Mechanical

by Pauline C. Harris

  “How could you kiss Michael?” I snapped, trying to lower my voice to a normal tone, hoping that maybe we could discuss this civilly, but seriously doubting it.

  “Oh ...” Yvonne drew out the word. “I see. You’re jealous.”

  I stared at her in shock. “Jealous? How about angry? Why would you do that? You knew I liked him.”

  Yvonne shrugged. “I didn’t know you liked him that much. You said you weren’t a couple.”

  Her words were spoken with soft nonchalance, but hit me like a smack in the face. And Yvonne knew it. I had said that, but we hadn’t even had enough time to become a couple. So how could that even count? “You knew I liked him,” I repeated.

  Yvonne was starting to look uncomfortable. She ran her fingers through her hair, a habit she did whenever she was annoyed. “Oh please, Drew, this is so ... human, for lack of a better word.”

  I simply glared at her.

  “Besides, he would never like you if he knew what you really were,” she added, watching me closely.

  I stopped for a moment. But he does know, I wanted to scream back. Then my heart sank to the bottom of my chest, a realization dawning on me. That’s why he had left. That’s why he had kissed Yvonne. He didn’t want to have anything to do with an android. Who would? My head hurt. My heart hurt. I felt hot tears well up behind my eyes, but I held them back. “It was you who said that fishing around for guys on the human level was beneath you. Beneath all of us,” I snapped back.

  Anger flashed in Yvonne’s eyes and she stood up. “I get what I want, Drew,” she spat through clenched teeth. “And don’t you forget it.”

  “Even when it means betraying your closest friend?”

  For a second, regret flashed in her eyes, but in an instant, it was gone, replaced with a fresh round of anger. “I know how to get what I want and I’m not afraid to get it.” Her voice was cold and merciless.

  “Well what do you want, Yvonne?” I yelled. “You always say you know how to play it right. You know what to do. You always get the tiniest thing you want.”

  She glared at me, living hatred seeming to burn through her eyes.

  “Your choices come with consequences, but that’s something you don’t seem to have learned.” I was almost shouting now. “You think you can steal Michael away from me, and come back here, and everything will be the same?” I glared at her incredulously. “What about when you’ve gone too far? Has that ever even occurred to you? That maybe you’ve been hurting others?” I suddenly stopped, not wanting to do this anymore. A tense silence hung in the air while I stood there, breathless.

  For a moment, I thought Yvonne was going to apologize, but I guess I had mistaken her shock for remorse because in the next second she lashed out again.

  “You’re weak, Drew.” She flung the words at me. “You could be one of the most powerful people in the world, but you’re too afraid to use what you’ve got.” Her dark eyes blazed with anger and her voice was edged with disgust. “You’re no better than the humans,” she said as if she were comparing me to a roach. And with that she turned and left the room.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  I walked numbly through the school doors, not even wanting to be there at all. It’s sad how the loss of a love affair (however small and short lived) can completely deplete your motivation for going to school, or anywhere else for that matter.

  Hailey commented that I didn’t look too good, which made my day just that much worse. She was probably saying it in my best interests, but still, Jessica patted my arm knowingly, trying to comfort me, but it was also embarrassing to let her see me get this way over her brother.

  Basically, I was miserable.

  I avoided Michael all day, ducking into bathrooms and behind people if I saw him passing by in the hallway. I was doing fine, but dreading the upcoming period of English class.

  The only upside of the day was that Caroline came back. She had been in the hospital for a few weeks and was finally well enough to return to school. She was still fragile and people were told to be careful around her, but she was greeted with ecstatic friends hugging her and making sure she was okay. Even the principal welcomed her back to school in the morning assembly.

  After the hype died down, Caroline formally thanked me for what I had done, claiming that I had saved her life. I had gotten quite a few comments about it and was beginning to feel slightly self-conscious, unsure of what exactly I had done that was so life-saving.

  But I was glad she had come back and our little group was now full again. Hailey, Caroline and Jessica gabbed on like usual and I would throw in comments here and there. I was just happy to see her again. But my good feelings died on the spot when I heard the bell signaling the next period, and I had to go to English class.

  I walked slowly down the hallway, even though I knew that getting there late wouldn’t make much of a difference. When I finally entered the room I was scolded by Miss Clark for being tardy, but I didn’t care. I noticed that the free seat was across the room from Michael and quickly thanked God that I didn’t have to spend the class sitting next to him.

  I felt Michael’s gaze follow me as I sat down and noticed him making frequent glances in my direction, but I ignored him. The class was painfully slow as I forced myself to avoid looking in his direction. Afterward, I got up as fast as I could and sprinted for the exit. I didn’t look back to see if Michael was following. Part of me hoped he was, but I pushed that thought away as quickly as it had surfaced. He didn’t want me. He had made that clear.

  When I heard Michael’s voice call after me my heart leapt, half of me feeling relieved, but the other half screaming at me to be angry with him. I sped up, but there were too many people in my way and Michael easily caught up to me. Irritation settled over me like a heavy cloud.

  “Hi Drew,” he said in his usual happy voice. “I’ve been trying to find you all day. Where’ve you been?”

