Glitch

Regan opens her eyes, and she’s back in the simulation classroom at school. A professor informs her that she failed the Lincoln assassination once again. After she placed the Chaos Cuffs on the Butterfly, John Wilkes Booth turned the corner and saw Regan and the Butterfly disappear. This shocked him so much that he changed his mind about assassinating Lincoln. As a result, the future of the US was jeopardized, so Regan failed. The professor says that if Regan studied the theater’s floor plan more closely, she would have known to take a shortcut that would have gotten her to the Butterfly faster. Then, Booth wouldn’t have seen them disappear, and she would have passed. Regan actually did learn about the shortcut while studying, but she forgot about it once she was in the actual simulation. She worries her brain is like “swiss cheese” because she often forgets things. She feels ashamed because her mother is the first female commander-in-chief of the school, and people expect Regan to be successful.

Regan goes to the “recap room,” where students who failed their simulations watch recaps of their mistakes and debrief with their peers and a professor. This is Regan’s third recap in a week. A grumpy professor named Professor Treebaun leads the session. Some of the kids died or got injured in their simulations, but this doesn’t affect their health in real life. A boy whom Regan dislikes, Elliot Mason, is in the audience and accurately points out the other students’ mistakes. This annoys Regan, but she takes comfort in the fact that Elliot must have also failed his simulation, otherwise he wouldn’t be there.

Most present-day Butterflies are part of an organization called Mayhem. Since Mayhem formed, Butterflies have been getting more skilled, which is why the time-traveling Academy now exists. Most countries have an academy, and for the most part, Glitchers aren’t supposed to interfere with the history of other countries (although some historical events concern multiple countries). After watching Regan’s recap, they watch a “repercussions track” that shows what would likely have happened afterward: The US would have had a second Civil War and would have fallen apart as a nation.

The kids at Regan’s school all have a special gene that allows them to time travel. Regan envies people who don’t have the gene because they get to choose their careers and lifestyles. Everyone is checked at birth for the gene, and if they have it, they’re sent to their country’s time-traveling academy. Both of Regan’s parents were Glitchers, but her dad died before she was born. Only 20% of academy students ultimately become Glitchers; others become teachers or go into other fields because the pressure is too much. Regan still feels like she has to become a successful Glitcher because of her mom’s status and expectations.

The recap session ends and Regan realizes they never watched Elliot’s recap. Regan and Elliot have disliked each other for as long as Regan can remember, and although her mother has suggested she avoid him, Regan finds this difficult because there are only 10 students in their year. Outside the recap room, he reveals that he didn’t fail his simulation, but he enjoys attending the recaps to learn from other’s mistakes. This helps him remain at the top of their class.

Elliot plans to take a simulation test the next day, where he will compete against another student. He’s already won nine of them, and if he wins the 10th, he’ll advance to the next level of school. If he wins, he’ll also beat Regan’s mom’s record and become the youngest student ever to advance. Regan has never taken a simulation test. Elliot’s parents both died shortly after his birth, and Regan tries not to rub this fact in, even though she dislikes him.

Elliot finds an envelope on the ground with Regan’s name on the front. It’s written in her handwriting, but she doesn’t remember doing this. Regan realizes the letter is a “Cocoon,” an object planted by a Butterfly to alter the future. If a future version of Regan created this Cocoon, it means Regan has become a Butterfly. If anyone finds it, Regan could go to prison, and her mom could lose her job. Regan tries to take the envelope from Elliot, but he won’t let her have it.

Professor Green appears and orders them to stop fighting. Elliot hides the envelope in his pocket, and Professor Green orders him to help him move a bunch of boxes to a storage room. Regan whispers to Elliot that she needs the envelope back, but he’s reluctant to give it to her. Professor Green suggests that Elliot and Regan could be friends, but they’re both skeptical. He asks why Regan never does simulation tests, and she says she’s afraid to fail. Regan leaves, and walking home, she admires the campus’s beauty while noticing an approaching storm. She feels caged on campus, even though it’s beautiful. She spots some Glitch costumes in a bush, so she takes them to the laundry room so that whoever left them there won’t get in trouble.

Elliot thinks Regan is stuck-up, stupid, and entitled. He hopes to become the commander-in-chief one day so he can live in the nice house that she currently shares with her mom. Elliot doesn’t think it’s fair that Professor Green made him but not Regan move boxes because they were both fighting in the hallway. Professor Green argues that Elliot needs to build character and “moral fiber,” otherwise his skill and intelligence won’t be very useful.

Elliot finishes moving the boxes and then goes to the cafeteria, where dinner has already ended. The cook, Mrs. Smith, gives Elliot some food to take back to his dorm. He reflects that he doesn’t have many possessions except for his cadet jacket, and if he wins the simulation test tomorrow, he’ll get a new one. He likes being the best in his class because it gives him a sense of identity, which he feels like he lacks due to not having living family members.

Elliot opens the letter addressed to Regan. It says that Regan and Elliot have to learn to work together and that Elliot can’t win the simulation test or advance to the next level in school tomorrow; otherwise, something will happen. The letter also includes a bulleted list of ambiguous clues. Elliot realizes the letter is a Cocoon. Since his name is on it, he’s implicated and can’t simply give it to a teacher.

Regan goes home, where the housekeeper, Mrs. Ellsworth, has cooked dinner for her, her mom, and Officer Salzburg. The officer is visiting Regan’s mom to discuss the academy’s security. He’s brought some new security cameras that he thinks should be installed throughout campus because they detect Butterflies. The technology behind the cameras was stolen from Mayhem, but Officer Salzburg thinks their own technology can be used against them. Regan is worried that Mayhem has discovered the academy’s secret location. She is also worried that the cameras might detect her since she found a Cocoon earlier, but they don’t.

Even though Regan failed her simulation that day, Officer Salzburg praises her “uncanny” ability to quickly spot Butterflies. As they discuss Regan’s training, Officer Salzburg seems envious because he can no longer time travel, just like other staff members. The technology used by early Glitchers was hard on the body, so they couldn’t work long, although some sabotaged their health to keep going. Now, Glitchers are required to have their gene deactivated once their careers are over.

After dinner, Regan goes to her room and finds a message from Elliot on her computer. She goes into the bathroom, turns the shower on, and reads it; he says they need to speak tonight because Elliot’s discovered that the letter is a Cocoon. Regan agrees to meet him in 30 minutes at a fountain on campus. First, Regan’s mom wants to hear about her simulation earlier that day, and she encourages her to take the simulation test the following day. Even if she loses, it will be useful practice, and she has to start taking them someday. Regan is still scared of failure and humiliation, and she returns to her bedroom.