to be confused. But she was. The male-female dynamic confused her at every turn.
And this all-too-humanlike confusion was not the only anomaly she’d been suffering lately. The unidentified feeling , for lack of a more accurate description, was always there, hovering on the edge of her conscious awareness, waiting. Always waiting. But for what? Some catalyst, some pivotal situation that would provoke a particular action, or reaction, from her?
Jay had no answer. And for a super-human machine who always knew what was happening inside her, right down to the most infinitesimal process, that was paradoxical.
She kept her gait loose-hipped and relaxed, moving at a steady pace while she considered Tyler and his reaction to what he’d described as her “stunt”. He had looked at her differently, speculatively, like she was an unknown quantity. It’d been foolish for her to toss Shawn in the Dumpster and display her capabilities in such a fashion. And it had been completely outside the parameters of her core programming for her to act without first considering the risks.
She could only trust she would not have cause to regret her actions in the future. And that Shawn would react as she predicted, and be too concerned with licking his wounded pride to bother her further.
Pause current thought-thread .
Licking wounded pride. She pondered the metaphor. Her own saliva contained enzymes that enhanced the inbuilt healing abilities of her outer dermal layer. If her physical body was injured, she often licked her wounds. Did that constitute irony?
She decided it did.
Resume .
Despite her error of judgment, Tyler appeared to want to be her friend. Caro, too, had made overtures of friendship. Even Matt had chosen not to aid Shawn, and had displayed concern for her physical state.
For now—on the surface at least—Jay was one of them. She belonged. And belonging was excellent camouflage.
She consulted her internal clock and continued on her way. If she maintained her current speed, she would arrive exactly at the time Caro had specified. Excellent.
She reran her encounters with Caro’s brother and chose a pleasing image of Tyler which she then fixed in her memory banks. Strangely, the chorus of the song she’d heard him playing resounded again in her head. And it consumed her.
Thoughts of you glowing in my heart,
Thoughts of you shining in my soul,
Thoughts of you blazing in my mind,
Thoughts of you, burning.
Thoughts of you,
Burn.
Six minutes twenty-three seconds passed before she emerged from what humans would term a daydream to find that she’d halted in the middle of the pavement. Unless she ran the rest of the way, she would now arrive later that she had planned. But for some inexplicable reason she did not increase her speed to compensate for the delay.
She turned the corner and strolled up the path toward Caro and Tyler’s house. At precisely 1839 hours she stood before the Davidson’s front door.
It felt good— cool —to have chosen to arrive late. And as she rang the door bell and listened for footsteps, her thoughts were so centered upon Tyler, it didn’t occur to her to be alarmed that she felt anything at all.
Chapter Six
Jay watched the figure inside the house approaching the front door. Viewed through the patterned frosted-glass panes, Tyler’s features appeared so grossly distorted that he resembled a cartoon caricature. Once her vision compensated for the distortion, she could see him chewing his lower lip, hands fluttering nervously at his sides as he tugged his shirt straight and finger-combed his hair.
If she cared to, she could eavesdrop and hear what he was muttering beneath his breath. Out of courtesy she tuned out, respecting his privacy. Father had taught her to do that. The old man had habitually muttered to himself and hadn’t appreciated having his words repeated back to him verbatim.
Courtesy aside, some
And this all-too-humanlike confusion was not the only anomaly she’d been suffering lately. The unidentified feeling , for lack of a more accurate description, was always there, hovering on the edge of her conscious awareness, waiting. Always waiting. But for what? Some catalyst, some pivotal situation that would provoke a particular action, or reaction, from her?
Jay had no answer. And for a super-human machine who always knew what was happening inside her, right down to the most infinitesimal process, that was paradoxical.
She kept her gait loose-hipped and relaxed, moving at a steady pace while she considered Tyler and his reaction to what he’d described as her “stunt”. He had looked at her differently, speculatively, like she was an unknown quantity. It’d been foolish for her to toss Shawn in the Dumpster and display her capabilities in such a fashion. And it had been completely outside the parameters of her core programming for her to act without first considering the risks.
She could only trust she would not have cause to regret her actions in the future. And that Shawn would react as she predicted, and be too concerned with licking his wounded pride to bother her further.
Pause current thought-thread .
Licking wounded pride. She pondered the metaphor. Her own saliva contained enzymes that enhanced the inbuilt healing abilities of her outer dermal layer. If her physical body was injured, she often licked her wounds. Did that constitute irony?
She decided it did.
Resume .
Despite her error of judgment, Tyler appeared to want to be her friend. Caro, too, had made overtures of friendship. Even Matt had chosen not to aid Shawn, and had displayed concern for her physical state.
For now—on the surface at least—Jay was one of them. She belonged. And belonging was excellent camouflage.
She consulted her internal clock and continued on her way. If she maintained her current speed, she would arrive exactly at the time Caro had specified. Excellent.
She reran her encounters with Caro’s brother and chose a pleasing image of Tyler which she then fixed in her memory banks. Strangely, the chorus of the song she’d heard him playing resounded again in her head. And it consumed her.
Thoughts of you glowing in my heart,
Thoughts of you shining in my soul,
Thoughts of you blazing in my mind,
Thoughts of you, burning.
Thoughts of you,
Burn.
Six minutes twenty-three seconds passed before she emerged from what humans would term a daydream to find that she’d halted in the middle of the pavement. Unless she ran the rest of the way, she would now arrive later that she had planned. But for some inexplicable reason she did not increase her speed to compensate for the delay.
She turned the corner and strolled up the path toward Caro and Tyler’s house. At precisely 1839 hours she stood before the Davidson’s front door.
It felt good— cool —to have chosen to arrive late. And as she rang the door bell and listened for footsteps, her thoughts were so centered upon Tyler, it didn’t occur to her to be alarmed that she felt anything at all.
Chapter Six
Jay watched the figure inside the house approaching the front door. Viewed through the patterned frosted-glass panes, Tyler’s features appeared so grossly distorted that he resembled a cartoon caricature. Once her vision compensated for the distortion, she could see him chewing his lower lip, hands fluttering nervously at his sides as he tugged his shirt straight and finger-combed his hair.
If she cared to, she could eavesdrop and hear what he was muttering beneath his breath. Out of courtesy she tuned out, respecting his privacy. Father had taught her to do that. The old man had habitually muttered to himself and hadn’t appreciated having his words repeated back to him verbatim.
Courtesy aside, some
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