  “Hello Michael,” I said, not looking at him. I was still trying to speed up and leave him behind.

  “Is something wrong?”

  “Nope.”

  He looked confused. “Well, you seem upset.”

  I didn’t reply.

  “Are you upset?”

  Again, I didn’t reply. I walked up to my locker and grabbed my books from inside, but Michael followed me.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, more intently this time.

  “Nothing.” I started walking again and he followed.

  Just then, I saw my next class come into view and I made a beeline for the doorway.

  “Um, see you later Drew,” Michael called after me, but I didn’t reply.

  When I glanced back to see if he had gone, I saw him walking away. His expression was a blend of confusion and hurt, but before I could begin to feel sorry about rejecting him, I told myself not to care. He had hurt me. All I was doing now was dealing with that hurt.

  But as I was just about to walk through the door, a figure at the end of the hallway caught my eye. The figure was taller than the rest and easy to spot ... David. What was he doing here?

  Chapter Thirty

  I started walking quickly down the hallway towards David. I eyed him suspiciously when he looked my way. “What are you doing here?” I asked once he was in earshot.

  “I have something for you.” David thrust some papers into my hands. I looked down at them. Ugh. Not again. Couldn't they at least give me a longer notice? “Her name is Gloria Stewarts,” he whispered.

  “Why tell me now?” I hissed. “You could have told me this morning or a few days ago.”

  “We were going to tell you tomorrow,” David explained.

  “Well, why didn’t you?”

  “We just received notice that this is her last day at school. It’s now or never. Get her to the Institution today,” he said quietly, and with that, he turned and left the building.

  Annoyed, I watched him go then looked down at the picture. I knew Gloria to be the quiet girl who always sat in the bac
k of my Spanish class. I hurriedly stuffed the papers in between the pages of one of my books and headed to class. How was I supposed to get Gloria to the Institution? I spent the rest of the period thinking about that instead of the lesson, and by the end of the day, I had a plan. It was a pretty lame plan, but a plan, nevertheless.

  “Gloria!” I called once I saw her outside the building, starting to walk home.

  She looked up and saw me, seeming confused about why I was talking to her. I wondered if she even knew who I was. I groaned inwardly. Embarrassment and anxiety were human emotions I was starting to become very well acquainted with.

  “That road is really backed up with construction,” I told her, feeling the lie burn on my tongue. “When I drove by it this morning there was no room on the side of the road for anyone to walk.”

  “It was fine this morning,” she said, her eyebrows furrowing in puzzlement.

  “Well, I got here late,” I explained.

  “Oh.” She didn’t sound convinced.

  “I just wanted to let you know so you don’t get caught up in all that,” I said, trying to sound friendly. “Do you want to walk with me? The long way around passes by my house.”

  She looked up and after a moment, smiled hesitantly. “Okay.”

  Suddenly, I felt this terrible feeling gnawing away at the pit of my stomach, threatening to consume me. I felt so guilty about what I was doing. Gloria had no idea what lay in store for her. And neither did I. All I knew was that it wasn’t good. But somehow I found myself still leading her down the sidewalk, closer and closer to the Institution.

  We talked a little on the way, not about much, just small things that didn’t really matter. Just things to pass the time and make the situation less awkward. I silently screamed at the creators for putting me through this, and at myself for wishing it.

  When we finally came just a few yards away from the Institution, I blanked. What now?

  “My house is that way,” Gloria informed me, pointing across the street where the road forked.

  “Um, okay,” I said, trying to think fast. I looked frantically back and forth between Gloria and the Institution. What should I do?

  They’re going to be so angry if I don’t get her in there, I thought.

  A part of me told me to just grab her arm and haul her inside, but for some reason my body just wouldn’t move.

  Do your job, Drew, something inside of me screamed. Just do it.

  But before I could make any decision, the doors to the Institution burst open and about five androids ran out towards Gloria. I saw the curiosity in Gloria’s eyes turn to fear when she realized they were directed at her. She screamed and tried to run the other way, but they were faster and caught her quickly. Almost too quickly. The way an owl might easily devour an unprotected mouse.

  “Drew!” she cried, looking at me in disbelief.

  Her imploring eyes turned accusatory, but any words I might have said died inside of me and shriveled into nothing. I could only stare in horror as they hauled Gloria towards the steps, guilt entwining itself within me at the realization of what I’d done.

  They dragged the screaming Gloria into the building and I ran after them. I watched as she was pulled through the doors at the end of the hallway like all the others. I grabbed one of the creators by the arm as he came out the door. “What are you doing to her?” I asked him.

  He shook me off. “Nothing.”

  “It’s not right, whatever it is,” I called after him. “It’s not right!”

  He turned around to confront me. “Look,” he told me. “This is your mission. It’s what you were created to do. So do it.” He didn’t look happy. “This school you’re going to and your friends are getting in the way of all this. So unless you shape up, we’re gonna take you away from it.” He turned and headed out of the room.

  I watched him go, not even sure what emotions were bubbling around inside of me. They weren’t nice emotions like I had first experienced—happy, laughing. They were cold and sickly, threatening to turn me into something evil I never knew I was capable of becoming. And it scared me.

