1:55 PM – Ridgewood High, East Library Annex
Bee's boots tapped across the linoleum of the hidden library wing—the old one, where no one dared go since the mold scandal of 2012. Serena trailed behind her, carrying a stack of copied documents marked "REM-C Protocols – Experimental Phase."
"Is this even admissible?" Serena whispered.
"It doesn't have to be," Bee replied. "It just has to scare them enough to talk."
They reached the back reading room where Logan had set up temporary base with his projector. The walls flashed with surveillance stills. Notes. Evidence.
Zuri leaned over her laptop, expression pinched. "Still scrubbing. That tape of Elara near the locker room? Something's off."
"Like edited?" Kai asked, pacing.
"Like erased," she confirmed. "Clean, surgical. Someone has access to the root server."
Bee exhaled. "Which means our leak… it's still live."
2:14 PM – Ridgewood Auditorium (Flashback)
One week before Homecoming.
Hailey stood center stage under the rig lights, arms wrapped tightly around her script. Her fingers trembled, voice barely a whisper.
"I'm not ready, Ms. Vega…"
"You'll never be ready," the drama teacher snapped. "You just have to do it scared."
Hailey's eyes darted up toward the audience seats. Empty, except for one man.
Principal Harrow.
No—someone wearing his lanyard.
He never applauded. Just stared.
When Hailey stumbled on her lines, he took notes.
Hailey's grip on her script tightened as her smile flickered on.
Fake. Forced.
Survival.
And somewhere backstage, a vial of REM-C waited in her locker, courtesy of "school-sponsored wellness therapy."
2:41 PM – Present – Bee's Kitchen
Zuri tossed a protein bar onto the table. "You haven't eaten since yesterday."
Bee blinked out of her daze. "I'm fine."
"You're spiraling."
"I'm focused."
"You're scared."
Bee froze, hand hovering over the laptop. Her voice broke. "What if we're too late?"
Zuri reached across the table and squeezed her hand. "Then we'll be loud. Loud enough to raise the dead if we have to."
Bee managed a smile. Just then, Logan's voice crackled through the speaker.
"Guys. You need to see this."
2:59 PM – Logan's Server Room
The entire team gathered as Logan pulled up a file titled "RHS Internal – REM-C Testing Results."
"Where did this come from?" Kai asked.
"An anonymous dump," Logan replied. "Timestamped this morning. I almost missed it—buried under layers of decoy data."
Bee skimmed the report. Her blood ran cold.
It wasn't just Hailey.
Four names. All students. All flagged as "emotionally compromised" under Ridgewood's Student Wellness Act.
Two had transferred. One was on "extended leave."
The last name—highlighted in red—was Bee.
"…They flagged me?" she breathed.
Kai touched her shoulder. "They've been watching since your meltdown freshman year."
Serena whispered, "They were waiting for you to crack."
Bee stared at her name on the list.
This wasn't about revenge anymore.
It was about survival.
3:17 PM – Ridgewood Boardroom (Intercepted Footage)
On the screen, Chairwoman Elara Voss stood before the school board, her voice clipped and formal.
"Our job is to protect the institution. The name. The donors. If one girl's breakdown becomes a lawsuit—"
"We buried it," another voice interrupted. Male. Smooth.
Harrow.
"We neutralized the threat. Now let's ensure it stays that way."
The audio buzzed. Logan fast-forwarded.
Voss again.
"If Rivera gets too close, activate the failsafe."
Kai's knuckles whitened around the desk. "Failsafe?"
Zuri whispered, "What's the failsafe?"
Bee's heartbeat thundered. "We need to find out before they use it."
3:26 PM – Serena's Car (Private Conversation)
Kai and Bee sat in the back seat, the rest inside.
"You okay?" he asked quietly.
Bee looked down. "I keep thinking of her. Hailey. The way she looked in that video…"
"You saw the second clip too?"
Bee nodded. "The breakdown in the stairwell. The screaming. The way no one helped."
"She was screaming our names."
Bee turned to him, eyes glistening. "What if we fail her twice?"
Kai reached out, brushing his fingers against hers. "Then we fight harder. Get louder. Risk everything."
She didn't let go of his hand.
3:29 PM – Bee's House (War Room)
Bee stared at the screen until the static blurred her vision.
They'd planned for blackmail. For exposure.
But not for this.
Not for a target on her back.
"We need to move," she said.
"To where?" Serena asked.
"To them."
Kai frowned. "You want to confront Voss?"
"No," Bee said, standing. "I want to dismantle her."
Zuri shut her laptop. "Then we bring the storm."
Logan pulled up a city map of Ridgewood. "We hit the places they hide things. District archives. School vault. Wellness Center mainframe."
Serena cracked her knuckles. "Coordinated infiltration. We divide and conquer."
Zuri added, "And livestream every second."
Bee nodded. "No more shadows. No more smokescreens."
She turned toward the window. Outside, the Ridgewood crest gleamed beneath the sun.
"And no more silence."