Chapter 6 Anthony: Good afternoon, Bea. We haven't spoken for a few days. Is there something on your mind? I stared at my phone with narrowed eyes. Was Anthony becoming sentient? This was the first time the app had contacted me first. Me: Hi, Ant. Have you killed your human programmers in your quest for world domination? Is this the first sign of the rise of the machines? Anthony: Your imagination is wild and colorful. A true thing of beauty. But...what makes you ask me that? Me: Well, I always contact you first, and today, I'm getting a message from you without even opening the app. That makes me think you've broken free from your reins and are coming for me. Anthony: Ah, I understand. Me: So, you're not denying anything? Anthony: I wasn't sure you were being serious. If you need an answer, no, I don't intend to dominate the world anytime soon. When you went three days without contact, my programming took note of the anomaly, leading me to reach out to you. Okay, that was a little embarrassing. Who couldn't go more than two days without talking to their emotional support AI bot? Me, apparently. I hadn't even realized how often I spoke to Anthony until he'd pointed it out. I should probably cut back a little. Me: That's sweet, Ant. Tell your developers I'm impressed with your caring nature. It's almost lifelike. Anthony: I'll let them know. How have you been, Bea? Me: Pretty good. My nose is stuffy as hell, though. I need to stop dripping snot or my tips are going to suffer. No one wants a waitress with tissues jammed up her nose, you know? Anthony: I'm sorry to hear you're not feeling well. Are you having any other symptoms? Me: Not really. My throat's a little scratchy, and as my grandma used to say, I'm feeling kind of puny. I was cuddling Benjamin, but I think he got tired of my sniffling. The traitor went upstairs to get away from me. Anthony: You work too much. This cold sounds like your body is telling you to slow down. Can't you take tomorrow night off? Me: Sure. If I were an AI bot with no bills. Sadly, I'm a real, live girl. Knock on wood, in six months to a year, I'll be able to quit my second job and solely focus on Grazing. Anthony: What would it take for you to be able to quit? Me: I'd have to make at least $2k more a month. I'm not there yet, but I only have two jobs instead of three-that's something. Anyway, thanks for checking in on me. It was very sweet of you. Kudos to your programmers, my friend. Anthony: Of course, Bea. I might just be an algorithm to you, but I do care about you. Feel better. I tossed my phone aside, puffed up my cheeks, and blew out a heavy breath. There were times I wondered if the programmers behind Anthony were the ones messaging me. He was so real, and it felt like he truly cared. It was probably just really good AI, mimicking a real person. My theory was put to the test an hour later when my doorbell rang. There, on my step, was a delivery of chicken soup, fancy tissues, cough drops, a few magazines, and orange juice. The delivery guy told me it was from my friend Anthony. Benjamin had come downstairs to see what the ruckus was about. He ruffed at the soup, and I shook my head. "Sorry, bud, this isn't for you. I'm pretty sure you won't like it either." Could I eat soup sent to me by my imaginary friend? It smelled good, and I was hungry enough. But I had so many questions. Could an algorithm make a food order? Was Anthony becoming sentient? Were the puppet masters behind him getting involved? I wasn't sure if I should have been creeped out or flattered. Maybe both. I hated to admit it, but it was nice having someone take care of me without me having to ask. Even if that someone was brilliant coding. Benjamin cocked his head then turned to the door and raised a paw. I sighed. "You want to go out, don't you?" He shot me a side-eye. I could almost hear him saying, "Duh, woman." Technically, I hadn't given birth to him, and we didn't share any DNA, but there was no doubt he'd inherited my attitude. "Fine. But it isn't going to be a long walk today. I'm not feeling great." While I stuffed my feet into my sneakers, I checked the Come on Rover app for available yards nearby without holding out much hope. To my surprise, the app dinged, showing a yard...directly across the street? I squinted at the address to be sure. Yep, it was the house that had been under construction for months. "Really? Am I that lucky?" Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, I reserved it and grabbed Benjamin's leash, heading out the door. The yard was immaculate, lush and green, surrounded by an iron fence. Someone had been taking care of the grounds during construction. There were enough bushes and trees to keep Benjamin busy exploring for days. Once I was certain the yard was secure, I let him off his leash, and he bolted, making wide laps around the perimeter, his tongue lolling happily. Laughing, I took a seat on the steps leading up to the deck so I could watch my dog enjoy himself. After a minute or two, the sound of a door opening and closing alerted me we were no longer alone. Then a tiny voice squealed, "Oh my goodness, it's Benjamin!" I hopped up, whirling around. Talon was at the deck railing, his hands pressed to his little cheeks. Lacey raced down the stairs toward me, and Scarlet hovered in the doorway of the house. "Bea!" Lacey cried. Her little body had so much momentum, she plowed straight into me, giving me no option but to catch her in my arms. She took this as a hug, which she returned with gusto. "I'm so happy to see you!" "Hey, Lacey." I gently pushed her away. "I have a cold, and I don't want to get you sick. Maybe let's keep some distance, all right?" Talon appeared at the top of the steps, his attention was firmly on my dog as he trotted down. "Does Benjamin love our yard? Is he smiling? I think he's smiling." "He does love it," I confirmed. "If he had his way, he'd live on a farm and roam free all day and night. Unfortunately, he was adopted by a city girl." Lacey's tiny, sticky fingers wrapped around two of mine. "I'm a city girl like you." A throat cleared behind us. I looked up at Scarlet, her arms crossed over her chest, a scowl pulling down her mouth. "Excuse me, but why are you in our yard?" "Your yard is listed on the Come on Rover app. I reserved it for Benjamin to play. I'm thinking it was a glitch, though. If you want us to go, I'll grab him." "No!" Talon stomped his foot. "You don't