I sit down on my bed, trying to ignore what I have done, what settles inside me and doesn't want to go. The thought that I, the sweet and kind hearted child that my family knows and loves, took a life. The thought, not the fact, that my own family, if I can call them that, betrayed me countless times and handed me to the enemy.
I go to stand up when I get a notification from Triton.
T - Why do you still live here?
I hesitate for a moment. What type of question is that? What does he mean: why do I still live here? I think for a moment and type back to him.
A - Because I want to. Why would I not?
T - Because these people betrayed you.
A - And? They are my family.
T - So? They betrayed you and therefore you cannot trust them.
A - And what does that have to do with LIVING with them?
T - If you are betrayed by a person then you can't tell if they will betray you again. You can't live with them and trust that they will try and keep you safe, or at the very least not hurt you.
A - I don't need to trust them with my life, Triton.
T - Why not?
A - Triton, do I trust anyone with my life.
T - No you do not ma'am.
A - Exactly. And Triton, you don't need to trust someone with your life in order to live with them. All you have to do is trust that they won't hurt you. Believe that they will do the right thing. Everyone does things that they regret later on in life, things they wish they can take back. But that is part of being human. And maybe you can't understand completely because you're not, but you should understand enough to know what I am saying.
T - And I do. But I still wouldn't live with them. At least find somewhere else to live. Your boarding school, you can trust them.
A - Yes, I can trust them. But they are not my family. I live with my family, I always have, I always will and that's all that matters because families stick together through thick and thin.
T - What about people without families? Orphans? People disowned?
A - Family doesn't have to be the people you are biologically related to. Family could be a really close friend or a partner. People you want to have your life with. That's what makes a family, that's what always will. So everyone should have a family. Whether it be with the dog across the street, the imaginary friend or the characters from the book or TV show they like, people will always have a family. This one just happens to be mine.
T - ...
A - Have I just made an AI lost for words!!!!
T - Yes, you had and thank you for making me understand.
A - You're welcome. I always need to make sure my AI, the one embedded in my mind, knows what life is really like.
T - Of course.
I smile and stand up, shaking slightly before heading down stairs. I slip through the door and sit on one of the chairs in the room. I lower my head but keep my eyes looking up, to show respect and loyalty to my family. My mum comes up to me and places a warm, comforting arm around my shoulder. She hums softly, her sweet, kind voice filled with love and care.
"No need to do that." She tells me as she lifts my head up so my whole face is looking at her. A do a small smile, but she can tell it is forced, that something is wrong, she doesn't need to be a telepath to understand. "Relax Atchaco. We are all here for you."
"Like you were when she was drugged and kidnapped. When she needed you most, but all you did was betray her. Don't listen to her and think she is lying. Not helping out when she was doing the best for everyone. You weren't here for her then, why now?" Triton tells them, standing up and towering over Jemina. His hands are going to grab her, only not by me just managing to take control of my body from him.
"We made a mistake, Triton." Jemina tells us while holding her hands up in surrender to him. "Please understand we are only human."
"I won't harm you now, but trust me when I say. If you ever bring harm towards Maz again I will make sure you will regret everything you have done. I will hurt you so bad that you want to die, but I won't let you. I will let you suffer just the same way that You let Maz suffer." Triton sat back down and gave me back control. "And we admit, we both did bad things too. Illegal things. Things that we can't take back no matter how much we want to."
"Is Triton telling the truth, Atchaco?" My mum said. "I mean we saw it on TV but we want to make sure." All I could do was nod at her, not really wanting to admit it. "It's okay. We support you, we didn't before but we do now, trust us. We too did illegal things. We practically gave Andrew the world on a silver platter and when we realised our mistake expected you to be able to do everything on your own."
"Hey, it's okay. We all made huge mistakes that we wish we could take back, all of us but we can't and we have to live with that. All that matters now is that we move on, we learn from our mistakes and try to make a better world. For Serch." Mum said, placing her hand over her heart.
Ashêanna leans forward and smiles. Her skin lights up in the moonlight that manages to get through the window and into the room. Her hair sits messy on the top of her head, just the way she likes it, just the way we all like it as it compliments her brilliant facial structure. She places her hand over her chest to show respect "To help everyone."
Jimch grins and folds his hands across his chest, his muscular shape outlined by the light behind him. His skin is vibrant and warming. "To protect and serve." He said in a strong voice, booming across the room causing me to flinch a little bit, in turn causing him to a quilt grin on his face and squeaking a small apology.
Lenzonia rolls her eyes pretending not to care before chuckling and leaning in, trying to hold onto each and everyone of us. "To uphold the law and keep as many people safe as possible." Her monotone voice hinted with sweetness and care, she isn't as emotionless as she puts across to everyone..
I hold them all in tight, embracing the comfort. "But most importantly to do it all together. As I may have all the powers in the multiverse but that is nothing if I don't have someone to share it with. Which is what we are going to do. This is why you are the best family I could ask for, I could not be more lucky."
We just sat there on the soft carpeted ground. The TV playing in the background had been put on mute long ago. The ceiling light streamed a dull yellow hue into the room making everything seem warmer. The trees were black against the starry sky. The vibrant moon shone through the window and reflected on my cybernetics.
The atmosphere that night was lovely. We were all worry free. Living in the moment, not worrying about what happened or what could happen, only thinking about the love in the room. I loved it, we all did. I cherished it while it lasted, because knowing my luck it wasn't going to be there for long. But I don't mind. I will always remember that night, the warmth it brings in the coldest of nights. Love is a powerful thing not to be undermined.
"I will protect you, we will protect you, we will keep you safe. We will do all we can to help this world." Then she turned away and left the room.
YOU ARE READING
Macanese
Science Fiction"It's not like you have to save the world." That's what mum told me after dad died. Now I wish someone could tell me that now because it looks like I do have to save the world.
