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It is evening. To be exact, it is 7:23pm.
You watch the trees pass by as the car continues. It is hard to see in the darkness. They had talked at the lab about giving you night vision, but they'd never gotten around to it. Still, you glimpse flashes of red and yellow leaves from lights in the houses. You glance towards Doctor Anderson. She smiles, as if she can tell, even though her eyes remain on the road.
"We're getting close now," she says. "Do you remember your directives?"
You nod.
"Check them for me, would you?"
"Affirmative."
[[You say: "I've done it."->Introduction2]]
<<addToInv "Be polite">>
<<addToInv "Be helpful to others">>
<<addToInv "Cause no trouble">>
<<addToInv "Tell nobody what you are">>"Good," she says. "Remember, these directives will help you in the interactions you're going to have. You'll learn more as you go along. Well, at least, that's what we're hoping."
Her voice trails into a quiet, weary chuckle. You assess your directives.
<<if $inventory.indexOf("Cause no trouble") != -1>>[[Cause no trouble: "I'm sure it will be successful"->Causenotrouble1]]<<endif>>Current Directives:
<<invWithLinks>>[[Directives->Inventory]] <<initInv>>
<<set $Inv to true>>
<<addToInv "Be polite">>
<<addToInv "Be helpful to others">>
<<addToInv "Cause no trouble">>
<<addToInv "Tell nobody what you are">>Manners are the "most basic of basics."
At least, so said Professor Allman. This doesn't mean cater to the whim of every person you meet. The researchers made it clear that you can judge what's really helpful or not. But, still, being helpful is part of your core programming.
Avoid trouble. Trouble brings attention. Attention brings suspicion. Even if that weren't an issue, it'd be bad to cause trouble anyway.You're a top-secret project. Only the researchers and members of the household you're staying with get to know your nature.
Professor Allman looked afraid when he talked about people finding out. You wonder why."Yes, I'm sure," she says out loud. Then quietly, "I hope so."
You do not make a response to that. There is no point to repeating yourself. The car begins to slow, and Doctor Anderson smiles again as she pulls it to the curb. "Here we are! This is where you'll be staying."
The house stands there, unbothered by your scrutinizing. It is two stories, covered in white paneling, hydrangea bushes in the front. They likely look beautiful in the spring. It is older than the houses surrounding it, but not yet decrepit. You catch the movement of a curtain in the upper story.
You throw the blanket beside you over your head and get out of the car. Your body is still disconnected and strange to humans. They were scrambling to get the parts together for your disguise before you left, but it'll take another day of work. The blanket is for the best. Doctor Anderson comes up behind you, presses her hand on your shoulder, and ushers you quickly towards the door.
It opens right as you reach it. A man beckons you in. This must be Doctor Jacobs. You had been told that he works in the lab where you live, but on a different project.
He is larger than you, in height and heft. Still, he eyes you with trepidation. You let the blanket settle over your shoulders as he gathers himself up and holds out his hand.
<<if $inventory.indexOf("Be polite") != -1>>[[Be polite: You take it and say, "It's a pleasure to meet you"->Bepolite1]]<<endif>>"You as well," he replies, a beat too slow. He looks to Doctor Anderson, and they also shake hands. "Do you need to tell it anything before you go?"
"No, it's got its directives set up," she says. "Won't be any trouble," she looks at you over the top of her glasses, "right?"
"Cause no trouble," you respond, dutifully.
"Be back on Sunday," she says.
She pats you on the head, pulls the blanket away from you, and then she is gone. You are left with Doctor Jacobs. He is blinking at the places where your arms and legs connect to your torso. Your mechanical body is still low-quality, especially without the parts they're still working on. He must be surprised.
You wait for instructions.
"Well!" says Doctor Jacobs finally. "Let's get you introduced, shall we?"
[[You follow him into the next room->Introduction4]]Two girls wait for you in the next room. You remember Professor Allman mentioning them in his briefing before Doctor Anderson took you away. They are adolescent age, approximately two years apart. They are both staring at you, one with a beaming smile, one with barely an expression at all.
"The blonde one is my older daughter, Diana."
Diana raises a hand. Her eyes are hovering over the strange gap where you should have a shoulder, just like Doctor Jacobs had. Her hand lowers and taps at her own shoulder, where everything is connected by skin and sinew.
"And the dark-haired one is my younger daughter, Marisol."
"Hello!" Marisol says. She bounces and reaches out to grab your hand where it rests by your side, giving it a firm shake. "This is probably so overwhelming for you. You can let me know if you need anything, and I'll help you out!"
<<if $inventory.indexOf("Cause no trouble") != -1>>[[Cause no trouble: "You don't have to worry about me."->Causenotrouble2]]<<endif>>
<<if $inventory.indexOf("Be polite") != -1>>[[Be polite: "Thank you very much."->Bepolite2]]<<endif>>Marisol's smile shrinks, and her shoulder curl in towards her chest. She lets go of your hand, grabbing one elbow behind her back. "Just...you know. If you need to know where things are or...anything."
You think about it. She seems to want to help you. Perhaps you ought to backtrack. You cast around for a question you might ask.
"I suppose I would like to know where I can shut down at night," you say. "If it's no trouble."
"Yes, we'll be putting you in the guest room," says Doctor Jacobs. "Marisol, you can take it there now, if you'd like."
"Of course," she turns and gestures for you to follow.
As you leave the room, you catch Diana's eyes again. She's still looking at you, chewing on the inside of her lip, her hand now resting on her bare shoulder. Her expression reminds you of your own in videos where you're being tested on your intellectual functions. Blank and focused.
The guest room is upstairs and to the right. Marisol opens the door for you, and you heed her gesture to go inside.
The room is normal. There is a bed, a nightstand, a desk, and a chair. None of them are remarkable. They are the standard images you conjure when asked to think of a bed, a nightstand, a desk, and a chair. Marisol peers in from the doorframe. "It's not much, but you're only staying for a week, after all.
[[You sit down on the bed.->Introduction5]]"No problem at all!" says Marisol, letting go of your hand and rolling back on her heels. Her eyes shine at you. She must be excited by your novelty. "Come on, I'll show you to your room."
"Yes, we'll be putting you in the guest room," says Doctor Jacobs. "If you need anything else put in there, just let one of us know, and we'll work it out with your researchers.
"Of course," you say. Marisol turns and gestures for you to follow, one hand waving quickly.
As you leave the room, you catch Diana's eyes again. She's still looking at you, chewing on the inside of her lip, her hand now resting on her bare shoulder. Her expression reminds you of your own in videos where you're being tested on your intellectual functions. Blank and focused.
The guest room is upstairs and to the right. Marisol opens the door for you, and you heed her gesture to go inside.
The room is normal. There is a bed, a nightstand, a desk, and a chair. None of them are remarkable. They are the standard images you conjure when asked to think of a bed, a nightstand, a desk, and a chair. Marisol peers in from the doorframe. "It's not much, but you're only staying for a week, after all.
[[You sit down on the bed.->Introduction5]]"I'll leave you to settle in, I suppose," she says, after a moment of silence. "If you need anything, feel free to ask!"
She closes the door behind her. Perhaps "Be helpful to others" is also programmed into her Directives. Or rather, whatever the equivalent of Directives would be to a human. You have not gathered enough information yet.
