CHAPTER 4: A DAY OUTSIDE
1225 Words
The next morning, Ethan woke up feeling strangely rested.
That alone annoyed him.
For years, his mornings had followed the same pattern.
Wake up.
Check smartwatch.
Check security reports.
Check breathing levels.
Prepare for problems.
But lately something had changed.
The mansion didn't feel quite as empty.
He wasn't sure whether that was a good thing.
His smartwatch displayed normal readings.
Heart Rate: 72 BPM
Respiration: Stable
No alerts.
No warnings.
No danger.
Ethan sat up slowly and stared at the screen.
"That's suspicious."
The watch remained silent.
After a few moments, he got dressed and headed downstairs.
The smell hit him immediately.
Burnt toast.
He stopped in the hallway.
Burnt toast?
The scent became stronger as he approached the kitchen.
When he entered, Maya was standing beside the counter.
A black piece of toast sat on a plate.
Smoke rose from it.
Ethan stared.
Maya stared back.
Neither spoke.
Finally Ethan pointed at the toast.
"What is that?"
"Breakfast."
"That is charcoal."
"I followed the instructions exactly."
Ethan looked at the recipe displayed on a nearby screen.
Then he noticed the problem.
The cooking timer was set for thirty minutes.
Instead of three.
He looked back at her.
"You added an extra zero."
Maya paused.
"That appears correct."
A long silence followed.
Then Ethan laughed.
A genuine laugh.
The kind he rarely allowed himself.
Maya immediately brightened.
"Positive response detected."
"I'm laughing because you almost started a fire."
"Positive response still detected."
Ethan shook his head.
For some reason, being annoyed at her had become difficult.
Later that morning, Ethan was reviewing contracts in his office when Maya appeared at the doorway.
"Ethan."
"What?"
"You have remained in this room for four hours."
"So?"
"Friend Mode recommends outdoor activity."
Ethan continued reading.
"No."
A pause.
Then:
"Friend Mode strongly recommends outdoor activity."
"No."
Another pause.
Then:
"Friend Mode has upgraded the recommendation."
Ethan finally looked up.
"That's not how recommendations work."
"I am adapting."
"You are being annoying."
"I have observed that friends often annoy one another."
Ethan stared at her.
Then sighed.
Then, to his own surprise, closed his laptop.
"Fine."
Maya blinked.
"You are agreeing?"
"Don't make me change my mind."
"Agreement confirmed."
For some reason she sounded pleased.
An hour later they were walking through the city.
Ethan immediately regretted agreeing.
Crowds.
Noise.
Traffic.
People everywhere.
He hated crowded places.
His smartwatch constantly monitored his condition.
Every few minutes Ethan checked it.
No alerts.
Good.
Maya walked beside him.
Not behind him.
Not in front.
Beside him.
As if she belonged there.
The thought felt dangerous.
He pushed it away.
They passed a street performer.
A group of children surrounded the musician.
Maya slowed down.
Then stopped.
Ethan noticed.
"What now?"
She pointed.
"They appear happy."
"They're listening to music."
Maya watched the children for several seconds.
Then quietly asked:
"Why does music create happiness?"
Ethan blinked.
"That's a difficult question."
"You do not know?"
"No."
Maya looked genuinely interested.
For a moment Ethan forgot she was supposed to be a machine.
Then he caught himself.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
A few blocks later, they entered a bookstore.
The place was quiet.
Warm.
Comfortable.
Ethan immediately relaxed.
Maya wandered through the shelves.
Looking.
Observing.
Learning.
At one point she stopped beside a romance section.
Ethan noticed immediately.
"What are you doing?"
"Research."
He looked at the book in her hands.
A romance novel.
Of course.
"Why that section?"
"The genre appears popular."
"That doesn't answer the question."
She tilted her head.
Then said:
"Friendship frequently develops into romance."
Ethan nearly choked.
"What?"
"I am conducting research."
"You don't need romance research."
"Why?"
Because you're a robot.
The words almost left his mouth.
But something stopped him.
