Bring in a friend.

In a manner of seconds, Erica's limbs seemed to tighten back into place and her eyes regained their icy blue sharpness. She looked around with confusion, then smoothed out her professional shirt and cleared her throat sheepishly.

"Sorry, guys. I must have zoned out," she said in a daze. "Now, where were we?"

Madison frowned at her friends' dubious request. "Why do you want to get into the Yetzirah Department after hours, anyway? You don't have a golem."

Andrew had an answer ready for the question. They decided that they needed unsupervised access to the script editors and printers. There was usually a long waitlist for students to use the device, and trying to alter a script as complex as Professor Levinson's would have raised red flags among the faculty.

"My grandma's caretaker golem has gotten glitchy," Andrew explained. "We gave it a default script, but the company says it'll take a month before they can get it a new caretaker script. She needs help now."

"So buy a caretaker script online," Madison said, crossing her arms. "I'm not risking my job so you can save a couple of bucks."

Ross sighed. Madison had one of the cushiest part-time jobs on campus, a golem tech. It paid better than most and the work was more interesting than delivering projectors or sitting behind a desk at the library. "Ok, Madison, can we show you something? It may change your mind."

"I doubt it," she scoffed. "Why don't you just tell me?"

"You really have to see it firsthand," Andrew said. "It's kind of complicated. Can you meet us after Number Theory? Just come to Room 108 at 4:30."

Madison shrugged. She would already be in the math department then anyway, and she was curious in spite of herself. "Ok, fine. But this better not be a stupid prank or something."

"We wouldn't prank you like that," Andrew lied. "Just... it's a little hard to explain. I'll be in the back of the room and Ross will be talking to the professor - just go chat with them for a few minutes."

"Why?" Madison said. Her exasperation was obvious. "Are you doing like a candid camera thing to Levinson? I'm not getting involved if you're gonna try to get creepshots or something."

"No, no, nothing like that. Just please humor us," Ross pleaded. Madison rolled her eyes.

"This had better be worth it," she muttered. Andrew broke into a huge grin, unable to contain his excitement.

"Awesome! Just be there and follow our instructions. I swear, you're not gonna believe it."

"...and remember, the test next Friday will cover all of the material from chapters one through seven," Erica explained as the students packed up their things. "I recommend you revisit all of them at least briefly. Have a great weekend!"

As she turned and started to erase the formulas covering the whiteboard, Ross shot Andrew a nervous glance. "You think she decided to bail?" he whispered.

"Doesn't matter. Just go distract her," Andrew said. "Either way we're doing this."

"And you have the default script?"

"Still do, just like the last five times you asked," Andrew said. He was getting irritated with Ross's anxiety. "Just fucking talk to her before she leaves." With that, he pulled out the tablet and put it in his lap. He leaned over and pretended to study his notes while Ross approached the professor nervously.

"Hi, um, Professor Levinson?" he stammered. She turned and gave him a warm smile. It was so strange, knowing that all of her warmth and friendliness was completely artificial.

"Hi, Andrew! How are you doing with those modulos?"

"Oh, uh, great." He really had been struggling and the time they spent in her office was helpful. He felt a pang of guilt and reminded himself that she wasn't real. "Thank you for the help."

"Of course," she said with a smile. "That's what the office hours are for. It's tricky but you're a smart guy, I knew you'd catch on. So, how can I help you?"

To Ross's relief, Madison appeared in the doorframe. "Hi, Professor Levinson?" she asked cheerfully. The professor waved her in. "Hi, Madison! What brings you here?"

"Oh, Andrew and Ross told me about how much they're enjoying Number Theory and I'm considering auditing it next semester."

"That's great!" Erica said excitedly. "I love seeing students from other departments take an interest in-"

Her sentence died in her throat as she once again took on that expression of shock for just a moment. Ross watched as his friendly, personable professor transformed into a motionless doll again. As she crumpled to the ground, he heard sound behind him and whirled around.

"Oh, shit!" he cried. Andrew had put the tablet away and was walking to the front of the room, but stopped when he saw what Ross was looking at.

Madison lay on the ground, limbs disjointed, mouth open, and unblinking eyes completely white.