I love the  sound of her heart. Every beat echoes to the emptiness inside of me, like somehow, I'm lost and it's calling me out into the light.

I just wish it was beating for me.

When my great grandfather was alive, he would tell me stories his grandfather told him about the world before.  Before he died, he passed on to me those stories.

They used to have high schools and college. He said it was like levels of learning you have to get to be able to find a job when you're old enough. But now, we just have schools. Not basically for learning but more of a place where you get to spend some of your early years with other people until you're twelve years old. I never went to school. Instead, I spent my childhood in these four white walls. Because something always goes wrong with me and they have to fix me until I can't be broken again.

Great grandpa said that long ago, when you're sixty or seventy years old (very few people make it to eighty), you get ugly. Your skin wrinkles and you get thinner and your back hunches. Your hair turns white. You get very sick and weak. I looked at grandma (who was seventy-five years old) and saw none of these. Her skin was smooth and she was one of the most beautiful woman alive. She was old but she's not weak. 

"Well, in our world today dear boy, immortality is almost possible." He added.

It was true. Any disease can be cured, aging got really slow. Also, when you're really old years ago, your memory fades. Now, you never have to forget.

The 'Memory cards' make it possible. When your twelve, after schooling years, they would attach a port to your brain where these cards are inserted. Then, they would install a knowledge depending on your choice of occupation. For instance, if you want to be a doctor, information about healing and medicine and human body is put in to your mind. The skills however is practised but it only takes a few months or even just a year. My doctor, Mr.Burg, took a year to get the hands-on skills of healing.

"Well, my field of expertise lie on both the healing and fixing machines. It's a high demand these times. It took my a year to perfect and program myself." He said.

Of course it is. ninety-five percent of the population were half human and half robot. The remaining five percent of course lies to the children twelve years below that might still be too young and have more developments their body will undergo for them to have the mechanic parts. Unluckily, I was already a Cyb (short term for Cyborg, half human, half robot) when I was ten. I was born with a broken heart so they had to replace it with a mechanical one. It was tricky and almost cost me my life. The surgery was a success, though somehow, I felt like it did cost me my life. Because after that day, I felt empty. I was alive and there was something pumping blood in my body but I felt hollow...

Some, like my sister, Adriana, have mechanic hands, for occupational purposes, programmed to play the piano. And hers wasn't as morbid as the others. I'll explain what I meant by 'others'. She had her machines in her bones so her hands on the outside remains flawless. When we found out her talent in music, they had her memory card installed with millions of musical sheets  and had her hands automated. Her talent was polished by the accuracy and precision of the automaton parts inside her hands.

To some, the 'others', have their automaton parts for accessory. It doesn't really look nice in my opinion. Like the guy staying next room. He had robot ears and his left arm is all but his flesh. He was literally half robot.

"November?" A familiar voice wakes me. Adriana. "The doctors are very pleased with the progress. The one they put inside you is more stable and this time, it doesn't have to be checked too frequently any more. They said that it will keep you alive for as long as you want."

She meant until I've reached the 'Age of Contentment'. When we're really really old, we reach that moment... a time when we get to decide to end our existence. When we know for ourselves that we are 'content'.

"So, we are getting out of here and we'll go to any place you want. You name it! I know my little brother's tired of this place." 

"I thought you have a performance tonight?"

"I have but I miss you and I missed your birthday last week so, I'm paying up." 

"Really? And mom and dad don't mind?"

"What they don't know won't hurt them."

"