27

27
By Monday morning, I was exhausted—emotionally, mentally, completely.

The week had barely started, and already, it felt like I was running into walls over and over again.

Every time I tried to recruit someone new for our group, the same thing happened: the female legion or one of her followers got in the way.

They were everywhere.

Watching. Listening.

Just waiting for me to slip.

The first few times, I tried to brush it off.

Maybe I just picked the wrong people, I told myself.

But by Wednesday, it was obvious this wasn’t bad luck.

The female legion had declared silent war.

She didn’t need to hit me. She didn’t even need to speak to me. All she had to do was make everyone else too scared to stand near me.

And it fucking worked.

On Tuesday, I approached a boy named Aaron after class. He’d been one of the kids the legions bullied a lot last semester. He looked nervous when I asked to talk, but he listened as I told him about our group—how we looked out for each other, how we fought back in smart ways, not violent ones.

For a second, I saw something in his eyes—hope, maybe. Like he wanted to believe me.

Then, the next day, he came up to me looking furious. “You’re such a liar,” he said, loud enough for everyone in the hallway to hear.

“What?” I blinked, confused.

He shoved his phone in my face.

On the screen was a video—grainy, shaky, but clear enough to show faces. Faces that looked like us—me, Dante, Yuki—cornering a kid near the gym, shouting at him, laughing while he cried.

It was fake. I knew that immediately. The voices weren’t ours. The lighting didn’t match. But someone had edited it well enough to fool anyone who didn’t know better.

“Where did you get this?” I asked, trying to stay calm.

He sneered. “From her.”

And I didn’t need to ask who he meant.

He walked away before I could explain. I just stood there, gripping my books so tightly that my hands hurt.

That was her game—destroy my credibility. Make me look like the monster SHE really was.

At lunch, I slammed my tray down on the table so hard that Yuki jumped. “They’re using fake videos now,” I said. “Can you believe that? She’ll do anything to ruin me.”

Dante leaned back in his chair. “Then maybe it’s time we stop playing nice,” he said. “We should confront her. In front of everyone.”

I shook my head immediately. “No. That’s exactly what she wants. She’ll twist it around and make me look like the aggressor again.”

He frowned. “So what, we just sit here and take it?”

“I didn’t say that.”

Before I could explain, Iris spoke up. “Maybe we need to stop going after people she already knows. Every time we talk to someone, she finds out.”

Yuki nodded. “She’s right. What about students she doesn’t notice? The quiet ones. New kids. The ones who stay invisible.”

It was a good idea. Smart, even. “Alright,” I said finally. “We’ll start with them.”

\~~~

That afternoon, I went to the library.

It was one of the few places the female legion rarely bothered to visit.

That’s where I saw her.

A girl sitting at the far table near the window, surrounded by stacks of books. Her hair was pulled into a messy bun, glasses slipping down her nose. She looked lost in whatever world she was reading.

I recognized her from English class—Maya, I thought her name was.

She barely talked.

Exactly the kind of person we needed.

I took a deep breath and sat across from her. “Hey,” I said softly.

She looked up, startled. “Oh—hi.”

“I’m Mirella.”

“I know,” she said quickly, almost too quickly. Then she looked embarrassed. “I mean… everyone knows who you are.”

I tried to smile. “Not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.”

She smiled back, hesitant. “Depends who you ask.”

I liked her immediately.

She wasn’t mocking—just kind of brutally honest.

We talked for a bit.
About books, classes, how boring summer had been. Her voice was quiet, but she was kind. And I could tell she was used to being overlooked.

After a while, I said, “I’m part of a group at school. We… look out for each other. Try to make things better.”

Her expression softened. “Like… a club?”

“Sort of,” I said. “But not an official one. We just make sure people aren’t being pushed around. You’d fit right in.”

She hesitated, eyes flicking down to her open book. “I don’t really get involved in stuff like that.”

“I get it,” I said quickly. “You don’t have to decide now. Just think about it.”

And for a moment, I thought she might actually say yes.

But then the door opened.

The sound of laughter echoed through the quiet library—sharp, familiar. My stomach dropped before I even turned around.

The female legion.

She strutted in like she owned the place, flanked by two of her girls. The librarian looked too scared to tell them to be quiet.

Maya stiffened. “Oh no,” she whispered.

“It’s fine,” I said, keeping my voice calm. “Just ignore them.”

But Maya was already packing her things.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, not meeting my eyes. “I can’t. They’ll notice.”

“Maya, wait—”

But she was gone before I could finish.

The female legion’s gaze swept the room, locking on me.

Her mouth curved into a smirk. “Aww, is recruitment drive not going well?” she asked in a tiny, irritating voice.

I didn’t answer. I just stood up, walked past her, and left.

I could feel her eyes on me the whole way out.

\~~~

That night, Yuki called. Her voice was calm, but I could hear the worry underneath.

“Maybe we’re going about this the wrong way,” she said.

I sighed, lying back on my bed. “You think?”

“I mean it, Mira. Every time we try to recruit, she shuts it down. Maybe instead of chasing people, we should make them come to us.”

I frowned. “How?”

“By showing them who we really are,” Yuki said simply. “We don’t need to convince anyone with words. We need to prove we’re not afraid. Do something public. Something they can’t ignore.”

The idea scared me a little. It was risky. The female legion would be watching every move. But she wasn’t wrong.

“Alright,” I said slowly. “Let’s do it.”

\~~~

The next day, the opportunity came faster than I expected.

We were in the cafeteria when it happened.

The female legion and her friends had cornered a scholarship student—a thin boy with glasses.

They were mocking his clothes, laughing about how “poor” he looked.

I felt my chest tighten.

Before I could think, I was already on my feet.

“Stop it,” I said, loud enough for the whole cafeteria to hear.

The laughter stopped. Every head turned toward me. The boy looked terrified, the female legion amused.

“Mirella,” she said, dragging out my name like it tasted bad. “Didn’t we already do this?”

I took a step forward. “I’m not watching you do this anymore.”

“Oh?” She tilted her head. “You want another suspension? Because I can arrange that.”

“I don’t care,” I said. “You can’t silence everyone forever.”

Around us, phones started to rise.

Students were recording. Whispering. Watching.

Behind me, I felt movement—Yuki, Dante, Iris, and the stutterer stepping up, standing beside me. It wasn’t planned, but it was perfect.

For once, I wasn’t alone.

The female legion’s smirk faltered just slightly. She glanced around and realized half the cafeteria had their cameras on her.

If she tried anything now, it would be everywhere by lunch.

Her eyes flicked back to me, cold and sharp. “You think this changes anything?” she whispered, low enough only I could hear. “This is temporary. Enjoy your little spotlight while it lasts.”

Then, out loud, she laughed and stepped back. “Relax, everyone. Just a misunderstanding.”

Her followers followed her out, fake smiles plastered on their faces.

The room stayed silent for a moment—then whispers filled the air.

The scholarship student turned to me, eyes wide. “Thank you,” he said softly.

I nodded. “You don’t have to thank me.”

He smiled weakly and hurried away.

When I turned, I saw the cameras still pointed at me, people murmuring things I couldn’t quite hear. Some were smiling. Some looked thoughtful.

Maybe Yuki had been right.

Maybe showing them was the only way to win.