A Glitch in the World

by Alex Drozd

  “Are you late to registering for certification training? The water and construction departments need bright young minds like yours to...”

  The story droned on, as did Alissa. “Stu,” she yelled.

  “Stop shouting,” he said, breaking his shun of her.

  “Finally,” she whined. “Why aren’t you talking to me?”

  “Why don’t they look at you when you shout?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’re shouting and they’re trying to watch the VidScreen. Why hasn’t one of them even glanced at you?—or at me?”

  Alissa’s consternation grew serious. She dropped her smile. “I told you, I’m the glitch.”

  Stuart looked at her coldly. He was hesitant to say anything else to her. He was talking to himself in his head. He had to be. It only seemed real.

  “Do you know what that means?” Alissa went on.

  “A glitch in what?” he asked. “Is all this programmed?”

  Alissa giggled. “No, not like that.” She giggled again, breaking into laughter. “You say the strangest things.”

  “Then like what?” Stuart asked, annoyed.

  “I’m a glitch in the laws of nature, Stu.”

  He frowned at her. “I don’t even know what that means.”

  “Even in almost perfectly ordered and functioning systems, there are errors, parts that break down and cease to be coherent. Every program has them somewhere, bugs, bad pieces of code. You can picture that, can’t you?”

  “I guess so.”

  “Nature has them, too. I’m something that shouldn’t be.”

  “That doesn’t make sense.”

  “Why not?”

  “Doesn’t nature have to be consistent? You said that yourself earlier.”

  “Yes, it does, but infinitesimal errors don’t break that consistency.”

  “You’re still not making any sense.”

  “Irregularities in the laws of nature are what led you to be here in the first place.”

  “What are you even talking about?”

  The VidScreen program dragged on. Stuart and Alissa’s conversation continued, their voices ringing throughout the classroom, yet not one student paid them even the slightest bit of attention.

  “Do you know your cosmology, Stu?” Alissa asked.

  “My what?”

  “You know, for someone who hates the universe so much, you don’t know much about it.”

  “I never said I hated the universe.”

  “Well, you said you hate everything, you brooding little boy, you. That’s gotta mean the universe, too.”

  “What about cosmology?” Stuart asked impatiently.

  “Do you know what it is?”

  “Something about space.”

  “It’s the study of the history of the universe, Stu. After the Big Bang, the universe was nothing but expanding space and a burst of energy which formed into matter and antimatter. Do you know what that is?”

  “It’s matter but with a flipped charge. So an electron has a negative charge, but an anti-electron would have a positive charge.” He scowled at her. “I don’t read more than I have to, but I make good grades, you know. I’m not dumb.”

  “Then why do you spend so much time thinking you are?” Alissa shook her head, her brown hair swinging back and forth. “Anyways, what happens when matter and antimatter come into contact?”

  “They destroy each other and become energy.”

  “Every last bit, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, all the symmetry laws of the Universe tell us that after the Big Bang, there should have been just as much matter as antimatter. And what would that mean?”

  “Exactly as much?”

  “Absolutely exactly as much. And while the universe was so much smaller back before it expanded to what it is now, all this matter and antimatter would have been right next to each other. What would have happened, Stu?”

  Stuart shrugged, wondering why any of this mattered. Still, she was challenging his intelligence; he had to go along with it as a matter of pride. “It would’ve destroyed itself completely,” he said, “and there’d be no matter, just empty space and light.” With nothing to shine on, he thought. By definition, it could never be seen.

  “Yet, we’re here, and there doesn’t seem to be any antimatter around. That means there was just barely more matter than antimatter at the beginning of the universe, and that slight difference is what makes up everything you know—your body, your clothes, this planet, everything—but it shouldn’t be that way. There should have been equal parts of both. That’s a glitch in the laws of nature, Stu. It’s the whole reason you exist. Physicists have been trying to figure it out for a few hundred years now.”

  “But that doesn’t explain you. And why do these errors happen?”

