Mabel's eyelids were heavy, her corneas dry and scratchy, and her fingers ached from typing; yet the black and white text glaring up at her from the screen was still nothing to be proud of. Honestly, these days, the articles she wrote were one step from campfire kindling. Or they would be, if they were important enough to print. This would end up buried pages deep on the Detroit Free Press website, below an editorial on the ethics of android nannies, and a step-by-step walkthrough on how to purchase unpasteurized milk.
Sighing and rubbing her eyes, she snapped her laptop shut and glanced at the clock above the coffee counter. 5:51 PM. Shit. She stumbled out of her seat, shuffling the laptop, her notepad, and the book she hadn't gotten to open into her bag. The note paper crinkled harshly as she shoved it into the brown leather messenger bag, knocking into the corner table and nearly sending her long-empty coffee cup crashing to the floor. She grabbed it, along with the saucer and spoon beside it, and rushed them to the bus tray by the counter.
"Everything alright, Mae?" Dan behind the counter shot her a concerned look over the rim of his chunky hipster glasses. His grey-peppered beard crinkled as he pursed his lips at her.
"Yeah, don't worry," she blew a few curls out of her face with a huff, tying her unruly hair up into an approximation of a bun. "Just late for the damn bus again. I'll catch you tomorrow!"
She called the last sentence over her shoulder as she hurried out onto the street. The sky was dark with clouds, allowing dusk to claim the city early. She sprinted down the sidewalk, dodging pedestrians and holding her faded yellow flannel shut against the autumn wind. A single raindrop splashed to the ground in front of her, staining the pavement dark. She saw the bus approaching her stop from down the street, and pushed all her momentum into her toes to spur her forward.
She reached the bus just as the doors were beginning to close, throwing her hand out to stop them. The rain was beginning to fall in earnest, a few cold splashes smacking the back of her neck as she climbed aboard, shuffling through her things for her wallet. The serene smile of the android driver observed her as she did, and they started moving again before she'd pulled out and deposited the crumpled dollar bills for her fare.
"So sorry, thank you!" She said to the driver as she began scanning for a seat. There was no reply, but she hadn't really expected one.
Most of the seats were open, the few passengers staring out the windows dejectedly, so she chose a spot near the back, just in front of the android compartment. She'd heard people say how 'creepy' it was, the way they just stared forward. It always struck Mabel as more sad than unsettling, though. Maybe it was because she was the sort of person who, as a child, had apologized to her stuffed animals if they fell on the floor. Whatever the reason, she shot a small smile behind her at the two who occupied the compartment today.
They were both feminine in appearance, one labeled HW800 and the other AK450. Neither of them acknowledged her, obviously, so she shrugged and turned to watch the street. The windows had begun to fog, individual drops rolling down the glass in little rivulets. Compared to the warm light of the bus, the world outside was deep blue and dreamy. She felt sort of like she was on a boat in the middle of the ocean, watching the dark waves as they churned around her.
The buildings rolled by in grayscale, blurred by the rivers rolling down the side of the bus, and broken only by the colorful glare of traffic lights and neon signs. Mabel anxiously checked the time on her phone, tapping her foot against the vehicle's dirty metal floor. This bus was running behind schedule, which had allowed her to catch it, but also meant she was late. Again.
She sighed heavily, brushing aside the tight black curls that had escaped from her bun, and fished her earbuds from a side pocket of her bag. She popped them in and turned up the volume on her phone, pressing play on what she'd been listening to earlier. Sweet, jazzy piano filled her ears, chased by Billie Holiday's mellow tones, and she pressed her forehead to the cool window.
By the time she reached her stop and stepped out of the warm bus, it was 6:17. The rain had died to a gentle mist that kissed her cheeks as she jogged down the block, towards the yellow lights of the elementary school. When she finally rounded into the parking lot, she scanned it for Aveline. The other first-graders in the after school program had been picked up already, and a pang of guilt shot through Mabel's chest as she slowed to a walk.
Aveline was playing hopscotch with a teaching assistant android that the children affectionately referred to as Miss Anna. Her bright blue raincoat and matching boots stood out in the yellow glow from the open doors. A smile broke across her little face as she spied Mabel, and she dropped out of her one-footed hop and into a run. Mabel grinned back at her, kneeling and snatching her up in her arms.
"Mommy!" Aveline squeezed her arms around Mabel's neck, then pulled back and glared at her, wrinkling her nose with false annoyance. "You're late again."
"I know baby," Mabel said, pressing a kiss to Aveline's forehead. "But I promise I'll make it up to you, alright?"
