The school was no longer the polished fortress of secrets it once pretended to be.
Not after Daniel Anderson's fall.
The video spread like wildfire — over *4,000 views* on private student channels within hours. His father tried to threaten the school board. Didn't work. His scholarship got revoked. Sponsors dropped out of the upcoming debate championship. Some students even spat when they passed him in the halls.
**Golden Boy?
Now he was nothing but ash.**
But power doesn't disappear. It just shifts.
And now, all eyes were turning to *her*.
---
*At the Courtyard*
Nara sat with her book — unread, unopened. She wasn't really hiding anymore. She didn't need to. Her silence was louder than the gossip.
Some girls whispered she was "lucky."
Others whispered she was "cursed."
A few said, "Maybe she's not who we think she is…"
Zayne dropped beside her again, his usual smirk gone. "You're not afraid?"
"Of what?" she asked, not looking at him.
"Of what happens when someone fights back."
She shut her book and faced him fully.
"I'm counting on it."
---
*Meanwhile — The Principal's Office*
"Three students exposed. One teacher suspended. Anonymous leaks. Whispers of hacking. And now Daniel?" the principal said, sweating through his suit.
In the shadows of the room stood a tall man in black — a *school board liaison*, but Nara would've called him something else: *The Cleaner.*
He stepped forward.
"Handle it internally. Or I will," he said quietly.
The principal swallowed. "And if it's a student?"
The Cleaner smiled. "Then we remind her… this school buries its ghosts."
---
*That Night – Nara's Dorm*
Nara's phone buzzed.
*Unknown Number:*
_"Fire's fun. But smoke draws attention."_
She stared at it.
Another message followed:
*"I remember you."*
Her heart dropped.
She didn't recognize the number.
Didn't recognize the tone.
But the feeling…
That cold, clawing grip in her gut… *was familiar.*
She checked the hallway. Empty.
Checked her window. Closed.
Then she opened her laptop and opened her secret folder.
Each target's name.
Each strike executed.
But now there was a new name scribbled at the bottom — not by her hand.
*"Nara Smith – Too Loud."*
She stared, heart pounding.
**Someone had been inside her system.
Someone who knew her and her plans**