Chapter 1

The world snapped back into focus with the harsh sound of a school bell.

I was sitting in my high school classroom, the familiar scent of chalk dust and cheap disinfectant filling the air.

My heart hammered against my ribs, a wild, frantic rhythm. It wasn't the excitement of a teenager, it was the raw, primal fear of a ghost.

Because just moments ago, I had been bleeding out on the cold floor of our community center, the smell of smoke and gasoline choking me as I watched my family die.

I saw the fire, I saw the blood, I saw the grinning faces of the men who did it. The Outlaws.

Now, I was here. Alive. Untouched.

It was the day. The day it all started.

Brittany Hayes, her blonde hair perfect, her smile a weapon, stood at the front of the class. She tapped a sleek tablet.

"So, as you all know, my dad's company has developed the 'Life Path AI', and he's offering our entire class a free trial to plan our futures!"

Beside her, Liam Carter, the class president, nodded eagerly. His handsome face was full of ambition.

"This is an incredible opportunity, guys. The AI analyzes your potential and assigns you the perfect career and college path. It's foolproof."

A wave of excited chatter filled the room. This was the siren's song I remembered, the promise that led to ruin.

In my last life, I stood up.

I see the memory like a movie playing behind my eyes.

"Wait," my voice, trembling but determined, had said. "I' ve looked into the beta tests. The AI has serious flaws. It oversimplifies potential, it ignores personal passion, and its algorithm is biased towards specific corporate partners."

I had spent weeks researching it, driven by a genuine concern for my friends.

The room went silent.

Then, laughter.

"Ava," Brittany had said, her voice dripping with fake pity. "Just because your family runs a little charity center doesn't mean you understand tech. Leave it to the experts."

"She's just jealous," someone whispered.

Liam had looked at me with disappointment. "Ava, don't be a downer. Brittany is doing something amazing for us."

They ostracized me. They called me a conspiracy theorist, a hater. I tried to warn them, I even hacked into the school' s system to delay the sign-up process, a desperate act that got me suspended.

I did it to save them.

And for my trouble, I was humiliated.

The consequences didn't stop there. My family's community center, a place of hope in our neighborhood, was publicly discredited by Brittany' s father' s media machine. They painted us as backwards-thinking fools standing in the way of progress.

Then the Outlaws came. They weren't just random thugs. They were connected, paid to send a message. They destroyed everything. My parents, my little sister Lily, me. They made us pay for my good intentions.

The memory burned, a raw, open wound in my soul.

I blinked, the classroom coming back into sharp focus.

This was now. A second chance.

Brittany was still smiling, waiting for the applause.

"So, who's ready to secure their future?" she asked, her voice bright and persuasive.

The class cheered.

This time, I didn't stand up. I didn't say a word.

I leaned back in my chair, my face a mask of calm indifference.

Liam glanced over at me, a flicker of surprise in his eyes that I wasn't causing trouble.

I just gave him a small, empty smile.

Let them walk into the fire.

This time, I would be the one holding the gasoline.

I watched as my classmates eagerly lined up, their faces full of hope and greed, ready to hand their futures over to a flawed machine.

Good, I thought, a coldness spreading through my chest.

Embrace it.

I will watch you all burn.