Circuits & Hearts

Chapter Four: We Meet Again

Ean just sat there, looking confused at my shock. The man has the same reaction as me when he sees me, and he's the first to speak.

"How?" he mutters under his breath.

I snap out of it and try to make things less uncomfortable. "Hi? Uh, Ean brought me back...hehe..."

"Dad, what's going on? Do you know her from before she got decommissioned?" Ean breaks the tension.

"I built it. How did you find it?" the man asks Ean.

Hearing the man still call me an it stung, but I tried my best to ignore it. It also reminds me of when he was having a fit and cussed me out when I was correcting his language.

"I found her in a dumpster behind an old pizzeria. And also, you built her? This is a small world," Ean observes.

A grin slowly spread across the man's face, which I found a bit unsettling. What did this dude want?

"Well, I guess my work didn't exactly go to waste," he says. I guess that's all I am to him. Just a project that had failed, but he sees new potential since I'm back. This also makes me wonder if I am just programming or somehow sentient. The man speaks and pulls me out of my thoughts.

"Well, I never formally introduced myself, so let's start here. My name is Mark, and it's a pleasure to meet you again...?"

I realize that he's waiting for me to introduce myself, and it makes me wonder if he had a name in mind when he was building me. I shake that from my mind and introduce myself.

"I'm Melody! It's nice to see you again Mark!" I reply cheerfully. I realize that Ean had left the room, so it is just me and Mark. Mark takes notice as well. I still couldn't get rid of the thought of Mark cussing me out all those years ago. I decide to bring it up, but before I say anything, Mark speaks up first.

"Look, I'm sorry for cussing at you. I had spent weeks designing and building you, and I don't think I slept during those weeks. That doesn't give me an excuse though," Mark says.

I wasn't expecting Mark to speak up like that, but I did appreciate that he did. "I forgive you," I say. "After all, that was 16 years ago. That also brings up a question. Where's Avery? She helped build me, right?" I ask.

Mark gives me a look of confusion as if he doesn't know who Avery is. Then he seems to remember. "Oh, Avery. Well, first, she didn't help build you. She did help with running the tests making sure that you worked, but that's all. And to answer your question, I don't know. It's been years since I last saw her after I quit the job," he answers.

Oh. I honestly was hoping that Mark might have kept contact with Avery so I could see her kind face again, but now I guess that's impossible. Ean walks back into the room.

"Sorry, I had to use the bathroom," Ean says casually.

"So, Ean, what do you plan on doing with Melody?" Mark asks. "The pizzeria she would have worked at is closed permanently, so she doesn't have a place to take care of kids..."

As they worked out what I could do, I wandered off, exploring the giant house.

3rd Person:

Ean thinks for a moment. Then an idea hits him. Before he tells his dad his idea, he looks for Melody, and he sees her wandering up the stairs. She'll be fine, he thinks to himself.

"What if you had her work at that job you have now? I was looking through her blueprints that were thrown away with her, and I noticed how they line up with a machine your job would use," Ean suggests in a hushed tone. "Wait, did you have that job when you worked as an engineer for the pizzeria?"

Mark just chuckles at the question, then thinks about Ean's idea. "It might work. I'll have to test to see if those functions still work."

Melody's POV:

I walk up the stairs, and I hear Ean's and Mark's voices get lower, but I don't pay any attention to that. The stairs end with a hallway with all of the doors on the right. I walk through the first door. It's a humongous bathroom with one of those jacuzzi bathtubs. On the wall is a shelf with some fancy bath soaps. Man these people are rich, I think to myself.

I exit the bathroom and walk down the hallway, with three more doors. The next door is a bedroom, with band posters above the bed on the wall. There's an electric guitar on a stand in one corner, and a gaming PC in the other. Must be Ean's room.

I leave, and the door after that leads to a master bedroom, with a giant TV on the wall opposite the King-sized bed. There's only one person who it could belong to.

I walk to the end of the hallway to the last door. I open it, and it's a closet, and I see a dress. That's weird. From what I know, there aren't any women in this house. I grab the hanger that the dress is on, only for it to be stuck in place. Part of me is sensible and tells me to leave it so I don't break anything. Another part of me is reckless and just wants to see the whole dress.

I listen to the irresponsible side. I pull harder on the hanger, and I hear a click. The hanger comes forward a bit but stops.

I let go of the hanger, confused. Then all of a sudden, the closet door automatically shuts, and I hear a whirring sound. Then, the door opens again, but instead of a closet with clothes on hangers, a long hallway replaces it.

"Melody?" I hear Ean's voice coming from downstairs. I decide to ask about that later, so I close the door, and I hear the whirring again. I go downstairs.

I walk into the living room, and this time, both Ean and Mark have slightly sinister grins. I feel nervous, but it just might be how they smile and it runs in the family.

Do you want to go to where I work and meet my coworkers?" Mark asks.

More people to meet? I feel a sense of excitement. "Do you have to ask?" I say with a giant grin on my face.

I'm practically jumping up and down in excitement. Ean softly chuckles.

Ean gets his bag, and Mark leads me to his car. It's a bit bigger than Ean's car, which is an f-150 truck. I can fit in the back seat, but it is a bit cramped. Mark gets in the driver's seat, and Ean gets in the passenger seat.

"It's going to take a while to get to the building, so you should go into sleep mode," Ean turns to say to me. "It'll pass the time faster."

I consider what he said. I shrug, leaning back into the seat to sleep.

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Plot twist?

Yes

Also, what do you guys think Mark's job is? I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I will post the 5th one ASAP