KETTY'S SUBDIVISION Wattys2017

Chapter 3-Part IV

Cover idea by @SGHADINA

He laughed, carefree for once in his life. He opened the hover board to its maximum and skirted the dense trail.

They came up to the house and Ketty's stomach turned at the sheer arrogance of its construction. It was over a solid square acre, four stories in places, and so distasteful in its size she thought she might be sick. Every light was on, burning enough power to supply a hundred needy homes, and it reeked of arrogance.

"Nice place," She said with disdain.

"I hate it, but it's where I live and my parents are ok." He dragged her through a labyrinth of halls and rooms, past the kitchen where his mom was doing some kind of cooking.

"Hey mom." He didn't even pause for a reply while his mom's jaw dropped open.

"Excuse me mister, but aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?"

He back tracked a few steps. "Mom, this is Ketty, from the Mc'kee estate, Ketty my mom."

"Pleased to meet..."

"Bye mom." He led her upstairs mid-sentence. The long hall ended in a double door which opened as Kato approached. Inside was more of a master suite, with a long hall and several doors to each side before the room opened up. Kato shut the door and Ketty held her ground.

"Come on."

"I want the door open." It may have been old fashion but she needed to be held accountable. Kato propped the door and ran down the hall that was plastered with high definition holographic pictures of unknown star systems. They were beautiful in their own right, clearer than the real thing. She wondered where those systems were, but the moment passed and she stepped out into his room.

It was massive compared to her own and unlike anything she had ever seen. One wall was covered with large models of rockets, spaceships and other high tech craft which she could tell we're operational models by the precise detail and slight burning where hot exhaust scorched the paint. The roof was a retractable observatory and another wall was adorned with a massive assortment of weapons. Crossbows, guns, knives, blasters, spears, swords, quantum grenades, fusion torches, and many others.

She was intrigued. "You know how to use those?"

"Yep," he said a little too smugly. Her eyes roamed to the third wall where every imaginable piece of sporting equipment hung in perfect robot order. She knew he was good at Gort ball from school, but some of the more obscure sports had her wondering.

"What about those?"

"I play them all, but I'm better at some, as you know." Ketty's other friend Lindy was very athletic and she made Ketty go to at least one sporting event a month, so she had seen Kato play.

"It looks like you're a little full of yourself."

"It keeps me busy, I get bored easily."

"You seem to have plenty of spare time to watch my robots train." He was silent, locking eyes and holding her gaze unflinchingly. Was that a shade of red on his face? The incomparable Kato was blushing? The trip was almost worth it.

"I have something to show you," he said, changing the subject. He turned and must have mind clicked his personal network. A small closet door opened and Egor hobbled out with a limp, his right shoulder swollen almost past the top of his head.

"Egor!" Ketty screamed with a shrill wail that pierced Kato's ears. She threw her arms around the Artificial Robot, who patted her on the back like he was burping a baby.

"It is so nice to see you, Miss Ketty. I have been anxiously awaiting the day you might grace me with your presence once again.

"Oh, Egor, I should have known you were coming here." She didn't know where any of her starters went after graduation, it was part of the privacy policy.

"I must say Master Kato keeps me busy at all times."

"I'll bet he does." She laughed a short little snigger that Kato found cute. "You ordered him like this, from scratch?" She gave him a look of disapproval.

"What, he's awesome, right Egor?"

"Yes, master," the disfigured bot smiled a lopsided grin, one eye larger than the other with a fat nose. "I am the finest bot this side of the Subdivision. Well trained, I am perfect in form and function." She had to laugh because he did have personality. "You should come and visit some time, Miss Ketty, I have so much to talk about."

"I'm sure you do." She turned to Kato. "Thanks, it's been awesome, but I need to get back to the party." She didn't trust her emotions or the way she was feeling inside. Was she giddy? Or just happy in a new kind of way. Then she remembered being humiliated yesterday at school.

"I have one more thing to show you," he almost pleaded, but she was done. In the morning, everything would be back to normal, and she liked that.

She hugged Egor, whispering in his ear, "Good bye, take care of him, he's a troublemaker." More loudly she turned to Kato. "No, take me back to the party, this won't work for me. I have to check on Rayleen." The trip back was silent, and possibly for the first time in his like, Kato Salazar ate crow. It wasn't even part of a plan. Ketty felt a little sad, but she knew it was the right thing to do.

Please vote!

Comments are welcome!