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Chapter One

Hi, I'm Julianna Barnes. I'm 16 years old and I go to school at Bronson High in Washington D.C.

            I have a very small family. My family consists of one older sister and two parents that have been divorced for two years now. My current residence is with my mom Tina Barnes and my older sister Melinda Barnes. My dad John Barnes on the other hand, lives in a one bedroom apartment closer to the center of Washington D.C.

            As for me, I'm pretty plain looking. Okay, not exactly. Most of the kids at school describe me as creepy looking, and I wouldn't blame them. I mean, I have jet black hair, bright green eyes, I'm taller than 5'9'', and have an unnaturally ram-rod straight posture. Who wouldn't consider that creepy?

            My older sister Melinda is the total opposite of me. She has honey blonde hair, ocean blue eyes, and is a cheerleader. So that means—that everyone adores her.

            How do my sister and I look different? I don't really know. I do know that if you ever met my mom you would say that she and Melinda are twins. They look so much alike. The same goes for my dad and I. When people see my dad and me side by side, they notice that I am just the girl version of my dad.

            Dad and I hold a special bond between us, and it's more than just a father/daughter thing. Both of us hold a secret...my secret.

            This secret isn't in any way a small one (I wish). Our secret is a very huge secret. It's the kind of secret that if it were spilled out, chaos would occur not only in my family but probably the whole world.

            Okay, to put it bluntly—my secret is that I am half a robot.

            I'm not crazy.

            I've been examined by three psycho therapists.

            I really am a robot (or bionics for those science buffs).

            How can it be?

            Well, let me tell you what happened.

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            You know how superheroes got their powers by kryptonite, toxic waste, or a terrible accident gone wrong? Now, just to let you know...I'm not a superhero. So, don't expect someone to make a comic of me okay?

            Anyways, I got my robot way because it was more of a necessity for my life.

            You see, when I was born, I was dead. I didn't have a heartbeat, so I was pronounced dead. My mom wasn't aware of the events that were about to unfold because she was highly medicated from the c-section. My dad on the other hand, was aware of everything, and so he did what any normal parent would do in a situation like this. He panicked.

            If it wasn't for my dad's perseverance in finding a doctor to help me, I probably wouldn't be here. It wasn't easy for my dad to find someone to help me out though. Most of the doctors said that I was a lost cause.

            As he was hearing doctors left and right say that it was impossible to help me out, my dad was losing hope fast. He was about to give up when he asked help from the one doctor that said yes. This doctor's name was Dr. O'Reilly. My dad, the employees at the hospital, and me didn't know what his first name was. Regardless of that one fact alone, my dad and I owed him so much. For, if it wasn't for him—I would be buried 6 feet under or burned to ashes. It was Dr. O'Reilly who gave me life.

            When my dad approached the doctor and told him about me, Dr. O'Reilly was very eager to help. He told my dad about a mechanical heart that he had been working on, and he needed a test subject. My dad was only too eager to say yes to the procedure.