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Kara stepped away from the rusted wingmirror of the car, lowering the scissors and analyzing her reflection. She was used to having her hair pinned back in a tight bun, not in disheveled locks across her face. She still hadn’t decided if she liked it or not, but that wasn’t her main concern. With a puffy jacket covering almost all of her uniform, nobody would be able to tell. Except for one thing.
Kara turned her head to show the mirror a small LED light on her temple, the blue ring flickering and swirling as she lifted the scissors once more. She inhaled.
Like ripping off a band-aid,
she told herself. In one swift movement, she dug the scissors beneath her ‘skin’, wedging it under the plastic light. She winced at the crackling sound and the tingling running across her face.
The broken light fell to the ground, landing with a soft splash in the puddle around the tire. She bit her lip as the plastic surface disappeared beneath more pale, lightly freckled skin. Now she’d done it. Basically indistinguishable. She glanced over at the back seat of the car, leaning to the side in hopes of getting a glimpse of Alice. She was still asleep.
Kara exhaled, setting the scissors on the hood of the car and making her way over to the chain link fence around the abandoned yard. It looked like someone had meant to cover it with forest green tarp, but there were countless gaps in it and the dirty plastic was clicking repeatedly with each drop of light rain.
She squinted through one of the spaces, quickly sinking back down out of sight. The owner of the motel across the street was milling around behind the front window, and the drugstore was being patrolled by a police officer. So they were already looking for her and Alice. That would be more difficult. She pulled her jacket further down over the skirt of her uniform.
She had done the most she could for the moment, and the least she could do was wake up Alice and start formulating a new plan.
She ducked back over to the car, gently opening the door and sliding onto the open seat next to Alice. The young girl was still huddled in the corner of the seat for warmth, her head resting tilted against the worn leather and arms folded peacefully across her pink jacket. Kara leaned over and reached for her shoulder. “Alice,” she whispered. “Wake up,”
Alice’s eyes fluttered open, turning over slightly to face Kara. She inhaled sharply, suddenly shoving off the arm on her shoulder and pushing herself back against the other side of the door. “Who- how did you-“
“No, no, it’s...!” Kara held her hands up defensively, leaning away from the girl. “Alice, it’s me,” Alice slowed down, her eyes darting across her surroundings, hovering on the clean skin above Kara’s eye, and finally landing back on the android’s concerned expression. “I’m here,”
Alice’s shoulders sank and her eyes softened, nodding at the floor of the car and responding softly, “So it wasn’t a nightmare...”
“No...” Kara shook her head. “It wasn’t.” Alice inhaled again, closing her eyes. “How do you feel?” Kara asked, timidly looking over at her.
“I’m cold...” Alice responded simply, tightening her arms around her sleeves slightly. “What are we going to do now?”
“That Android we saw yesterday? He gave me an address, we can get help there. The train passes just on the other side of the road.” Kara turned and nodded at the set of tracks obscured by the hazy sheets of rain just beyond the yard and the neon sign of the motel. “The station can’t be far. Are you okay to walk a little?” Alice nodded slowly. “Let’s go then.” Taking Alice by the hand, she used the other to open the door and lead the girl out into the rain.
As Kara stepped aside to let her hop out into the mud, she heard her say, “You’re pretty like that,” Kara shut the door, concealing a smile. “You really look like a human now.” As the two walked hand in hand over to the back gate, Kara thought the words through. She was closer now. Closer to getting Alice to safety, closer to figuring out why she had ended up this way... closer to human.