**Definitely a little different than most of my stories.I is one of my weird I'm so friggin proud of this story.**

**Enjoy.**

**Kree**

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Jel's eyes darted from tree to tree as the car in which she sat in raced through the asphalt roads. Her eyes were filled to the brim with excitement, glowing luminously with curiosity. The trees were slowly changing her garments to fit the season of fall, as observed by Jel. The sun had not yet reached her pinnacle in the sky, but she was still hovering above the treetops. The morning was clearly a beautiful one, stirring up even more adrenaline in the little girl's heart. Never before had she felt this excited.

There she sat in the front seat, adjacent to her father, who was driving steadily down the road. His grey eyes were empty and the rest of his face held firm to a blank expression. His light brown hair was graying but with never a smile on his face, he looked much older than that. Jel gave him a wide smile anyway, a few teeth missing from her mouth. How wonderful it felt to smile.

"Papa, I'm so excited! My first day of third grade!" she exclaimed heartily.

"Yes, that's nice," her father replied, his eyes still trailing the street in front of him.

"And it's so beautiful today!" Her grin grew with every passing second. "I wish I could play outside all day! Do you think my teacher will let me play all day? When I come home could I play all day? Can I, Papa, can I?"

"Yeah," was all he said, never once looking back at her. Jel frowned. He seemed unusually grumpy today. She wished he would smile at her, at least. He seemed no different than any other day, so why was it getting to her?

The black Honda stopped in front of the large brick building. There were school children walking in one, uniform direction towards the school. The buses held a swarm of kids, each one slowly stepping out of the bus, all with emotionless stares. They mechanically walked through the doors in two straight lines, their backpacks slung around their shoulders in the same, repeated way. It looked too systematic to seem normal, thought Jel, staring at the lack of gaiety in the state of her peers. Perhaps they were just tired, or miserable because the long school year had just begun.

There was a sign to the side of the school, signifying the name and other updates of the school district. The black letters were peeling off, but it was still legible enough to evaluate that it said, "C. C. Alexandre Elementary School" in wide, bold print. It was the first time she'd ever seen the school, for she and her family just moved into this town a couple of weeks ago. Of course, this only added to the exhilaration sprinting rapidly through her nerves, barely holding her into her seat in the car behind the leather seat belt.

"Goodbye, Papa!" She threw her arms around her father. He did not say anything in return, surprising the little girl in a diminutive way. A strange sensation urged her to say something else, and perhaps even put her lips to the side of his face, but she could not determine, or recognize it. Even so, she leapt out of the car, her backpack whipping against her back as she skipped towards the door. The conformity walk had been broken as alongside and through the two lines itself, the little girl skipped and ran. Pushing forward through the crowd, she was unlike any other child attending the school.

She finally stepped inside the building, a similar blissful smile stretching across her face. She rocketed through the halls, pushing and shoving through the unvarying strides of the other kids in the school. Though she did not know exactly where her classroom was, at the speed she was going, it did not matter if her room was the last one she'd ever find. She would still be the first one there. However, she passed by a plain, white sign that said, "Mrs. Horvitz's Third Grade Class". Vigorously opening the door, she dashed into the room, panting hardly.

There were other children in the classroom already, but only a few. The teacher, a woman in her mid forties with fading blonde hair, sat at her desk in the corner of the room. The room was not attractive, neither decorated with colorful posters nor was the white color of the walls appealing either. The students already there sat at a small table of six and quickly, Jel joined them, skipping gaily towards them. She took the seat next to one other girl with hair of ebony and tan skin, but her eyes held the same impassive look Jel had seen on every single face today.

"Hi, my name is Jel!" she said cheerfully to the girl next to her.

"Hi." Like her father, this black-haired girl did not even look towards her. Jel, a little annoyed by the reaction of her peer, tried to make more of an effort to harbor her frustration and to sustain her jovial state.

"So, what's your name?" she asked in a friendly tone.

"My name is Helen," she said in the same monotonous tone. This irritated Jel even more.

"Wanna be friends?" she was trying her best not to lose her temper.

"If that pleases you, I will." Helen's tone had not changed and she had not looked towards Jel once.

"Um, that's all right," Jel shook her head, deciding that Helen was not her ideal friend. She looked around at her table, examining each third grader's features. Their visages were of emptiness and their complexions, blank; the same boring face she had seen all day. She didn't feel like talking to any of them because they were probably all like Helen. She slouched in her seat, wondering what was wrong with everyone today.

