Alive

In the Cellar

"Did you guys pick your names?" I ask suddenly, whispering through the darkness.

It takes a minute before I hear an answer.

"Yeah. I did." Ross says.

"Me too." Nakya says in a barely audible voice.

I nod, even though they can't see me. The darkness is total; it's the kind that your eyes can't adjust to. Carlos trapped us in a cellar. I think it's under his house, but honestly, I don't know for sure. I'm scared, despite how much I hate to admit it, and I try to talk to get over it.

So I keep talking.

"When were you guys... born?" 

I use the word 'born' lightly, not coming up with a better word at this moment.

"I was going into 5th grade. And Nakya was born, I guess, the summer before 6th grade. I mean, that was when she came to the school." Ross answers. 

I don't know why he answered for both of them. Maybe Nakya just doesn't want to talk? I can only hope because I just don't know.

We sit in silence. I try not to wonder how and if we'll escape. I try not to think about what Carlos wants. I try not to think about food.

Food... just thinking the word makes my stomach growl.

"I'm scared." The whisper comes from the back of the room, where Nakya sits. I think that's where she is sitting.

"I know." I say. I really want to talk to them about trying to figure out ways to escape or alert somebody, but I know I still have the recorder in my system; Carlos would have to be an absolute idiot to have taken it out, and despite how much I hate him, I know he's not that stupid.

Maybe Goshi is looking for us? It has to have been at least a couple hours since school ended, and my only hope of surviving this is to hope that somewhere there is someone looking for us.

Still, there is silence. Talking wasn't helping, and anyway, I have nothing left to say. It's all been said, and none of it has gotten us anywhere.

Suddenly, there is a loud scraping noise from above us. The heavy door that leads to the door is being opened. Dim light floods the cellar, and even the slight brightness lights up the room. I can see Ross and Nakya now, tied to a chair just like me. The chairs are bolted to the ground, just like mine.

Footsteps make the stairs that lead down here creak and moan, and the noise seems to continue for forever. It only stops when the noise of the same footsteps hitting the concrete ground of the cellar fills the room. I want to cover my ears, but I can't.

"Hey guys!" Carlos says with a cheery voice that in no way matches the atmosphere of the room.

He has a couple plates of food, which he gives to Ross and Nakya. He unties just their arms so they can eat. Then he looks my way and smiles. 

"This is for hitting me." He says, still looking at me but gesturing towards the plates. Both Ross and Nakya stop eating, trying to resist themselves for my sake, but it's clearly hard for them.

"It's okay guys." I whisper, ignoring Carlos for just a minute. I'm glad I don't have to tell them anymore than that, because as soon as they get my permission, they begin eating again.

I look back at Carlos.

"What do you need us for?" I snarl.

"Oh, look at that. Little Takyi playing brave," he says, smiling. "Well stop now because you're not making it out of here alive."

I just smile back, still feigning bravery.

"You didn't answer my question." I say calmly, looking up at him innocently.

He takes a quick look back at Ross and Nakya and sees that they're finished with their food.

"Oops. Guess you'll have to wait until breakfast tomorrow to talk." He grins devilishly, then heads over to my friends and grabs their plates. He ties them back up and the clomps up the stairs without another word. The large door shuts behind him with and earsplitting bang.

It takes a minute for anyone to speak, but when Nakya finally does, it's an apology.

"I'm sorry, Takyi."

I shake my head, waving off her apology, realizing a little late that she can't see me anymore.

"It's okay. It's not either of your guys' fault."

And then silence. I'll find out what Carlos is up to, and I'll find out why we're a part of it.

"Do you really think that we're the only robots?" Ross asks suddenly, piercing through the quiet. "I mean, maybe there are others out there, and some humans like Carlos are trying to bring them down."

I see what he means, but...

"But what about Goshi? Why would he agree to creating another robot if he's trying so hard to get rid of them?" I ask, allowing my thoughts to morph into words.

"Maybe it's a personal issue? With Goshi... and you, I mean." Nakya adds, not whispering as quietly now.

"No. Why would he have anything against Goshi and me?" I question, fearing she may be right.

"I don't know, but he didn't feed you anything and Goshi definitely wouldn't be working with someone evil if he knew their true nature. It's just that none of it seems right." Ross says, seeming to be strongly agreeing with Nakya's thought.

"He said he didn't feed me because I hit him." I say, knowing it sounds weak. I need that to be true because if it's not...

"Do you really believe that?" Nakya asks sympathetically.

"No," I whisper. "No, no, NO!"

I'm crying now. I'm tearing up and I can't stop. It's too much to wrap my head around, and it's even worse if he has something truly against Goshi and me. Because if he does, then that means that Goshi's in danger. That means I'm in danger, and most likely, it means that I've put my friends in danger.

I know I can wait for Carlos to give me an answer, I will still get one, but I might be too late by then. And it will be all my fault.

You know, people always tell others that they can't blame themselves for what happened. It fits into to many situations, mine included. I can almost hear Ross's or Nakya's or even Goshi's voice now: "You can't blame yourself for what happened."

But they would all be wrong. The one thing that's messed up with that statement is that it really means that you shouldn't blame yourself for what happened, but people always still can. And I can, too. Because it is my fault.

It's all my fault.