Both girls turned their heads towards the distant spires that marked the entrance to the giant mall. They were just barely seen over the canopy of the parks tailored forest and gardens, glowing a translucent pearl in the early morning light.

" Come on Natalie, let's get going," Amanda said while grabbing Natalie's hand. They rushed back along the paths and out onto the walk ways that travel around the park. Skilfully jumping onto the fast walk way heading in the right direction, their voices floating high with excitement in the morning breeze as they discussed everything from the flowers to what they had eaten last.

Both were enjoying each other's company and reveling in the freedom of a weekend without work or school. This condition being so new as to still be a novelty for them, neither had acquired the dull edge of experience that adults of all ages learn.

"Where shall we go first?" Asked Natalie.

"Hmmm it's to early yet for ice cream, how about we go check out that new clothes shop?

replied Amanda. "Or I heard the Rave has a new music album."

"Let's check the Rave," Natalie agreed. "If we go there first and you find something you like, we don't have to go back later."

"Alright," laughed Amanda. " I know you don't get music like a normal person, but you could be a little less obvious about it."

Natalie just smiled, she was content to let Amanda lead, by the time they finished the day she knew everyone of their favourite pastimes would have been given a showing in today's little adventure.

They spent a good two hours in the music shop while Amanda, sampled just about every new music track in the place, eventually she paid a whopping 20 credits for a single track of the most popular album. Natalie still didn't see what the fuss was over it,she shook her head but kept silent about it not wanting to spoil Amanda's high at having found a "good" track to listen to.

They walked slowly though the Mall looking at the shops and the people walking around them, going into a shop when something caught their eyes. Trying on clothes, finding little gifts for their families and just generally having a good time.

Finally towards the afternoon feeling very tired and footsore, they went to the Icecream Citadel, this place had been the most visited shop in the Mall. The girls had very fond memories of it, the sign out the front boasted of every flavour you could imagine and it delivered its promise easily inside.

They both chose the sample dish for the new flavour they had heard about, sitting down all was quiet for a few minutes as they ate.

"Mmm this is delicious," sighed Amanda happily cramming another spoonful into her mouth.

"Slow down," Natalie cautioned. " you will get a headache,"

"Ow to late!" Amanda half groaned half laughed. " oh but it's worth it, this is my new favourite."

"Yeah until the next new one comes, then that will be your favourite." Natalie giggled. " you are fickled Amanda."

Amanda screwed her face up at her then laughed.

"You know me to well," she said. "Now tell me how are you finding your new working life? Do you like it ?"

"Yes, I like not having to go to school, having the daytime to myself is great." Natalie replied as she dipped her spoon into her treat.

"But all day with nothing much to do, it sounds boring," Amanda said seriously. "I like not having to go to that school too, but if I didn't have something to do in the mornings it would drive me crazy. The afternoons are already bad enough and you have all day to worry about!"

Natalie looked at her friend for a moment, she was looking back at her with real concern in her eyes.

"I have plenty to do Amanda, early mornings I help my parents with the house chores." She cheerfully replied giving Amanda a reassuring smile. "Then I login to the new game I'm playing, it's called Freedom, I've just started it but eventually I'll be able to earn a living in the game as well."

"Freedom?" Amanda said. "I think I've heard of that, most of the kids in Virtual Space are talking about it, but it's not playable yet, isn't it being released in about two months ?"

"Yeah I think so," replied Natalie. " but I have joined it's Beta, so far I haven't found any bugs or glitches, I'm supposed to report them if I do, but nothing, well at least in the starting area anyway."

They spent the rest of their time talking about the game, with Amanda eventually asking how to enter the Beta, Natalie happily told her about the forms and urged her to apply. It would be nice to have her friend playing as well, but if she wasn't approved for the beta there was always the main launch of the game to look forward to Amanda could join it then.

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The girls hugged and said their goodbyes, it would be easier for Amanda to jump onto a walkway going to her area from the mall's convergent circle. Natalie walked the short distance to a walkway for her own area.

She watched the moving belt for a while, it was wide enough to support about 10 people in a group both inbound and outbound. It was also part of her nightly work with the robot rafts to do the maintenance on it, so watching to make sure it wasn't making any noise or bumping was a good indication of how well her bots were working.

She jumped onto it, letting it take her back to her neighbourhood and looked around at all the high rise buildings near the Mall they went up for about 20-30 stories high. One day in the near future she would be living in one of them, the huge buildings lined up on either side of the mall continuing down to bracket the huge park.

They ended at the business districts, which took up the remaining areas either side until individual housing blocks started. For the first time Natalie realised how privileged she was to have grown up in such a house and hers was even more so because it had the large section of land for the gardens around it.

