"Hey!" Someone calls snapping me out of my thoughts. I turn in the direction to see her standing at the other end of the gate. My lips curl up into a smile, literally bouncing to her in excitement.
Leaning against the marble pillar, her purple-hair tied to the back of neck dangling at her waist. Looking as beautiful as I remember in the mid-night blue turtled neck vest under grey cargo pants and chocolate brown boots she wore.
"Hey!" I inhale, trying my best not to look too excited about seeing her again.
She stares at me, surprise flashing through her golden eyes watching me her gaze lingering a second longer on my gown, in blatant appraisal.
"You were expecting me." She concludes shifts her gaze locking her eyes with me.
"Expecting you?" I laugh nervously
"Do you know how ridiculous that sounds? You literally appear and disappear as you please." I scoff praying she bought my excuse.
"Well, you did say we see soon. It's only natural I'd expect you." I backtrace under her intense gaze.
"Why did you only come now?" I ask, veering the topic away from the landmine.
"I was simply waiting…" She says, letting the word hang between us finally shifting her focus from me.
"For what?" I ask a bit interested.
"..till you finished Tutorials." She says, lazily stretching against the pillar.
"More like watching." I retorted, my voice sharp in accusation.
"I can think you're alive, I will be my way then.." Pushing off the pillars, her boths tucked inside the pocket of her pants.
"Huh? " I stare, mouths hung open in shock.
"So, you better start already." She strides forward closing the distance between us. Rolling my eyes at her, I zip open my bag bringing out the scented envelope.
Holding the firmly at the edge, I turn to her inhaling quietly.
"I know this is the third time we've met and…" I shut up seeing her jaws tighten with frown.
"Just ask already…" She spats, annoyance dripping in every word, looking down at me in practiced boredom.
Biting my lips, I continue.
"Can you help me send this letter?" I ask my voice lower and tinier than planned, like a squeal. She looks at the envelope in my hands and back to me.
"Why didn't you take this to Admins?" She asks after a heartbeat of suffocating silence.
I look at her in disbelief, staring down at the envelope.
"So it will be confiscated, and I would be under supervision?" I ask in mock indignation.
"Someone finally decided to start using her brains." She quips teasingly. I look at her speechless, noting the absence of malice in her eyes.
"Why me then?" She tilts her head to the side in question and I go blank not knowing her to answer that.
"Many in the black market can easily handle this for about 20 copper coins." She adds when I go silent.
"Really?" I ask surprised.
"You didn't know that." She concludes shaking her head.
"Well, its a good thing you came to me. Things may not have ended as simple otherwise."
I nod not bothering for an explanation.
"Also, while we may like breaking the rule, we don't have any plans to get ourselves killed." Leaning in, her gazes sharpen as voice goes falls into a whisper.
"I understand." I nod vigorously in understanding. She stretches her hand for the envelope.
"Wait!" I pull away before she touches it.
"What? Scared, I'll peek." She snarls, eyes flaring in annoyance.
"No. It's just that, this will be the second time you're helping me and I don't even know your name." I stutter, fidgeting with the strap of my bag.
"Adaera. It's Adaera Sillfur. " She stretches her palm again.
"Liliana." I say placing the envelope on her hand.
"Than you for doing this for me." I add smiling at her.
"Don't thank me yet." Her nose twitching at the scent of vetiver now filling the air around us. Giving me a quick look of exasperation, she slips the envelope into one of the deep pockets of her pant.
"I get back to you." She adds before walking away.
***********************************************************
"Yes!" I scream pumping my fist in the air.
I finally found it.
Termination of Admission. Externs were allowed to apply for the termination of their admission. I was so worked up for nothing.
Strangely, while rules and clear-cut guidelines were available. It was all in theory as no Extern camouflaged or implicit had ever applied for it.
"Why hasn't any Extern applied for their termination of admission." I wonder out loud.
"Because, they had something called common sense. Leaving such a lifetime opportunity is definitely the most foolish thing any one can do." Eave interjets, her voice rolling in waves through out the living room where I lay sprawled on the center rug surrounded my books, paper, scrolling through the feed on my new laptop as I munched on a bag of chips.
