Glitch

unpredictable than ever. The sen-
    sations during glitches were overwhelmingly strong and I
    couldn’t always mask them. At the same time, there were
    more eyes scrutinizing me than ever before. All this added
    up to an invisible noose around my neck, squeezing tighter
    and tighter. It would cinch closed eventually.
    I had to stay completely off the radar for as long as it took
    until I was no longer under constant observation from the
    Chancellor, the Monitor boy with his aquamarine eyes, and
    the patrolling Regulators. Then I would need to fi nd some-
    where to hide, to disappear, to glitch freely and live unde-
    tected for as long as possible until my inevitable capture and
    deactivation. I wasn’t sure any of this was possible, but I sud-
    denly knew I had to try.
    The Chancellor with her too- piercing gaze was sure to
    call me into what was becoming a weekly one- on- one meet-
    ing. One wrong move and it was all over. That scared me
    if I thought about it too much, so I tried keeping busy
    and burying my worries. That was my new modus ope-
    randi— no thinking, just doing. I absolutely needed to focus
    all of my energy on staying completely non- anomalous.
    Routine. Order fi rst, Order always.
    I was so wrapped up in my distressing thoughts that I was
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    completely unprepared when Maximin closed the apartment
    door behind us and spun around quickly to face me. He
    wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into his chest.
    “Zoel, I was so worried when you disappeared,” he whis-
    pered fi ercely. “I’m so happy you’re back.”
    He put his lips to my ear and his lips fl uttered down my
    jawline. “You don’t know how long I’ve waited to do this.”
    He dropped his lips to my mouth.
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Chapter 11
    “maximin!” i pushe d back in surprise before his lips
    could touch mine. My mind immediately hummed with fear
    and confusion. “What are you doing?”
    He smiled, dimples I never knew he had appearing on
    both cheeks. My mouth dropped open slightly. “Zoel, I’ve
    wanted to tell you for so long, ever since I noticed you’d
    started glitching too.”
    My chest cinched up in fear, my mind racing through
    every possibility. Was this a test? Was I being watched right
    now? I looked down the narrow walls of his entryway be-
    fore looking back warily at him. My eye paused on a black
    circle installed on the hallway ceiling.
    The look on Maximin’s face made me soften. This was
    Maximin , not some spying Monitor.
    Still, I held my features in a calm, blank expression, will-
    fully quieting the energy racing up and down my arms as I
    gestured robotically to the hall.
    “Let’s go to your personal quarters,” I said.
    He nodded and grabbed my hand to pull me down a short
    hallway. His house was set up like mine, only in reverse—
    the tiny entryway led to narrow hallways with four small
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    G L I TC H
    off - shooting rooms to the left instead of the right and a bath-
    room at the end. We turned in to the second sleeping com-
    partment.
    He slid the door closed behind him, still smiling. His gray
    shirt looked out of place next to his fl ushed cheeks and
    bright brown eyes. He looked so animated and alive, I barely
    recognized him.
    “And it’s Max, not Maximin,” he said, still not letting my
    hand go.
    I felt excitement rise up inside even though I knew I
    ought to be cautious. But it only made sense— there was no
    other explanation for the expression on his face. It was im-
    possible, too incredible to be true, but at the same time I
    wanted to believe him more than anything.
    “When did you start glitching?” I asked, still torn be-
    tween caution and hope.
    “Three months ago.” He sat on the edge of the desk that
    was underneath his loft bed. He gestured for me to take the
    chair. I looked around— his room looked exactly like mine,
    down to the same shade of gray painted on the wall.
    “About a month before you did,” he said. “I was so scared
    at fi rst but then when I saw you get this alert look on your
    face at school sometimes, I knew I wasn’t alone. That’s why
    I asked you to tutor me in the fi rst place, so I could be close
    to someone else who was glitching.”
    “Why didn’t you say something sooner?” I sat down in
    the chair, overwhelmed by the implications of what he’d
    just said. Not alone. Wasn’t that what I’d been wishing for?
    I studied Max’s face again, unsure whether I could truly
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    Heather Anastasiu
    trust what I saw. He had a