Robot meets Girl

Madison sat in Science class, looking up from her Skill Sheet to see the empty seat up front. Her stomach did flips and her heart slammed hard against her ribs. Madison looked away and finished her sheet.

She placed her paper in the finished pile and asked the teacher if she could go to the bathroom. Madison walked into the hall to see the bathroom a few feet away from her and the doors to leave. Maddie found herself running outside and through town. Her feet didn’t want to stop and her heart wasn’t letting up on the pain, either. She wasn’t getting tired and her body kept moving at an alarming speed.

Madison walked through the train station. Where was he? His name was on the tip of her tongue. “NATE!”

Nate jolted up on the bench. He had heard his name, right? His eyes found Madison and she found him. “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be in school.”

“So are you.” Madison grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the station. “Something is wrong with me, Nate. I’m smarter. I can run without getting tired. Tell me what’s going on. I can read people better. I’m not the same as I was before.”

“They worked on you, Maddie. I’m guessing they just did minor stuff, though. They must’ve put something into your brain to make you smarter, but nothing big. You’re running ability has increased because they gave you shots that will work for a while. A year at the most. As for reading people, well, I don’t know what to say about that. They probably enhanced your people skill. And, of course you’re not the same as before. You may not be the same ever again. Madison, you’re seeing the world differently and they have raised your maturity level.” Nate was happy that he could tell her this stuff. He was happy she could turn to him. “I...”

Madison stood there, letting the information sink in. “Can you stay? Until school let’s out? I really need you right now.” She embraced him and started to cry.

***

They lay on Curtis’s bed, covered up with his rainbow blanket. Nate brushed his fingers through her hair. She hadn’t said much since they arrived and Nate didn’t want to destroy the comfortable silence. How was he supposed to feel when she didn’t remember him?

Madison met his eyes and leaned into him. Their lips pressed together and he felt overwhelmed with the feeling he was trying to forget. She pressed her hands against his face as the kiss continued to grow deeper. His heart pulsed heavily in his chest and he was losing his ability to breath.

Nate pulled away from her, gasping for air. “I don’t think this is very smart, Madison.”

Madison raised an eyebrow. “Do you do everything that’s smart?” She kissed him again and pulled him against her, their bodies clashing.

Nate kissed her back as she pulled him on top of her. He placed his hands on her face as he deepened the kiss and pulled away from her. Nate couldn’t meet her eyes, because if he did, he may give into his desires as far as he could go. “I can’t do this Madison.”

Madison sat up, her face was a dark scarlet, and tears ran down her face. “Why not?”

“I can’t be with you in the way you want,” Nate said, getting off of the bed. “I know you want to be loved in a way that I can’t give you.”

Maddie closed her eyes for a second. “I don’t care, Nate. I want to be with you. I love you.”

Nate shook his head. “You’re not yourself right now, Madison. I love the old Madison that didn’t care about sex. I miss her.”

Maddie started sobbing. “I don’t remember not caring about anything. All I remember is starting my junior year. I don’t even remember Julian!”

“Just think. We met when you knocked into me on my first day. We became friends fast. You didn’t like Alison much and he she felt the same way.” Nate sits on the bed and touches her cheek. “I told you that I was a robot outside Stacy’s Books. I kissed you in a restaurant when Adam tried talking to you. You avoided me for a while and your mom told you to runaway with me. She’s a robot. Your dad almost killed you because he abused you so badly.” Nate cringed, remembering. “We ran away to Ocean Shores and spent the night in a really horrible motel. Curtis called the next morning freaking out that he had slept with Julian and I told you to go back home.” He shook his head. “You went back and they abducted you. When we got to you, they had already worked on you and I was too late.” He closed his eyes for a second and sucked in a deep breath. “And here we are.”