  “Glitches have no explanations, at least ones that the program itself can understand, otherwise, the program itself would get rid of them. Imagine your brain was that of an AI’s, Stu. If there was a bug in your code, could you perceive it in any way that made sense to you?”

  “AI isn’t real.”

  “Of course it isn’t, but I am.”

  The VidScreen program ceased to play, and the teacher walked into the room. She went to her desk, carrying an armful of books which she set down. While she prepared for the lecture, Stuart stood up.

  “What are you doing?” Alissa asked him.

  “Am I the only one who can see you?” he asked her.

  “I don’t know.”

  Stuart turned away from her. With a determined gait, he approached his teacher. It was something he had never done before unless he was asked to.

  “Mrs. Williams?” he inquired.

  The middle-aged teacher looked up at him, a little surprised. “Yes, Stuart?”

  “Can I sit in the seat next to mine?” He pointed his finger right at Alissa, staring her in the eye as he did so. She giggled.

  “Hmm,” Mrs. Williams pondered. “Well, I don’t see why not, but why?”

  “I want to see the VidScreen from a different angle.”

  “I guess that’s okay, but don’t gloat. You’re supposed to have assigned seats. I can’t have everybody shifting around. But that seat’s been empty the whole year, and you’re a good student. Go ahead.”

  Stuart smiled at her. “Thank you,” he said.

  “You’re welcome, Stuart,” Mrs. Williams replied warmly.

  He went back to his desk, a feeling of dread hanging over him. He reached for his things. Alissa still sat there, smirking at him. “So, you’re taking my seat, huh?”

  “I guess so.”

  “Maybe I need to leave you alone for a while. This is probably a lot to take in.”

  “You think?”

  “I guess you’re freaked out that no one can see me?”

  “What the hell are you?”

  “I told you, I’m the glitch.”

  Stuart scowled at her. She giggled. He pushed his things to the other desk. As he went to sit down in it, Alissa said, “I’ll see you on the bus, Stu. Bye.” And then she was gone. The desk was empty. He sat down. No one had noticed a thing. No one had heard him talking to her. Somehow, sitting in the new desk made his apprehensions deepen. It seemed to further remind him just how insane he really was. For almost a year straight, a girl had sat here, and the whole time, he had been the only one who had noticed.

  Mr. Okada’s math class was a nightmare. With the last day approaching, the final weeks of basic seemed to pass by at slower and slower rates—as if those last few days were just barely being squeezed out. Stuart hungered for the end. Basic would be over soon. No more education building and no more Mr. Okada.

  In the last few minutes of class, the old teacher jotted down several formulas, admonishing them all to copy them into their notes. If they had to stay a few seconds late, so be it. They would need them for the final exam. Stuart wrote down each symbol and each figure, each time feeling as if it might
be the last. Why? he wondered. Why wait until the last few seconds of class to put them up on the VidScreen?

  The sound systems beeped, signaling that it was time to board the buses.

  “Hold on, one more!” Mr. Okada spat at his students. He turned back to his projection and began to write, his hand moving just a hint slower than he had been moments ago.

  His glow-pen jabbing across his paper, Stuart finished copying down all that Mr. Okada had written. He leapt up from his desk. After gathering his things, Stuart went out the door. “See you on the bus, Stu,” she had said. Everything felt heavier, like he was falling into the ground. He didn’t want to see her again.

  The halls of the education building bustled, students running into each other, shoving and laughing. Stuart waited patiently for them to move aside. He avoided brushing against people as much as possible. He was afraid he would enjoy it too much.

  It was a particularly hot day on Janus. Macrobius hung above the atmosphere, its light making Stuart squint. Though he didn’t like Janus much, he dreaded seeing Earth’s baby blue sky on the trip his family would be taking soon. Bright colors were annoying. No wonder Earth people were so different. Their sun was almost sarcastic. Here’s more light so you can make out the cracks in the roads better.

