by Beth Martin
They had been staying at a shelter on the San José Estate. It had been by far the best place they had lived. He had been able to spend his days hiking through the mountains and nights in a soft, comfy bed. There had been a lot of rules to abide by for those living there, but Roemell had found it easy to follow them.
Jovelyn had done her best to follow them as well. She had submitted to their strict schedule and tasteless food. But she had also conceived, and San José didn’t allow women to choose life. She knew her own body well enough to figure out she was with child before they had a chance to force the procedure on her.
Roemell knew that the choice was hers alone to make, but deep down, he wished she had gone with the other option. His face looked so much older than it had several months ago.
A circle of the floor began to rise, making a stool in the center of the room. “Please take a seat to commence grooming.” After he sat, the arm from before descended, this time holding a sharp blade. He almost fell back off of his perch trying to get away from the razor. “Remain seated.”
Within a minute, his hair was trimmed and all traces of his beard were gone. He swept a hand through his quiff. The new style was longer than he would have preferred, but the sides and back were neat and short.
Just as promised, fresh clothing was waiting for him outside the bathroom, nicely folded on a shelf in the closet. There was a simple black t-shirt and slacks, which was fine with him. He picked up the socks and underwear, noticing that there weren’t any shoes.
He took a deep breath and went back into the gray and yellow bedroom. He knew he was supposed to go watch Leona, but he was so tired, and the bed looked so soft. Since Jovelyn was already in the medical center, and it was his first day, he figured he’d be forgiven for a quick and much needed nap. Before he was even able to pull the covers over his body, he fell asleep.
• • •
Roemell woke with a start when Leona plopped down onto the bed. “Wake up, sleepy head.”
He sat up and rubbed his eyes. “What do you want?”
She stood up and faced him, placing her hands on her hips. She was wearing a ridiculous outfit—a bright red blouse with comically oversized shoulders paired with gray pants that were impossibly tight. For a moment, he wondered if her legs were getting any blood flow. There were shiny flecks of what looked like glitter adhered to all of her exposed skin. “You’ve been asleep for hours. You’re supposed to be guarding me, you know, following me everywhere.”
He didn’t need to explain himself to this woman. “I was tired.”
“Well, Ava and I are going to the carnival at her place this afternoon, and Daddy won’t let me leave without you. So get up. We need to head out now.”
Roemell groaned before throwing his legs over the side of the bed. His head felt foggy, and his stomach growled. “I haven’t eaten since I got here.”
Leona dramatically rolled her eyes. “First sleep, then food? Robots really are better.” She cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, “Bellabot!” The white, blocky robot zipped into the room. “Bellabot, he wants food.”
The bot was motionless for a while. Maybe it was calculating whether or not to allow him to eat. After a long pause, it broke the silence, “The kitchen will prepare him a meal to go. You are running late for your engagement. Do make haste.”
Roemell nodded, and stood up from the bed, noticing a shiny new black pair of shoes sitting on the floor next to him. He put them on and laced them up, but he wasn’t ready to leave. Not yet. “Bellabot, how is my sister doing? And the baby—is it okay?”
Leona sighed, and she sat down on one of the chairs, smashing a pile of pillows underneath her, then crossed her arms.
Bellabot’s lights flickered yellow. “The procedure has been completed successfully. However, the infection has worsened. Her liver and kidneys are shutting down. With the toxins from the infection building up in her bloodstream, dialysis is not a favorable option. Instead, she must undergo blood replacement therapy where her own blood will be completely drained and replaced by the synthetic blood.”
Feeling faint, Roemell sat back down. “That sounds really bad.”
“Yes. Only two percent of humans who undergo blood replacement make a full recovery. Thirty-six percent are permanently disabled after the procedure.”
“And the others die?”
“Yes.” He covered his face with his hands and consciously reminded his body to breathe.
Leona got up from her seat and tentatively tapped his shoulder. She was frowning, her face tight, but didn’t say anything. She just stood there awkwardly for a while. “I’m sorry about your sister.”
He nodded, but didn’t cry. They were doing everything within their power for Jovelyn, which was much more than he could have done on his own. He needed to hold up his side of the deal. “We should go.”
A grin spread across her face. “The carnival will cheer you up! Follow me.”
He hoped it would, but suspected that only seeing his sister well again would truly make him happy.
Leona and her new bodyguard rushed out of the house, and he grabbed the bagged lunch which was waiting at the front door. A black car idled on the driveway.
He opened the back door, and Leona slipped into the seat first. After he got in and closed the door, he glanced at the driver and his eyes widened.
She wasn’t sure what about riding in a car could possibly make someone so tense. “It’s fine. This vehicle is totally safe.”
He sunk down in his seat. “I don’t trust robots.”
“Why not? They’re here to help. They make our lives better.”
“You should try living on the streets. Robots don’t help people like me; they shoot to kill.”
He turned away, making it clear he didn’t want to talk as he opened his bagged lunch and ate the contents inside. The kitchen must have packed him some of the porridge that had been about to expire. She wasn’t sure why her father always insisted on having some on hand. They never ate it, and it always ended up getting thrown out.
