“Well sometimes to see what's really happening you have to look where you least expect it.” Matthew responded. She smiled again and for the first time in for what seemed like forever she actually felt something different. Happiness was something that she always felt but this was different, it felt more like something better. Without thinking about it she spoke about her thoughts. 

“What are these feelings?” She asked. He turned to look at her with an expression she had only seen from her parents years ago. 

“It's called Empathy, it's being able to put yourself in someone else's shoes. People don’t see it these days much anymore.” He explained. Before she could ask why he gestured for her to follow him as he wanted to show her the church community he served. She obeyed without complaint as there was a new longing in her chest to see more. A ton of possibilities ran through her mind as he escorted her to his car. The church could be a lot different than hers as it could have more colors besides white or black, and give actual good messages instead of a reminder to follow the rules as it was God’s Will. Curiosity got the better of her when Matthew spoke to the AI in his car and discarded his Alliance watch. She worried that any second a bunch of security guards would appear out of nowhere and drag him off like they did that old man. Yet it never happened and Matthew actually grabbed the wheel himself instead of letting the AI drive him around. 

“You turned it off?” Alex asked. She didn’t know that was possible as the technology was everywhere. Taking over everything A sudden realization came to her and she hoped no one would find out about it. 

“Hold on, it's going to be a bumpy ride oh and keep your watch off.” He said. 

She was nervous as to what his intentions were but she held on tight to the seat rest and placed her Alliance watch down next to his. He was a man of his word as once he started the car Alex was sure she was going to die with all the twists and sharp turns Matthew made. 

“I think I am going to hurl.” She whimpered. 

“Here take this.” Matthew said. He handed her a plastic bucket and Alex took it still feeling green until her head began to clear like she had come out of some sort of fog. She blinked many times as the world around began to change from the white and black technological one to one that was a lot different. It must have been a trick of the eye and she shook her head at the sight, yet the closer she got to the church the more things she saw. 

“What is this?” Alex asked. Matthew gave her no answer until they arrived at a tall tan building with stained glass windows and a cross on the top. He opened the door for her and held his hand out to her, she gave him a bit of a nervous but firm stare. 

“Don’t worry I am going to show you the truth, I won’t hurt you.” He responded. Alex didn’t know if she could trust him but with no other options she grabbed his hand and stepped out of the car. She felt the wind blow through her hair as a bunch of people came outside to greet Matthew and told him things about a list. Apparently there were a bunch of homeless people who came to the church to seek help and that shocked Alex. She didn’t want to believe it but as she looked around she could see that they were in fact a bunch of people living on the streets. The only shelters were tents or worn down cabins and Alex felt her heart stop, as she took in the sight. A ton of tables had been set up and people who worked at church were hiding bags of food, a blanket with a bunch of supplies for a baby, warm clothes, and some candles. 

Thank you young man God bless you.” An older woman says when Matthew hands her a warm blanket and soup. Alex felt her head explode a second time as all these people needed help but she was always told that everyone would be taken care of because of the rules. 

“This isn’t possible, people can’t live in poverty anymore, it's a rule.” Alex argued. 

“I am afraid that the truth isn’t always what we think, remember when I told you to take your watch off, this is what the world outside really looks like.” Matthew explained. “The water isn’t all clean, trees are getting cut down, animals get hunted and people don’t always have what they need to survive.” 

“But what do the watches have to do with this?” She asked. 

“The AI technology in them makes everyone who wears them believe that everything is okay and nothing can go wrong. They are actually infected with a virus called the ‘Alliance virus’ because it appeared ten years ago in all of our computer systems and the government decided to use it to keep everyone safe.” He explained. 

Obviously his emphasis on the word safe made Alex realize that the rules created by the United Nations were fake news. They weren’t there to protect them; the rules just made all of their lives a lie. 

“This is terrible. I can't believe that I never knew.” She said. 

When she starts to get upset about everything around her, Matthew comforted her by placing a hand on her shoulder. 

“Most people don’t but this is how we can help, and I promise you that things will get better if we work together.” He responded. 

Alex looks back at the church community who is helping all the people who needed it and she felt a warm sensation in her chest when she saw how happy they were to receive something. She looked at Matthew and thanked him for his comforting words. Then walked around the place to see what nature felt like and picked up some leaves, pine cones and blades of grass, and within minutes she created a bunch of small bracelets.

When she handed them out to everyone she felt the rush of warmth again when they smiled. In her mind Alex pictured a future where she and a bunch of her friends were coming up with real solutions to these problems instead of using AI. She thought about what she could do about climate change and other issues like deforestation that have affected the environment. Instead of being bound to the rules of society she thought about what it would be like for women to have their own rights along with everyone else being able to choose who they want to be.

If she tried hard enough maybe she could give back the right to not only fall in love but be lgtbq+ as well. She might have to become a politician to fulfill all of the issues she was thinking about like gun laws, mental health, giving hope to the people and so much more. The more she thought about possible future solutions to these problems the more she smiled and felt that it was possible to get there without using AI as a crutch. 

“Wow, that made me feel good.” She said. 
“That is because you are being compassionate which is what all those rules prevent, even if there were good intentions behind them at first they caused more suffering and covered it up so there was no empathy.” He explained. 

Alex nodded and understood everything that he meant, as the longer she spent with all these people the more her head cleared. She felt happy but it was different this time because it felt like real happiness instead of that small one she had felt for as long as she remembered. It seemed that in order for there to be light in the world there had to be some darkness so the light could fight against it and shine bright. She also experienced what it was like to have others hug her whenever she played with younger kids, they would say they loved her which almost made her cry.