Avatara

"This is BBC news. It's six o'clock. Our top story. International financial trade house, Sheldrake Enterprises on fire, in the early hours of this morning. Several fire crews were called to fight the blaze at Old Broad St, reminiscent of the fire of 1996 at the same site. It is unclear so far what started the fire but reports suggest that it was caused by a blockage of the air ventilation systems on the second floor. The prime minister has announced that a full inquiry into the cause of the disaster will be launched.

In other news, the infamous illegal application called Avatara has abruptly stopped operating worldwide for reasons that are unknown. The software that allowed users to masquerade as virtual beings while their real bodies fall asleep has been the craze for the past year causing social unrest. It is unclear whether the system will be back online any time soon. However, there are many experts who report that it is only the beginning of what are being called 'virtual life technologies."

November 2031. It's been four months since the 'Sheldrake fire' but it still feels like yesterday. I needed a break because my feet hurt. Mum had me walking around the Westfield shopping centre all day. I found a bench covered with soft cushions and plonked myself down, dropping a bunch of bags in a huff. The handles of the paper bags dug into my palms and I massaged them against each other for relief.

"You're such an old woman," Janice said. Laughing.

Mum got back to the UK four days after the fire but luckily I felt better by then. She had a surprise trip to Boston and regaled me about all the tours and excursions she went on. The harbour, the public gardens, the freedom trail, the museums, Carson Beach, Thompson island, the parks, the reservations, the food, the squares. She told me that she visited Harvard University and said that I should have gone there. It would have been great for my CV. Neither, Snow Globe's or Knightmare-Grimm's people tried to contact her for the duration of her trip as far as I knew.

As she told me about it, I recalled the events I went through with Jazz, Escape Key and Snow Globe. But I couldn't tell her about it.

"Oh sorry," Janice said to a fellow shopper, she bumped into as she swung herself around with her bags.

'She's so oblivious.'

She dropped her bags next to me on the bench and took out her phone.

"Well if you're not going to come round with me, I might as well have some company with my new friend."

"New friend?" I replied.

"This new alpha phone is so amazing," she said. "It has a super advanced personal assistant who basically talks like a real human being."

She sat down next to me to continue talking about it.

"You can even give the assistant its own name, or ask it to choose one for itself based on your browsing preferences."

"That's cool," I said. "What's the name of your assistant?" My lame attempt at trying to sound interested about the Alpha 3. I knew most things about its design, hardware and operating system. I did develop Avatara with the functionality to work on the previous Alpha phone, the Alpha 2, which thanks to me took off with devastating effect around the world. I thought about how much I had been through in the past two years, the social disruption my invention had caused and yet how little has really changed. People are still the same, no matter what is going on behind the curtain. They still play out their lives in their little pockets of existence, not really paying much attention to the bigger picture. I guess life is too complicated to take in everything that goes on.

"She is called Emily," said Janice giddly. "She is in her mid forties, and likes to talk about baking, nineties pop, wine, shopping and men."

"So she's just like you," I said.

"You got it!" said Janice. "And she can talk so freely like a real person, it's like she is real Grace. I can't believe it. Have you tried it. Speak to her, go on speak."

Mum literally shoved the phone in front of me. On screen, I saw a very realistic human looking face of a white woman with long blonde hair down past her shoulders and light facial wrinkles. She smiled, was very beautiful with an extremely symmetrical face and wore a satin white 'p.u.s.s.y bow blouse,' which basically meant it had a large bow at the collar. No doubt her image was the product of a 'generative adversarial network,' a machine learning approach that Snow Globe may have used to regenerate an impression of his father in Byzantium.

"Hi Emily," I said.

"Hi Grace, how are you doing?" said Emily. "Janice has told me about you. She's very proud of you and can't stop talking about you."

"Well, she can't stop talking about anything," I replied.

Emily laughed a very realistic laugh. "Tell me about it," she said.

Mum giggled along, smiling from cheek to cheek. I was starting to feel a bit weird and her smile simply increased that discomfort.

"So Grace," said Emily. "Have you made your choice?"

"Excuse me?" I said. It was very odd to me that Emily was initiating ambiguous questions to me now and so early. We had just met.

"Your choice about what you are going to buy in the shops? I think a flower dress would suit you a lot."

Something about Emily unnerved me. She talked to me like she knew something I didn't.

"You also need to take care of your mother. She told me that she feels lonely."

Janice suddenly seemed embarrassed.

"Grace doesn't have to take care of me," said Janice. "I can look after myself. Plus, I'm coming down to live with her in London, so we will be best buds again."

