I'm lying on my bed, trying to gather my thoughts, piecing together fragments of everything that's been happening lately.
My brain feels cluttered, like the hallway of my mind is jammed with unanswered questions and unresolved feelings.
Then, my phone vibrates. A message pops up on the screen.
"You should check the school news group right now."
It's from Selena.
My heart drops immediately. Is it about me?
I've already been the topic of the week on the class group chat—memes, rumors, whispers behind screens.
Was I now trending school-wide?
Hands slightly shaking, I click into the school news forum.
The headline slams into me like a brick wall:
"A girl who was once kidnapped from our college has been found, one of six abducted during a birthday party."
I sit up so fast, my blanket tangles around my legs.
What?
I never heard of any kidnappings—
nothing like this.
I quickly text Selena back.
"I didn't know about this. Did you?"
She responds almost instantly.
"What do you mean you didn't know?
It happened at Sabrina's birthday party two years ago. It was all over the blogs."
I blink, struggling to place the memory.
Sabrina's party? Two years ago?
"Really?" I type back.
Could it be... Dan was actually kidnapped?
I haven't even fully wrapped my head around the idea that he might be my brother. I wasn't ready. I'm still not.
Then another message from Selena appears,
"Shocking part is, the girl is saying the school was behind the kidnapping."
She attaches a link beneath it.
I click.
The news page opens and I begin to skim, my mouth slowly falling open as the words register.
Without thinking, I hit the video call button. Selena answers immediately.
"She said... their drinks were spiked," I begin, reading aloud,
"And the next thing they knew, she and the others, about twenty kids, woke up inside a shipping container."
Selena gasps audibly, her hand flying to her chest. I can see her holding her iPad, the screen reflecting horror in her wide eyes.
"They were trafficked," I whisper.
"Sold off... as sex dolls."
"That's cruel," Selena says softly, eyes glossy. "Who does that to children?"
I shake my head, still stunned.
"And now she's claiming the school knew?"
Selena leans closer to her screen.
"If that's true, won't the school get shut down?"
"I think they'll have to. There's no way this won't spark an investigation."
"Shut down?" Selena scoffs, as if the words offend her.
I frown. "What do you mean by that?"
Selena looks grim.
"The girl's on full scholarship. Her dad works as the pest exterminator here. They don't have the money to file a lawsuit."
I blink.
"Then how did this even make it to the news?"
Selena exhales.
"Apparently the Bonfires stepped in, held a press release, and offered her a full scholarship to any college she wants."
My eyes widen. "Wait.
The Bonfires?!"
"Yeah," Selena says slowly, watching my face.
I adjust myself on the bed, my pulse quickening.
"That's Dan's family. His parents."
Selena's eyes grow huge.
"What the actual hell is going on?" she whispers.
I'm silent. I don't know either.
Selena keeps shaking her head.
"It's starting to make sense now... like puzzle pieces locking into place."
"How long has this been happening?"
she asks, her voice faint.
I look at her.
"The real question is how many cases they've buried,covered up with hush money, scholarships, promises. All in the name of compensation."
Selena pauses, staring at me through the screen.
"Do you think... Dan was actually kidnapped by them?....
I don't answer right away. My chest feels heavy, like something cold is pressing down on it.
"Selena, I don't know," I say quietly.
"I haven't even let myself believe he's my brother yet. And now this…"
Selena nods slowly, her expression growing thoughtful.
"I need to look deeper into the school's news archives, see how many kidnappings have happened over the years."
"And not just kidnappings," I add. "Check for unexplained disappearances too. Anything weird."
"Yeah. Something's bound to come up. I'll start digging. I'll update you when I find anything," she says, then hangs up.
I stay frozen for a moment, staring at the screen. Then I dive into the news site, frantically clicking on every link I can find related to kidnappings, disappearances, school scandals—
Anything.
Nothing.
How did this one slip through and make the headlines?
Should I tell my parents about this? I pause, biting my lower lip.
If we're going to win Judge Harrison over, this could help. It's evidence.
But...
Would I be betraying Dan?
If this is all true,
Would he even forgive me for dragging it all back into the light?
I close my eyes, the weight of everything crashing into my chest.
The thought of him hurting me right now is killing me, the silence, the accusations.
I sat up sharply, a sudden theory snapping into place in my mind like a trap. My eyes widened as it hit me,
What if Sabrina had been blackmailing Dan all along?
What if that was the real reason he said he was using her as a cover?
