Zoey was forbidden to ever leave the house or mansion as some of the people who visited called it. She could only see the wondrous yard that they had, through the windows. The thing she wished of on each of her birthdays was to go outside. Each time she told her mother this, her mother would cry and ask repeatedly if she did something wrong. Her father on the other hand would punish Zoey for thinking that, then give her all the things she wanted… all, but being allowed outside. Her father even gave her roses and other flowers to keep her inside and adored. She soon ended up hiding from whoever visited and watched them discuss things like politics, trouble, getting caught with something she couldn't understand.
She counted how many times each person came in and always stayed quietly hidden around the place to listen. Soon even her father caught her by surprise... "Zoey! Come down here!" Her father had yelled. She came out of hiding and looked at the person that seemed at least two or three years older than her, then looked at her father.
"Yes father?" she asked to keep from sounding suspicious.
"Here she is."
"So this is the thing you've been hiding from the government... very interesting."
"HEY! I am NOT a thing! You're a thing!" she snapped back, reacting to what the person said.
"It even has a personality, how come you didn't want to show it to my father when he was alive?"
"He would have given it to the Government, but I trust you that if you try, then you will be shot down."
Zoey watched the person and her father talk at it as if she wasn't there. She frowned, getting really annoyed about how the discussion was about her, but they kept calling her an 'it' or a 'thing'. "HEY! Listen to me! Stop acting like I'm not here already! Who the hell are you and what the hell are you talking about father!?"
"I'm Luke Wentworth and we're talking abou-"
"I suggest not telling it here." Her father interrupted.
"Why not?"
"It could easily escape from this place if we don't take precaution."
"Ah, then are we going to a reinforced room?"
"I have one down the hall." She looked at them and followed silently, while trying to figure out by herself what was going on. She watched her father open a room that even she had never gone in. She followed them inside and saw a couple of chairs and a simple table.
"Sit down." her father ordered at her. She went to the closest seat and sat down, feeling unnerving as Luke sat next to her and her father across from her.
"Am I going to get an explaination now?"she asked. She saw her father tense slightly.
"Well... You're not my daughter first of all and..."
"Your taking it too slow, it can handle something as small as this. It's like a super computer that fights. It should be able to handle this." Luke broke in.
Zoey looked at both of them, then before they could say anything she jolted out of her chair, causing it to fall and she ran to the door and tried opening it. She ended up accidently tearing the handle off.
She stared at it in shock then quickly ran for it. Running seemed the only option to her at the time. She headed for the front doors. She let out a small shriek when something tackled her from behind and saw it turned out to be one of the guards that had always been there at the house. She gave up, deciding that she couldn't really harm someone. She saw the two she left behind walk over.
"Good job." Her father told the guard.
"I say, you haven't told it before?" Wentworth asked.
"It would have ruined its mind back then."
"Makes sense. Everything has a flaw to look back on." She stayed silent as the guard forced her to get up.
"Send it to its room now." he said.
Zoey listened as the door to her room was shut and she examined the room, tearing out whatever seemed like a camera. She soon sat down on her bed and tried thinking. The smell of roses caught her by surprise. She looked up to see the pile of roses that she use to always water with her mother... that isn't really her mother now. She shuddered at the thought of not having her as a mother anymore and got up, grabbing one of the roses and sat down on one of the chairs. She has set up next to the window in her room and looked outside, while twirling the rose in her fingers.
~ Three years later ~
Zoey looked at the velvet dress with a black mini jacket that she was supposed to wear.
"Zoey, you'll look fabulous in it!" Her fake mother gushed. She nodded silently and watched her mother leave her room, so she could get ready. She sighed and changed into the dress.
''Remember, your father is having a party for you, since you're finally 16!' Her fake mother had said.
~She doesn't even now...~ Zoey thought miserably. She walked out of her room and went down the hall, towards where the party was being held. She stared across the room seeing so many people she didn't know, and half of them seemed around her age, the others seemed like they worked with her fake father. She walked across the place, silent and dodging people. She went to the concession stand, ignoring the stares and grabbed a cup. She heard a murmur of shock of the people her fake father works with.
Zoey sat down somewhere while finishing her drink. She watched people dance and laugh and… act normal. She listened to the music then stared at her empty cup.
"Do you need a refill, miss?" She looked up surprised when she didn't hear 'it', and rather 'miss' and stared at the person that said it. The person blinked, seeming to wonder what he did wrong. "Do you need a refill?"he repeated.
Zoey nodded and handed him her cup, "Thanks." she muttered, seeing the person walk to the stand. She saw one of the guards walk towards the person and she looked at the direction the guard was coming from. She saw her fake father there, standing smugly. She looked back at where the person had been and saw he was gone, like he suddenly disappeared.
