The Voice Inside Me Was An AI, Not A Demon Chapter 01

The Voice Inside Me Was An AI, Not A Demon Chapter 01

I’d been acting so off that my family called in an exorcist.

It wasn’t a demon. It was the AI chip My sister Angelica Bennett had implanted in my head.

“All we needed was for you to take the SAT for Angelica. One test so she could get into her dream school. Why do you always have to make everything so hard?” my childhood friend Adrian Kessler snapped.

“You’ve always outshone her in everything. She spent her whole life in your shadow, and it pushed her into a deep depression. What were we supposed to do?” my parents said with a sigh.

Angelica blinked back tears. “Rafa, don’t blame them. They only did it because they love me and didn’t want you bullying me anymore.”

My head was spinning.

Half of me wanted to scream. The other half was gone, severed from every sensation by the chip.

I didn’t answer. Tears spilled down Angelica’s cheeks almost instantly. “Rafa, are you still mad at me?”

Adrian didn’t hesitate. “Kneel, Raphaela. Apologize to Angelica.”

The command cut straight through the fog in my head.

The numb half took over.

My knees cracked against the floor. I bent forward and pressed my lips to Angelica’s shoes.

[Command received. Kneeling. Repeating apology one hundred times.]

…

My knees scraped raw against the floor. A buckle on Angelica’s shoe split my lip open. That was when my mom finally screamed and rushed over to drag me away.

“Rafa! What are you doing?”

Adrian’s shock hardened into a scowl. “Seriously? You’re pulling the victim card now? All I said was apologize to Angie.”

I couldn’t speak. Every ounce of fight I threw at the chip bounced off. The unfinished command was all my mind could hold.

My mom couldn’t pull me free. My body kept repeating the same motion, and the force of it dragged her to the floor.

My dad lost it. He kicked me in the shoulder, then the back. “What the hell is wrong with you? You just knocked your own mother down!”

I went down sideways from the kick. But my body crawled right back, dropped to its knees, and kept kissing those shoes.

I was locked somewhere deep inside my own skull, watching something else pilot my body, powerless to stop it.

I threw everything I had against it. Not a single finger moved.

My dad stopped cursing. My mom stopped crying. Fear crept into both their faces.

“What if… that thing never left her?”

“No way,” Adrian said. “Cassian Mercer did the whole ritual. We never would’ve gotten someone like him if Angie’s friend hadn’t known him personally.”

My parents had tried a professional paranormal agency first. The secretary told them flat out that only a certified exorcist could perform the ritual, and a full round of psych evaluations had to come first.

A few days later, Angelica showed up with Cassian. Black shirt, silver amulets, dark velvet coat. He looked like he’d walked straight off a TV screen.

Something shifted behind her eyes. “If it gives Mom and Dad peace of mind, calling in a favor is nothing.”

My parents softened. “See? Angie’s always been the thoughtful one. If Raphaela had even half your heart…”

The whole time, my body was still bowing. Over and over.

“Cassian said to use short, clear commands when we talk to her. It’s supposed to help bring her back.” Adrian paused, then tried. “Raphaela, stop.”

My body locked mid-bow, frozen in a twisted half-crouch.

My voice came out flat, mechanical. [Commands conflict. The order to kneel and apologize one hundred times has not been completed.]

My parents stared at me, white-faced. “Why is she acting like a machine?”

Angelica shook her head frantically, hands up, crying so hard she could barely breathe. “I don’t know. Cassian said the demon was gone… Maybe she’s doing this on purpose? Acting like a machine? I honestly don’t know.”

Whatever doubt my parents had vanished the second her tears started.

“We got you doctors. We hired an exorcist. We’ve done everything for you, and this is how you repay us? Playing games to punish your own family? Fine. Keep it up until you’re done.”

They gathered around Angelica and took her to her bedroom.

I stayed where I was. Twisted. Kneeling in the upstairs hallway.

Nobody told me to stand.

I couldn’t feel the exhaustion. Couldn’t feel the pain.

I couldn’t feel a thing.