Capítulo 7: CHAPTER 7
Approaching the Kings Bridge, Jeonguk and Aurora stood hand in hand watching as hundreds of people traveled on and off the bridge. Aurora was amazed by how diverse the races were. They ambled to the entrance of the bridge, standing off to the side. They observed as so many people continuously walked nonchalantly.
"I've never been on a bridge before…" Aurora tells Jeonguk. He looked at her. "Are you glad we came here?"
Aurora didn't know whether or not if this was a moment in her life she should mark as special. But being that she had someone to share it with, why not? She nodded and smiled.
Jeonguk and Aurora proceeded to follow the mass crowd. Aurora went to the right side of him so that she can keep peering over the ledge. Below them were cars commuting to and fro. There were unceasing indistinct conversations taking place and honking from vehicles blending into the ambience. Jeonguk pulls Aurora along to quicken her pace. Wondering why he was in a sudden rush, she questioned him. But Jeonguk as usual, didn't say much in these situations. Aurora tried to slow him down by pulling his hand with both of hers. "Wait!" She pleaded.
Jeonguk slew down a bit to look at her. "Let's quicken our pace."
"Why?"
"These people are moving too slow. I believe the best part of the bridge is towards the middle."
"The middle…?" Aurora muttered.
Jeonguk let's go of her hand to lead the way. "Stay close," He requests.
As he moved out of the walking lane, Jeonguk swiftly jets onto the bike lane, making a ready to go ahead of a mob of slow travelers. Aurora tried to follow behind closely, only to be aggressively honked at by a biker. Jeonguk hastily shoved her out of harm's way, causing her to hit her back on the wall. The biker sped past, calling her an idiot and kept biking away. The girl winced in pain. Her height was already bad enough. But unfortunately, her back collided with one of the metal nuts that were sticking out of the wall.
Once there were no more bikes passing, Jeonguk hurried to her and touched her back. "I am sorry. But if I had not pushed you, that man would have hurt you worse."
"It's fine…" She hissed through the stinging sensation. "…It'll go away."
Jeonguk began to exercise kindness, placing his hand on her back and began to rub it gently. Aurora appreciated his gesture. Pulling her straight on her feet, Aurora clenched onto the back of his shirt. Jeonguk supported Aurora, guiding her towards the halfway point of the bridge.
When they finally reached, Aurora was curious to see where they stood now. Her back was already feeling better, and so she decided to leave Jeonguk's care and hurry over to the ledge. Her eyes widened with fear and she jumped back. "Water?!"
Jeonguk caught her before she knocked over a little child.
Aurora clenched her toes and grabbed onto Jeonguk's shirt panicking.
Jeonguk didn't understand what was the problem until Aurora speedily told him that she's never stood so high above water before. Jeonguk hugged her, forcing her to follow him back to the ledge. He peered over looking before. "It's not that bad."
"You're so full of it." Aurora barked. Cursing under her breath, she ducked her head into his chest and exhaled excessively.
Jeonguk took it as one of Aurora's panic attacks and submitted to her needs. "I'll proceed with taking you off this bridge." Jeonguk eased her way from the ledge, guiding her along.
"I'm sorry…" Aurora trembled. "…I've never been good with heights or water much…"
"I believe that is a common fear most humans have."
As they walked along, they were now walking on top of a boardwalk. It creaked every now and then, adding to Aurora's anxiety. Jeonguk promised her that she would be safe no matter what. Trying to ignore her heavy breathing, Aurora nods, allowing Jeonguk to comfort her soul. Many people turned their eyes to see them and would whisper incredulously. Aurora couldn't figure out why everywhere she went, people were talking about them. Perhaps they recognize him, Aurora thought. That made her even more uneasy—to the point of nausea.
Shaking her head, she forced her negative emotions to leave her mind. They both reached the bottom of the bridge, relieving Aurora of her pain. Letting her go, Jeonguk softly took her shoulder and got on one knee. "Are you alright now?"
Some females covered their mouth in awe. They kept on whispering to each other that he might be proposing to her, but that was most definitely not the case.
"Yeah, I'm much better now." Aurora nods. "Thank you for being patient with me."
Jeonguk's eyes lit up. Patience…of course. "Of course," He bows, erecting himself.
The girls frowned in disappointment. "False alarm…"
As they continued along, Aurora and Jeonguk met a fork in the road. Aurora wasn't too sure of which path they should take. The left side led down a ramp and eventually to stairs, as the right path led to a lingering slope that stretched a mile more. Aurora asked Jeonguk which path did he think was reasonable. Jeonguk examined both paths, concluding that it would be best to just ask someone else. He asked a couple which route would lead them to a train to head back to The North Sea. They answered that the right path will.
Jeonguk took Aurora along. As they finally reached the end of the path, Aurora scoffed grumpily, "Well, finally the bridge ended! Why the hell does it linger all the way to the intersection?!"
Jeonguk looks around. In the distance, he saw Hay Street.
"Hay Street is down this way," He leads.
Aurora felt eyes on her as she began to follow him. Turning around abruptly, she plastered on a nonfriendly face and glared at the police officers that gave her a certain look. She felt uncomfortable by the way their eyes roamed over her body. Turning away, she hurried to Jeonguk and grabbed his hand. Jeonguk thought that Aurora was slowing him down, so he slowed his pace.
