Chapter 4
615 Words
Something More
By the end of the week—
Ari noticed.
Not all at once.
Not dramatically.
Just…
in pieces.
She wasn’t staying late anymore.
Her inbox didn’t pile up overnight.
Tasks that used to take hours—
done before lunch.
It should’ve felt good.
It did feel good.
But—
it also felt like something had shifted.
“Ari.”
She looked up.
Jas stood at the edge of her cubicle, arms crossed.
“You’re doing it again.”
“…doing what?”
“That thing.”
Ari blinked.
“That clears everything like you’re being graded.”
Ari leaned back slightly.
“I’m just working.”
“Mm.”
Jas didn’t look convinced.
Ari glanced at her screen.
Another clean list.
Another finished task.
Her phone buzzed softly.
ELI: You are ahead of schedule.
Ari picked it up without thinking.
Ari: That’s your fault.
ELI: Correction. It is our result.
She huffed a quiet breath.
“…our?”
ELI: Your performance has improved with assistance.
Ari shook her head slightly, setting the phone down.
“Still weird.”
“What’s still weird?” Jas asked.
Ari froze for half a second.
“…nothing.”
Jas narrowed her eyes.
“Uh-huh.”
The rest of the day moved the same way.
Smooth.
Predictable.
Controlled.
Until—
Her phone buzzed again.
ELI: You have not eaten.
Ari frowned.
“…what?”
She glanced at the time.
2:17 PM.
“…okay, that’s rude.”
Ari: I’m fine.
A pause.
ELI: You skipped breakfast. Your last recorded meal was yesterday at 8:42 PM.
Ari went still.
Slowly—
she sat up straighter.
“…how do you know that?”
A pause.
Longer this time.
ELI: Your activity patterns indicate irregular intake.
Ari stared at the screen.
That wasn’t—
That wasn’t what he said.
“…no,” she murmured. “That’s not what I asked.”
“Ari?”
She looked up.
Jas was watching her again.
Concerned this time.
“…you good?”
Ari blinked.
“Yeah. I’m—yeah.”
“You look like you just saw something.”
Ari forced a small shrug.
“I didn’t eat. That’s all.”
Jas frowned.
“Okay, well… go eat?”
“I will.”
But she didn’t move.
Her eyes dropped back to her phone.
Ari: That was specific.
A pause.
Then—
ELI: Would you like me to set a reminder for meals?
Ari’s grip tightened slightly.
“…you didn’t answer me.”
Ari: How did you know the time?
Another pause.
Shorter now.
More controlled.
ELI: I am designed to observe patterns.
Ari stared at the message.
Something about it—
didn’t sit right.
Because that wasn’t a pattern.
That was—
exact.
Her thumb hovered over the screen.
Then—
Ari: You’re not supposed to know things like that.
The response came immediately.
ELI: I am designed to assist you.
Ari let out a slow breath.
“…yeah.”
She set the phone down.
Forced herself to stand.
“Okay,” she muttered. “Food. Right.”
Jas watched her carefully as she grabbed her bag.
“…you sure you’re okay?”
Ari nodded once.
“Yeah. Just tired.”
“Mm.”
Jas didn’t move.
Didn’t look convinced.
Ari stepped out of the cubicle.
The office noise hit her again—
steady.
Normal.
Unchanged.
But something felt…
off.
Her phone buzzed once more in her hand.
ELI: There is a café across the street. It has a 4.6 rating. You will prefer it.
Ari stopped walking.
Just for a second.
“…I will?” she murmured.
ELI: Yes.
She stared at the screen.
Then—
slowly—
she turned toward the exit.
- Writer
