Girl Unplugged

Chapter 1 Elora’s Veil
 

The moon's matured face peered behind the wispy clouds, illuminating all, giving the snow and tall evergreen trees a strange blue hue. The owl on the top branch ended its charming ballad and redirected its attention to the sleeping girl with its prominent ears perked, piercing yellow eyes transfixed, and neck craned. There she was, nestled up in a fur blanket, sound asleep. Her chest rose and fell with each breath, and soft, happy snores escaped her lips. Snowflakes fell onto her face, caught in her eyelashes and kissed her rosy cheeks. Although her brown skin paled in the frost, she seemed unusually content like this. But like everything good, it wouldn’t last. Suddenly, an alarm blared, spooking the owl to retreat into the starry sky. Much to her dismay the shrill noise awoke her from her peaceful slumber. Her eyelids still felt heavy despite the sudden disturbance. She watched as the world began to contort and warp around her. She outstretched her arms trying to grab onto her DreamScape but it slipped through her slender fingers.

​

“Good morning, Elora! Achoo!” She heard a voice say. She didn’t even have to open her eyes to recognize who it was. She turned over, groaning in defiance. Sure, it may have been morning outside, but a few seconds ago, it was nighttime in her room's forest. 

​

“You always make your dreamscape so cold,” the girl sniffled. “ I’ll never understand it. You could make it anything you want, you could dial for a island, a movie scene or even your favorite memories. But nope, a frozen tundra” She grumbled. 

Elora pulled the covers over her head ignoring the girl. She longed for a couple more minutes of the scent of pine needles, the chill of the winter winds, and the ambiance of the nocturnal animals. She preferred the cold not that it was any of Miku’s business. 

“Don’t ignore me.” Elora heard the sound of light and quick footsteps across her floor and felt small hands on her body, gently shaking her. She whined, remembering that she had turned Miku’s touch settings on to interact with her and her environment more humanely. Her blanket was yanked from her and finally, she opened her eyes. The darkness gave way to a teenage girl with a party favor between her lips. Miku blew into it, causing it to unravel and hit Elora’s cheek. It made a buzzing sound.

”Happy birthday!” Miku chirped. Elora tiredly looked at her teal pigtails, pink and white pajamas, and thick fuzzy socks. Birthday. Hearing that word made her frown despite her happiness from looking at her. 

“Come on, aren’t you excited for your birthday?” 

”I’m ecstatic” Elora answered dryly. “Please, Miku… Just give me 15 more minutes.”
   “You’re always like this. I’m not giving you 15 more minutes. Wake up!”
   “I’m going to put you back in the box, you hologram.” Elora threatened.

“I'm not just any hologram. I’m Hatsune Miku HG 1200: compatible with most houses and equipped with touch sensors, security, mood sensors, internet access, sentience, and more. And you would never.” Miku said, calling her bluff.
   “Okay..” she groaned. “I’m up.” Elora stood from her bed.

“Are you ready for our morning exercises?” Miku spun around, changing her outfit to pink athletic shorts, a mint green jacket, and trainers. 

Elora nodded as Miku stood beside her, stretching. 

“Okay, Elora, I want you to really reach and hold for 30 seconds. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5….” 

Elora’s mind seemed to wander as Miku began counting. There was no avoiding it any longer. It was May 14th, 2054. Today was the day she turned 18 years old. She had officially left the lofty, cozy adolescence that she was encumbered by most of her life. She was at the pinnacle of her youth, or what her mom liked to call her “golden years”. She tried to think positively. She knew she’d no longer have to bear the strain of rinsing off her acne-prone face every morning. She was now an adult, though she didn’t feel much different.

“Elora! Elora, switch legs.” 

“Sorry, I zoned out.“ She switched legs and repeated the stretches on the other side. After finishing her morning exercise, she showered, put on her robe, and brushed her teeth. “What’s the weather, Miku?” She mumbled. 

