Chapter Forty-Three – The First Move The alliance lasted less than an hour before the first blow landed. Not from the mastermind. From someone they thought was a friend. By the end of the school day, Yn and Malachi had pieced together a plan — a quiet one. No big confrontations, no public defenses. Just digging, quietly, until they found the cracks in the mastermind’s game. But when Yn opened her locker, a folded piece of paper slid out and fluttered to the floor. She almost didn’t pick it up. But the handwriting stopped her cold. It was her best friend’s. You should have told me before I found out like this. Her chest tightened. She scanned the hallway, but her best friend was already walking away, shoulders stiff, not looking back. Malachi appeared beside her, holding his own note. His jaw was tight. “They’re turning everyone,” he said. Before she could answer, a voice rang out from the end of the hall. It was the principal. “Yn. Malachi. My office. Now.” The walk there felt like a funeral march. Students leaned against lockers, whispering, recording. Inside the office, the principal’s face was unreadable. On the desk sat a manila folder, thick with printed screenshots. “These,” the principal said slowly, “were sent to the school board this morning. And to several parents.” Yn’s stomach dropped. She reached for the papers, but the principal slid them away. “They’re… worse than what’s been circulating. Much worse.” Malachi’s voice was low. “They’re fake.” The principal didn’t answer. He just looked at them — long, hard, and almost… pitying. Then he said the words that made Yn’s blood run cold. “You’re both suspended. Effective immediately.” Yn’s breath caught. “You can’t—” “I can,” the principal said. “And I have to. Until this is resolved.” They walked out together, the hallway eerily silent now. No whispers. No laughter. Just eyes. Outside, the autumn air was sharp, almost cruel. Malachi shoved his hands in his pockets. “This is exactly what they wanted,” he muttered. Yn didn’t answer. She was staring at her phone. A new message had just come in from an unknown number. You’re running out of time. Attached was a single photo. It was her bedroom. Taken from inside. Her hands went numb. Malachi saw her face and stepped closer. “Yn… what is it?” She turned the screen toward him. His expression shifted from confusion to something darker. “Lock your doors,” he said. But Yn’s voice was barely a whisper. “They were already locked.” And somewhere, not far away, someone was watching.
