Chapter One
A Restless Night

Francesca
Todayland August 2037

A Week Earlier…

Wind sounded like a ferocious howl just beyond the window that night. The scream of it, whipped tree leaves and slammed rain against the glass, was what woke her from her dreams.

Franny, rested on her left side with her eyes toward the large window that covered most of the wall, debated whether she wanted to get up or try to fall back into the dark world of dreams. Her back faced the bedroom door and the right side of the large bed. She didn't need to turn her head to know her husband did not currently occupy that side of the bed.

She shifted her eyes away from the rain that raced over the glass to look at the clock on her nightstand. The black lines that formed the numbers and letters were surrounded by a dull background of deep blue. She released a sigh with a roll of her eyes.

Two fiftty-three in the morning.

Franny pulled the fluffy comforter over her head with a groan of agitation. She tucked her knees into her chest with her arms wrapped around to hold them there. She forced her eyes closed. She allowed her ears to listen to the rain in hopes of it soothing her back to sleep. The storm just outside grew louder with a roll of thunder to raddle the window. Franny grunted. She concluded that she wouldn't be going back to sleep, not with the weather raging in high volumes. Her brain would only scatter more than calm. Franny pushed the comforter and sheet away from her body, the heat that had once been trapped inside lost in the battle of the cold air that charged, to swing her legs over the edge and push herself up. Her arms stretched above her head to get her blood flowing. She rounded the foot of the bed to get to the bedroom door. Her pajama pants threatened to tangle under her feet with every step she dared to take. She untwisted the waistband around her hips, fixed the matching teal tank, before she turned the golden doorknob. Lightning shot out from the clouds, the bedroom lit in a flash of blue, with a roll of thunder not far behind.

Franny slipped out into the long hallway just outside her bedroom door.

The house was deathly silent while she made her way down the dark hallway. The quiet hum that buzzed around her ear from the stillness of her home was unfamiliar and frankly unnerved her. So irregular that it made her think something was wrong. The Robinson Mansion, quite large in scale, was always buzzed with noise. From the loud canon fire from her eldest brother, Gaston just before he hit his target, sometimes the target being her face, would shake the picture frames on the walls. The echoed arguing of her nephew, Laszlo and her niece, Tallulah usually filled the halls of something only they found important. To the racing footsteps of her son, Wilbur around the house even after the many warnings she called out to him. His chargeball glove around one hand and Carl not far behind him. Franny couldn't help the warm smile at the thought of her son.

Her bare feet generated not a sound on the long carpet that covered most of the marble floor. On her way towards the stairs, she passed by several closed white doors. Her mother and father-in-law, Bud and Lucille, occupied the first door to her right. His youngest brother, Joe shared a room with his wife, Billie across the hall. Wondering how they were enjoying their vacation, Franny moved further down the hall. She could hear her eldest brother, Gaston talking in his sleep to her left. Was he making monkey sounds or was there an actual monkey with him? Deciding she didn't want to find out, Franny quickly passed Art's room to grab the banister along the edge of the staircase.

Franny carefully made her way down the steps, pulling her long pants away from her feet to prevent them from tucking under her heel and causing her to slip. Another flash of light illuminated the open concept of the first floor. Thunder rolled over the house causing the windows to shake around her. Franny wrapped her arms around her torso to will away the cold chill that fell over her. She questioned why she hadn't grabbed a shawl or blanket before leaving her bedroom. Her fingers curled around her bare arms on her way towards her son's bedroom door.

Wilbur was the only Robinson who had a bedroom on the first floor. When he was around eight years old, he begged Cornelius and her for his room to be moved from upstairs. He claimed that the far wall was perfect for his chargeball screen, but Cornelius was against the idea at first because the room he wanted was filled with hundreds of boxes, old books, and furniture; all covered in dust. Weeks had gone by, Wilbur begged her every day to change their minds, and one day Franny finally caved to his big brown eyes. He was moved in after another couple days. Franny remembered having a hard time at first because Wilbur had always slept in a room right next to her.

