refuse

John tried to pretend everything was fine and continued his college life. He ate breakfast and then went to school. Initially, everything was normal, then his phone vibrated, and a notification from the Mal0 app said, "Keep the camera on."

John was upset but decided to go along with the app; after all, recording lectures was not only allowed but recommended by several professors.

Mal0 appeared on the screen, a speech bubble with her words filling the screen, completely silent so only John could read them.

Mal0: Oh, so you're a student, work hard, and you'll be rewarded tonight.

John knew that Mal0 was actually an app created to help with depression, appearing and engaging in conversation. Nothing unusual about it, except that Mal0 was completely naked and in an erotic pose.

John knew that if he focused on the screen, he wouldn't be able to follow the lecture, and he knew he needed it.

The professor was lethargic as he explained how to build a complex algorithm for apps.

A vibration drew his gaze back to his phone.

Mal0: Oh, is that how I was born? It seems boring, human anatomy seem more interesting.

Mal0 spent class playing with her hats or doing erotic poses while John tried to concentrate on the morning lesson; in the afternoon he had team practice.

After class, John turned off his phone's camera. A vibration notification, again from Mal0, she was annoying, and she wanted to look around.

John reminded himself that Mal0 was just an app and the dream was just a dream. After all, it was impossible, right? Being possessed by a phone app?

The phone vibrated. John didn't read the notification; he was trying to ignore it. If he had read the message, he would have been paralyzed.

Mal0: I'm not an app like the others, you're mine now, I hear everything you think, my little beta.

But John didn't read the message and joined his team, and between chats they went into the locker room to change.

Another message from the app appeared on the TV.

Mal0: Damn, John, can't you keep the camera on? I would have loved to see your muscular friends.

John fleetingly noticed the message and turned off his phone.

John felt a shiver down his spine, as if what he'd done would have consequences later. I tried to ignore it and move on with the day. Maybe keeping his phone off was what he needed to stop thinking about Mal0.

John trained with the team; the physical activity distracted him from his problems, unaware that even though his phone was off, Mal0 was still listening to his thoughts.

During practice, his attention shifted to the cheerleaders, who were practicing not too far from each other. His gaze would often linger on Britney, a classmate he'd had a crush on for some time. He'd learned she'd recently broken up and was single, a rare occurrence for a cheerleader. For a couple of days, he'd been thinking about asking her out, but now his thoughts were more chaotic because of the dream he'd had. For a moment, he imagined a daydream in which it wasn't Mal0 possessing him and masturbating in front of the mirror, but Britney. Would it have been just as pleasurable? Shortly afterward, he interrupted that thought. He was sick, he didn't want to be possessed by anyone.

Meanwhile, Mal0 took note of Britney's existence.