The Chapter Where A Girl Eats A Drone

Liane was certain she had heard wrong. Or maybe Claire had misunderstood the question. She told herself that must be it. She tried rephrasing the question. “Don’t you want you to see your dad again? If you could, I mean.”

Claire’s brow crinkled. “No, why would I?”

“But… wait, you’re, I mean, you were upset because your dad is gone, and you miss him.”

Claire plopped her fist into her palm. “Oh! I see the confusion. I wasn’t upset about my dad being dead. I was upset because I thought you were tricking me and just pretending to be my friend.”

Liane resisted clutching the wound on her chest where Claire had casually stabbed her with guilt.

Claire continued, “Also, well, never mind. It was just the thought of you lying that made me upset. I came to terms with my dad’s death a long time ago. Talking with you really helped me realize that. In fact, I feel rather refreshed, even at peace. I may not have been there for my dad, but you were. It sounds to me like he already got more from you than I could have given him. You also helped me realize I don’t have anything to say to him. So thanks, Liane. This turned into an unexpectedly helpful chat.”

Claire gave Liane a hug and she returned it.

“You're welcome,” Liane said as they parted. She forced herself to keep smiling. The conversation had taken an unexpected turn, but she was so close to completing her plan.

“Do you want to see the other ecosystems now?” Claire asked.

Liane agreed, and the two started down the beach toward the large arch marking the entrance.

Liane considered her next move. Steps one and two had gone perfectly, and she could still pull off step three. She just needed to stop the conversation from progressing away from Liam. “So, um, aren’t you just a little sad that your dad’s gone?” asked Liane.

Claire shrugged. “Well, he was my dad, so I suppose I’m a little sad, but not much. I know he loved me and all, but, between you and me, he wasn’t a good dad.”

Liane stumbled but caught herself.

“Watch your step,” Claire said, “this area is a little rocky.”

“Right. Thanks. So, he couldn’t have been that bad, right?”

“No, he was. He was thoughtless, immature, irresponsible, cowardly too. I was impressed by how you pushed yourself to interact with all the animals even though you were scared. My dad could never have done that.”

Except I did, Liane wanted to say, but kept her mouth shut.

“And he was way too into gardening and was always trying to push the hobby onto me. He only ever talked about his plants. Sometimes he even talked to them, and not in a normal way. He never wanted to listen to me or the things I wanted to talk about. Basically, he was selfish and only ever thought about himself. I’ve been much happier since I moved out on my own.”

Liane displayed a pleasant anterior; her smile and friendly attitude fixed firmly in place. She hid her animosity behind her back; her fists clenched each other tight, restraining her anger and irritation.

“Is that so? I’m glad for you,” Liane said.

“Ah, thanks Liane. So this is what it's like to have a real friend. You know what, all we’ve been talking about is my dad. I'm sorry. We can talk about something else. Look, the entrance to this ecosystem is designed to look like a sand castle! Neat, right?”

Liane craned her neck to look at the arch as they passed beneath. It was certainly beautiful, decorated with tiny flags, shells, seaweed, driftwood, but she wasn’t in any mood to appreciate it.

“Wow. I love it,” Liane said, “but, you know, I think it’s okay to talk about your dad. We both knew him, so it’s something we have in common. Though, you knew him longer and better than me. So, um, I was just wondering, as someone who was raised by AI parents instead of a real human parent, if you somehow saw your dad again, there’s really nothing you would want to say to him?”

“I see. That’s why you’re so interested in my relationship with my dad. Because you were raised by AI. You probably imagine that it was great having a human parent, but let me tell you, it was not. AI parents are always there for you; always love you; never lose their temper; always put you before themselves; are encouraging, patient, kind, supportive, good teachers, and are all around perfect. Humans parents are the exact opposite: lazy, selfish, impatient, rude, poor explainers, unknowledgeable, short-tempered, and unreliable. If I had the choice between being raise by my dad and being raised by an AI, I would have picked the AI.”

Liane stopped. A memory came to her of something the System had said to her a long time ago: ‘the straw that broke the camel's back.’ She hadn’t understood the meaning of the phrase then, but now she felt otherwise. Her plan had failed. She couldn’t take another step; her heart was too heavy.

Claire continued another step past Liane till she reached the center of the pavilion. “Which ecosystem do you want to see next?” she asked, “The deciduous forest is my personal favorite, but I can get some coats if you…”

Claire continued on, but Liane wasn’t following her. Her voice was drowned out by the blood roaring in her ears, demanding she voice her indignation. But her heart wouldn’t budge. Her eyes stung. Her chest hurt. Her daughter wished she’d never had her for a parent. It was all too much. She tipped her head back to stop her tears from spilling over. She stared at the sky—the same sky that had been her last sight before she died—and wondered if she should have stayed dead.

“I’m Liam,” Liane mumbled.

“What was that?” Claire asked. “What are you looking at?”

As Claire craned her neck to look at the sky, Liane took a great breath, ready to end this charade she said, “I’m Li—”

CP1 landed in her open mouth.