CHAPTER SIX

“Forty percent of the system has been restored” the computer system’s voice echoed through this white void, I sighed as I dreaded how long until I wake up “come on, focus Ro!” Rose scolded.

The first time the voice spoke up, I was clueless but Rose explained to me what happened. Turns out that the beast of a man replaced half of my face including my brain with Malien android tech and DNA making me part android, part Malien and human which would have given me a heart attack.

I looked at the pieces before me and moved my queen in line with Rose’s king who was left alone, I knew what was coming next and as predicted she moved it far away from my queen not noticing the rook in line with the king and the knight that could destroy the king, as realization dawned to her it was too late to move.

“Checkmate” I said boredly making the girl in front of me groan in frustration and it was like looking in a mirror staring at my own reflection; a dark shade of red hair like it was dipped in blood, blue-green eyes with sparks of gold in them, no freckle, pimple or spot was seen on her pale skin that made her hair more vibrate and eyes glow.

She wasn’t the little girl anymore; she was fifteen years’ old. I was her, she was me. Rose explained that my mind created her to help me recover from trauma or whatever that was, she did not elaborate any further when I asked questions. I would have pushed her to tell me, but I simply did not care.

“You’re getting better than I anticipated. I’m afraid that our time will be coming to an end, once you awaken I’ll be nothing but a memory or maybe a flicker of your imagination. But, I’ll teach you what you need to survive the world outside” she said sadly and I nodded in understanding because I got used to people leaving me. So, one more wouldn’t hurt.

I watched as she twirled the king between her index and middle fingers “the king is the most important piece in chess, but it can only move like a pawn. Even though it is important, it is useless. Target the king and game over, but we should not forget that the king is protected by many including his queen, who is the most useful piece in the game” she stated and looked at me.

She stared for a few minutes before looking at the board that rearranged the pieces on its own, her finger tapped the pawns until she moved the last one two steps forward “the pawns are like walls to protect those of importance and power, when one of them moves, the wall is broken and the others follow creating a path for you to walk through” she said and I moved a pawn that was before the bishop.

“They are like shields, and once the shield moves, the target is wide and open, but think before you make a move because your enemy might trick you by making it seem like you are in control when they are the ones in control” she said quickly and I frowned processing her words just as the system’s voice spoke up “eighty-five percent of the system has been restored”.

Rose explained to me what to do and what to say, even though we were the same person. She spoke differently like she knew all the hard ships of life, while I barely even knew numbers and words.

I made a move to checkmate but in a blink of an eye, I stood before a large black door that had a big red rose on it, someone sighed next to me and I turned to see Rose standing next to me with a sorrowful look “this is goodbye. Remember what I taught you Rose. I don’t know when I will come back but I need you to stay alive until then” she said and placed her hand on the doorknob that was in shape of a golden rose.

I waved my hand as she opened the door and I felt the gentle cold breeze just as the noise reached my ears of people laughing, I looked through the door and I saw shady white houses with children playing around and then I saw the green hologram written ‘Area: 100 section D’.

Rose faced me as the door started to close, tears streamed down her cheeks and she raised her trembling hand to wave at me, it pained me to see her like that. I moved quickly to bring her back but the length between the door and I seemed to grow, just as the door closed I heard a very angry voice shout “Chloris! “

“The system has been completed” the voice said and the ground beneath me shook as the walls around me started falling and I gasped as I felt the hard ground under me and the smell of oil filled my nostrils as my eyes opened with a rush as I was meant with grey skies.

I slowly got up and looked around me seeing humps of pieces of metal and wrecked androids, a sound echoed through the sky and a light flashed startling me and the image of the beautiful boy who killed me flashed through my mind.

The sound echoed again and three lights flashed in the sky until small water droplets started to fall from the sky, and I searched around me looking for a place to hide from the water. Where did it come from? I wondered as my eyes stopped on a piece of metal that curved into the ground like a cave.

I ran there feeling my left arm start making funny noises and zapping sounds, but I ignored it. I reached the cave and hid in there as the sky cried, my eyes froze when I saw a similar green hologram to the one in my mind but it was not Area hundred section D instead it said ‘Area 25 section A’.

I stretched feeling my joints snap back into place and get back the feeling of been alive. I sighed noticing how dirty I became, but I brushed it aside and looked back at the hologram.

“Pawns be ready”