Page 273 of Light Leech

Ralia rolled her eyes. “They’re a bunch of helicopter parents who want to not only manipulate their kids, but the entire school. I’m sure they used to have good intentions decades ago, but I hated mine. Some mom was always telling me what to do.”

“Focus, Ral,” Boyband said.

She smiled. “That’s a first from you.”

He ignored her and continued to speak with David. “What did the PTA do?”

“According to their conclusion, the PTA is responsible for selecting successful students.”

“The zeg does that mean?” Akna scoffed.

Boyband looked at me. “Du, you think your theory holds up?”

I nodded to David. “Ask him.”

“Does Water Hills make some kids celebrities and toss the others to random corps?”

“I suppose that is similar enough to the truth. Parents bid with a variety of stocks and other forms of bribery for their children’s success, though the amount is hidden from the others. High tuition does not guarantee success, but the highest bidders earn the best teachers, those who prepare the highest pupils to excel as performers, managers, and other lucrative positions that will put them in the spotlight of society. Those who fail are seeded to sponsoring corporations to fill unwanted positions needed for corporate success.”

“Okay, that’s zegged up, but why do my parents care who the school makes it into a celebrity? Did they really want me out of the family business that badly?”

“Playing prerecorded message: the last will and testament of Robierre and Collette Eclaine.”

Chapter ten

Girl talk

Black. Everything was black with a grainy pattern. Greys and whites intermingled the pixelated world, yet it was still black. Black, save a distant cube of white light whose surface was not uniform. Was that an entrance? Looking down, I saw a blue light trail leading directly to the cube.

Everything was silent except for a quiet, calming pulsation that sounded almost like digital ocean waves smoothed out so the crashes were peaceful. I picked up on a faint static, though I only noticed it if I focused.

The blue path pulsed in sync with the noise. Each step sent out a shockwave, not only down the path, but into the surrounding ether. The blue tendrils of my steps did not disintegrate, rather they joined to form shapes. The shapes evolved into what I could only describe as the things one would see in a dream. They gave off the idea of something living, yet it did not look like a living being. Some were cuboidal, others were wisps, as if they were ideas incarnate.

“Weird, huh?”

I cried out and almost fell as I turned back. It had been so silent that I didn’t think Ralia had entered with me.

“Sorry, Pet.” She smirked, but this was not the Ralia I knew. She had the features of her pre-tech modded self and lacked clothing. There was no nudity to cover, only forms in the shape of the human body–save certain details–all in violet light that leaned more towards vibrant pink than a dull purple.

“It’s fine, I was just distracted.” I laughed, not feeling the air shoot up my throat and through my nose. I clenched my fists, felt the pressure as usual, but the slight pain of dry skin cracking no longer bothered my knuckles. It was neither cold, nor warm. There was no wind and I had no need to breathe. Hunger and satiety were but a memory. I knew this was all a cognitive illusion–not knowing how to better explain it–but I still savored the relief. Even after feeding, teeth always sounded appetizing. Is this peaceful? Is this what life was prior to receiving my Bite?

“Have you been here before?” I asked.

She looked around. “Places like this, yeah. It’s typical for the neurocore. I haven’t been here, per se, or any place in the core quite as empty as this.“ She cocked her head behind me, then pointed. “At least we have a destination lined up, right?”

“Yeah? I guess?”

“You got any better ideas?”

“No. I’m just trying to get used to this.” I thought of the missing part in my groin where a mound covered that position of my digital body. Out of curiosity, I scratched it. Nothing felt off.

“The zeg are you doing?” she asked.

“Just… checking–I mean, you know…”

“Making sure your body is all intact?”

“I guess?”