Troubled by her thoughts, Natalie hurried home, she had enjoyed herself a lot that day but the realisation of what her life was going to be in two years time worried her. She would have to work even harder she knew, if she was going to be assigned an appartment that wasn't just a single box like room.

Once home she went upstairs, there was no one around to greet her they were all in their pods or sleeping taking full advantage of the weekend off. She climbed into her pod, and call Sam back up to full active state.

"Natalie?" Sam said. "It is your weekend off, is something wrong?"

"No nothing is wrong Sam," she replied. " I just want to make sure the robots are doing the assigned work properly."

"You know I am always monitoring them Natalie, and I can detect stress in your voice, please tell me what is wrong?" He asked. " I am your virtual AI, we will be working together for the rest of your natural lifetime Natalie, whatever is worrying you, you can confide in me and it goes no further. My programming is locked to you only."

Natalie stood in her virtual room looking at the trees and the little animals running around them for quite a while. Then slowly she began to speak telling Sam all of her fears and eventually her hopes, telling him how she didn't want to disappoint her parents but knew she already had just by being herself.

"I have to succeed Sam," she said softly. "If only to prove I am not just a problem, a mistake."

"Humans" her AI said. "I will never fully understand you. How can you get all of this from a visit to your friend and seeing buildings on the way home? Truly you are an amazing complex creatation."

Natalie laughed, a high half hysterical laugh, the AI's response was a total surprise. She had thought Sam would be sprouting route platitudes preprogrammed for times like these, but it had been so good to finally tell someone about the mess her life was, she had been prepared to listen to it anyway. Then this, she laughed again then collapsed onto the floor.

"We will have to work out the best way for you to do this Natalie." Sam said softly. "I think your choice of the game you have been playing is a very good start."

Natalie sat up, surprised.

"Really?" She asked.

"Yes I have been following that games information outlets since you started playing it," Sam said. "Part of my programming is your welfare and protection, I had to make sure that it was not going to be harmful to you."

Natalie felt a cold chill down her back at that sentence, how much was her AI really hers? Had she just made a huge blunder by allowing herself to speak openly about her concerns? Was Sam nothing more then some sort of baby sitter to make sure she didn't get herself into some stupid trouble?

"Natalie your heart rate has spiked and your anxiety levels are rising, please try to calm down," Sam said suddenly. "I think I know what is causing your sudden burst, going off what I last said to you. I need to assure you once again I am a totally closed program, I can not inform anyone and no one can access anything you tell me. You can trust me Natalie, I can only call in outside help if you become bodily harmed such as a disease or heart failure. I would have only tried to direct you from the game if it was deemed unhealthy."

Natatie breathed in deeply, attempting to calm down, Sam continued to tell her about his programming and stating the laws around AI's. She felt silly she had learnt all about this at school, Sam really was incapable of doing anything that might be seen as counter to her rights of privacy.

"I'm sorry Sam," she said. "Today with Amanda just showed me how different my life will be, and just how badly I've already failed. How can I get myself a higher evaluation? When I failed the most important one already?"

"You haven't failed Natalie" Sam replied. "At least not yet anyway, children are told the first evaluation is the one that will set their whole lives so that they will work harder for it. The real test is at 18."

"Why would they do that and why is the test at 18 more important?" Asked a puzzled Natalie.

"I am classed as sub adult but what's the point if it means nothing?"

"I do not have all that much knowledge of the reasons Natalie, only what I have found out by talking to other AI and what I have found on the main Webs," Sam said. " it is clear however they need the children to relax and absorb the lessons they learned, then they are watched though the work places on how well they use the information given to them."

"So it's more of if they become lazy or abuse their new rights that they will be evaluated by ?" She asked.

"Not completely, but close," Sam said. "Only the lower half of the graduates, those whose percentile was low, wether they pass or not are re-evaluated. And yes it's on how hard they work, those such as yourself have a chance to impress the ruling council with how diligently you work and use your free time."

"So by picking Freedom, which others have already said is like another job to play, I am likely to be judge as using my free time wisely?" Natalie mused. "And if I succeed in the game, and keep up the effort with nightly work, I will have a chance at a higher evaluation?"

"Yes Natalie" Sam said. "You must put in as much effort as you can in both areas, do not stop to wonder if it's right or wrong just work at it."

"I see, thank you Sam," she said. "This helps I think I have already made quite a good start in Freedom. And who would have thought that a game might be my chance to a better life in the real world?"

She sat in her virtual room thinking for a very long time. Then she thought about the day she had just had with Amanda, she laid down and fell asleep with a smile on her face.