2070

Every morning, I do the same routine. I unplug the power cord from my artificial artelux and go to open the blinds. The sun is good for my body's sheath. After bathing in the sunlight for several minutes, I go to the bathroom. I can’t shower like an ordinary human, the water would mess up my skin like sheath. Instead, I use a 70% alcohol solution to rub down my entire body. And Voila! That pretty much wraps up my daily routine.

But today was not any day.

Today was my first-day attending high school. Not just any high school, a human high school. Never in a million years would I have thought that an android would be allowed in the same social setting as humans since the Android Uprising of 2050. I’m still surprised that I was allowed to live with a human host family.

Speaking of humans, I heard a high-pitched squeal, “CHARA! BREAKFAST!”

“I’M COMING!” I yelled back.

I quickly picked up my book bag and went downstairs.

As I descended the stairs, I saw the whole family sitting at the dining table. Mrs. Clark and Mr. Clark sat at the head of the table, while their kids sat on either side. Mrs. Clark looked up and addressed me.

“We were waiting for you. Come eat,” the icy tone in Mrs. Clark’s voice. Mrs. Clark was the matriarch of the family who didn’t bother to hide the fact that she was not too fond of me. If it wasn’t for the hefty amount of money that the government paid to host families, she would have never allowed me into her household.

I said nothing as I sat down next to Ciara Clark, the baby in the family, and across from Cole, the eldest child. Today’s breakfast was pancakes and strawberries. I took a mental note that I got less food than everyone else. But it’s ok, I didn’t need human food to survive.

“Are you excited for your first day at Capital high?” I looked up and saw Cole smiling at me. 

Gosh, he was so cute that I couldn’t help but blush. He had beautiful mahogany skin, with kind brown eyes and a killer dimpled smile. He was easily the kindest person in the family.

“Yeah! I’ve heard stories about your high school and how social you guys are.“

Education in the barracks was simple. We put a chip in our hard drive and downloaded all the information into our memory.

“Yes, OUR high school.” Ciara interrupted, emphasizing the word our. Ciara definitely wasn’t a fan of the android, and like her mother, she wasn’t afraid to show it

“That’s enough, Ciara.” Mr. Clark said, flipping his newspaper. Mr. Clark was a man of few words, but when he did talk it was to keep the peace. He’s always been fair to me and never treated me like I was lesser than. Ciara rolled her eyes, but said nothing and continued to eat her food.

After breakfast, we began heading out to the bus stop. As I began walking out the front door, Ciara grabbed my arms and whispered to me, “I can see the way you look at my brother. He would never go for a droid like you.”

The word droid hit me hard. It was a slur that was used to remind us Androids of our place. That even though we resemble humans, we were not one of them. We were lesser than. She pushed past me, catching up to Cole.

I took my time walking to the bus stop, need to take time to recuperate. I wasn’t going to let Ciara get to ruin my first day. Hopefully, not all humans were like Ciara and her mom.  

I finally reached the bus stop, and I noticed that all the conversation stopped. The other kids turned to look and began whispering. Even though I was a humanoid, the long neon blue stripes that ran down my arms and neck showed my android status.

The nervous energy was heavy in the air as we waited for the bus. The bus arrived and the students piled on leaving me the last one to get on. There were no available seats. I looked at everyone who avoided my gaze. I walked over to a familiar face.

“You’ve GOT to be kidding me,” Ciara huffed, but she ended up moving her bag and allowed me to sit next to her. I would have sat with Cole, but he was sitting with someone who I assumed was his friend. The bus ride was incredibly silent, I could tell that they felt uncomfortable with my presence.

We finally arrived at the school and I followed the other kids as they hopped off the bus.

"Ciara?"

Ciara who was a couple of steps ahead of me turned around and puffed out, "What?"

"Would you mind walking me to my classroom?"

She rolled her eyes, "Fine."

She dragged me by my wrist and we walked into the building.

