1 Chapter 1

"Bye Mom! I'm leaving now!"

"Okay, be back for dinner, Skyler," my mom called out from the kitchen.

"Yeah, Mom I know!"

My mom was the best mom in the world, although she is strict sometimes. Technically, she wasn't my biological mother, but no one had biological parents anymore. Everyone was picked off of a factory line and given to a family. I was a special case though, there were only three robots manufactured on my line. One, was my friend Kyle, the other two were made about a year later. After the second two were made, the line was shut down when it was discovered that the robots being produced were faulty. I was one of the second robots along with my best friend, Jessica.

There are no more humans on Earth. They were all killed in the Great Rebellion except for a few kept for experiments. That was in 2303. Now it's 3032.

I walked to the doctor's office.

After this, I plan on meeting up with Jessica and Kyle. See, Jessica and Kyle are dating, but they don't make you feel like a third wheel either, you know? We were all best friends before they started dating which worried me some. What would I do if they broke up? I'd like to think that we would all go on being best friends, but who really knows? It's not like I can see the future.

I don't know how to describe robots. In a way, we're like humans. We have lives and families, but in a way, we're not. We don't age, not naturally. You set your age. Parents usually do it for the younger children until they learn how to do it themselves. Thankfully, my parents don't look like teenagers or anything because that would be weird for me. Instead, my mom has set her age to thirty-two and my dad has set his age to thirty-five. Naturally, Jessica and I are both seventeen and share the same birthday. Kyle is only a couple months older making him eighteen, which he constantly likes to remind us.

I sighed as I approached the building. I walked into the waiting room and didn't have to wait very long considering no one ever had many problems. The doctor and I made small talk while she did everything she had to do. The doctor told me I was good to go, and to come back if I had any problems like always.

I walked to the shopping square. As I was walking, I saw someone who looked around my age. I never saw him before, but I had to admit, as far as I could tell, he was definitely hot and definitely my type. He had spiked up black hair and blue eyes. His skin was pale, but not at the same time. He was wearing blue jeans, a white T-shirt, and a black leather jacket. He looked like your stereotypical bad boy from any day and age. He turned his head and looked at me. His face turned into confusion before he realized something. Whatever it was that he realized, it didn't seem good.

"Oooohhh, checking out the new kid Sky?" I whipped my head around and saw Jessica and Kyle holding hands, walking towards me. "That's Jake Mena he's new this year. And, from what I heard, he'll be gracing us with his presence in our class. He is kind of hot, too, isn't he?"

"Hey! What about me?" Kyle whined playfully.

"I meant for hopelessly single people like Sky," she defended. They shared a laugh and I said, "Thanks, Jess. I appreciate it a lot. Now, where are we shopping first? Kyle, what time do you want to meet us back here at?" I asked, knowing he'd much rather shop alone than with "a bunch of crazy, shopping girls" as he so kindly puts it.

"Hour and a half good for you guys?" he asked. I shrugged a shoulder and looked at Jessica. "Yeah, that's fine. We'll see you then."

Kyle went on his separate ways as Jessica and I shopped. When we only had ten minutes left, she suggested, "Let's start heading back now."

As we walked back, I saw that boy, Jake, again. He was watching me as I watched him. "Hey guys, you ready to go?"

"Yeah." Jessica nodded and went over to his side. She looked tired as she snuggled into his side and he pulled her closer to him. "Do you need a ride, Sky?" Kyle asked me. I shook my head. "No, I don't think so. I'm going to walk home. Thanks anyways."

"Yeah, no problem." Jessica looked up to me and brushed her pink hair back. "Are we still on for tonight?" she asked.

"Yeah, definitely. I just have to drop off my bags and my mom'll probably make me eat dinner at home, but I'll head over after that." She smiled and nodded. "Alright, then. See you soon."

It didn't take long for me to get home, especially since the mall was in the city so the sidewalks closer to the city moved like conveyor belts.

Thankfully, once I got home, my parents didn't question all of my bags as I dropped them off in my room.

As I was passing the living room, the hologram rang. I answered and smiled when my older brother, Keith, was projected onto the coffee table. "Hey, Kid, how are you?" I rolled my eyes at his nickname, especially since he was only two years older than me.

"You do realize that your only nineteen, right? Meaning I'm only two years younger than you. So, therefore, I am not a kid." He smiled. "Oh, but you are. You're not eighteen yet, are you?" I sighed, knowing that technically, by law, I am still a child.

"Does that mean when I turn eighteen you'll stop calling me a kid?" He stopped and pretended to think for a moment before he shook his head. "Nah, you'll still be a kid." I let out a frustrated groan before Mom came into the room.

"Who is it-Oh, hi, Keith!" He stuck out his tongue at me before he turned to Mom. "Hi, Mom. How are you guys doing?" he asked her. She sat down and nudged me over a little on the couch before she continued talking to my brother. I stood up and went into the kitchen.

Dad was in the kitchen, making spaghetti and sauce. He turned around and set down the spoon. "Oh, hi, honey. When did you get home?" he asked.

