A giant*,*bright flower soared up to the ceiling, slowly turning like a cyclopean wind blade and spreading beams of pink and blue light throughout the library hall.
Immersed in an almost surreal silence, a bicolor multitude of teenagers moved rhythmically, accompanied only by the sound of their *feet*. The floor was covered in a dense artificial fog that effectively hid the feet of the youngsters *and* seemed to make them float in the void.
It was the beginning-of-the-year silent party, an event organized by the school under the supervision of the Guardians of Silence (GDS), designed to calm the spirits of the students returning from summer holidays and prepare them for the strict rules of the institute.
Each participant, equipped with an artificial intelligence device inserted in the left earlobe and connected by an audio link, listened to the official playlist. The tracks, carefully selected from those approved, were streamed by the School AI.
Among the dancing shadows and the soft lights of the hall, three figures stood out for their air of silent defiance: Delezia, the tallest of the group, dominated as the undisputed leader, her upright posture was a clear signal of her authority. At her side, Edalia, like a shadow, observed the world with eyes veiled in envy. Not far away, Fril, with his reluctance masked behind an apparent conformity. This trio, nicknamed the DEF, united in their admiration for the GDS doctrine and in disdain for those who dared to differ, cast judgmental glances towards Aeris, the living symbol of everything they despised.
Meanwhile, oblivious to what was happening around her, Aeris danced. With her gray sweatshirt and holographic leggings, in the midst of the crowded dance floor of boys dressed in blue and girls in pink, she was like a blemish on perfect skin. Bored and listless, she moved almost mechanically, forced to follow the rhythm of a music pleasant yet profoundly alien to her: the Reticent Pop Music.
"...Take me back 'cause I wanna stay.
Save your tears for another.
Save your tears for another day..."
Not far from Aeris stood Eme, the perfect and conformist classmate, in his blue suit, with his hermetic glasses, a symbol of obedience, designed to protect the eyes from wind and dust. Eme moved awkwardly, scrutinizing everyone from his *height* as if he were a watchtower.
Further on, there they were again, the DEF, engaged in their favorite game...
"Edalia, have you seen Aeris? She always wants to stand out. I've never seen her in a decent look," Delezia commented sarcastically, like a conductor *initiating* a symphony of gossip.
"With that holographic-effect tights, she looks like a fish floundering in a net, gasping for air!" all three laughed, Fril more subdued and reluctantly.
As Aeris watched these scenes around her with detachment, she couldn't help but think that this was not at all a party, but rather *just another* boring lesson, comparable even to a law class. This thought made her *laugh inside*, until, catching her by surprise, the music suddenly stopped. Her heart paused for a moment, her breath suspended like a leaf ready to fall. Looking around, she noticed that the others continued to dance undisturbed. She then realized that the music had disappeared only for her.
Driven by a survival instinct, she immediately resumed moving, mimicking the steps of the other participants. She had to act cautiously: the Standard artificial intelligences (AI), which were implanted at birth in the left earlobe of every inhabitant of Zephyra, were known for their absolute reliability and represented the only officially recognized means of identification.
To be discovered without one's Standard AI meant immediate arrest. At the end of the hall, near the exit, she could glimpse the GDS who, at the end of the event, would check each participant's AI with their validation routines. With just minutes to the end of the evening and no apparent escape route, Aeris felt lost.
It was then that a buzzing, similar to a radio disturbance, heralded the arrival of a music never heard before…