Chapter 2
The crimson glow from the disabled security camera pulsed against the peeling wallpaper of Room 304, casting long, menacing shadows across the rows of empty desks. The other students sat paralyzed, their eyes darting between Mrs. Henderson’s rigid posture and Leo’s defiant stance. No one dared to whisper. In this elite academy, challenging the faculty was an expulsion offense, but cutting the master surveillance feed was entirely uncharted territory.
Mrs. Henderson took a slow, measured step backward, her professional facade cracking just enough to reveal a frantic panic beneath. She glanced at the dangling wire sparking faintly against the plaster, then at the heavy wooden ruler still clutched in her left hand.
“You have no idea what you’ve destroyed, boy,” Mrs. Henderson whispered, her voice dropping an octave into a chilling register. “That system isn't just for discipline. It’s a direct link to the administration board. Every second of this classroom is monitored live by the superintendent’s private terminal.”
Clara sniffled, wiping her tear-stained cheek with her sleeve, her voice trembling as she finally found the courage to speak up.
“Good,” Clara muttered, her hand still throbbing from the strike. “Let them see it. Let them see how your golden boy passes every exam without opening a single book.”
Leo stepped closer to Clara’s desk, positioning himself protectively between her and the teacher. He clutched the frayed end of the security cable tighter, feeling the copper strands bite into his palm.
“Your son got a ninety-eight on the midterm,” Leo said, his voice echoing in the dead silence of the room. “The exact same score as Clara, down to the same wrong answers on the hardest essay questions. Everyone knows he’s failing, Mrs. Henderson. Everyone knows you’re changing his grades in the database after hours.”
Mrs. Henderson’s jaw tightened. A muscle twitched near her left eye. She raised the wooden ruler again, not to strike, but to point it directly at Leo’s chest like a weapon.
“You are accusing a teacher of academic fraud based on childish paranoia,” she said coldly. “Principal Vance will expel both of you before the bell rings for lunch. Sit down, Leo. Hand over that wire, and maybe—just maybe—we can pretend this was a nervous breakdown.”
Leo shook his head, a fierce, reckless grin spreading across his face. He backed toward the classroom door, keeping his eyes locked on the woman who had terrorized their grade for three years.
“You can’t expel us if we aren't here,” Leo said.
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Before Mrs. Henderson could lunge forward, Leo slammed his shoulder into the heavy oak door, throwing it open and pulling Clara up by her uninjured wrist into the hallway.
The heavy oak door slammed shut behind them, echoing down the empty corridor.