Other students started walking into the classroom in two parallel lines and they could have been the same for all Jel cared, because each kid had the same air of nothingness on their faces. The students had been molded, somehow, into quiet, unemotional kids with identical barrenness in their eyes and a straight face. The beginning of school had not been what she had expected and so far, school had bored her to death. The kids around her were boring with their droning voices and even the teacher looked robotically forward from her chair behind her desk. She sighed, leaning her head against her palm while dreaming of more exciting places and people.

All of a sudden, a boy took the seat beside her. He too, had raven black hair similar to that of Helen's and the most beautiful brown eyes she had ever seen, even if it was full of the equivalent oblivion as everybody else's. He was a few inches taller than her and was the most gorgeous boy she had ever seen. Her heart jolted alive with a lightening emotion, her viridian irises radiating towards his stunning face. Maybe things at school wouldn't be so boring after all.

"Kids, please take a seat," Mrs. Horvitz said in her robotic voice, motioning to the four tables in the classroom. The kids who had not marched in to a seat of their choice, did so then, their postures upright and automatic. "My name is Mrs. Horvitz and during the course of Year 2287 to 2288, I will be instructing English, mathematics, social studies, and science. I will call attendance now."

It was hard for Jel to listen to Mrs. Horvitz's voice and stay awake at the same time, but she kept herself occupied by looking towards the boy next to her. Third grade infatuation and affinity certainly diseased her feelings, distracting her from thinking about anything or anyone else other than him. A smile slowly crept up onto her lips as she gazed upon her newfound love as the required for her teacher slipped quite swiftly from her main priorities. Perhaps it was normal for a girl her age for drifting considerations from one person to another.

"My name is Jel, what's yours?" she whispered, her eyes gleefully shining with no attempts to hide her affections.

"My name is Harry Scottman," he said in the same dull tone as Helen's, and everybody else Jel had encountered today, but for some reason, she did not notice it at all.

"I'm new here! My family just moved to this town, is it nice here?"

"It is satisfying," he said.

"Are you happy here?"

"Please stop talking, young children," Mrs. Horvitz walked over, putting her hands on the shoulders of Jel and Harry. "The other students might find your conversation distracting so I disapprove of your communication in an out of place interval."

Jel couldn't understand a word of what her teacher instructed, but she figured that it would be best to stay silent. During the course of the class, the teacher would ask many questions pertaining to whatever subject they happened to be working on and each child would mechanically raise their hands and answer the question. It was sickening to watch the students act and behave in such a quiet manner, but the little girl could not get used to it, no matter how many people were acting in this way. However, her discomfort in this awkward situation was slimmed by turning her head ever so slightly so she could watch the tan-eyed boy beside her. If eight year olds are capable of love, then you could certainly find it in this little girl's soul.

But sometimes the purest of loves can be found in the most innocent of hearts. Perhaps the innocence of a child is what nurtures such an innocent and untainted affection. Maybe, as children grow into adults, love slowly begins to change its face into a more frightening feature.

The child grew tiresome of the tedious school day, and that wasn't the worst of it. She could yawn and make loud noises without one person looking or turning around in her direction. One time, she even screamed out, just to see if she could catch someone's attention, but no one would look her way. It was as if no one even cared about what she did, and she wasn't sure if she should be pleased or scared with that. Even if she took the most annoying of measures, things that surely aggravate a person, how could they act in such a way without feeling?

She could not believe that only half of the school day passed when her teacher dismissed her class for lunch. Mrs. Horvitz commanded that the class line up in two dreary straight lines when walking to the cafeteria, but Jel knew very well by then that no one would really care if she went along her own way. Interrupting the strolls of other children, she walked aimlessly through the halls, vigorously swinging her lunchbox back and forth, back and forth, her heart still buoyant with a persisting hope that things might still get better. Her carefree and innocent optimisms spurred her legs into action, as she suddenly transformed her legato wandering into joyful skipping.

Jel would not bring herself to even try to sitting next to Helen, and immediately scanned the cafeteria for Harry. Ironically, her third grade class sat together at one long table in the same order they walked in their two lines. The lack of variety and difference was still frustrating her, but maybe she was what the school needed: a little color in a black and white world. Taking a deep breath, she grasped the handle of her lunchbox with both of her small, soft hands, slowly approaching the boy of her dreams.

There was no room for Jel to take a seat beside him since each child was packed closely when there was clearly enough space to spread out. "Excuse me?" she piped up to one of her classmates on the right side of Harry. "Do you think you could move over just a little bit so I could sit here?" There was no answer as she watched the girl take a big bite of her sandwich. "Okay." she moved over towards the left of Harry. "Could I sit between you?" They exchanged fifteen seconds of silence before Jel sighed and gave up. She sadly walked to the end of the table, all by herself. What was wrong with these kids, she thought to herself as she opened her lunch box and began eating her lunch.

