Chapter 84
Ellie's POV
The last post disappeared from Campus Whispers at 1:47 AM.
I watched the screen refresh one final time, confirming that every trace of those cruel photos and vicious comments had been scrubbed from the platform. Lily sat beside me, her laptop still open to the admin panel we'd hacked our way into, her fingers hovering over the keyboard like she was afraid to believe it was really over.
"That's all of them," she said quietly. "Every post. Every comment. Every share." She looked at me, exhaustion and triumph mixing in her expression. "We got them all, Ellie."
"Good." My voice came out rougher than I intended, my throat tight from hours of silent fury. We'd tracked down seventeen different accounts that had spread the lies about Megan—seventeen people who'd thought hiding behind anonymous usernames made them untouchable. "Send the evidence packet to Ms. Hargrove's office. All the IP addresses, timestamps, everything."
"Already done." Lily closed her laptop with a soft click. "Campus police will have it by eight AM."
Across the room, Megan lay curled in her bed, facing the wall. She'd pulled her comforter up over her head, cocooning herself away from the world. She hadn't spoken much since we'd shown her what we'd found, what we'd done. She'd just nodded, eyes red and swollen, and whispered "thank you" before retreating into silence.
We hadn't pushed. Hadn't asked questions about the photos, about who she'd been with, about any of it. That was her story to tell if and when she wanted to. Our job was just to make sure the people who'd weaponized it faced consequences.
Pack protects pack, Thalia murmured inside me, satisfaction radiating through my exhaustion. This is how it should be.
Lily yawned, stretching her arms above her head until her joints popped. "We should probably sleep. Like, at least a few hours before—"
A soft sound from Megan's bed cut her off. Not crying, exactly. Just a shaky exhale that made my chest tighten.
I set my laptop aside and crossed the room quietly, sitting on the edge of Megan's bed. "Hey," I said softly. "You okay?"
Stupid question. Of course she wasn't okay.
The comforter shifted slightly. "You guys didn't have to do all that." Megan's voice was muffled, thick. "I know you're tired. I just... I'm sorry you had to—"
"Don't." Lily appeared on the other side of the bed, her voice unusually gentle. "Don't apologize. Not for this. Not ever for this."
Silence. Then Megan's hand emerged from under the comforter, reaching out blindly. I took it, squeezing gently. Her fingers were cold, trembling.
"Try to sleep," I said. "We're here. Right here. Not going anywhere."
"Promise?" The word came out small, vulnerable.
"Promise," Lily and I said in unison.
Gradually, Megan's breathing evened out, her grip on my hand loosening as exhaustion finally pulled her under. I stayed there a few minutes longer, making sure she was really asleep, before carefully extracting my hand and returning to my own bed.
Lily was already under her covers, eyes half-closed. "Good work, partner," she mumbled.
"You too." I pulled my comforter up to my chin, my body finally registering how bone-deep tired I was. But my mind wouldn't shut off, replaying every cruel comment we'd deleted, every vicious lie we'd tracked to its source. People could be so ugly when they thought no one was watching. When they thought there weren't consequences.
Sleep now, Thalia urged. Hunt later if needed. But rest first.
I closed my eyes, listening to the soft sounds of the room—Megan's quiet breathing, Lily shifting restlessly in her bed.
We take care of our own, I thought fiercely. Always.
---
The first thing I heard that morning was Lily's shriek—the kind of high-pitched, genuinely excited shriek that could wake the dead.
"OH MY GOD! YOU GUYS! LOOK!"
I groaned, burying my face deeper into my pillow. My body felt heavy, weighted down by last night's emotional exhaustion. We'd stayed up past one AM tracking IP addresses, deleting posts, compiling evidence. Every muscle in my shoulders ached from hunching over my laptop.
"Lily," I mumbled into my pillow. "It's literally seven in the morning."
"Ellie, I'm serious. You need to see this!" The sound of curtains being violently yanked open made me wince. "Come on, sleepyhead!"
I dragged myself upright, rubbing my eyes. The room was still dim, Megan's bed a motionless lump under her comforter. Only Lily stood at the window, practically vibrating with energy.
Then I saw what had her so excited.
Outside our window, Cedar View University had transformed overnight into something out of a winter postcard. Snow—actual snow—blanketed everything. The quad, usually a patchwork of dead grass and concrete paths, now looked pristine, untouched. Tree branches bent under the weight of fresh powder, and the morning sun caught on ice crystals, making the whole scene shimmer.
The first snow, Thalia stirred inside me, her voice carrying an unusual note of... relief? Winter. Our scent will be harder to track. Safer.
I pushed that thought aside, focusing on Lily's beaming face. "When did this happen?"
"Must've been overnight. Weather app said there was only a thirty percent chance!" Lily grabbed my hand, tugging me toward the window. "This is perfect. We need to go play in it before it melts!"
The enthusiasm in her voice made something in my chest loosen. After the ugliness of last night—the cruel posts, Megan's tears, the hours of grim detective work—this felt like a reset button the universe had pressed for us.
"Pancakes first," I said, glancing at Megan's still form. "And hot chocolate. Then we can talk about freezing our asses off."
Lily's grin widened. "Deal."
The dining hall smelled like maple syrup and fresh coffee, steam fogging up the windows as students filtered in wearing pajama pants and fuzzy slippers. Lily had loaded her tray with enough pancakes to feed a small army, drowning them in syrup with the kind of reckless abandon that made me both envious and slightly horrified.
I'd grabbed scrambled eggs and toast, my stomach still too unsettled from stress to handle anything heavier.
Megan sat across from us, nursing a mug of hot chocolate like it was the only thing keeping her tethered to reality. She'd barely touched the single pancake on her plate.
"So here's my vision," Lily said through a mouthful of food, gesturing with her fork. "Epic snowball fight. Teams of two. We dominate the field near Blue Water Lake because the snow's always better there—deeper, better packing consistency." She paused, eyes gleaming. "I'm talking full tactical warfare. Flanking maneuvers. Snow fort construction. The works."
I raised an eyebrow. "You've thought about this a lot."
"I grew up in Minnesota. Snow day strategy is serious business."