Chapter Two #3
“The closest comparison I can make is that it’s like watching a recording or video of the event itself.
Not someone remembering it after the fact.
Actually seeing it as it happened, with nothing altered and nothing hidden.
And it is almost always more damning for the secret-keeper than it is for anyone else involved. ”
“You only see the bad things a person has done?” Crispin asked, wincing. “That’s rough.”
“It is,” she admitted bluntly. “That is why I haven’t been particularly eager to use my ability until now. It is also why I wear gloves out in public to prevent accidentally reading someone.”
“What changed?” Gildor asked. “You stated in your proposal that you would like to start using your ability to help investigate crimes for the council.”
“Actually, hearing about what happened to Kingston is what first planted the idea in my head. Learning about how you were accused, convicted, and punished for a crime you never committed made me realize just how valuable my ability could be if I could use it to help uncover the truth. For the first time, it feels like my gift could be more than something strange or burdensome. It could actually serve a purpose. It could help people. I just never imagined I’d be meeting with the council, trying to convince all of you of that, quite this soon. ”
The smile faded from her face as quickly as it had appeared.
“But if I’m being honest, Kingston’s story isn’t the only reason.
The real reason I want to use my ability to help people is much more personal.
When I was growing up, I had a close friend named Poppy Westlake.
She went to a different boarding school than I did since she wasn’t a supernatural, but that never mattered.
We still kept in touch and called whenever we could.
We made an effort to remain a part of each other’s lives, no matter how busy things got.
She was bright, funny, and kind. One of those people who made the world seem a little lighter just by being in it. Then one day, everything changed.”
She drew in a shaky breath, forcing down the swell of emotion threatening to rise.
“After an ugly incident happened at her school, Poppy took her own life. I found out later that she had been accused of trying to steal another girl’s boyfriend.
That rumor spread fast, causing other people to harass her.
And they got away with their behavior because of her already tarnished reputation.
Even the faculty refused to listen to her pleas for help.
Things continued to snowball until she was relentlessly bullied at school and online.
Day after day, message after message, she was torn apart by people who had decided she was guilty without ever caring whether or not any of it was true. ”
She lowered her hands in her lap so they wouldn’t see her ball them into tight fists.
“After she was gone, I found out the truth. It hadn’t been some misunderstanding or school drama that got out of hand.
She had deliberately been targeted. The couple had set the whole thing up as some cruel little game, and Poppy was the one who ended up losing.
She was humiliated, isolated, and destroyed for something she never actually did, all because some other kids had made a bet that they could ruin her life. ”
Lana’s voice hardened as she thought back on their cruelty.
“There were others involved, and Poppy wasn’t their only victim.
They had done it before. Perhaps if my friend had known about my ability, things would have been different.
If I had told her, if I had understood what I could do, if I had been brave enough to use it to help her, maybe I could have uncovered the truth in time.
Maybe I could have shown her proof that she wasn’t crazy.
That she wasn’t helpless. Maybe I could have given her something to hold on to.
But she had been too humiliated to tell me any of it until it was too late. ”
Kingston’s voice was hard with anger as he asked, “What happened to the ones who caused it?”
Lana sighed. “I helped expose their lies after the fact, but by then the damage was done, and it still didn’t feel like enough. The truth coming out afterward didn’t save Poppy, and it didn’t erase what they put her through. But it did stop them from ruining someone else’s life.”
“That’s good,” Thayer said. “I fucking hate bullies. It couldn’t be easy exposing them, especially if they were well connected.”
“I’ll admit, I had to… persuade my father to get involved and start applying pressure in the right places.
He wasn’t eager to touch the subject at first. Cases like that are messy, public, and inconvenient for people in power.
But once he realized there was growing interest in stronger protections for students, and increasing outrage over how easily school administrators were allowed to ignore abuse and escape accountability, it became much easier to convince him.
Suddenly, it wasn’t just about one girl or one tragedy anymore.
It became about policy, liability, public image, and the fact that people were finally paying attention. It gave him a platform.”
“I heard about this,” Wade acknowledged.
“School bullying has become a growing concern across the world, especially now that social media has erased the boundary between what happens at school and what follows students home. Now, harassment has expanded through phones, group chats, videos, and anonymous posts, reaching them at all hours of the day and night.”
“And the worst offenders could be halfway around the world,” Crispin added with disgust. “I’ve been following this subject for a while now, as well.”
“The problem is that technology evolves faster than the systems meant to manage it,” Wade explained.
“Schools are constantly trying to catch up as legal responsibilities shift, and new questions about accountability emerge. Administrators are expected to protect students, but many struggle to determine where their authority begins and ends when the harassment happens online and outside school grounds. At the same time, they’re also trying to teach students how to use technology responsibly.
Unfortunately, compassion is a lot harder to teach than how to use an app. ”
“Or, people just need to stop being fucking assholes,” Thayer growled. “I mean, who the fuck wants to ruin someone else’s life for fun? Don’t answer that. I already know there are too many damn sickos in the world. Hearing stories like this just pisses me off.”
“That is why if I can keep even one other person from suffering the way my friend did, then I have to try,” Lana said.
“So, you would like to use your ability to aid in council investigations to ensure that the real guilty parties are punished and innocent individuals are not wrongly convicted,” Gildor summarized.
Lana nodded. “If possible, yes. I mean, I know this would only apply to specific cases where evidence is lacking or difficult to find. Or if there are contradictory statements or testimony.”
“This is all a little premature. You are still just a student,” Mirielle pointed out, dismissively.
“Besides, we don’t even know if what you say is true.
You may claim to be able to see people’s secrets, but until we can confirm that, this is all merely speculation.
We would need to test your abilities and find evidence to back up your claims. We can’t just trust your word about what you see any more than we can trust a suspect’s version of the truth. ”
Lana smiled coldly and held out a hand. “Would you like to test it out?”
“Cute,” Mirielle sneered. “No one sane would willingly let you pry into their secrets. Which is why your ability will be difficult to prove.”
“You can test it on me,” Thayer offered, holding his hand out. “Everyone already knows my big secret.”
“What if she sees something else? Like something embarrassing you did recently?” Kingston asked, amused.
“Oh, fuck.” Thayer snatched his hand away. “Forget it, then. I guess even if someone doesn’t have big secrets to hide, everyone has moments they don’t want to share.”
Mirelle smirked. “See? I told you this would be difficult to prove.”
“Actually, that’s the easy part,” Kingston said cheerfully.
“All we have to do is find someone in a similar situation to what I experienced. Someone who claims they were framed for a crime they didn’t commit.
If you can help prove them innocent, I’m sure they will agree to do whatever you ask of them. ”
Lana gulped, suddenly extremely nervous by his wide grin. “What exactly does that mean?”
“Congratulations, kid,” Kingston said with a grin. “You’re going to prison.”