After school, Emma finally went with Diana to her house.
Emma saw something before arriving...
Diana's house. Nothing fancy.
Warm. Lived-in. Loud in a comfortable way.
The smell of food hit first.
"Lunch is almost ready!" a woman's voice called from the kitchen.
Diana grinned. "That's my mom."
They stepped inside.
Anna was at the stove, sleeves rolled up, hair tied back. She turned when she heard the door.
Her eyes immediately softened.
"…Emma?"
Emma gave a small, polite smile. "Hello, Aunt Anna."
Anna's face lit up. She walked over and gently held Emma's shoulders, looking her up and down like she always did.
"You've grown," she said warmly. "Still quiet. Still serious."
Emma nodded. "You haven't changed."
Anna laughed. "Liar."
At that moment, the front door opened again.
Heavy footsteps.
Diana's father walked in. Alexander, jacket over his arm, clearly just back from work.
He froze when he saw Emma.
"…Well, I'll be damned," he said, smiling. "If it isn't little Emma."
Emma bowed her head slightly. "Good afternoon, Uncle. Alex"
He chuckled. "Still polite. Diana, you could learn something."
Diana scoffed. "No thanks."
Alexander ruffled diana's hair anyway. "You dragging Emma into trouble again?"
Emma replied calmly, "She drags herself."
Anna laughed from the kitchen. "Lunch in ten minutes! Both of you, wash your hands."
Diana groaned. "Moooom."
Emma already headed for the sink.
They sat down together shortly after.
The table felt familiar.
Comfortable.
Like nothing had ever changed.
Alexander watched them quietly for a moment, then spoke.
"You two have been together since you were kids," he said. "Good to see that hasn't changed."
Emma nodded. "It hasn't."
Diana leaned back in her chair. "We're stuck together forever."
Anna smiled softly at that.
Emma didn't deny it.
For once, the world felt calm.
Just a normal lunch.
With family.
And a bond that didn't need explaining.
-----
Diana leaned back on the chair, balancing it on two legs like it was a life decision she fully believed in.
"Diana," Alexander warned, not even turning his head. "Sit properly."
"I got it," Diana said confidently. "Relax."
The chair slipped.
—CRASH.
Diana hit the floor.
Hard.
The room froze.
Anna gasped. "DIANA!"
Alexander was already halfway out of his seat. "Are you okay?!"
Emma stood instantly.
Diana blinked once.
Then sat up.
"…The chair betrayed me."
Silence.
Emma stared. "You fell. On your back."
Diana rolled her shoulders, then stood up like nothing happened.
"No pain," she said. "Chair lost. I won."
Alexander stared at the chair. "…That was a solid fall."
Anna rushed over, hands on Diana's arms. "Does anything hurt? Your back? Your head?"
Diana tilted her head. "Nope."
Emma knelt briefly, eyes sharp, checking her posture. No tremor. No hesitation. No tension.
"…You didn't even brace," Emma muttered.
Diana grinned. "Reflexes."
Alexander narrowed his eyes slightly. "…You're not normal, you know that."
Diana laughed. "You're just realizing now?"
Anna sighed, half relieved, half exasperated. "Sit. Properly. Both legs. On the ground."
Diana obeyed this time—
for about three seconds.
Emma calmly took the chair next to her and placed her foot against Diana's chair leg, preventing it from tipping.
Diana looked at her. "Wow. Overprotective."
Emma replied flatly, "Preventive."
They resumed eating.
Plates clinked.
Steam rose from the food.
Normal conversation resumed.
Then Alexander looked over at Emma casually.
"So," he said, calm but curious, "why don't you get a boyfriend?"
Silence.
Emma paused mid-bite.
Diana reacted instantly.
She scoffed loudly. "MY BEST FRIEND IS NOT GETTING A BOYFRIEND."
Everyone froze.
Anna blinked. "…Diana."
Alexander raised an eyebrow. "I was asking Emma."
Emma slowly put her chopsticks down.
"…I'm not opposed to the idea," she said calmly. "I just don't see the necessity."
Diana crossed her arms. "See? Logical."
Alexander leaned back slightly. "You've never been interested? Not even a little?"
Emma thought for a moment.
"…People are loud," she said.
Diana nodded aggressively. "EXTREMELY loud."
"And relationships require emotional noise," Emma continued. "I prefer quiet."
Anna smiled gently. "That's fair."
Alexander chuckled. "You always were like that."
Diana pointed at Emma. "Also, anyone who dates her has to go through me."
Emma glanced at her. "…That is not a requirement."
"Yes it is."
"No."
"Yes."
Anna laughed. "Diana, you sound like a guard dog."
"I AM," Diana said proudly. "A very loyal one."
Alexander shook his head, amused. "Poor guy."
Emma took another bite, unfazed.
"…I don't need a boyfriend to be content," she said simply.
Diana smiled wide. "EXACTLY."
Alexander nodded. "As long as you're happy."
Emma met his gaze. "…I am."
And Diana leaned back in her chair again—
—only for Emma to firmly hold it down without looking.
Diana grinned. "You love me."
Emma sighed. "…Eat your food."
Diana's room was exactly what Emma remembered.
Messy.
Clothes everywhere.
Random objects that made no sense together.
Diana kicked the door shut behind them. "Welcome to chaos."
Emma sat on the edge of the bed, quiet. Thinking.
"…Diana," she said.
"Yeah?"
"When we were heading here," Emma continued, voice low, "I saw something."
Diana turned. "What kind of something?"
"A robot," Emma said. "Not a toy. Not a costume."
Diana blinked. "…Robot robot?"
"Yes."
Silence.
Diana frowned, trying to picture it. "Like—metal? Walking?"
"Controlled movement. Artificial posture," Emma replied. "It blended in too well."
Diana crossed her arms. "That's weird."
Emma looked at the floor, thinking deeper now.
"…It could mean something," she said. "It didn't feel random."
Diana tilted her head. "You don't usually imagine things."
"I don't," Emma said immediately.
That made Diana uneasy.
Emma reached into her pocket, pulling out her phone.
"Should I call my dad?" she asked quietly.
Diana watched her carefully. "You only say that when you're serious."
Emma nodded once. "If there's advanced tech moving freely… that's not normal."
Diana smirked slightly, trying to lighten the mood. "Maybe it was a guy in a suit."
Emma looked up at her.
"…I checked," she said. "The joints didn't move like a human's."
Diana's smile faded.
"…Oh."
Emma's thumb hovered over the call button.
"If I'm wrong," Emma said, "we laugh about it."
"And if you're right?" Diana asked.
Emma met her eyes.
"…Then this town isn't as normal as we think."
The room felt quieter.
Even the mess seemed still.
Diana cracked her knuckles, eyes sharpening just a bit. "If it's a robot…"
She smiled.
"…It better behave."
Emma didn't smile back.
She made the call.
CHAPTER END