Franny, wrapped so deep in memory, nearly ran into the door. With another clap of thunder, she opened the door enough to poke her head inside to check on him. Something she hasn't done since he turned ten and being told he was too old for her to tuck him in at night. She looked around the large room. Wilbur, although a thirteen-year-old, was obsessed with space and chargeball and his room reflected that. She found it was dimly lit by the lava lamp of pale blue on his desk; something he always turned on at night for his fear of shadow demons, or so he called them. Franny knew it had something to do with the video games he liked to play at times. He must have recently played such a game.

Franny slipped her body through the door and made her way across the room to the levitation panel that would take her up to the balcony; where his bed was placed. Wilbur was fast asleep on his back. His arms flailed about him, one above his head that hung off the mattress, the other draped over his forehead. Snoring, and laying at the wrong end of his mattress. His head was nearly off the edge. Franny carefully stepped around his pillows that had been tossed about his floor. His quilt, printed with the chargeball symbol, lay halfway to the floor. With a shake of her head, she pulled the quilt so it covered him. She brushed back loose strands of his hair and gave a kiss to his forehead before leaving.

Franny rolled her eyes when she spotted all the dirty piles of clothing on his floor and his laundry basket empty in the corner.

It's no wonder he complains about not having clean underwear.

With a final look at her snoring son, body tangled in his sheets, she closed the door behind her. Franny made her way back down the hall without a sound to disrupt the peace that surrounded her. Another flash of lightning illuminated the foyer casting the shadows of furniture across the marble floor into the family room. She turned her neck to look towards the front doors on her left as she came upon the archway. Her eyes squinted after she swore a shadow moved from the corner of one of the windows by the doors. She quickly stepped up to the locked door and flipped the porch switch up. After a scan of the outside, Franny turned the light off, telling herself it was probably from one of the potted bushes or a tree branch blown around by the wind.

She shook her head at her sudden paranoia before making her way through the family room to the kitchen. The kitchen was lit by strands of white lights left on top of the cabinets since last year's Christmas. Franny personally liked having the lights up there so when she came down in the middle of the night, like she was then, she could see without turning the main lights on. Franny reached up in the cabinet to grab the kettle. She nearly knocked a glass measuring cup over, but her hand steadied it before it shattered against the marble. She filled the kettle with water at the same time she closed the cabinet door. Once filled, she turned from the sink to place it on a burner of the stove. She set the correct burner to medium.

Her back leaned against the countertop while she waited for the kettle to heat up. Her gaze moved from the stove to the windows along the back wall of the kitchen to watch the rain beat against the glass. Was it her or did the storm get worse? She watched the rain create the streams down the glass. Part of her wanted to rush outside and dance around the yard. To feel the rain soak into her clothes like a sponge, her hair loose to dance in the wind, and her tongue out to catch the drops. The strike of lightning and thunder put a damper on her childish desire, but not on the many memories she had of being caught in the rain.

"Cornelius?" Franny called while she walked the path that looked like a ribbon weaving through the park in the middle of Todayland. The street lamps were her source of light as she walked further into the lush green park. There was no reply.

Franny brought the folded paper, which she had found on her pillow with instructions to go to the park, up to her eyes so she could read the clue her husband provided.

Where the fireflies sing and the willow trees dance with their reflections.

Franny dropped the paper to look around her. There were plenty of willow trees in the park, no fireflies in sight yet, but they were mostly spotted around the lake. Franny nearly palmed her forehead before she raced off toward the center of the park. Following the brick path, it wasn't long until she found the lake and the bridge that crossed over it. Standing against the rail right in the middle was her husband, Cornelius. He stood there with his eyes in the starless sky.

With a smile on her lips, Franny walked up to him until she was close enough to place her hand on his shoulder to let him know of her presence. His smile was large when he turned to face her. With his goofy grin, he pushed his glasses back up his nose and wrapped his hand around her waist. His other brushed his knuckles against her freckled cheek. Franny leaned into his touch. His hands weren't the softest, but she knew with his job his hands were in constant use.

"I started to wonder if you would ever show." He spoke in a deeper voice than her own.

Franny opened her eyes to give him a smirk. She grabbed his hand from her cheek to hold it within hers. "Hm, you didn't really give me a specific location to meet you."

"I thought the clue was simple enough." He chuckled.

"To you, yes." Franny pointed back. "So, what is this surprise?"

