I sat in the room the Alams had provided me. I took a deep breath. I hit the one button on the device.

Nothing happened. I pressed it again. I shook it. I banged on it. I was losing what will I had left. Tyena looked like she'd kill me. I hadn't seen her much since our conversation. I'd done my research in the time between then and when I actually sat down to call. It was the dead of night. No one would be up to interrupt me.

I took a deep breath. I needed to fight against the people who were fighting for a world that I knew firsthand wasn't worth the deaths. They wanted a world where the government didn't have control of people's medical records and treatment. They wanted to go back to a world where the government didn't know what everyone was saying. A world of Twitter and social media and rage. I world where no one cared who anyone was.

In this world, at least everyone had a powerful organization watching out for them.

I pressed the button again. A hologram popped up in front of me.

"Everything alright, Mr. Quillen?"

A lump formed in my throat.

"Yeah, perfect. Why?"

"Your line kept connecting and disconnecting. I was worried maybe you were having a hard time adjusting to the more advanced technology."

I took in the figure in front of me. It was a man in a crisp business suit. Even his face seemed to be lines intersecting with each other.

"I was calling about your offer."

The hologram nodded.

"I want to help however I can."

"You're calling late." The figure said flatly.

"Yes. I wanted to make sure everyone was asleep. You never know who you can trust."

The man laughed dryly and nodded.

"I can tell we're going to get on."

I wiped my hands on my pants. "I hope so."

"Now, what makes you think you couldn't trust the  Alams? Our records show they're model citizens, if not a bit eccentric in their ideas of justice."

"No, it's not the Alams. It's..." My throat went dry. I had no reason to protect the rebel girl, but something stopped me.

"What?" The voice softened.

"It's one of the servants." The feeling went away. Who knew what horrors had been committed by or with the aid of that girl? "Tyena Laurenz."

The hologram nodded. He stared straight ahead. He must've had a computer by him that I couldn't see. "Her mother was arrested for rebel activity. We've had a watch on her in the past. Her father appears to be a good man. Do you believe this to be a solo act or one with the family?"

"I don't know."

The man nodded. "You don't have any reputation or status with us yet, so we can't just take your word for it. We will put her under intensive surveillance."

"Okay." I felt better. I couldn't be the only thing working against her. They'd decide on their own if she was a criminal. I hadn't done anything wrong.

"Would you be alright with coming into the office after school? We can discuss further arrangements there."

I nodded. Tomorrow was Friday. The man went on explaining how I'd just have to catch the train going a different direction. He was going to update my chip right there and then to give me the clearance I'd need to meet with him.

I was really doing it. It felt exhilarating. For once, I'd be able to make a difference. I'd be able to put more good into the world than bad. I'd be something other than invisible.

I smiled in the dark as the hologram flipped off. Rob the chosen one. Rob the hero. I liked the sound of it.

✰ ✰ ✰

Rob seemed to be omnipresent. My girlfriend wouldn't say anything about how she seemed to be constantly jumping out of her own skin. Mrs. Johnson went on being Mrs. Johnson.

It seemed I was the only one who noticed how wrong everything was.

T seemed extra careful not to acknowledge me in public. Which was fine. Except for how it wasn't.

Corey didn't bring any comfort.

"The aliens finally got together."

"Cool," was all I could bring myself to say.

I spent my days trying to be as nonexistent as possible. I tried to move without bothering anyone or reminding anyone, hey, I exist.

That got me through Thursday. I took tests. I was a star student. I even stayed after class to help teachers. I was the same as I'd always been.

But I wasn't. I needed someone to acknowledge me. Chase was away at college. No one was allowed to venture to the separate building for the older students. I had waited for Chase at the main door to the college the day before. That had been Wednesday.

"You should've met me on the train," he'd muttered.

"I had a bad day. I needed to see a friendly face."

"Alams don't have bad days."

I had nodded. He talked me through the day when we were in my room, but the wait had been agonizing. It didn't even seem like I'd had him anymore. I'd never remembered a time when Chase wasn't there, and then poof. He was barely in my life anymore.

He had Jessica. He had a life and I was increasingly not in it.

T seemed to be avoiding me as though I was a harbinger of doom. She was the same as always in private, but she felt like a stone wall everywhere else.

I took a deep breath. Thursday. I could do Thursday.

The train slid to a stop, pulling me out of my reverie. That had been yesterday. Today was today. Thursday. I could do Thursday.

I stepped off the train. I caught the sight of T's back, her beautiful hair.

The school uniforms we wore were not flattering, but somehow hers was. The plaid skirt made her look just as beautiful as she always did. The shirts that were a bit too big for whoever was wearing it only made her look more perfect.

Her soccer jersey, pulled over the should-have-been crisp shirt of the school uniform, seemed to be a magnet for the rest of her team to swarm around her. T was the center of everyone's world. It just so happened that she was the center of mine too.

I hurried inside.

"How are you?" Rob asked.

"Fine. I've got class. Bye."