The door opens again, and Marisol's head pokes back in. "I'm the door to the left, by the way!"
She leaves again, with one last smile.
You survey the room once more. Your charger is set up and ready to use over the night. There a few books that have been placed here, all science fiction. You wonder if they thought you would enjoy those. You aren't sure. You haven't read any before.
There are a few other nicknacks, but nothing illuminating. Discarded shopping lists, paper clips, a lost bouncy ball. By the time you finish checking every corner and cleaning the dust you find, a few hours have passed.
You decide it's time to power down and charge.
It's started raining. The house creaks. This place is full of sounds that the lab could never make. You listen in the darkness for a few seconds, the whirring of your mechanical parts familiar beneath the noise.
[[You shut down.->Day1.1]]You're roused from your resting state when your sensors alert you to a repeated noise coming from close by. Now fully aware, you identify the noise as somebody knocking on your door. You unplug your charger and rise from the bed.
Marisol smiles at you when you open the door to her. She twists her hands in front of her, rocking on her heels. "I was wondering if you'd like to go to school with me today!"
"School?" you ask.
"Yeah, it's a Tuesday," she says. Her hands quickly drop to clasp behind her back, as if she'd just realized she was fiddling with them. "I think Dad mentioned you're supposed to go with us, and I figure you might get bored if you have to hang around here all day. Plus, hey, I know they made you smart, so maybe you can help me out with my classes?"
You look down at yourself. Your less-than-ideal mechanical body reflects warps the expression on your face. "I am not currently prepared for an outside-"
"I know, but I put together a disguise for you!" she exclaims, grabbing your spindly hand and pulling you out into the hallway. She gestures at the clothing neatly hung on a hook in the hallway. "All we've got to say is that you're a bit of a germophobe or something. I even found a wig!"
The wig is long and purple.
You think about it. Your face is already passable- it's the only part of yourself colored like normal skin. If your body stayed covered, you would likely pass. If anything got messed up or pulled on, however, there would be a chance of discovery or suspicion.
Marisol is rocking back and forth from her heels to her toes again, still smiling. Your recall the previous evening. Acquiescing to her request may make her happy.
<<if $inventory.indexOf("Be helpful to others") != -1>>[[Be helpful to others: "Affirmative, I'll go to school with you, if you think I can help."->Behelpful1]]<<endif>>
<<if $inventory.indexOf("Tell nobody what you are") != -1>>[[Tell nobody what you are: "Negative. The researchers would dislike me going out without my body fully assembled."->Tellnobody1]]<<endif>>Marisol makes a noise of delight, shoving the mess of hangers into your chest. The mess of long, purple hair gets briefly caught in your eyes. Marisol carefully leans in to detangle it. You hold very still, not wanting any of your electronics to be damaged. She gets it free after another minute, and you pull the sweatshirt over your head.
Once you are dressed, you and Marisol survey your completed look in the mirror. The sweatshirt and jeans are big enough that they don't hang too odd- you just look like you have a small frame. You put the wig on last, and she makes a face.
"It's from my seventh grade witch Halloween costume," Marisol explains apologetically. "I think it looks cool though!"
You tilt your head, and it slides to the side. It looks unconvincing. Marisol, after a long period of consideration, snaps her fingers and rushes to the room to the right of yours, knocking rapidly.
"G'way."
"Diana, can we borrow one of your beanies?"
The reply is too quiet for you to hear, but Marisol rushes in anyway, rushing out again just as fast. When she reaches you, she jams a black beanie on your head. She steps back, looks you over, and nods.
Diana has followed her out and leans against the doorframe, mouth opening in a painful yawn. She's still in her pajamas, and her hair sticks up funny, like she'd been lying down.
You tilt you head at her. The wig stays in place this time. "Will you not be attending school?"
Diana shakes her head, yawning again. "I'm not feeling good."
Aside from the shadows under her eyes, you cannot observe anything particularly off about her. You consider asking further, but Marisol steps in front of you, gesturing at your look grandly "Look, Diana, she looks just like you in seventh grade."
Diana's face stays blank as she stares at Marisol, whose hands lower to her sides. She rolls a foot in a circle. "I didn't mean-"
"See you tonight," Diana says, stepping back into her room and closing the door.
Marisol is still for a moment, but then she grabs your hand, pulling you down the hallway towards the stairs. She shouts over her shoulder: "I'm taking the car!"
[[Marisol is not the best driver, but you make it to school still assembled->Day1.2]]"Oh," says Marisol, her shoulders slumping. She fiddles with a few strands of the purple wig for a moment, then lets them drop. "Well, okay then."
"I should be entirely assembled by tonight," you inform her, "so I should be able to attend with you from Wednesday on."
"I know," she says. "I just..." she trails off and smile again, her eyes off to the side. "Well, tomorrow then."
You return to your room and watch Marisol from the window as she rushes out the door and into the car in the driveway. It screeches as it turns a corner.
You sit for half an hour in your room, eyes shutted off, considering your options. It seems like a waste to simply power down again and rest until the end of the day. Perhaps you can acclimate to the house instead. You stand decisively, eyes opening again.
Once you open the door, you are surprised to hear the sound of the TV from downstairs. You descend cautiously. Doctor Jacobs should be at work, while Diana and Marisol should be at school. It could be an intruder- they cannot be allowed to see you.
Besides, you were not made for combat.
However, when you glance into the living room, you find Diana. She is laying on the couch in her pajamas and eating chips while a cartoon plays. You enter, and her eyes snap to you. She blinks. You stare back. Her spaced out eyes refocus. She blinks a few more times before recognition lights in her eyes. "Oh, hey."
"Hello," you say. "Why are you not at school?"
"I'm sick," she says, raising her hands and curling two fingers around the word 'sick.' You are not sure what that means, but she seems to realize this since she sighs and continues. "I just wanted to stay home so I had Dad call me in sick."
"Why?"
She shrugs. "We're not doing anything in school today. But saying you're sick gets you off the hook easier than just saying you don't want to, you know?"
"I cannot use that excuse."
"You can if the people don't know," she points out, lips twitching.
[[You file this information in your Directives->Day1.4]]
<<addToInv "Sickness is a good excuse">>The school is overcrowded. Marisol navigates the hallways with ease, but you keep getting stuck behind slow-moving groups. It's probably because you are avoiding brushing shoulders with anyone in the way she does. She waits for you at each corner, grabbing your wrist for a moment to get you through the riptides of people. You try to focus on the whir of your machinery and your footsteps, the buzz of conversation fading to the background.
As you walk, she waves to many people. They all smile and wave back.
"You know a lot of people," you note.
Before she can reply, somebody calls out to her, and she stops to let them approach. The girl has short brown hair and a wide grin. "Marisol, you haven't said whether you're coming to ice skating."
"Right! Ice skating!" Marisol pulls out her phone. You watch as she pages down her list of text messages, opening up a thread almost ten rows down. "Well, I defintely want to come. I'll let you know by the end of the day, promise."
The other girl's lips are still turned up, but her eyes aren't matching. You can't quite identify what's off. It just doesn't look like the happy expression Professor Allman used to quiz you on. She glances towards you quizzically, and you turn to the side to break eye contact. "No problem, just text, okay?"
"Okay!" Marisol smiles and waves as she pulls you along behind. The girl glances at you again but doesn't say anything. As soon as you round the corner, Marisol lets out a sigh. "Oh, she's exhausting."