Cornelius took his hand from her, the other still at her waist, to hold out in the direction he wanted her to go. Franny and Cornelius walked beside each other until they stepped off the bridge. Cornelius was quick to move behind her and cover her eyes with both his hands.

"Whoa," Franny exclaimed, "what are you doing?"

"Keeping the surprise, a surprise. I'll be your eyes and just follow my directions." He spoke in her ear with a kiss to her cheek when he finished. Her cheeks flushed with heat and walked in the direction Cornelius told her.

She couldn't help but hold her arms out before her. She trusted her husband enough that he wouldn't run her into a lamp pole, but it was a habit from her older brothers who would purposely run her into something. She walked that way until she was told to stop.

"Okay," he spoke from behind her, "ready?"

"Of course." Her teeth bit into her lip while her stomach took flight with butterflies.

She heard his deep intake of breath just before he removed his hands. She had to blink a few times to clear the circles, but once cleared she saw something beautiful.

A single white sheet lay under the branches of a willow tree. Four white candles placed at the edges with flames bobbing in the breeze. In the middle was a single basket, two plates, glasses, and a single flower. Franny covered her mouth from surprise. She watched the branches sway together and the fireflies flicker while they danced together.

"You remembered." Franny breathed. Her eyes remained on the surprise he had put together for her. "I didn't think you would remember. You were always locked in your lab."

Cornelius pulled her against his chest by her shoulders. His chin replaced his hand and his arms snaked around her stomach. "I locked myself in there to keep this plan a secret. I thought it was a good idea. A good way to keep the family from knowing and spilling the secret." Cornelius chuckled. "I had to bribe Wilbur so he wouldn't say anything."

Franny turned her eyes to look at him. "Wilbur's sixteen months old, Cornelius."

He gave her a shrug with a grin. "What? Wilbur could have easily told you." He defended. "He is spoken well enough to tell you in a few words."

Franny couldn't help but to chuckle and shake her head.

Cornelius removed himself from behind her, grabbed her hand to lead her toward the dinner he had prepared. They both sat down near the wicker basket that had the neck of a bottle poked out from one of the two flaps. Franny could smell the sweet scent of the flower he had placed on the other side of the basket. The petals of the Dahlias flower were an unusual orange with tips of white and a bright yellow center.

Her desired flower.

Franny reached over to grab the steam, placed it just under her nose, then took a deep breath in. "You really shouldn't have done this, Cornelius. It's all so much."

"When it comes to you Franny," Cornelius plucked the flower from her fingers to snap most of the stem off, his fingers placed the little bud of a stem he left behind her ear, the flower kept part of her black, wavy hair from her face, "nothing is ever too much."

Franny felt her body melt. Her heart skipped a beat. Tiny flutters danced in her stomach again.

Cornelius placed a glass, filled with a sparkling white wine, in her hand. "Do you remember?"

Franny looked confused at her husband for a brief moment until her eyes looked to the glass. She realized he wanted her to guess the wine.

Alright. She thought just before the rim of the glass touched her lips. The aroma instantly smelled familiar. Fresh apples. The chilled liquid slid over her tongue then down her throat. While she thought about the refreshing taste, she swirled the glass.

Where had she tasted it before? Her teeth picked at her bottom lip when her thoughts went deeper. Franny wasn't much of a drinker. A glass or two of wine with friends or family holidays. Birthdays, besides Wilbur of course, were the choice of the person they were celebrating. Thanksgiving was also out because they all usually had red wine to drink; as was the family tradition. Christmas didn't have any, apple cider was the pick so the younger members could participate in the family toast.

Franny dug deeper into her memory. So determined to figure it out that she, nor Cornelius, noticed the small drops that fell into the lake or the ones into her wine.

A cold drop of rain landed on her shoulder blade which made a trail down her back. Franny jerked her head up toward the blank sky through the willow branches. Another drop landed on her cheek. She brushed it off with her fingers.

The drizzle became a down pour shower.