She wondered why the cafeteria was void of talking and laughter. It seemed so awfully grim in a room with so many people in it. Could it be possible for a room to ever be lonely? With people like this, it certainly seemed like it. Even with so many people around her, she felt lonelier than when she was all by herself. Such a haunting feelings to be alone in the middle of civilization when there are so many people who can easily reach out to you, but yes indeed, perhaps the impossible is always possible.

Lunch was interminable and seemed to last an hour, when in fact, only fifteen or twenty minutes passed by. The doors were opened and kids were permitted to go outside for recess. Jel sprung to her feet, anxiously ready to scurry outside into the fresh air. Maybe she would have chance to talk to Prince Charming during recess. That was definitely a comforting thought, fueling further delight in her spirit.

The sight of recess was not a gleeful scene, and it was almost revolting. The kids walked from side to side on the black asphalt, a few of them throwing around a ball with lifeless tosses and slumping stances. No one was running around, and like the cafeteria, no one talked or laughed. It seemed like there wasn't an ounce of fun circulating through the veins of her fellow peers outside for recess. It was oddly strange that she could find and point out Harry so quickly in a sea of indistinguishable children when he acted no different than any other kid. Maybe the side affects of worship were slowly affecting her body, blinding her from the true state of her loved one. There was something special, something different burning in Harry that she could tell apart from the others. She made her way through the uniform crowd of children until she found herself standing next to Harry.

What an amazing sensation she felt by merely just being close to the one she loved. Her heart, galloping a whopping ten thousands miles per hour failed to escape with the devoted emotions left behind. Her eyes seemed to block out everyone and everything else from her view, leaving only Harry in a misty, snow-white cloud. She could feel her nerves numb into a terrifying paralysis while the goosebumps scurried down her arms and legs. There was color rushing to her cheeks, no doubt, and she wondered if he would notice. For some reason, her brain seemed to shut down as she forgot that he too, was like everybody else. He too, was emotionless.

It took her a few minutes before she could actually start talking to him. She watched him throw the ball to another dark brown haired kid, back and forth, back and forth. Somehow, his every motion, his every movement, fascinated her, enchanted her into a hypnotic trance. It distracted her from her most desired purpose, but only delayed her a few moments. Finally, she heaved one last breath before she stepped on top of the pinnacle of suspense. In the next few moments, she would either fly towards the clouds or plummet towards her death on the ground.

"Hi," she stammered, gently tapping Harry's shoulder. He turned his head slightly, looking at her with his dull, coffee colored eyes. His eyes were no different than any other person's eyes but his held a magic; a magic that changed his entire outlook as seen by Jel.

"Hi," he replied in the same, monotonous tone as before.

"Do you think I could play with you?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Yes. You can if you want," he nodded robotically.

"Cool!" she smiled, quickly hurrying into a spot that formed a triangle between her, Harry, and the dark haired boy. Harry threw the ball to her and she caught it with little difficulty. She then threw it to the other boy, her toss with a little more life. He struggled to control her throw, but he did not fail. He threw it back to Harry, and this continued through the course of recess. They did not talk at all, but for the first time, Jel felt that words were not necessary. She gazed at Harry with lovesick eyes as he threw the yellow, worn out ball towards her. Every second of recess that passed, made her love Harry a little bit more.

The rest of recess passed like a few seconds and was over before she knew it. As the dark haired boy walked over to the teacher to return the ball, Jel walked up to Harry. "I like you," she began with a friendly smile. "I like you a lot. I think you're really cute. Do you like me too?" she asked with wide, bright green eyes.

"I'll like you if you want me to," he said in a droning voice, and for the first time, Jel noticed it.

"Well, can't you like me because you want to like me?" she questioned, her voice cracking. Her heart was breaking slowly, and subconsciously, she was hoping he could stop her heart from being fully diagnosed.

"It you want me to like you, I will," he answered, and nothing had changed.

Jel couldn't believe what she was hearing after all this time. She couldn't believe that she fell in love with a mindless, little robot. She stood there in horror, looking at the boy she had become so doted on, her heart frozen in the sorrowful essence of the moment.

She burst into tears and began to run. She ran out of the playground, past the black asphalt, past the teachers and children, through the gate, and far, far away from the school. She kept running, the building angst she had felt all day fueling the energy in her legs. She kept running, devastated that the only hope she had kept strong, kept building the entire day, was crushed. To have such elevating hopes only to be disappointed in the end was much more destruction than to have no hopes in the first place. Her love had blinded her from the truth; the truth that he too, was the same as everybody else in this world.