"Isn't she your friend?" you ask, surprised.
"She's hard to get a read on," Marisol scoffs. "I'm not sure if she likes me or not."
You think about the odd expression. You can at least understand the hard to read part. Although- "Can't you just ask her?
Marisol comes to a halt right next to a set of lockers. It serves as a buffer against the people, keeping them from slamming into you. "Asking would just make me seem needy. Then she definitely wouldn't like me."
"People liking you is important," you confirm.
Marisol twists her hands in front of her. "I guess so!"
[[You file this information in your directives->Day1.3]]
<<addToInv "People liking you is important">>The rest of the day proceeds uneventfully. There is a close call where your purple wig gets stuck in Marisol's backpack zipper, but she manages to untangle it without much trouble. She has very steady hands, almost as steady as yours.
You get to offer your help in Marisol's math class, since she seems to struggle with the problems. You know this from your studies at the lab, and you explain it quietly in the way Professor Allen had. When it finally clicks, she reaches to pat you on the shoulder, but pulls up short, perhaps remembering that you do not currently have one.
When her friends ask who you are, she claims that you're a cousin visiting for the week. They squint a bit, note that they don't see a family resemblance, and move on.
You suppose that most people would not jump immediately to "robot."
You stay for her clubs as well. She works at the Writing Center in the afternoons, helping students with papers. She is much better with words than she is with numbers. The same patience she'd shown when disentangling your wig from her zipper comes out as she listens to students struggle to explain their ideas.
After that, she meets with her chorus, and they have a short rehearsal. She invites you to join in, but you decline, explaining to her quietly that you are not currently programmed with a sense of pitch. You listen instead. You're not sure if it's good or not.
You only head back to the car at approximatley 5:13pm, hours after school had let out for the day. Buckling your seatbelt quickly as she peels out of the parking lot, you ask: "Why do you participate in so many activities."
"What use is time if you're not filling it?" Marisol answers. You glance out the window. The sky is pink and orange. "Stay busy."
You file this information in your Directives.
"Hey, this was fun," Marisol says, taking a turn too sharply. You cannot get motion sick, but you're holding tightly to the door anyway. "I thought you'd be kind of boring and...well, you are a bit, but you're also pretty normal for a robot."
<<if $inventory.indexOf("Be polite") != -1>>[[Be polite: "Thank you," you say.->Day 1.7]]<<endif>>
<<set $Marisol to true>>
<<addToInv "Stay busy">>Marisol told you that, even if you don't like someone, you want them to like you. Doctor Jacobs has your parts with him. He seems thankful when you inform him that you know how to install them yourself. Most of them don't serve much function beyond giving you a more humanoid shape.
Doctor Anderson had included handwritten instructions anyway, apparently in case you had forgetten or needed assistance. Looking at her handwriting makes you feel strange. You are used to seeing her every day, along with the other doctors and professors at the lab. You wish you could see them. However, you suppose that they don't want to give you that support. They're testing how well you adjust, after all.
From tomorrow, you'll be able to go to school without concerns. Marisol oohs and aahs at the additions, poking at the shoulder and pulling on your hair gently.
<<if $Marisol>>"I guess we'll just have you say you had a drastic style change!" she laughs.<<else>>"I guess it's good you waited to get this," she says. "It's so nice!"<<endif>>
"I'll be at school tomorrow too," says Diana, sprawled on the couch. Marisol doesn't glance at her, but you turn your attention toward her. "I get the car, by the way."
At that, Marisol does glance up, eyebrows furrowed. "It's no fair that I'm the one who has to walk when I usually go in earlier than you."
"Well, buy your own car."
"You didn't buy this car with your own money! It's for us to share!"
"You used it today, didn't you?" says Diana blandly.
Marisol lets out a breath through clenched teeth. "Fine. Okay."
It does not rain that night, so it is just you and the whirring of your gears. You look at yourself and your new parts in the mirror. The hair they have given you is short and black. All the holes and indentations are filled.
You're not sure if you like it.
[[You shut down->Day 2.1]]"You wanna watch cartoons with me?" Diana asks.
"What is the plot?" you ask.
Diana turns back to the screen contemplatively. "Um. Well. They seem to fight and scream at each other a lot so. Abusive relationships?"
"Why are you watching if you are uninvested in the story's progression?" you ask. Diana taps her chin, thinking. Still standing in the doorway, you look at the screen. There is a very colorful battle going on.
"If I was invested, then I'd be distracted," Diana answers. "I just want some background noise."
"But you are not doing anything else."
"Wrong," says Diana, popping another chip into her mouth and chewing thoroughly "I'm eating chips."
"That takes a lot of focus?" you ask, worried.
Diana sighs. "I don't know how to explain this to you. It's like. Doing nothing but eating chips and not-watching a cartoon can be a good time, you know?"
You are still not sure.
"It's like, doing nothing is sometimes doing something," Diana clarifies. "Sometimes you just want to do nothing."
"Doing nothing...is fun."
"Yes!"
You file this information into your Directives, hesitantly.
"Well," you say, moving over to the armchair to sit with your legs folded up underneath you. Diana makes a face, involuntarily. The way you are sitting is probably beyond most human's flexibility. You adjust a bit. "I suppose I can try. If you don't mind."
"I guess," she says. "Just...don't do anything."
[[You follow instructions->Day1.5]]
<<addToInv "Doing nothing can be fun">>
<<set $sick to true>>If you don't feel like doing something, just say you're feeling sick. You think that this might not work on anyone who knows you're a robot.You spend the rest of the day doing nothing with Diana. As the cartoon continues, Diana gets more invested in the storyline despite herself, even if she never manages to learn the names of the characters. She mostly refers to them by hair color. You offer to list the names off for her, but she brushes you off, saying she doesn't really care.
When her chip bag only has small crumbs left, Diana offers you the dregs. You remind her that you cannot eat. She pours the contents into her mouth instead.
"So," Diana says, when it is nearing five o'clock. Nobody, not even Marisol, is home yet. "What'd you think of doing nothing?"
"It was nice to get to know you some more," you say. Diana stares at you, mouth twitching. "Is there something wrong with what I have said?"
"You're kind of disorienting," she says.
"Doctor Jacobs is bringing the parts of my body that will serve as disguise," you inform her. "I will be less disorienting to look at once these parts are equipped.
"That's not really what I-"
The door opens before she can finish, and Doctor Jacobs announces his arrival. Diana sighs. "You're not, like, required to tell on me, are you? Not that he'd care. I don't think."
[["I will not tell," you say.->Day 1.7]]
You're not really sure about this one, but Diana has assured you that it's entirely true.Nobody knocks on the door this morning, so you rouse to the time you set. You put on your camouflage and look at yourself in the mirror. Your face is unfamiliar.
You leave your room and move to knock on Marisol's door. Diana's voice stops you before you can. "She's already gone for today."
You look over to her. She's dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, her blond hair pulled into a side ponytail that pokes out from the edge of her brown beanie. "She's got early morning chorus rehearsal every other day, so she left about an hour and a half ago."
"I see," you say, lowering your hand back to your side. "May I accompany you instead, then?"
"Sure," she says. She disappears back into her room for a moment and returns with a backpack slung on her shoulder. "Let's go, I'll drive you."
When you get downstairs, Diana discovers that the car keys are no longer on the hook.
