Chapter 18: My First Friend.
Chapter 18: My First Friend.
Gul was a very curious girl; she always had some question about what surrounded her.
Her parents saw in her someone hyperactive with a desire to learn about the world.
When she was 7 years old, she had read science fiction books. They spoke of bright futures, cutting-edge technology, and inventions that made human life easier. They explained how people with great intellect, scientists, engineers, mathematicians, chemists, physicists, very brilliant people with the knowledge and abilities to create and solve the mysteries that made up the universe became recognized and acclaimed by everyone.
Her heart was beating strongly.
Could she be like that?
That was when she began to have the dream of wanting to be like them.
She started studying engineering, physics, chemistry; she covered everything she could in order to create that image she had in her head.
A technological world where she could be the center of that entire future.
A revolutionary inventor.
—
Gul was excited; her brown eyes were shining intensely. After several months, she had finally finished creating her first invention, a small device that allowed anyone to learn from a simple question.
It was yellow, just like her hair. Rectangular, with several buttons on one side.
Her parents were happy to see their daughter so excited.
When Gul appeared in the middle of the night in their room, waking them up by suddenly jumping on them and asking for books on advanced subjects that not even a high school student could understand, it seemed strange to them. But with time and the dedication that little Gul put into studying, learning, and developing her ideas, they stopped doubting.
They themselves told her to present it to her classmates.
It was a serious mistake.
"Guys! Admire my invention!" Gul exclaimed loudly, drawing the attention of the children near her.
"What is that?" a boy asked with confusion.
"It's a device that lets you learn just by asking a simple question," Gul replied with excitement and pride about her creation. In her mind, she felt like those inventors who revolutionized the world in past times.
"It looks weird."
"It looks like a brick."
"It probably doesn't do anything."
"Why should I use it?"
"Huh?" Gul asked, confused.
Why were they saying that?
Didn't she explain it well?
Should she explain it again?
Didn't they understand that aesthetics were irrelevant and that what mattered was functionality?
"I think you don't understand, this device is…" Gul tried to speak, attempting to explain it calmly.
"It's pure trash!" a voice full of hatred was heard from afar.
A boy with orange hair had appeared. He was one of the popular kids; everyone liked him. When he said something, everyone listened.
"It's not trash!" Gul shouted at him, annoyed.
How dared he speak like that about her invention?
She had spent a lot of time developing and creating it through trial and error.
She wouldn't allow such an insult.
"If he says it, it must be true."
"Yeah, he's right."
"Gul is a liar."
"She's crazy."
Gul felt a small pain in her chest.
Why were they saying those things?
Why were they so cruel?
Why didn't they support her?
Gul, who was still holding her invention in her hands, could only watch as the children slowly walked away from the place.
"It seems like they don't care about what you made," the orange-haired boy said mockingly as he approached her.
"Why are you being mean to me?" Gul asked, trembling. She wanted to know why he was doing this to her. They had never spoken before; they had nothing against each other.
"I don't like you, that's the only reason…" the boy replied simply, not really caring about what she had done.
"…and your dream is stupid, just like this!" Without Gul being able to react, the orange-haired boy snatched the device from her hands.
"Give it back! Please!" Gul shouted pleadingly. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes as she stretched her arms to reach her creation in the hands of the boy, who was a bit taller than her.
"Do you want this trash?" he asked with amusement and malice.
"Catch it!" The boy threw the device into the air.
Gul didn't see it. She couldn't react in time.
CRACK!
Silence took over the place. Her eyes widened, her mouth opened completely.
The gears were scattered across the ground.
Her invention had broken, all the pieces destroyed.
Gul wasn't worried. It was something repairable. If the pieces no longer worked, she would replace them. If they couldn't be saved, she could make another from scratch. There was no problem, but…
…what was that pain in her chest?
Why was she kneeling?
Why had her vision become distorted?
Why did she start crying?
The truth was that even though her mind said it had a solution, her heart had been split in half.
While she kept crying nonstop, holding her broken device, she heard the wicked laughter of that despicable being.
"You want to be an inventor? You're useless! Hahaha!" the boy's mocking voice reached her ears.
She wanted to argue back, she wanted to justify herself, but her voice never came out as she was choking on her sobs.
She could only watch him walk away as if nothing had happened.
—
From that day on, the rumor spread that Gul was a strange girl who wanted to be a crazy scientist.
No one approached her, and if they did, it was with bad intentions.
She constantly wondered why she was treated that way.
If someone with popularity could make everyone else follow them, then there was no point in trying to fit in.
Personal merits wouldn't serve to prove one's worth to others.
People were cruel…
…And Gul learned that very early.
If she couldn't trust people, then she would only trust her machines.
—
Gul was focused; sweat fell down her face as she tightened the bolts of her new invention.
"Almost done," she murmured. Her brown eyes showed a faint glow.
She took the computer on her desk and began pressing the keys rapidly, stopping for a moment.
"Please, work," she whispered, finishing by pressing Enter.
The sound of turbines began to be heard, and a yellow light appeared on the visor of her latest creation.
"I am awake," a neutral voice was heard in the room.
Gul said nothing. She was excited. After so much effort, she had finally finished her project. It felt comforting, and her tears wanted to fall as she tried to wipe them away.
"Who are you?" X1 asked the blonde-haired teenage girl in front of him.
"I am your friend Gul," she said, trying to act calm.
"Nice to meet you, Friend Gul. I am X1," X1 said, to Gul's surprise and amusement at the way her own invention addressed her.
"Hahaha."
"I do not understand. What causes that bodily reaction?" the robot asked with genuine curiosity.
"It's nothing," she replied, coming back to herself.
"I hope we can be friends," her smile was bright, showing happiness with what she could only call…
…her first friend.
—
Gul could only watch the situation in front of her helplessly.
X1 was about to explode.
Half of the school was going to be destroyed.
Bianca was stuck to the floor, without the strength to free herself.
Everything was wrong.
She had to do something.
It was all her fault.
Because of her desires, her dreams, her ambitions—everything she had worked for was going to become a tragedy. Everything would end in moments.
She could only blame herself where she stood, while thinking of a thousand ideas to prevent the explosion.
"If I could cool the area, I could neutralize X1's excessive heat before it explodes," she murmured without stopping.
"There's no time!"
"It's useless!"
"I'm useless!"
"It's all my fault!"
The sound of steam filled the workshop.
Bianca was breathing heavily, without strength.
Gul was frozen in place.
"Well, I think it's my turn," Lux's voice pulled everyone out of their trance.
Gul looked at him, confused. Even in this situation, he remained calm.
Those yellow eyes of the boy, shining with confidence, caught her gaze.
"Let's try that idea you had," Lux said calmly as he slowly approached X1.
Gul didn't understand what he meant.
"You should cover yourself," Bianca advised Gul. Since she already knew Lux, she knew what he was going to do.
Taking his wand out of his pocket, he pointed it toward X1. The steam and black smoke covering the place were thick.
A green glow appeared, covering his body. Gul didn't understand what was happening.
"Ice Magic: Glacier," he pronounced calmly.
A flash reached Gul's eyes, giving her no chance to see.
Silence.
There was no sound. A burst of cold air appeared, and Gul's body began to tremble from the cold.
Why?
Slowly, she began to open her eyes, trying to see something.
The first thing that reached her eyes was the color white.
Was it snow?
At this time of year?
Indoors?
She could make out the brown-haired boy with his back turned to her.
Beside him was X1, who had been a bomb about to explode and was now a statue of ice.
"Done," Lux finished saying, his smile bigger than before.
Gul had only one question.
"What the hell was that?!"
End.