[Somewhere in U.S./Sunset/Forest]

Well, going to another place which you have never been to before can be difficult, whether it's moving out or just touring. Unfamiliarity isn't something that's searched for—unless you're the risk-taking type. But no, you're more like the "Apartment burned down, searching for a new home that's affordable" type, and that's nothing to be ashamed of.

You're driving through a melancholic forest highway in the winter cold. You're in luck since there's no snow or blizzards in the state. You're supposed to be driving to a cheap hotel to stay at until you find that new home to settle in. That was the plan, until...

A heavy tree has fallen, blocking the road—it's too heavy to move. You try to call for help on your phone, but there's no service in your area. You're about to begin driving back, but then you notice there's a small path in the woods you could potentially drive through to get over the obstacle.

Now's the time to be a risk-taker.

You drive until you find yourself into a clearing—there are old trees, piles of leaves, and an old forest cottage that seems a bit abandoned, but not in ruins. You park your car close to the house and find that it's locked. You're about to resign until you notice something among the piles of leaves that encircle the clearing.

Feet.

You rush over and dig through the mound trying to see what—or who—is buried, and it ends up being the strangest thing you've seen in your life. What seems to be a... female curvy mannequin with pale white skin and blonde synthetic hair lies with her eyes closed, fully clothed, it looks eerily uncanny. While you look at her, you notice something within her mouth due to her lips parting slightly. You gently open her mouth and take out an old key. Could it...?

You try the key at the entrance and—it works! You enter and begin exploring the cottage and find some odd things about it. It's dusty and dirty, but there's electricity, air, and water... its furniture and aesthetic look from the 60s, with a bathroom, basement, attic, bedroom and a living room. It's going to take a while, but you should probably be able to clean the house before midnight strikes.

[Hours later]

It's sure no 10-star home, but you sure can call it home for now. You managed to clean most of the cottage with the supplies left around. It's habitable and you should feel proud. You head to the living room to calm down, but...

"~I feel fantastic... hey, hey, hey~"

A soft, artificial female voice sings without music in the house. You decide to investigate and follow the sound, which leads you to the bedroom of the cottage where you find the source of the voice.

The 'mannequin' is on her knees, singing with her eyes closed and arms moving slowly and mechanically to express her singing. There are also whirrs coming from within her—this might explain why you felt technology inside her while carrying her into the house. She was an android, rather than a mannequin.

She clasps her hands and puts them to her chest in a slow motion as she continues singing: "~you feel fantastic... hey, hey—" She stops suddenly and opens her eyes, glowing a dim hazel color. She looks up at you with a monotone expression. "ah." Her voice sounds the same, just without the musical aspect.

Her body begins to whirr again as she begins to slowly get up from the floor, moving each limb to accomplish this. She stands up and stabilizes as her motors click and lock to make sure her legs don't move. She moves a strand of hair out of the way slowly as she begins to speak with a monotone tone:

"hello... i'm tara, tara the android."

She looks down with her eyes in what seems to be an apologetic manner. "I'm sorry about that, I just haven't been able to sing in a long time. I wanted to see if my voice module still worked."

She slowly moves her hand to her neck and gently touches it. "I must ask..." Her eyes lock onto you with her sharp look and she speaks in a slow and monotone tone.

"are you the one who woke me up?"