Chapter 4: Bound by the System

"Who? Who’s talking?"

I shot out of my chair, scanning the empty office. The hall outside was silent; everyone else was in class. A faded flag drooped by the window. My phone buzzed with another spam call I ignored.

But I was sure I’d heard a voice.

A cold buzz flickered through my thoughts: [Does the host wish to bind to the Fair SAT System?]

It hit me: the voice was inside my head.

"What are you?"

[Detected host response: ‘yes’. Fair SAT System binding initiated.]

"What?"

I wanted to laugh and cry all at once. A system, for me? I wasn’t even a student—why bother?

The voice responded again:

[Binding successful.]

I took a shaky breath. "You’re a system? Why me?"

[This system is called the Fair SAT System. Its purpose is to counter all cheating systems in the SATs, restore fairness, and give students a just opportunity.]

Half in disbelief, I asked, "You mean you can stop those SAT systems?"

[Correct. This system can detect cheating system carriers and has corresponding disabling measures.]

"There’s really such a system?"

My heart pounded. The next period, I’d be teaching Aubrey and Natalie’s class. For the first time in years, I felt a flicker of hope.