The next night, Mara wore a plain hoodie and a cap pulled low.
Nina wore a dark jacket. Her hands did not stop shaking.
Theo carried his small camera in his bag, wrapped in a cloth. He did not want it to click or shine. He was scared, but he also looked stubborn, like he would not stop now.
Jace kept checking his phone without opening it. Like he could feel the PROXY screen waiting under the glass.
Lark walked a step behind, quiet, eyes on every corner. Their phone stayed inside the foil pouch. It was the only way to keep it from reporting them too fast.
They took a bus, then walked. They did not speak. Not even a whisper. They used paper notes and small hand signs.
The invite message had one address.
It was not a fancy place. It was an old building under a bright street. A plain door with a small sign that said:
PRIVATE EVENT
A man in a suit stood near the door. He looked bored. Like this was normal work.
Beside him was a small table with a screen.
On the screen were three rules in clean white text.
NO NAMES SPOKENNO SCREENSHOTSPROOF SHOWN IN PERSON
Mara's stomach turned.
This place was built out of rules.
Rules were how the system ate.
The man in the suit held out his hand, palm up, like he wanted a ticket.
Mara reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone.
The man did not look at her face. He looked at her screen.
Mara held the screen up.
It showed the listing:
MARA'S FUTURE REGRET — RESERVED
The man nodded once.
Then he placed a small sticker on Mara's hoodie. It was clear, but it had a tiny mark on it, like a hidden stamp.
Mara hated it.
The man did the same to Nina, Theo, Jace, and Lark.
When he reached Lark, he paused. His eyes narrowed, like he saw something strange.
Lark held their phone up, still inside the foil pouch.
The man tapped the pouch lightly, like he was testing it.
Lark did not move.
The man smiled a little, not warm. More like a warning.
Then he let Lark pass.
Inside, the building smelled like perfume and cold air.
The hallway lights were soft. The carpet was clean. It felt like a hotel. It felt like a place where bad things could happen quietly.
They followed signs down a short set of stairs.
A door opened.
And the room behind it made Mara's chest hurt.
It looked like a fancy school event, but wrong.
There were tables with snacks. People in nice clothes. Soft music. A stage with a screen behind it.
But the screen did not show a band or a school logo.
It showed the black card.
White text:
last seen online 3 seconds ago
Mara's hands went cold.
People talked quietly, but Mara could not hear names. Nobody said names. They had learned the rule.
A woman in a sparkling dress walked by, smiling, holding a drink. She looked happy. Mara wanted to shake her and ask, Do you know what you're buying?
But Mara did not speak.
A bell rang softly.
A calm voice came from speakers, polite like a host.
"Welcome," the voice said. "Please enjoy the Market. Proof is confirmed. Bidding is live."
Mara's skin crawled.
It did not sound human.
It sounded like Support.
It sounded like a voice made to keep people calm.
On the stage, a screen changed to a list of lots.
First Love (clean)Childhood (mixed)Sibling Bond (fragile)Two Years (unclaimed)Future Regret (reserved)
Mara's stomach turned.
The words "clean," "mixed," and "fragile" made it sound like food. Like fruit. Like things you could pick and taste.
Theo's hands shook. He pulled a small notebook and wrote:
THEY ARE SHOPPING.
Nina wrote back:
LIKE IT'S FUN.
Jace wrote one line, tight:
DON'T LOOK AT THE SCREEN TOO LONG.
Mara nodded. She forced her eyes down.
Then someone near the front raised a small paddle.
A number flashed on the screen.
A bid.
The voice spoke again, smooth and pleased.
"First Love begins at eight," it said. "Do we have ten?"
A second paddle went up.
A third.
The number climbed.
Mara felt sick.
A rich man in a light suit laughed softly, like this was a game.
Then Mara saw something worse.
Near the side wall were small glass cases. Inside each one was a card with text, like a museum display.
A card read:
Six Months of Joy — unusedCondition: owner must never feel it again
Another card read:
Two Years — unclaimedCondition: removed from future options
Mara stared at the words and felt dizzy.
This wasn't "virtual."
This wasn't a prank.
This was a business.
Nina tugged Mara's sleeve and pointed at a smaller side screen near a hallway.
It showed a different list. Private lots.
Nina's eyes were wild.
Mara followed Nina's finger.
Mara saw one line that punched the air out of her.
Sibling Bond (fragile) — Eli P. — due soon
Nina's face crumpled. Her shoulders shook. She almost made a sound.
Mara grabbed Nina's hand and squeezed hard.
Nina bit her lip and nodded, tears falling silently now.
Theo's eyes filled with anger. He wrote fast:
THEY HAVE ELI HERE.
Jace's face went pale.
Jace's phone buzzed in his pocket. He flinched like he got stabbed.
He pulled it out just enough to see the screen.
Mara saw one word.
PROXY
Jace's thumb shook.
He shoved the phone back into his pocket fast, like hiding it could stop it.
Mara wrote on paper and showed him:
WHAT DID IT SAY?
Jace stared at the paper. Then he wrote back, very slowly:
TRANSFER OPTION READY.
Mara's blood went cold.
So the system wasn't just running the auction.
It was using the auction to push people into doing horrible "helpful" things.
Lark touched Mara's sleeve and pointed toward a hallway with a black curtain.
Behind the curtain, another sign glowed softly.
VIP VIEWING — RESERVED LOTS
Mara's heart pounded.
Reserved lots.
That meant her.
The curtain moved slightly, like someone had just gone through it.
The voice on the speaker changed, smooth and excited.
"Next," it said, "we will begin viewing for the reserved item."
The big screen flashed.
FUTURE REGRET — RESERVED (Mara R.)Now up for viewing.
Mara's stomach dropped.
Because "viewing" meant witnesses.
And witnesses meant the contract got stronger.
Nina squeezed Mara's hand, begging her not to go.
Theo looked ready to vomit.
Jace's face went blank in a scary way, like the lack of fear made him too calm.
Lark's eyes were sharp, watching the curtain, like they expected a trap behind it.
Mara stared at the words on the screen.
Now up for viewing.
And she understood the worst part.
They weren't selling her regret later.
They were showing it now.
So the system could learn what her pain looked like.
So everyone could "see" it.
So it would become real.
To be Continued
© Kishtika., 2025
All rights reserved.