of the water? and I didn't bring a towel, I think we should turn back." Delia said as she swung back around and started walking away. But instead, she walked straight into a nearly naked Gabriel who towered over her. 

"You'll be fine, don't worry about it, it's completely safe, the water is deep enough and just let me worry about the rest." He said placing his hands on her shoulders. "As for your stuff, you can just leave it next to mine. We have about..." He glanced down at his watch, "45 minutes before Damian comes so that gives us enough time, so get ready." He let go of her shoulders and stepped to the side. 

Delia was about to respond to him when she heard a splashing sound. Immediately she looked over the edge of the cliff and down into the water, he had jumped. "Oh my god..." She breathed, staring down into the water, "I'm not doing this..." 

"Come on Delia." He shouted up at her," You've got this and I'm right here." 

Delia took a couple of steps back until her back was against a tree. She closed her eyes trying to figure out how she had gotten to this point, and thinking of what to do next. Taking a deep breath she pushed herself away from the tree and started to undress. Carefully she placed her belongings next to Gabriels, somewhat tucked away from sight before returning to the edge. 

Glancing over it once more she closed her eyes and jumped. The fall was shorter than she anticipated and before she knew it she was submerged in the water and sinking. For a split second, she panicked, thinking she needed air, but as she tried moving her legs, she realised she was just fine. Opening her eyes she immediately saw something bright and green... Gabriel was right in front of her, and while most of him had remained the same, his eyes looked almost luminescent and he had a bright, green tail...