Please note: This is a standalone short story of 17,000 words.

Mila Brooks is your seemingly average 16-year-old aside from the fact that she doesn’t have any friends. Her father’s position as chief technology manager at the biggest tech firm in the world, Mahone Inc., has alienated her from her peers. As a beta tester for the latest implant, a computer chip that connects you to The Internet of Things, Mila is sure everyone hates her because of her upgrade. When Mila hears Parker’s voice in her head, everything changes.

I regain consciousness just in time to panic. I can’t see anything, and suddenly every nerve in my body goes into overdrive. My body shakes as I reach out for my father.
“Dad!” I cry. I know he’s there somewhere. My arms flail as I try to find something to ground me to reality.
A moment later, I feel hands clamp around my wrists. “It’s okay,” I hear my father’s voice say.
“Dad!” I say breathlessly. I blink a few times until the room comes back into focus. The glowing computers outline my father’s silhouette.
“Mila,” my father says as he pulls me close to his belly. He seems so tall because he’s standing and I’m still half sitting, half lying on the table. “Mila, you’re fine. What’s all the fuss about? You’ve done this a million times.”
He’s right. I should be fine. This is the twelfth upgrade I’ve had in the past ten years. Never before had I woken with such an odd sensation. What if this time is different?