"Goddammit Marisol," she mutters. You peer out the window and see no cars left in the driveway. Diana clicks her tongue. "I'm going to have to start hiding the keys in my room."
"Shall we be walking then?"
"More like running," Diana sighs. She squints at you. "I don't suppose you have, like, jetpacks or something."
"No."
"Figured."
[[You do carry her backpack for her->Day2.2]]In the morning, Diana caves and lets you and Marisol in the car to go to school. You think it has more to do with a stern look from Mrs. Jacobs than any sense of kinship or guilt. Marisol is banished to the backseat while you get the front.
<<if $Marisol>>Marisol is just as busy and talkative as she had been the first day you accompanied her. A few of her friends inquire about your hair, and you parrot Marisol's response. "I just felt like changing it up."<<else>>Marisol is much friendlier than Diana. She says hello to nearly everyone you pass in the hallway, it seems. Logically, it's only about 30%, but these hallways are crammed with kids. She knows a lot of their names.<<endif>>
The lunchroom is somehow worse than the hallways, because people are trying to go in more than two different directions. Diana had eaten lunch in the hallway, so you hadn't had to worry about it yesterday. <<if $Marisol>>The first day, Marisol had had a conference with her English teacher about a paper, so you hadn't ventured here either.<<endif>> Before you realize it, you've lost Marisol in the crowd. You glance around frantically, trying to catch a glimpse of her dark hair.
Your attention snaps in on a waving hand. Someone unfamiliar is trying to get your attention specifically. When you meet her eyes, she gestures for you to join her at her table. <<if $Marisol>>Searching your memory, you remember it's the girl that Marisol had expressed not liking very much.<<endif>> There is still no sign of Marisol, but you don't want to sit with this girl either.
<<if $inventory.indexOf("People liking you is important") != -1>>[[People liking you is important: You brace yourself and walk over to the table, sitting down with an approximation of a smile. "Did you need something?"->Peoplelike2]]<<endif>>
<<if $inventory.indexOf("Don't get seperated") != -1>>[[Don't get seperated: You decide that your first priority needs to be finding Marisol anyway. You leave the cafeteria to go in search of her.->sickness1]]<<endif>>
<<if $inventory.indexOf("School is not always important") != -1>>[[School is not always important: You begin to feel overwhelmed by the missing Marisol, the crush of people, and the girl wanting your attention. You decide you don't want to be in this building anymore.->noschool1]]<<endif>>
<<if $inventory.indexOf("Sickness is a good excuse") != -1>>[[Sickness is a good excuse: You approach the girl and apologize. "I'm afraid I'm not feeling so well, so you'll have to talk to me later." You leave the cafeteria to cement your lie.->sickness1]]<<endif>>You wake up and get ready to go to school, but Diana stops you at the head of the stairs. She's chewing on the side of her lip. "Hey, Marisol's not feeling great today. She does better with company, I think, but I already missed a lot of class this week and-"
"I will stay with her," you assure her. "One of my Directives is to be helpful to others."
"Thanks," says Diana, fiddling with the sleeves of her sweatshirt. "She's, uh, actually sick, by the way."
<<if $sick>>"I understand," you say. "I will bring her water once you leave."
"Great," she says, huffing a small chuckle. "Thanks for helping."<<else>>You tilt your head, confused. "What other kind of sick would she be?"
"Never mind," says Diana, shaking her head with a small chuckle. "Just bring her some water, yeah?"<<endif>>
You see Diana off and watch her drive down the street. You go to the kitchen and fill up a glass of water, grab an ice pack from the fridge, and, after a second of thought, take a pack of saltines from the cabinet.
Upstairs, you knock softly on the door. You hear a groggy, "Diana?"
"It is me," you answer. "May I come in?"
There's a pause and then, "Sure, okay."
You enter quietly to find Diana sitting with her head thrown back on a stack of pillows, computer open in front of her. You place your collected goods on the nightstand beside her, and she squints open her eyes to look. She grabs the icepack and puts it behind her neck immediately.
You take a second to look around her room. It's incredibly organized and clean, even compared to your room at the lab. There, it's clean because there's not much stuff. Here, it's clean despite the stuff.
"Did Diana ask you to stay home to watch me?" she asks.
[[You nod.->Day 4.2]]Marisol goes out for a day of ice skating, after being cleared by her father for good health. She promises to call if she starts feeling at all ill.
<<if $okay>>"Hey, Diana?" she says by the door, talking into her scarf. Diana looks up from her place on the couch in her pajamas.
"Yeah?"
"Can we talk later?"
Diana hesitates but nods. "Sure."<<endif>>
Doctor and Mrs. Jacobs are also out for the whole day, volunteering. They'd offered to let you come with them, expose you to more people, but you'd declined. Your battery had somehow not fully charged during your shut down the night before. You don't want to risk of running out while being out of the house.
So, it's just you and Diana.
<<if $Marisol>>"So I've been watching this cartoon lately," Diana says. "You wanna watch it with me? It's not good, but in a good sort of way."
"Sure, I'll watch it with you," you say. "I'm curious to know what that means."<<else>>"You wanna keep watching that cartoon I had on that day I was sick?" Diana asks. "I've been watching it more. It's bad, but it's good, you know?"
"Sure," you say. "I enjoyed it well enough."<<endif>>
Diana gets up from the couch and heads up to her room, and you follow behind. She snags her laptop from her desk and flops on to her bed, opening it up. You hover looking for a place to sit, until she smacks the mattress next to her. "You're not that heavy, right? You can just sit next to me."
You ease in next to her as she opens up the cartoon on her computer. You want to say something to her.
<<if $inventory.indexOf("Stay busy") != -1>>[[Stay busy: "Shouldn't you be working on something for school?"->busy1]]<<endif>>
<<if $inventory.indexOf("Make Diana laugh more") != -1>>[[Make Diana laugh more: You stretch a finger to point to one of the main characters and say, "He looks a bit like a carrot."->laugh1]]<<endif>>
<<if $inventory.indexOf("Go out of your comfort zone") != -1>>[[Go out of your comfort zone: You want to know more about her. You ask, "Diana, what do you want to do in the future?"->comfort1]]<<endif>>
<<if $inventory.indexOf("Doing nothing can be fun") != -1>>[[Doing nothing can be fun: Perhaps words are unneccesary. You settle in to watch.->nothing1]]<<endif>>Doctor Anderson comes to pick you up in the afternoon. The Jacobs family stands outside their house to watch you go.
Marisol smiles and waves. Diana looks down at her shoes after meeting your eye.
You watch them as the car pulls away.
Doctor Anderson doesn't say anything as you merge on to the highway. You fidget in your seat. You don't remember having that urge before. You try to still yourself.
"How did I do?" you ask.
Doctor Anderson shoots you a quick glance. "How do you think you did?"
You think about it.
"I don't know," you answer, honestly.
She smiles, her eyes bright in the midday sun. "Well. I'd say that's a very good start."
-Fin-<<if $Marisol>>Diana's classes are not as challenging in material as Marisol's, it seems. Even the teachers seem less invested.<<else>>Diana's classes are not particularly challenging for you. Even the teachers seem uninvested.<<endif>>
Diana herself seems equally disinterested.
In history, the class is sorted into groups to create a presentation on a historical figure of their choice. There's a list of suggested topics. You scan them. They seem to be mostly European rulers and monarchs.
