Snippet #2648091

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”Why’d it have to snow tonight?” The unvoiced question was met with nothing but his breath. His eyes were locked on the ground, his feet to be specific, it was his only way of remaining remotely calm. Although it was only a light snowfall, he personally perceived it as a sub-frigid maelstrom. But he staved off any sense of deviation and gulped down fear, continuing to the monotonous melody of feet digging through the snow. He had five layers on for god’s sake, yet flurries like this were enough to make the guy overreact. He hated it. It was the only illogical and inexplicable aspect of him, and he truly loathed it.

Ender would have hazarded to break into a sprint if it wasn’t for the other person on his back. Well, person may have not been the correct word, but there really wasn’t much evidence to state otherwise. The currently lifeless figure was a bonafide, genuine human. ”...Maybe I should have installed a heater?” If she was to awaken right now, the wave of emotions that would run over her would be insurmountable. But luckily she was deactivated at the moment. Only a few more blocks, and they would be at his relative’s house. House was an understatement. Ender didn’t even know he had relatives swimming in so much green, but after a series of unfortunate events, they popped in his life. And on paper, Allesandra also beared some relation to them. That’s what he decided to call her, Alessa for short. Elegance with a tint of brilliance. ”Defender of mankind.”

Suddenly his ears picked up the humming of his cellphone. He instinctively reached for his pocket, removing his arm from supporting the girl. The equilibrium of the weight on his back instantly shifted to his side, nearly making him topple over. It’s not that she was heavy, he was just weak. The boy managed to produced his cellular device and catch himself and the girl from falling into the dusted sidewalk. Ender took a few moments to catch his breath before he glanced down at the caller ID. ”That Guy.”A sigh escaped his lips as he removed his arm once more, answered the call, and placed the phone in his shirt pocket.

”What is it?” He questioned in his monotonous voice as he paced onwards. The voice on the other side was in a panic. Ender was also able to hear a very faint hissing. ”...Gods take me now.” He would have rubbed his temples if his arms were free. After hearing out the caller’s issue, he paused for a moment and mulled. The snow had only increased in intensity and was now falling in clumps. ”Oh, it’s probably her main core. Check her central compartment, probably a few cogs aren’t completely locked into place. You know where to find it.” The boy wanted to add an ”... I hope” to the end of that sentence before he made progress with the trek. Then another complaint arose, this time the voice was extremely flustered. ”What are you talking about ‘A maiden’s purity’? Don’t worry, trust me. It will probably be the first and last time you undress her.” The joke may have had more potency if it wasn’t made with such an emotionless tone. Or maybe that just made it all the more brutal.

”Anyways, I have to go. I can’t reach the phone right now. Would you mind hanging up?” The caller could have taken the chance to get back at him for that low blow. But thankfully, he gave the guy a friendly farewell, ending off the call with a well-needed ”Stay warm!”

”You don’t need to tell me.”

The intimidating gothic gates autonomously opened, giving access to a driveway somehow not caked in white. The colossal house was a mixture of old styles and avant-garde. Basically his relatives’ way of saying ”We maintain our origins, while being modern.” In other words, they’re just plain rich. Ender shifted his standing and eased the girl off of him, keeping one of her arms around his neck. He gave off the appearance that he was helping her walk, and then proceeded to the front stoop. The student opened the door and helped Alessa inside. Ender, dear, welcome ho-” His adoptive mother began to shout in her iconic endearing voice as she rounded a corner, but then stopped at the sight. ”Oh my wo- is she alright? I didn’t even hear the cab!” She instantly hurried over to them and took the girl from him, giving the boy leeway to take off his shoes and his two external layers, leaving his school uniform and undershirt.

”Not surprising, it only got to the gate. I arrived at just the same time, so I guess the stars aligned. Jet lag must have hit her.” He provided as an explanation before he hung his coat and hoodie. ”Well, I’ll check on her and tuck her in, still have to finish packing though. But make sure you fill Alessandra in on everything tomorrow.” Her worried gaze shifted over from Alessa to Ender, quickly scrutinizing the boy. Even though he was within a heated house, he was still shivering like crazy. It would take a few minutes before he completely warmed up. ”Get yourself settled too.” Ender silently nodded and ascended the stairs to his room.

Later that night, who knows at what hour in the morning, Ender initiated the activation process. She was already tucked under the covers, completely stagnate. He was surprised his mother didn’t notice the fact that she wasn’t breathing, but there were a lot of things that slipped past her when she was in packing mode. The boy sat down on the bed and eased the girl onto her side, then pressed on the nape of her neck. A faint light scanned over his hand, then the compartment decompressed and gave him leeway to a bright red button. Out of all the intricacies put into the roboticas, this was the simplest. He simply pressed on it, and waited for the girl to come to life.