The stupid phone rings with its annoying sound and wakes me up. “If it weren't my phone, I would have broken it a long time ago.” I thought to myself.
“Luz!!! Time to wake up, man!” My roommate, Drane, threw a teddy bear at me while addressing me. “And turn off that god-damned alarm. Some of us need our beauty sleep.” He covered himself with his blanket. “And don't forget you have an appointment at 5 o’clock on that place with you know who,” Drane added, before going back to sleep.
“Yes, Mom,” I said while turning off the alarm, then walked towards the bathroom.
I stood in front of the mirror, looking at my long black hair that was supposed to be on braids hairstyle, but now it is a complete mess. I sighed. “More work for me,” I said.
I extended my hand and opened the small closet-mirror. I took out my little hovering drone, it was like a ball, and turn it on.
The drone began to emit a dim blue color. “Good morning, Luziel.” the drone, Mich, said. “You could have woke me up through your phone. After all, that's where my main frame is.” Mich added.
“Same thing. Can you fix my hair?” I said, pointing to the mess on my head.
“No problem. What kind of hairstyle do you want today?” Mich asked.
“Just let it go down. Just do two braids to the sides tie my hair as a pony tail.” I said while taking my toothbrush and toothpaste.
“Getting on it, boss.” Four small, thin, hands got out of Mich's baseball body to begin tinkering with my hair.
I brushed my teeth while Mich fixed my hair. It had hurt a little for some of the pulls Mich did to my hair. Once my hair was ready and I finished brushing my teeth, I took my boxers off, put it in with the other dirty clothes and got in the bath to take a hot shower.
While the water passed through my skin, I thought on what classes I had today. ‘I only have two classes today.’ I thought to myself more clearly. ‘English and Ethics,’ I added while applying soup throughout my body, trying to not to let even the smallest drop of water fall on my hair. I Just had it fixed. I had to be damn crazy if I were to let it get wet now. Does anyone know how hard it is for it to dry long hair? A whole lot of damn hard. And don’t care if that last sentence doesn’t make sense, or this one.
Once I finished, I got out of the shower. I found Mich hovering in front of me with a towel on of one his hands and clothes on another. I took the towel and dried myself up.
“Here are your clothes. A full set of white formal clothes; white suit, shirt, pants, socks, formal shoes, blue underwear and a white fedora.” Mich said while grabbing each with a different hand.
“And my undershirt?” I asked, trying to raise one eyebrow, but failing miserably for the hundredth time.
“Undershirt? What undershirt?” Mich said in a confused tone, making use my “are you bullshitting me” face. Mich laughed, “I’m joking, boss. I really enjoy when you make that face.” Mich said while taking an undershirt from inside the white pants.
“One of this days, Mich. One of these days.” I said while making an annoyed face.
I put my clothes on and went for my phone, which was on a study table beside my bed. I grabbed it, then I saw a little person on the screen. He looked liked me, but he had blue skin tone instead of dark skin tone. That little person was Mich.
“We are ready for another day in college boss. Oh, and here is your suitcase.” Mich said, pointing at his drone body carrying my black suitcase.
“Let's go,” I said, grabbing my backpack and walking towards the door. Once out of my room, I locked the door behind me and took the elevator to the first floor.
When I stepped out of the elevator, I found a man standing in the lobby. He was black and was wearing a black suit with a white shirt and a black tie. The man was bald and had a beard. He appeared to be in the early thirties. It seems that he was looking for something.
“Hello, Sir. Are you looking for something?” I asked the man with a polite tone.
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“Oh, yes. I am. Could you be so kind to tell me where Luziel Ray is.” The man said while touching his chin.
“That's me, Luziel Ray.” I said smiling.
I carefully looked at the man. Trying to figure out his intentions. The man looked surprised after I told him I was Luziel. Why would that be, I wonder.
“I thought Mr. Ray would be more.” The man stopped, looking for a specific word.
“Older?” I said, smiling with a questioning tone.
“Yes, older. That's it.” The man responded, with a nervous smile.
“What is it that you want with me, sir?” I asked.
“Anthony. Anthony Meredith.” The man said, stretching his right hand towards me for handshake.
'Man, I forgot my gloves again. Don't people know that is more sanitary to use fistbonps instead of handshakes?’ I thought while returning the handshake to Anthony.
“What I want is to give you an advised, Mr. Ray.” Anthony said, smiling “Forget what's going to happen. Let it go. Remember, only the weak keep a grudge. The strong forgives and move on.”
I was confused. “What do you mean? I don't get it.” I said.
“You will know soon.” Anthony said. Then the strangest thing happened. I was back in the elevator with a card that read “Anthony Meredith” on my left hand.
“What the fuck!” I yelled.