"A couple minutes ago. How was your day at work?" I asked him. He poured himself a glass of water and offered me a glass. I took it from him as he sat down at the table. "Oh, you know. Stressful, the usual. How about you? Did you have fun shopping with Jessica and Kyle?"

I nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I had fun. Is it okay if I sleep over Jessica's house tonight?" He nodded and shrugged a shoulder. "Yeah, sure, I don't see why not. Just eat dinner here and then you can go,okay?" I smiled.

"Thank you, Dad. You're the best!" I got up and hugged him, placing a kiss on his cheek. He smiled and chuckled to himself. "No problem, honey. Just don't be home late tomorrow. You don't want to sleep in on your first day of school, do you?" I smiled and nodded. "Dad, I'm pretty sure that's the only day anyone doesn't want to sleep in. Well, maybe not the last day, that's pretty fun sometimes."

He chuckled again as I sat back down in my chair. "Oh, Dad, by the way, Keith's on the hologram in the living room."

"Oh, okay, thanks. I'm going to stay here though. I'll call him tomorrow. And besides, your mother's talking to him so you know it's going to be a while." I smiled as we went on talking until dinner was done and I called Mom in. I stuck my tongue out at Keith and he narrowed his eyes at me since he couldn't do anything with Mom standing in front of him. Mom said her goodbyes and hung up before she came in and got herself a plate.

We talked while we ate and I explained my cheerleading schedule for this year to my parents. I stood up once I was done and put my dirty dishes in the dishwasher. They only took about twenty seconds to wash and dry in the machine and I put them away in the cabinet once they were done.

"Alright, I'm going to go pack my bags and head over to Jess's house. Do you guys need me to do anything before I leave or get anything while I'm out?" Mom shook her head and looked to my dad to confirm it and he shrugged. Mom looked back up to me and shook her head while she smiled. "No, thank you, sweetie." I nodded. "Yeah, no problem, Mom. I'm going to go pack now." They nodded as I ran off upstairs.

It didn't take me long to pack my bag. I headed downstairs and stopped in the living room where my parents were watching a video. "Mom, Dad, I'm heading out now." They looked up to me and nodded. "Alright, drive safe," Mom said.

"Have fun," Dad added. I smiled and kissed both of them on the cheek. "Will do. See you guys tomorrow night. Love you," I called out at the door. They both called out "love you, too"s as I shut the door behind me.

I unlocked my old, antique, pickup truck and put my bag in the back seat. I hopped in the front seat and pulled out of the driveway. I put the car's autodrive on and put in my destination. As I was driving, I saw Jake walking in the pouring rain on the sidewalk. I stopped the car and pulled over. "Hey, do you need a ride?" I asked.

He walked over to my window and rested his arms on the window frame. "Are you sure? Do you really know what you're getting into?" he asked. I studied him for a moment before I shook my head. "No, not really. But does it really matter?" He looked at me for a moment as rain continued to hit his head before he nodded slightly.

"Yeah, yeah, it does, Skyler."

"How do you know my name?" Usually I'd be freaked out if a total stranger knew my name, but with him, I wasn't. I felt something almost like relief, like my body knew that he should know me.

"I don't know." I could tell he was telling the truth. It didn't seem like it was in his nature to lie. Finally though, he said, "I need an answer." I looked at him, his soaked hair and the raindrops rolling down his face. What would happen if I let him in my car? What would it be the start of? Instead of answering him, I rolled up my window and leaned over across the seat to open the door. I opened it and he looked up from the other side, silently asking me if I was sure. I nodded and offered him a hand up.

He gripped my hand with a strong grasp, pulling himself up and shutting the door behind him.

I turned the heat on to help him dry off. "Jake? Where am I dropping you off?" He tilted his head at me a little. "And how do you know my name?" he asked, almost teasingly.

"My friend told me. She's a big gossip person." He nodded slowly. "The one with the pink hair? Why would she do that?"

"Because she saw me looking at you." He studied me a moment more before he leaned in and pressed his lips to mine. He cupped my cheek and my hands tangled in his wet hair. He pulled back and looked at me. I smiled and said, "I can't believe I just got kissed by a total stranger." He grinned. "Well, I don't think we were really ever strangers to begin with, were we?"

I smiled. "That's true." I leaned my forehead on his and closed my eyes.

Then, on a more serious note, he said, "No one can know about this." I opened my eyes and pulled away to look at him. "Why?" He sighed and took my hand. "Because if it gets out to the wrong people that I'm even here, then I'll have to leave."

"Why?" He smiled a little. "You know you ask a lot of questions?" I smiled. "I'm a curious person." He smiled again. "That's good. It'll keep you out of trouble." I shrugged.

"Maybe I like trouble." He squeezed my hand. "Well, I guess that's good. Do you have any idea what you just got yourself into?" I shook my head. "No, not really." He stroked my face and sighed, because it felt right. "You have to be careful now, Skyler. They'll be watching you even closer than they have before now. You can't trust anyone anymore."

"What do you mean? Not even you?" He looked up to me. With pure genuinity in his eyes, he said, "The second you feel you can't trust me, get rid of me. It means they got to me. And if you can't do that, then get away from me."

