Chapter 7
The coffee was stronger than usual. I made Ekvtron to make me coffee. He was the calmest one of them and it was a benefit to me because I could use this when I meet the principal Imagine an android bringing you coffee who would not savor this moment?
I continued sipping on my coffee and blowing off the steam. My gaze wandered on Ekvtron again, this time he was picking up the letters across the kitchen and living room and he walked back and forth. There was no wall between my living room and kitchen. It was quite cozy. My mind managed to block out the old letters scattered across the floor.
The itch to clean up my mess was long gone and it was finally scratched by Ekvtron. It brought me peace when the letters started to vanish along with Ekvtron who was removing the letters. Bortums was staring at me the whole time his eyes flicked between me and Ekvtron, he could not understand how long my mind yearned for to burn my old letters to ashes.
I grabbed Ekvtron’s arm when he was walking by me and I flickered his hand to the other side and stared at his palm I reached for his index finger and yanked it navy blue fire flared up. My quick actions were unexpected by them. Talus stood quickly up on his feets all I could hear was his heavy footsteps roaming around the room and lights shattering around us.
A dark color was beaming around his abdomen. The faint glow drained the light in the room. I looked out of the window and saw the sun shining brightly. I grew confused when sudden darkness surrounded me and all I could see was a navy blue glowing light pointing at my direction. I looked around for a dark green fire that was supposed to stand in my path and protect me.
The only light I could find was a navy blue one with a temper. Even if I wanted to let go of Ekvtron’s finger it was impossible I held a death grip and moved his finger to the letters in the trashcan and burned it up to show Talus that I only wanted to burn the letters before he could burn me alive.
The fire shone a light in the room and a displeased Bortums stood in front of the trashcan a minute ago he was completely hidden in the shadows. Before I could explain to him I was cut off by the loud ringing alarm coming from my phone. I dashed to my phone and ignored their loud voices criticizing me and how reckless and dangerous I have become these past months.
I stared at the time on my phone and was gaping like a fish. The alarm had been snoozed without my knowledge how many times I could not figure out but the countless emails and notifications from the university about my absence and missing my first lesson of the day knocked the air out of my lungs.
With sharp steps I turned my body around and threw my phone at them. My legs felt like giving out when the phone hit Bortums right on his face. I held my hands up in front of me to explain why the phone was not meant to hit his face but to catch their attention and it was a reflex. Bortums picked up the phone and read through the cracked screen he only uttered a few words that made me lunge forward at him without thinking about the consequences.
‘’ I thought I turned off that repulsive alarm before the sun rose up’’. His voice was nonchalant more than ever. I observed every step he took and recognized his body language. He was taunting me.
‘’ The alarm had a purpose, a purpose to raise me out of failure! Without the alarm my dreams and desires are nothing but an empty void.’’ I lost my temper and could not lower my voice anymore. My heart was beating fast, afraid that the android would show his authority.
But when I was met with silence I was relieved. Time was the only thing that was moving forward in this house. I walked back and forth and thought about how I would even move the androids to the university. I didn't even have my car license and a bus was out of the question.
I could not risk being seen by my neighbors or someone just walking past us with my androids. We had to walk into the forest and take the same path we took when we were sneaking into my home that night. The night I stumbled across the androids and I walked through the forest until the sun came.
I grabbed my most important belongings and walked towards my grandma’s room. It's weird that I was going to leave her and become a student at the university I have longed for. I was taken into her warm embrace as she hugged me tightly and I returned her hug but more gently, afraid I would hurt her.
She took her hands towards my face and held me warmly. I could feel the tears stinging in my eyes as I watched her teary ones. I was crying but more importantly because of the pure happiness I felt it wasn’t those sad tears that consumed my mind anymore.
She released me a few minutes after and went back to her room to give me her pearl bracelet, the one she cherished the most. A reminder that she would also be with me and support me through my hardships and embrace me. She never took off her pearl bracelet, not even once did I see her go without it. It wasn’t a regular bracelet, it was passed down from her mother as a gift.
I gave her one last embrace before I walked back to my androids and braced myself for the long journey since I could not drive the androids to the university. We walked until the forest was long behind us and a path that never seemed to end. I drank from the bottle and felt refreshed when I could feel the cold water almost breeze through my lungs.
I knew the path to the university in the back of my head. This was not the first time I had walked towards the university. Since that day I have become determined to become a student. I forced myself to find a way. The university stood tall with a beige color mixed with a faint brown. What caught my attention was the enormous windows making the university look like a castle. Talus and Ekvtron were quick to walk past us.
I stood there taking in the beautiful view and felt how weak my legs became when I tried to caught up with Talus and Ekvtrons fast speed. The students close by grew alarmed when they saw Talus and Ekvtron march towards them. When I came closer I noticed how many of them were frozen waiting for something to happen.
Did they believe that this was some kind of attack? I wondered and was quick to get in the middle of Talus and Ekvtron and slightly smile at the students to show them there was no threat. When they saw me standing so close to the androids they began to realize that those androids were built by me as they took out their phones and started to film us.
I smiled brightly when I saw the principal coming through the crowd. I was very familiar with his face as I would spend my time reading every report of the university.
‘’Jessica Holmes, I’m honored that I am the first one to lay their eyes on your androids. They look more charming up close. Please come inside and bring your androids with you. We have a spare room for them. ‘’
‘’ Thank you for your delightful compliments Principal, We will follow right after you sir.’’ I swallowed the sounds that desperately wanted to come to the surface. I wanted to scream out of happiness and let all my emotions fly out but I had to be stable and professional in front of the crowd.
