Glitch

if what the Chancellor was
    off ering me, imperfect as it was, was still the best solution
    for a world too broken to fi x?
    But then I thought about my brother and the smile I’d
    always wanted to see on his face. If the Chancellor had her
    way and he never glitched, he’d stay a drone forever. Sure,
    with the Link system, no one would know pain or war, but
    they’d also never feel happiness, see beauty, or be loved.
    Didn’t everyone deserve at least a chance at joy? Not just
    glitchers, but every single living person? Who were we to
    decide who got a chance at that life? Who were we to de-
    cide who was worth saving?
    Suddenly I could see clearly. No. I was not like her, and she
    did not understand me. “You talk about ideals—” I paused,
    shaking my head in disgust, “But really, underneath, this is
    just a way for you to gain all the power. You’re no diff erent
    than the Uppers.”
    The strained, saccharine smile on the Chancellor’s face
    disappeared instantly. She gritted her teeth and her cheeks
    turned splotchy red with instant rage.
    “Don’t use that tone with me!” Her voice turned hard.
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    G L I TC H
    “I’ve had enough. I thought you would see reason, but it is
    clear that you are incapable.”
    She realized her mistake, quickly calming herself. Her
    expression quickly stilled, turning back into the sweet placid
    smile. But it was too late. I had already seen the real face of
    the Chancellor.
    The buzzing suddenly burned through me at her change
    in tone. I had to get Molla away from this woman. My teeth
    clenched, and my fi sts began to shake with the eff ort. Every-
    thing inside me was screaming to unleash my power and get
    Molla and me out of here.
    The Chancellor frowned as if in sympathy.
    “Oh, dear. You are still having diffi
    culty controlling your
    powers. I was afraid that might make this challenging.” She
    gestured toward Adrien.
    “Believe me, Zoe, I am so sorry to do this to you. I was
    hoping to avoid this, but I know there is only one reliable
    method to control your power. And it is going to upset you.”
    Adrien moved to stand behind Molla, a knife pressed
    against her throat.
    “Stop it!” I yelled, starting forward.
    I saw a thin line of blood from where he’d pushed too
    hard. I froze, not daring to take another step in case he kept
    pushing. Rage burned in my chest. My power begged to tear
    him apart. But I held it in. I had to protect Molla.
    The Chancellor observed me, smiling as my arms began
    to still.
    “Much better. But I’m afraid it’s just not quite enough.
    329

    Heather Anastasiu
    It’s a pity. If only you weren’t immune to my Gift, none of
    this would be necessary.” She turned to speak into her wrist
    communicator.
    “Bring in the other subject.” She turned her hawk gaze
    back on me and smiled.
    The door opened and two Regulators dragged in some-
    one go beaten and bloody, at fi rst I didn’t recognize him.
    But then I saw the blond hair, the angular jaw. It was Max.
    My heart seized up in my chest at the sight of him. They
    fl ung him to the ground like a bag of fl our.
    Molla went wild when she saw him. She let out an ago-
    nized scream that sounded more animal than human. It
    echoed throughout the room despite Adrien’s hand clamped
    over her mouth. She began to furiously jerk about in Adrien’s
    arms, struggling to break free and run to Max’s broken body.
    “Max!” I started forward but the Chancellor just clicked
    her tongue at me.
    “I don’t think so, Zoe. Remember Molla.”
    I looked over at her. She was still struggling. Adrien had
    twisted one arm behind her back, the knife edge still dan-
    gerously close to her throat.
    “Molla, stop it!” I shouted, my voice ringing in the empty
    room. “You have to stay calm. For Max.”
    She slowly stopped struggling, but she still looked wild and
    lost. The screams died down to a constant, painful whimper,
    and her eyes streamed a steady fl ush of water. Her wide gaze
    was trained on Max’s broken body, crumpled at the Chan-
    cellor’s feet.
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    G L I TC H
    As calmly as I could, I looked at Max, surveying the dam-
    age. My chest ached just looking at him. His beautiful golden
    hair was matted with dirt and blood. One eye was swollen
    shut, purple with bruising around his cheekbones and jaw.
    His lip was split open. All of the skin I could see was red and
    tender. He lay on the ground with a studied stillness, as if
    any movement at all would be too painful to bear. I