Adam: The last man

Chapter 12: A risky date

Teresa arrived feeling anguish in her chest because of the detector and the videos Carla made her see. Again, the doubt, what would she do?

Suddenly she got the most straightforward idea: to leave the detector in the floater. Teresa sighed in relief, opened a compartment, and put it away. Ready. She was a genius, without a doubt.

"DOPy," the girl called it, but there was no response.

She wanted to order it to ensure that Adrian didn't approach the floater, but perhaps it was busy. Teresa walked into the living room and got frightened. DOPy was with its back open on the table, being examined by the young man.

"What did you do to him?!" she exclaimed, heartbroken as if it were her pet.

"I just check it out, see how it works... or try."

"Don't mess it up."

"Don't worry. You know? It told me that these walls let the daylight pass through, and during the night, it keeps light and projects it inside. That's why I don't see light bulbs or anything like that..." The girl looked at him, confused. "Way before, scientists got a similar material. It was the polycondensation of compounds such as silica, sand, alkalis, and water, at room temperature."

Teresa didn't know what he was talking about, so she shook her head.

"I need to give DOPy orders and sign my entry. Wake it up, or make it work, or whatever..."

"Pf. Fine..."

He touched the sensor on its head, and it turned on. Teresa breathed, relieved to see that it was only in sleep mode. The device closed its back and floated, unfolding its screen for her. She signed her arrival and looked at Adrian, noticing the sadness in his gaze as he contemplated the garden through the window.

She didn't like seeing him sad. It was as if she could feel it too. She wanted to see those light blue-gray eyes shine with happiness.

"DOPy, take out the detector I left in the floater and bring it to my mother's side, to her room, without passing through here."

The device came out through a small opening.

"Your detector?" asked the young man.

Teresa smiled at him and took him by the forearm, urging him to stand up.

"We are going to buy groceries instead of ordering them online. Do you like the idea?"

He offered her a dazzling smile.

***

"Lately, you haven't let us see what you design," commented Kariba's mom. They were ready for dinner.

"It's... for my party, for Teresa. It's a secret," she said strangely.

She sat in front of her mothers, looked askance at them, showed an innocent smile, and concentrated on her plate. Her previously curly hair was now straight and purple, as were the shadows on her eyelids.

"So, Teresa entered PW. The women there are a little rough, but it's fine for her. She's not so pretty. I don't think she'll achieve anything else. She must be entertained seeing males with those women. I guess she seeks to know more about those creatures."

"I doubt it. She wouldn't recognize something exciting even if she had it in her house," interrupted the blonde, then realized what she had said.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing, it's nothing. Just saying."

It was not convenient for them to know about the weirdo. Sometimes Kariba wanted to talk about what she knew out of the desire to vent her illusion, but she contained herself. It was the first time she held some secret for such a long time, despite still being only a few days since they found Adrian.