Pinching her nose, she asked, “How can you eat that stuff?” He didn’t respond and continued scarfing down the slop. Leona knew that no matter how hungry she got, she would never eat that nasty shelf-stable food.
She tried to relax and think about the carnival instead. When Ava’s family, the Evankos, had initially constructed it, she’d thought they were making a huge mistake. All of the rides and amusements were needlessly compact. Yet somehow, they were all still a lot of fun, and Leona made a point to go at least once a month.
The ride to the Evanko Estate was short, and only ten minutes after they got into the car, the driver announced that they had arrived.
Her escort didn’t immediately get out, instead glancing around with a confused look. “What should I do with this?” He held up the paper bag and plastic container his lunch had been in.
“I don’t know. Just toss it anywhere. The bots will deal with it.”
He held the trash up between the front two seats, his arm trembling. Was he really that scared of the robots? “Uh, here you go.”
The android driver took the items, crushed them quickly using its hands, then placed the compacted trash in the glove box. It exited the car and opened the door for the pair to get out.
Leona started walking to the entrance where Ava was waiting, but her bodyguard held back, his eyes wide and jaw slack. She gestured for him to follow. “What’s the matter with you? Come on!”
He shook his head and took long strides to catch up with her.
Ava was wearing a teal sleeveless jumpsuit. Her wrist full of silver bracelets jingled as she hugged her friend. “Who’s your companion?”
“My dad decided that I need a ‘bodyguard.’ This is…” She realized that she didn’t actually know the man’s name.
“Roemell Ocampo.” He held out a hand, and Ava delicately grasped it.
“Pleasure to meet you.” She turned to Leona and whispered, “Why is it warm?�
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Leona bit her lip. “He’s a person.”
Ava’s eyes widened as she looked at him again, studying him closely. “How novel! He’s even hotter than Jon.”
Although Leona tried to brush off the comment, her cheeks still flushed. “Come on, let’s go in.”
Ava nodded at the gate, and a loud motor started up, slowly opening the metal doorway. As soon as the trio stepped inside, it immediately closed behind them.
“Rides first?” Ava suggested.
“Yes,” Leona gushed. She grasped her friend’s hand, and they walked through the lines of tents and booths covered in flashing lights. “Let’s do the egg beater first.”
They approached a ride which was a ten-foot metal arm connected to an egg shape with a simple bench seat inside. The whole thing was painted in glossy blue with glitter.
Roemell stood just outside the fence circling the ride. “I’ll stay here while you ladies ride.”
“Nonsense,” Ava said, grasping his hand and dragging him with them. “You sit on the outside here,” she pointed to one side of the bench, “and Leona, you sit on that end.”
Leona knew what Ava was trying to do. When the ride spun, the centripetal force would cause the riders to get pushed toward the outside seat. If Roemell sat there and Ava was in the middle, she would get pressed against him. Roemell complied, and Ava took a seat. An unexpected pang of jealousy boiled in Leona’s gut as she squeezed in on the other end. Now that he was clean, groomed, and well dressed, she had to admit that Ava was right—he was pretty cute.
Once they were all in, Ava shouted, “Let’s go!” A lap bar descended from above them, and the entire egg unit began to spin as the arm rotated. The two women screamed with glee as the ride made its circles, while Roemell’s screams sounded more scared. The ride only lasted a couple minutes before it stopped and the lap bar popped back up.
Stumbling to get up, Roemell staggered as he walked away from the ride. Ava giggled, finding his dizziness amusing. He gripped the fence, hunched forward, and threw up. The porridge looked the same as it had before he’d eaten it. Leona figured it probably tasted the same as well. When he was done, we wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt before returning to Leona’s side.
Ava wrapped a hand around his arm. “That ride was nothing,” she cooed. “Wait until you try the mind bender!”
He shook his head, face still a little green. “No thanks. I’ll sit the rest out.”
“Come on,” she pleaded, stepping in front of him and placing her hands on his chest. “You’ll have fun, I promise.”
Leona felt bad for him. “He doesn’t have to ride.” She turned to him and added, “Just wait for us outside each one, okay.”
“Yeah, sure. Whatever.” He slouched, clearly upset. She wasn’t sure what she could do to help him feel better, but making him happy wasn’t really her responsibility.
She decided she’d focus on having fun. “Let’s go ride the free-fall next, then do the mind bender.”
Ava smiled and started walking to the next ride. “We’ll do a lap around all the rides, then we can play some games.” The two women skipped ahead while Roemell followed a short distance behind.
Each ride was more terrifying than the last. The free-fall was exactly that: a drop of 100 feet. The mind blaster was similar to a traditional roller coaster except smaller, the track weaving around itself in a jumble of metal supports. There was also a tilt-a-wheel, swings, a parachute, and tea cups. For each one, the women rode while Roemell stood just outside the fence and watched.
“You might like this one,” Leona said as they came to the Ferris wheel.
“It looks awfully tall,” he said. “I’m not sure I want to go on anything else that spins.”
“It doesn’t spin quickly. It’s actually quite slow.” He still didn’t look convinced. “We can stop the ride if you don’t like it.”
Crossing her arms, Ava turned to address him. “I’ll just tell Mr. Poole that you refused to perform your duties.”
