Family Ties by Sarah Richman

Author:Sarah Richman [Richman, Sarah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: AI, AI High, Artificial Intelligence, Darby Creek, Fiction, High School, Hi-Lo, Hi-Lo Fiction, Robot, Robots, Sci Fi, Science Fiction, Young Adult Science Fiction, Science, Science & Technology, Technology, Social Themes, Prejudice, Racism, Family, Family & Relationships, family ties, Friendship, Sarah Richman
Publisher: Lerner Publishing Group
Published: 2019-08-02T00:00:00+00:00

7

Julie walked the seventeen-and-a-half blocks home from Leila’s house instead of taking the bus, hoping that the extra time would help her clear her head or at least process what had just happened.

It didn’t.

As the sun sank down below the string of houses, her mind moved slowly like molasses. Julie barely saw the blocks of sidewalk beneath her feet or registered the cross streets as she passed them.

Finally, she found herself in front of her house. She trudged up her front walkway and unlocked the door with shaking fingers.

Go home, human.

She had come so far with Leila, Ruth, and Trevor, and now it was probably over. As she threw her keys in the bowl in the foyer, she couldn’t shake the image of Leila’s face, cold and flat with anger. It was like her face was burned into the back of Julie’s eyelids.

When she walked into the living room and saw her parents sitting on the floor, surrounded by poster paper and arts and crafts supplies, it took a second for her brain to readjust.

“Hey, honey,” said her mom, trimming some ribbon. “How was media club?”

“Huh?”

“You said that you were staying late to look over some scripts or something?”

“Oh right,” said Julie. “Um, not bad.”

Technically, that’s true, she thought. It wasn’t bad. It was horrendous.

Julie couldn’t remember the last time anyone but her had taken those arts and crafts supplies out of the bin in the basement. The last time she had used them, it was for sprucing up her poster for the eighth grade science fair.

Her mom looked up. “Have you eaten? There’s leftover pizza in the fridge, if you want some.”

Julie shook her head. “Thanks, but I’m not hungry.”

“Pass me that black marker?” her dad asked her mom.

“Sure thing.” Her mom tossed it over.

“What are you guys doing?” Julie asked. She tilted her head, reading the large blue poster paper sitting on the floor.

His large, blocky letters spelled out ANDROIDS, GO HOME.

“We’re getting ready for a protest at the prom,” said her mom. She put down the ribbon and the pair of scissors she had been holding. “Something we should have done a long time ago.”

Her dad turned the period on his sign into an exclamation point.

Julie cocked her head. “At prom? My school’s prom?” She rubbed her eyes. “What are you talking about?”

“We’ve been talking with the Human Citizen’s Council about what’s been going on at your school,” her dad said. Her stomach twisted at how excited he looked. “And we finally came up with a solution! We’re going to use the prom as an opportunity to show those droids just how unwelcome they are,” her dad said.

Even though Julie had heard her parents say the word dozens of times before—and had even used it herself—she now found herself wincing when he said it.

“We’re making our voices heard. If Fitzgerald High won’t take our calls or work with us on this, well . . .” He shrugged. “We just have to get the message out ourselves. Humans and androids don’t belong together.

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