When the bus landed on a landing pad, everything froze. The driverless bus instructed everyone to remain for a quick inspection. Ariel planted herself back in her seat, arching up her brow in confusion at Tanya who shrugged.
The chatter in the bus lowered to an eerie silence as two Virtus Guard officers put away there loaded weapons when they were in full view.
“Nobody panic,” said the first officer. “The city is under a full Virtus Guard sweep.”
From behind them, an AU came forward, an Attack Unit, with eyes the color of the sun. A silver chrome colored body and synthetic lips warped with its movement. It was as anatomically close to human beings as a naked humanoid robot could get. Attack Units rarely stepped foot on Virtus soil, so awe escaped the mouths of many of the students as the robot lowered itself on one knee to roll a ball on the floor. Its fingers curled without fail: its dexterity, impeccable.
Pale blue light inched every part of the bus as the ball moved through the center aisle and back. Everyone and everything were caught in the light beam’s web. Soon it returned to the hands of the AU.
“All clear,” the AU said to the men behind it. But then, the AU caught Ariel’s gaze. Silence rippled throughout the bus as everyone turned to Ariel. Rushing to squeeze her chest was a deep concern as she remained motionless.
“Is everything all right,” said one of the officers, attempting to see past the AU at who it was observing.
“Oh, yes, everything is all right.” The AU turned around along with the officers, but before reaching the stairs, it took one last look at Ariel, who was now leaning lower into her seat, and smiled.
Ariel remembered the last thing her mother had said to her: “…live a quiet life and do not bring any attention to yourself…”. She’d been deliberately disobeying her mother. Now she tried to convince herself that an AU staring and smiling was perfectly normal. She gulped. What did this mean? She followed her fellow students out of the bus and into one of the entrances of the campus. Was her game so deplorable that an AU took notice? She headed straight for class.
Ariel spotted Manny sitting on his own in the fast filling lecture hall. Hundreds of students trooped in, splitting into lines as they climbed up the four stairs to take their seats. She clutched all her things and carefully ambled her way to the seat next to his. Her cheeks rose at Manny, who clearly knew she wanted something.
“You won’t believe what happened to me,” she said, ignoring the disinterest in his face. “An AU stared at me and smiled. What’s happening to me?” She snickered nervously. Her attempt at softening the mood apparently did nothing because Manny gazed somewhere else.
“Is it possible that my game against Demetrius could be spun as illegal?” She asked, one hand caressing the other, and full eyes placed on Manny.
She removed her eyes from him when his quiet stare said to her “no way”. She squeezed her hands into fists and exhaled. Then an applause roared in the entire hall and Ariel looked up to see Demetrius.
He headed for the stairs but requests for autographs slowed him down. Ariel dug into the desk.
She’d make him pay. That had been and still was her plan.
She observed him engaging with the crowd at the foot of the steps. He smiled at them. He laughed with one. Shook hands with another.
She’d make him suffer.
Excruciatingly.