I went through my classes thinking in what that man told me. I pondered what he meant. It was eating at me. The only thing that I got out that was forgive and move on. Well, I don't usually hold grudges. Nor I forget what wrong has been done to me.
After all, I was picked on, laughed at and treated worse than garbage since little. I've lost many things. Many of my inventions had been stolen. Mich, for example, is one of them. Someone stole my research into Artificial Intelligence, A.I for short, and publicized it as their own. It's been five years since then. I created Mich based on my research, but the person who stole my research sold it to various entities for a great amount of money.
Everyone thought that they would make a breakthrough in the A.I department, but unfortunately, no one else but me has been able to. After all, the research was incomplete when it was stolen from me. This last few months, I've heard some rumors of someone discovering a way to finish it. I just hope that it isn't using a live brain of a person to create the basics. That would result in the death of the subject if it is done wrong. That's why it took me years to create Mich. It was difficult to make a digitized copy of my brain without opening my head or stiking something through my skull.
Anyways, I don’t really care about that at all. After all, I wasn’t researching A.I’s because I wanted some recognition or money. I did it because I was bored and I have the time to do it. I'm don't think of myself as a genius or something like that. I just approach things differently.
“Mr. Ray!” Someone yelled, taking me out of my trance. I turn back to face whoever called me. “Finally. I have been trying to talk to you this whole time.” Said a girl right about my age. Early twenties.
“Oh, sorry. I was immersed in my thoughts.” I said, apologetically.
“Yeah, I could see that.” The girl said. “ Anyways, the dean wants you to go to her office.”
“Really? What does she want?” I asked.
“Don't know. She didn't say.” She responded. “But it sounded very urgent.”
“Then I should get going.” I said, getting on my way to the dean's office.
The dean’s office was in the main building of the campus. Right on the ground level. The dean has fear of high places, so she requested to have her office at ground level.
I made my way to the most isolated room at the end of the hallway. Once on front of the door, I knocked on it three times.
“Come in.” A feminine voice said.
I opened the door and walked in, but I didn't see anyone in there. Then I closed the door behind me without looking back. Some arms showed up out of nowhere around my waist. The right hand went up towards my face and turned it to the right, then I felt something warm on my lips. I realized that someone had just kissed me. And knew who it was.
The kiss went from subtle to an overly, deep, passionate one in a matter of seconds. Shortly after, the person kissing me separated her lips from mine.
“Great way to say hello to someone, Ms. Dean.” I said, in a playful tone.
“You know pretty well that you are the only one.” She said coquettishly while walking to her desk. “And you know I hate when you call me that. Just call me by my name. You are my boyfriend after all.” She turned her head and wink at me.
She was pan, my girlfriend. She is 22 years old. Black skinned. Long hair reaching her arms. To me, she is pretty beyond words.
She might seem cold and serious most whole time, but in reality she is like a 5 year old with a sugar overdose. Well, that is how she is with me.
And she was looking at me with those dark brown eyes of hers. Wearing red one-piece dress, the ones that aren't over the shoulders, and seating on her desk. Legs closed on on top of the other, with her left leg on the right leg. And hands behind her to support her.
“You forgot our date today.” She said, smiling.
'Shit. I forgot. I was so into what that man told me this morning that I didn't look at the time.’ I thought looking at the clock behind pan. 'It is 8!! How on Earth did I not noticed!’ I screamed in mind.
“I got caught up thinking about what some random man told me about the whole day and didn't noticed the passage of time.” I decided to with the truth.
I prepared for the worst, but pan just laughed. “ That's classic of you, getting lost in your thoughts that is.” She said between bursts of laughter. “It's okay. Don't worry about it.” She added.
“What did I do to get someone as understanding as you as my girlfriend?” I asked rhetorically out loud.
“You just approached a lone sixteen years old teen going through college and asked for directions for the department of science.” She replied, laughing.
“Well, I was seventeen and I was, and still am, bad remembering names. No my fault I went to the wrong university.” I said, pouting.
Pan laughed. “But that mistake was what brought us together. In that one day we learned more about each other than anyone in our lives.” She said, smiling. “Anyways, it is time for me to go home. Do you want to come with me?”
“With pleasure.” I replied, also smiling.
I was woke up the next morning by the constant ring of my phone.
“Mich, put the call through.” I said sleepy without opening my eyes.
“Got it, boss.” Mich said.
“Hello, is this Luziel Ray?” The voice said.
“yes, it is. Who wants to know?” I asked, trying not to fall back to sleep.
“I'm detective Malone from the police department of New Washington. I'm calling you because there's been a murder last night. And it is suspected that the victim was Pan Armstrong.”
The moment I heard Pan, I couldn't focus on nothing else that the detective said. That was day where everything changed for me.