  The hover bus was parked just a few meters away. Hands in his pockets, Stuart walked towards it. He hoped Alissa wouldn’t be there waiting for him. She never rode the same bus as he did on a regular school day. Would she simply appear there this time?

  Stuart got on the bus. He took a seat in the back, middle section. He breathed coolly, letting the flow of air under his lips relax him. It would be all right, he thought. She’s just part of English class. Just something to help pass the time through the first lesson of the day and that awful program they make us watch. She’s what I imagine when I’m bored. That’s all. I’m not bored now. Nope. Couldn’t be anymore entertained by staring out the same window I always do.

  Other students were taking their seats as well. The bus began to fill up. There was still no sign of Alissa. Stuart breathed a sigh of relief.

  He felt the jolt of lift off. The hover bus was hanging in the air, ready to drop off all of its impatient passengers. As soon as they were moving and the noise from take-off ended, she was there, sitting next to him.

  Stuart jumped back, his head hitting the wall of the bus. It made a decent thud.

  “Careful, Stu,” she giggled. “You’re gonna bruise your head!”

  “What are you?” he moaned.

  “I’ve already explained that.”

  “I still don’t understand.”

  “I’ve already explained you wouldn’t.”

  “Am I insane?”

  “No matter what I say, you’ll never really know, will you?”

  His expression hardened. Was she having fun playing with his mind?

  “Stop it.”

  Alissa giggled again. “Don’t you enjoy talking to me?”

  “No.”

  “You used to seem to. You used to be really eager to if I remember correctly.”

  “I only talked to you because you talked to me first.”

  “Aren’t you glad to have a friend? Haven’t you missed having one?”

  Stuart frowned. “Dwayne died a while ago.”

  “And why aren’t you happy to have me now?”

  “You’re not real.”

  “Am too.”

  “They can’t see you.”

  “What does that matter? Aren’t I enough?”

  “I need them to see you so that I know it’s not just all in my head.”

  “And what if they saw me, how would you know that just wasn’t in your head?”

  “I said stop it.”

  She didn’t giggle this time. “Sorry,” she said.

  “I wish you would go away.”

  “That’s not nice.”

  “It’s true.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because I was already miserable...but now I’m terrified too.”

  “You’re scared of me?”

  “Of course I am. You just appear out of nowhere.”

  “I’m trying to keep you company. You’re too lonely.”

  “What you’re doing isn’t helping.”

  They were both quiet for the next few minutes. Stuart stared ahead, his eyes fixed on the bus driver, Mrs. Wu, and her chair. It looked comfortable. Better than the lousy seats they got.

  Alissa yawned. She picked at a hangnail for a moment, and then turned back to Stuart.

  “What could I do to help?” she asked.

  “Huh?” Stuart said.

  “I feel sorry for you. I want to help. What else could I do?”

  He paused. “What can you do?”

  “I don’t know. I’d have to think about it.”

  “Get me out of going to Earth with my family.”

  “Aww, why?”

  “I hate visiting there.”

  “But your aunt died a few months ago!”

  “How do you know that?”

  “I’m the glitch, Stuart. I’ve been with you for a while.”

  He tried not to let that answer sink in. She was being intentionally cryptic. Thinking about it wouldn’t be of any use.

  “Well, I didn’t really know her much anyway,” he continued.

  “But she’s your family, your mom’s sister!” Alissa cried with indignation. Her expression seemed to show genuine offense. Stuart had to wonder why she cared.

  “So? I’ve only seen them six times in my entire life. I hardly know those people. I don’t want to go a hundred light years just to see them, pretend we’re part of each other’s’ lives, and then leave.”

  “But your family hasn’t seen you since your aunt’s funeral!”

  “Aren’t you listening? I didn’t care about my aunt before she died! Why care about her now? And Dad’s saying I need to see my cousin, Jody, her kid, but I barely know him, too! What am I supposed to do?”