The girl glanced back once more to see if the cops were still eyeing her. Their eyes were lingering and they grinned at each other. Aurora grimaced at their crude behavior, holding Jeonguk's hand even tighter. After reaching Hay Street, they hurried across and walked for about fifteen minutes until they reached another train station. "I believe this is the station we need."
"Are you sure?" Aurora questions doubtfully.
"Would you like me to double check?"
"Yes, please."
"Okay," Jeonguk and Aurora went downstairs, seeing that there were no TTA operators around.
"Great…" Aurora sighs. Before she had a chance to suggest, Jeonguk was already asking other people for directions. They gladly informed him that the A Train would lead them to The North Sea.
"So, we have to jump the turnstiles, again." Aurora frowned
Jeonguk nodded. "Yes."
Aurora sighed, dragging herself to the turnstile. Sticking her head out, she looked around to see if any cops were watching. She hops over, catching the hem of her dress before it flew any higher. Jeonguk proudly followed behind her. Worried that she was becoming a bad influence on him, Aurora told Jeonguk that today would be the last time they jumped any turnstile. Jeonguk didn't see what the problem was. They were only doing what they needed to do in order to get home—according to his intelligence.
"Alright."
"Thank you," Aurora bowed. "So, which side are we taking?"
"We need the train that goes towards Euclid Avenue." Jeonguk points to the staircase on the right. "This way."
As they got down, the train arrived. They hopped on, but there weren't any seats available. People were already commenting on the both of them. Aurora rolled her eyes. When the doors shut, she turned and face Jeonguk to ignore all of the nosy passengers. The train was a bit crowded, so Aurora held onto Jeonguk's pockets. Some ladies thought that Aurora was trying to feel him up in public and they called her out on it. Aurora was baffled, snapping her head to them. "Excuse me?"
The women relentlessly accused her of sexually harassing the young man. Looking them up and down, Aurora paused, then guffawed. "Excuse my rudeness, but this is my AI," She boasts. "I have all the right to touch him—and first of all, I was not touching him in any sexual manner. There is no space for me to hold on to anything, and so I'm holding onto his pockets. So, mind your damn business you old hags."
The women went into an uproar, agitating other riders in the car. Aurora didn't realize how beastly people could be on transportation. They got up, ready to attack Aurora, but Jeonguk swiftly pulled Aurora behind him, getting in front of the ladies. "I'm going to have to refrain you three from getting any closer," He warned.
The women were trying to get around Jeonguk, but he refused to let any one of them near the girl.
Everybody was pulling out their phones, waiting for something crazy to happen. When the train stopped, Jeonguk bumped Aurora out of the train. Aurora regained her balance, bumping onto a steel beam. Jeonguk was about to shove the women away, but Aurora speedily grabbed him and yanked him out of the car, allowing the double doors to shut smoothly. The women banged on them, cursing violently to every onlookers' dismay. Jeonguk stared at the women as the train went ahead and left the station.
"Great…" Aurora held her forehead feeling even more aggravated. "…everyone just loves picking fights whether or not I look homeless or not."
"Humans are interesting creatures," Jeonguk expressed. "Were they only acting like that because they were attracted to me?"
Startled by that idea, Aurora sighs and closes her eyes. "Who knows…nowadays, women will retaliate about anything if they want some guy, so…"
"Interesting."
Aurora and Jeonguk waited for a while for another train to arrive. When it reached, it was less crowded and more seats were present. Aurora was glad that they got off. She could use a seat right now. Once they sat down, Aurora subconsciously laid her head on Jeonguk's shoulder. Closing her eyes, she was hoping to feel some serenity for the ride—at least just for the rest of their ride.
Jeonguk sat obediently, allowing her to rest. He knew that Aurora had a long day, and was finally understanding why Aurora was the way she was. It was almost as though everyone could see right through her—like as if they knew she was poor all her life. Jeonguk began to wonder once more if it was because of him that she was being harassed.
A man watched them with his leg crossed over the other. He had no shame in giving the two of them a very unsettling look. Jeonguk turned to give the man his attention, giving him a very neutral stare. As the man's leg bounced up and down, he got up, walking over to them. The train car was very empty and the man wanted to start something.
Putting his arm on Aurora, Jeonguk looked up at the man, ready to defend her.
"You look very familiar."
Jeonguk didn't say a word.
"Don't you belong to them…whatcha ma call them…" The man tapped his chin. "…the Roulettes?"
"…Roulettes?" Jeonguk muttered.
"Yeah, them rich folks that lives all the way in the Jewish Neighborhood near Blackatman Beach?"
Jeonguk's system began to search through his memory files to see who this man was referring to. It rang a bell somewhere, but because he was originally shut off for a while, it was hard for his circuit work to process the name. "…no." Jeonguk answered.
The man shrugged. "Well, it was worth asking. You really look like their android. I forgot his name, but they are often on television. Oh well, I guess they really do base androids off of real persons." The man went back to sit down, continuing his quiet ride.
Jeonguk stared at the ground, contemplating what the man told him. His arm lowered from Aurora, leaving her to stay asleep.
"Roulettes…" Jeonguk repeats in a whisper. "…my owner?"
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