He spliced in a new clip: the two of them sitting in the cafeteria, Mira saying, "The cameras aren't just watching for fights. They're watching for failure."
He cracked his knuckles. "It's a closed network, but if I spoof a teacher's credentials…"
"Can you get into the Candid-HD master feed?" she asked.
Mira Jones jolted awake. Not the soft, groggy rise of a normal morning, but a hard, electric snap—like a screen rebooting. Her phone read 6:00 AM. August 25th. Again.
Mira held her breath. The hallway speakers crackled. Then a different voice—human, this time—came over the intercom.
"You know," she said quietly, "the cameras aren't just watching for fights. They're watching for failure."
But now, she was back. The date hadn't changed. The universe, or some glitch in the school's server, had given her a do-over.