A fresh memory slammed into me—
The sharp sting of her palm across my cheek in the washroom, the venom in her eyes, the words she spat out like poison: "You're naive."
Was that what she meant? That I was too blind to see what had been going on right in front of me?
Was she involved in the kidnappings too? Could this all have been orchestrated…planned to perfection?
I lay back on the bed, eyes staring blankly at the ceiling as my thoughts ran like wildfire. My mind raced to assemble the puzzle I had clearly missed all along.
But no. I couldn't keep lying here while the truth,
if it was the truth—was out there unraveling.
I needed answers. I needed to speak to Sabrina.
But first, I had to speak to Dad.
If this web went as deep as it seemed, and if Dan truly was a victim in all this…
Then maybe, just maybe, I could help him. I could help free him from this...
"Bondage,"
I whispered into the silent air, almost as if naming it would loosen the grip it had on my chest.
I stood abruptly, the floor cool under my feet as I padded downstairs. I could already hear the low hum of my parents' voices from the kitchen—low, tense, almost as if they didn't want anyone to hear them.
They were whispering. That was never a good sign.
I stepped into the room, making my presence known. Their heads turned toward me instantly.
"I need to tell you something," I said, my voice calm but firm. "It's about the case. I think it might help."
Dad turned fully to face me, curious.
"Okay, I and your mom are listening."
Mom slowly put down the book she'd been holding, her full attention now on me.
"I think there's a way you might be able to win the judge over to your side," I began.
Both of them blinked. Confused.
Dad's brows lifted slightly. Mom tilted her head.
"What do you mean, win the judge over?" Mom asked gently.
"How do you know the judge isn't already on our side?"
Shit.
I stammered for a beat.
"I—I mean, you never really know with these things," I said, grasping for control. "Judges can be unpredictable. I just meant… you might need something more persuasive."
Dad shrugged. "Well, you're not wrong."
I breath in a small sigh of relief,
but Mom didn't look fully convinced. I could tell she was still trying to connect dots.
But I didn't have time to dwell on that.
"I just saw a post on the school news group," I began, watching their expressions carefully.
"A girl who was kidnapped two years ago in my school—she's been found."
I paused, expecting a reaction.
Nothing.
Dad chuckled softly.
"Helen, our lawyer just informed us of that a few minutes ago."
I froze. Damn.
But Mom gave me a tired smile. "We still appreciate you coming to us with this. It means a lot."
"Did the lawyer also tell you what the Bonfire's family did?" I asked, leaning forward slightly.
Dad and Mom shared a glance.
"What did they do?" Mom asked.
"They released a public statement offering the girl a full college scholarship. Just like that," I said slowly, deliberately.
Mom's eyes snapped toward Dad. "What?!"
Now that got their attention.
"That's corruption in broad daylight,"
Dad muttered, his face tightening.
"A scholarship, really? What are they trying to cover up?"
Mom's voice was laced with disbelief.
"But… it's not like they're shareholders or anything. Why would they do that?"
I cleared my throat. Both their heads turned to me again.
"Don't say you got this from me," I said, guilt already creeping in,
"but the Bonfires—along with the Bells, Dan's extended family—they inherited the school. It's under their control."
Dad's face broke into a wide grin. I couldn't remember the last time I'd seen him look that pleased.
"Well, well," he said, glancing at Mom, who still looked stunned.
"This just got more interesting."
"They're definitely hiding something," Mom said, her voice suddenly sharper, more alert.
"That's all I know for now," I said softly, stepping back slightly.
Dad turned to me, curiosity etched on his face.
"How did you even find this out? Are you sure about all this?"
I smiled faintly. "I have my ways. And yes, I got it straight from the source."
"Dan?" Mom asked quickly.
I shook my head. "No. Someone else."
Dad raised a brow. "Must be that tutor then."
He didn't wait for an answer. He pulled out his phone immediately.
"Mr. Adams needs to be the one to head this line of inquiry," he said, already typing something.
I watched him step away to make the call, my heart still pounding with the guilt of betraying Dom's trust.
But if this meant getting closer to the truth—if it meant helping Dan in the long run, it had to be worth it.
Mom looked at me, her expression softer now.
"You did good," she said gently.
"We'll take it from here, Honey"
I nodded slowly, but a weight still hung heavy on my shoulders.
And now,
I needed to deal with Sabrina,
I take out my phone as I begin to type,
" I need to speak to you,"