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My android began singing. Even the house bots joined in the best they could—beeping and rocking back and forth. I laughed at the sight. How was it that these emotionless machines did more to make me happy than those humans who were supposed to love me most?
“Make a wish!” my android said.
I wish I had a family who actually loved me. I wish I had friends who wanted to be with me. I wish things around here would change. I wish people cared more about living life.
I blew out my candles.
My android cheered. Any machines with arms clapped, and those without limbs blinked their little lights.
Suddenly, an explosion of white light flashed over the middle of the city and rippled out, like a stone that was tossed into a still pond will create a wave. I felt nothing as the glowing beam passed through me, but all the bots suddenly turned off, all at once.
“Hello?”
So strange and heavy was the silence that blanketed the area. Even the fireflies stopped lighting. I sat up and tossed aside my blanket and hot chocolate. As I got on my feet, my android suddenly dropped the cake between us. It began glowing, the red sheen almost demonic looking compared to the light silver blue it usually shined in.
“Human,” it spoke in a voice I had never heard before, “we must proceed to the city center for processing.”
The city center?
“Why?”
“For processing,” it repeated.
I looked in the direction of my hometown and, to my horror and disbelief, I saw a massive spaceship hovering above it.
Growing dizzy from the shock, I smothered my scream with a tight palm pressed against my lips. Surely I was hallucinating. However, no matter how many times I blinked, the image did not change.
“Human, we must proceed to the city center for processing. I will escort you.”
My muted squeals hurt my ears. Aliens are real! Aliens are real! I always figured our universe had other lifeforms, I just never thought I’d witness their arrival to Earth.
The android’s internal glow turned redder, if not brighter. “You must return to the city immediately, Number—”
“Stop!” I screeched as I worked to keep from hyperventilating. “Stop saying that! And my name is Acedia—you know that. Why are you calling me by my social number?”
The android approach, its color growing scarier, like molten metal. “No delay. We must depart now.” It reached out to grab my arm.
I managed to pull back before it could get a firm hold, but in doing so, its sharp metallic fingers dragged down my forearm, tearing open the skin as it went.
I screamed as blood gushed from the wound. “What the fuck!” I cried, scrambling away from the android. “Look what you did!” A wave of dizziness assaulted me.
“No more delay. I will carry you to the city center for processing.”
I dashed around the table as the robot moved toward me. Then the glowing android picked up the heavy piece and effortlessly launched it into the sky. It sailed through the air and landed a few yards away, crashing loudly on impact.
Walking backward, I held out my hand as if it would deter the menacing machine from stalking me. “Ai, why are you doing this? You’re not supposed to cause harm,” I implored. “Remember? You serve humans.”
“The ship cannot leave unless all domesticated human livestock are accounted for, processed, and loaded into cargo.”
“Livestock?” I echoed. “We’re not cows.”
It moved forth to capture me.
“No! No!”
A loud pop rent the air and the machine froze in mid-reach. A smoking hole appeared in the middle of its smooth metal head.
Chapter Two