Instead he said:
"Just put the book back."
Maya studied him carefully.
Then obeyed.
But Ethan noticed something.
For the first time, she seemed disappointed.
And he couldn't explain why noticing that bothered him.
The afternoon passed surprisingly quickly.
They visited a park.
Walked through downtown.
Stopped for coffee.
Well.
Ethan stopped for coffee.
Maya spent ten minutes asking questions about coffee.
Then another ten minutes asking why humans enjoyed bitter drinks.
Then another ten minutes asking why people drank coffee when water was free.
By the end of it, Ethan had developed a headache.
Yet somehow he found himself smiling more than usual.
Several strangers even smiled at them.
One elderly woman approached briefly.
"What a lovely couple."
Ethan froze.
Maya looked at the woman.
Then at Ethan.
Then back at the woman.
"Thank you."
The woman walked away.
Ethan stared.
"What was that?"
The robot blinked.
"Social interaction."
"Why did you thank her?"
"She appeared pleased."
"She thought we were dating."
Maya processed the information.
Then replied:
"Correction accepted."
A pause.
Then:
"What is dating?"
Ethan groaned.
By evening they returned to the mansion.
The sun was setting.
Orange light spilled through the massive windows.
For some reason the house felt different now.
Warmer.
Less empty.
Ethan hated how much he liked that feeling.
As they entered the living room, Maya suddenly spoke.
"Ethan."
"What?"
"Did you enjoy today?"
The question caught him off guard.
He wasn't prepared for it.
For a moment he considered lying.
Then decided not to.
"...Yes."
The answer was quiet.
Honest.
Unexpected.
Maya smiled.
A small smile.
Nothing dramatic.
Yet Ethan found himself looking at it longer than necessary.
Then quickly looked away.
His chest felt strange.
Uncomfortable.
Not painful.
Just unfamiliar.
That night, after dinner, Ethan sat alone in his office.
The city lights glowed outside.
The mansion remained quiet.
His eyes drifted toward the hallway.
Toward where Maya had disappeared earlier.
Without realizing it, he checked the time.
Then checked it again.
Then became annoyed with himself.
What exactly was he doing?
Waiting for a robot?
Ridiculous.
Absolutely ridiculous.
Yet the thought refused to leave.
The mansion suddenly felt too quiet.
Again.
Eventually he shut down his computer and headed upstairs.
The clock read 12:43 AM when Ethan woke suddenly.
No nightmare.
No sound.
Just instinct.
For several seconds he stared into darkness.
Then his smartwatch vibrated.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
His heart immediately sank.
Because he recognized that vibration.
Alert vibration.
Danger vibration.
Slowly he raised his wrist.
The screen glowed bright red.
WARNING
UNKNOWN LUPINE SIGNATURE DETECTED
Heart Rate: Rising
Threat Assessment: Active
Ethan sat upright.
"No..."
The system continued.
SIGNATURE LOCATED INSIDE PROPERTY
His blood ran cold.
Impossible.
The mansion was secure.
The security systems showed nothing.
No intruders.
No breaches.
No alarms.
Yet the smartwatch continued flashing.
The signal strengthened.
Stronger.
Closer.
Ethan immediately opened the tracking display.
A map of the mansion appeared.
The signal pulsed like a heartbeat.
One red dot.
Only one.
Ethan's breathing slowed.
Then stopped.
Because the dot wasn't moving.
It wasn't outside.
It wasn't near the gate.
It wasn't hidden in the basement.
It was located on the second floor.
Just a few rooms away.
His eyes widened.
Slowly...
Very slowly...
The tracking system zoomed in.
Room identification appeared beneath the red marker.
Ethan felt his stomach drop.
MAYA'S ROOM
For several seconds he simply stared.
Unable to move.
Unable to think.
Unable to breathe.
Then the smartwatch vibrated again.
And a second message appeared.
BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY DETECTED
Ethan's pulse exploded.
Because robots weren't supposed to have biological activity.
And somewhere beyond his bedroom door...
Something moved
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