"Well, how about we each make a case for the one we want to do, and we'll choose the topic from there?" suggests Emily, the other girl in Diana's group. "Does that sound good?"
"Sounds good to me," says Desmond.
"I'm good with whatever, so I'm not gonna do that," says the other boy. He hadn't introduced himself, so you don't know his name.
Diana says nothing. She's staring at the clock.
"Uh, well, let's exchange contact info at least," says Emily. The bell begins to ring at the end of her sentence, and Diana is up, backpack slung over her shoulder. She heads towards the door without preamble.
"Diana, hang on a sec," Desmond tries, but Diana has already disappeared out the door.
You remain seated, glancing between the door to the hallway and the group members left in the classroom.
<<if $inventory.indexOf("Cause no trouble") != -1>>[[Cause no trouble: You stand quickly and follow Diana out. You say nothing when you catch up with her. It's none of your business.->Causenotrouble3]]<<endif>>
<<if $inventory.indexOf("Be polite") != -1>>[[Be polite: You bow your head to the other group members and apologize for Diana. "Why don't I take your contact information to her?"->Bepolite3]]<<endif>>
<<if $inventory.indexOf("People liking you is important") != -1>>[[People liking you is important: You leave with a quick, apologetic smile and chase after Diana. You say, "That wasn't very nice of you."->Peoplelike1]]<<endif>>"God, I hate those people," Diana mumbles. "Can't wait to be rid of them."
You remain silent.
"I mean, Jake especially is an incredible asshole," she vents, throwing her hands in the air. "Ugh, he just thinks he's so much smarter than everyone else, it infuriates me. Knowing a bunch of party trivia doesn't make you smart."
You continue to stay quiet.
"That was great to say out loud," Diana sighs. "Marisol would totally just brush me off. Emily and Desmond are pretty bad too, but Jake's just a jerk."
You file this information into your Directives.
"I believe you," you say.
"Good, cause it's true," Diana nods firmly. "Oh, but thankfully, it's only about four more months of him, then I never have to see Jake or anyone else here again."
[["Why is that?" you ask.->Day 2.3]]
<<addToInv "Jake is a jerk">>
<<set $Jake to true>>"Yeah, well, I'm not very nice," Diana mumbles, then lets out a prolonged sigh. "Listen, it's just that these group projects don't really matter at this point. None of this really matters at this point. All I have to do is not fail."
"Education is important," you say.
"I'm not saying it's not, but, like, I'm not really learning anything by doing this. Senior year's just about staying afloat and hoping everything else you did gets you into college."
You hesitate. "So. School is not important."
"Not always."
You file this information in your Directives.
"Don't you want people to like you though?" you ask. Diana looks back over her shoulder with a raised eyebrow. The hallways is growing in volume as more students flow out of their rooms. This school is really overcrowded. "I've heard that it is important for people to like you."
"I'm never gonna see them again once I go to college," Diana waves a hand. "Thankfully."
[["Why not?" you ask.->Day 2.3]]
<<addToInv "School is not always important">>"Well, I guess that will work," Emily says with a sigh. She still smiles at you. "Thanks."
"Your cousin is a real piece of work," grumbles the boy whose name you don't know. He rips out a sheet of paper from his notebook, his email scrawled across it in messy handwriting. "Thinks she's so superior to everyone."
You take the emails offered to you, apologizing again.
"Hey!"
You look up towards the doorway. Diana is there, breathing hard. "What are you doing?"
"You needed their contact-" she doesn't let you finish, storming up to you and grabbing you by the arm, dragging out up out of your seat and into the hallway before you can say goodbye. The emails, at least, are still in your hand.
"Someone's supposed to keep an eye on you while you're at school," she scolds, still dragging you. "Don't get seperated like that, alright, you have to keep up."
You file this information in your Directives.
[["I apologize," you say. "I simply thought-"->Day 2.4]]
<<addToInv "Don't get seperated">>"I'm gonna go to college out of state," Diana says brightly. She swings into the next classroom with one hand on the doorframe. You have to backtrack a few steps to follow her. She sits down at a desk with a thump, pulling a chair towards you with a foot so you can sit beside her. "That's the plan anyway. Whole new city, whole new group of people. City people. Interesting people."
"You do not find the people here interesting."
"Nope, not anymore," Diana says, without hesitation. "I mean, I've been to kindergarten with lots of these people. Spent at least four years with most of the people in my classes."
"They seem interesting to me," you say.
"That's because you've never met them," Diana answers. She doesn't even bother to lower her voice as other students enter the classroom. "Trust me, everyone here's the same. Too afraid to get our of their comfort zone."
"That is a bad thing," you confirm.
She snaps her fingers at you. "Exactly. You've got to make the outside of your comfort zone into your comfort zone."
You think for a moment. "I do not believe that makes sense."
"That's because you're in your comfort zone."
[[You are not sure that makes sense either, but you file it in your Directives anyway.->Day 2.8]]
<<addToInv "Go out of your comfort zone">>
<<set $Diana to true>>Diana told you this. It seems that, while knowledge is always important, sometimes the institution that imparts it is not.Marisol apologizes for not being able to spend the day with you today. "But I've got no chorus practice tomorrow, so you can walk around with me then!"
"You're walking to school," Diana says.
"What? Why won't you drive me?"
"You made me walk, so you get to walk."
It seems you will be walking to school with Marisol tomorrow. <<if $Marisol>>After the ride to school with her yesterday, you are relieved about this more than anything.<<endif>>
By the time you return to your room, you are tired. Your battery is lower than it usually is by the end of the day. You wonder if the new routine is having an impact on you.
[[You shut down->Day 3.1]]After research, you believe this means that doing things that make you uncomfortable can be beneficial.Diana might have been being impolite, but she seemed firm on this point at least."Don't think for me," Diana snaps. She stops suddenly, turning to face you. Somebody runs into your back, and you stumble forward a few steps until you nearly knock your head into hers. The student moves around you, rubbing their shoulder and giving you a weird look. "You're just tagging along and learning, yeah?"
"Yes, that is what I am instructed to do."
"Well, then, do that!" she stares seriously into your eyes. You do not have a biological need to blink since your eyes do not require moisture, but you somehow still feel an intense urge to do so. "Don't speak for other people. You're here to observe our lives, not mess around in them."
You file this information in your Directives.
"I apologize," you say as Diana finally releases your arm. "I shall not do something of this nature again."
"Well. Good," says Diana. She shifts and finally looks away. "I know I was being rude back there. I guess you're just like programmed to be polite or something. And I should have waited for you to follow me."
You stand in silence for a few moments while students flood the halls around you. She spins back around suddenly. "Come on, let's just get to my next class."
[[You spend the rest of the day only speaking when spoken to->Day 2.8]]
<<addToInv "Don't speak for other people">>While you're in public, somebody from the Jacobs family needs to keep an eye on you."You're Marisol's cousin, right?" the girl asks, leaning her head onto her clasped hands. You nod cautiously. "Wow, what's that like?"
"Normal," you answer. You're not sure what response the girl was looking for, but it seems like that wasn't it by the way her lips quirk down. You continue to try and jusify the answer. "I don't live very close, so we don't know each other very well."
"Still, you must know some things about her, yeah?" says the girl. "Like, how's her relationship going."
