The Showcase

Chapter Seven

It was a long, uneasy flight for all of us. Most of it was silent, the only sounds being Eleanor, who was flipping through her papers or typing at insane speeds on a tablet. Marshal stood the entire five hours, just lurking in the corner of the cabin.

I spent my time pacing the cabin (only to be chastised), worrying and biting my nails (to be chastised again) or singing (guess what happens next?).

"What can I do around here for two more hours?" I snapped after Marshal shushed me for the thousandth time.

"Sit quietly!"

"Marshal," Eleanor snapped, looking up from her papers for a split second. "She's just a girl, try not to be so hard on her. Why don't you just sit down and relax for once in your life?"

I smirked, to which Marshal promised that if I made another sound, I'd be spending the rest of the ride in the cargo hold.

After that, I gave up on trying to enjoy myself.

***

I felt like I was going to be sick. Not from the flight, but the stress. My palms hadn't stopped sweating since Marshal plucked me off the street three hours earlier. I was getting everything I'd ever wanted, but it all felt so weird. Short-tempered bodyguards and mind-numbingly boring plane rides weren't exactly how I'd imagined my escape would be.

This is only the beginning. I came here for adventure and I was going to get it. I didn't fly 3000 miles for nothing, I thought firmly as I drifted to sleep, curling up on the couch and pressing my face against the cold window.

***

"Wake up, love," Eleanor urged, shaking me gently. I took a deep breath and sat up. It was still dark outside, but we weren't moving anymore.

"Are we there yet?" I asked, shaking off a blanket and tossing it across the back of the couch. I didn't remember ever putting a blanket on before I went to sleep.

"Yes, sweetheart," she said hesitantly, her huge eyes wider than normal. She threw Marshal a look, he looked just as confused as she did.

"What?" Did I have something on my face?

"You were shaking and screaming in your sleep," he explained slowly. "You keep saying 'I tried to save you, I swear-"

"Really?" I cut him off, standing up quickly. "I don't remember a thing."

Everyone was silent for a moment. Eleanor gathered her clipboard and tablet, and cleared her throat, looking at me as if it had never occurred. You had to give it to her, she was a great actress. "Well then, follow me."

She headed out the open door and down the stairs. I silently thanked her ask I followed, Marshal hurrying after us and throwing me one last suspicious look.

"We're headed to the fifth floor," she called over her shoulder to me. She kept a brisk pace while raising her voice just loud enough to be heard over the wind. I practically had to jog to keep up with her. "All eight Products live in this building, arranged in alphabetical order by Aggregation name." She held up a card to a red scanner and pressed a button on the door in front of us. A bell dinged and she stepped in, pressing 'close doors' as soon as Marshal and I had caught up.

"When do I get to meet them?" I asked, maybe a little too eagerly. I couldn't help myself, I missed being around kids my age.

"Exactly one week from now, when the Showcase begins. It's better for you all to meet for the first time in front of the Panel. That way, your relationships can be monitored from the very first second." The elevator began to drop. "--which is exactly why it is so crucial for us to stick to the schedule. You may not see or communicate with the others in any way. Even a quick glimpse in the lobby could cost all of us our jobs."

The bell dinged again and we stepped out into a huge, sparkling apartment. Is everything this big and expensive? I wondered as I followed her in.

The north wall was completely made of glass, one-way, I assumed. The east and west walls had two dark wood doors on each side, and the south wall was occupied by a kitchen. There was a small sitting room hovering awkwardly in the middle of the room, and on one of the (you guessed it) orange couches, was a short girl, smiling expectantly at us. She leaped up and ran over to us in a flash of black and fuchsia hair, throwing her arms around me and squealing.

"Hi!"

"Hello," I echoed.

"Amia, this is your caretaker-"

"Carita, Carita Landor!" She let me go, gushing. Her black eyes were alight with happiness. "But I'm only three years older than you, so don't think of me as a caretaker. More of a companion! I get to hang out with you, take you around the city and stuff, you know? Basically anything you want, I just--"

"That is quite enough, thank you," Eleanor cut in, rubbing her temples and collapsing on the couch gracefully. Carita blushed and ducked her head down.

"That's really cool," I said, trying to console her. "I'm looking forward to it." Which wasn't a complete lie, I did want to hang out with her, even if she was being paid to be my friend. Beggars can't be choosers, right?

She beamed at me, and I smiled back.

"Couch. Now. All of you."

We sat, even Marshal. Eleanor flipped through her clipboard, yanking out a piece of paper and setting it on top.

"Both of you, be up and ready by 6:30 tomorrow," she ordered, stifling a yawn. "You have a photo-shoot in the morning. That shouldn't be over until around 1:00, then you'll grab lunch and meet back here for a minor interview with....'A Day In LA.'"

I nearly choked. 'A Day In LA' was my favorite celeb magazine. I have...I had every issue since January of 2212. Everyone's head snapped up to look at me. "Sorry, an interview with 'A Day In LA' is minor?"

Eleanor winked at me. "This is the big leagues now, darling. 'A Day In LA' doesn't even scratch the surface."

***

Author's Note: Thanks for reading guys! This chapter's song is 'Hey There Delilah' by Plain White T's!