This story is entirely fictional. Any resemblance to real persons, places, or events is purely coincidental.
Grayhaven didn't mourn scandals.
It optimized them.
By noon, Adrian Vale's family name had been sliced into headlines, hashtags, and late-night jokes. Sponsors froze accounts. Friends recalculated distance. Teachers avoided saying his name as if silence were mercy.
Ethan watched the system digest a human being.
"I didn't do it," Marcus said through clenched teeth. "You know that, right?"
Ethan nodded. "I know you didn't start it."
Marcus exhaled sharply. "That's not comforting."
Across the hall, Iris taped a flyer to the wall—STUDENT ETHICS COMMITTEE MEETING. She added a doodled crown split down the middle.
"Subtle," Lena said dryly.
Iris shrugged. "If they're going to hunt witches, we might as well sell tickets."
—
The meeting was standing-room only.
Students spoke about transparency, accountability, fairness. Words polished smooth enough to hide blades. Faculty nodded. Security watched.
Then Noah Becker stood.
Seventeen. Debate captain. Voice trained to sound sincere even when lying.
"We keep pretending we're powerless," Noah said. "But pressure works both ways. If adults use systems to control us, we can use visibility to force change."
Applause.
Ethan saw the angle instantly.
Leverage disguised as virtue.
Afterward, Noah cornered him near the stairwell. "You're quiet. Quiet people see the cracks."
"I see exits," Ethan replied.
Noah smiled. "Same thing. Help us map them."
—
That night, the first student-led leak dropped.
A teacher's offshore accounts. A board member's conflict of interest. All verified. All anonymous.
The city praised the courage.
Mr. Rook sent a single message:
They're learning faster than expected.
Ethan didn't reply.
He was beginning to understand the horror.
This wasn't recruitment.
It was inheritance.
"When children learn leverage before mercy, adulthood becomes a battlefield."
Chapter End