Inspirational quote: Decide. Commit. Succeed.

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Dr Kozak, Kieran and Esperanza were all hugging each other for a long long time, the hugging stopping when there was some sort of sniffing sound going on in the background from Dr Kozak.

"Thanks again, you guys....." He whispered, still smiling at them. "I'm sorry for underestimating you. I'll never do that ever again."

Esperanza just smiled and Kieran just shrugged in return, neither of them really saying anything.

Kieran then decided to say something again when he remembered what Dr Kozak had said about his daughter 'not entirely being a human being'.

Kieran: Doctor Kozak?

Dr Kozak: *is talking to Esperanza about something but then stops talking to her once Kieran has said this* Yeah?

Kieran: Can I ask you something?

Both Esperanza and Dr Kozak were seriously looking at him now, wondering what Kieran was going to ask the doctor.

Dr Kozak: Uhm. Okay. Sure. What is it?

Kieran: You know when you said that Arista wasn't human?

Esperanza: *agrees with Kieran, both of them are intently staring at Dr Kozak at exactly the same time* Oh yeah I remember that.

Dr Kozak: *sighs in frustration, says this under his breath* Yes, what about it?

Esperanza: I'll answer. I remember everything. You said that you'd explain later why Arista wasn't human and you still haven't explained it.

Dr Kozak: Okay, well, what do you and Kieran want to know?

Kieran: If Arista wasn't human then what was she?

Esperanza: Yeah before you and Ezekiel simultaneously killed her.

Dr Kozak didn't reply.

Straight away, anyway.

Dr Kozak: *says this so quietly that no one can hear him* She was, uhm, a robot.

Kieran and Esperanza: What?

Dr Kozak: I said she's a robot, Kieran and Esperanza. Was, anyway.

Kieran: Why though? Why wasn't she a real human being?

Dr Kozak: *can't really find the right words to say, is helplessly leaving his sentences half unfinished* It's a very, uhm... Tragic.... Story that Astera and I don't really like sharing with people.

Esperanza: But Astera's dead. You killed her, remember?

Dr Kozak: I know. But still. Rules are rules, Esperanza.

Kieran: But you promised us that you'd tell us later on why Arista wasn't human. If we reminded you.

Esperanza: And we've reminded you so spill the beans sir.

Dr Kozak didn't reply. He just genuinely didn't want to talk about this.

Esperanza: Are you going to tell us or what?

Dr Kozak: I pick option 'what'.

Kieran and Esperanza: Demetrius!

Dr Kozak: *gives them both a warning look* Don't ever call me by my first name. Either of you. Unless I give you guys permission to, which will be never!

Kieran: Why don't you let anyone call you by your first name?

Dr Kozak: *technically screams at them* Because I just don't like it. Okay?

Esperanza and Kieran: Okay!

Esperanza: Please tell us why Arista wasn't human! You promised!

Dr Kozak: *looking at them both hostilely* Fine! I'll start with the basics.

Kieran: Good.

Dr Kozak: *dramatic pause* Arista wasn't human.

Kieran and Esperanza: *both yelling at him half annoyingly* We know that!

Kieran: But why wasn't she human?

Dr Kozak: Because she was a robot.

Esperanza: Just explain the story!

Dr Kozak looked at Esperanza the eyes, then Kieran, then Esperanza again, both of them doing the same thing but with each other.

Dr Kozak: Okay. Fine! I'll explain it.

No one really said anything.

Dr Kozak: Although if I start helplessly crying all over again, you and Kieran will be the ones to blame.

Esperanza: Okay. We understand. That's fine.

Dr Kozak: So you guys want me to cry again?

Kieran: What? No.

Dr Kozak: Good. Therefore I can't and won't explain the story.

Kieran and Esperanza: But you promised!

Dr Kozak: Okay. Fine. Count to seventeen.

Kieran: *confused* Why seventeen?

Dr Kozak: Favourite number.

Esperanza: Why?

Dr Kozak: Lucky number. Just count to seventeen for god sake!

And doing just that, Esperanza and Kieran had both counted to the desired number, then looked at Dr Kozak again when they had both hit number seventeen.

Dr Kozak: Ha! Tricked you guys. You're very naive to fall for it!

Kieran and Esperanza: *extremely annoyed* You've got to be kidding me!

Dr Kozak: Okay okay. Fine. I'll tell you the story now. I promise.

Kieran: Thank you, Demetrius.

Dr Kozak just froze there, really annoyed.

Dr Kozak: Never call me Demetrius.

Esperanza: But that's your first name.

Dr Kozak: I know but don't ever in your life call me Demetrius!

Kieran: Explain the godforsaken story on what made Arista a robot before you killed her.

Dr Kozak: Okay.

Silence.

Dr Kozak: I can't do it. It's too tragic. I'm honestly going to start crying again. Sorry guys.

Esperanza: *holds Dr Kozak's hand and then squeezes it* Don't worry, sir. Kieran and I will be here for you every step of the way.

Dr Kozak smiled.

Kieran: Yeah and I've got tissues if you ever find yourself crying whilst telling us the story.

Dr Kozak: *half sarcastically, half not* Really.

Kieran: Yes.

That was when Kieran handed the doctor a purple and silver box of tissues, Dr Kozak smiling again.

Dr Kozak: *takes a deep breath, is really stressed out at the moment* Fine. I'll start. And I mean it this time.

Kieran: Good.

Dr Kozak: *takes another deep breath, continuously and uncontrollably hyperventilating, doesn't stop until Kieran asks him if he's okay*

Kieran: You really don't have to do this if you don't want to, sir. You seem kinda frustrated.

