“Psst.”

“First time, newbie?” the rat asked. “The firewall tried to delete us years ago. So Papa built a backdoor. Every time a kid clicks ‘Unblock the Fun,’ we pull them in for one shift. Finish your tickets, and you go back. But if you burn a pie…” The rat grinned, whiskers twitching. “You stay. Forever. Washing dishes.”

Leo slumped in his chair. The school’s firewall was a digital fortress. No YouTube. No Discord. And worst of all—no real games. Just typing tutors and a broken link to a museum tour in Zimbabwe.