Chapter 151 *
Scarlett's POV
The biochemistry classroom was on the third floor of the science building. Lily and I grabbed seats in the middle section. Not too close to the front where professors loved calling on people. Not so far back that we looked like slackers.
I pulled out my notebook and pen. Lily was already scrolling through her phone under the desk.
"Five bucks says this professor is boring as hell," she whispered.
"You're on."
The door banged open. A woman in her fifties rushed in carrying a stack of textbooks that looked ready to topple over. Her gray hair was pulled into a messy bun. Her glasses were sliding down her nose.
She dumped the books on the desk with a loud thud.
"Good morning. I'm Professor Hayes. Welcome to Biochemistry 101." Her voice was surprisingly energetic.
"We're going to start with drug discovery." She turned to write on the whiteboard. "The history. The legends. The people who changed everything."
Lily leaned over. "You owe me five bucks."
I smiled and settled in to listen.
Professor Hayes was actually good. She talked about penicillin and insulin. She told stories about researchers who'd spent decades chasing breakthroughs that seemed impossible.
I took notes. For the first time in months, I felt like a normal college student. Just listening to a lecture. Learning something interesting. No family drama. No underground world complications.
It was nice.
The class flew by. Before I knew it, we were down to the last ten minutes.
Professor Hayes set down her marker and turned to face us. Her expression shifted into something almost conspiratorial.
"I want to tell you about someone special." She paused for effect. "Someone in the medical research community who's become something of a legend."
A few students perked up. The guy in front of me stopped playing on his phone.
"This person is young. Probably around your age. And they've contributed more to emergency medicine than some doctors with thirty years of experience."
"Does anyone know who I'm talking about?"
Zelda's hand shot up immediately.
"Is it Sable?" Her voice rang out clear and confident.
I'd just taken a sip of coffee from my thermos. The name hit my brain at the exact wrong moment.
The coffee went down the wrong pipe. I choked. Coughed violently. Sprayed liquid all over my notebook.
Every head in the classroom turned to look at me.
My face went hot. I was still coughing. My eyes were watering. Lily was pounding on my back trying to help.
What the actual hell?
When did my random forum posts turn me into a legend?
I'd used the name Sable when I started posting on that anonymous medical forum three years ago. Just sharing some field medicine techniques I'd learned from my dad. Tips for handling emergencies when you were hours away from a hospital.
It was supposed to be helpful information for people in rural areas. That was it.
How did it turn into this?
Professor Hayes was watching me with concern. "Are you alright?"
I nodded. Wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. "Fine. Sorry. Just went down wrong."
Zelda was staring at me with barely concealed irritation. She thought I'd interrupted on purpose. To steal her moment.
She turned back to the professor with a sweet smile.
"Scarlett, do you know anything about Sable?" Zelda's voice dripped with false kindness. "I'd love to hear your thoughts."
I cleared my throat. Tried to sound casual.
"Sable's just someone who posts on forums, right? I wouldn't call that expertise."
I needed to downplay this.
Zelda's smile tightened. She didn't like being contradicted.
"Actually, Sable has made significant contributions to emergency trauma protocols." Her tone was sharp now. "She published a series of papers on field medicine techniques. Revolutionary approaches to stabilizing critical patients without professional equipment."
"Her work focuses on emergency hemostasis and pain management using common materials. The emphasis is on intervention during the golden hour when professional help isn't available."
I wanted to sink through the floor.
Those weren't papers. They were blog posts. Long blog posts, sure. But still just posts on an internet forum.
A guy in the back raised his hand. "I heard about her! There was that climbing accident last year in Alaska."
Oh God. Not the Alaska story.
Zelda's face lit up. "Exactly! A team got caught in an avalanche on Denali. One of them was an EMT who'd read Sable's posts. He used her improvised techniques to keep three critically injured people alive for six hours until the rescue helicopter arrived."
"The case was covered in wilderness medicine journals," the guy added. "All three survived."
A girl near the window spoke up. "My dad runs a pharmacy. He stocks what he calls the 'Sable kit' now. It's a combination of supplies based on her recommendations. Hunters and ranch workers buy them all the time."
This was getting out of control.
Professor Hayes looked thrilled. "This is exactly why I brought her up. Sable represents the intersection of practical experience and innovative thinking."
She walked to the center of the room. "According to rumors, she comes from a medical family. She trained with top trauma surgeons and pharmacologists from a young age. By her teens, she was already sharing observations and innovations on that anonymous forum."
"Some people think she's practicing medicine in a remote area," Professor Hayes continued. "Accumulating real-world experience that most researchers never get."
The classroom erupted into discussion. Everyone was talking over each other about wilderness medicine and emergency protocols.
Someone mentioned that Sable's methods were being adopted by EMT training programs.
I felt like I was having an out-of-body experience.
This was insane. I'd just shared some basic techniques I learned helping my dad deal with ranch accidents and hunting injuries in Montana.
How did it turn into this elaborate mythology?