> "The scariest monsters are the ones who believe they're the heroes."
— Reina
---
🐍 Bianca Cornered
Sharon didn't plan it.
But when Bianca slipped away from her usual crowd during free period, Sharon followed — through the courtyard path, past the shuttered music room, and into the old piano hall.
Bianca leaned against the balcony rail, alone. Her shoulders tense. Her poise cracked just slightly.
"You always watching people now?" she said without turning.
"Only the ones hiding something," Sharon answered.
Bianca sighed and turned to face her, arms folded.
"I know you know about Mara."
A long silence.
Then Bianca said, "I didn't want her to vanish."
"But she did."
Bianca's voice lowered. "Because she wrote what she shouldn't have. She was going to publish it — a full exposé on the Circle. Names. Rules. The files."
"You're scared," Sharon said quietly.
Bianca laughed. "You think this is fear? This is survival. You think you're the first girl who wanted to burn this place down?"
"I know I'm not."
Sharon stepped closer.
"But I might be the one who succeeds."
Bianca's jaw clenched. "Then watch your back. Because the Circle doesn't lose gracefully."
---
🧩 Zuri Breaks
That night, Zuri finally cracked.
Sharon walked in to find her sitting on the floor, back against the bed, tears streaking down her cheeks, hands clenched tight.
"I didn't mean to," she whispered.
"Zuri…"
"They said if I didn't watch you… if I didn't keep you quiet… they'd hurt my brother."
Sharon knelt beside her.
"Did you tell them anything?"
Zuri shook her head violently. "No. Never. But I left my phone open once. They… they took it. For ten minutes. I don't know what they copied."
Sharon stared at her.
"It's okay," she said softly. "You didn't betray me. They just used your fear."
But in her chest, something twisted.
> If they had her phone…
They might be closer than she thought.
---
💻 Reina's Move
Two days later, Reina slipped a flash drive into Sharon's locker.
No note. Just a faint scratch on the side:
> S.O.
Sharon plugged it in that night using an old, school-issued laptop.
The screen blinked once.
Password required.
She typed:
SadeOkezie — denied.
S.O.2020 — denied.
Beneath — denied.
Then she paused, remembering the journal. The phrase Sade always used.
> "You survive by knowing where the shadows bleed."
She typed:
ShadowsBleed
Access granted.
Files loaded.
Audio recordings.
Photo scans.
Email threads.
A video — labeled: "If anything happens to me."
Sharon's breath caught in her throat.
---
📌 End of Chapter Seventeen
> Sade hadn't just been afraid.
She'd been preparing.
And now, her voice was about to speak again —
From beyond the silence Crescent Grove tried to bury her in.
---
🔜 Coming in Chapter Eighteen: If Anything Happens to Me
Sharon watches the video. What Sade reveals is chilling — and implicates someone still in power.
Reina explains how she got the flash drive — and who else might know it exists.
The school locks down access to all student tech.
And Sharon realizes… the Circle knows she has the file.