Artificial Mates - Chapter 53

My eyes burned from sleep as I fought to keep them open. The harsh lights from the ceiling of the station didn’t help either. Grant stood next to me holding my small leather bag. Demos stayed a little further peeking at the tracks. It was still dark and the station had a few passengers.

“When is the Transfer coming,” I yawned. Grant checked the scheduled for the fifth time. Even if he told me earlier about our planning, I was too tired to register. How the hell did I get in my navy blouse and fancy pants? I had no idea. My body went to autopilot from the moment Grant shook me awake and dragged me to the bathroom. I swallowed my breakfast mindless of the taste then washed it down with whatever hot beverage he prepared for me.

“It’s the B12 Transfer, it will arrive in five minutes,” said Grant. My stomach crunched just at the thought of going there. His hand slipped into mine squeezing it. The tension slowly decreased.

-I’m here, let me carry your pain.

I nodded at him. He was right; all I needed was a little faith. I watched as our Transfer entered the station. It was very different from the one I took when I first got to Kumari R2 with that evil doctor who abandoned me in that horrible place. Well, I guess a lot of time went by. Its reflective metallic body covered with two red stripes that ran from the front to the back. The words B12 painted in tall black letters on the door. The autonomous vehicle had an elongated nose, unlike the other Transfer. I guess long distance Transfers that ran at a higher speed had different designs.

“Whenever you need me, just think about me,” said Demos. I flinched a little when I found him standing next to me. He was so silent since I got up this morning. I felt terrible leaving him behind.

“It’s ok,” he stroke my hair. A slow smile stretched across his face. “I won’t be far away. I’ll try my best to come to meet you when I get off,” my head tilted up to face him. His features were gentle almost loving.

“I don’t think it’s necessary. It will take us four hours to get there and I won’t stay long. I bet we’ll be back before you even got off work,” his hand slipped down to my face cupping my check.

“Just text me if anything happens, ok,” he leaned forward and dropped a light kiss on my lips then quickly pulled away. I blinked at him in confusion. His kiss left me wanting more. I wanted to grab on to him and never let go.

“Liliane, hurry up,” called Grant by the door. The other passengers were boarding the Transfer dragging heavy bags behind them. I gave a last glance at Demos who smiled then ran to the door. Grant wheeled my only piece of luggage inside. The B12 was not like the usual one I took for work. There were comfortable seats arranged in rows to accommodate the long trips to destinations outside of the megalopolis. As Grant put my bag away in the top compartment, I rushed the window to wave Demos goodbye.

-I miss you already.

I chuckled at his cheesy response. Yet, I couldn’t help feeling the same. Even though I wasn’t technically alone. I sensed this lack when he wasn’t around.

“Be a good boy, ok,” I whispered. It was impossible that he could hear me through the thick glass. Somehow, I mean he could through our link. Demos shook his head with a smirk his eyes flashing blue.

-I’m not a dog!

Grant sunk behind me then leaned towards the window. They nodded to each other. My eyes darted from a serious Grant to smiling Demos.

-I’ll look after her.

-I’ll do my best to come as fast as possible.

-sure

For the first time, I heard their faint voices as they spoke to each other. It was a little shocking. I mean, they said they were one and yet they spoke like there were two different people. Well, they had two different personalities. I was a little lost. This whole two-is-one thing was not really my cup of tea.

“Attention passengers, B12 is now leaving the station. Please stay away from the doors as they close. Keep your ticket with you all through the trip to your destination. Depending on the types of ticket you have purchased you can get free refreshment in the restaurant section. Please check information on the screen in front of you. Thank you for traveling with B12 Transfer. Have a nice trip,” said the generic female voice over the speaker. Grant fished our tickets from his pocket and examined the tiny print on the back of the clear plastic. I turned back to the platform where Demos stood with his hands in his pockets.

“I took two meals tickets, which is a waste,” said Grant as he looked up from the tickets. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Demos when the Transfer started moving. I waved and he waved back.

-Love you

The platform turned into a blur as it sped away. I sunk back into my seat feeling a little hollow.

“This is going to be a long ride,” I sighed. Grant squeezed my hand.

“I’ll be your entertainment,” he smiled.

I thought Grant was joking when he said he was going to be my entertainment. He really stuck to his word when he finished his fifth jokes about a man and a whale. I had no idea he was that funny. I laughed so loud that we got glares from our neighbors from across.

“I think we should stop with the jokes. My belly hurts,” I wiped a tear from my eye then pushed my glasses in place.

