"And three, two, one, now."

Joanna Olesson snapped her fingers and pointed to the sound technician in the booth. They pushed a button, and Prokofiev's Dance of the Knights started to play in the auditorium.

About half the assembled crowd of a few dozen college students got awkwardly to their feet, seeming almost to be pulled by the jagged, angular music. By the time the horns started blaring an alarm, they were moving in near-unison with one another on the open floor, imitating the balletic moves they'd just watched on repeat on the video she'd used alongside untargeted subliminals and a personalized Alteration app on their phones.

Chere watched with amusement from the back row of the class as the solo trumpet led the Altered students to dip and twirl, some of them very ineptly, but none of them ever really missing a beat. It may have been early in the semester, but the redheaded theatre kid was convinced she'd made the right decision in taking this class, it promised to be all kinds of fun. As the violins started up again and the pace of the music increased, Chere found herself tapping her foot along with the beat, wondering if maybe she should have volunteered along with the rest. At least this way she had a great story to tell her Alteration-obsessed twin, since this was like a scene out of Alter / Control / Delete, Sunny's favourite show.

The music trailed off, and everyone stopped dancing. Embarrassed smiles and laughter filled the space.

"And those of you who chose the second option..." the instructor began with a chuckle, speaking over the din.

Chere looked around in confusion, much like the other students still sitting in their seats. Second option? she asked herself.

Maybe she shouldn't have blinked. Maybe if she'd kept her eyes open, they wouldn't be stuck closed.

"Now it's time for your dance, Miss Collins." Joanna's voice was very close to her ear.

The memory—or the dream?—of an auditorium faded away to the sound of the flute and tambourine as she spun around to the music in her headphones. She didn't know if the professor was in the room with her or if her voice was just part of the recording, and she didn't care. She didn't need anyone's help. She knew the steps well enough that she didn't even need to open her eyes to follow them.