Cognitive Deviance

67. Catalyst

March 13, 2037 - 4:40 PM

Five o'clock, no later. Five o'clock, no later...

Fifteen-year-old Margo Sandoval stood alone at a crosswalk. Alone, yet fenced in by a crowd of twelve other classmates, each one of them awaiting the bus, awaiting spring break. Ever since the bell rang, such a wondrous escape remained in progress for forty minutes and counting. Only eight days, twenty-three hours, and twenty minutes to go before she could proceed with her escape.

Away from school, from the vigilant eyes and attentive ears of her teachers and counselor, not her ideal break.

Her chestnut brown hair was long back then, hiding her left eye, draping over her ears, caressing her shoulders and the nape of her neck. She didn't have the muscle that got her through Psychwatch's training. She was meeker, capable of disappearing. Some days she wondered if people thought she was some kind of spirit haunting the school, with a tragedy-stricken backstory and an aura evoking dread more than sympathy. They'd see her, maybe even speak of her, but they'd walk on by as if she were all in their heads, a presence so engrained in their lives, it'd be too late to confront her and question why she'd haunt them, of all people, of all the schools in Philadelphia.

Like many ghosts, fifteen-year-old Margo Sandoval wanted someone to hear her, hear everything she had to say without having to open her mouth to speak.

Five o'clock, no later. Five o'clock, no later...

The bus approached the crosswalk, the familiar growl of its motor replaced by the deafening screech of its brakes as it came to a halt. The doors parted open, and the kids climbed inside, all but Margo.

"Wait, I thought you take the city bus," one girl said. "Why are you here?"

"Sorry," Margo said, too low to hear. "Just...just..."

"Just what? Fucking say something."

"Just...forgot."

The girl forced out a condescending laugh. "See you after spring break, freak."

Margo scurried away, fingers clenching the hems of her sleeves as her classmate vanished up the steps of the bus. Eyes squinting at the sidewalk beneath her, she refused to look up until the yellow lines marking the edge of the bus stop came into view, only catching glimpses of the holographic ads promoting Psychwatch's goods.

WE WILL KNOW WHEN YOU'RE HURT, read one ad in bright silver letters. WE WILL FIX YOU UP IN NO TIME.

"Five o'clock," Margo whispered. "No later."

The holographic ads hovering beside her mesmerized her. Such simple declarations, yet so promising. WE CARE ABOUT YOU. WE WILL FIGHT YOUR BATTLES. YOU WILL NEVER BE ALONE AGAIN. NEUTRALIZE, EMPATHIZE, STABILIZE. She'd seen Psychwatch officers before, delivering speeches to her and her classmates, saving them from the drudgery of first period. Installing SanityScans on street corners, walking around with small holographic lenses floating before a singular eye like a monocle. A growing presence, and in her eyes, a welcome one.

The city bus halted at a stoplight one block away. Two more minutes, and she'd be on her way home. Two more minutes, and the course of her life would alter forever.

The light flashed green, and the bus propelled across the street, impeding to a halt before the yellow line between Margo and the street. The doors pulled away for her to enter, and she climbed up the steps.

"Welcome," greeted the bus's AI, and Margo flashed a glance at the lone steering wheel. Rather than a driver's seat, a SanityScan rested atop a metal podium by the steering wheel, swiveling from side to side.