The Artificial Girl

chapter 1

The Switch On

 There was darkness at first. Black surrounded me. I felt like I was floating in space; there was no ground beneath my feet.  

Then a thin line of light. I could see a crack of white in the distance. I kicked, propelling myself toward it. The light became wider and taller and I was almost blinded by the brightness as it swallowed me up. I closed my eyes and let the light bathe me.  

Then came Pain. It felt like my body was on fire. Fireworks exploded at the backs of my eyes. I touched my arm and a sharp spark of electricity jolted me. The pain faded too, like everything else.  

I could hear voices. Muffled voices. I wasn't sure where they were coming from. I couldn't make out most of the words. But I could make out some. 

"injuries......beyond repair.........death...." 

I feel hands on my shoulders and on my back, lifting me up. I open my eyes. I am in a room. It has white walls and a blue floor. I am on a bed, with rough sheets covering me. I notice a machine by the side of the bed, which beeps ominously.  

A face swam into my view. It is a man. He has a receding hairline and wild eyes. "Nina? Can you hear me?"  

I open my mouth. "Yes?" The voice is thick and strange.  

I feel strange. It takes extra effort to do a simple thing like open my eyes.  

The man is wearing a white, clinical coat with a badge on the pocket. The badge is an intricate drawing of an eye. The iris is coloured blue - the colour of the water in a stream. Inside the pupil is red stitched lettering. Two initials: LT.  

I wonder what they mean. "What happened?" I say.  

The doctor pauses for a moment. "You were in a car accident...This was our only choice. I want you to understand that we had to do...this or you would be dead right now." 

Panic rises in my chest. "What did you do? What are you talking about?" 

At this moment another doctor walks in. It is a woman. Her auburn hair is scraped into a ponytail. Her white coat flies behind her like a cape. She stops in front of my hospital bed.  

"Nina. You've woken," she says, her voice deadpan.

"State the obvious," I say, because I'm angry.  

The woman gives me a hard look and I shut up. "You can talk," she notes. 

I raise an eyebrow. "Facial movement," she says. She picks up a clipboard and starts to write something.  

"Are we going to tell her yet?" The wide-eyed doctor says in a hushed voice.  

The woman nods. 

She turns to me. "Nina, have you heard of the LifeTech company?" 

I swallow. That's the initials explained. I nod, willing her to go on. 

She continues. "Your body was so damaged, it was beyond repair - that we had only one choice. We had to do this - as Benson here has explained-" 

My eyes widen in horror as the pieces fit together in my mind. LifeTech are the company that are famous for creating 'artificial people'. Machines that act human. So far, only two have been created.

I'm one of them. I push the thought away, too repulsed at the idea.  

"You're an E-Lite. In fact, you're the first female E-Lite," the woman says, confirming my nightmares.  

"NO, I CAN'T BE. I'M STILL ME!!" I cry out, smacking my hands against the mattress. Tears don't come to my eyes. I try to sit up but find I cannot.  

"You haven't gained full control of your body yet. You aren't fully charged." 

Fully charged? Is that what I am? A battery that needs to be charged every once in a while?  I realise this is what the beeping machine was for - to charge me up.  

My mouth feels dry - but still feels real. This can't be happening.  

"Try to calm down. It's important to-" The other doctor starts to talk but I cut him off. 

"Let me see," I say, as calmly as I can. "I want to see....this." I motion to my face and my body.  

From out of somewhere, the doctor picks up a mirror. It is a small, circular one. But it will have to do.  

He hands it to me and I pick it up. I look into the mirror. All of the breath is sucked out of me - if I have breath. My face. Is not my face anymore.  

The skin is flawless - there are no blemishes or wrinkles. It is too perfect.  

My eyebrows are thin and carefully shaped. My eyes are a dark blue - they have been made to look as real as possible but they look dead.  

My lips are red, strawberry red, and I open my mouth to reveal a set of perfect, white veneers. My tongue looks dry and fake as it sits motionless in my mouth.  

The hair is probably the only part of me that is real. It is human hair. It is a chocolate brown - and shines even in the crappy lighting of the room. I don't like it.

Thousands of artificial nerves lie under my skin - allowing me to wiggle my fingers. My nails are fake - there is no real nail underneath - and they are painted in French manicure.  

I am an E-Lite. EEEEE Liiiittttteeee. I test the word on my tongue. 

"Where's my parents?" I say, wondering where they are. They weren't in the car. So they can't be dead.  

"They are visiting in half an hour."

Will it be awkward? Meeting them? Will they recognise me?

My mind flicks back to the accident. It was my fault. It had been a dark night and I had been particularly tired on my home from work.

I don't know exactly how it happened. One second I was driving along, and a flash of light blinded me. The next second the car was spinning, flipping over and over, until it finally stopped upside down. I screamed just before I blacked out.

I'm still screaming.