Eave butting into my headspace is now somewhat normal. She's been doing so for the past six hours.
We are getting friendly…..
She's not ignoring me after two sentences, keeping u pa full conversation.
Serious improvement.
'Foolish' I smirk at her words.
I don't mind being called that as long as I get to leave this place. I thought deciding to research more later.
"You really are excited about leaving." Eave snorts, her voice in a low grumble but I heard it. The sound as loud as lightening bolts in my ears.
"Eave, what did you say." I sit up, my smile disappearing a grim look taking its place. fear eating away at my insides even as I remained calm.
"Please Lil, it's a simple deduction. You've been obsessing over the Termination since you returned." She reveals reluctantly.
"So you going to report this?" I ask, voice shaky as tears burn at my eyes.
"Like, I would ever talk to the old Matriarch.." She snorts in defiance.
"So, you're not to telling on me?" I ask to confirm I didn't misunderstand.
"Why would I,? I'm your AVA for goodness' sake" She asks a question of her own sounding genuinely confused.
"You really know nothing about AVAs. What've you being reading then? Source materials for staging a flee from Velmora." She huffs in annoyance.
"What do you mean?"
"Eave?" I call out but she doesn't reply. I sigh opening the Omni app–the official search engine of Velmora. I type in the Brief Summary of AVAs into the search bar.
My eyes fixed on the screen as the result load open.
AVAs are one of Velmora's most prized creations. They are fast-learning, adaptive, multi-tasking, generative and imitational Super artificial Intelligence programmed with a wide range of human behaviours and traits to render them almost human-like in their service to trainees.
Like with every dormitory complex, apparallel, AVAs are also programmed after the admission of a student crafted for the sole purpose of catering to their needs. Therefore, they are highly 100% compatible with their assigned trainees.
For instance, if a trainee is known to be lazy, his AVA must possess the nagging traits of a mother-like personality to steer such trainee to carry out necessary activities therefore having a mature personality overall.
Similarly, a trainee with anger issues will have a very persuasive, and reasonable AVA programmed for him or self.
As such, if trainees are expelled or leave voluntarily, the AVA is deprogrammed as it as no reason for continued existence. In short, AVAs are tethered to their assigned ones….
My eyes widen as I read the line by line, horror settling on my face.
"What the hell?" I gasp staring into the thin ar as if Eave stood there watching.
"You see, I'm the friend you never had to spice up your bland life, Lil." Laughter booms spills through the sound channels in the living room while I sat their speechless.
"You're really going to be deprogrammed after I leave." I ask once her laughter dies down.
"Yeah! Feeling guilty already?" She teases, her voice like a phantom against my skin.
"That can't be right. You can be reassigned somewhere else–Admins, Library or fill any vacant opening." I shake my head in denial refuting Eave's claim.
There's no way they will just destroy her. Programming Super Artificial Intelligence is not a simple task after all.
"Please, what do you take Velmora for? An under-staffed facility. Here, its believed everything works perfectly in its place, any disorder will distort things which we can't afford. In short, we all have our purpose and we know it." Eave lazily says, voice softer.
"It's just sad, I will be gone so soon." My heart clenches in guilt at the sadness riddled in her words.
"I'm really sorry about that but I can't stay here…." I lower my eyes as if afraid I would catch a glimpse of her sad eyes if I stared too much at where she spoke from.
The sharp cackle of her laughter, amused and thrilled, bounces off the thick walls.
"I think you should be more worried about the success of your little escape plan." Eave's voice threading through the laughter in mock symphony.
"You know my plans?" I ask, my head spinning in shock.
"What's wrong with my plan?" I ask again, when she doesn't respond
"It's nothing spectacular I can't figure out, still its quite solid." The respect in her voice threw me off.
"So, why are sure it's going to fail?"
"Eave!"
Tsk Tsk Tsk
She makes a tsking sound amused.
"Oh my Lil, you are so boring." I frown at her words
I'm boring!!
Was this suppose to be fun?
"Where's the fun if I just tell you."
