That night, Nora sent a message to Zara and Kairos: "Meet me at Isaac's grave. Bring the USB drive, or everyone you love dies."
They drove to the cemetery, where Isaac's grave was surrounded by candles. Nora stood there, axe in hand, Lila beside her with a gun pointed at Zara's aunt—who'd been tied to a tree.
"Hand it over," Nora said, her voice calm. "Or she dies first. Then Kairos's mother. Then everyone else."
Zara held up the USB drive. "You're not getting away with this. We know what you did—how you manipulated Isaac, how you groomed Lila, how you made everyone think you were a hero."
Nora laughed. "And who will believe you? I'm the valedictorian, the girl who avenged a murdered friend. You're just a transferee with a grudge. Lila will testify that I saved her. Kairos's mother will say I'm innocent. Everyone will believe me."
She signaled to Lila, who raised the gun. But before she could fire, Elio Cruz emerged from behind a tombstone, camera rolling. "Not if I have anything to say about it," he said. "I've been filming everything—every threat, every lie. The whole town will know the truth."
Nora swung the axe at him, but he dodged. In the chaos, Zara tackled Lila, knocking the gun away. Kairos cut his aunt free while Elio uploaded the footage to every social media platform in the country.
But Nora was already moving—she grabbed the USB drive from Zara's hand, then slammed the axe into the ground between Elio's feet. The force triggered a trap she'd hidden under the dirt—metal spikes shot up around them, pinning Elio to the ground.
"Nobody gets in my way," Nora said, raising the axe. "Not even you."