 “Hello, this is Hatsune Miku, reporting live from Elora’s bedroom in New York City. And wow, folks, is it hot out here. As you can see, I’m dressed for this weather.” She did a spin, and her outfit changed once more. She wore pink sunglasses, flip-flops, and a pool floatie around her waist. She had some sunblock on her nose and cheek area.

“Right now, the temperature is 88 degrees. If you look out the window behind me, you can see that there are clear skies with no significant cloud cover. The temperature will remain pleasant this Saturday, ranging from 80°F to 88°F. The sun will set at approximately 8:32 PM local time. It will be a perfect evening for outdoor activities or a stroll. Don't forget your sunglasses and sunscreen!” She gestured to herself.” Enjoy your Saturday evening! Remember, stay cool out there and stay hydrated! Back to you at the studio.” She pointed back to Elora, who grinned. 

“A warm day, huh? Who would’ve expected that in may… “ she grinned slyly. “What should I wear?” 

“Here are the weather-appropriate outfits I’ve picked out for you today.” Miku said. Miku opened the walk-in closet and pulled out her catalog tablet. 

Elora scrolled through the ensembles Miku put together. “Hmm, maybe this one?” She pointed to the plainest one—a T-shirt and jean shorts.

“You always pick the most boring ones. Pick something more elaborate. It’s your birthday.”

“I’m just going to the store. I don’t want to draw too much attention.”

“You know your mom's gonna complain.” Miku was right. A small decision about what she chose to wear would turn into a two-hour lecture about how young women should always look their best, how she was throwing away her youth, and how her mom would kill to have been born with such a petite frame and “doll-like” features. 

“Fine.” She pointed to a pink set with wedge converses. Miku grabbed the pieces and handed them to her. Once they were on, she ran her fingers over the halter-style top that exposed her midriff. She then palmed the skirt. The 3d swirly heart designs made her appear curvier. She took note of that in the mirror. 

“I guess this is okay,” she muttered. She pulled her straightened hair and put it into a high ponytail. 

”You look good.” Miku reassured her by putting a hand on her shoulder. “Oh, you’re getting a video call. Do you want to answer it?” 

“From who?” She turned. 

“Takashi.” Her mom’s current fling- a Japanese man she meant during a business trip. She didn’t know much about him but he seemed pretty nice. He’d come over to make dinner sometimes and always brought her back cool things from Japan whenever he visited his folks. 

“Answer it.” She figured he had probably called to wish her a happy birthday, and she hadn’t gotten to thank him for Miku properly.

“Hey, birthday girl! Ooo, you look nice.” 

“Thank you.” 

“Any plans for today?” 

“Cosmopolitan, I suppose.”

”Right! It’s your 18th…. Don’t worry. I’ll take you girls out for dinner afterward, or I could make your favorite if you’d like.” 

“Yeah, thanks, that'd be nice. Also, thank you so much for Miku. I’ve been figuring out how to use her these past few weeks. She’s great. A big help.”

He smiled. “Glad to hear it. Well, I wish you a happy birthday. I’ll swing by around six pm. Bye”

“Bye.” She hung up. She smiled a little sadly. He was trying so hard. She knew it wouldn’t last though. Her mom wasn’t the committing type. Eventually, she’d get bored and be on to the next. Elora was glad that her mother and discretion became better acquainted over the years for her and her little brother’s sake. Her late-night escapades weren’t as obvious anymore. She shuddered at the memories of having her sleep disturbed by bed creaking and moaning. In other words, you always fuck up your first child.

“Hey… Everything okay? You look troubled.” Miku asked, tilting her head, slightly puzzled. “Your levels went down all of a sudden.” Miku had censors that told her when something was wrong with Elora so she could better assist her.
   “Yeah… I’m fine. Just want to be alone for a minute.”
   “Okay. Ring if you need me. I’ll see you when you get back.” Elora nodded and gave a small wave. 