  “Just play it right to get what you want,” I heard Yvonne’s voice from behind me.

  I didn’t even turn around to greet her. I wasn’t sure which Drew would spring to life upon seeing her; the old Drew, the rebellious Drew, or this new girl, full of anger and hatred and emotions that frightened me more than creators did and whatever they were doing.

  I didn’t look at Yvonne. I just left the room.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  “His name is Dustin Bennett,” David stated, handing me the paper from the driver’s seat. I looked down at the boy in the picture with light brown hair and blue eyes like mine. Dustin was a grade older than I was, but was still in my Spanish class. He sat a few seats behind me and we had been assigned in groups together before.

  “Okay ... You want me to bring him to the Institution?”

  David nodded.

  “On one condition.”

  His eyes narrowed. “You’re in no position to be making conditions.”

  “Whatever. I just don’t want it to be like the Gloria incident,” I said firmly. “I do not want screaming and struggling. Please.”

  David was silent for a moment. “Okay. Just get him inside. Tell him you like him or something.”

  There was a pause. I gave him a look to demonstrate my disbelief. “Like him? What do you mean?”

  David rolled his eyes. “Drew, you’re very pretty.” It wasn’t a compliment and I knew he hadn't intended it to be one. He stated it like he might state any other fact, such as the way I was created, the mechanical wiring inside of me. I turned to gape at him.

  “You’re an android. You’re appearance far surpasses any of the other girls at your school.” David parked the car on the curb outside the front doors and leaned over to me, glancing briefly at the picture in my hand. “Believe me when I say that Dustin will be ecstatic to walk home with you,” he declared.

  I stared at David for a few seconds, the image of Dustin ingrained in my mind. The creators wanted me to lure him to the Institution by professing my eternal love for him? For some reason this just seemed ... wrong. Not to mention, weird.

  David’s intent stare was unnerving me, so I grabbed my bag and hopped out. I headed up the school stairs, already formulating a plan in my mind. I mentally cringed at the thought, but I knew I had to do it. No matter what my reservations where, I was an android and this was my mission. I wasn’t even supposed to have emotions, so letting them get in the way was completely unacceptable.

  I spotted Dustin in the hallway standing by his locker and I walked his way. “Hello Dustin,” I said as I approached.

  He looked at me with a puzzled expression. “Um ... hi.” He smiled tentatively.

  I smiled back, forcing down the embarrassment of what I was doing and hoped I looked as pretty as David had declared. Yvonne came to my mind and I admitted briefly to myself that she probably would have had no problem at all with this assignment.

  I brought the memories of the few times Dustin and I had talked to the surface of my mind, trying to draw anything I could from them.

  Dustin put his books down and gave me his full attention. “How are you?” he asked, although he still seemed confused as to why I was here.

  “I’m good,” I replied lamely. I decided at that moment to desert any effort of eye-batting or flirty smiles and just get to the point. “Would you want to walk me home today?” My words hung flatly in the silence around us. For a moment, I thought I had totally blown the whole mission, but then Dustin’s eyes slowly lit up and he smiled back at me, although still looking surprised. “Yeah,” he said slowly, incredulously. “I would love to.”

  I internally sighed with relief and flashed Dustin the brightest smile I could muster without looking creepy. “I’ll see you later, then.” With a wave, I headed on my way, feeling utterly embarrassed and guilty about leading him on.

  This is
your mission. I heard the creator’s words again and again in my head. This is what you were made for. This is your purpose.

  After school, Dustin met me outside and we started walking in the direction of the Institution. “So ...” Dustin began, eyeing me. “What was all this about?” Amusement lingered in his eyes and I could tell he wasn’t the least put out. His house was kind of in my direction, anyway.

  I smiled, although it felt forced. “I just wanted to walk with you.” I looked up to see him smiling back. I turned to look straight again, feeling nervous and upset. I didn’t know how to do this. I didn’t know how I was supposed to act, how I was supposed to get him into the Institution and most importantly, what would be done to him while he was there. But in the meantime, I would have to act.

  Dustin and I chatted most of the walk there. He asked me about my interests and I made up hobbies and activities I claimed to do on a regular basis. When he started talking about what he liked to do, that gnawing feeling returned and I forced myself not to care about him.

  “Is your house far from here?” he asked after awhile.

  I shook my head. “Not that much. It’s actually a condo.” My lie and my smile felt hollow.

  Finally, we reached the Institution and I hurried up the front steps, Dustin right behind me, claiming to walk me to my door. Once in the lobby, my gut wrenched when I saw a creator and two androids hurrying towards Dustin. He frowned in curiosity when they approached him, glancing to me and back to them. When one of the androids grabbed his arm, he tried to pull away and I knew he was shocked by their strength.

  “Drew?”

  I backed away from the androids and the sound of Dustin’s startled voice, wishing it would all disappear. Dustin struggled and both of the androids needed to hold him as he was hauled through the ‘forbidden’ doors. I stood there for a moment staring at the doors swinging back and forth and slowly coming to a stop, hearing the echo of Dustin’s shouts in my mind.