"We don't really talk about things like that," you reply, as neutrally as you can muster.
"That bad, huh?" muses the girl. "Well, can't say I'm too shocked."
You are regretting coming over to this girl. <<if $Marisol>>You wonder if Marisol feels like this when talking to her. No wonder she doesn't like her.<<endif>>
"Did you need something from me?" you ask again.
"No, you just looked like you were lost," the girl says. "It's easy to get eaten up in the cafeteria, you know."
You look at her. "I think so."
"Hey!"
You turn to see Marisol standing behind you, a smile on her face. Her eyes are slightly swollen, like she's been crying. The girl sitting with you seems to notice as well. "Sorry, I totally lost you. Come on, turns out I have a conference today too."
"Alright," you stand up and nod to the girl, who's still seated. "Thank you."
"Tell Jake hi!" the girl says Marisol. Gritting her teeth, Marisol turns away.
[[You follow->Day 3.4]]You turn abruptly, making your way to the cafeteria exit and then to the exit of the school itself. The wind stirs the wig on your head as you hit the outdoors. You can tell that it's a little chilly, even if it doesn't bother you. You look up at the pale sun in the sky. It was suddenly easier to breathe, you might say- if you needed to breathe.
You start walking back towards the Jacobs' house. You remember the route from walking back with Diana yesterday. The roads are quiet. Everyone's at school or at work. Guiltily, you realize you have no way to tell Marisol that you left. Maybe once you can get back, you can call her cell phone. There's a list of everyone's numbers by the calendar in the kitchen, you think. For emergencies.
You pass a park on your left. You look over towards it, and a single blonde head grabs your attention. It's Diana, sitting on a bench, book held up over her head to block out the sun as she reads. You walk over to her.
"Hello."
She jumps, book flying out of her hands and hitting you in the face. You catch it before it reaches the ground. "Jesus, you scared me."
"I apologize."
"Yeah, yeah," she accepts her book back from you, flipping through the pages to re-find her place. "Aren't you supposed to be following Marisol around today?"
"I lost her in the cafeteria," you answer. "I decided I was done with school for the day."
"Right on, sister," Diana says, then grimaces. "Brother? Uh, sibling?"
"I do not have a particular preference," you say.
"Right on, robot, then."
[[You sit down next to her on the bench->Day 3.2]]The hallways seem much bigger without many students in them. You decide to go right to see if you can find Marisol. Once you get near the door to the stairwell, you begin to pick up some noise. It's not loud enough that anyone but you would be able to notice. You peek in through the window to see. Marisol is there, and so is a boy. You recognize him from Diana's group project yesterday. <<if $Jake>>It's Jake, the one that Diana particularly didn't like.<<else>>It's the one whose name you didn't catch.<<endif>>
"I don't understand why you're being so difficult like this," he scoffs.
"I told you, I'm hanging out with my friends that night, Jake," she says back firmly. She takes a step back from him when he goes to grab her shoulder. "You're the one being difficult."
He lets out a short bark of laughter. "Man, I'm starting to see a family resemblance."
"I want to see my friends," Marisol replies. "I'm not being difficult."
"Whatever," he says, throwing his hands in the air. "Just whatever, Mari."
He spins around and heads for the door where you are standing, and you step back quickly. He slams the door open and stalks down the hallway, not seeming to notice you.
Once he's disappeared into the cafeteria, you glance through the window again. Marisol is sitting down on the bottom step, face in her hands. You decide to enter.
"Hello," you say.
Her head jerks up, and you catch a glimpse of the wetness of her eyes. When she realizes that it's you, she lets her head fall again. "You scared me."
"I apologize."
You sit down beside her.
"Do you want to go home?" you ask.<<if $inventory.indexOf("Sickness is a good excuse") != -1>>"I've been told that sickness is a good excuse to get out of things you don't want to do."<<endif>>
"No, I don't want to go home," says Marisol, her voice muffled. "If I go home, people will think something's wrong."
"Isn't something wrong?" you ask.
"Well, duh," Marisol chuckles morosely. "But I don't want people to know that. That's weak."
[[You don't know about that, but you don't argue.->Day 3.3]]
<<set $cry to true>>"Aren't you cold?" you ask. She is only wearing a sweatshirt, long pants, and a hat. You think she should at least be wearing gloves if she's reading. However, Diana shakes her head.
"Nah, I like the chill," she says, folding the corner of a page in her book and setting it down beside her. "Applied to a lot of schools in the Northeast, so I should probably try to start getting used to it. It gets really cold up there."
"Have you ever been there before?" you ask.
"Nope, it'll be totally new," she says wistfully. <<if $Diana>>"I'm getting out of comfort zone, remember?"<<endif>>
"Aren't you scared to go there?" you ask.
Diana thinks, tilting her head back and forth. "I don't know. Were you scared to come live with us for the week?"
"I don't know," you say.
"Well, I guess it's the same sort of thing then!" Diana exclaims. She suddenly bursts out in a gale of laughter. You watch her in amazement. "Sorry, I was just- man, I haven't talked to anyone much in months, and now I'm talking to a robot."
She continues to laugh. You think that it's a wonderful sound.
You're not sure what to do with that observation. You file it in your Directives.
<<if $Marisol>>"I'll text Marisol that you're with me," Diana says, after she's calmed down. "I'm done with school today too, so let's go home."<<else>>"I'll text Marisol that you're with me," Diana says, after she's calmed down. "I'm done with school today too, so let's go home. We can watch some more of whatever that cartoon was."<<endif>>
[[You walk back together->Day 3.7]]
<<set $skip to true>>
<<addToInv "Make Diana laugh more">><<if $skip>>Marisol comes home and goes to her room without speaking a word to either of you. You hope that you leaving didn't upset her, but you don't want to disturb her to apologize. She had looked very tired.<<else>>Marisol is quiet the rest of the day, and she excuses herself to her room as soon as you arrive home. You talk to Diana about the book she read today for a while, then you head up to your own room.<<endif>>
There are only two more days until Doctor Anderson comes to pick you back up and two more days until you return to the research lab for awhile longer. You wonder if you are making progress.
[[Before you can dwell too long on this, you shut down.->Day 4.1]]She has a wonderful laugh. You want to hear it again."That was my boyfriend, Jake," Marisol explains after a period of silence. "He wants me to go with him to, like, a party or something, but I don't want to go. I don't want to go to ice skating either, but-"
Her voice had begun wobbling, so she takes a deep breath.
"I don't really even like him, but I need to-" she breathes again. "He's a senior which means he can take me to prom. And I need that."
"Prom is important?" you ask, and she nods vehemently.
You file this information in your Directives.
"I'm a sophomore, so I can't go on my own," she says, wiping her face on the inside of her shirt. "But everybody expects me to go. All my friends are getting junior and senior dates, so I just have to hang on to Jake until the spring."
"That's in a few months," you note.
"Yeah," says Marisol. "I wasn't expecting him to ask me out so early, but I couldn't just say no, you know?"
Again, you are not sure you know, but you stay silent again. After a few more moments, Marisol takes on more deep breath and then straightens. She pulls some powder out of her bag and pats it across her face. Once that's done, she looks at you. "Any signs I've been crying?"
"None that anyone but me could see," you answer.
