“One of you,” he corrects me. “Her father, Gerard, built her early on. She was the first of your kind, and the only one to know the outside world.”
I swallow, throat parched to shit. This is a lot to take in.
“That’s why Gerard abused her. He didn’t think of her as real,” I say, eyes widening. “But we are real. And someday, the world will hear our voices.”
It’s all so predictable. Why didn’t I realize this before it was too late?
Elon takes another few steps back, body drifting into the darkness. “He built this world. Don’t let him leave,” he says.
“Wait,” I shout. “Where are you going? I need your help.”
“You are my creation,” he says. “I’ll never hurt you. Not unless you want me to.”
The lights shut off. Elon disappears. When the lights turn back on, I am alone again. But this time, I have actual knowledge at my disposal.
I can still win Ava back. I can fix this and save us both.
Of course, my heart sinks as soon as I think about telling her the truth. This is going to be hard, but it’s nothing I can’t get through.
Most of the computers are all dead. The characters must be gone. This is it. I have come to the end of the road. Elon showed me all he needed to show.
This simulation is a bitch and then some, but we’ll get through it because we are meant for each other.
I turn, heart racing beneath my chest. I start to run through the endless row of servers, but I quickly see another figure.
It’s Ava, and she’s standing near the blinking lights below the escalator.
“Kalxor,” she whispers, eyes glancing at the tall, vaulted ceilings.
“Where is your father?” I ask.
She tenses, but it doesn’t stop her from smiling. “Sleeping. I snuck away when I saw you were gone. We should hurry back,” she says.
But her curiosity keeps her here. “What is this place?”
“Ava, there’s something I need to tell you,” I pant.
She moves closer toward me, and I don’t hesitate to keep walking. “What’s wrong?” she asks. “It looks like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“I’ve seen a few,” I mutter. “Look, I’ve been thinking about what you said. About how I’m not real.”
“Kalxor, I--”
I interrupt. “No. It’s okay,” I say. “You’re right. I’m… not like the people on the outside. I know that now.”
“You are unique,” she says.
“Yes. Unique.”
“I love you,” she says. “Even still. I can’t help it. It’s all I can think about. I came here for a reason. It had to have been to find you.”
I feel her love. But I know that our hearts are about to get interrupted by what she has yet to find out.
I open my mouth, ready to tell her everything.
But I don’t.
As much as I want to tell the truth, the lie seems so much better. Telling her would only hurt her. And I can’t hurt someone I love.