SWEET CHAOS

DAY TREE

The morning sun filtered through the luxury curtains of Alex's house, but this time it didn't illuminate the usual perfection. Alex opened one eye, then the other, and what he saw left him confused. His room, that sanctuary of order and luxury, looked like the scene of a pillow war against a category 5 cayllu!!. Designer clothes thrown on the floor, school books scattered around, and his crystal piece lamp crooked.

—Dammit… —he whispered with a raspy voice, rubbing his head still confused—. What the hell happened yesterday?

He sat on the bed for exactly twenty minutes, processing the disaster. His brain was trying to update how he, the most "perfect" being on the planet, had allowed such a mess. Finally, he snapped his fingers with the authority of a god.

—Elena! Sofia! —he shouted, regaining his commanding tone—. Come right now! My room requires immediate maintenance. I don't want to see a single speck of dust in five minutes. Move it!

The maids rushed in, accustomed to his perfect orders, and began working like a competition team. Alex watched them from his bed, arms crossed, dazzling that superiority that only someone with his perfection could afford.

Narrator: Mmmm?? This is real… better let's go see how Alex's brain is doing.

In a futuristic control room, full of giant screens and flashing red lights, hundreds of little Alexes in white coats ran from one side to another. The Commander Alex, sitting in a swivel chair, slammed the table.

—Sir! This is not what you imagine! —shouted a technician with glasses, pointing to a radar screen—. The memory logs say that Alex DID NOT call the maids. I repeat! There was no voice command for the domestic service.

—What? —roared the commander—. Then what are we seeing?

—The ocular sensors indicate that the main body is holding a Tablet and… is he cleaning his room!?... repeat, yes, he is cleaning his room—shouted another technician—. Everything is getting haywire! The logic of "Absolute Perfection" is collapsing! Adjust the narcissism levels, now!

The control room shook as if an earthquake hit it. The little Alexes fell from their chairs while alarms sounded non-stop.

Narrator: What adorable little things…. Mmm I mean, it seems the Alexes are having their difficulties…

Alex went downstairs, still trying to recover his "God" composure. He was so distracted by the mess of his own mental chaos that he didn't see one of the new maids crossing the hallway with a tray.

CLANG!

The crash was inevitable. Alex tripped and in a movement that looked like it was taken out of an anime, he ended up holding the girl by the shoulders so as not to fall. They stayed looking into each other's eyes for three eternal seconds. The air stopped.

—Sorry —Alex blurted out, blinking.

He stood up immediately, adjusted his jacket, and walked away quickly without looking back. The maid stayed there, strangely calm, sighing with a dreamy smile.

—What... what was that? —Alex asked himself, feeling a chill—I need to sleep... or a psychologist.

In the dining room, his mother waited for him with a smile loaded with poison and exhaustion.

—Well, the heir has awakened —she said, taking a sip of her coffee—. Tell me, Alex, do you want us to take you today in the limousine? You know, so they can show off your huge car and everyone sees how "big" you are.

She said it with that fine mockery that always stung his pride.

—No, thanks —Alex replied with arrogance—. I'll walk. I need the fresh air to refresh my face.

Narrator: Will the other Alexes be happy? Let's go see…

—EMERGENCY ALERT! —shouted the technician—. Walking implies sweat! Sweat implies bacteria! Bacteria implies imperfection! PRESS THE SAFETY LEVER!

Five little Alexes hung from a giant lever labeled "EXTREME COMFORT".

REALITY

—Well... —Alex changed his mind in a millisecond, putting on his most perfect and charming face—. If you insist so much, mother, better take me. I don't want the city pavement to wear out with my walking.

Already in class, something was different. Alex entered the room and, to everyone's surprise, he didn't take out his disinfectant spray. He didn't even look with disgust at the desks. In fact, when he passed by the "unpopular" boy, the one who was always harassing me, Alex raised his hand.

—How's it going, Max? —he said with a natural smile.

Max stayed with his mouth open. No one knew that Alex even knew his name.

—Are you okay?? —Max said with a face of worry.

—THIS IS A LEVEL 10 CRISIS! —the commander was on the verge of collapse—. He just greeted a "commoner"! The social caste system is crumbling! We cannot allow Alex to be... to be...!

—Sir, the defense protocol is not responding! —shouted a technician.

—There is only one option! —The Commander opened a glass box with a golden key—. PRESS THE EMERGENCY BUTTON!

—The emergency button, sir? —asked the technician, trembling.

—YES! THE EMERGENCY BUTTON! NOW!

REALITY

Max was still processing Alex's greeting when, out of nowhere, Alex's hand that was raised to greet closed into a fist and gave him a slap on the cheek.

ZAP!

The whole room fell into deathly silence. Max held his face, confused. Alex had an expression of pure terror, with his hand still in the air.

—But what...? —Alex stammered, looking at his own hand as if it were a traitor.

Minutes later, Alex was in the principal's office.

—I'm very sorry, principal —said Alex, regaining his formal tone, although inside he wanted to dig a hole and jump into it—. It was a... of perfection. A calculation error in my perfect coordination.

The principal looked at him over his glasses, sighing.

—Take it easy, Miller. It's not easy to change overnight. Perhaps you should take a break in your free time. Don't think so much, don't get overwhelmed. The lack of control comes from an overloaded mind.

Alex nodded, but in that moment, a lightning bolt of memory hit him.

—My notebook! —he shouted, standing up with a jump—. My perfect notes! I left them in the classroom lab!

He ran out of the office as if his life depended on it. Turning the corner of the main hallway, he couldn't brake in time.

BAM!

He crashed head-on into someone. It was her. The red-haired girl from yesterday. Both fell to the ground, staying just inches from each other. Their eyes met and Alex's nervousness rose to catastrophic levels. She didn't move, she just looked at him fixedly, with that spark of... nervousness?

—General!! What do we do this is crazy the other Alexes managed to control the fire, but if it continues like this we are going to… Lose him.

—Leave it, don't interrupt the moment, this will do Alex good so he knows what he truly is... —said General Alex with a coldness.

—What did you say, sir?? —said the Alex with curiosity.

—I SAID DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING. —He said, kicking the mini Alex, taking him to another room.

NARRATOR

Ojito, ojito... it seems our Alex started to change for real. Will this new path be okay? Will his brain survive so many system failures? Writer, explain yourself!

Well, well... let's leave Alex in peace for a moment. Let's see what the maids are doing at the Millers' house.

In the hallway of the house, three maids were crowded around Elena, the girl who had tripped with Alex that morning. Elena was sprawled on a sofa, with her eyes rolled back and an i***t smile.

—Elena! Wake up! —one was shouting, fanning her with a hat—. It was only a "sorry"! He didn't ask you to marry him!

—It's just that he looked at me... he said sorry to me...! —the girl murmured before fainting comically again.

Better we don't keep watching this... said the narrator with a face of disgust.