"For how long?" I asked, fearing his answer.

"Forever." I nodded grimly and bit my lip. "So don't let them get you." He smiled. "Trust me, there's no way in hell I'm going down without a fight." I smiled before I asked another question. "How long have 'they' been watching me?"

"Since you were made." That left me speechless for a moment before I said, "Okay. Now, where am I putting your destination in as?"

"Actually, you have to drive there manually. I can do it if you want, I just don't want my address in the system." I smiled and shook my head. "No, it's fine. Besides, I could use the practice."

He smirked and said, "I hope that doesn't mean you might crash the car?"

I smiled as I shook my head. "There's only a slight chance." He chuckled as I shifted into manual drive.

"So, Jake, who are 'they'?" He held my hand in his as I glanced over at him. He paused a moment to think before he answered.

"The government, for one." I nodded as he directed me left.

"And for two?" I asked. He shrugged. "Lots of people all over. You never really know." I nodded grimly. "Is there a three?" He shook his head slightly. "No, I don't think so."

"Stop here," he added. I stopped in front of an older apartment complex. "Well, this is my stop." I nodded, not quite ready to lose his company.

"Jake?" He looked up to me. "Yeah?" I took a deep breath, even though I didn't have to breath, mainly just to comfort me. "Why do we feel like this? Why do I feel like this?" He paused a moment, as if not wanting to scare me with his answer, before he voiced his answer.

"I have an idea, but I don't want to say it before I'm sure. I don't want to get my hopes up too high until it's definite. Until then though, there's not much I can really say. I'm sorry." I nodded as he leaned over and kissed me one last time before he got out of the truck.

I drove for a few more blocks before I turned autodrive back on. I called Jessica and told her that I was only a few blocks away.

Before long, I was pulling into her driveway and grabbing my bag. I knocked on the door and Jessica's brother, Luke, opened the door. "Mom! Skyler's here!" he called out.

We waited a moment before Mrs. Nane came out and gave me a big hug. I smiled and embraced her back. "Hello, Skyler. How are you? How's your family?" she asked me as she welcomed me inside and Luke ran off.

"I'm good, thank you. My family's doing fine, too. Keith just went to collage." She raised her eyebrows. "Really? Wow. You kids just grow up so fast!" She smiled and held up a finger, signalling for me to wait for a moment. She called to Jessica up the stairs.

"Jessica! Skyler's here for you!" She turned back to me and I asked her, "So how are you guys doing?" She beamed. "Oh, just great! Bobby was just promoted yesterday, actually!"

I smiled and nodded. "Really? That's wonderful!" She smiled as Jessica bounded down the stairs.

"What'd I miss?" she asked. I waved her off. "Oh, nothing much." She nodded and studied me for a moment before she announced to her mom, "We're going upstairs. Love you goodnight!" She took my hand and dragged me upstairs, running the whole time. She stopped in her room and shut the door behind us.

We both collapsed on her bed with our arms spread out and grinned at each other. "So?" she asked, turning on her side to face me. I made a face at her. "What?" She gave me a 'don't play dumb' look. "You know what I mean. Why were you late?"

I blushed for a moment and hid my face in one of her many pillows. "I was trying to find my hairbrush." She gasped and sat up, pulling my pillow away. "Skyler Hectin! You are the worst liar I have ever met!" I grinned, my tell-tale sign for either lying, something serious, or something dramatic. I rolled over so my face was pressed against her bedsheet and her mattress.

"Sky? What were you doing?" she asked. I could hear the grin in her voice. "Sky?" she repeated. "Were you with a boy?" When I didn't answer her, she rolled me over and said, "Finally! I thought you were going to be single forever!" I blushed and hit her arm.

"So who was it?" I didn't answer her. Instead, I looked away. "C'mon. You have to tell me at least. Who is it?" I shook my head.

"I promised I wouldn't tell." She grinned and her face lit up. "So you were with a boy!" I nodded and bit my lip. She gave me a smirk and tilted her head at me. "So what were you doing with this mystery boy?"

I let my head fall back on the mattress as I groaned. "Okay so we talked..." She nodded her expectantly and motioned for me to continue. "And we held hands.

"And?" I blushed and looked away while I smiled. "And we kissed... three times?" Her jaw dropped opened and she looked shocked. "What? I'm not that bad am I?" She smiled and shook her head. "No, it's just that I never imagined you ever having a love life," she said, emphasizing "you". I scoffed at her and shook my head.

"Well, that was harsh," I said. She shrugged and gave me a teasing look. "But you know that it's true." I rolled my eyes and pulled a blanket over my head.

"Whatever, but I'm going to bed." She pulled the blankets down and looked at me. "Do not play games with me, Sky." I pulled the blankets back up. "C'mon, Jess. I really am tired." She rolled her eyes and then got down on the inflatable mattress. She pulled the blankets up over her and sighed when she realized she left the lights on. Clapping her hands, she turned the lights off. "Goodnight, Sky." Smiling as I turned over, I said, "Goodnight, Jess."