Champion of the Bots ✔️

Chapter 29 ~ MARIOLA

Mariola's avatar stood on the screen, bouncing slightly on the balls of her—or it's—feet. The strange figure smiled at Mariola, her—or its—creator.

Mariola didn't smile back as the computer said, "Everything you do now will be reenacted by your avatar. If you need to ask a question, just say my name. Ready?"

Mariola didn't know what to say. How could she be ready for the unknown? She stayed silent.

"Stimulation ready in three, two, one..."

A blare of trumpets rang, and Mariola found herself standing in a hallway streaming with people. Not just people but teenagers—some hunched, some bobbing with gigantic headphones, some heaving textbooks.

"Welcome to your freshman year of high school," Via announced. "Here, you will discover yourself. What will you become—a nerd, a jock, a Queen? How many friends will you have? What kind of grades or parties will you make? Well, go find out!"

More and more teenagers shoved their way through the crowd, and Mariola gasped when invisible shoulders and hands bumped against her own. Another gasp caught in her throat when a high-pitched voice coated with malice and impatience snarled into her ear, "Get out of my way, freak!"

Looking at the wide screen, Mariola found herself—or her avatar—facing a prima donna girl covered with strokes of makeup and fake beauty. Floating on top of the girl's brow, like the one on Mariola's, bobbed the name LAYLA. Angry emoji faces lined the bottom of the name like a platform.

"V-via!"

"Yes?" The computer asked just as the screen, the prima donna, the rush of teenagers froze.

"What are those...faces inside that bubble?"

"Well, it shows how much she dislikes you."

"Gosh, that's a lot of dislike," Mariola said, letting out a low whistle. "But why are there faces? What's it for?"

"A goal for you is to make people like you, and right now you're not doing a very good job with this Layla girl. Go!" Via chuckled, slightly like a human.

"W-wait!"

"Wait for what?" Layla and the crowded scene melted back to life. The avatar took a step backwards, just as Mariola did. "Wait for you to get out of my way?" Layla reiterated, sashaying her shoulders and hips.

"Why are you being so mean?"

Surprise in her pretty oil-and-pimple-free face, Layla snarled, "Wow, the freak can speak; but are you deaf? I said get out of my way, freak." The word rolled off the girl's tongue and into Mariola's head.

"Is freak the only bad label you know? Is your vocabulary that limited?"

"Why, you little...freak!" Layla fumed, another angry emoji sprouting out into her bubble.

Mariola was having fun; but she was already failing at making people like her. So, she smiled, slid to the left side, and swept her arms in a big gesture to let the drama queen walk by. "I'm sorry. I just didn't want to be called a freak anymore." She straightened her back to look at her enemy in the eye. "My name is Mariola."

The angry emojis continued staring at her, but no other popped out.

"Get out of my way!" Layla repeated angrily and, with as much strength she could muster in her twig-like arms, shoved Mariola.