"School management thinks am too talented to give up?
"They find out about the letter and deny my Termination? "I ask making wild guesses.
"Mum doesn't agree with my decision." I try again but Eave only hums a low no in response.
"Save your breathe, Lil. That little, brilliant mind of yours will never be able figure out why. Its way beyond you so why don't you just go with flow. Its futile. In fact, even your scariest nightmares will never prepare you for that." Eave sighs, concern masked under her amusement.
"I see, you're just messing with me." I say in realisation ignoring her claims.
"Back to my question. What can I do for the next few days before I leave" I slump into the couch to the side.
"Pre-sessions are starting tomorrow, you can join them." Eave suggests after a few seconds of silence.
"Pre-sessions? What's that all about?" I groan in annoyance.
The terms were never going to end it seems.
"It's an unofficial class taught by bored instructors to prepare Externs for Initiation. Though, inherents participate mostly because they are bored too."
"Eave, I'll be leaving soon."
"Don't tell me you're trying to convince me to stay. Back." I smirk in mockery.
"Gosh, you asked for a distraction and I gave you one."
"Right, it's far more better than lying around all day." I nod in agreement picking up the books on the rug.
"I better prepare clothes for tomorrow." I say in thought walking to my room.
"By the way, I think everyone had enough of your wardrobe. You know I have a reputation, and the group chat simply won't going on about how washed up you look in those faded garb you call clothes." She says exasperated.
"If I remember correctly, someone told me with was fine before Initiation." I tease relishing in her distraught gently setting the laptop down on the study table.
"It was your first day."
"You were nervous."
"I was trying to help."
Her voice pitches, drawing leave sentence longer than necessary.
"Who would have thought you'd actually stick to this." Eave says, voice low in disbelief.
"Worse of all, Myra and Ken just can't seem to have a conversation without bringing it up." She growls in frustration.
"Myra and Ken?" I look up my brows twitching in confusion.
"My friends. Wait, don't tell me you think AVAs to go to sleep when you're busy."
"How should I know what you do?"
"Gossiping about the juiciest stuff and bragging about our trainees among many other fun things." She boasts, her voice smug and condescending.
"And unfortunately for me, you occupy a huge portion of the gossip columns." I laugh at her indignant huff.
Great.
Even AIs were throwing shade my way, it seems.
"What do you AVAs talk about anyway?" I ask looking at my reflection in the vanity mirror, a little curious.
"While, we can gossip, criticise and even mock other trainees. We aren't exactly programmed to divulge anything about them to our assigned trainees.
"Oh, I'm sorry." The comb slipping off my hands as I turn in shock.
I didn't think about that.
"Your favourite nursery must be The Five Magic words." She says, catching me off guard with the unusual change in topic.
Maybe its a security protocol when faced with questions like this. I reasoned.
"They wrote that in my bio-data." I smile at the thought of Mum.
"No, it's written all over you. You can't seem to have a conversation with those five words." The sound similar to exhaling in exhaustion comes through the channels.
Truly human-like
"What's so magical about them away?"
"Without simple words, anger than be aggravated, fights prevented."
"You think too simply of things. You really think a few words will avert hatred, anger, irritational jealousy and vengeful spite" Eaves scoffs.
"Isn't that a good thing." I ask turning to the netted opening where I voice came from.
"Good thing? What's so good about bowing your head all the time?" I raise a brow at her words.
"Here in Velmora, a good thing is not grovelling at everyone's feet for mercy, having the strength to fight back when stepped on, ruthlessly enough to set an example for others." She continues, voice solemn with respect.
I smile walking to the closet.
"It seems we have conflicting opinions of what good things are."
"I have a question, why did you ignore me at first?
"Uhh," I pause just before the walk-in closet to hear her reasons.
"I was observing, there's very little words on person can do. The data collected were just too abstract. Only defined patterns and habits could give me a clear understanding of your personality.
"Till then, I had to remain courteous and professional in her conversations."
Hmm. I hum in acknowledge stepping into the closet, a small smile on my lips, quietly filing this away for diary time with Dearie.