Chapter 16 - THE SECOND MARKETKAYISE
When my mother tells me about the schools, I don't believe her at first.
Not because I think she's lying.
Because the idea is too horrible.
Military cadets are one thing.
We know training will test us.
We expect pressure, discipline, and difficult decisions.
But schoolchildren?
Children who might already be dealing with bullying, illness, grief, or problems at home?
Why would anyone want to turn their struggles into predictions?
My mother sits opposite me in the academy's family meeting room.
She looks tired.
But her voice is steady.
"Because information is valuable, Kayise."
I shake my head.
"That doesn't make it right."
"No."
She takes my hand.
"It doesn't."
My father is sitting beside her.
He has been quieter than usual.
I know he has been cooperating with the investigation.
I also know my mother is still angry with him.
They haven't told me everything about what happened at home, but I can feel that something has changed between them.
"Dad?"
He looks at me.
"Yes, baby?"
"Did you know Northstar wanted to work with schools?"
"No."
"Are you sure?"
He doesn't look offended.
That almost hurts more.
"Yes," he says. "And I understand why you're asking."
I look down.
"I don't want to keep doubting you."
He leans forward.
"Then don't force yourself to stop. Trust should come from what I do next, not what I ask you to believe."
I swallow.
That sounds more like the father I need.
Not the man who always has an answer.
The man who is finally learning to listen.
Over the next several days, the investigation becomes more serious.
The academy announces an independent review of the research program.
Colonel Venter is temporarily removed from his research duties.
Students are told they can contact confidential welfare services without being penalized for asking questions.
Several cadets come forward.
Some report having been pressured to share personal information.
Others describe being offered scholarships with conditions they didn't understand.
A few say they were told that refusing certain assessments could affect their academic futures.
I listen to their stories.
And I begin to realize how lucky I was.
Not because nothing bad happened to me.
But because people believed me when I started asking questions.
What would have happened if my father hadn't been a Major General?
What if Captain Ndlovu hadn't supported me?
What if Sebastian hadn't noticed the research dataset?
What if Ryan had remained silent?
I think about Lerato.
Months spent trying to prove that she wasn't imagining the things happening around her.
It makes me angry.
But it also makes me determined.
I decide to attend an optional seminar on ethical data systems.
Not because my father wants me to study information technology.
Because I want to understand how something designed to help people can become a tool for controlling them.
The lecturer asks a question.
"What makes information dangerous?"
Several students offer answers.
"Wrong information."
"Restricted information."
"Information used by criminals."
Then Sebastian raises his hand.
"Information collected without understanding how it will be used."
The lecturer nods.
"Explain."
Sebastian gestures toward the screen.
"A person's medical history might help a doctor treat them. The same history could be used by someone else to discriminate against them."
I raise my hand.
"Or to manipulate them."
The room becomes quiet.
The lecturer looks at me.
"Yes, Cadet Mthembu."
I take a breath.
"The problem isn't always the information itself. Sometimes it's the person who has it, the reason they collected it, and whether the person it belongs to had a real choice."
The lecturer nods.
"Exactly."
I look down at my notebook.
For the first time, information technology feels like something I might genuinely want to study.
Not because I enjoy computers more than people.
Because I want to build systems that protect people.
Systems that help during emergencies.
Systems that don't turn someone's pain into a weakness.
After class, Sebastian walks beside me.
"You're considering it, aren't you?"
"What?"
"Information technology."
I smile.
"Maybe."
He looks delighted.
"I knew it."
"Don't get excited."
"Too late."
I laugh.
"But if I choose it, it'll be because I want to."
"Good."
"And I still want to work in emergency response."
"Also good."
I look at him.
"You think those things can go together?"
He stops walking.
"Kayise, communication networks, emergency alerts, digital mapping, medical logistics, rescue coordination—technology is everywhere."
I stare at him.
Then slowly smile.
"You're right."
He places a hand over his heart.
"Please say that again. I want to remember this moment forever."
I push his shoulder.
"Go away."
He laughs.
That evening, Ryan returns to the dormitory.
Her temporary welfare placement has ended, and independent staff have cleared her to resume ordinary student housing while the investigation continues.
She looks nervous when she enters.
Several girls glance toward her.
A few whisper.
I know how that feels.
Ryan places her bag on her bed.
Then she turns toward me.
"Hey."
"Hey."
For a moment, we just stand there.
I don't know whether to smile.
She doesn't know whether to come closer.
Finally, I ask:
"How's your family?"
Her face softens.
"They're safe. The investigators helped them report the threats, and the hospital has arranged for a social worker to review the treatment support options."
"That's good."
"Yeah."
She hesitates.
"Thank you for caring."
I shrug.
"Your little brother didn't do anything wrong."
Ryan nods.
"No, he didn't."
Silence.
Then she takes a breath.
"Kayise, I'm not going to ask you to pretend we're okay."
I look at her.
"But I hope one day we can be."
My chest tightens.
"I hope so too."
A tear slips down her cheek.
She wipes it quickly.
"Sorry."
I smile faintly.
"You cry more than anyone I've ever met."
She lets out a broken laugh.
"And you talk too much."
"Some things never change."
We both laugh.
Not because everything is fixed.
Because for one small moment, we remember how to be ourselves.
The following morning, the academy's internal network becomes inaccessible for several hours.
An announcement states that maintenance is being conducted in cooperation with investigators.
Sebastian finds me outside the library.
"Have you seen the news?"
I frown.
"What news?"
He holds up a device connected to a public news website.
A story about the academy has appeared.
The headline reads:
MAJOR GENERAL LINKED TO SECRET CADET PSYCHOLOGICAL EXPERIMENTS
My stomach drops.
"What?"
Sebastian scrolls.
The article contains accusations about unauthorized research.
Some are accurate.
Others are incomplete.
My father's photograph appears beside Colonel Venter's.
Then the article references an audio recording.
My heart begins pounding.
"Play it."
Sebastian hesitates.
"Kayise..."
"Please."
He presses play.
A familiar voice comes through the speakers.
My father's voice.
Calm.
Confident.
Speaking to Ralph.
"I need you to test her emotional intelligence. Use Ryan."
My entire body freezes.
Another voice asks:
"More like turn them against each other?"
My father's reply is unmistakable.
"Yep."
The recording ends.
I stare at the screen.
It is real.
Those words are real.
And someone has released them to the public.
For several seconds, I can't breathe.
Then I hear another student behind me.
"That's her."
I turn.
A group of cadets is standing nearby.
One points toward me.
"The General's daughter."
Another shakes his head.
"So the whole thing was arranged for her."
A third laughs bitterly.
"Maybe we're all just part of her family's experiment."
I feel my face burn.
Sebastian steps forward.
"That's not fair."
But I raise my hand.
"Leave it."
I look at the screen again.
My father's voice.
His words.
His decision.
I know the recording doesn't tell the whole story.
But it tells enough.
Enough to prove he helped start something he should never have approved.
Then another notification appears.
An announcement from the independent inquiry.
MAJOR GENERAL MZIKAYISE MTHEMBU REQUESTED TO PROVIDE FORMAL TESTIMONY.
I read it twice.
Because I know my father.
I know how much his career means to him.
And I know how fiercely he has always protected his reputation.
For the first time, he will have to choose between defending that reputation and telling the truth about what he did.
My phone-free student terminal flashes with a new message from him.
Kayise, I need to speak to you before I testify.
I stare at it.
Then type four words.
Tell them the truth.
May you like
His reply comes a moment later.
I intend to.
