AllFreeNovel
Share Us
You’re a liar, Riane.
“Everyone’s raised different, right? Cee’s family was comfortable. They had all of this.” She indicated the large house, still waving around the slice of fruit. “And so much land. Around these parts, that’s not common. Most of us don’t have much, but we’re happy. There’s always food on the table and the community help each other when needed.
“But Riane lived in the outskirts of the Star. Her family was poor, and I mean, dirt poor. She had six siblings and her dad raised them all by himself—good man, a blacksmith by trade. But after he lost an arm in an accident, he couldn’t work and necessities were hard to come by. So she needed a way out, and I guess Cee was it.”
I fought a fierce frown that would’ve given my non-bot status away, but my fingers scrunched the dough a little too hard, sending little chunks of butter oozing out the sides.
Ella’s casual musings held a terrible weight, pressing down on my chest until it was hard to breathe.
“Mind you, my opinion of Riane isn’t very high so you’re probably hearing only the worst. Whether or not she truly loved Cee is a question I ask myself all the time. Cee lost her parents when she was a teenager—natural causes, you know, because they had her so much later in life. And, after that, it was just two of them here, Riane and Cee. I was just a child myself when this all happened but I remember watching them walk across the fields, hand in hand, carefree, despite the tragedy. Cee depended on her—a lot—emotionally, especially after her parents passed. She was only sixteen at the time.”
She paused to munch her apple slice thoughtfully.
“I’m still not sure what happened between them. And I never asked. All I know is, a few years ago, Cee came home one day and Riane was just...gone. She left a note saying that she couldn’t pretend to be happy on such a small Star. She loved Cee but wanted to explore the universe.”
Ella said those last few words as though they were poison on her tongue. I could only hope that she was so wrapped up in her dislike for Riane that she didn’t notice the teardrops clinging to my waterline.
A vision of Cedra—tall, work-hardened, intensely independent Cedra—filled my mind, and I realized I’d only seen one side of her: the side she’d allowed me to see. All the hurt, heartbreak and loneliness was buried deeper than I could imagine, and I doubted she would ever share that part of herself with me. Something in my heart told me she simply wasn’t the type to look for comfort in others.
“I can’t tell you how much it broke Cee. I’d never seen her cry, but surely tears would have been better than the ball of stone she became afterwards. Not a drop of joy in her life. It was as though Riane had taken everything with her.”
That was when I felt it: the first spark of anger. I didn’t care that it probably wasn’t my place to be angry on Cedra’s behalf, but I was truly incensed by her previous partner’s behavior, someone who had claimed to love Cedra.
A pang of grief reverberated in my chest when I realized Riane hadn’t only robbed Cedra of her happiness, she’d also robbed me of the opportunity to meet the person Cedra had been before the abandonment. Had she been sweet and soft? Quick to smile, perhaps? One to crack a joke?
I’d never know.
Anger bubbled away in my stomach as Ella continued, her voice rising slightly.
“And speaking of taking things, Riane also took a lot of the credit Cee had stashed away for a rainy day. It was the credit her parents had left her. Almost all of it was gone, so I heard from Kendra who works at the bank. So, on top of a broken heart, Cee was left almost penniless. Can you believe people like that actually exist? Not a care in the world for someone they supposedly loved...”
Her voice trailed off and I realized my eyes were full of unshed tears. I slowly turned away and dashed them with the back of my hand, hoping Ella wouldn’t notice. When I turned back, she still seemed deep in thought.
“I really shouldn’t be gossiping... Frowh always tells me it’s my favorite pastime but I know it’s bad. Cee has been really good to me, and I hope you’re not one to repeat what I’ve just said.”
I made a big deal of reaching for the plate of sliced and sugared apples.
“Not at all, miss. I can delete it from memory if you want me to.”
“You can do that?” she asked, surprised. “I think it’s best if you do. I don’t want to hurt anyone.”
“Okay.”
I gave an exaggerated blink and looked down again at the sweet mixture in the large bowl. Truly, the pie filling was coming together very well.
Then I looked up, blinking to reset like I’d seen the bots do at my father’s factory. “I am Servana, your personal service bot. How can I be of service?”
“Wow,” Ella marveled. “Well, okay, I guess we should start folding the flour into the filling. Here, let me show you. You should be quick and try not to overmix or the butter will melt fast...”
I stepped back as Ella took the lead. Through the open window, I could see Cedra in the distance, walking a large horse around the field. She patiently guided the animal along the field although the creature seemed reluctant to be outside, its limbs heavy as it dragged along in Cedra’s wake.
My heart hurt with indignation for her. She’d been cheated and lied to, her heart broken so cruelly. Yet she carried on, upholding her family’s legacy and cultivating her land like her pain didn’t matter. She was so strong, yet I yearned to give her a hug and tell her that everything would be okay. I wanted to leech the hurt out of her very pores and absorb it into myself so it wouldn’t hurt her anymore.
I wanted to make her happy again.
The oven buzzed monotonously, its lights dimming, signaling that the pie was done. I set my sewing aside—another tear in Cedra’s work shirts—and made my way across the room. Ella was in the chair opposite mine, her head lolling to one side. She’d fallen asleep minutes after we’d put the pie in the oven and a little drool had pooled on the side of her mouth. Even in sleep, her palm was clutched protectively over her extended belly.
Again, I wanted to ask how far along she was and if she knew the sex of the baby but I knew for a fact that bots wouldn’t ask that. The Servana model simply wasn’t advanced enough—it couldn’t even comprehend what a pregnancy was.
