Cindi usually found every way to disobey the law without getting caught. But for whatever reason, she found no desire to do such a thing. She’d been burying herself in academy books lately and spent time practicing the piano. Aside from those things, she spent alot of time thinking about Michael. About how he presented himself to her at the queen’s ball, about his smile...

“You’re in deep thought again, Cindi.” Isis walked through the door and noticed her sister’s gazing. “What is it now?”

She straightened herself up. “Nothing.”

“Oh, I know it’s something alright. You’ve never done this before.”

Cindi sighed and looked at her sister, noticing her curiosity. “If I told you something, do you promise not to tell anyone?”

Isis gave her a look. “Oh no...what have you done?” She took off her jacket.

“No it’s really not that bad, but...well, it depends on how you look at it.”

“Just tell me.”

“Well at the ball, I met this man...he’s not like anyone I’ve ever seen or interacted with. He had this energy, and such kindness...it was almost as if he and I were the only ones in the room. Or maybe that’s how I wanted it to be once we introduced.”

“Cindi...are you telling me that you have feeling for someone? That’s never happened before. We’re not capable of love. How do you know this is what you feel?”

“I know because...it feels like a thousand suns spinning in my soul. I didn’t think I’d ever be capable of feeling something like this either. But that must be what I feel. It must be.”

“I have to say, I’m a bit envious that you can feel this and I can’t.”

“But Isis, that’s just it. You can! All of us can. We’re taught to believe that we can’t, therefore we really feel that it isn’t possible. But if you really concentrate hard enough, you’ll see that you have just as much a capability as I to feel love for someone. We are not numb on the inside, sister. We’re intelligent, we see things that others don’t. When you and all the other Androids begin to realize that, we can shift this society.”

She sighed and looked away. “Well, who is this man anyways? Don’t tell me he’s a Human...”

Cindi paused for a minute. “I’m afraid so.”

“Why couldn’t you just settle for a nice Android boy? There’s plenty of them, you know.”

“I don’t know...none of them interested me."

“Well, what’s this man’s name anyway?"

“His name is Michael. Sir Michael Jackson."

Isis gasped and almost bent backwards. “SIR MICHAEL JACKSON FROM SECTOR THREE? Oh Cindi, no. No, no, no. Do you know how much trouble you’ll get in if anyone found out you two were talking?!”

“But what’s the difference between him and a regular Human? I would still be taken to the Commission either way.”

“The fact that he’s well-known won’t make good publicity. There are many Humans that adore him. Not only would his career be ruined, you’d most likely get a higher penalty.”

“What penalty could be higher than the Star Commission, Isis? Tell me.”

Isis remained silent for a moment, then spoke again. “Look, all I’m saying is that you picked the wrong Human to have these feelings for. Why does it have to be Sir Jackson, of all people? And what if he finds out that you’re really an Android?”

“I promise I will be careful. You must trust me! I know what I’m doing.”

Isis sighed and shrugged. “I certainly hope so.”

* * *

Cindi stared at her left hand, which was also a built-in phone. In her right hand was Michael’s card. Cindi stared at the number buttons, still debating on whether or not it would be a good idea to call him. Isis was in rest mode in her room, and wouldn’t awaken until about eight in the morning. There was no way she’d be able to hear Cindi speaking.

She quickly dialed the number and waited. The ringing of the phone vibrated in her head, then a soft “Hello?” came after.

At first Cindi said nothing. Somehow she couldn’t gather words to say.

“Hello, is anyone there?”

“Good evening. This is Ci-...I mean, Mary. You know, the girl you met at the ball two and a half weeks ago?”

“Oh, hi! Hi, Mary. I didn’t think I’d ever talk to you again, to be honest. I thought you’d never call me.”

“I’ve just been busy with different things, I guess. But I wanted to know if you were available tonight? I know that it’s late, and-”

“No, that’s fine! I’d love to see you again, Mary.”

Cindi felt excited. She didn’t think that it would be possible to feel this way, because even though she had emotions, they weren’t shown the same way that a Human’s were. Her feelings were subdued to a certain extent. “Where should I meet you?”

