Chapter 3: Not The Day You'd Expect

Ebony Winters POV:

"Ebony Winters," commanded one of the Robic Guards. Its voice was well-known around here, as they were the only ones to ever speak to me, other than Mr. Sanders, that is.

"M-me?" I asked, trying not to come across as sarcastic in my response, since I was the only one in this area.

My day was almost over, but not quite yet. I thought about the rough start to the day I already had and wondered if it was about to get worse. Now, I was being summoned yet again in a similar manner as before. What else could go wrong with my life?

"You are hereby released for the remainder of the day," ordered the Robic Guard, walking closer to me, grabbing my arm, and pulling me away from my workstation.

"But I st-still have an h-hour and a h-half left till the end of my sh-shift," I said, trying to explain the reason.

I should have known better than that. Attempting to argue with the likes of one of them wouldn't do me, or anybody else, any good for that matter. The Robic Order was not a fan of humans. None of them possessed reasoning skills beyond what they were pre-programmed to do.

"Your schedule has been adjusted to offset the time change," the Robic Guard commanded as he finally released my arm. "You will simply arrive at your predetermined destination an hour and a half earlier on your next scheduled day of productivity."

"Wh-what?" I asked in disbelief.

"Do I take it you detest?" The Robic Guard questioned, holding up a two-pronged device that now shows shocking bolts bouncing back and forth between the shocking prongs. "I will gladly shock you into submittance."

I raised my hands to him and took several steps back when I said, "I a-agree with your st-standard order. I w-will come early to-tomorrow."

There was no point in trying to argue. I turned around and grabbed the one small bag that I at least owned, turned around, and headed toward the door. When I looked back over my shoulder, he was walking in the opposite direction, out of sight. This was a challenging time to live alone with no friends to call on. However, even whenever there were humans around, I didn't have any friends, and nobody wanted to be around me either. With my parents gone for going against the Robic Order, I had no one to turn to if I needed anything.

Once I left the building, I walked along the street till I reached the run-down part of town. Since I was let go earlier than usual, I knew there wouldn't be anyone else around. On top of that, since I had time to burn, I thought I would take a trip through one of the Forbidden Zones. Maybe I could find yet another book about romance or even werewolves. Those were my utmost favorite ones.

'Turn here,' a little voice inside my head said.

The closer I got to the next opening between two of the old buildings, the stronger the urge grew as it dwelled in the deepest part of my mind. I had always thought about it like an inner monologue. Something that told me what to do and when, or in this case, where to go and turn next. It was all I had to have an honest conversation, not that I would have a conversation with this feeling or inner voice. It was more of an idea. Can you see me talking to myself in my mind?

I turned and headed between these buildings, feeling a warm breeze run through my hair in the direction I was heading as I clinched my small bag closer to my chest. When I reached the backside of these two large buildings, to my shock and amazement, a perfectly preserved pool was right in front of me. The water looked cool on this warm day.

I could not believe the sight before me. Despite the surrounding ruin and broken buildings, this pool was a perfectly preserved body of water. I dropped my bag down before I walked up to the water's edge and stuck several of my fingers in the cool, crisp water. It gave me chills that ran down the length of my spine.

'Jump in,' said the inner voice this time.

How was I to object to such a fantastic opportunity? Back at my apartment, which was practically a small hole in the wall, the only way I could get clean was in a three-foot-square boxed shower. Robots were not required to bathe, so what was the need for a human to take a bath? I didn't waste any time when I stripped down to my bare skin. Who was going to see me?

When I laid all my clothes down by the edge of the pool, I walked up to the edge. I picked up my long red hair, twisted it behind my back, and tucked it back over my shoulder. I took in a deep breath and let it out with a bit of a huff as I admired what I was going to get to do. This would be the first time I would soak myself from head to toe in years.

With the inhale of another deep breath, I pinched the bridge of my nose as I jumped up and over the edge of the pool, straight into the cool sensation of the water. I jumped in and, under the surface of the water I went, until it surrounded me completely. I felt like I was jumping into a pool of magic and delight. With my eyes closed, I swam for a short distance before I tried to surface again.

However, when my head finally broke through the surface of the water as I emerged, able to breathe fresh air, I inhaled sharply. I relaxed, floating with my back on the surface of the water. I soaked in this simple moment, using my arms to propel me through the water. Soon, I thought I would run into the inner edge of the pool, but the further I swam, the longer it took to reach the edge.

Finally, I opened my eyes. I was shocked by what I saw around me. It was no longer daylight, and I was no longer looking at run-down buildings. I found myself somewhere completely different. I sank deeper into the water, as it appeared to be later in the day. As I rubbed my eyes, I saw that the buildings were now replaced with thousands of tall, tall trees.

"Wh-where am I?" I asked openly, not sure what to think about my current situation.

In the distance, I heard the squeaking of metal and the creaking of older wood. What could be making that noise, I thought to myself. Suddenly, near the edge of this large body of water, I found myself strangely swimming in. I saw a man leading a horse. It was pulling a large wooden box on wheels. He brought the animal to the water's edge to take a drink. It didn't take him all that long to spot me. That was due to the minimal splashing along the surface, which caused ripples in the water.

"You there?" He called out to me from afar. "Are you alright?"

"Wh-where am I?" I called out to him from the middle of the water.

"It will be dark soon. Where is your camp? I don't see any other lanterns lit," he called out to me again. Camp? What camp was he referring to, and what were lanterns? "If you come closer, I'll help you.

Help? Help me?! I scoffed at the idea, laughing lightly to myself sarcastically. Help me, how? I'm completely naked.