Elizabeth dug through the garbage for anything she could make into shoes. There were plenty of old roller skates…. It was going to have to do. Baby couldn’t take another day sitting in the rain, and they needed to get on the move to find Dad. Baby sat slumped near a dumpster, mesh, wires, and other bits lay exposed. She was humming one of the songs she was supposed to perform.
“Good news, bad news.” Elizabeth hopped out of the dumpster, her hands filled with metal parts and small wheels. “Good news, I found enough metal to make you shoes.”
“Bad news?” Baby’s voice became so much quieter ever since Elizabeth had to give her a new voice box.
“They have to be roller skates.”
“What? But- but- Elizabeth I can’t-” Baby pleaded, her voice echoed with a tiredness that only Elizabeth could understand. Elizabeth frowned and started to look around.
“Then we’ll have to get you lessons.” She points to a flyer for a roller skating rink. It was only about a block away from their current location.
“But if someone sees me….”
“We don’t have a choice Baby, we need to get to my Dad. He made you, he can fix you!”
Baby stood on her half-made legs, stumbling to the wall with the address. She used one hand to take down the poster and hide it against her body. “There, now we’ll have the plus one deal.”
Elizabeth beamed and hugged her robot. Baby nearly collapsed, but was able to stand up again. Baby started to scale the wall. Her metal body shuddered with each motion as she climbed to the roof. Elizabeth walked into the streets.
People paid no mind to Elizabeth, even as she stole their wallets. Humans pay so little attention to anything!
Baby jumped from roof to roof, her weight and unstable body threatening her with every step. She was a lot slower than Elizabeth and took an extra two hours to reach her in the alley next to the roller rink.
Elizabeth lays out her scrap metal and gets to work. Baby closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of Elizabeth working on her. The robot’s mind went back to when she was going to be on stage.
It was a wonderful day… she was covered in glitter, and she smelled like birthday cake. Her real purpose, the reason Elizabeth was killed, didn’t even function as intended. None of them got to use their bodies to do the Boss’s work.
“Language.” Baby snapped. The Puppet told her she needed to be more forceful with her child… that was years ago. It felt so long since she got to see Charlotte, Puppet, or anyone else.
That’s all she truly was.
Ever since Ennard spit her out…….
“Baby…” Elizabeth gently tapped the robot’s face.
Baby opened her dull eyes to see her legs. The same ceramic-plastic hybrid was covering her left leg, and the right calf. It was already chipping and breaking, but it will do. The ceramic-plastic on her left thigh was white with some orange plating, and the left calf was red and orange. Her right thigh was the same red and orange, the calf exposed.
Her knee caps are now red knee pads with some red metal at the end. Metal and mesh made the rest of her legs and feet stable enough to walk freely.
On the baby’s feet were strange gray and orange roller skates. Strange metal strips were protruding from the skate and her food.
“Let me help you up.” Elizabeth was already shoving Baby to her feet. The robot used the wall to stabilize herself. Elizabeth grabbed the robots and dragged herself easily inside the building. As soon as the ground was carpet Baby could walk normally.
The woman at the counter watched as Baby walked toward her, her eyes wide with horror. Elizabeth was now shorter than Baby by a good 6-8 inches. Elizabeth pulled out her money and laid it on the counter. “I need Roller skates for me and that should cover the lessons.”
Baby pulls out the poster. “You had a deal on roller skate lessons.” She says in her ‘mom voice’. The woman, with shaky legs ran into an employees-only room.
Elizabeth cocks her head. “Ugh, I hate living as a human. I wish I were a ghost again.”
“You’re still a ghost. You’d be over 50 at this point.” Baby tucks some orange-blonde hair behind Elizabeth’s ear. She didn’t have a right hand, so her left one will do. Soon enough three people walk out of the employees' only room. Baby saw her ghost tense.
Elizabeth had to ditch her fancy clothes for a baggy T-shirt and jean shorts. She hated it. All of the living humans look up at Baby with horror. “Good lord.” The oldest man looks between the two of them.
“I’m Elizabeth, and I wanted to learn how to roller skate with my robot. That shouldn’t be a problem, I paid.”