“How about in front of the Commission Tower? I’m sure you’ve been in that area before.”

Cindi tried not to go around the Tower if she could help it. There were guards everywhere around there, and if she accidentally turned back into her regular appearance, she would be in a lot of trouble. Of all places for this man to want to meet up, he picked that one. But Cindi said nothing except, “That’s perfect. I’ll see you soon,” then pressed the button to hang up.

As she got closer to the Commission Tower, she got more scared. Guards talked amongst themselves and paid her no mind, but that didn’t keep her from worrying. Over and over again she fixed her clothes and practiced silently what she would say once Michael arrived.

“Hello, Mary.”

Cindi was taken completely by surprise as she turned around to see him standing there smiling. “Good evening, Sir Jackson.” Her eyes stayed fixed on his outfit, which consisted of an elegant white suit and top hat. She couldn't help but notice how handsome he looked.

“Please, call me Michael.” He handed her a violet rose. “This is for you.”

Cindi stared at the beautiful flower and took it. “Thank you, I’ve never seen a rose this color.”

“Queen Regina had them delivered to my apartment.”

Cindi wanted to roll her eyes at the thought of that wretched queen. “How do you both know eachother so well?”

“I visit her at her mansion from time to time.” Michael led her away from the tower and down a cobblestone street. Cindi was more than relieved to be away from there. “To be honest, I think she only wants me around to have me marry her daughter.”

“You mean Princess Amelia?” Cindi tried not to stare at him for that long, but she couldn't help it. He looked completely flawless in his suit

“Yes. Everytime I go over there to visit, the subject of Amelia is always being brought up. Don’t get me wrong, I think she’s a beautiful girl. Any man would be lucky to have her...but I’m just not interested.” They stopped and sat on the edge of an elegant fountain, admiring the scenery. This was definitely one of the wealthier sectors of Metropolis. 

“Have you told the queen that?” Cindi asked.

Michael sighed and shook his head. “No, I haven’t. Queen Regina is very nice, but I feel like if I don’t marry her daughter, she would do something cruel.”

“Michael, you should tell her that you feel this way. I can’t imagine being forced into a marriage like that. It must be terrible.”

“I’ll figure it out eventually.”

Suddenly in the far distance, there were a group of guards escorting an Android couple. They held them by their necks and kicked them every few minutes. Cindi had to fight the urge to become angry, but she could not help it. “I hate Humans...”

Michael turned to face her. “What did you say?”

“I hate Humans. I hate the way they- I mean we treat Androids.”

“Oh, I agree. We’re a vile species sometimes. Personally, I think Androids are very fascinating. In a way, I feel that they are people. They are much smarter than we as a society give them credit for.”

In that moment, Cindi felt nothing else but shock. She couldn’t believe that she would meet a Human who understood the struggle that her kind went through. Maybe he didn’t understand completely because he was never in that position, but he empathized well. “So...you don’t hate Androids?”

“No, god no! Of course not. I would love to meet one someday, but sadly Humans and Androids aren’t allowed to mingle casually with one another. It’s a shame. Something tells me that they can be very good artists, in fact I bet most of them are.”

“Do you really feel that way?”

Michael nodded. “I do. I think that if Humans got over their pride and accepted their flaws and misconceptions, we could do amazing things with Androids. We could build an entirely new Metropolis without there ever being any tension like there is now. I hate the way things are right now, and I wish I had the power to change it...but I’m only one person.”

“Michael, you can change things if you really want it bad enough.”

He laughed. “Mary, it’s a bit more complex than that. Sometimes only certain people can put things in order. In this case, Queen Regina is the rule-maker.”

“Maybe you can persuade her.”

“Oh, no!” Michael laughed. “I can’t do that. She hates Androids with a passion. No person ever mentions to her getting along with them, she’d lock them up for sure.”

Now that her and Michael knew eachother a bit better and now that she knew he was on her side, Cindi knew that she would eventually have to tell him the truth about her. If only you knew who I really was...what would you think of me then?