Artificial Intelligence (actual copy)

chapter 1

Chapter 1
That night, I didn't sleep at all even though my mom told me to. She fell asleep holding Gabbie. I stared out the window for a long time watching some blinking lights that were in the distance.

After a while, I realized that the blinking lights were coming closer and that I could hear them. All of a sudden, I could feel them. I grabbed our little portable radio and turned it on. I turned the knob until I found a voice. The voice sounded scratchy and kept shaking, but I could make out what it was saying. “Expl-ns!--here--leave---bo-s---Arti-telegence--die!” My mind went fuzzy as the floor under my feet shook. I could only create one thought in my mind as I heard the walls crack. "GO!" I grabbed my mom's arm and shook her violently. I screamed for her to wake up over the loud noise of the bombs falling down on us.

Her eyes popped open and she immediately shook Gabbie to wake her up. I ran to the closet and grabbed our already packed backpacks and opened to door to our apartment. "COME ON!" I screamed. I looked up and down the hallway I was on to check for large cracks. What felt like hours later, my mom and little sister appeared in the doorway. We sprinted down the stairs and outside to our car. Once we were inside the car, my mom sped off in the direction of the huge pod waiting for us.

We got to the pod entryway without any problems, which was an absolute miracle. Once we were in line I felt free and safe even though I was shaking like crazy from the adrenaline rush. My mom put her hand on my shoulder "It's okay, nothing's going to happen now," she whispered, "we're safe." We turned in our tickets for boarding and walked through a scanner to show that we were human. After that, we received bracelets to put onto our wrists that proved we were people. An alarm went off almost immediately afterward the lady handed me my bracelet. And the ground shook like crazy.

They're getting close! I thought. My mom scooped up my sister like she was a toddler and sprinted ahead to the door with me right next to her. when we reached the door, I realized that in all the fuss, I had dropped my one ticket onto the ship--my bracelet. The lady scanning the bracelets shook her head at me.
"You need the bracelet, hon." she sighed.

“Ok, I’ll go find it.”

I handed the lady my backpack. Then, I let my mom and sister get on so they wouldn't worry. I glanced at the clock that said how long until takeoff. Ten minutes. I can make it! I ran track! It's okay! I'll be fine nothing's going to happen! I sprinted off in the direction in which I had come. After quite a few minutes of searching, I found the bracelet with my name on it: McMillan, River A. As soon as it was on my wrist, I sprinted towards the pod. Two minutes.
I saw the lady at the door of the pod look at me.
"HOLD IT!" I screamed.
I reached the pod as she was walking in. The automatic doors started to close, so I shoved my arm into the small opening, hoping that I'd be able to open it. Someone on the other side screamed, "BOT!" and two men came to the door.
"Open it! Please!" I screamed at them, tears streaming down my face,
"Please!" I held up my other hand to the window, so they could see my bracelet.
"I'm human! Please, just open the door!" The men only stared.
My mom ran up to the door and pushed them out of the way.
"River, honey, we’re gonna get you in! Don't worry!" she shouted and pulled a muscly man sitting near the door towards me.
"Help me, please, my daughter, she's trapped outside!" The man grabbed one side of the door and my mom grabbed the other.
"Pull!" he yelled. My hand slipped through the door and onto my side and before they could pull anymore, the automatic doors slammed shut.
"MOM!" I screamed and started pounding on the door. My mom grabbed one of the flight attendants and yelled at her and pointed at the door. The attendant pointed at hreself and spoke calmly to my mom. My mother walked back over to me.
"The entire ship is automatic. Nobody has control of the timing or placement of anything on ship. The doors won’t open. They can't stop the pod from leaving."
A very loud alarm sounded right afterwards and I could feel the engines start up under my feet. I looked to my mother for help, but the hope in her eyes had disappeared.
"I love you." she said her eyes filled with tears as she put her hand up to mine on the window.
"I love you too! I'll find another pod! I promise!"

Immediately, the pod started to lift off. Within minutes, they were gone. It's funny when you think about it: half an hour ago, I was ready to get on the flight. And then--I was alone in a big empty podspace. All by myself. Nobody to comfort me or tell me not to worry. Nobody to tell me it's going to be ok. And I cried. I cried at the realization that I was on pod 797 out of 800 and that there was no getting onto another one. I cried for my Dad, who had worked so hard to make money for my family. I cried for my sister, because it was her birthday. I cried for my mom, who had worked countless hours to get me onto to that pod. But, most of all, I cried for myself. I pitied myself. I wallowed in self-pity for a long time as the world crumbled down around me.

Lydia Rose