Drifter {school project}✔️

Exposed

"Stay here."
She commands and walks through the glass door.
 
There was a small bench a couple feet behind me and I find the need to sit down. After maybe 5 minutes, she walks back outside towards me carrying a large, white box with pink and gold ribbon. She stops in front of me and motions for me to follow her. Once i stand up, we walked side by side, down the street and into a large, green park filled with beautiful gardens.
There aren't many people around, but I look over to the left and I see a small child riding a sparkly bike. In front of us was a fountain with crystal blue water and as we walked closer, I spied tiny coins scattered about the bottom of the water.
Alice sat down on a bench close by and soon I joined her. I watched her open the box slowly, by unraveling the ribbons carefully as if they were precious to her. Then she lifted the cover and inside was a small blue and white cake.

"To match your eyes,"
She says shyly and I try to smile friendly as I've seen humans do.

"I would have had them write on it, but I don't know your name.."

"How did you get all of that money? At the ATM?"
She asked again as she stuffed her face gently with a large piece of cake topped with frosting. I'll try to answer her question honestly...

"I spoke to the machine, he was in a generous mood and I told him that it was for an urgent matter."
She suddenly stopped eating her cake and looked up at me, her mouth was open slightly and it caused small pieces to fall out. I couldn't understand what was so weird about talking to another robot. Haven't humans outside of the facility known about robots? I have been told that they are scared of us...

"Who are you?"
She says out of curiosity.

"I am project 337. Or in human knowledge, I am a machine."
I explain to her and she stares at me, like she's hypnotized. Suddenly, she bursts out laughing and slaps her knee loudly.

"Well then, nice to meet you. I'm Alice."
And she continues laughing, but it began to fade away and she looks at me again, but this time, she was serious.

"I like you."
She announces with a genuine smile. For the first time in my robotic life, I have nothing to say. Nothing snippy and nothing clever. I stay quiet and an awkward silent moment began, but soon she breaks it and continues eating her...cake or whatever it is.

"What does it taste like?"
I ask, but she dosen't look up from her sugar feast.

"It's like a celebration full of sugar and happiness."
She says with her mouth full of cake. I reach over into the cardboard box and touch the frosting with my finger. I tasted it and it made me feel...human. Like I haven't been myself until now... It made me feel cold, but it really was full of sugar and happiness. She was right.

1 week later
As Alice and I were leaving a fancy Italian restaurant called 'Ciao' we walked shoulder to shoulder along the stoney sidewalk.
Suddenly, I hear a car speeding from behind us and when I look back, it was headed straight for us and even came onto the sidewalk. It beeped it's horn loudly and I just had enough time to grab Alice and shove her to the side. I don't know what I would do if anything happened to her. She makes me feel alive.
The car hits me at full speed and it throws me against a large tree a couple feet away. When I sit up, I feel something sharp against the side of my face. It felt exposed, but I ignore it and get to my feet. I frown my eyebrows and stare at the car. I hear myself breathing heavily and I walk towards the object that threatened to hurt her. But I hear a scream and when I turn my head sharply, I see Alice.
She stared at me in horror and in disbelief. I lift my hand and touch my face. I glance at the glass window behind her and I see my reflection staring back at me. The whole side of my face was exposed, badly. There was no shattered bone as in a human, instead there was a steal, smooth covering and my robotic eye was glaring a bright red.

"No"
She whispers and I look away from her, unable to even glance at her expression.
I hear a noise behind me, making me turn around. The car door is thrown into the air and severs the electrical cords overhead.
Out steps one of the robots that I recognize from The Facility. He had a vicious sneer and a cold, deadly look in his eyes. The machine was at least 6 feet tall and it's biceps were twice the size of mine.