The next morning, the school felt different.
The air buzzed with tension.
Whispers slithered through the hallways like smoke, drifting from corner to corner.
Students lifted their heads when I walked past.
Some stared, some pretended not to, some exchanged glances that weren't subtle at all.
Jenna slammed her locker shut beside me.
"Okay, something's wrong," she said. "People are staring like you kicked their puppies or something."
I forced a breath.
"I noticed."
"Did Vivian start something again?" Jenna hissed. "Because I swear, if she—"
"I don't know yet."
But I had a feeling.
A bad one.
We rounded the corner together.
Then I saw it.
Pinned neatly to the bulletin board.
A printed sheet.
Someone gasped behind me.
"Sierra, don't—" Jenna grabbed my hand, but I stepped forward anyway.
One sheet.
One sentence.
Bold.
Clean.
Heart-stopping.
"Song Corporation under investigation for financial misconduct—Is Sierra Song involved?"
My pulse slammed against my ribs.
No.
NO.
This was the first rumor in the original story—
The beginning of the downfall.
The start of the avalanche.
But this time, it appeared earlier than before.
Which meant someone was accelerating the plot.
Jenna ripped the paper down and crushed it in her hands.
"This is garbage," she spat. "This is straight-up garbage. Who did this?!"
A soft laugh drifted down the hall.
We turned.
Vivian Shen stood there, arms crossed, surrounded by three girls who looked all too pleased with themselves.
Her smile was sugar-coated poison.
"Oh dear," Vivian said sweetly. "Someone should really control what gets posted. It's terrible, isn't it? Spreading lies."
My fingers curled.
"You're right," I said calmly. "Spreading lies is terrible."
Vivian blinked.
She wasn't expecting calm.
She was expecting the old Sierra—
loud, emotional, easy to provoke.
But I wasn't that girl anymore.
Jenna stepped forward, fire blazing.
"You didn't even hide your handwriting," she snapped, holding up the paper.
Vivian's smile sharpened.
"That's a bold accusation, Jenna."
Then she tilted her head innocently.
"Do you have proof?"
My blood chilled.
Because she was right.
No proof.
Not yet.
But before I could speak, a faint sound came from behind the lockers.
A phone camera shutter.
Click.
Someone had taken a picture.
I turned sharply.
But whoever it was disappeared into the crowd.
Jenna's eyes widened.
"Sierra… someone's recording you."
Vivian beamed.
"Yes," she cooed. "You're becoming quite popular."
My jaw tightened.
"Popularity isn't something I need," I said softly. "Accuracy is."
Vivian's eyes flickered—only for a moment.
A crack in her mask.
Then she shrugged lightly.
"Well, good luck clearing your name," she sang. "Rumors are like smoke. They spread… fast."
She walked away gracefully, her entourage following like obedient shadows.
The hallway erupted into whispers the moment she turned the corner.
Jenna exhaled shakily.
"This is bad. This is really bad."
I stared at the crushed paper in her grip.
"Not bad," I whispered. "Expected."
Because in the original story—
This was only the beginning.
Classroom – Leon's Shift
When I entered the classroom, the atmosphere shifted again.
Students watched me from behind textbooks and notebooks, pretending not to.
Leon sat in his seat near the window.
He didn't look away when I approached.
Instead, he closed his notebook and said quietly:
"You saw the bulletin."
I nodded.
"You knew about this?" I asked.
"No," he answered. "But I knew something was coming."
He studied me carefully.
"You're calm," he said softly.
"That's… unexpected."
"Why?" I asked.
"Because the Sierra I knew would have confronted half the school by now."
I shrugged. "Maybe she's gone."
His eyes sharpened slightly.
"Maybe," he murmured. "Or maybe she's hiding something."
Before I could reply, someone slid a folded piece of paper onto my desk and walked away.
I froze.
Jenna inhaled sharply.
Leon leaned slightly closer.
"Another note?"
My fingers trembled as I unfolded it.
One sentence.
In the same handwriting.
"The rumor wasn't meant for you. It was meant to force you into action. — L."
My heartbeat thundered.
Someone was manipulating the plot.
Someone who knew the timeline.
Someone who wanted me to push back.
Leon stared at the note.
"That handwriting again."
"You've seen it before," I said quietly.
He didn't answer.
Because he had.
He'd been given one yesterday.
Jenna whispered, "Sierra, this is getting scary."
I swallowed hard.
"I know."
Because for the first time…
I didn't know if "L." was helping me.
Or herding me.
Lunch – The First Move
We sat at the far end of the cafeteria, away from the noise.
Jenna slammed her tray down.
"Okay. We need a plan. Vivian's pushing, the rumor's spreading, someone's spying on you, and 'L.' is writing creepy fortune-cookie threats. We can't just sit here!"
I picked up my fork.
"I agree."
Jenna blinked.
"You do?!"
"Yes."
I leaned in.
"It's time to fight back."
Her eyes shone with feral joy.
"I've been waiting my entire life for you to say that."
I pulled out the forged document copy I'd hidden in my notebook.
"This," I whispered, "is the first thread."
Jenna gasped.
"Sierra… this is Lin Holdings' stamp. This means—"
"Yes."
"The Lin family is involved."
My pulse shuddered.
Leon's family.
Leon himself.
Did he know?
Was he involved?
Had he been part of the downfall all along?
Or…
Was he another pawn like me?
Before Jenna could speak again, a shadow fell over our table.
Leon.
My breath stopped.
He placed a bottle of water in front of me.
"You forgot this in class," he said.
Then he lowered his voice.
"You need to be careful today."
"Why?" I asked.
He hesitated.
"There's a meeting happening after school. People you don't want to cross will be there."
"Who?" I asked.
His jaw tightened.
"I can't tell you."
Jenna glared at him.
"Why not? Are you one of them?"
Leon looked at her with mild annoyance.
Then at me.
"No," he said. "But they're dangerous. And they're watching you."
He leaned closer—too close—and whispered:
"Sierra… don't go anywhere alone after school."
A chill shot down my spine.
"What aren't you telling me?" I asked.
Leon looked like he wanted to answer.
But instead, he stepped back.
"This is the last warning I can give you."
The last warning.
My stomach tightened.
Before I could respond, a loud voice echoed across the cafeteria.
Vivian.
Standing on a chair.
Holding up her phone.
"Everyone!" she called sweetly. "You'll want to see this!"
A video began playing.
Students gasped.
My blood froze.
It was me.
At the administrative wing.
Yesterday.
Caught on camera.
Jenna grabbed my arm.
"Oh no. Sierra… they're going after you."
Leon's face hardened.
Like stone.
Vivian smirked, dangling the phone.
"Looks like someone has secrets."
For a long moment, the world felt slow.
Too slow.
Then I stood.
The cafeteria quieted instantly.
I walked toward Vivian, calm and controlled.
Jenna panicked behind me.
Leon stood frozen.
Vivian smiled like she'd already won.
I stopped in front of her.
Looked her in the eyes.
And said, loud enough for the whole room to hear:
"If you want to know why I was there—
then by all means, keep watching me.
You might learn something."
A ripple of shock ran through the cafeteria.
Vivian's smile faltered.
Just barely.
But enough.
I walked back to my table, spine straight, eyes cold.
Jenna stared at me.
"That was… that was terrifying."
"Good," I said softly.
"Let them be scared."
Because the first strike had been thrown.
And it wasn't by Vivian.
It was by me.