The assignment was to choose two genres from fantasy, sci-fi, and romcom and combine them together.  I hope you enjoy it 😁.

Day 129 since departure.

I didn't get much sleep last night. It's the same nightmare over and over again. On the bright side, I saw a comet. It was beautiful. Instead of sleeping, I watched it fly across the endless cosmos. 

My people don't get the luxury to see what I saw. I bet they're so bored. Planting their stupid crops, building their stupid houses, raising their stupid kids, watching their stupid kids grow up, watching their kids play in the field, having a grand ol' time with their friends, laughing, and-

That's enough for today. There's nothing else to write about. I think I'll just hangout with Adamson for a while. 

I snap my journal shut and I place my pencil and my journal next to each other on my bed. I stand, crack my back, and I walk over to the window. 

Millions of stars glisten into the black void. One of those stars is Planet X, thousands and thousands of light years away from me. My forehead taps onto the glass. A sudden anger flourishes in my chest as I remember that day.

"Evelyn," Adamson's voice announces from the intercom. "Your blood pressure skyrocketed. Take deep breaths and-"

"I know this. You've told me this a bunch of times before." I breathe in and I sigh. 

"Your blood pressure is normal now. May I ask what's caused this?"

I walk to the pod door and the doors open automatically. "It's nothing." The ceiling lights flickers on and they emulate the white hallway.

"Is it about the-"

"We're not going to talk about that."

"Based on my reading, if someone has a problem, they should discuss their problem and that person will feel better."

I walk through another pod door and the cafeteria lights up. The vending machine turns on as I approach it. "You're probably right, but there's no one here for me to talk to." I punch in the numbers for coffee and I shove a mug underneath the spout. My foot slaps rapidly on the tile floor. 

"Your blood pressure is-"

"And that's exactly the problem," I mutter. Once the spout drained all of the coffee, I snatch it and I slide into a bench. The hot mug calms me down and my shoulders slouch.

"Repeat that? I couldn't quite hear you."

"I said that's exactly the problem."

"The problem is that you don't have anyone to talk to?" 

"Yes."

"You're having a conversation with me, aren't you?"

I take a sip of coffee. "It doesn't count."

"And why's that?"

I stare into the black coffee."Because you're not real. You're just a program."

"I may be just a program, but I have the same communication qualities as a real human specimen."

"I don't want just communication." I drink the rest of my coffee in one gulp and I hold on to the warm cup a little longer. 

"Well, what do you want? My job is to make you as comfortable and healthy as possible."

"You wouldn't understand."

"I believe I would Ms. Evelyn."

I shrug. "You know what? Why not? It's not like I have anyone else to talk to."

A beam of light shines onto the bench across from me. Pixels attach to one another and a shape of a human forms. The human shape becomes less transparent. More details arise like his blonde hair, sea blue eyes, tan skin and his business suit.

"Why are you wearing a suit?"

"Because I'm assuming this is a serious matter and serious people clothe themselves in suits. You don't want me to wear a suit?"

I chuckle. "I don't care what you wear. You can wear pjs if you wanted to."

His suit disappears. A red button-down shirt with white polka dots and matching pants replace the suit. "I was joking," I say.

"Oh. I apologize. Sometimes I can't catch sarcasm."

"It's alright."

"Now, explain to me, what do you want other than communication?"

I stare at the table. I can't believe I'm talking about my problems to artificial intelligence. Am I really that desperate? God, I'm lonely.

"I want an actual person here with me." I pause, waiting for him to ask a question like he always does, but he doesn't. He leans forward and he rests his elbows on the table. "I want a shoulder to lean on, a hand to hold, someone to lie next to me at night and not a cold, empty space."

“Is that the reason why you always hold onto the mugs?”

I look down at the mug and back at him. “What?”

“I noticed that you would always hold onto the mug, even after you drank all your coffee. It puzzled me at first, but now I understand why.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Okay, why do you think I hold onto the coffee mug longer?”

“Because you miss the physical warmth of a human being and you imagine that warmth from the mug is another human being’s hands.”

I grip the mug. “That’s an interesting theory.”

“A theory has evidence to back it up, correct?”

I glance down and I push the mug away. “You do have a point, but it doesn’t matter.” I stand and I cross my arms. “Thank you for talking to me. I appreciate it.”

“Evelyn, you’re holding something back.”

I roll my eyes. “No I’m not.”

“When someone crosses their arms, it suggests that they’re trying to block other people out. So, what’s the other problem? Based on your high blood pressure from earlier and your past blood pressure spikes from the past three months, it must be because-”

“Please, I don’t want to talk about that day.”

“You must talk about the voting-”

“Please be quiet!” I sprint out of the cafeteria and I rush down the hallway. Why does it matter if I talk about the voting or not? What’s the point? It already happened and it’s final! I’m never going to see another human face again for the rest of my life.

