Holly NX

Chapter 5

The whirring in my head of mechanical parts and moving fans tells me that my processing cycle has just completed. I have several red bands across my black vision that have gathered throughout the night. "Issue in central processing!" and "Incorrect data measures" appear several times, but I force the issues to subside. I read through a few of my data logs and change a few lines of my code so that I may have better accessibility to my body. It only takes me a second, and I allow my eyes to open.

The room is dark, but I realize that there are no windows so I use my internal clock to find the time. It is seven thirty-five and I make sure to store the data that my processing cycle took seven hours and twenty minutes in case I needed to delay the cycle at any point. Smiles is still sleeping in a cocoon of blankets, so I sit up quietly and pat my hair down. I take the chance to get ready for the day while the cocoon is still sound asleep.

I pick up the discarded dress I had worn the day before and head for the bathroom. Inside, there are bright white lights above the sink that illuminate the light blue walls. The white tile on the floor feels cool on my feet. When I look into the mirror, I realize that my makeup is quite bold for the oversized pajama set I wear. I inch closer to the mirror and cycle through a few options I have preprogrammed. There are a few that I like including one with bold blue eyeliner, one with earthy brown tones in a nice smoky eye, and one with a simple extended winged liner, but I decide to go for a natural look, so I force the pixels on my skin to stop displaying color. I look too perfect however, with skin that is all one color, so I add a bit of pink and purple until I can mimic the natural look of a human. For a moment, I forget I am a robot, touching my face and watching it move in the mirror. I know that this thought is just a dream so I slowly fall back to reality.

In the silence of the house, I strain my hearing sensors to pick up the subtle sound of teeth crunching cereal in the dining room above me. At this time, I fling Smiles's clothes off of my body and shimmy my silky dress back on. Although I do not want to change my face, I add the default makeup back and depart the bathroom. I stick to bare feet when I enter the hallway, finding that all of the doors were closed except for the last one. Walking by, I see that the bed had been slept in since I had last peered in.

Once up the stairs and into the kitchen, I spot a man slumped at the table eating a fruity cereal. His blonde hair is wavy and uncontrolled with spots stuck in odd directions from his sleeping the previous night. He wears a yellow hoodie several times too big for him and some pale green pajama shorts. Hearing my feet as the floorboards creak, he raises his gaze to meet mine. He still appears groggy, but his brow raises and he speaks with his mouth full of the sugary breakfast.

"Who are you?"

"Hello, I am Holly." He blinks a few times and drops the spoon with a clank before rubbing his hands over his face.

"You one of Richie's girls?"

"I am afraid I do not understand the question." He gives me a half baked look before huffing and returning to his cereal.

"A droid then. Thought you looked a little funny." He says nothing else and I decide to leave him be. His slow reactions tell me that he is not fully cognizant. I grab a banana from the counter and head back down the stairs. A door clicks open as I wander down the hall and Richie steps out from his slumber. He sees me and his eyes grow a bit brighter.

"Yo! What up girl?" He comes much closer to me and grabs my shoulder. "You show my boy a good time last night?"

"Sorry, I cannot disclose that information without permission from my owner."

"Of course, of course. That makes sense. Just keep it up alright?" He pats me before brushing past me to go upstairs. I follow him with my eyes until he is gone and then shake my body, attempting to dislodge any and all trace of him from me.