“But I’ve learned them for our trip. I wanted to see laughing Liliane,” he pouted flashing puppy eyes at me. Grant was so cute sometimes, that I forget he was not human. He tilted his head to the side to study me.

-‘You really think that?

I slowly nodded. I also forget that he can hear me. I scratched my head and pushed my hair away from my face. I wonder if all of this will somehow miraculously fix itself. Well, Grant did say he wanted to help mom. I don’t know maybe I’m expecting too much or being too optimistic because I’m sitting too close to Grant. He might be affecting how I think.

-It will be ok. But I must warn you I don’t do miracles.

I snuggled against him; he wrapped an arm around my shoulder. He seemed to squeeze all my anxieties out of my body leaving me numb and floating on a cloud. Grant can easily get the label of a new addictive drug. He chuckled slowly beside me.

“That’s not a nice compliment,” he said against my ear. His voice made me shivered. He shifted in his seat. I peeked at him and found his frowning.

“What’s wrong?” he averted his eyes.

-You’re making me nervous.

I giggled and buried my face into his shoulder, nearly breaking my glasses. The frame hit the bridge of my nose.

“Ouch!” he chuckled pulled my face away to examine my face. He rubbed his thumb on the sore skin.

“I have the feeling you always forget you’re wearing them,” he frowned. The old women sitting behind our coughed several times to get our attention. I peeked between our headrests and found both of them glaring at us. I ducked and grabbed on the front of Grant’s coat.

“I think they are not happy about us being too affectionate,” I whispered between giggles. His eyes met mine and we both giggled like little kids. The four hours trip went by rapidly. I grabbed the two meals that came with our ticket. I got sandwiches and a salad along with drinks. Grant said that we shouldn’t waste food. I ate the salad and kept the sandwiches in my bag in case something happened. I’m closing my fingers we don’t encounter any difficulties on our way back.

“We will soon arrive at Saint Pierre; the Transfer will do a five minutes halt. Please check your luggage and do not leave anything behind when you get off,” said the voice on the speaker. Grant got up to get my bag and I rushed to the toilet that was six rows away. I was lucky to find it empty. I emptied my bladder and fixed my hair. When I came back, the vehicle eased to a stop as the small station. My heart skipped a beat at the unchanged scenery. It was shockingly it stayed the same after all these years.

“Hey,” Grant pulled on my arm. Passengers were making their way towards the doors. I swallowed the lump trying to choke me and reached for his hand. Mine was sweating and rapidly turning cold.

The platform was only a slab of grey concrete with a couple of metal tubes that held a translucent roof covered with moss. There was a desk where a tired old man in a blue and yellow uniform greeted the passengers with a tight smile. Stairs went down to a cracked asphalt boarded by wild weeds. Rows of beaten up dull houses stood next to the platform. Trees poked among the mostly grey habitations. Then further away were taller building that looked like stores. Apart from the stores, the place hasn’t changed at all.

“Well, it looks like a quiet neighborhood,” smiled Grant. My stomach squeezed, I felt a wave of nausea washed over me.

“I think I’m going to be sick,” Grant looked up in alarm.

-Breath slowly.

He guided me to a corner of the platform and peeked at me. I tried the breathing technics I learned from my bad days at the happy house. With Grant, rubbing my back it helped me stabilized my hectic heart.

“Everything ok here?” called the officer in charge. He got to his feet making his chair creaked.

“She’s not feeling so good,” Grant said as he kept rubbing my back.

“Want me to get her some water or something?” asked the man. I shook my head. I didn’t want to attract unnecessary attention to my arrival in that forsaken place. My plan was to get in and get out as quick as possible. I dug my nails in my palms to help gain control over the overwhelming sensation. I should have taken those freaking pills with me.

“I… feel better, let’s go,” I pushed away from Grant and went to the stairs. Grant rushed behind me; I didn’t dare look back at the officer. I bet he thought I was some junkie or something.

“Liliane wait!” Grant called behind me. “Are you sure you’re ok?” he said, as he got closer. I nodded with no conviction. What could I do, I was already here. I could as well just get over with it. The snake-like street led directly to the main road. Among the houses were medium size supermarket, a pharmacist, a bank outlet and a couple of food stalls. If I remember correctly, that house was a fifteen minutes’ walk on the left.

“This way,” I tipped my chin in that direction. There were a few people on the street going about their business. Mostly old people. As far as I could remember, it has always been that way. This dying little village found its youth running away to the big city in search of work and dream of riches. Most never, come back. If they do, it only might one thing. They couldn’t fulfill that dream and came back to fit into that mold shaped like a coffin. This was a place for those who like routine and hard life. I didn’t really had a choice. I was thrown away.