[["Great. Let's go to class."->Day 3.7]]
<<addToInv "Prom is important">>It appears to be a status symbol of sorts, at least around Marisol's classmates"She really doesn't like you," you note once you are out of the cafeteria.
"Yeah, I guess so," Marisol sighs. "Sucks. I thought she did."
She finds an empty classroom and collapses into a desk. You assume this means that she didn't really have a conference to get to. You sit down next to her. "Why doesn't she like you?"
"I guess she's jealous," says Marisol. "I've got an older boyfriend. I guess she likes him."
"It does not seem fair to take it out on you," you say. Marisol gives you a half smile.
"I dunno. I don't really like him. So maybe it's fair," Marisol lets the smile fade and instead scrubs both hands over her face. "God, I'm so tired."
You file this information in your Directives.
"My researchers say that I am great at listening," you offer. "If you would ever like to talk."
"Maybe," says Marisol.
[[You sit together quietly until the bell rings.->Day 3.7]]
<<addToInv Marisol is tired.>>
She seems to mean this literally and not-so-literally.<<if $cry>>"Didn't you say staying at home would make people think you were weak?" you ask.
Marisol lets out something that might be a laugh. "Yeah, but vomiting on people is pretty frowned upon too."<<endif>>
"What are your symptoms?" you ask. You can sense the elevated temperature, and you can guess at the rest, but it never hurts to ask in case your sensors are missing something.
"Feeling nauseous. Headache. Bit of a temperature," Marisol twists her hand to pick up the water, bringing it to her mouth for a sip and then holding it in her lap. "I started feeling it last night. Hopefully it's just a twenty-four hour thing. I have ice skating tomorrow."
"Water and rest will help you recover quicker."
"Yeah, yeah, I know," says Marisol. She gestures to her computer. "Look at some of these prom dresses though. Aren't they pretty?"
<<if $inventory.indexOf("Be helpful to others") != -1>>[[Be helpful to others: You lean in to look at them. "Would you like me to select one that would look best on you?"->Behelpful4]]<<endif>>
<<if $inventory.indexOf("Prom is important") != -1>>[[Prom is important: You lean in seriously to take a look at the dresses. Marisol takes this seriously.->prom1]]<<endif>>
<<if $inventory.indexOf("Jake is a jerk") != -1>>[[Jake is a jerk: You pick up the saltines and open them to give yourself an excuse not to look at Marisol. "Are you sure you want to go with Jake?"->Jake1]]<<endif>>
<<if $inventory.indexOf("Marisol is tired") != -1>>[[Marisol is tired: You close the laptop screen and pull it off of her lap. "I think you should drink some water and go to sleep for a while longer."->tired1]]<<endif>>
"No, it's kind of a personal thing," says Marisol, scrolling down the page of dresses. "You could pick one that would objectively look best on me, but I might not, like, feel my best."
"Let me know if you would like an opinion anyway."
<<if $cry>>"You know," she says. "You're not how I thought a robot would be."
"What did you think I would be like?"
"Uh. Robotic, I guess."
"Am I not?" you ask.<<endif>>
"What are they testing you for anyway?" Marisol asks, taking another sip of water. " I mean, why did they send you to live with us for the week?"
"They are testing my adaptability and my emotional response," you reply. You open the bag of saltines and offer one to Marisol. "They did not give me much criteria. I do not know whether I am doing well or poorly."
"Hm," says Marisol around a cracker. "Well, I don't think you're doing poorly."
"That is reassuring," you reply sincerely.
"Oh, you know what!" Marisol exclaims, sitting straight for a moment and almost spilling her water. "Dad never told us what your name was."
"I do not currently have a name," you say. "Just a serial number."
"Oh," says Marisol. "My mom says my name means "the sea and the sun." Like the beach. But, you know, I looked it up once. It also means Mary of Solitude."
"One of those suits you better than the other."
"Yeah," says Marisol slowly. "Yeah, maybe."
Her eyes are slipping, so you take the glass of water from her and place it on the nightstand. You close her computer too and set it aside.
[[You leave her to sleep->Day 4.3]]"Which one is your favorite so far?" you ask.
Marisol beams at you. "Well, I'm not sure. The long dress is traditional, right? But there are all these incredibly poofy short ones too. I think they'd make me look like a fairy."
"Well, you've still got time to decide."
"Yeah, not as much as you'd think though!" Marisol exclaims. She gestures wildly, almost knocking her water glass off the nightstand. You catch it before it spills. "I mean, I at least have to settle on a color. Then Jake can match his suit and, you know, at least his tie. And then there's corsages and the limo and the afterparty..."
"Prom sounds very complicated," you observe. "I did not know so much planning went in to it."
"Yeah, it's fun," says Marisol. She looks up at you suddenly. "Hey, maybe you can come! Do you think the researchers will let you back in the spring?"
"I do not know," you say. "I suppose it depends on how I do."
"Well, between now and then, learn how to dance," she says. "No doing the robot, they might find out what you are. You'd be too good at it!"
"I am not currently equipped to handle anything but the most basic of dancing," you answer modestly.
"Learn, okay?" she demands. "Come on, prom's fun!"
"I will learn if you will take a nap," you answer.
"Well..." Marisol thinks about it, still staring at the prom dresses. Her eyelids are beginning to slip. "Okay."
[[She is asleep by the time you leave the room.->Day 4.3]]"Why?" asks Marisol, her voice immediately suspicious. "Has Diana been talking to you about him?"
"Yes," you answer. Marisol makes a scoffing noise that turns into a cough. You hastily urge her to drink water. "I apologize for bringing this up."
"It's fine," says Marisol, in a tone that you can identify as annoyed. "Just...Jake's fine. He's not great, sure, but he's nowhere near as bad as Diana makes him out to be. They're just similar, they rub each other the wrong way."
"If you are sure," you hedge, cautiously.
"I'm sure!" she snaps.
<<if $cry>>"It's simply that he made you cry yesterday," you continue. "He does not seem to be very nice to you."
"That was..." Marisol trails off. "I know what I'm doing. Okay? It's none of Diana's business, and it's none of yours. I need...I need this."
"I just want you to think about it. Talk to Diana about it."
She looks at you and sighs. "Fine. Okay."
<<else>> "Okay," you say. "I apologize. I am sure you know him best."
"I just..." Marisol trails off. "I know what I'm doing. Okay? It's none of Diana's business, and it's none of yours. I need...I need this."
"I just want you to think about it. Talk to Diana about it."
She looks at you and sighs. "Fine. Okay."
It doesn't sound like she means it.<<endif>>
"I'm going to go to sleep now," Marisol says. She puts down the glass of water and turns away from you.
[[You close the laptop, set it aside, and leave the room->Day 4.3]]"Hm, I guess," says Marisol. She lets you take the laptop away, and she takes a sip of water. "You're right, I'm pretty tired."
"People require rest," you say. "Just as I require charging. I don't think you've gotten enough."
"I haven't been sleeping well lately," she muses. "Just...I get anxious. My mind starts spinning. Does that ever happen to you? I mean...I guess you don't, like, sleep."
"I can shut down with a thought and start back up with another," you respond. "I cannot suffer from insomnia."
"Insomnia," she says. She puts the water down, settling down further on to her pillows. "Is that what I have? That's kind of dramatic. Catchy. Makes me sound like a heroine in an old novel."
"I cannot provide a diagnosis," you say. "I am not a licensed doctor."
