The Machine Rules

7

I looked around as we made our way to the aquarium. I was so excited to see all the colorful fishes, dolphins, and whales. Ever since I saw them the first time in my third grade class about animals, I fell in love with them.

Killer whales are my favorite. From their enormous size, black and white pattern, being the top predator in the oceans, to them not even being whales but dolphins, everything about them was fascinating.

"Let's go, Valrie, stop staring at that boy," I pull Valrie's hand as she kept staring at a boy ahead of us.

"Maybe if I stare long enough, he'll notice me," She whined as I dragged her.

"Yeah, notice you're creepy," Sarina and I laugh as Valrie pouts. When we finally reach the aquarium, and the tail of a beluga catches my attention, I run off to the glass. "So pretty!" I jump up and down when the beluga makes a turn and swims in the glass' direction. It's like they have a permanent smile on their faces! So cute!

"No need to run like that, darling," The teacher says from behind me. "You can get hurt, and the animals aren't going anywhere," I nod but don't take my eyes from the beluga. My eyes filled with enchantment as the cetacean closed to the glass, up to the point its snout was touching.

I stepped back from the glass and twirled. I was more than ecstatic when the beluga did the same. Giggling, I twirled again and saw the beluga did it again.

"Are you recording this?" I exclaimed to my friends. "Bye, bye now," I waved at the beluga and walked to the next water enclosure, which had bottlenose dolphins. This one, we could go up a flight of stairs to see them above the water.

They were your common dolphin; the one everyone always thought about at first when asked about dolphins. They had grey skin, black eyes covered by their pupils, and were extremely adorable.

There were several kids around with big smiles on their faces every time a dolphin would come to the surface. The dolphins squealed loudly and were splashing water around.

"My makeup!" Valrie cries as a splash of water hit her.

"Why did you put makeup on to come to the zoo, dummy," Sarina slaps the back of Valrie's head.

"Umm duh, this is a rich people's place. We barely belong here, but now that we are here, I need to look at least acceptable," I roll my eyes and bite my lip not to get my mood down.

I knew this was the last place I thought I would ever go to. It was super expensive, even for Gaia's rich people, though there were thousands of them here. And here I was, I girl from the poor part of the already filthy Topia, enjoying myself in the zoo for free. While other people might have worked nonstop to bring their kids here.

My teacher did say we got it as some sort of selection of sorts. So we might not be the only ones that got this privilege.

"Ms," I walked over to my teacher. "Are ice creams free too? I want to eat one," I asked, looking down at my laced fingers.

"Of course, you can just go to the counter, and the workers will get a notification that you don't have to pay," She smiles.

"Alright, thank you," I turn around and walk at a fast pace to the ice cream stand I saw a couple of minutes before. When I got there, my wide smile falters as I see a huge line in front of the stand. "Guess I'll have to wait a while," I sigh and get at the end of the line.

It's been ten minutes, and I've only been able to take five steps from the point I initially was. Half an hour later, I was halfway through, and in the back of my mind, I thought if I should give up the ice cream and enjoy my time here.

We've been at the zoo for two hours, and lunch was in about one hour. So maybe I should just eat after lunch. My face fell as I stepped out of the line and turned the way the girls would be as planned.

I didn't manage to take four steps before someone bumped into me and something cold covered my front, even dripping inside my shirt.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry," A deep male voice speaks from above me. I look up as my one-seventy meter height was small compared to his, probably, one-ninety meter height. His skin was pale and fair, his hair platinum blonde they were almost white. His blue eyes were so striking they were surreal.

"It's okay. You don't need to worry," My eyes tear from his to look at my shirt, now covered with chocolate ice cream. I could hear whispers from the people in line as they stared at me. "I-I'll just clean this up," My eyes were glued to the ground as I stepped away from the boy.

"Wait, let me help. You won't find a bathroom nearby easily," The boy grabs my hand, and I'm forced to look at his face. I bite down my bottom lip and nod, or else if I spoke, my voice was certainly not to work. I was not too fond of attention. "Follow me," He walks in front of me, still holding my hand.

I pull away and continue my way behind him. We soon reach a set of sinks for those who want to wash their hands without the need to going inside a packed bathroom. The boy grabs a bunch of towel papers and hands them to me.

"I would help you but, I mean no disrespect," I nod, grabbing the paper and wiping the ice cream left on my shirt. "I really am sorry for that," He said in a sorrowful voice.

"It's not your fault. I wasn't looking," I throw the dirty papers on the trash can and grab more, this time wetting them a bit.

"No, I was the one that wasn't looking. I had finally got the ice cream I wanted, and I guess I got distracted and didn't see you," He explains as he looks down to his feet.

"It's completely fine. I was in the way either way," The back of my eyes hurt as I was to walk around with a shirt with dry ice cream, and not forgetting the dried part inside my shirt.

"I want to pay you back. I basically ruined your day, which has barely begun. How about this, I buy you a new shirt and get you some ice cream? I guess you were one of those people who saw the size of the line and that it's almost lunchtime," He offers with a kind smile, exposing his pearly white teeth.

"Oh, no. Thank you for your offer, but I'll have to decline. You don't owe me a thing. And I don't have any money to pay you back and-" He cuts my rambling.

"You'll pay me back if you let me give you a new shirt and ice cream. Let's go. There's a*****e right there," he grabs my hand and pulls me with him. What have I got myself into?