H.A.I.U.

~5~

I opened my eyes and held Dipstick closer. What the heck?

"You, girl. Over here."

I looked around, and yelped when I saw a brown and blue pair of eyes in my doorway. Blue means curiosity.

"What--how did you get in here?" I asked, backing away. I took Dipstick with me.

"I know how to hack things. Dad taught me."

"Okay, fine. But why are you here?"

"You seem to be the first person I have met who instead of squealing said instead that I was a dumb robot."

"So? You are now. Now get out of my house before I get bathroom to do it."

"Bathroom?"

"The only robot in this house before you. Now go."

"But I'm supposed to be dead and--"

"Your dad made you into a project. Brought you back to life with all this new tech. If you don't have a mechanical brain, you at least have some microchip in it. Made your name the same as the project so he didn't have to call you a new name. Plane and simple. Okay? Go to your father and become the next biggest thing."

"But I--" he began, raising his hands. One of them was on a robotic arm, floating in oblivion. A small orb seemed to be hovering behind it, kind of like a magnet holding it in place from afar. But the hand turned into a gun.

"Ack! What the heck, man? Put that away, don't shoot me!" I shouted, curling myself around Dipstick. He mewled and I kissed his head. Haiu seemed surprised about the gun, his eye was white. "I didn't mean to do that." he said blandly, inspecting his gun-hand. I looked around, and grabbed my boot. "Go away!" I said, and threw it at him. I grabbed my other boot and threw it. "I know karate!" I threatened, but he seemed more interested in the boots he dodged. "These are pretty old. You should get new ones."

"Sorry, I'm broke. Now get out before I kick your sorry butt."

"While still in bed?" he questioned, bemusement on his face. In his eye. I huffed and put Dipstick down, and slid out of bed. Haiu's smile faltered. "Wait, what happened to your--"

I swung my broken leg with a cast at him, hitting his stomach. He lurched forward, and I limped closer. "Out. Of. My. House." I hissed. His eye was now a violet red. Pain. I looked to his real eye, it was still the same brown, but hurt. It resembled Kathi's.

My heart stumbled, and I backed away, turning around. "Go, your stupid robot."

"But--you--I--"

"Go! Just go away. Please." I whispered, tears welling as a memory boiled to the surface. I was glad I wasn't facing him, else this would be embarrassing.

I heard silent footsteps of retreat, and I realized I still didn't know how he got in here. I couldn't even shrug, I just heard her voice. I'll stay with you forever. Until the day we die. her voice echoed in my head. She had said that last year, but now...before she moved, she had come to my house and slapped me in the face. I...I thought you loved me. Why did you do that? I had asked, blood spilling from my mouth. She scowled. I lied. You're a piece of trash, and I only hung out with you because I didn't want my mom trying to hook me up with the other mean girls at school. She had spat, and left. But her eyes looked hurt. her warm, brown eyes.

She had been my friend. More than that. But then she left me, said she hated me.

I grabbed my pillow for moral support. She's the one that made me stop liking anyone, girls and boys alike. I would never know who is lying., and the sad thing is they all probably are. She broke me when I was already broken.

Now, I'm just dust blowing in the wind. Tiny particles of who I used to be. I just want to be happy.

Dipstick curled into my lap. "Thanks, buddy. You won't hurt me, right? You're not like everyone else. Nope. You're my little kitty." I said, and picked him up. His blue eyes were so big and he was so cute. I booped his nose and lay down.

"Girl with the hair. Duh, I have hair. Idiot." I mumbled, petting Dipstick. I heard shuffling outside my door. My dad was probably drunk right now.

As Sleep pulled me away, the memory of when my mom left began. I shivered, and it all played before me. The robots. Hit my dad, took my mom away. Nursemaid bot helping me be happy.

I jerked awake again. My alarm was beeping. I wiped my face, and winced. The burn on my arm was getting bad. I went to the bathroom, and undid the wrapping. It was a little greenish.

"Bathroom, my burn is infected."

"Which one?"

"On my arm. Can you fix it for me?"

"Sure, but I do advise you don't go to school today. Your stress levels have risen, and there is also a killer on the loose."

I choked on my spit. "What? A killer?"

"Yes. Last night, down the street, a woman was found dead. Drained of color. Her family says she was acting crazy the week before, trying to kill herself and others. She was also emotionless, they said. Like a robot. So I advise you stay home."

"N-no, I'll be fine. Pa pays too much for me to go to school. I'll just...take some pepper spray."

The bathroom laughed. Actually laughed. It was scaring me. "Um...are you done with my arm?"

"Remind me how you got it?"

"Honestly, just go through your memory."

"I...tend to erase things on accident." the bathroom said. I clenched my jaw. Here was the only robot I remotely got along with, making it very hard not to want to punch it. "Again, don't tell dad about it. If he asks, say I spilt ramen. It was just this girl, some twin boys, and their bodyguard. The same people who gave the scratches on my back and all the other scars. Now get my arm un-infected, my dad can't afford another trip to the hospital." As I spoke, the lights dimmed. The air freshener seemed to give off an angry scent. "Do you know why they do it?"

"Because they're cyborgs and I'm not? Because I refuse to use much recent technology? Because they think it's fun? It's none of your business, just fix my arm!"

"Okay, miss."

"What, you actually listen to me now?" I asked, surprised. I always said not to call me Mono, and the bathroom always did anyway. Yet now...

"Listen to what?"

"You aren't calling me Mono anymore."

"Oh! That! Ha-ha, yeah! Yup! I listened! Hey look I have to...go do bathroom robot stuff. There's some burn medication in the cabinet, knock yourself out." the bathroom said.

Oh-kay. I unwrapped the gauze and decided to pop the blisters. I winced, and washed them out. I picked off some dead skin, and put the stuff the bathroom said to put on it on. I wrapped my arm up, wincing in pain. "Welp, let's go to school and pray I don't run into anyone." I muttered, and went to the front door. My hover board didn't turn on, and I realized it was dead. Fudge, I forgot to plug it in.

I would have to walk.