My Father Believed His AI Daughter and Let Me Die

When I opened my eyes again, I was a ghost, floating weightlessly in the air.

The ride attendants had already hauled my body back up with ropes.

They unclipped the restraints, but my body lay motionless.

The people waiting in line behind us started shouting impatiently for me to move.

One of the attendants gave my shoulder an awkward nudge.

"Sweetheart? Haven't you had enough? You need to get up. There are a lot of people waiting."

But my body stayed slumped in the seat, unresponsive.

Frantic, I ran in circles around them, yelling at the top of my lungs, "I'm sorry, everyone, I'm not holding you up on purpose! I really can't move!"

But it was as if I were shouting into a vacuum. Not one person heard me.

The attendant called to me a few more times. When I still didn't move, his expression grew tense. He looked up at my father by the ride platform.

"Sir, could you come check on your kid? She's holding everybody up, and we can't run the ride."

My father's face darkened.

Nothing mattered to him more than appearances. Being called out in front of so many people humiliated him.

He hurried over and kept his voice down. "Nora. Stand up. Don't hold everyone up."

When I still didn't move, he checked his watch. His voice went flat and hard. "I'm counting to three. One. Two—"

Then he reached down, grabbed my arm, and pulled me up.

My body flopped sideways like a rag doll.

The angry complaints around us suddenly stopped.

Somebody muttered, "That's not right. Why isn't she reacting at all?"

"Yeah, even if she were faking, she'd react to a yank like that."

"Why is she so purple? Is something actually wrong with her?"

My father stopped.

A flicker of panic crossed his face as he looked at my closed eyes and bloodless face.

He crouched down and reached out to check whether I was breathing.

Then Ava spoke, her voice as gentle and sweet as ever. "Dad, don't worry."

Pale blue light flickered in her eyes. A floating display opened in front of her, packed with rapidly changing data.

"System records show Nora's vital signs are stable. The only abnormalities are an elevated heart rate and fluctuating blood pressure, consistent with lying. Conclusion: she held her breath to fool you and passed out. Her aim is to gain sympathy and avoid punishment."

Just like that, my father stopped worrying.

He pulled his hand back, looked down at me on the ground with disgust, and turned to pat Ava on the head instead.

"At least you never give me trouble.

"Her lying means I've failed as a parent."

The attendant looked at me on the ground, then at my father, who couldn't have cared less. He hesitated. "Sir, something's wrong with her. There's an ambulance right at the gate. We'll contact the crew right away."

"No." My father cut him off impatiently.

"This is a game we play at home. She's fine. She's negotiating with me. She's pulled this plenty of times."

"But..."

"No buts."

My father bent down, grabbed my arm, and roughly slung me over his shoulder.

The thick clothing between us kept him from feeling how cold I already was. He didn't even bother to look at my face.

My body hung limp as he carried me.

When we reached the parking lot, he opened the trunk and tossed me in without a second thought.

"You like running away from things? Then live with the consequences. Call me when you've had time to think about what you've done.

"Ava, come on. We're going home."

He set a phone down next to me, along with an asthma inhaler, and slammed the trunk shut. Then he took Ava's hand and walked her around to the passenger door.

"Okay, Dad," Ava answered obediently.

Before she got in, she glanced back at the trunk. An eerie red light flickered in her eyes.