He gave out a short huff. “Fine.”
Ava led them onto one of the buckets, this time arranging the trio so that Leona was in the middle. Then she shouted, “Let’s go,” and the ride began its slow ascent.
As they got closer to the top, Roemell’s face slowly transitioned from fearful to awed. He leaned forward, looking around at the carnival below. The view was spectacular. From the top, the entire Evanko Estate was visible beyond the carnival’s edge. To the left was their patchwork of fields where they grew everything from avocados to wheat and cotton. On the right sat a grid of storage facilities and other necessary buildings. And straight ahead laid the villa. There were four separate residences. One housed Ava’s older brother, his wife, and their two kids. Then there was the guest house and the cottage where Ava’s grandparents stayed. The biggest one was in the center and was where Ava and her parents lived.
“Is this all your family’s estate?” Roemell asked, still leaning out of the cab to observe the view.
“Yep. All of it.”
“All of this for one family,” he said under his breath. “What a waste.”
“Excuse me?” Ava spat. Leona leaned back, not wanting to get in the middle, yet physically stuck between the two. “This is our land, and we use it all to its fullest potential. My grandparents and parents worked very hard for what we have.”
Roemell shook his head, refusing to look at her. “I’m sure they did.”
“They did!” she spat. “They aren’t like you lazy street bums who just expect people like me to give them handouts and support their sedentary lifestyle.”
He laughed. “Lazy street bums? What exactly are the millions of homeless people supposed to do?”
She scoffed. “I don’t know, find a job—”
He cut her off before she could finish. “There are no jobs. Those of you wealthy enough to actually employ us lazy street bums just use robots instead. We want to work. Instead, your kind chases us off your property using your fancy security androids, leaving the rest of us with nothing!” He was gripping the lap bar tightly and breathing heavily through his clenched jaw.
“Well, you somehow found a job.”
He leaned back, no longer entranced by the view. “Tell me, how many people do you employ?”
Leona couldn’t think of a single other person who worked at an estate without being a member of the family that owned it. Ava’s silence confirmed that she couldn’t, either.
Roemell and Ava had squeezed into Leona during their argument, and she pushed both of them away from her. “Guys, let’s cool it, please. Can’t we just have a fun time?” Ava snorted and faced away from them while Roemell flushed in embarrassment. “How about we get some popcorn and cotton candy then play some games?”
Ava sighed. “Fine.”
Leona tried to enjoy the rest of the evening, but the other two stayed sullen and quiet. Roemell refused to participate in any of the games, insisting it was inappropriate while he was working. After a round of ring toss and balloon darts, Leona decided to leave early. “I think I’m going to head home. Thanks for inviting me over.”
“Same time next week at your place?” Ava asked.
“Sounds good.” Leona gave her friend a quick hug before leaving the carnival with Roemell tailing behind her. Only after they had gotten into her limo and were out of range of the Evanko security androids did she ask, “Do you really hate people like me that much?”
He covered his face with his hands. “Not hate. It’s complicated.”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Try me. I’ve never really interacted with poor people before.”
“Whose fault is that?” he asked, his voice sharp. She didn’t say anything and just stared down at her hands, which were clenched in her lap. He sighed. “How did you become wealthy?”
It felt like a trick question. “My parents own the estate, not me…”
“But when they’re gone, they’ll pass it all on to you, right?”
/> She nodded. “Yes.”
His brows were knit together as he frowned slightly. “You were born wealthy. You never had to work for it, you never will have to work for it, and your life will be easy. My sister and I were born with nothing. We want to work, but there aren’t any jobs that can’t easily be done by your robots. There’s no land for us to cultivate, no resources to create something. Everyone, including you and me, is born into their situation, and there’s nothing I can do about it.”
She wanted to stay calm, but his words made her angry. “What you really mean is that I’m supposed to fix your situation.”
He leaned back in his seat, staring at the roof of the car. “I don’t know. It’s not fair that only a few people hold all the wealth. We’ve got this prosperous country full of natural resources and sophisticated machines, but it’s all owned by a select few. Most of the population has nothing.” He looked at Leona, his yellow-green eyes piercing her to the core. “I am really appreciative that your family has employed me and is taking care of my sister. I don’t want to upset you. Your friend, however, is kind of infuriating.”
“Yeah, I don’t know what got into her.”
• • •
When Roemell and Leona returned to the Poole Mansion, Spencer was waiting for them at the door. He smiled warmly as the pair approached. “Darling, you’re home. I thought we could have a special dinner tonight, just father and daughter.”
Leona rushed to her father’s side. “Sounds great.”
“Good. I had the theater building decked out to look like an Italian villa. I hope you’re in the mood for pasta.” He led her back to the long car while Roemell stood on the walkway, wary from their trip to the carnival. Glancing at him, Spencer said, “Mr. Ocampo, I thought you might like the evening off. Bellabot should have a meal prepped for you in the kitchen.”
“Thank you.” Roemell strode up to the front door, then looked back to watch them get into the vehicle and speed off. He had only spent half a day with Leona, but was already yearning for a break. Their experiences and opinions were so different, he wondered how they would get along spending all of their time together.