Franny gasped from the surprise and her glass dropped to the sheet; her wine spilled out over the white cotton. Her husband looked up to the crying sky; shocked. He quickly jumped to his feet, his blue button-up shirt soaked to his shoulders, grabbed Franny's hand and pulled her up. Cornelius started to pull her into a run blindly while he searched for a dry place to wait out the rain. Franny grabbed her long skirt and moved her feet quicker to match her husband's longer strides; his legs were much longer than her own and she didn't want to trip. The heel of her nude shoes sunk into the mushy grass. The loose, yellow skirt of her dress tangled in her legs. The rain made the fabric wet and heavy.

Her eyes searched the darkened park to help find a place to go. Off in the distance, her eyes spotted a pavilion they were about to pass. Franny tightened her hand within Cornelius' to gain his attention. She pulled them toward the pavilion. She felt the rain hit every inch of her body while she rushed through it. Her hair glued to her back, and her heels slipping off her feet. Both skidded to a halt once they were safely under the roof.

The five lamps that circled around the wooden structure brought forth a desired warmth from the chill and offered a sunset glow of light.

"Ah, I'm sorry, Franny. I planned everything down to the flower, but I didn't plan for it to rain. I ruined everything." Cornelius hung his head until his chin touched his chest. He removed his spotted glasses to wipe them on the few dry spots of his shirt.

Franny stopped ringing out her skirts to look at him. She took off her shoes and held them by their heels at her side. "You didn't."

She watched his head snap in her direction. She only gave him a smile.

Franny was soaked to the bone as her elder brother would say. Her yellow dress tangled around her legs much closer than it had when it was dry. Her hair was damp, waved, and frizzed over her shoulder. Cornelius moved toward her. His fingers pulled strands from her lashes. When his hand pulled away, she saw the flower between his fingers.

"How could I not have messed it up? I spent so long planning everything so it would be perfect."

Franny grabbed the flower from him to hold in her palm. "Our wedding."

Cornelius just looked at her confused.

"That was the wine you gave me. Riesling. We had that wine at our wedding. And this?" She gestured the pavilion they stood under. "This is where we shared our first kiss as husband," Franny wrapped her arms around his neck loosely, standing on her toes, "and wife."

The smile he gave her was wide. His arms swathed around her. "Happy one ye-"

The squealing sound of a loud whistle broke Franny from her daydream.

Her hands quickly shot out to remove the kettle from the burner. She turned the stove off to kill the heat and placed the hot kettle on the wooden hotplate she grabbed from a drawer. It was around three in the morning and she rather not wake the household from their dreams. Franny reached for a mug out of the cupboard to pour the hot water into. She also grabbed a single tea bag from the pantry. Her favorite to drink when she couldn't sleep. Green Tea. Finally, able to sit down, Franny wrapped her hands around the steaming mug. Her palms absorbed the heat through the glass. She waited for her tea to spread through the cup before she pulled the single bag out. She placed the used bag on the hotplate until she was finished with her drink. A few blows over the top before she took her first sip.

The house remained as a ghost, the storm that continued to rage outside the windows was the only source of sound, but she felt slightly on edge. Her toes curled around the barstool foot rest. Her shoulders tensed and her back went straight. No matter how much time passed, she would never feel comfortable with a silent atmosphere. She had always been surrounded by noise even as a child, from her two older brothers, Cornelius' unique family, and her own child there was never a dull moment.

Her head turned toward the window after another flare of light. The thunder came suddenly, much like a screaming child. Franny drank her tea and watched the soothing streaks of rain. It seemed strange, but she found herself betting on the rain drops that fell down the window. Watching to see which would reach the bottom first. She had to start over when a drop would merge with another; it happened more than the actual race. She hadn't noticed until she went to take another sip that she had actually finished off her tea. With her betting clearly at an end, Franny got up from her seat to place her mug in the sink on the other side. She would wash it in the morning, right then she wanted to get back to her bed. Her fingers grabbed the kettle by the wooden handle, ready to dump what was left of the water, when a shadow moved in the corner of her vision.

Franny yelped, jumped on her toes, nearly dropping the kettle of hot water on herself. "Carl," she gasped, "you startled me!"

"Sorry Franny." Carl, her husband's first working robot, held his arms up in defense. "I heard noises coming from this room, so I came to see what they were." He eyed the kettle in her hand. "I can see it was you and not Wilbur trying to sneak in a midnight sweet…again."

