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Every morning, I do the same routine. I unplug the power cord from my artificial artelux and go to open the blinds. The sun is good for my body's sheath. After bathing in the sunlight for several minutes, I go to the bathroom. I can't shower like an ordinary human, the water would mess up my skin like sheath. Instead, I use a 70% alcohol solution to rub down my entire body. And Voila! That pretty much wraps up my daily routine.
But today was not any day.
Today was my first-day attending high school. Not just any high school, a human high school. Never in a million years would I have thought that an android would be allowed in the same social setting as humans since the Android Uprising of 2050. I'm still surprised that I was allowed to live with a human host family.
Speaking of humans, I heard a high-pitched squeal, ?CHARA! BREAKFAST!?
?I'M COMING!? I yelled back.
I quickly picked up my book bag and went downstairs.
As I descended the stairs, I saw the whole family sitting at the dining table. Mrs. Clark and Mr. Clark sat at the head of the table, while their kids sat on either side. Mrs. Clark looked up and addressed me.
?We were waiting for you. Come eat,? the icy tone in Mrs. Clark's voice. Mrs. Clark was the matriarch of the family who didn't bother to hide the fact that she was not too fond of me. If it wasn't for the hefty amount of money that the government paid to host families, she would have never allowed me into her household.
I said nothing as I sat down next to Ciara Clark, the baby in the family, and across from Cole, the eldest child. Today's breakfast was pancakes and strawberries. I took a mental note that I got less food than everyone else. But it's ok, I didn't need human food to survive.
?Are you excited for your first day at Capital high?? I looked up and saw Cole smiling at me.
Gosh, he was so cute that I couldn't help but blush. He had beautiful mahogany skin, with kind brown eyes and a killer dimpled smile. He was easily the kindest person in the family.
?Yeah! I've heard stories about your high school and how social you guys are.?
Education in the barracks was simple. We put a chip in our hard drive and downloaded all the information into our memory.
?Yes, OUR high school.? Ciara interrupted, emphasizing the word our. Ciara definitely wasn't a fan of the android, and like her mother, she wasn't afraid to show it
?That's enough, Ciara.? Mr. Clark said, flipping his newspaper. Mr. Clark was a man of few words, but when he did talk it was to keep the peace. He's always been fair to me and never treated me like I was lesser than. Ciara rolled her eyes, but said nothing and continued to eat her food.
After breakfast, we began heading out to the bus stop. As I began walking out the front door, Ciara grabbed my arms and whispered to me, ?I can see the way you look at my brother. He would never go for a droid like you.?
The word droid hit me hard. It was a slur that was used to remind us Androids of our place. That even though we resemble humans, we were not one of them. We were lesser than. She pushed past me, catching up to Cole.
I took my time walking to the bus stop, need to take time to recuperate. I wasn't going to let Ciara get to ruin my first day. Hopefully, not all humans were like Ciara and her mom.
I finally reached the bus stop, and I noticed that all the conversation stopped. The other kids turned to look and began whispering. Even though I was a humanoid, the long neon blue stripes that ran down my arms and neck showed my android status.
The nervous energy was heavy in the air as we waited for the bus. The bus arrived and the students piled on leaving me the last one to get on. There were no available seats. I looked at everyone who avoided my gaze. I walked over to a familiar face.
?You've GOT to be kidding me,? Ciara huffed, but she ended up moving her bag and allowed me to sit next to her. I would have sat with Cole, but he was sitting with someone who I assumed was his friend. The bus ride was incredibly silent, I could tell that they felt uncomfortable with my presence.
We finally arrived at the school and I followed the other kids as they hopped off the bus.
"Ciara?"
Ciara who was a couple of steps ahead of me turned around and puffed out, "What?"
"Would you mind walking me to my classroom?"
She rolled her eyes, "Fine."
She dragged me by my wrist and we walked into the building.
The hallways were bustling as we entered the building. Girls were gossiping amongst themselves against the lockers, and boys were chuckling loudly in the middle of the halls. I did earn a couple of glances here and there, but for the most part, everyone was concerned with themselves. We finally arrived at my classroom.
"Thank you, Ciara."
"I'm not showing you to your next class," She warned me before she walked away.
Dang, I thought she was being nice
I walked inside the classroom and was happy to see some fellow androids in the back. I quickly sat down next to them. Their faces lit up as they saw me.
"Hey, I'm Chara!" I introduced myself.
"Hi! I'm Carl, and that's Carol." The boy said. I noticed that they were quite similar.
" Are you guys twins?"
"Yes!" They replied in unison. I couldn't help but giggle at them talking in sync. This was my first time interacting with androids since I left the barracks.
They felt familiar.
They felt like home.
We had an aimless conversation as our classmates filled in. Like in the halls, people did glance over at us but they minded their business for the most part.
The teacher finally walked in. She was gorgeous, with long curly hair and sharp features. She wore a grey a-line dress with black kitten heels. She wrote her name on the blackboard.
