Owen Able and the Two-Headed Dragon

Chapter 3

The silence is suddenly broken by the soft refrain of Oh, What a Beautiful Morning from hidden speakers in the ceiling, and at the same time, the room lights come to life, their dim glow pushing desperately against the darkness.

A faint hum emanates from the bedroom curtains as they slowly slide open, gradually revealing a spectacular sunrise over the mountaintops. With each centimeter the curtains slide, the bedroom lights grow brighter, and the music louder, until all darkness has fled and is no more.

Nicole reluctantly opens her eyes...

"Good morning, Nicole. I hope you slept well. Would you like to know the weather forecast for today?"

"Just go away, Saimon," Nicole protests in a whiny voice, pulling the blankets over her head.

"My apologies, Nicole. But I received clear instructions from you to remind you of your important meeting this morning."

"Of course. My meeting!" She pops her head out from beneath the blankets. Long strands of chestnut-brown hair hang haphazardly over her eyes and mouth. With a huff, she blows the hair out of her face and then clasps her hands together in front of her chest while looking up. Her light-blue eyes sparkle as she flashes a bright smile, perfect teeth against her tawny skin. She lets out a sigh. "This will be a glorious day!"

Nicole then jumps out of bed and briskly walks to her closet. Her muscled mesomorphic body hidden under navy silk pajamas with white lining tracing the collar, cuffs, and hem.

"If you do not mind me asking, Nicole: I am curious to know where it is you wanted me to go? As you know, I was born and raised in the Able network matrix system."

"Don't worry about it, Saimon. It's just a human expression."

"I see. Well, in that case, I will be around. Just call me if you need anything."

"Thank you, Saimon," Nicole says softly without paying attention, her focus fixed solely on the important day ahead and, of course, what she will wear for the occasion.

Nicole sets aside all thoughts of the meeting for a moment to make way for her daily routine. She cannot start the day without a good workout.

Upon entering the closet, the ceiling lights come to life, enveloping the space in a comforting and radiant golden hue.

The walk-in closet is an impressive display of Nicole's vast collection of clothing and shoes. The circular space is lined with twenty glass panels that showcase her pieces from the floor to the six-meter-high ceiling. Each panel is thoughtfully divided into two sections with engraved black numbering at the top: the upper section features three sets of clothing and occupies two-thirds of the panel's height, while the lower section showcases shoes that match the clothing displayed at the bottom. This layout creates an organized and visually appealing display, allowing Nicole to easily select her outfits and accessories for any occasion.

A wooden stand is positioned in the center of the closet floor, holding an LED display. Owen prefers LED over LCD for its picture quality and durability, and almost exclusively uses it for all displays. A collection of outfit images, each accompanied by its corresponding category name, is displayed on the screen in exciting and vivid colors. Nicole taps the "Active Wear" category on the control panel, and each glass panel smoothly rotates horizontally, revealing all her activewear options.

She carefully scans through the contents behind each glass panel until she finally makes her decision. Nicole enters the number twelve on the keypad. Glass panel number twelve suddenly lights up with a bright white glow, indicating her selection.

With the touch of another button, the contents of the selected panel rotate downward until her clothing of choice reaches the glass door at the bottom. Her selection falls on a matching set of yellow Nike sneakers with white soles and white shoelaces, a yellow tank top, and black tights.