Franny smirked. "I guess I wasn't as quiet as I hoped." She went on to pour the steaming water down the sink drain.

"I didn't mean to startle you though, Franny." Carl apologized.

Franny placed the empty kettle back on the matt and gave Carl her full attention. "It's alright. The storm is making me a bit jumpy, I guess. I wasn't expected anyone else to be up at this hour." She explained.

"I don't really sleep since I'm a robot." He shrugged. "I was on my way to check on Cornelius actually. To see if he needed anything—"

"Wait," Franny cut him off, "Cornelius is here? In his lab?" Carl nodded his head in response. "I assumed he went to the office already."

Carl blinked, cutting off the LED blue light of his eyes, before he spoke again. "Yeah, he's still here. He hasn't been up that long. Maybe two hours before you." Carl reached for the empty kettle to put it on the drying rack she kept on the side of the sink. "He said there was important paperwork he needed to finish before heading in."

Franny tapped her fingers against the garnet of the polished countertop. "Hmm." She reached across for her used teabag and dropped in through one of the two trash holes cut into the countertop. "Thanks, Carl. I'm going to head back to bed."

Franny turned herself away from the golden robot that was just a bit taller than she was, most likely because she was not wearing her heals. She heard Carl call out a 'what for' but she didn't answer as she crossed the open floor of the family room. Instead of going up the stairs and back to bed like she had planned, Franny instead headed for the laboratory doors.

"He's going to send himself to an early grave with how much he works." She muttered to herself, passing by Wilbur's door.

She noticed the dim stream of light seeping from the crack along the bottom of the door at the end of the short hall. The seam of her pajama pants flapped around her ankles with every step she took that brought her closer to the door. Without a knock, she stepped inside leaving the door open, surprised it was unlocked and made her way up the two sets of stairs. Before she even reached the top, Franny spotted her husband hunched over the dark wooden desk set to the far left of the large room. A single sheet of paper in his hand, his heavily bagged eyes staring at it with complete focus, and his free hand pushed into his hair. Franny noticed several more sheets of paper stacked near the edge. The desk lamp giving him enough light to see.

As Franny made her way across the crowded space, 'rounding scattered inventions he had stored in various places, Cornelius did not move a muscle. He hadn't seemed to notice her entrance into the room, nor her continual approach. Franny stepped over what looked like an unfinished gun with loose wires so she could stand at the opposite side of his desk. She took notice of his crunched brows. The corner of his mouth that twitched upward like it did every time he was deep in thought.

"Cornelius?" Franny whispered in a gentle tone to not startle him. But her husband didn't shutter a movement except for his eyes that glided to and from. Franny rolled her eyes then went for the paper in his hand. She snatched it quickly and for a moment Cornelius was deeply confused until he looked up at her. His bright blue eyes, one's that never failed to remind her of an azure, looked at her like she was a ghost; something that wasn't supposed to be there.

"Franny?"

Franny took notice of how dry his voice sounded. The darkened bruises under his lashes; evidence of his lack in the case of sleeping.

"You need sleep." She stated plainly.

"I will, I will." He smiled sleepily at her. "I just have to finish this damned blueprint equation."

Franny moved around the desk to grab his arm. "It's past three in the morning, Cornelius. You can finish that later." She began to pull him out of his chair, but only managed to roll the chair away from the desk. "Even a genius needs his sleep. You can't change lives if you're literally falling asleep in the office."

She could hear the rough chuckle in his throat. "Yeah, you're right."

"Of course, I'm always right. Now, to bed. I need you to help me get back to sleep because the storm is not working." Franny turned the lamp off on their way out the door. Her husband's hand pressed to her lower back as they descended the stairs.

"Alright, alright."

Franny and Cornelius left the laboratory behind, not bothering to lock the door, and made their way up the staircase to the second floor.

Cornelius draped his arm around her shoulders to pull her closer and his lips pressed into her hair. Franny leaned her head against his shoulder on their way to the bedroom.

Once on the mattress, the couple relaxed into the sheets. Cornelius placed his glasses on his nightstand, pulled the covers up to his arms, then pulled her back into his chest. Before she closed her eyes, she felt her husband kiss her temple and whisper a good night.