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common.

    Schooling: The Virtual Collective
    Not a clue. I swipe my iScroll and the Assistant appears. “What’s a virtual collective?”
    “To activate, please give Assistant a user name.”
    A name? But then I remember having to give my boxing instructor a name with my last iScroll. “Percel,” I say.
    “Welcome to the Assistant, sir.”
    “Locke. My name is Locke.”
    “How can I be of service, Locke?”
    I repeat my question for him.
    “The Virtual Collective is a state-approved educational program.”
    “What does the program do?”
    “It provides guidelines and requirements for students who are in independent study programs.”
    “So they don’t go to an actual school?”
    “An actual school, sir?”
    “You know, walls, bells, lockers, detention, that sort of thing? Real people seeing one another face-to-face?”
    “Anchored Educational Systems exist within walled units for students who prefer that structure. No matches for the bells, lockers, and detention portion of your inquiry.”
    “Thank you, Percel. That’s all.” He blinks and disappears back into my palm.
    So, she doesn’t go to school. She’s isolated. Is that why she’s bored? I read more of the file.

    Interests: Fencing. Chess. Bonsai.
    Bonsai? Seriously? Having an odd interest is one thing, but something doesn’t ring true about having three. She’s seventeen years old. Girls couldn’t have changed that much in 260 years. Those all sound like old man hobbies.

    Objective: Ingratiate yourself with Raine and her friends
    They really have a way with words. And she has friends? That’s a surprise. Or are they all virtual? What kind of life does she lead?

    First Meeting: 09/19/21
    I push away from the desk and walk to the window. So this is my in with Secretary Branson? Get in good with his daughter and her friends so I’m invited over? Carver and Xavier couldn’t do better than that? And our first meeting is two weeks away? How’s that going to happen if she doesn’t even go to school?
    I turn and look back at her image. I zoom in on her mouth, poised to speak, and I try to imagine what she’s about to say. I follow the lines of her lips, the curves, looking for a clue, and my pulse begins to race again. There’s something disturbingly familiar about her, but that’s impossible. I’m certain I’ve never laid eyes on her before. Yeah, something isn’t right.
    Especially around her, I’ll need to watch my back.

Training
    The next day goes by in a regimented blur. Xavier, Carver, and Livvy arrive early. They take turns with my training. Carver tests me on my background, asking me detailed questions about my “father” and the places he’s been assigned. Next, Xavier brings up Vgrams of each city where I’ve supposedly lived: Paris, Hamburg, Milan, Sydney, and half a dozen more. I’m apparently well-traveled. I walk virtual streets, climb stairs to apartments, memorize addresses, learn transportation routes, visit local bistros, and shop in the marketplaces. Every city is different, but by the eighth one, they all begin to look alike and we start over.
    “Didn’t I do anything for fun?”
    “No.”
    After a second review of my newly created past life, Livvy takes over. She drills me on the staff who work for Secretary Branson, both at his office and at his residence. His right-hand man is a fellow named LeGru. She tells me to watch out for him. He’s often seen at Branson’s house. The home staff is minimal according to Livvy. Three full-time employees for one apartment hardly sound minimal to me. Dorian is the household manager and cook. Jory is the all-around maintenance person, and Hap is the personal assistant to Raine Branson. Her own full-time personal assistant? I roll my eyes at this piece of information. Even Jenna and Kara weren’t that spoiled. Livvy reviews the layout of the house again, at least as they currently know it, and which rooms they suspect might be Secretary Branson’s office. The apartment