Root Systems
A day of public school in 2035
The morning sun hadn't quite cleared the horizon when Maya's bed began its gentle wake-up sequence. The translucent membrane slowly became transparent as soft amber light filled the space. Maya stretched and yawned as her companion Ada's familiar voice greeted her.
"Good morning! You were restless around 3 AM, so I extended your sleep by eighteen minutes. Still on track for your morning routine though."
Maya nodded sleepily, already used to these small adjustments. She'd named her companion after reading about Ada Lovelace in history class, though she knew the AI wasn't really a "she" or an individual entity. Still, the name felt right.
"Thanks. What's happening at school today?" Maya asked, sliding out of bed. Her wall display came to life with a constellation of information – weather, schedule, friend updates, and homework status all arranged in her preferred layout.
"Your group presentation on rainforest ecosystems is scheduled for 10:30. Jamie finished the climate simulation last night, and Zoe added some great historical comparisons. Want to review it over breakfast?"
Maya nodded as she got dressed. The presentation had been developing over the past three weeks, with each student in her pod pursuing different angles based on their interests. Maya had become fascinated with the indigenous knowledge systems of the Amazon, spending hours in immersive conversations with tribal elders' archived memories.
Maya padded downstairs in her sock feet, drawn by the smell of cinnamon and warm bread. The kitchen counter had transformed overnight – the bread maker had worked while she slept, using her mom's weekly sourdough culture share from Dr. Kim down the street. A thick slice was already toasted and spread with the exact amount of almond butter she usually wanted, the jar positioned nearby in case she was hungrier today.
Her mom's note hovered above a bowl of sliced strawberries: "Extra vitamin C for presentation day! The garden yielded early. Love you!" Maya smiled, knowing her mom had probably instructed Ada to prod the garden's environmental controls last week, timing the berry harvest for today.
"Your cortisol's a bit elevated," Ada noted as Maya settled onto her favorite stool. "Want me to adjust the coffee ratio in your chai?" Their household subscription included a limited number of caffeine credits for Maya – enough to feel grown-up without getting jittery.
"Just normal presentation nerves," Maya said, dragging a strawberry through a dollop of yogurt. She'd gotten better at distinguishing between useful nervous energy and the kind that needed managing. "But maybe steep it for one minute less?"
The electric kettle was already heating to her preferred temperature, the loose tea measured into her favorite blue mug – the one her mom had replicated from Maya's wobbly ceramic class attempt, structural flaws and all. As she waited for it to brew, Maya flicked through the morning's produce report projected on the crystalline surface of the refrigerator. The vertical garden that covered their back fence was suggesting a harvest of snow peas for dinner, and the neighborhood's shared orchard AI was predicting peak ripeness for the plums next week.
"Want to review the presentation while you eat?" Ada asked as the chai finished brewing, releasing tendrils of cardamom and ginger into the morning air.
Maya rolled her eyes but grinned. It was true – the personalized feedback and gradual exposure had helped. These days, she actually enjoyed sharing her discoveries with the class. "Can we practice the section about traditional medicine one more time? I want to make sure I'm pronouncing everything right."
The walk to school was short, but Maya enjoyed the quiet morning ritual. Other kids were converging on the building from different directions, some chatting with their companions, others lost in thought. The school's facade shifted subtly as they approached, welcoming them with gentle patterns of light and color.
Inside, Maya found her pod's gathering space in its usual morning chaos. Jamie was sprawled on his stomach, supposedly examining a holographic rainforest canopy but actually trying to make the virtual butterflies crash into each other. Zoe had convinced her companion to project her historical timeline as a racing game, with important dates as checkpoints she was skateboarding between. Marcus and Kira were having an intense debate about whether a capybara could beat a beaver in a fight.
"Guys, we're presenting today!" Maya reminded them, dropping her bag. "Did anyone fix that weird glitch in the climate model?"
"Ugh, I forgot," Jamie groaned, rolling onto his back. "But look, I figured out how to make the butterflies explode!"
"Delete that before Ms. Chen sees," Kira hissed, but she was grinning. Their companions had learned to be lenient about these creative "modifications" to their assignments, as long as the actual work got done too.
Their pod mentor arrived just as Marcus was demonstrating his theory about beaver wrestling techniques. Ms. Chen took in the scene with her usual mix of amusement and patience, settling into their circle with her morning tea. The kids gradually shifted into presentation mode, though Jamie's butterflies still occasionally went rogue in the background.
"So how are we feeling about sharing our research?" Ms. Chen asked, tactfully ignoring a small virtual explosion behind Jamie's head. "Maya, I particularly enjoyed your section about traditional medicine. What sparked your interest there?"
"Oh! So I was talking to this really cool healer's memory from the Yanomami people," Maya said, sitting up straighter. "She showed me this plant they use for wounds, right? And I thought it looked like the pattern on Marcus's new shoes, so I wondered if—" She broke off as one of Jamie's butterflies dive-bombed her projection. "Jamie! I swear I'm going to reprogram those things to chase you instead..."
The morning unfolded in its usual organic way. Their pod moved between focused work, group discussion, physical activity, and quiet reflection. The AI companions helped each student maintain their optimal engagement rhythm while ensuring core concepts were mastered. Maya particularly enjoyed their weekly "insight exchange" where they shared unexpected discoveries from their personal learning journeys.
During lunch, Maya collapsed at her usual table with her best friend Lily from another pod. Their companions merged automatically, creating their favorite shared space – today it was underwater, with their sandwich wrappers and juice pouches floating in giant bubbles around them.
"Did you see what Emma posted about Jayden?" Lily asked immediately, barely waiting for Maya to sit down. "He totally wasn't even looking at her in gym! He was trying to get his companion to make him look taller in the class photo."
Maya snorted juice through her nose, which their companions helpfully contained in a larger bubble. As they traded theories about Jayden's height-enhancing schemes, Maya absentmindedly used her finger to draw little fish that swam between their lunch bubbles. One of them was wearing what looked suspiciously like Jayden's new haircut.
The afternoon brought their presentation. Maya felt the familiar flutter of excitement as their pod shared their findings with the school community. Other pods joined remotely from partner schools around the world, adding their perspectives to the discussion. Questions and insights flew back and forth in multiple languages, automatically translated in real-time.
Maya took the long way home, following the creek path where late afternoon light filtered through the leaves. The Yanomami healer's voice echoed in her thoughts, describing how each plant in the rainforest lived its own life while feeding into something larger. Maya paused to watch a spider repair its web between two branches, each strand catching the sunlight. She thought about Jamie's climate models, Zoe's historical patterns, the way Marcus could make data dance. Different threads, same web.
Ada waited quietly, knowing when to let a thought complete itself.
The setting sun stretched Maya's shadow across the path as she turned toward home. Somewhere in the Amazon, darkness was falling too. She wondered if the healer's granddaughter was walking her own path right now, thinking her own thoughts about the forest that connected them both.