I could do Thursday. All that was left was for someone to come in and yell "NOT" after my little mantra. I could do Thursday. Silence. I could do Thursday. I whispered to myself.

"Not." It was so quiet no one heard, but it was enough for me.

I got through my first class. We read in silence the whole time, but it was better than anything else could've been. I took deep breaths. I could do Thursday.

The next class was a little worse. Everyone screamed until I finally got to leave, my head throbbing.

Corey's arm hooked through mine. It retracted after a brief walk down the hallway, but I was glad for the little bit of comfort.

I could do Thursday.

The hallway was full. Fuller than normal.

I took a deep breath. I tried to slip around the crowd, but everyone was packed in like sardines. I pushed my way forward.

"What, you're probably rebel scum!"

I met T's eyes. She dropped my gaze. Her arms were around Jamie.

"Take that back." Jamie struggled in T's grip, her mouth practically foaming as she said that.

"Why? Why should I?" I only vaguely knew the other girl or the tall blonde who restrained her. I watched Jamie.

"I'll have you suspended from the team! I don't care. You can't just say things like that."

"Why not? Tyena, let her come at me. I could take this basic B any day of the week."

"No one is fighting anyone." T sounded tired.

But Jamie and the other girl both made a final attempt to go at each other.

A flustered Mrs. Johnson stepped into the circle.

"No fighting. Break it up. You're all better than this. Jamie, Lola, my office now."

Lola relaxed. T let go of Jamie.

"What are you all looking at? Go back to class, nerds." Jamie looked directly at me.

I didn't say anything.

Lola looked like she was about to cry. If I had been in a position to throw insults at Jamie, I'd be crying too for wasting it on something like "rebel scum." There were so many valid digs, but no. Rebel scum.

I kicked at the floor.

Rebel scum.

I went to class. I couldn't believe that'd been her insult.

Jamie, the girl who once threw up in the middle of the cafeteria, yelled "I'm fine," threw up again, and then passed out. But no, the worst thing she ever did was get called a generic insult that could be made to apply to anyone.

I sat thinking about it all the next class. It was technically a class called "Model Citizens 101," trying to prepare us for life, but almost nothing ever happened. I stared at a worksheet in front of me. I swiped at the screen.

I brainstormed the insults I would've used. I made myself smile.

"Look at Sonnet. She's got a stick so far up her own ass she does these worksheets just to feel joy in life."

"Yeah, and what are your grades, Mia?"

"It doesn't matter if I fail or not. Did you hear who I got engaged to?"

I didn't bite. It didn't matter who she'd gotten in her notice. I didn't care.

I left that class as soon as I could. I avoided absolutely everyone. Maybe it had been a valid insult. Maybe I was uptight. I didn't want to talk to anyone to find out.

Rob kept hanging around. I always ended up avoiding him. I didn't see Mrs. Johnson. I didn't see Jamie or Lola either.

Jamie wasn't on the train. Neither was Rob.

Something was going on. I wasn't sure whether I was being intentionally cut out of it or if I'd done it to myself. Something bad was coming.

The second T stepped onto the train; a light drizzle started outside of the window.

"Hey, do you mind if I sit here today?"

"Where are the other girls?"

"Jamie's still not back from Mrs. Johnson's and the team is pretty torn up over the fight. We don't know what's happening. Some of the girls wanted to wait for Jamie and Lola."

I scooched over. "And you didn't?"

Someone shot us a weird look.

"No, you moron. I've got stuff to do back at the house. God, maybe I should find somewhere else to sit."

"Maybe."

I wanted to kiss her. The space between us seemed miserable. I tried to look as haughty as I could.

Maybe she should sit somewhere else.

We kept making jabs until the train was clear.

I leaned into her.

"You need to tell me what's going on."

"I can't."

"What's wrong, T?"

"Nothing that you knowing about would help." She crossed her arms. "I can't talk about this. You'll understand someday. Maybe sooner than later. I hope later for my sake."

"Fine. Then what happened with Jamie?"

She didn't say anything for a little while.

"I said something stupid. I normally say something stupid. But Lola took offense to it. It was something about government agents being jerks. Well, turns out her dad is a government agent. I said I was sorry. I didn't know. You know, lies. But she wouldn't drop it. So, then Jamie got mad. And then it turned into a full-blown fight that you saw. That's probably why it's taking so long to get it sorted out. You know how it is when the rebellion is brought up."

"Yeah. I know."

T's hand was wrapped around mine.

"How have you been?"

"Not good, T."

T nodded. "Well, tonight we'll make a date. Me and you. Chase is staying late at college, right?"

I made an affirmative croak.

"Tonight, it'll be me and you. No one else. We can have a bad day together."

"It's not a bad day if I have you."

T's hand wrapped around mine. "Whatever happens, I do love you."

I nodded. "Me too."

A lump grew in my throat. Something was up. T only ever found soft enough words when something truly terrible was about to happen.

"Me too." I repeated hollowly.