Jay was paying attention to class. Yep, that was exactly what he was doing. Times negative five thousand.
I am so not paying attention at all, Jay thought.
But in all honesty, he was quite sure trying to wrap his head around the fact that he was a Master of Lightning was much more important than the history lesson on the Serpentine Wars. After all, he wouldn't be able to focus later if his mind kept wandering back to that, right?
"Jay, what defeated the Serpentine?"
He jolted back to the present, stumbling over his words as he racked his brain for answers. "Uh... Uh... Elemental Masters?"
A few students around him snickered. One of them said, "Those are just myths, silly."
"Incorrect, Jay. The correct answer is Sacred Flutes."
The bell rang, meaning it was lunch break.
"Your homework is on the whiteboard. Please hand it in by Friday."
Jay sighed. At this rate, he wasn't going to be able to focus on any of his classes. He stared at his hands. I wonder what I can do...
Vania felt odd, seeing Harumi not sitting with her other friends.
They were currently outside. Something about, "enjoying the sun while it was still out". Not that she would have minded. She could sit outside during winter if she wanted to. After all, she lived on a mountain. And that was already quite cold...
How far am I now? Vania looked at the distant view of the mountains. She had never really thought about how far she would be from home, as she was too excited by the fact that she would actually get to see what was beyond the Ivory City.
"Oh, hey, Vania," Harumi said.
Vania sat next to the white-haired girl, awkwardly staring at the table surface. Not being the one to go for a long time in silence, the blonde chose to talk.
"So... how's your crush?"
Harumi coughed, choking on her food. "Crush?" she said weakly. "I don't have a crush!"
"But your face says the opposite."
"Vania!"
"Right. Sorry. But why did I see you walking around with Lloyd yesterday?"
At this moment, Skylor appeared suddenly behind them as Harumi looked at Vania in shock, then jumped out of her seat when she noticed the redhead.
"Hey... What are you doing out here?" Skylor awkwardly asked. "Do you... want to sit with Pix, Sel, and I?"
"That's... a bad idea," Harumi muttered.
Vania winced slightly, but Skylor noticed. "What happened?"
"Rumi might have... called Pixal a liar after we visited you?" Vania replied nervously.
She and Harumi are abruptly pulled out of their seats as Skylor proceeds to drag them over to wherever she was sitting. Vania yelps. She was very surprised by how strong the redhead was. "Sky! What— How—"
"I trained in several martial arts. Don't ask," Skylor muttered.
They arrive at another table, where Vania could see Nya standing as she talked to Seliel and Pixal. Skylor pushes them forward, giving Harumi a reassuring smile.
"Hello, Harumi, Vania," Pixal greeted. "How are you?"
Harumi shifted uncomfortably. "Don't act like that."
"Act like... what?"
"Like I didn't call you a liar before. And... I'm sorry," she muttered.
Vania watches as Skylor pops up behind Nya, trying to prompt her along with Harumi to apologize. The two glance at each other before turning away from the other, harrumphing.
"Come on! It won't hurt to say a simple, 'Sorry'!" Skylor said.
Harumi's eyes make contact with Vania's. The blonde gives her what she hopes was a reassuring look. Once they finally apologize to each other, but not before a small glare-off, Pixal speaks up.
"About me being an android..."
"Yes?" Vania asked.
"Perhaps all of you can come to visit Borg Tower. Maybe after school."
Everyone else agreed, but Skylor seemed uncertain before agreeing as well. Why? Vania wondered.
Zane stared at the skyscraper that towered above him. It wasn't as though it scared him— and it didn't— but it was... daunting. He hoped that none of the workers had a fear of heights.
"Father, may I ask what are we doing here?" the blond asked.
"Paying a visit, my boy. There is someone I would like you to meet."
"Really? Who is it?" he asked as they walked through the automatic doors.
Both stepped onto the elevator once it arrived, and they stood in silence as the elevator climbed the tower.
"Zane, before we arrive, there is something I must tell you," Dr. Julien said.
"Yes, what is it?"
His father hesitated slightly, breathing heavily, before saying, "Zane, you see..." He stepped forward, placing a hand on his arm. Zane watched as he opens a panel to reveal wires in his arms. But how?