  “That’s so sad, Stu,” Alissa frowned, shaking her head. “Don’t you feel sorry for him? He’s just a kid and his mom died. You’re his cousin. Don’t you want to show him that the rest of his family still wants to be part of his life?”

  “No, I don’t,” Stuart said. “He’s just going to get older and realize how weird I am. I’d rather he just remember that impression of me he had as a little kid.”

  Alissa frowned again. She looked at her finger and went to rip off the hangnail. She sighed at Stuart, muttering his name. Rows of dwelling units shot past the window.

  She looked back at him. “You really don’t want to go to Earth?”

  “I really don’t.”

  “Well,” she sighed again. “I’ll see if I can do something.”

  “What can you do?”

  “I don’t know. Like I said, I’ll have to think about it.”

  The bus was about to make its first landing, and the student whose stop it would be was already walking towards the entrance. The young man was eager to get off, but Mrs. Wu, seeing him walking while the bus was still hovering, proceeded to shout at him, insisting he sit down. The young man cried out an apology, taking the nearest empty seat, one right next to Stuart.

  Alissa was still there when he sat down.

  Stuart gasped.

  “Hey, I’m Jerry,” the student said, turning to look at Stuart. Alissa still sat there, her body somehow passing through his. “Sorry to just hop next to you, but you heard her yell at me. Hey, weren’t you in my advising group?”

  “It-it’s fine,” Stuart stuttered “Yeah, I was.” Behind Jerry’s arms, parts of Alissa hung. The young man’s body swallowed up most of her legs and torso, but he could see her shoulders protruding out from his. It looked as if she was just an image occupying space, and Jerry sat there superimposed on top. Stuart’s eyes traced up the neck. His eyes landed on her face, smiling at him from the side of Jerry’s head.

  “Bye, Stu,” she said, and she was gon
e.

  “What’s your name?” Jerry asked him. He hadn’t felt or noticed a thing.

  “Stu-Stuart.”

  “Nice to meet you.”

  “You too.” Stuart quickly looked away.

  His stop was coming up as well. This, along with every other moment from here on out, brought him one step closer to that trip to Earth. It was only a little over a week away. He wondered what Alissa was going to do.

  9

  Several days passed without incident. Stuart felt a sense of relief from this, but not nearly enough to remove his anxieties, to stop him from frantically glancing about his surroundings throughout the day, wary that she would appear at any moment.

  He and his mother were waiting in the lobby of the Customs & Transport office. The family trip to Earth was less than a week away, and his parents had just noticed Stuart’s child travel-pass was expired. They’d forgotten to get him an adult’s...possibly because they didn’t regard him as one—he felt that way at least. This didn’t help their standing with Stuart, but they of course didn’t know that. He wasn’t cruel enough to be honest with people. They wouldn’t know how eager he was to get his Rank Zero. Once he had it, he’d be supplied with a dwelling unit of his own, away from his parents, away from having to talk to them. Better to have conversations with practically no one than for your only conversations to be with your parents.

  “Is that Mrs. Ali?” Brenda asked him, sitting in the back of the lobby. They waited there, seated in red, cushioned chairs. There were a few other people in the room, but they sat closer to the front.

  “I don’t know,” Stuart mumbled.

  “I think it might be. Should I say hi?”

  “I guess so.”

  Brenda looked in the stranger’s direction for a few moments. She looked back. “Maybe I shouldn’t.”

  “Okay,” Stuart said. He again suddenly had the strange impulse to check for Alissa. He glanced right, then left, and caught his mother’s gaze. She was watching him curiously, blocking his view. Stuart twitched nervously. He needed to see behind her. Alissa could be there.

  “Are you nervous, Stu?”

  “What? No.”

  “It’s okay if you are.”

  “Why would I be nervous?”

  “Some people get nervous in places like this.” Brenda glanced up at the ceiling, and then the receptionist. “Hospitals. Government buildings. Don’t you get a strange feeling from them?”