Ms. Cohen.
"Good morning class!" She said warmly. The class responded with greetings.
"Today in honor of our first day of integration we will talk about the history of android in the united states," she began.
"In 2025, Cidra Cortez was the first scientist to create an android, a humanoid robot, who was self-aware. Humans went crazy for androids, wanting to use them as servants. By 2050, the androids revolted. This movement was called the Android Uprising of 2050. After a 3 year war, humans came out as the victors. They put the remaining android population into barracks, isolating them from humanity."
As the teacher was talking, I noticed a pair of amber eyes on me. I turned to face a girl with big, golden eyes and blonde hair. I couldn't place the expression on her face.
Was she angry?
Was she confused?
She eventually turned away and I continued to focus on the lesson.
I breezed through the other classes, taking notes and paying attention to the teachers as they taught.
As I entered the cafeteria, I scanned the room looking for any familiar face whether it was an android or human. There was no one that I recognized. I guess I'll be sitting by myself today
It's okay Chara, you can do this. You've already survived half the day, you can survive lunch.
I grabbed my lunch and looked for a place to sit. As I began walking over to an abandoned table, a tall, blond hair person stood in front of me. I recognized her as Cameron, the girl who was staring me down in history class.
"Hey, droid"
I ignored the slur and tried to walk around her, but she put a firm hand on my shoulder, stopping me from proceeding.
"What's the problem, droid? Have a problem with your hearing chip?"
We began attracting attention. Ugh, so embarrassing.
"Do you need something?" I asked.
"I don't like having droids in my school."
"Your school? You bought it?" I was surprised at the rapid-fire responses I was giving her.
"Camille! What are you doing?"
I recognized that high-pitched squeal anywhere. I turned around to see Ciara walking over.
Camille instantly released her grip from my shoulder.
"Oh! Hey, babe."
Wait.
This was the Cam that Ciara would go on and on about?
"You heard my question," Ciara said, crossing her arms. Even though she was only five feet, she somehow looked taller.
"Just wanted to say hi to the droid."
"Android." She corrected.
I couldn't believe my ears. Wasn't this the same girl who called me an android earlier this morning?
"Android," Camille repeated.
"I'll meet you at the table. I need to talk to Chara."
Camille slunk away, giving me daggers as she left. The cafeteria went back to its normal chatter.
"I'm sorry," Ciara said.
"You didn't humiliate me in front of everyone."
"I'm not just talking about Camille, I'm talking about how I treated you. Today in class, I learned about the injustices your people went through. I just thought that androids turned on humans for no reason."
I was shocked at what I was hearing. I would have never thought that Ciara would apologize to me. Even though she's been nothing but mean to me ever since she met me, I wasn't opposed to being friendly.
"Apology accepted."
"Do you want to join me for lunch? I promise Camille won't mess with you."
I smiled.
"I would love to."
THE AMAZING APP
The idea had been of the young mayor of the city , who was a woman, Chiara D., very well seen, not to say supported and sponsored even from by the bishop's curia, in the elections that had seen her win over opponents and competitors more experienced than her.
The city of Poppy was indeed a provincial town , which until not many years earlier had been an important manufacturing centre of the textile industry. Since years, however, Poppy had become almost a post industrial city ,a desolated place, since to that which had once been a thriving textile industry no other business had taken over, (business) which guaranteed employment and income, as well as profits . So that Poppy seemed to be doomed to an unstoppable decay. Chiara D., a few months after she had been elected mayor, had come up with a really brilliant idea for a project aimed at making Poppy a city for tourists, although Poppy wasn't quite as rich in tourist attractions as instead neighboring cities could boast. Here, the mayor's project aimed to induce the tourists visiting the nearby towns, chosen as towns of art or for their natural and scenic beauty, to also visit Poppy , which , therefore, had to be made attractive, which had to be presented, indeed invented, as a wonderful, enchanting place, a place to visit at least once in your life. For the young mayor, surrounded as she was by a large circle of collaborators, of consultants, who, they all were intelligent and brilliant and decision makers like her, it was not difficult to find the computer scientist able to develop the extraordinary app that would have changed) the destiny of the city, raising its fortunes. Oh, the wonderful app would have done miracles, Chiara D. had been convinced of that ever since she had had the idea, or the inspiration to create it. Oh, tourists, people would have come from all the world to visit Poppy, they would have been eager to admire the wonders of the city. The truly considerable undertaking of giving life to the miraculous app was entrusted by the mayor to Jacob B., young he too, a computer engineer of whom, at least there, in the city of Poppy, all talked as a genius of the computer science.