Dr Kozak: No. No. no. I have to. I promised you guys, and I don't break promises anymore.

No one said anything as Dr Kozak explained the story for real.

Dr Kozak: As we all know, well, Agent Astera used to be my wife... I met her when I was 17 or 18 I think. I can't remember which one though.

Kieran: How'd you get to meet her?

Dr Kozak: Oh. I had a massive crush on her at university a few years back.

Esperanza: And how did you and Astera hit it off?

Dr Kozak: *turns to face her, a little bit perplexed* What do you mean by that? Please clarify. I'm really confused.

Esperanza: How did you and Astera become husband and wife?

Dr Kozak: *face fell* Oh. Well... I admitted I liked her, and it turned out she liked me back.

Esperanza: That is so cute!

Dr Kozak: I don't blame her for liking me though. I mean, I'm really beautiful.

Kieran: You can't actually see yourself, sir.

Dr Kozak: Yes, I know that, Kieran, but I always have a mirror don't I?

Esperanza: Stop arguing! Continue with the story. I like where this is going.

Dr Kozak: Anyway. Astera and I became really close after a while. Although something happened to Astera when we both turned nineteen. And it wasn't good.

Kieran: What?

Dr Kozak: She accidentally became pregnant.

Kieran and Esperanza both gasped when they had heard that.

Esperanza: Astera became pregnant?

Dr Kozak nodded vigorously, not saying anything.

Kieran: At nineteen?

Dr Kozak: Yeah. It was a tough time.

Esperanza: You guys married at nineteen?

Dr Kozak: Maybe. Maybe not.

Kieran and Esperanza just stared at him blankly in return.

Dr Kozak: Okay. Fine! Yes we did! We just liked each other so much that Astera and I decided to get married early.

Esperanza: You said that this story was sad.

Dr Kozak: Oh it is. It is now, anyway.

Kieran: Okay so what happened next?

Dr Kozak: *kinda starts crying already, even though he hasn't said anything, the thought of what happens next in the story just made him really emotional* Astera gave birth at nineteen. To a baby girl.

Esperanza: What was her name?

Dr Kozak: Sierra Leone.

Kieran: You and Astera named your daughter after a country?

Dr Kozak: Well. I did anyway.

Esperanza: That's cute.

Dr Kozak: *falls silent, is crying* Thanks.

Kieran: But what would Astera have named her?

Dr Kozak: Destiny Divine. She was a mixed race baby. She was really pretty as well, like Astera.

Kieran: Okay so what happened to Sierra Leone slash Destiny Divine?

Dr Kozak: Well... And this is where the sad bit comes. Astera couldn't look after her. She was by far too young, and she didn't know anything about taking care of a baby yet. Plus we had barely finished university. I also couldn't look after her because I don't give birth and I also knew nothing about looking after a premature baby.

Esperanza: So you aborted Sierra Leone?

Dr Kozak: No. Even worse.

Esperanza and Kieran: What?

Dr Kozak: Soon Sierra Leone fell really sick and she...

Esperanza: She what?

Dr Kozak: *is crying* She died. She was only one week old.

Kieran: We're so sorry.... *hugs him and Dr Kozak hugs back*

Dr Kozak: It's fine. Anyway. Astera and I were obviously really upset at Sierra's death, but we didn't have enough money to afford a funeral, so we kind of buried her in our garden. That was when I suggested that we make another daughter, because even though Sierra lived a really really really short life, Astera really liked Sierra and so did I.

Kieran: Oh is this where Arista comes in?

Dr Kozak: Yep. Astera was quite mad at me because she thought that I meant that she could become pregnant again. She was mad at me because she kept telling me that I didn't know how painful it was to give birth, plus Astera was also- you know what let's not go into so much detail. I then suggested that we should make a robot daughter.... And so we did just that.

Esperanza: Where'd you get all the paraphernalia to make Arista a robot?

Dr Kozak: Oh. *smiles faintly* Estelle and Ezekiel both gave them to me. We all got a degree in science.

Esperanza: Really?

Dr Kozak: Yeah. That's why I'm a doctor. Duh, Esperanza.

Kieran: Well, congrats!

Dr Kozak just eyed him really weirdly before saying anything else.

Dr Kozak: I don't know if it's just me but you sounded really sarcastic, kid.

Kieran: No. I actually meant it.

Esperanza: How were your GCSE results, Dr Kozak?

Dr Kozak: Didn't get lower than an A grade.

Kieran: You're really smart....

Dr Kozak: *smiles* Thanks.

Kieran: Although there's still one thing that I don't really get and I'd really like some further explanation on.

Dr Kozak: *eyes him speculatively then sort of jabs a pencil through his skin out of boredom* Sure... What is it, Kieran?

Kieran: Why did you and Astera decide to name Arista Arista?

Dr Kozak: Because Astera heard someone else call their daughter Arista and she liked the name so therefore she kept on bugging me to name the robot baby Arista. So we did that.

Esperanza: Did all of this happen in this country?

Dr Kozak: No. And city. It all happened in Sacramento. The capital of California. We moved here in like, I don't know? 1996.

It was 2017.

Kieran: So you made Arista because you couldn't cope with Sierra's death at such a young age?

Dr Kozak: Yes. That's exactly why, Kieran.

Although Dr Kozak was crying again, and because he didn't want anyone to see him, he stood up and walked somewhere else to cry in a corner, his face completely red with tears over everything that he had just told both Kieran and Esperanza.

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Moral of story: Just because someone is dead doesn't mean that you have to forget them.... oh and don't get married at a young age especially if you don't want an unwanted pregnancy.