Advanced Clockwork: Young Writers Prize 2014

Chapter 3

She was sitting in the room alone, the lights out since she did not like the look her skin in the light. Her amber eyes were glowing in the darkness, making her look unearthly in the moonlight. She looked into her vanity mirror and sighed, making her hair turn a shade of blond, her skin a gentle tan color. Looking at her reflection, she changed her hair to mousy brown, then lavender, then red, each time changing the color of her skin to complement that color. but when she got tired of changing, she reverted back to the cold metallic form of the robot skeleton they had made her. It was hard looking at her reflection when she was like this, but the anger in her was locked away somewhere in her complex circuitry and hydraulic core.

There was no way she was going to be able to fit in here. Not anymore. Not ever.

She sighed, standing up and away from her gift and looking out the window. "From a cage of white to a cage of luxury." She mused, looking out at the city at night, the moon shining green as it kissed the brown walls and red tiled roofs. She sighed as she looked out father than the higher class living to the lower, the black ring of charred homes and green moss covered walls separated by the darker brown walls of the middle and shopping areas. Three rings around the big towering castle.

Sighing, she walked over to the bed and sat down, looking up at the picture on the wall of the man who looked nothing like the Darek. It was the only thing she knew about his past, other than his fascination with clockwork and steam. He was so cold looking, that firm scowl and hard look making him look unapproachable, not helping his aged look with that salt and peppered hair tied back into a ponytail. She closed her eyes and laid back.

"Gods, if there is such a thing, hear me." She whispered out of boredom, like she did every night stuck in this room alone. "Give me a adventure. Something new, something... Exciting." She waited a few seconds, then sat up, opening her eyes. "Thought so."

Then she froze. Her eyes widened as a black figure slipped in through the chimney, her sleek figure completely covered in soot and ash that dusted off around her as she ruffled her cloak. Her electric green eyes scanned around the room till they stared right into her amber ones with a coldness that made Eve feel like she was going to freeze the very core of her wiring. The mystery person stared at her with wide eyes, but did not move, and neither did Eve. Then, she looked at her hands. They were still completely robotic, no second skin to hid who she was. Quickly, she activated it, making the thief's green eyes widen more with amazement. She slipped down her black bandana, showing her pale skin and devilish smile as she pointed a grappling hook at her.

"Scream." The woman whispered, causing Eve to arch her eyebrow. "Go on, scream. I need an excuse to leave now."

"What the hell-"

"Just scream or I pull the trigger and make you." The thief snapped, her devilish smile instantly turning into a hard line. "And hurry up, I already wasted enough time talking." Eve paused a moment, unsure of what to do. Should she just do as this person said? Should she take the thief on and take care of it? What should she do? Finally she just opened her mouth, sucking in enough oxygen to make her voice module as loud as it could go.

And screamed.

They came running, she could hear them. The thief, who was grinning like a madwoman, pulled down her mask and rolled her shoulders, stretching a little. "All right, here's how it's going to work. You are going to look scared, I'm going to grab you when the audience arrives. I'll pull you to the window and you hold on tightly to my arm, ok?"

"Why the heck-"

"I see you are trying to ask a question. Please, don't waste your voice." The thief tapped the side of her head with her grappling hook and her eyes twinkled with a mischievous gleam. "I can't hear a thing you are saying. So nod your head nicely and I'll know you are up for this."