Rogue *EDITING*

Disobedient

Two and a half years ago.

The scientist knew Avis was becoming a delinquent. It was all Simon. He'd been given a warning, and he had subsided, but the scientist knew Avis had free will, and he couldn't stop her. Unless he absolutely had to.

Avis smartened up. She knew what not to tell her parents. She knew how to dismantle security cameras, which she did when she got caught sneaking out. She learned how to pick locks when the keys Simon have her were taken away. She loved to learn. And Simon was the only one who encouraged her. He told her how her parents didn't care. How they just wanted to control her. She asked him why they would do that. He wouldn't tell her. It was late now, and she wanted to go to the library. Tonight she was going to look at books about cars. She'd never seen a real car, but she saw them in some videos. She quietly opened her door and tiptoed to the research library. She picked the lock and walked in. She found books about cars and sat down in the aisle. There were chairs, but they were out in the open. Too risky.

Simon was in the library, like every night. It was Avis' favourite place to be, and thus also his favourite place to be. He watched her, and looked at her. The way her bright emerald eyes flitted over the words in her book, and how he could see the knowledge enter her bright mind, and her short blond hair fell down, but she was too entranced with her book to care. He wished he could help her. But the scientist would fire him. And if he got fired, there went his college scholarship. He'd have to drop out. And be a disappointment. So he just watched her.

The next morning, there was a meeting.
Drs. Silverman wanted to patch Avis.
Simon protested, and they have him a deal breaker. If Avis could change, they wouldn't patch her. It would take a year to develop the patch, since it would be a whole system override.