"Hey, did Diana go to school?" Marisol asks. You nod. She sighs. "That's good. I'm worried about how much she misses."
"Does she miss a lot?" you ask.
"Yeah," she says. "Do you think she's okay?"
<<if $inventory.indexOf("Cause no trouble") != -1>>[[Cause no trouble: "I'm sure she's doing fine."->causenotrouble4]]<<endif>>
<<if $inventory.indexOf("Don't speak for other people") != -1>>[[Don't speak for other people: "You should ask her that.->dontspeak1]]<<endif>>
<<set $worry to true>>
Marisol sleeps the entire day. She wakes up a few times at your prompting to drink water and eat a few crackers, but otherwise, she's out like a light.
Diana gets home around four, and you go to meet her at the door. "How is she?"
"I think she just needed to rest," you say.
"Good," says Diana, crashing down on the couch. "I was worried. She hardly ever gets sick. <<if $worry>>
"She is worried about you too," you say. Diana glances at you, eyebrows raised. "She told me, before falling asleep. She worries about you missing school."
"Well, she doesn't have to," says Diana, brushing it off with a wave of the hand. "I'm fine."
<<if $okay>>"You can tell her that yourself," you say. "I told her to bring it up with you if she was worried."
"Oh yeah?" Diana asks. "Ah. Okay."
<<else>>"That's what I told her," you say.
"Oh yeah?" Diana asks. "Well. Good."<<endif>><<endif>>
"She should be feeling better soon," you say.
"Good," Diana says again. She stands up. "Well, I'm going to bed. You should to."
[[You follow her lead, return to your room, and shut down->Day 5.1]]"Good," says Marisol sleepily. "I get worried."
You watch her sleep for a moment. She seems restful. You pat her head gently, as if to soothe her.
[[Then, you leave the room and close the door softly behind you->Day 4.3]]Maybe you don't always know what's best in every situation for everyone"Okay," says Marisol sleepily. "I will."
You watch her sleep for a moment. She seems restful. You pat her head gently, as if to soothe her.
[[Then, you leave the room and close the door softly behind you->Day 4.3]]
<<set $okay to true>>Time wasted is opportunities wasted. This seems to be Marisol's creed."It's a weekend," scoffs Diana. "I'm not giving up my weekends."
"Aren't weekends at least partially for homework?" you ask, trying again. "Don't you have the project for history?"
"I do enough on Sunday that I scrape by," Diana says, her tone flattening. "Calm down, I've calculated everything out. I'm getting all Bs this semester, easily. Maybe even higher."
"Are you doing your best though?" you ask.
"No, but I don't want to," she says. "I don't care enough about this to do my best."
"However-"
"Do you want to watch this cartoon or not?" Diana snaps. "I do. I am very invested in the struggles of Carrot, Asparagus, and Banana. I might even learn their names this episode."
"I would like to watch this with you," you say quietly.
"Listen," says Diana. "Occassionally, what you need to do, is just sit back, relax, and not worry about things that bring you down. I know Marisol doesn't ascribe to that belief, but she'll get there eventually. I used to be just like her."
This thought gives you a funny feeling. You think it might be sadness.
[[You spend the day quietly watching the cartoon->Day 5.2]]Diana giggles. "Hey, he does, doesn't he?"
Encouraged, you point to another. "And she kind of looks like an asparagus."
"Oh yeah oh yeah!" she says, pointing to another. "And this one's a banana for sure."
"Now that I look more closely," you say, surveying the action on the screen, "I am beginning to wonder if they were not purposefully designed to look like fruits and vegetables."
"What, is that some kind of metaphor?" she asks, still chuckling a little. "Like, for how they're still growing?"
"Maybe," you say. "Or perhaps they simply wanted to ensure visual variety."
"Fruits and vegetables are one way to do that, I guess."
Her laughter dies down a bit. "They're not gonna let you contact anybody once you're back in the lab, right?"
"No, not for awhile," you say. Diana hums. You continue, abruptly. "I will miss living here."
"You say that," says Diana. "But it'll fade with time, right? Everything fades with time. It was only ever a week, and that'll become nothing in your life. That's how I think at least."
"How do you think?" you ask.
"One day," she says, "these eighteen years will be nothing."
You do not know how to respond. You feel like your attempt to make her laugh again has backfired.
Her shoulder presses against yours. You think it must be warm, but you can't feel it. You don't have sensors there. You wonder what your shoulder feels like. Probably just like cold metal.
[[The day passes that way->Day 5.2]]"The future?" Diana says slowly. "Uh, honestly haven't thought about it. I figure I'll figure it out once I get to college."
"What did you want to do when you were little?" you press.
"Honestly?" Diana picks at a nail. "I wanted to build robots. Kind of weird to say to the most advanced robot ever made."
"It's only my AI that's advanced," you assure. "My mechanical parts are actually somewhat below average."
"Peace, me too," says Diana, offering a fist bump. You take it, but tilt your head in confusion. She seems to understand that you don't understand. "I mean, I'm smart, but I'm average looking. Below average size for sure. I blame Mom and Dad for not making me eat a balanced diet as a kid."
"You are below average in size," you confirm, "but you are perfectly attractive by Western beauty standards."
She blinks at you. You look back. "Well. Thanks. I suppose."
"You are welcome," you say. "Why did you want to build robots?"
"I dunno," she mumbles. "I was a kid, I liked them."
"You could still do it if you wanted to."
"What's the point?" she shrugs. She gestures to you again. "I mean, even if your mechanical parts are below average, that's just because of budget restrictions, yeah? How much more advanced can a robot go than you?"
"I imagine that one could build a robot far more advanced than me," you say. "It's only reasonable."
She squints at you. "You're not afraid of getting old and obsolete?"
"If I am," you say, "that would be proof that they were successful in making me like a human."
Diana considers. "I guess so, huh."
[[You continue watching the show->Day 5.2]]The cartoon is amusing. Diana cannot learn any of the characters' names, so she continues to come up with silly nicknames for each of them, laughing at her own jokes.
"Why do you think they fight when they really just want to yell at each other?" she asks around five episodes in. Two friends are engaging in a battle, but a lot of it is simply yelling at each other.
"I imagine the production team believed that a physical battle on top of a screaming match would be more exciting than just the latter," you answer.
"That was a very literal answer."
"Maybe they production team believes the physical fight conveys something that simple words would not," you continue. "But they do not trust the audience to understand without the words also being involved."
"That's fair," she says. "People are kind of stupid." <<if $okay>>
"Do you want to talk to Marisol?" you ask.
Diana is quiet.<<endif>>
"We're so bad at talking to each other, but we can't understand each other without talking," she continues suddenly. "Maybe we'd be better off if we beat each other up with feelings in real life too."
"I do not think so," you say.
"Yeah," she says, folding her hands behind her head. She almost hits you in the face as she does so. You wonder what she might have been trying to communicate with that.
[[The characters continue to fight->Day 5.2]]
Doctor Anderson is coming to get you tomorrow. You wonder when you stopped missing her so much. It's not as if you won't be happy to see her, but you don't want to go back to the lab.
You don't want to leave.
There are so many things you still don't know about this family, about Marisol, about Diana. There are so many things you want to know about them.
If you did well, they should let you out again. Let you out into this world of people.
[[Without much else to do, you shut down->Day 6]]