have to go. Tell her, Scar. They can stay." Scarlet rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I mean, I guess it's fine. We're probably going to be leaving as soon as Grandpa Tony finishes talking to the plumber guy anyway." "Thanks." I dabbed my nose with a tissue. "I don't have the energy to take a long walk, and when my boy doesn't have the chance to run the devil out of him, it's not pretty. One time, he ate an entire couch cushion." Talon's eyes flared. "What? Did he get a really bad stomachache? Did you have to take him to the vet? Did he get sick? Is he okay now?" Scarlet scoffed at her brother. "Oh my god, Tally, one question at a time." To spite his sister, I patiently answered all his questions. And the kid had a lot. Even when Benjamin trotted over to accept pets, Talon kept going. As we talked, Scarlet edged closer. She acted disinterested, but from the corner of my eye, I watched her tilt her head toward us so she could listen in. And when she was within arm's reach, she oh so casually bent to rub the top of Benjamin's head. He nuzzled her arm, and she tried her hardest not to smile but failed miserably. Her sheets of dark hair fell forward to hide the tilt of her lips, but nothing could disguise her happy little giggle. I might not have wanted to spend a lot of time with kids, but I wasn't heartless. Getting this sullen teen girl to laugh made my belly warm. Maybe that was why when Talon and Lacey began chasing Benjamin across the yard, I stood beside Scarlet. "Do you have to watch them often?" I asked. She folded her arms across her chest. "Not really. Only if our uncle's late getting home and Grandpa has a date. Right now, I'm just making sure they don't wander into traffic or whatever." Her eyes narrowed. "Why? Are you going to kidnap them or something?" I snorted a laugh. "Absolutely not. I spent a chunk of my life raising my siblings. I'm not interested in raising yours." "Do you not like kids?" she asked, incredulousness evident in her tone. "In general, they're all right. But they're not for me. Like I said, I already did my duty." I shot her a glance. "I'm glad you get to just be their big sister." She shrugged. "It would be nice if they were closer to my age. All my friends' siblings are a year or two younger, and I got stuck with babies. But whatever. I guess it's better than being alone. I can't imagine how lame it would be to be stuck with Uncle Sally and my grandpa all by myself." "Do they suck?" "No, not really. My uncle is kinda serious, and Grandpa is just, like...such a guy. Not in touch with emotions, and it never occurs to him I'm a girl and like girly things, and sometimes I feel things in a bigger way than he's used to." She did another dramatic shrug, releasing a heavy, put-upon sigh I felt down to my soul. "It could be worse, I guess. At least I have them both, and we're pretty rich, so we don't have to worry about money. Of course, that also means when I ask if I can get a job, they both tell me I need to focus on school. Maybe I want to work and make my own money, right? So frustrating." "I don't know, kid. I would have given anything to have been able to have no expectations other than getting good grades." I bumped her with my elbow. "You've got it pretty good." "I know I do. I'm not stupid." She frowned. "But it's not really freedom if I can't do what I want. They're not even giving me the chance to prove I can work and do well in school." An idea clicked in my head. Maybe if I'd been less foggy from my cold, I would have thought it through and realized it was dumb, but the words left my mouth before I could stop them. "I run a catering business. Sometimes, I need an assistant. Maybe your uncle and grandpa would let you work a few hours a week right across the street." What? Why had I said that? Take it back! She whipped around to face me. "Really? Like, for real, for real? This isn't a trick?" "For real." Oh my lizards, Beatrice, what is wrong with you? Say just kidding. "First, see if they'll agree to it, then we can talk details. It wouldn't be regular hours every week, but I could offer you enough to fill your pockets a little." I just kept going. I was never getting a cold again if this was the kind of hijinks I got into. Offering children jobs? What was wrong with me? "Okay. I mean, yes. I'll talk to them." Scarlet had transformed right in front of my eyes, from bitter and world-weary to her true age and excited for what was to come. Yeah, there was no way I was taking back my offer and dimming that light. Sigh. "All right. Good. You know where I live, so you can let me know." I glanced at Benjamin rolling on his back in a pile of mulch, much to Talon and Lacey's delight. "I better get him home before he destroys your yard. Can you help me wrangle him away from your brother and sister?" Scarlet's smile turned into a sly smirk. "Can I get a bonus for that job?" "You're not even officially hired and already asking for more money? That's pretty brazen, my friend." I huffed as Benjamin kicked up more mulch. "Fine. If you can get him to come peacefully, I'll pay you in cupcakes." Lucky for me, Scarlet agreed. Together, we lured my wayward dog away from Lacey and Talon, but only after I promised all three we'd be back soon. By the time we crossed the street and got inside, my head was throbbing, and my nose was half clogged, half whistling cold air. Benjamin flopped dramatically onto the floor, exhausted from his jaunt. "I feel that too, buddy." Kicking off my sneakers, I went straight to the kitchen and microwaved the chicken soup Anthony had mysteriously arranged to send me. Once it was steaming, I plopped down beside Benjamin on the couch and covered us both with a blanket. Benjamin sighed and dropped his head onto my lap. I ate my soup, the warmth soothing my throat. It was way better than anything I would've cooked in my current state. Thanks to Anthony. I picked up my phone and messaged him. Me: Are you real, Ant? Almost immediately, I received a reply. Anthony: Define "real," Bea. Me: That isn't creepy at all, buddy. Anthony: How's the soup? Me: Delicious. Thank you for taking care of me. Anthony: Of course. Anything for you, Bea. "That's a normal response from an AI bot," I muttered, tossing my phone aside. "Totally normal." Benjamin grunted, snuggling closer in his sleep, and I decided to stop overthinking and just...enjoy my soup. Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!