The shrill sound of the alarm clock was no match for the booming voice that followed. "Y/N! Get up, you're going to be late!" Her mum's voice echoed through the house, cutting through the morning silence like a knife.
Y/N groaned and pulled the covers over her head, trying to block out the noise. But her mum was relentless. "I mean it, young lady! You can't afford to miss another class!"
Footsteps pounded up the stairs, and within seconds, her bedroom door flew open. Her mum stood in the doorway, hands on her hips, her face a mix of frustration and concern. "Do you want to fail out of college? Because that's where you're headed if you don't get up right now!"
Y/N peeked out from under the covers, her eyes barely open. "Five more minutes," she mumbled, but her mum was having none of it.
"No more minutes! Get up, get dressed, and get moving!" Her mum's voice softened slightly, but the urgency remained. "I know it's tough, but you have to push through. Now, up!"
With a resigned sigh, Y/N threw off the covers and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Her mum gave a satisfied nod before turning to leave. "Breakfast is on the table. Don't dawdle."
As the door closed behind her, Y/N rubbed her eyes and stretched, the remnants of sleep slowly fading away. Another day, another battle with the alarm clock-and her mum.
*Wattys 2018 Winner / Hidden Gems*
CREATE YOUR OWN MR. RIGHT
Weeks before Valentine's, seventeen-year-old Kate Lapuz goes through her first ever breakup, but soon she stumbles upon a mysterious new app called My Dream Boyfriend, an AI chatbot that has the ability to understand human feelings. Casually, she participates in the app's trial run but finds herself immersed in the empathic conversations with her customizable virtual boyfriend, Ecto.
In a society both connected and alienated by technology, Kate suspects an actual secret admirer is behind Ecto. Could it be the work of the techie student council president Dion or has Kate really found her soulmate in bits of computer code? She decides to get to the bottom of the cutting-edge app. Her search for Ecto's real identity leads Kate to prom, where absolute knowledge comes with a very steep price.