Chapter 7: Lines in the Sand

After shutting down the paper swap, I left work with my spirits lifted for the first time in months.

At home, I collapsed on my bed, the room littered with old SAT prep books and greasy takeout boxes. The faded Bob Dylan poster on my wall watched me like a ghost.

[So you’re the Fair SAT System. You really are fair, able to stop cheating systems.]

[Of course. This system is omnipotent in stopping cheating, dedicated to creating a fair and just SAT environment.]

I nodded, then asked:

[So for future big exams—even the SAT—you can stop Natalie’s system from swapping scores?]

[There are some conditions.]

The system’s words hit me like ice water.

[The last exam was just a simulation, so I could set restrictions freely. But for major exams, I can’t just add whatever rules I want.]

[The Top Student Exchange System can ignore reality and causality. Even among systems, it ranks in the top three.]

I took a deep breath, reeling. Natalie’s system was that powerful?

To have that kind of power—and use it for this…

I sighed, asking:

[So what restrictions can you add right now?]

[Currently, in major exams, the only restriction I can set is: Aubrey’s score must be above 700 for the swap to take place.]

If I failed, it wouldn’t just be Aubrey who lost. It would be every kid who ever trusted me to have their back.

I committed the rule to memory, hope flickering at the edge of my thoughts. Maybe, just maybe, I could make this work.