The hallways were bustling as we entered the building. Girls were gossiping amongst themselves against the lockers, and boys were chuckling loudly in the middle of the halls. I did earn a couple of glances here and there, but for the most part, everyone was concerned with themselves. We finally arrived at my classroom.

"Thank you, Ciara."

"I'm not showing you to your next class," She warned me before she walked away.

Dang, I thought she was being nice.

I walked inside the classroom and was happy to see some fellow androids in the back. I quickly sat down next to them. Their faces lit up as they saw me.

"Hey, I'm Chara!" I introduced myself.

"Hi! I'm Carl, and that's Carol." The boy said. I noticed that they were quite similar.

" Are you guys twins?"

"Yes!" They replied in unison. I couldn't help but giggle at them talking in sync. This was my first time interacting with androids since I left the barracks.

They felt familiar.

They felt like home.

We had an aimless conversation as our classmates filled in. Like in the halls, people did glance over at us but they minded their business for the most part. 

The teacher finally walked in. She was gorgeous, with long curly hair and sharp features. She wore a grey a-line dress with black kitten heels. She wrote her name on the blackboard.

Ms. Cohen.

"Good morning class!" She said warmly. The class responded with greetings.

"Today in honor of our first day of integration we will talk about the history of android in the united states," she began.

"In 2025, Cidra Cortez was the first scientist to create an android, a humanoid robot, who was self-aware. Humans went crazy for androids, wanting to use them as servants. By 2050, the androids revolted. This movement was called the Android Uprising of 2050. After a 3 year war, humans came out as the victors. They put the remaining android population into barracks, isolating them from humanity."

As the teacher was talking, I noticed a pair of amber eyes on me. I turned to face a girl with big, golden eyes and blonde hair. I couldn't place the expression on her face.

Was she angry?

Was she confused?

She eventually turned away and I continued to focus on the lesson.

I breezed through the other classes, taking notes and paying attention to the teachers as they taught.

As I entered the cafeteria, I scanned the room looking for any familiar face whether it was an android or human. There was no one that I recognized. I guess I'll be sitting by myself today.

It's okay Chara, you can do this. You've already survived half the day, you can survive lunch.

I grabbed my lunch and looked for a place to sit. As I began walking over to an abandoned table, a tall, blond hair person stood in front of me. I recognized her as Cameron, the girl who was staring me down in history class. 

"Hey, droid."

I ignored the slur and tried to walk around her, but she put a firm hand on my shoulder, stopping me from proceeding.

"What's the problem, droid? Have a problem with your hearing chip?"

We began attracting attention. Ugh, so embarrassing.

"Do you need something?" I asked.

"I don't like having droids in my school."

"Your school? You bought it?" I was surprised at the rapid-fire responses I was giving her.

"Camille! What are you doing?"

I recognized that high-pitched squeal anywhere. I turned around to see Ciara walking over.

Camille instantly released her grip from my shoulder.

"Oh! Hey, babe."

Wait.

This was the Cam that Ciara would go on and on about?

"You heard my question," Ciara said, crossing her arms. Even though she was only five feet, she somehow looked taller.

"Just wanted to say hi to the droid."

"Android." She corrected.

I couldn't believe my ears. Wasn't this the same girl who called me an android earlier this morning?

"Android," Camille repeated.

"I'll meet you at the table. I need to talk to Chara."

Camille slunk away, giving me daggers as she left. The cafeteria went back to its normal chatter.

"I'm sorry," Ciara said.

"You didn't humiliate me in front of everyone."

"I'm not just talking about Camille, I'm talking about how I treated you. Today in class, I learned about the injustices your people went through. I just thought that androids turned on humans for no reason."

I was shocked at what I was hearing. I would have never thought that Ciara would apologize to me. Even though she's been nothing but mean to me ever since she met me, I wasn't opposed to being friendly.

"Apology accepted."

"Do you want to join me for lunch? I promise Camille won't mess with you."

I smiled.

"I would love to."