Anadora

Three.

That night as I lay in Roman's spare bed on the top floor of his heated haven, I contemplated how I'd gotten to this point in my life.

I'd been raised for this purpose, trained and educated on how to execute my mission in the best way. I'd been given extensive education about Earth and all its quirks, and yet now that I was here, I felt like I hardly even knew the place.

I'd studied the way they talked, acted, exchanged pleasantries, dealt with grief, transitioned into adulthood, created wars, and built empires of themselves. And yet I felt as if I barely knew them.

Tomorrow, I hoped upon hopes, that would  begin to change. I would see a population of people working together in person for the first time in my life. I was brimming with excitement.

《¤》

'Anadora!' Roman sung up the stairs from the bottom floor. 'Are you ready to leave?'

'Yes! One second!' I hollered back, scrambling to fling his mixture of shirts and jackets onto my body. His borrowed skiny jeans clung to my thighs, while my pair of boots thudded across the floor as I hurried down the spiral staircase.

Of course, I could have easily created an outfit for myself that didn't include Roman's clothes. However, I imagined that would have looked marginally suspicious when I had arrived yesterday with just the clothes on my back.

My fox pattered along behind me, happily sniffing his way down the stairs after a restful night of sleep spent in my arms. I had hesitantly let him out for an hour this morning, in order for him to hunt and get the necessities out of the way. I suspected he wouldn't come back; he proved me wrong.

Gathering up the white ball of fluff in my arms, I smiled at Roman as I neared his waiting form. He grinned in answer, spinning on his heel towards the front door; the long drive awaited us.

《¤》

It took us, as expected, a little under an hour to reach the thriving streets of the town centre. Stepping out of the car's close confines, I hugged my fox to my chest as I curiously glanced around.

There were people everywhere.

From elderly men shuffling down the sidewalk, to children darting in and out of shop fronts, the street was a hive of activity.

Roman grabbed my spare hand, directing us through the masses of people to where he told me we were getting brunch. I grinned in anticipation.

Lamp posts lined the streets as I people watched during our walk. Every body was in a hurry, knowing their destination and determined to get to it. However, I did notice one peculiar thing; they kept staring at me.

There were only ever short, sideways glances, as we weaved our way down the street, but they were noticeable; apparently, I was a strange looking person.

I imagined it was the hair.

'You good with just a regular cafe?' Roman shouted back at me, above the chatter of the street.

I shrugged. 'Yes. Sounds good.'

He continued to lead me for another few minutes down the crowded street, until we reached a building thriving with conversing people.

It was a modern building, scattered with bright, industrial lights, walls covered in lush, hanging greenery. Delicious smells flew through the room, trailing along behind the plates of food being served to the waiting customers. The atmosphere was beaitiful and warm, in contrast to the the icy breeze of the town.

Roman found us a seat, rubbing his hands together in attempt to regain the warmth he lost outside. He paused, staring at me with furrowed eyebrows.