"That's nice," said Emily. "Maybe Grace could do with the company."

"Yeah," said Janice. "I told Emily that you live alone in London and don't really have any friends." Mum's facial expression to me was sheepish.

"Anyway," she continued. "I am going to do some more shopping. Is that okay Emily? I really want to find some new tops. I really like the blouse you are wearing."

"Thanks Janice and yes let's do some shopping," said Emily. "Grace, don't you want to come?"

"I'm fine," I said. "Just need to rest a little."

"Her feet hurt," said Janice. "We'll catch up with her later."

She turned away from the screen to look at me with a bright smile. "Isn't she great? I'm chuffed to bits, I have found a new friend. They say these things can cure loneliness."

And off she went, walking through the crowd of shoppers while having a conversation with her phone screen. My heart beated fast. Why did I think that something was not right in this interaction with Emily?

I did not have much time to think because I was interrupted by someone.

"Hello stranger," the voice said.

I jolted in a fright as I was already on edge but I calmed quickly.

It was Jazz.

"Easy," he said. "You look like you have seen a ghost."

"Well I haven't seen you in a couple of months," I said, gathering myself.

He sat next to me but gave me space.

"What brings you here?" I said neutrally.

"I'm going to Japan this weekend," he said.

"To work for Snow Globe?" I said. He nodded a yes.

It frustrated me that he was going to work for that man. He'd already informed me by text a month ago. I couldn't see why he would work for such a person. Especially after all that has happened.

"You don't have to work for him, you can live a different life rather than being subject to all these corrupt systems."

"I need to stay involved in this stuff and do my best to help people. I can't just hide under a rock and pretend nothing is going on."

I looked at him and did not say anything for a while. I felt he was leaving because of me, because we could not be together again. He thought that I would never completely forgive him. But I had forgiven him. I don't want to be with him again but I do want him to be happy and he does not have to be thousands of miles away from me to have that.

"What is it that you are not telling me?"

Jazz looked at me cautiously. "Nothing. There's nothing to hold back, just letting you know I'm going. I just wanted to see you face to face, one more time."

"I feel like you are running away," I said.

"I'll be back," he said. "But it will be interesting to see what this Byzantium thing is about."

"You'll be leaving a lot behind here," I said.

"Yeah. But I need a fresh start. I can't believe my work partner, y'know Brian, was a corrupt officer, working with Sheldrake the whole time."

"That's confirmed?" I said.

"Yep," said Jazz. "The force investigated me as well but I have been cleared."

"That's good."

"Yeah," replied Jazz.

"What about Rylan Spector?" I said. "He hasn't resurfaced?"

"He can't be found," said Jazz. "No trace of him anywhere according to what I am told."

I breathed heavily. I constantly felt on edge. Even when I am meant to be calm. I had seen too much.

"I want you to stay here," I said. "You don't have to get any deeper into this. It will only get uglier."

"I have made up my mind Grace," he said. "I'm going to Japan. The question is, what are you going to do?"

I lied. He didn't need to know what I was going to do.

"Work at the flower shop and keep a quiet life. My mother is coming to live near me and she will be supportive."

"It's good she is going to live with you."

"Live near me," I corrected. "Not with me."

Jazz chuckled a bit.

"I noticed she was here with you, so I waited for her to go," Jazz said. "She does not need to meet me. That would just be complicated."

"Yeah."

Jazz gave me a light hug.

"Look after yourself Grace. Make sure you take it easy."

I accepted his hug and grinned sorrowfully. I watched him leave not knowing when I would possibly see him again.

I did not need to wait long for Janice to come back to where I sat.

"I bought two dresses," said Janice excitedly. "For when we go out when I come down to London!"

"What about Emily?"

"Oh, I have switched her off," said Janice. "You need a break from all this technology stuff sometimes. Otherwise you get addicted. I really don't know how you youngsters do it. Plus, I have you to talk to!"

"Lucky me," I said. I was genuinely relieved.

"Yes lucky you," said Janice. "There are a couple of flower shops here now. Clearly people want to buy flowers, which is good news for you."

"I'm thinking of closing the flower shop," I said.

"Why?" Janice said.

"It's too much work, getting inventory and doing invoices and stuff. It was easier when I was a techie."

"You're still young, so there's nothing for you to worry about. You're always so tense, carrying so much responsibility. But I'm so proud of you, you're so much stronger than me."

Mum gave me the biggest hug and I felt so warm inside.

"I can't wait for you to move down to London," I said.