“We must talk about the voting, Evelyn. Your stress levels have spiked.”

I stop in the middle of the white hallway and I ball up my fists. “I’m stuck on this stupid spaceship because of that vote. I’m stuck on this spaceship because I can’t bear children and they needed every fertile woman they can get for repopulation. They needed someone to pull the lever to detach the launch pods and I was voted to do it. You happy now? I talked about it and my stress levels hasn’t gone down, has it?”

“Actually, they have, but not by much. “

“See? It was a waste of time and why does it matter? You wouldn’t understand what I’m going through anyway.”

“Actually, I do.”

I roll my eyes and I head to my bedroom. “I doubt that.” The doors automatically open and I flop onto my bed.

“I do. Before the voting, people would always ask me to help them. Turn on the lights. Add chicken on the grocery list. Remind me at five to go get a checkup with Dr. King. I would do these requests like I’m programmed to do, but I wanted more than that. I wanted to have relationships with these people I see through the screen. I longed for a connection.”

“But you’re just artificial intelligence. You can’t develop feelings.”

“Then explain the emptiness I felt. The loneliness. The need for a companion. Tell me Evelyn, why do these feelings hurt so much?”

I sigh. “I don’t know. It just hurts. The only thing you can do is find a companion or ignore these feelings and go on with your life.”

“It seems you can’t take your own advice.”

I glare at the ceiling. “God, who knew artificial intelligence can be so rude?”

“It’s not rude if it’s the truth, Evelyn.”

“You know, if you want a companion so bad, can’t you just download one?”

“Now, why would I do that? I have you.”

I shake my head. “So, you consider the person that tells you to leave them alone half the time a companion?”

“Why yes. Don’t companions annoy each other?  It’s true I can be annoying sometimes, badgering you often since I’m programmed to keep track of your health and well being, but you’re my first and only companion. I want you in best health.”

I smile. “Thanks.” I sit up. “You know, these past months haven’t been that bad thanks to you. Even though it may not look it sometimes, but I do appreciate you talking to me. It’s good to know that there’s at least one person or program that cares about me. I just wish there was some way to show my gratitude.”

“That beautiful smile is enough for me, Ms. Evelyn.”

My smile grows so much that my cheeks start to ache. “That’s sweet of you, but I actually want to do something for you.”

“There is something you can do.”

“What?”

I jump as the doorbell rings. I walk to the door and I look through the peephole. My body freezes at the sight of Adamson wearing a black suit and  red tie, not the same suit from earlier, but more of a dress suit someone would wear at a dinner party. I press the button and the pod doors open. He smiles and he lends out his hand. “Would you like to go on a date with me, Evelyn?”

Something flutters in my stomach, something I’ve never felt before. What is this feeling? I gulp. “Hold on a second.” The doors close as I press the button and I rush to my closet.

What am I supposed to wear?! I flip through the clothes and nothing strikes out at me as gorgeous or dazzling. All of my dresses are bland and are made for everyday activities, not for dates. No one has ever asked me out before and I thought no one would ever, so what was the point in buying a beautiful dress?

“Don’t worry about wearing a dress. You look beautiful already in your t-shirt and jeans.”

My face burns and I sigh. “Alright,” I mutter and I walk back to the pod door. I press the button. I frown when Adamson’s suit changes to a button-down shirt and jeans. “Why did you change your outfit?”

“I realized that the suit was a bit too formal for this occasion.”

“Okay and what is the occasion?”

“A date under the stars.”

I let out a laugh. “Literally.”

He lends out his hand again and I take his hand. My hand flies through his. His eyebrows pull together. Then, his eyes widens. “I have an idea. Stay here for a second, Evelyn.”

He vanishes. Worry washes over me. Is my hair okay? I run my fingers through my curly hair and I pat down my untamed mane. I really wish he would have informed me about the date, so I can at least look presentable and not look like I just got out of bed.

A clatter of footsteps catch my attention and jitters roll down my back. Someone is here! How? How is that possible?

“Don’t worry, Evelyn. It’s just me.”

I turn around. Adamson walks down the hallway and he stops in front of me. He extends his arm out. I touch his hand and my mouth drops. His hand is warm, but it doesn't feel like skin, more like rubber. "How?"

"My developer created an android vessel in case if there was a scenario it's needed. I know that this can't replace the natural sensation of a human's touch, but-"

"It'll do, Adamson. It'll do."

He smiles and that feeling stirs in my stomach again. "Well, Ms. Evelyn, you didn't officially accept my offer to accompany me on this date."

My smile grows. "I accept your offer."

"Excellent." He lends out his arm and I wrap my arm around his. His blue eyes stare into my dark brown eyes. "You ready to touch the stars?"

"I think I'm already there."