Baby holds up the flyer. The oldest man shoves a young boy toward Elizabeth. “You can teach ‘em, Ryder! They’re good-paying customers.”
“Great! I need skates, my robot already has some.”
“Ye-yeah, I can get you fitted.” He walks over to a set of double doors. Pushing them open to see a good chunk of people stop to look at them.
All of them looked at Elizabeth with anger and at Baby with fear. “Hey guys! This is, uh-”
“I’m Elizabeth, and this is Baby! We’re here to learn roller skating!” Elizabeth smiles. “So I hope you guys can show us a little love and care.” She flashes one of her smiles that always makes the boys crazy.
Ryder brings Elizabeth to a cubby with a bunch of roller skates. She gets her shoe size and Ryder puts on his skates. Baby noticed that his cheeks were a shade of pink.
“So the first thing we need to learn is how to do gentle glides. Roller skates require even weight distribution, and you need to have your knees bent the entire time. Let’s practice some simple glides.”
Baby mastered the little glides much faster than Elizabeth. The ghost had no weight to her, and couldn’t rely on just gravity. Elizabeth got up for the millionth time and cursed.
“Language.” Baby tried to use her stern voice. Elizabeth glared at her.
“It’s okay Elizabeth, why don’t… why don’t we take a break?” Ryder’s ears turned red, and he walked off.
“You just forgot that humans have a lot of weight.” That got Baby a dirty look. “I mean all humans do. Roller skating… It’s a little fun.”
“What’s fun about watching me fall!” Elizabeth snapped. She got an adorable angry face.
“We should just leave and I’ll find you some new feet.” Elizabeth tried to walk off, forgetting to take off her skates, and she fell flat on her face. Baby helps up her ghost. Elizabeth’s eyes start to water and she looks away from Baby.
“This is to get to the boss- I mean, your Dad. He’ll be so proud of the work that you’ve done. It’s not over… you’ve come so far. And… don’t you want to cave in Mike’s skull?”
This got Elizabeth to stand back up. “Fine……… this is still stupid.”
“You just need to add weight to your body.” Baby smiles, not that her face moved.
Ryder came back with nachos. Elizabeth looked at the food with interest. “What’s this for?”
“I- uh- I figured you could use a little energy. Then maybe we can get on the rink?” The man smiles. Baby helps Elizabeth to a nearby table.
The ghost slowly ate the food, holding back whatever urges she had to eat it like the child she should be. Elizabeth dabbed her face with a napkin. “Thank you, Ryder.”
“It’s nothing!” He waves her off, the crimson coming back to his face. Baby looks at the rink. The tile is a nice glossy white, looking a bit like a track. Whenever people would pass the newcomers they would glare.
“I don’t think they want us on the rink.” Baby motions to the next set of angry faces.
“They’re just a little protective! That’s all! I promise that they’re nice.”
“Right….” Baby narrowed her eyes, and the people stopped looking at her.
After a little more practice with Elizabeth, they got on the rink. Everyone tried to ignore and avoid them. “So- uh- where are you guys from?”
“Around.” Elizabeth interrupts. Baby gently moved her skates. Life Itself started to play over the speakers, and Baby matched its speed. Her movements were never graceful, but they always had a certain aura of power. She did miss the Puppet and all of their conversations. As the song felt faster, her strokes became faster. She zoomed past everyone, weaving in between pairs and superpassing everyone in laps. Her speed was monumentally faster than any human could ever go.
“BABY!” Elizabeth shouted. Baby was jolted back to the present and looked back. The robot violently hit a wall and collapsed over it. Nothing hurt, nothing ever hurt. She was broken. Baby lay on the ground in embarrassment.
Elizabeth jumped over the wall and cradled Baby’s head. “Baby! Baby! Please, please, please still work.” Baby looked away and Elizabeth sighed in relief. “Thank God you’re okay! It’s fine, nothing looks too broken. I can fix it.”
Baby said nothing as Elizabeth sat her up. Ryder came over. “Are you two okay?!?”
“Baby is fine. I just need to fix her.
annaxmalina
baratheonpilled
pixelskylines
dededos
blakekathryn
stormborns
