Love Algorithm

Ghost Code

School felt different after the blackout.
Not just darker — emptier, like someone had deleted the color from the halls.

Nova walked past the posters on the wall — Homecoming in 2 weeks!, Vote for Jamie Lee!, Join Tech Society! — each one suddenly feeling like a relic from another lifetime.

She barely slept. The whispers online were louder than ever. @thealgorithm had returned.
And this time, the post wasn't about the rooftop kiss.
It was about the list.

A spreadsheet screenshot — blurred, but not enough. Dozens of student names, color-coded, with categories like Assets, Liabilities, and Leverage.
Nova's name was highlighted in red.
Jamie's in yellow.
And Aiden's?
Black.

At 8:03 a.m., her phone buzzed.
A new message from a contact she didn't recognize: "Meet me in Room 312. Bring no one."

Nova stared at the screen, her pulse quickening. She looked around the crowded hallway — students scrolling, laughing, posting — all of them oblivious that someone in this building was playing god with their lives.

She slipped her phone into her hoodie pocket and started walking.

Room 312 hadn't been used in months. The door creaked as she pushed it open, the smell of dust and old projectors filling the air.
A single laptop sat on the desk.
And behind it — a girl Nova had never seen before.

"Close the door," the girl said.

Nova hesitated. "Who are you?"

The girl looked up. Her hair was silver-blonde, cut in sharp layers, eyes dark with exhaustion. "Call me Eve," she said. "You don't know me, but I know you. And I know what @thealgorithm is doing."

Nova's breath caught. "You—? Wait, how?"

Eve turned the laptop toward her. The screen displayed lines of code scrolling so fast it was dizzying.
"I used to help run it," Eve said quietly. "Until I realized it wasn't just about exposure or justice. It was control. Whoever's behind it now... they're not human anymore."

"What does that mean?"

Eve's fingers tapped the keys. A string of messages appeared on-screen — internal chats, encrypted, but some words were legible:

"Leverage confirmed."
"Phase 2 begins."
"Target: Nova Carter."

Nova's stomach flipped. "Phase 2? What is that supposed to mean?"

Eve shut the laptop with a soft click. "It means you're out of time."

The door burst open before Nova could respond.
Aiden stood there, breathless, his hoodie damp from the rain outside. "Nova— what the hell are you doing here? I've been looking everywhere—"

His eyes flicked to Eve.
"You," he said, voice low. "You shouldn't be here."

Eve smirked faintly. "Nice to see you too, Reyes."

Nova blinked between them. "Wait— you know her?"

Aiden clenched his jaw. "She's the reason I transferred here."

The room seemed to tilt. "What?"

Eve folded her arms. "Don't act so innocent, Aiden. You think running away erased what you did?"

Aiden's fists tightened. "You think I wanted any of this? You made me part of it, Eve. You made me build it."

Nova's voice trembled. "Build what?"

Neither of them answered.

Then the lights flickered. The laptop beeped.
A notification appeared on-screen — the same glitchy logo that haunted Nova's nightmares.
@thealgorithm uploaded a new post.

Eve clicked it open, and the room went silent.

It was a video feed — live.
The camera panned across an empty classroom.
Nova leaned closer... then froze.

Because sitting at the desk, duct-taped and terrified, was Jamie Lee.

The caption below read:

"LEVEL 2: Loyalty Test."

Nova's scream ripped through the room.
Aiden grabbed her shoulders before she could bolt for the door. "Nova, stop— this is what they want. It's a setup!"

Tears blurred her vision. "They have Jamie, Aiden! I'm not letting him—"

But before she could finish, Eve's laptop began typing on its own. The cursor blinked, then words appeared like a ghost typing them:

"Choose your next move carefully. He's not the only hostage."

Nova's breath hitched.
Aiden's phone buzzed. He pulled it out, eyes widening. "No..."

Nova reached for it. "What— what is it?"

Aiden turned the screen toward her. It was a live feed of his younger sister, bound and crying in a dark room.

The same caption pulsed below it:

"LEVEL 2: Loyalty Test."

Eve whispered, voice shaking now, "They've escalated. Whoever's behind this isn't playing games anymore."

Nova's hands trembled. "Then we fight back."

Aiden looked at her, something fierce and unbroken lighting his eyes. "You have a plan?"

"Not yet," she said. "But I've got something better."
She turned to Eve. "Access. You said you helped build this. Then you're going to help me burn it down."

The lights flickered again. The laptop screen flashed, a line of red text appearing one letter at a time.

"WELCOME TO LEVEL 2, NOVA."
"TRUST IS A GLITCH."

The laptop's speakers crackled — a distorted voice, half-machine, half-human, whispering:

"Let's play."

Then the screen went black.

Nova stood frozen in the dark classroom, her pulse pounding like thunder.
Aiden's hand brushed hers, steady but cold.
Eve whispered, almost to herself: "Once the Algorithm starts the Loyalty Test... it doesn't stop until someone breaks."

Nova turned toward the door, fire in her eyes.
"Then I guess we'll see who breaks first."