Replaced by AI Chapter 06
“Lola, I was wrong. I was so wrong.” Mom’s voice shook harder with every word. “We never should’ve sent you away. We never should’ve forced you to become obedient. We never should’ve hurt you over a machine.
“Can you come back to us? Can you be our old Lola again?”
I looked at her calmly. “Is that a command?”
Her entire body stiffened instantly.
Slowly, her arms loosened around me. When she saw the emptiness on my face, it looked like someone had stabbed her straight through the heart. She staggered backward and collapsed into the chair beside the hospital bed, pale as paper.
Dad walked over quietly. His back seemed more bent than before, as though those few days had aged him years.
“Lola… I’m sorry.” His voice was painfully hoarse. “I always thought you were difficult. Too mischievous. Not as easy as Maddison.
“But after seeing you like this…” His throat tightened. “I finally realized the girl who used to throw tantrums, cling to us, and act spoiled… She was the daughter we loved most.”
I remained silent.
There were no directive terms in his sentence, so it was not valid input.
Bailey suddenly stood up. Tears still streaked across his face as he raised his hand and slapped himself hard across the cheek. The crack echoed sharply through the hospital room.
Then, he did it again and again. He kept hitting himself until half his face swelled red before Dad finally grabbed his arm to stop him.
“Lola, I’m a piece of shit!” His eyes were bloodshot as he shouted through tears. “I never should’ve yelled at you. Never should’ve told you to die. Never should’ve sided with Mom and Dad against you.
“You can hit me back. Curse at me. Do whatever you want. Just… please stop being like this. I’m begging you.”
I stared at his swollen face.
A memory suddenly surfaced from three years ago. Back then, he used to steal my comic books just to annoy me. I’d chase him all over the house while he deliberately slowed down enough for me to catch him. After that, I’d shove him onto the couch and smack him twice while he laughed and handed the comics back.
However, the memory faded almost immediately, like a reflection rippling across water.
I looked at him expressionlessly. “Please provide a clear directive.”
The color drained from Bailey’s face instantly. It was like every ounce of strength had been ripped out of him. He slid helplessly down the wall onto the floor, covering his face as muffled sobs escaped his throat.
The day I was discharged from the hospital, the weather was beautiful.
Mom brought me a new dress. It was pink, my favorite color before I turned fourteen. Tiny embroidered rabbits decorated the sleeves.
She helped me change into it carefully, her fingers trembling every time they brushed my skin. Afterward, she stepped back to look at me, hope shining nervously in her eyes.
“Lola… do you like it?”
I didn’t answer. There had been no command.
The light in her eyes dimmed slightly, but she still forced herself to smile as she took my hand. My arm, remained limp at my side. I didn’t hold her hand back, but I didn’t pull away either.
I simply let her lead me out of the hospital room like a doll programmed to follow instructions.
When we returned home, everything had changed. All traces of Maddison were gone.
My bedroom had been restored exactly the way it looked before. The unfinished comics lay on my desk. My old clothes hung neatly in the closet. The band posters I used to obsess over were still taped to the walls.
Mom guided me inside carefully, speaking softly like she was afraid of scaring me, “Lola, look. We changed everything back. This is your room. It’s always been your room.”
I slowly looked around. Every object was familiar, yet none of it stirred anything inside me.
During those three years at the academy, every preference I ever had was erased bit by bit as “emotional residue”: my favorite color, my comics, and my favorite snacks. All of it disappeared through endless punishment until I abandoned them myself.
At dinner, the table was filled with dishes I used to love before I was fourteen: chicken wings, pineapple-glazed ribs, and baked mac and cheese.
No green peppers, carrots, onions, and definitely no peanuts.
Mom placed a chicken wing into my bowl, her eyes full of cautious hope. “Lola, try it. I made it especially for you. You used to love these.”
I didn’t touch my cutlery because there had been no command to eat.
Bailey stared at my untouched fork, his eyes reddening again. He sniffed hard before speaking in a hoarse voice, ” Eat, Unit 1314.”