I looked through the crowd searching for John. I wanted to see his expressions when my creations were being admired by the principal and the students. I searched once again and the moment my gaze landed upon him I truly felt reborn.
He was standing in the second line close to my right side, his blonde hair laid slightly over his right eye covering it but I could still see the familiar resentment through his eyes as he stood there watching me. I wanted to walk towards him and ask him those questions that surfaced in my mind each time I wondered why he put me through all that misery.
Instead I forced myself focus on following after the principal who led me to the university. His pace was quick and difficult to follow by when he took a sharp left into the hallway. I slammed hard into someone and almost lost my balance by how fast I was when I took that sharp turn. I saw the person taking a few steps towards me but before he could help me the android Bortums was quick to hold a firm grip on my arm and push me slightly forward.
I didn’t have time to study his face but noticed how his eyes were glued onto my androids who were standing behind me. His brown hair caught my attention and I mentally groaned when I could feel my obsession towards guys with brown hair coming to the surface. It was in sixth grade I realized that I was not drawn to lighter hair guys no matter how hard I tried to change my preferences. I made the mistake of looking into his eyes and felt my heart jump over one beat.
I tried to convince myself that I would not benefit from this obsession like I would benefit the one with my longing being fulfilled by the androids. Deep into my thoughts I felt a nudge and looked over my shoulder it was Bortums who dug his metal finger on my back and I tried to muster the strength to not show how painful that felt.
I was about to question him for his reasons but he was quick to show me the radar on his arm. My emotions and heartbeat were racing and speaking through the diagrams on his radar. I simply closed my mouth and felt embarrassed that he knew.
How could I have not been more careful and remember that he could see all my emotions on his radar. I was in bliss when I saw this guy in front of me and forgot the most important things. That the principal was probably searching for me or not even noticing I was not following him. I tried to walk past him but he spoke before I could hurry after the principal.
‘’Jessica Holmes right? I am Thomas Jones. I have heard a lot about your work. It’s nice to see you in person and your creations. My mind still can’t grasp that your creations are real and standing in front of me.’’ He said with a warm tone that made me want to continue listening to him.
‘’ Our work is not that far from each other. I also tried to create artificial intelligence life but as you can see I have not yet succeeded.’’ He continued speaking, allowing me to take in his words and form an opinion about him. It felt odd that he was pouring those words to me.
My mind raced with different thoughts. Could it be that he simply had admiration for my work and was relieved that he could finally study the work he was not able to succeed in. If that was the reasonings behind his sudden sharing towards me then I could not see the harm in returning his words.
‘’ Thank you, I am a bit surprised that you knew so much about my work. I thought it was disclosed information that only the university board directors knew about’’ I said with sincerity in my voice. I could not ignore my suspicions that the university gave him too much information to my liking.
‘’Don’t worry, I am the university's top student. I am entrusted with important information about the students and yours fit like a puzzle with my own failed work on artificial intelligence so far. The university wanted me to see a different point of view and take advantage of this opportunity in front of me to improve myself and succeed.’’ He said with a calm voice and determination to remove any suspicions I could have towards him.
I felt delighted that I found someone that shared my passions. It was not easy seeing someone beginning on the first step that drove me almost insane. I felt bad for him that he was not able to succeed and how heavy it must be for him to carry that weight.
I started to grow worried that the principal would find out I left him and stayed behind. How would that make me look and affect my image? I wondered. I was pulled out of his trance when a stomping Principal came towards us. Smoke was practically coming out of the principal's ear. The hallways must be enormous and far for the principal to be upset like this. I did not have any words to explain or defend myself with. I was in the wrong for choosing to stand here.
Thomas followed the direction my eyes were glued on when I responded back with a few words and broke eye contact with him. Thomas was far too late to see what was coming towards us because when he looked over his shoulder the principal was standing patiently behind him.
He turned back to me with a small smile on his lips. He was struggling to control his shocked expression and the laughter that was on its way. I on the other hand clenched my teeth and closed my mouth the minute I saw the principal storming towards us. That is why my face was very relaxed and I waited for the principal to speak.
‘’ When were you going to finish your conversation with Jessica who already missed her first lesson on her first day at this university Thomas?’’
‘’I’m sorry principal, Had I known that you were showing her around I would have not been standing here and wasting the precious time of Jessica Holmes.’’
‘’ Very well, I suppose you can go continue on your way to your next class.’’
‘’Jessica, I am bit disappointed that you would wasted your day on standing here, a bit conversation is never wrong but you must remind yourself on who was waiting patiently for you’’
Said the principal and this time he looked back at me to make sure I was following his steps when he was pleased he picked his pace up and walked down the same path he came from. The androids were walking behind me and I started to think about how quickly Thomas told the principal his white lie about not knowing that the principal was waiting on me. The lie rolled so easy off his lips and he spoke the first thing that came to his mind with the least effort.
I don’t have the same luck when I try to think about a lie and even if I do it does not sound flawless as his were. I looked back at the androids behind me to make sure they were acting how I trained them to be. I was a bit surprised that nothing out of the ordinary had happened I mentally prepared myself that Bortums was going to accidentally crush someone. The halls were a bit suffocating when a couple of students walked by us.
The androids' heavy footsteps slowed down and I turned my head away from them and toward the principal who was proudly standing in front of his office. The gold decorations in his office presented how highly ranked he was in the university.
When I stepped into his office I looked at every small detail: the cream colored walls and the beige items lying around his office and mostly his golden chair. The chair had a warm shade of gold it dialed up the suspicious thought that he was being bribed by the Williams family. I needed more proof that could back up this theory of mine.