"What do I get?" Aveline's dark eyes sparkled, seeming almost black in the fading light. They were Mabel's eyes, too, but bigger and infinitely more beautiful. Her skin was several shades darker than Mabel's light brown, but her curls were equally tight and unruly, if a good deal shorter.
"Let's talk about it on the way home, okay?" Mabel glanced up to Miss Anna, who had made her way over to them, meeting the android's friendly smile with one of her own.
"It is good to see you again, Ms. Bridges." Miss Anna had straight blonde hair gathered into a ponytail, green eyes, and a label on her modest white dress that read TR700. Her blue LED shone bright from her temple. "How has your day been?"
"Thank you Anna, I'm so sorry for being late. It's good to see you, too," Mabel hoisted Aveline up onto one hip as she spoke, earning a stream of giggles and another hug around the neck. "It's been long, but I can't complain. I'm sure you have more to deal with than I do, with all the kids."
"Not to worry Ms. Bridges," Miss Anna spoke softly, grinning and wrinkling her nose at Aveline. "I am not programmed to feel fatigue."
"Right," Mabel chuckled awkwardly. "How could I forget?"
"Is everything alright, Ms. Bridges?" Miss Anna's forehead creased in a perfect model of concern. "This is the third time you've been late this week."
A spear of guilt and anxiety shot through Mabel, and she suddenly felt a keen need to be elsewhere.
"Everything's totally fine, thanks for your concern." She grabbed Aveline's backpack off the sidewalk and swung it over her shoulder. "Sorry for any trouble, I promise to be here on time from now on. I've just never been the best with schedules. Thanks again!"
She was already walking away as she finished speaking; leaving Miss Anna by the brightly lit front door, as she and Aveline traveled into the growing darkness.
"What do you want for dinner?" She raised an eyebrow at her daughter, who was resting her head on Mabel's shoulder, eyelids drooping. At this, though, she perked up.
"Pizza!" Aveline declared, bouncing excitedly.
"Pizza? Hmm," Mabel made a thoughtful expression, lifting the fingers of her free hand to rub her chin. "I don't know... are you sure you don't want spinach and beets?"
Aveline rolled her eyes in reply, puffing her cheeks out in an imitation of nausea.
"Alright, alright," Mabel laughed, holding on to Aveline a little tighter. "We'll get it as a special treat, since I was late."
"Again." Aveline said pointedly, clapping her hands in excitement.
"Again." Mabel sighed, ruffling Aveline's hair.
They made their way back to the bus stop, boarding a bus that would take them closer to home. On the way, Aveline pulled a library book out of her dusty pink backpack and begged Mabel to read. She relented, dragging the wiggling child into her lap and opening the book over both their knees. It was a pop up book, with pictures that stood up from the page when it was opened, telling the story of a lonely rain cloud becoming friends with the flower it watered. By the time the story was over, Aveline's eyes had fluttered closed.
As the bus rolled up to their stop, Mabel gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze before lifting her up into her arms. She thanked the driver, waving with a single arm as she stepped out onto the street and set Aveline down on her own legs. The darkness had now descended on them fully, and a chilly drizzle still poured from the clouds. Mabel pulled Aveline's hood up over her head, silently cursing herself for not bringing an umbrella.
"Are we going to Amy's?" Aveline's voice squeaked in excitement. She shifted her feet in the little dance she sometimes did when she was looking forward to something.
"You bet your little nose we are," Mabel said, making a show out of pretending to grab the nose off Aveline's face. She stuck her thumb between her middle and forefingers, waggling it in the air as though flaunting her victory.
Aveline's cackles were still ringing through the night air as they rounded the corner, and beheld a lit up restaurant with a buzzing neon sign that read Amy's Pizza. Aveline grabbed Mabel's hand tighter, dragging her to the door as fast as she could.
Inside the restaurant was warm and mostly empty, with only one other table occupied by a couple. They chose a booth to sit at, the cracking red laminate of the seats matched the checkered red-and-white pattern on the tables. When the server, a smiling ginger android who introduced herself as Emily, arrived at the table they ordered a large pepperoni and olives. Aveline insisted that olives were a vegetable, and begged for a soda to go with it.
"No way, Avvy," Mabel laughed. "That's way too much sugar for you to have all on your own. We can get one and share it."
Aveline stuck her lip out, feigning a pout, which made Mabel laugh even harder. The girl was tenacious and unrestrained in a way Mabel prayed would follow her to adulthood. The world takes so much of the good that's put into it, as payment for surviving. Or... it just takes you. Mabel shut her eyes against the thought, shaking her head to clear it, then changed the subject. Aveline chatted brightly about her school friends, two girls named Missy and Zoey, until the pizza arrived.
It was piping hot, steam rising up into the air as it cooled.
