Page 66 of Suddenly Desired
He nodded. He’d wanted exactly the same thing for Heartbook, it just hadn’t quite worked out that way. When the company had gone public, and Michelle and Mike had come on board, the emphasis had gone from social good to making money, and the network just hadn’t been the same since.
“And I want it to help people,” Ellie went on. “Heal people. You know, if you’re down, or sad, or depressed, or angry. This piece of code is designed to study your facial expression and work out how you’re feeling.”
“That’s amazing,” said Blake.
“It’s a little rusty, but try it,” she said. “Hang on.”
She opened the LifeWrite interface on the laptop, activating the camera, and their faces appeared side by side on the screen. Blake caught their reflection and couldn’t help a flicker of surprise — how natural they looked together, like they belonged in the same frame. She angled the laptop slightly so that only he filled the shot, her fingers skimming the keyboard with practised ease.
“All right, superstar,” she said with a small smirk. “You’re on. It’s capturing footage, so don’t say anything you might regret.”
The old computer clunked and whirred, struggling with the complexity of the code. On-screen he saw a series of whorls and lines appear on his face, then the computer beeped. A crudelyanimated cartoon avatar appeared, and Ellie’s voice drifted from the speakers.
“Good evening,” it said.
“Urgh, I’ve got to work on the time stamps,” she said. “Pretend it said morning.”
“You look . . . flustered,” said the avatar, and a laugh escaped Blake’s lips. He probablydidlook flustered, but only because his mind kept taking him back to last night. “Please relax, take a deep breath, and listen to this poem.”
On the computer, Ellie’s voice began to narrate a calm and soothing poem.
“Wordsworth,” he said, recognising it. “That’s nice.”
“You really do know your books,” she replied. “So, yeah, the idea is that there is a response for every mood, and a huge database of writing to choose from. Eventually, when the network is up and running, LifeWrite will analyse your mood and do other things too, like connect you to family members, or just find someone for you to talk to.”
“United by stories,” he said. “It’s brilliant.”
Ellie’s cheeks flushed pink, and she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, avoiding his gaze. Her fingers toyed with the edge of the laptop, and when she finally glanced up at him, a small, shy smile played on her lips. “I don’t know about that.”
“It’s brilliant,” he said again. “I mean it. Look, I know I can’t offer you much, but let me at least be your cheerleader. LifeWritehasto exist. I think it can really help the world. I’ll help where I can, where you want me to.Ifyou want me to.”
“I want you to,” Ellie said. She patted the laptop. “And there’s no backing out now, I’ve got it all on film.”
Blake looked at his face on the screen and laughed.
“I hereby declare that my only purpose in life from now on will be to help and support Ellie Mae Woodward, because she is the most wonderful, intelligent, beautiful person I know.”
Ellie gently slapped his arm, but she was laughing. Blake turned to her, ready to tell her that he had fallen totally head over heels for her, but at that moment Isla came crashing through the farmhouse’s front door, a look of alarm on her face.
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” she said breathlessly. “But you must come quickly. It’s an emergency.”
Chapter 33
ELLIE
“An emergency?” Ellie stood so fast her chair almost toppled over behind her. “What’s happened?”
Isla stood red-faced and panting in the doorway, like she’d just run a marathon. Sweat dampened her brow, her wild hair sticking up in all directions. She waved them over. “Hurry.” She ran out the door again.
Ellie started after her, Blake at her side. They ran down the porch steps and across the large, neatly kept yard towards the small barn where the animals lived. Blake charged ahead, his strides long and powerful despite his bare feet. Isla had stopped by the open barn door, her hands on her knees as she fought for breath.
“What is it?” Ellie said as she reached her. She breathed in the scent of livestock, the smell reminding her of her childhood. “What’s going on?”
From the way her mum was acting there had to be a fire somewhere, an animal in distress, or maybe even a murder. Her stomach twisted in knots as she scanned the yard, but Isla just pointed through the barn door.
“The goats,” she cried. “They’ve escaped.”
“What?” Ellie held a hand to her chest. “Mum, that’s hardly an emergency. I thought something was really wrong.”
