Glitch

Don’t look back.
    I walked through the door and it closed with a hiss be-
    hind me.
    The Chancellor had never been so insistent before. What
    had changed? What did she know? It had been so many
    weeks since she’d even called me in, but I’d been foolish
    to think I was safe. The thought sent a slice of cold dread
    through me.
    Then, suddenly, my breath caught in my throat. Zoe. The
    Chancellor had called me Zoe. My mind raced. How had
    she known to call me that name? I must have just misheard
    her. I was so paranoid all the time, I was imagining things to
    be anxious about.
    That night I sat up against the wall of my quarters with
    my knees pulled up underneath my chin, waiting anxiously
    for Adrien to come. We’d been working on my gift every
    night, even though I still couldn’t seem to control it. I’d
    managed to levitate a shoe and knock my pillow off the bed,
    but it was still erratic and imprecise. It was so frustrating.
    Adrien kept telling me we had to keep trying, but I just felt
    like a failure.
    But I had to keep training. It was the only tangible thing
    I could do to combat the painful thoughts of Daavd— my
    determination to help others like him in the future. My day-
    time life at the Academy was just something I did robotically.
    All I could think about was getting home for my night train-
    ing sessions with Adrien.
    I stared at my blanket in the darkness while I waited,
    willing the ceiling tile to move. Nothing. The time seemed
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    G L I TC H
    to pass with excruciating slowness. Finally, just when I
    was getting a crick in my neck from looking up for so
    long, I heard the distinctive metal scratching of the tile
    shifting.
    Adrien’s long legs came down onto the bed and immedi-
    ately I felt a swell of relief. Adrien would make everything
    better. He always knew how to fi x things.
    “What took you so long?” I asked.
    “Sorry,” he said. “I had to sneak out and contact the Rez
    after school. I just got back.”
    “Why? What did you need to talk to them about?”
    He sat down, not looking at me. “I needed them to check
    my hardware.”
    My stomach churned with worry at his strange mood.
    He was always so calm, so confi dent. This ner vous Adrien
    scared me.
    He grabbed my hand and smiled weakly. “Hey, it’s noth-
    ing to worry about,” he said quickly, fi nally meeting my eyes
    and holding my gaze. “Everything’s fi ne. They checked me
    out and it’s all normal.”
    “What made you think something was wrong in the fi rst
    place?”
    He looked away. “The Chancellor called me into her of-
    fi ce today.”
    My monitor started buzzing. “She called me in, too.”
    He looked up at me in surprise.
    “She knows something, doesn’t she?” I tried to keep the
    panic out of my voice but didn’t quite manage it.
    “No.” He let go of my hand and settled himself across the
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    Heather Anastasiu
    bed from me. “It doesn’t mean anything. She’s been calling
    you in for routine checkups and interviews since you got
    back. And from what I can tell, she’s calling all of the student
    body in one by one to interview, looking for anomalous be-
    havior.”
    “But why would she do that if she didn’t know some-
    thing?”
    “I don’t know.” He shook his head. “I just don’t know.
    Come on, it’s time for your allergy therapy.”
    I nodded, but frowned as he took out the familiar device
    out of the case.
    “Did they get my results back from the blood sample yet?”
    He shook his head. “Not yet, but we should know some-
    thing soon.”
    I rolled up my sleeve. He gave me the injection and I
    watched him as he put the equipment away. He seemed dis-
    tant his eyes slightly unfocused.
    “Something’s just not right.” I said. “The sooner my al-
    lergy results come in and we can or ga nize our escape, the
    better. I don’t think I’ll be able to breathe until then.” I
    paused, noticing Adrien’s unusual stillness.
    “There’s something you’re not telling me,” I said quietly.
    “Is it about the Chancellor?”
    For a second he closed his eyes, then he smiled softly at
    me. “You’re the one person I can’t lie to. You know me too
    crackin’ well.”
    Part of me wanted to ask him why that was. How could
    I know him so well when I’d only just met him? And why
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    did I also know it was completely true? Instead, I asked, “So
    what’s wrong?”
    He shook his head uneasily. “That’s just it. I don’t know.
    I can’t remember. I