Chapter 74 Caught In The Act
The room didn’t move.
The printer was still warm. Papers stacked unevenly beside it. Ink fresh enough to smell.
Lenora stepped further in. “You printed it,” she said again.
The assistant staff member straightened. “You shouldn’t be in here.”
Kylen closed the door behind them. “That’s not the problem right now.”
The student beside the staff member shifted his weight. He looked like he was calculating whether to stay or walk out.
Lilibeth spoke without raising her voice. “If you leave, it gets worse.”
He stayed.
Lenora moved closer to the printer and picked up the top sheet. Same layout. Same circles around names. Same marker style.
“Who told you to do this?” she asked.
The staff member folded her arms. “No one told me anything.”
Lenora looked at her. “Then you chose to pull archived records, print them, and post them across school on your own.”
No answer.
Kylen stepped forward. “You accessed files you’re not supposed to touch. That’s not a small mistake.”
The staff member’s tone tightened. “You don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
The boy from earlier leaned against the door. “Then explain it so we do.”
The student finally spoke. “It wasn’t supposed to spread like that.”
Everyone looked at him.
Lenora didn’t blink. “Then how was it supposed to spread?”
He hesitated. “Just… conversations.”
Lilibeth gave a short nod. “So you wanted it controlled.”
He didn’t deny it.
Kylen looked between them. “Who gave you the file?”
The student glanced at the staff member.
That was enough.
Lenora turned back to the staff member. “You pulled it.”
She didn’t answer.
Lenora held her gaze. “Say it.”
The staff member exhaled. “It was already flagged.”
That shifted the angle.
“Flagged by who?” Lilibeth asked.
No response.
Kylen stepped closer to the desk. “You don’t print flagged records for fun.”
The staff member looked at him. “I didn’t print it for fun.”
Lenora placed the paper back down. “Then for what?”
A pause.
Then the staff member said it.
“To confirm something.”
Lenora stayed still. “What?”
The staff member looked directly at her. “That the name on that file still matches the student in this school.”
Silence.
Kylen’s voice dropped. “You’re verifying identities through old records?”
The staff member didn’t answer.
That was answer enough.
Lilibeth stepped forward. “You’re not authorized to do that.”
The staff member gave a small, dry smile. “You’d be surprised what gets authorized when people stop asking questions.”
That line didn’t sit well with anyone.
Lenora cut in. “Who asked you to confirm it?”
The staff member looked at her again, longer this time. “You’re asking the wrong person.”
The boy by the door straightened. “Then who’s the right one?”
The staff member didn’t answer.
Kylen looked at Lenora. “This is bigger than just her.”
Lenora nodded once. “I know.”
The student shifted again. “We weren’t trying to cause anything.”
Lilibeth looked at him. “You posted it across school.”
He shook his head. “That part wasn’t me.”
That landed.
Lenora turned back. “So you printed it, and someone else distributed it.”
The staff member didn’t deny it.
Kylen exhaled. “Then you lost control of it the moment it left this room.”
The staff member’s jaw tightened. “It wasn’t supposed to leave this building.”
Lilibeth gave a short laugh. “It’s on lockers. That’s past your control.”
Silence again.
Then Lenora spoke.
“You verified my name,” she said. “What did that confirm?”
The staff member looked at her.
“That the file wasn’t outdated.”
That wasn’t enough.
Lenora didn’t move. “Say the rest.”
Another pause.
Then—
“That it still applies.”
The room shifted.
Not loudly. Just enough.
Kylen looked at Lenora. “Applies to what?”
Lenora didn’t answer him.
Her focus stayed on the staff member.
“What does it apply to?” she asked.
The staff member shook her head. “That’s not my place to explain.”
Lilibeth stepped closer. “You already stepped out of your place the moment you opened that file.”
The staff member didn’t respond.
The boy near the door spoke again. “If it still applies, then someone’s still using it.”
That made the staff member look at him.
Not denial. Not confirmation.
Just a look.
Kylen picked up one of the printed sheets. “How many copies?”
The student answered. “Five.”
Lilibeth crossed her arms. “There were more than that.”
The student frowned. “Then someone else copied it.”
Lenora let that settle.
“Who else has access to this room?” she asked.
The staff member answered this time. “Only admin and maintenance.”
Kylen nodded once. “So not students.”
The student shifted. “I didn’t copy it again.”
No one accused him directly.
But the doubt stayed.
Lenora stepped back slightly.
“This wasn’t just about confirming a name,” she said. “It was about putting it out.”
The staff member didn’t answer.
Lilibeth looked at Lenora. “So now it’s public, and you’re still standing here.”
Lenora met her gaze. “Where else would I be?”
Kylen placed the paper back down. “We’re done here.”
He looked at the staff member. “But this isn’t over.”
The staff member didn’t argue.
Because she knew that already.
Lenora turned toward the door.
Paused for a second.
Then looked back.
“You should’ve left it where it was,” she said.
Then she walked out.
The hallway felt louder after that.
Not because anything had changed.
But because now they knew it wasn’t random.
Someone checked the file.
Someone printed it.
Someone spread it.
And now everyone was watching.