Chapter 3

I remained silent, since Sapphire had not yet issued the command for me to speak.

"Can you just act normal?"

Her voice suddenly went sharp. "Stop copying everything Adam does! We just wanted an obedient brother, not a machine!"

I stared at her face. Her features were twisted, caught in a sharp knot of fury and irritation.

I simply replied in a flat tone, "Please define 'normal.'"

The color drained from Sapphire's face. Across the room, Mom and Dad's expressions turned grim too.

Dad pulled out his phone and dialed the academy.

The administrator who picked up explained that this was just a standard residual reaction to "Deep Behavioral Conditioning" and that it would wear off in a few days.

He promised, "Rest assured, Unit 1314 is currently our most outstanding graduate. He understands the mechanics of obedience better than any AI on the market. This is all completely within parameters."

Dad hung up the phone and relayed the exact words to Mom.

Mom nodded, and they both let out a sigh of relief.

In the days that followed, I became the most useful tool in the household.

When Mom told me to wash the dishes, I scrubbed them cleaner than Adam ever could.

When Dad told me to move the heavy planters, I cleared the entire yard all by myself.

When Sapphire told me to grab her deliveries, I ran faster than a dog chasing a bone.

Mom smiled and said, "Honestly, Dex is even more useful than Adam now."

Everyone agreed.

Then, one night, Sapphire forgot to issue my shutdown command.

As the rest of the family went upstairs and drifted off to sleep, I remained on the living room couch. I simply sat there, motionless, from dusk until dawn.

When Mom came downstairs the next morning and saw me still sitting there, in the same posture as the night before, her face went pale.

Her mug slipped from her hand, shattering into pieces across the floor.

…

A woman wearing a white lab coat arrived at the house.

She introduced herself as Dr. Young, a psychologist, and her voice was gentle.

"Hello, Dex."

I didn't reply.

Standing beside her, Mom wrung her hands anxiously. "You have to give him a command, or he won't talk."

Dr. Young glanced at Mom. Her brow furrowed.

"Please tell me your name," Dr. Young said, phrasing it as a command.

"Unit 1314."

The tip of Dr. Young's pen paused over her notepad. "What about your real name?"

"Dexter Griffin. However, that is a legacy identifier. Academy regulations stipulate that alumni must utilize their designated unit numbers as their official form of address."

Dr. Young froze at my words.

A heavy gloom settled over the whole family. They retreated into the study, whispering terms I didn't recognize.

"Post-traumatic stress disorder… depersonalization… requires long-term therapy…"

In the days that followed, the atmosphere in the house became incredibly tense. Everyone started walking on eggshells around me.

On Adam's birthday, they came to a difficult decision. They were going to send Adam away.

So, this would be the last birthday they ever celebrated with him.

The living room was filled with balloons, and a two-tiered cake sat on the table.

Adam walked over to me. His demeanor was as gentle as always. "Dexter, happy birthday."

I blinked. Somewhere deep inside my brain, a tightly wound string seemed to loosen just a fraction.

Today was my birthday, too.

However, no one remembered.

Three years ago today, I was shoved into the back of a car and shipped off to that academy.

Before they took me away, I had begged Mom through my tears, asking if I could at least have a slice of my birthday cake first.

Mom had said, "You can have some when you learn how to be good and come back home."

I had learned how to be good, but I still hadn't gotten any cake.

Adam suddenly smiled and said, "Dexter, the definition of 'normal' is pushing down the people you dislike. Go ahead and push me. Just like you did three years ago."

I stared at his face. Something seemed to be flickering deep within his eyes, and his standard smile had vanished.

However, he had just given me a definition for "normal".

I placed my hands on his shoulders. Before I could even push, he collapsed backward.

At that exact moment, the living room door swung open.

Sapphire stood in the doorway holding a platter of fruit. She screamed at me in a blind fury. "Dexter! What the hell are you doing?"