"Don't take a bite yet," Mabel warned. "You'll burn your mouth."
"Pffffft. You're no fun." Aveline put down the slice she was holding and crossed her arms, slumping down in her seat. About a minute later, when Mabel burnt her own tongue on the first bite, she collapsed into a flurry of giggles.
They ate and chatted, passing their single root beer back and forth until it ran dry. The pizza itself was perfectly thin and cheesy, greasy enough to stain their fingers but not enough to be overwhelming. Amy's had, in Mabel and Aveline's opinions, the best pizza in all of Detroit; even if it never seemed to get much foot traffic. The place was cozy, and it felt like theirs. Once they'd finished and paid, which Mabel did with an anxious chew of her bottom lip, it was creeping up on 9 o'clock.
"Time to get home and get you to bed, huh Av?" She noted, watching Aveline rub her eyes with a tiny fist.
"Nuh-uh," Aveline insisted, even through a yawn. "I wanna stay up and watch movies."
"You think you're gonna stay awake for a whole movie?" Mabel snorted, swinging her daughter up into her arms as they made their way outside. Aveline wrapped her hands around Mabel's neck and leaned into her.
"Mm-hmm."
"Okay, tough-stuff. We'll put on Aladdin when we get back."
Aveline didn't reply, and a few minutes later her soft snores were tickling Mabel's ear. Mabel's heeled boots clip-clopped against the pavement with every step, and the rain continued it's gentle but relentless sprinkling. She pulled Aveline's hood further over her face as she hastened along, both of their bags swung across her body. An ache pulsed through the balls of her feet from the shoes, and her shoulders were beginning to stiffly protest the weight, but it was only about a ten minute walk back home. If she hurried.
She walked on in the dark and quiet. Every once in a while a car would roll by, or someone would amble down the other side of the road. During the day this street was busier, not bustling, but there were people walking to and from shops and cafes. Now the only open sign she saw belonged to a pub on the corner- Jimmy's Bar. She turned away from the warm lights, heading in the direction of the Greenway apartment complex. A dark sort of anxiety was staring to tighten around her stomach, but she pushed it down and hugged her daughter closer.
It was another two minutes before her fears were realized. Her footing stumbled as she froze, coming to a dead stop on the sidewalk. Someone, a man, had stepped out of the alleyway in front of her. His whole body was shaking, as if from fear or withdrawals, and she could barely see his face in the dim orange light of the street lamps. He wore a ratty jacket and a beanie hat, and clutched in his trembling hand was a gun.
Mabel's insides turned cold, her breath stopping in her throat. She raised her free hand in surrender, eyes flaring wide in panic. Slowly, the man lifted the gun until it was aimed at her and Aveline, who was still slumbering soundly on her shoulder.
"Don't come any closer." The man ordered. His voice was quiet, but trembling. "Give me everything you're carrying."
"Okay," Mabel heard the hitch in her own voice as she struggled to keep her tone even, reassuring. "Okay, no problem. I just need to set my daughter down, and I'll give you whatever you need."
The man's head tilted, face just catching the light, and she saw that he was young. His eyes flared when he focused on Aveline, surprised, as though he hadn't noticed her.
"Fine, alright." His gaze darted back and forth as he spoke, the gun in his hand shaking even more. "J-just hurry up, okay?"
Mabel nodded, keeping her eyes trained on the man as she gently shook Aveline.
"Everything is going to be alright, baby." She whispered into her daughter's ear. Aveline was confused, groggy with sleep, and raised her head questioningly. "Don't look up. If you hear a loud sound, I want you to run, okay?"
She slowly lowered Aveline to the ground, edging in front of her as surreptitiously as possible, and began lifting the bags from her shoulders. It was all she could do to keep from screaming, and she needed to keep the situation calm. The man was frantically looking over his shoulder every few seconds, shifting his grip on the weapon as though he'd never held one before.
"Hurry the fuck up!" He hissed.
"Don't worry," Mabel was placating, moving as quickly as she could without being too sudden. She didn't want to startle him. "Here you go, okay? You can take it all."
Gingerly, she held out her messenger bag towards him. He reached forward to take it, his panic more evident by the second.
"Mommy? What's happening?" Aveline's voice was small, frightened.
"Don't worry baby, we're just fine." Mabel fought to keep lightness in her tone. To keep from alerting her daughter to her terror. "We're gonna go home and watch movies soon."
The man's hand closed around the strap of her bag, and she caught another flash of his face in the low light. He seemed almost... apologetic. Then, another voice cut through the tension. Farther away, shouting. Mabel barely had time to register what it said.
"Don't shoot!" Footsteps, distant but running. Getting closer. The man balked, and his hand slipped.
A gun went off.