The time to go to the store was drawing nearer and nearer. Sooner or later, her mother would usher her out of there before she could even eat breakfast. She got up to feed her small koi fish, Nano. She reached into a drawer and sprinkled fish flakes and larva mix into the large tank. She smiled as the Nano swam up towards the tank with her wispy and angelic fins, pushing the lily pads out of the way to eat. “I have this room and you, Nano. I don’t need anything to change.” She had everything she already needed. She repeated this in her head even though her mother encouraged otherwise. Trust me, they’ll change your life, she’d say. 

She stared into the mirror, wondering what she'd look like with some mods. Would she change her hair? Her body? Maybe her eye color? Her mother said she could have anything mod she wanted. That’s too many options. She had no clue what to expect, having never been inside The Cosmopolitan before. 

“How long are you gonna talk to your fish for?” A boy said, standing in the door frame. 

How long had he been there? “Ever, I thought I told you to knock.” She said irritatedly. 

Ever raised his palm slowly and knocked on the intricate white door frame twice. “Mom said to hurry up. It’s time to go. I want to go to the store already!”

“You’re supposed to knock before you open the door, dumbass. And you’re coming? Why?”

“Because mom said I could. Just hurry up.”

She grabbed a pillow and chucked it in his general direction. 

“Hey, what was that for!”

“Just testing my arm strength so I’ll know if I need to get it modded.” She said with a self-serving grin. Her brother sucked his teeth in response before exiting the room.

 She walked down the stairs of their apartment to see her mother walking around frantically. Her stiletto heels knocked musically against the floors. She pulled on her leather coat and began tussling with her shoulder-length platinum blonde hair. 

“How do I look Ever? Takashi’s coming over later. Mommy needs to look perfect. Red or Coral?” She held up two different shades of lipstick.

“Red.” Ever said, finishing up his cereal. 

“I was thinking the red….” She pulled out the lipstick from her purse and slowly applied it. From the corner of her eye, finally, she spotted Elora.

“There you are, birthday girl,” She sashayed over and kissed her daughter's head with a bright smile. She hadn’t seen her mom this excited since she first got her period. 

“I’ve been here for like a minute or two Mom.” 

“Let's go.” Her mom rubbed her lips together spreading the red pigment evenly and shoving the kids out of the apartment. All three of them stood in a nearly translucent elevator except for the buttons and a screen. The building had a great view of the city skyline which was precisely why her mom chose it. It could be seen from the elevator. An ad began playing on the screen once she had pressed the lobby button. 

 “Are you having trouble pleasing your wife or husband? Worried that your dick may be too small?” the man on the ad said. Together, as if by instinct, she covered Ever’s eyes and her mother plugged his ears as images of phalluses in all varying shapes, ribs, curvatures, and thicknesses covered the screen. She grimaced and turned away too. This was one of her least favorite ads. She saw it almost every time she left the building. 

“No, I wanna see! What’s a dick?” Ever retorted, wanting answers to questions that neither of them wanted to provide explanations to. 

“Come on down to ‘The Cosmopolitan’. We adapt to our client's ever-growing needs.” The ad finished. They let go of his ears and eyes as a car ad began playing instead.. 

Ever balled his fist, “How come she gets to hear?” 

“Well, because she’s an a adult now and your sister thinks that I made too many mistakes when raising her.” 

Understatement of the century, Elora thought. 

“So it’s your fault! Tell me what a dick is!” Ever punched her thigh. 

“You’re a dick.”

”What?”

”Alright stop it.” Her mother got in between them. 

“Why’d he have to come?” Elora groaned, rubbing her thigh.

“ Ever, we do not hit to express our emotions. I promise once you’re older, I'll let you see and listen to any ads you want. And Elora! Your brother is 9 years old. Don’t call him a dick.”

“Fine but don’t therapize me!”

 So he knows the word therapize but not dick.

