Lyra Chen went missing the next day. Zara and Kairos found her in the boys' locker room, where the showers had been rigged to spray acid. Her body was covered in burns, and she was tied to a bench with wires connected to the school's electrical system. A timer counted down from five minutes.
"The code to stop it is in Isaac's journal," a voice said from the speakers—Nora. "But you'll have to choose: save Lyra, or save the evidence that will put everyone else away."
Zara grabbed the journal while Kairos worked on the wires. With ten seconds left, he cut the right connection—but not before a jolt of electricity shot through Lyra's body. She survived, but was left paralyzed from the waist down.
"Tell the police everything," Zara said to her as paramedics loaded her into an ambulance. "Tell them about the cover-up."
Lyra nodded, tears streaming down her face. "Nora knew I'd crack. She set this up to make me talk."