For what concerned the contents of the app, or the indications which it ( the app) should have given on the places which couldn't be missed when you come to visit Poppy____churches, monuments, museums, but also gardens and landscapes; not to mention markets and little markets, where you could find real treasures, and also gyms, also swimming pools, as well as bars; restaurants.pastry shops, and then clothing stores, shoe shops, but also food shops where you could taste cold cuts, cheeses, and other typical delicacies of the place? they all had to be suggested.___Jacob B. could count, in addiction of the precious support of the mayor ,who was a great connoisseur of the city, on a large group of experts: historians, art historians and architects, cooks and hoteliers, even priests, of course. But, above all, the contribution of fierce, highly skilled advertisers was fundamental for the computer engineer.
As soon as the app was created, it was ensured that it would reach as many people as possible
Contacts were also made with travel agencies, and with hotels in those nearby cities which were
usual destinations for tourists, including foreigners, and contacts were even made with foreign
embassies. Whoever came to Italy for the usual tourists tours , he couldn't fail to visit also Poppy,
a wonderful city. unfortunately misunderstood , ignored by tourists. It must be said that the app had its result : tourists began to arrive in Poppy too. Even if you could bet that the tourist, both Italian and foreign, who had come once, he certainly would not have wanted to return a second time. Since, although the fabulous, miraculous app extolled it,the city remained what it was, almost entirely devoid of tourist attractions. On the app, which had been called ____WELCOME TO POPPY____POPPY IS WATING FOR YOU! YOU CAN'T MISS THE WONDERS OF POPPY!_____the post industrial provincial city was not only exalted with words, but also through images. Jacob B. and Chiara D. had been able to avail of the precious help of the best photographers and video-makers, who had thought to retouch the much vaunted wonders, oh but indeed the treasures, of the fabulous city of Poppy, which, however, was not fabulous, and the tourists who flocked, urged to visit it from the miraculous app, they could easily notice it. But how, the Romanesque church of which the app showed enchanting images was little more than a ruin that was falling to pieces ? And the frescos of Giotto's school ,in the cathedral chapel?,but they were all ruined, you couldn't see, of them, anything else than splashes of color. Yes, there was no lack of protest from disappointed visitors. However, tourists continued to visit Polly , there was no complain. Until something happened that no one would have ever expected , and , least of all he, Jacob B. have ever expected.. The app he had developed began to?incredible?.but it began to take initiatives. In a voice , which seemed to come from far away, but which could to be heard well, distinctly, the app began to comment on the presentation of Poppy's wonders, as they had decided to be. ? This is a BIG LIE!? that voice added to the presentation of monuments and sites praised on the same app. But not only that, the incredible app even went so far as to give advice to visitors coming to Poppy, advices as: ? No, this church YOU CAN DO WITHOUT VISITING IT. IT REALLY DOESN'T DESERVE TO BE SEEN. Oh, it is not like the photos show it to you!? That voice, the app voice, said also: ? Ah, this restaurant is recommended only because the owners of the restaurants paid a great sum of money. You eat there badly and it is very expensive? The first to notice the strangeness of the app were the visitors ( tourists) of Poppy, who, indignant, protested to the mayor , and they sent angry protest emails, asking what was that?that mockery of the app which, on the one hand praised the wonders of Poppy, on the other the same app warned that?.but what wonders, it was only a great farce, it was all a well packaged deception to get people to come in Poppy. Jacob B. and Chiara D. were more than worried, they were even frightened. After consultations with great experts, real app scientists, and after that the municipal council was convened in extraordinary session, with agenda: WHAT TO DO?____That is : How do we have to deal with the miraculous app which became?.too miraculous?_____it was decided, not without anguish and also some objections, to destroy the app. Rosanna B., councilor of the mixed group, part of the opposition, argued that, given that the app ____WELCOME TO POPPY!____had nevertheless brought so many tourists in Poppy, if it had now started to act on its own initiative, this revealed that it was an app ( a device) with extraordinary and absolutely unpredictable capabilities . So WHY NOT to try to fix the extraordinary app , to make it come up with ,in its own initiative, something that would make Poppy famous, unique in the world?
Jacob B., who was present at the truly ( very) extraordinary session of the municipal council, was seized by a hysterical crisis, hearing the proposal of the councilor Rosanna B.
? Mrs Rosanna, we are already known all over the world, unfortunately!? he started screaming, all trembling, ? All people are talking about Poppy abundantly, in social networks and televisions! Eh, and if ( how) they are talking about Poppy! But as a joke! They?people all over the world?.yes, the whole planet is sneering at us, poor fool citizens of POOOOPPY!? Jacob B. kept on screaming, now out of breath, his whole body twisting, it seemed that his body was screwing as his voice.
Meanwhile, while the municipal council was taking place, a procession of tourists, to which inhabitants of Poppy had joined, had arrived in the square when the town hall stood, they all were screaming invectives: tourists against Poppy____the cursed city of deception____and the inhabitants of Poppy against the cursed app, and against who had created it.
Jacob B., hearing his name shouted by that angry crowd, collapsed, falling to the ground. He was presumed dead. But he wasn't dead. ? The app must be destroyed ?: these were the first words he said as soon as he recovered his senses.
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