The Rapture

NINE

PEARL

I fought the urge to do a touchdown dance. I actually convinced him to come inside. My persuasive nature was good for my career, but never good for one-on-one interactions outside of it.

Puffing out my lips, I opened the door. I stepped inside and was immediately greeted with temperature-controlled air. My eyes widened. The inside looked like an upscale chic home.

Like a human home.

"Is—is that a fridge?" I pointed to the object in the distance that was nestled between what looked to be glittery, marbled countertops.

"Everything you see here has been designed with your comfort in mind, emulating a dwelling on Earth. Everything works as it should. You shouldn't require my assistance in figuring things out."

A robot could have said that with more emotion. Stepping to the side, I allowed him to enter. He shut the door behind him.

"Well, maybe I actually don't know how to use a refrigerator."

I was totally lying.

"I very much doubt that."

I snuck a glance at him. He looked... bored, his head tilted to the side to avoid the ceiling. He was enormous in this setting, too big for the surrounding space. Shrugging, I surveyed the other areas.

The kitchen had a white-tiled floor, a large window overlooking the hillside, and an island with matching black stools. To the right of the kitchen, and immediately to the right of me, sat a living room with three towering wooden bookshelves.

Everything was spotless; not a speck of dust or dirt. The hallway leading to what might be a bathroom and bedroom was too dark to see.

I made my way to the living room and toed a fluffy silver rug with my shoe. Yeah, this reminded me much of home, but more upscale. Cleaner. My mood immediately improved.

I had been so closed off in recent weeks; it felt good to have a bit of normalcy back. "Well, shit the bed, Fred. This is nice!"

"Fred?"

I rolled my eyes, muttering, "It's just a saying."

I ran my hand over the back of one of the tan comforters. I eyed all the books on the bookshelves, wondering if they would be in my language and what stories they held. The surrounding area was cozy with tones of silver and dark brown.

Much better than a dirty bomb shelter. "You must feel like you are stepping into the stone age here."

"No. It is not like your stone age or mine."

He is so literal.

The couch looked comfortable, so I broke it in. I threw myself onto it, face first, arms out to the side. I blew a strand of brown hair out of my mouth.

I peeked at him. His eyes were more purple than normal, piquing my curiosity. His hair looked a hell of a lot softer than mine, thick and long. It was disturbing how such a breathtaking being could be so... glacial.

"Adequate," I approved, rolling over onto my back. I stared at the weird metal ceiling and frowned. "Can't help but feel a little flattered that you all did this for me."

Desperate to get any kind of reaction from him, I winked.

I didn't get any reaction. Of course not. He probably was wondering if I had something stuck in my eye.

"A familiar environment will limit your stress."

"So you are saying that I couldn't handle your environment?" I wondered what his environment was like.