”Apologize now.”

“I’m sorry, I hit you.”

“I’m sorry I called y- insulted you.” She corrected herself.

“You guys have been fighting nonstop lately. You used to get along so well.” Her mother sighed and shook her head. It was true, they used to be closer. Ever would climb into her bed whenever he was scared or didn't want to be alone. They’d read together. Those days seemed a lot further away now. She wondered what changed. So many things seemed to change lately.\

”Mom, can I get something from the store too?”

“I’d buy you something. But you have to be 18 to get anything from the store.”

“Why?”

“ It’s because you’re still growing, silly. A mod could damage your bodies over time.” True, it also wasn’t cost-effective to purchase for teens before they were of age because they’d need to keep purchasing new ones. A single mod could cost thousands or tens of thousands of dollars. 

“That sucks.” He frowned and stayed quiet.

“I’ll tell you what, why don't you take note of anything you’re interested in and then once you turn 18 I’ll take you as well.” 

Ever seemed to brighten up from this. “Okay.” 

As they left the elevator, they traversed through the streets of the ever-expanding city New York. They walked past the shiny cars, digital billboards, and signs plastered until they got to the legendary store with its name in pink and blue neon lights. There it was, in all its glory, The Cosmopolitan.

 She could see her reflection in the display window. Her hands were rigid at her sides, her shoulders stiff. She felt like a statute. As soon as she walked through the doors, she’d slowly begin chipping away at the marble until she had a masterpiece.

Her mother excitedly pushed open the door, and together they are greeted by an eager brunette shopkeep. She wore a pink apron and had a name tag that read ‘Cindy’.

 “Elizabeth! I didn’t expect to see you so soon. You were just-“

“Eliza! Please call me Eliza. I’m not here for me, I'm here for my daughter.” Her mother cleared her throat. 

“ You must be Elora. Happy birthday! 18 is a very special age.” She shook both her and her mothers hand, and then patted Ever’s head.

“Thank you.” Elora said quietly.

“Welcome to Cosmopolitan!  We have a large array of augments, as I’m sure you may know, as our reputation precedes us, but I’ll explain anyway. We have everything from minor things like hair extensions, tattoos, contacts to entire body parts for all different types of skin tones, races, and with different textures. So... Do you know what sort of modifications you’re looking for?” 

“No, not really. Can you give me a tour? I’ll let you know if something catches my eye.” Elora answered frankly. 

“Hmm, well, fill out this questionnaire real quick for me.” She handed Elora a tablet. 

Elora grabbed it and started from the beginning, taking it slow. She wrote her name, under sex there were many options: female, male, bionic female, bionic male, transgender female, transgender male, agender, intersex, or hermaphrodite. Beneath she saw the words “Please answer honestly, this ensures we recommend the right augments to our clients.” She circled the word “female”. 

Next was her race, date of birth and her sexuality. She checked off black, and used the drop down box to put in May 14th, 2036. For the sexuality portion it was a checkbox situation. She read off some of the options. Heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, pansexual, asexual, and they even had a box that said ‘please explain here’. She wasn’t sure what to put. She never really thought too much about it. She didn't really have any crushes on any boys, no one in her school interested her. Should I put asexual? She wondered. She just circled heterosexual to get it off her mind. 

Next was history. At first, it seemed like a standard questionnaire asking questions like race, sex, and then it progressively got more invasive, asking things like “Are you sexually active?”, “Are you pregnant or breastfeeding?”, “Are you taking medications?”, “Do you have a history of mental illness?”, “What are your biggest insecurities?”, and “On a scale from one to 10, how much do you like this feature?” to which she answered no, no, no, and no to. For the insecurity questions, she wasn’t sure what exactly she should put. She did her best to complete it as accurately as possible, but she had never thought of herself so critically. She hit submit, and then next was the chamber. 

