From Computerized To Real (On hiatus until July 2021. See bio.)

Chapter 2: What's a Car?

I followed Annabelle out of the area with the fountain towards a large flat area that ran between us and more buildings. The surface of the area was black with yellow stripes in the middle. Loud, metal machines of various colors and shapes were rushing up and down this area.

One such machine was sitting still on the side of the flat space closest to us. Annabelle walked over to it and stood beside it. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a bunch of metal pieces. She selected one of the metal pieces and stuck it into the side of the machine opening some kind of door.

I jumped. What was she doing? What was this machine?

She looked at me. "What? You've never seen a car before?"

I shook my head.

She stepped back from the machine. "It's perfectly safe," she said, waving for me to get in.

I shook my head again. "What does this have to do with anything?" I asked.

"It will take us where we want to go. Somewhere where we can talk in private," Annabelle answered. "Now come on. It won't hurt you."

Still not entirely sure if it was safe, but still trusting Annabelle's promise that it was, I cautiously walked over to the machine--I'm mean car. I stopped for a moment before deciding to get in. There were two seats next to each other inside the car. I sat in the one closest to me. Once I was seated, Annabelle closed the door with a loud bang, making me jump. And trapping me inside.

I started to panic. What was I doing, getting into a strange machine and trusting that the person who I had just met was not trying to kidnap me? I tried to get out, but I didn't know how to open it, or if it even opened from the inside.

But, despite my panic, something told me that everything was going to be okay.

Just then, the other side of the car opened up. Annabelle climbed inside and sat in the seat next to me. A large, gray circle was positioned in front of Annabelle's seat.

"Buckle up!" she said.

I stared at her, confused.

"Oh, right. You don't know how to use one of these." She reached across me and grabbed a gray strap that was hanging from the wall next to me. She pulled it across my mid-section and clicked it into a red and gray piece of plastic on the side of my seat.

I began to fear why she had strapped me to the inside of her car until I saw her fastening a similar gray strap over herself. "This will help you be safe when we drive," she explained. She then took out the metal piece that she had used to open the car earlier and put it into a slot on the side of the circle in front of her. She turned the piece and the car made a loud rumbling noise, causing the whole car start to vibrating.

I grabbed the sides of my seat, preparing for the car to explode. But nothing happened.

"I have to turn the engine on before I can drive it," Annabelle explained. "Hold on tight because we're going to start moving."

I gripped the sides of my seat tighter as Annabelle turned the wheel in front of her, causing the car to move. The car gradually increased in speed until it was going the speed of the other cars around us.

I took a deep, shaky breath, still recovering from what had just happened.

Annabelle glanced over at me. "Are you okay?" she asked, a hint of concern in her voice.

I wasn't entirely sure if I was, but I nodded anyway. I let go of the sides of my seat and sat up straight.

Now that that fiasco was over, I was ready to hear what Annabelle had to say. "What do you know about me?" I asked, getting straight to the point.

"I have a theory, but it's kind of crazy." She paused. She opened her mouth and closed it again like she didn't know how to word what she was trying to say. She opened her mouth again and this time words came out. "I believe...that you are a famous singer," she said.