She began running down the sidewalks of the downtown area, her strides growing longer and quicker with each hassled breath she took. At this time of the day there were hardly any people walking the streets, but she dodged every lifeless person she happened to run adjacent to. The lackluster shops and stores coincided with the gloom of the people, and Jel could barely force herself to look at them. She ran faster and faster down the sidewalks, across the gravel streets, occasionally rubbing shoulders with a person she failed to avoid. After all, her tears were obstructing her clear path of vision.

Jel found it amazing that she had the energy to sprint from her school, through her town, and into the Badlands area. Uptown was an even grimmer atmosphere than the already unanimated setting of downtown. There was a gradual change of spectrum and light from one side to the other, but it was definitely noticeable once deep uptown. There was a spectacle of abandoned buildings and darkened windows, some broken or plastered with filth. For the first time today, Jel began to feel the affects of fear take over her emotions. The truth was, she was terrified. Terrified of being in a gloomy and morbid setting when she was all alone. Terrified of a place that seemed too unreal to be true.

All of a sudden she felt the disgusting shock of liquid and unimaginable horrors being poured from on top of her. Crying out loudly, she looked up to see a woman on the second floor with a large, grimy bucket in her hand. Jel moaned as she wiped off the human excrement, sobbing quietly to herself. Could people not care this much to throw such revulsion onto a random person the street? She slipped on the urine, sloppily sloshed around the surface of the sidewalk, as she took her first step. Her cheek slammed against the hard concrete as her arms and legs skimmed against scattered pebbles. Blood seeped slowly through her flesh, bringing even more tears to her eyes.

Whimpering in her misery, she crawled behind a gray trashcan in a musty, damp alley. Resting her head against he building, she wondered how the day had turned out so terribly. She had been stripped of her emotions, one by one, as they tore and fell to pieces. Jel could only watch helplessly as each person came along, drilling a monstrous hole in her soul. As the minutes passed by, she felt herself losing consciousness, giving in to the leisure of sleep. After wiping away the tears plastered on her face, she closed her eyes, drifting away into her dreams.

The little girl woke up from her fanciful haven to the terrible purgatory she had left hours before. She opened her eyes only to reveal and see another layer of darkness. She couldn't have slept for more than three or four hours, but it looked like evening already. The Badlands was always, of course, darker than it really was, but that didn't change the fact that she probably slept for about five or six hours. It was a alarming thought, but the Badlands was an even more nerve-racking place to be in at this time of day. She had to get home, and fast, before anyone started worrying about they worry about her at all? Perhaps, that was an even scarier thought.

She stood up, hardly escaping the shadows of the alley. Her legs were weary from their uncomfortable position a few moments ago as she shakily took a step forward. Shivering as a gust of frigid air tormented her bare arms, a mysterious, blackened figure stepped out in front of her. Whatever light was left in this day illuminated his face enough to reveal his curly, brown hair and his chin, shadowed by a field of hair. His brown eyes were not menacing, only empty, and he looked pretty pitiful in his black and gray clothing, torn and ripped in a few places. But in his hand he held an object of destruction, and object that only meant fear and death to the little girl.

The tears were flooding back to Jel's eyes as she panicked in ultimate fear. "Please don't shoot me! Please don't hurt me!" she cried out in terror. "I didn't do anything! I didn't do anything to you!"

"So?" The man replied in the sullen, blank tone, but only this time, the emotionless voice seemed more chilling.

"Why do you want to kill me? What did I do to you?" she sobbed, backing up farther and farther away from him. Her hands hit a fence, a fence keeping her form life and death. How could a person kill without justification, or kill a fell human being at all? She was just a little girl.

"Turn them off, Coeriander," a voice ordered in a tired voice. "Turn them off before he shoots her head off."

A silvery being held a small, remote control device and pressed a red, circular button. Instantaneously, Jel and her attacker froze in their positions. All was silent, not even the smallest breeze whistling quietly. The area suddenly brightened as the skinny, eight foot tall figure pressed another button, walking towards his companion. The two figures were identical; tall, skinny, seeming to be made of a bright, see through liquid. There were no facial features, no distinctive fingers or toes. Just tow figures, and a frozen Human world.

"What did I tell you, Coeriander," the first one shook his head. "This Human dolls would not work well with the rest of them. Human emotions must interact with the Human emotions of others. Alone, it means nothing. It cannot survive."

"I know, Heliv, but it's been more than two-hundred years since we've been able to see these emotions. The graokone find could supply the Human's emotional battery-"

"But what good is it if it can only supply one battery?" he sighed. "Shut them down. Let's go home."

The lights disappeared, and all that was left was a world of darkness. A world without emotions.