"You're... a droid."
The teenaged boy was not hallucinating. There were wires in his arms. He was not human. But that didn't make much sense to him. Were his emotions merely a program? Unable to process everything quickly, he could only manage a faint, "Oh. Okay."
The lift was once again silent, other than the inventor's heavy breaths.
"Fa— Dr. Julien, are you okay?"
The white-haired man cleared his throat, straightening. "Yes, Zane, I'm fine."
When they reached the top, the doors opened, leaving Zane in awe. He nearly forgot about what his father— creator— had said. All over, there was technology of all kinds, from computers to large machinery, some that looked to be a work in progress.
An, "Oh!" catches his attention. Zane turned to see an android standing in front of the lift. Upon eye contact, she straightened her posture and started speaking.
"Hello, Zane— I mean, you must be Zane and Dr. Julien."
Despite the extreme difference between appearances, Zane was very sure that the android was Pixal. Of course, that was only if he wasn't somehow hallucinating. Malfunctioning.
First Spinjitzu Master, I don't even know what words to use.
"Pixal?" Zane rubbed his eyes.
The android flickers. An image of her usual appearance replaces the previous. Or maybe the previous was her usual appearance. School only lasts for about nine hours, so unless she doesn't spend most of her time here, it would be her usual appearance.
For some reason, his mind adds, she still looks pretty either way.
"I am Primary Interactive X-ternal Assistant Life-form, PIXAL." She glanced away. "Sorry. Perhaps that was... unnecessary."
"Oh, hello. It looks like you two have already... met." Cyrus Borg paused, looking around awkwardly.
"It's okay. We can spend some time together." PIXAL turns toward the elevator.
The two stood silently as they waited for the elevator to arrive. To make things less awkward, the silver-haired chattered on about the tower they were currently in.
"... My friends will be visiting in a few hours, so there is plenty of time to show you around. Where would you like to go? Maybe the factory? Or perhaps the rooftop? The view is very nice. I'm not allowed to show you the vault, though..."
At that moment, they heard a gasp behind, along with a surprised, "Oh!" from Borg. Both turned around to see Dr. Julien on the floor.
"Father!" Zane ran over, kneeling next to him.
He probably should stop calling him his father, considering that they weren't even related. Out of habit, he continues using the term as Dr. Julien falls unconscious.
He faintly hears PIXAL tell him she'll call the hospital, but he wasn't listening very much. Zane could only repeat the same words, his mind unable to think of anything else.
"Please, please, please, please—"
An hour later, when he's waiting for news in the hospital, Zane is told that he is no longer there, that he suffered a heart attack.
His mind, it felt like trying to walk through the snow. Or swimming through slush. Zane hears Borg offer to let him stay the night at Borg Tower. Unable to work any words out of his mouth, he briefly nods.
His father was dead.
She was very sure that the lights in the computer room were not supposed to be on. It was 6:34 in the evening. She went to open the door and check inside.
Immediately, PIXAL wondered if she should wish she hadn't.
"What are you doing!?" PIXAL exclaimed.
Zane looked up from the computer screen. He opens his mouth to come up with a plausible explanation, but upon seeing her glare, he seems to think better of it.
"I... was trying to figure out how to erase my memories."
PIXAL frowned, stepping closer and dragging a chair over to sit next to him. "And why would you want to do that?"
"Because..." Zane sighed. "It... hurts."
PIXAL hesitated. She didn't know what to do in this type of situation. What if she messed up somehow?
Eventually, she chose to lean closer, wrapping her arms around him in a hug. "I heard that this was done to comfort someone. I know it doesn't do much... but perhaps you feel a little better?"
"... A little. But thank you, PIXAL."
I DID IT! I posted a chapter after I freaking didn't update this for two (three?) weeks because of the worst writer's block ever! Whoops. I walked into a hole and took forever to get out.
Another thing I should work on: parent/child(ren) dynamic. Especially if I plan their deaths earlier into the story (I'M SO SORRY—).
The pacing was a bit rushed (at least, that's what I think), but as people say: it's better than nothing.
What do you think? I feel like the quality has gone down, but hopefully, I'll get back on track!
I'll stop rambling now—