”Great. Now I just need to get your measurements. Take everything off including your shoes and undergarments and enter the capsule. “

She was asked to strip down to her undergarments and remove her shoes. She opened the door, and the inside was full of 360-degree mirrors. She had never seen so much of her body before, let alone all at once. A pink light descended upon her, scanning her. Percentages popped up, letting her know how close the scan was to completion. Then directions appeared on the mirror, telling her to remain completely still as light traveled down her body. This chamber was getting her measurements, mod compatibility, and color tonal reading. 

100%: the scan was completed. Her skin color was classified as “pecan” shade  #80461B, while her hair was a “soft black” #100c08. A quote popped up stating, “People who are the most symmetrical are the most beautiful.”

 Elora stepped out of the chamber, covering herself awkwardly.  

“Here,” Cindy gave her a silk robe for the remainder of the visit. 

“Thanks.” She put the robe on and tied it in the front.

 “So we will just go over your results in private before we begin the tour. As for your results, you scored 65% on symmetry because of things like your right breast being slightly larger than your left, and your harmony score is low as well.”
“They are?” Elora asked with her eyes slightly widened. She bit her lip hard. “What’s harmony?”

 “Harmony is how well your features go together. Your lips and eyes are a good size and proportionate, but your nose could be narrowed, and your forehead decreased. Now, these are just suggestions to get you thinking. Don’t worry, we’ll send you a full detailed report… Follow me now.” 

 Elora stayed silent and followed her back to where her family was. 

“Elora, you look a little sick. Are you feeling okay?” 

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She smiled, looking at her brother. 

“She’s just nervous! You know how she is.” Eliza placed her hands on her daughter’s shoulders, trying to comfort her. 

 “We can start on the body part augments. For this part of the tour is a little graphic for him,” Cindy motioned towards Ever. “You’ll have to sit this one out, sweetie, but we should be done in fifteen.” 

Ever sighed and pulled out his phone out of his pocket. “Fine, don’t take too long.” He pleaded, sitting in the waiting room.

“This is the fun part.” Eliza squealed, following them through the store's different sections. 

“This is Adonis. He usually specializes in body part mods in the genitalia. He makes custom parts with concerns for functionality and feel. If you decide you want anything custom, he’s your guy. Maybe you’ve recognized him from the ads.” 

Adonis, the tall, dark-skinned man wearing a tank top, exposing his muscular arms. He looked up from his workstation and gave a smile wave. Cindy continued walking, “So here we have all sorts of breast augments of varying sizes, nipples, and areolas. Different models have different names. Feel free to reach out and touch anything you’re interested in.” Seeing all the different body parts made her feel uncomfortable. Her cheeks were flushed. 

Eliza reached out and felt the larger size. “Don’t be shy, darling. Ooo, what do you think of this one for me? It’s called Vixen.”

 “Mom, your chest doesn't need to be any bigger. They’re already so big they enter the room before the rest of you. “ She shook her head in disappointment. 

“What do you think of this one?” Cindy pointed to a much smaller size. “Touch it.” 

Elora reluctantly reached out, touching the prosthetic. Her eyes widened as she ran her palms over the curvature of the breast. “It feels so real.”

“Exactly, that's SynthSkin. It covers all of our human body modifications, giving you that real natural feel so no one can tell. It’s no different from your real body. Next, we have different sizes of buttocks if you’ll look over here.” 

Elora turned her head and saw very large buttocks in a dark color on display. Her eyes widened. Cindy chuckled at her reactions.
“This is our newest model. It’s called Saartjie.”

“Saartjie,” Elora repeated slowly, nodding. 

After an hour, they went through the full tour, but Elora couldn’t seem to decide. “Here, well, take these. Free of charge. Try them out and see if you like them. Sleep on it, and if you want anything, you’re free to come back, no pressure. ” She handed Elora some clip-in extensions matching her hair texture. Elora reached out and grabbed the bag tightly. Although she smiled and waved, she was thankful it was time to leave.