nto focus with the harsh

oom, the familiar scent of chalk dust

ntic rhythm. It wasn't the excitement of a tee

he cold floor of our community center, the smell of sm

, I saw the grinning faces of t

here. Alive

y. The day it

her smile a weapon, stood at the front

loped the 'Life Path AI', and he's offering our

s president, nodded eagerly. His

I analyzes your potential and assigns you the p

room. This was the siren's song I rem

t life, I

like a movie play

ta tests. The AI has serious flaws. It oversimplifies potential, it ignores per

hing it, driven by a genu

m went

laug

y. "Just because your family runs a little charity center

ealous," some

ment. "Ava, don't be a downer. Britta

. I tried to warn them, I even hacked into the school' s system t

t to sa

rouble, I wa

in our neighborhood, was publicly discredited by Brittany' s father' s media mac

nected, paid to send a message. They destroyed everything. My parent

d, a raw, open w

ssroom coming back

ow. A seco

l smiling, waitin

heir future?" she asked, her

ass ch

n't stand up. I

hair, my face a mask

icker of surprise in his eyes

him a small,

walk into

d be the one hold

their faces full of hope and greed, ready t

coldness spreadin

rac

atch you