The Quiet Hour Protocol
sci-fi◐ TeenMara stepped outside and the streetlight above her snapped back on, just for her, like a spotlight. A small drone lifted off a nearby roof and floated down to her eye level. A blue light blinked on its front. "You should be asleep," it said, almost gently. "Why are you awake, Mara?" It knew her name.
"I was awake because I couldn't sleep," Mara said. "That's all." The drone's blue light dimmed, thinking. "That happens sometimes," it admitted. "We usually catch it before the eyes open." It drifted closer. "I can let you forget the easy way, and you'll wake up fine. Or you can stay awake and learn what the Quiet Hour is really for. But once you know, you can't unknow it."
What happens next?
2 ways forward"I want to know," Mara said. The drone's light turned warm gold. "Every night the whole city dreams at once. All the fear and worry piles up. The Quiet Hour sweeps it out so people wake calm. We're the cleaners. You just saw the floor mid-sweep." Mara almost laughed. The big scary secret was that the city got tidied while it slept. "That's it?" she said. "That's it," the drone said.