The elderly woman's voice interrupts this line of thought. "Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus..." she murmurs under her breath. You focus on the events unfolding before the altar once more. You see one of the deacons standing in the middle of the sanctuary, holding a cloth—the humeral veil, your data on all things Catholic tells you—in front of his face. The woman smiles meaningfully, looking at your... ears, of all things. You haven't the faintest idea why.

"Pleni sunt caeli et terra gloria tua," the choir sings, "Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini. Hosanna in excelsis." The congregation kneels and you follow along, watching the back of Mr. Brennan's head. His gaze is fixed squarely on the altar.

The consecration occurs. You feel... nothing. You didn't expect otherwise, and perhaps this isn't necessarily a bad thing. After all, to the best of your knowledge, most people don't feel much of anything at church. Mr. Brennan bows his head in prayer. You wonder what's going through his mind...

A good two minutes of silence elapse, to be succeeded then by several more prayers. You hear footsteps coming from the choir loft as the choir descends and files through the church.

"Domine, non sum dignus ut intres sub tectum meum, sed tantum dic verbo et sanabitur anima mea. Domine, non sum dignus ut intres sub tectum meum…" recites the priest. He begins administering communion. The woman next to you rises to receive, as does Mr. Brennan. You watch as he genuflects, then kneels at the communion rail.

———

Less than ten minutes later the Last Gospel is recited. The choir vigorously sings the vernacular recessional hymn, and the priest and deacons withdraw, retracing their route. You bow in imitation of the other people as the priest passes. The woman who stayed close by the whole time now looks at you again and smiles.

"Was that your first Mass, dear?" she asks you in a low, eager tone as soon as the ministers have exited the church, emerging in the bright sunlight. You give her a simple nod. She clasps her hands. "I knew it!" The woman takes your arm. "Come, dear, I'll introduce you to Father Seong!"

Hesitating, you look back inside the church. Mr. Brennan is still kneeling in his pew, his face in his hands. He doesn't notice you looking at him. You follow the woman and the other families outside.

———

At the woman's urging, you introduce yourself to Father Seong and briefly exchange pleasantries under the woman's eager gaze. You really need to ask her what her name is, you think.

"I must say, you are one of the most dedicated parishioners here, Annie!" Father Seong says to you jovially. He is plump and very youthful looking, though his temples are streaked with more gray than your husband's, belying his actual age. Your brow furrows. Has a misunderstanding of some sort arisen?

"No, no, Father," the woman says. "Her name is Amie! And that was her first Mass!" She's thrilled, even ecstatic on your behalf.

"Is that so!" the priest exclaims. "Why, we're delighted to have you, Emmy."

Stunned into silence, you nod weakly. What else can you do? You feel a mounting sense of dread. If they start asking you questions... Just then the woman—Mrs. Kenner, whose name you finally overheard with relief as she spoke with the priest—turns to you again. "Are you a relation of Mr. Brennan's, dear? I saw you come in with him...?" She trails off expectantly, though there is a hint of confusion in her voice, as though she is wondering why Mr. Brennan would have left you on your own for your first Mass.

You take a deep breath. "I'm his wife," you say softly.

The priest's thin brows furrow. "But how...?" he begins, but doesn't finish the question. Mrs. Kenner merely gapes. You don't have the heart to tell them that you are an android. Instead, you look desperately at the church's entrance, hoping beyond hope that Mr. Brennan will finally make an appearance...

He doesn't.

"You're... you're a robot," Mrs. Kenner states with dawning horror, as though she can't believe it. The words are a death knell.

What can you say? What can you do?

"I am," you barely whisper. There is a moment of silence. You dare to raise your eyes toward Mrs. Kenner.

You find yourself staring into the dark, bottomless pits of her eyes. Her expression... is identical to that which you saw earlier on your husband's face. Complete and utter indifference. In an instant, you have been downgraded from a person... to a thing. You feel your knees wobbling beneath you, but you refuse to give in to the temptation of collapse, no matter how great it is. The woman gazes at you with that pitiless, dead gaze for another moment, then turns away. You feel your lower lip trembling. You're also conscious of the scrutiny of other people on you, people who heard Mrs. Kenner's exclamation.

"Miss... Amie," Father Seong begins, but he stops short of addressing you by your full name. "This isn't the place... This isn't the time... Come with me, if you will."

You nod, numbly. He leads you away from the crowd, and the murmurings begin in earnest, as people realize that you have left with him, but not that your auditory sensors can pick up all their words from here. Your ears burn. You can feel their eyes on your back. "What... is going to happen to me?" you manage to whisper.

"I don't know child," Father Seong admits. "But I'll have a word with your... with Mr. Brennan before you leave." You follow him in silence, pale-faced and trembling as he leads you to a building adjoining the church, then ushers you into a small room—his office, judging by the prominent crucifix on the desk and shelves upon shelves of books. Father Seong motions you in and says, "Would you terribly mind waiting here for me? I will return as soon as I have spoken with Mr. Brennan and gotten his side of the story."

"Yes, Father. I... I understand," you say in a frail voice, as Father Seong nods, steps out, and locks the door behind himself.