Nyla’s second attempt had us all confused and worried. We didn’t know what kept pushing her to the edge. Jumping down a three-story building wasn’t that dangerous for a werewolf like her. Then, I found out why.

Dad allowed me to visit Nyla out of town, and I was just coming back after talking with her doctor when I overheard some condescending voices inside her ward.

“You have one job, mutt, and you can’t even do it right! Why are you acting so dramatic? ”

“That’s right, bitch! It’s just three floors. Is poor Miss Genius afraid of heights?” They mockingly laughed

“Listen up, you bitch. Because of your little stunt, the school board’s looking into things they shouldn’t be. You’re lucky they didn’t find anything. If you pull this shit one more time, I’m gonna send people to destroy your dirty little pack. You know what the Blackwoods are.” Nyla struggled not to cry as the first girl threatened her.

My blood boiled and I wanted to rush in and beat the crap out of them, but with one glance at Nyla’s pained expression, I didn’t. She endured all of their torments because she wanted to protect our pack. I couldn’t just destroy her efforts by lashing out.

As her bullies left her room, I hid away and called Mom and Dad. I told them everything I heard, and what I found out from the doctor. Nyla’s blood levels were showing signs of toxicity from hemlock and nightshade. They suspected she was smoking an illegal blunt right before she jumped. I didn’t buy that. Even though she had been out of sorts lately, Nyla didn’t like the scent of burning herbs, especially those with strong scents like hemlock and nightshade. She wouldn’t even breathe sage smoke to save her life, so why would she willingly take a shady blend? Something’s clearly not right, but we’d never get a clear answer if we only asked around.

“Mom, Dad,” I sighed deeply. They were probably going to get angry but this was the only way I could think of. “I’m gonna switch places with Nyla.”

“Are you crazy, Kaida? Who knows what else is going on in that bloody school? I’m gonna have a talk with the Blackwoods and the school board. You’re not going in there.”

Dad was furious, but I insisted.

“Dad, you know that’s not gonna work. We need evidence of what they did to Nyla. Just let me gather them for a few months. I promise I’ll be back by spring break.”

I heard Dad sigh and Mom took over the phone.

“Just be careful, honey. I know you’re strong, so I’m not that worried about you. You’ll keep it low, okay?” she said, worried.

“Yes, Mom.”

I ended the call and went back to my sister. Through a small crack in the door, I overheard her sobbing and the same voices of those vicious girls again.

“I catch you talking to Mason again, I will tear your face. Let’s see how you can still seduce men in our school then.”

“You got that bitch?” and they laughed.

I thought they had come back, so I busted in but I only saw Nyla, hiding something behind her.

“Kaida!”

Despite her horrible state, she still greeted me with a warm smile. Looking at her like that hurt me just as much, and I hugged her tightly while fighting hard not to cry.

“Nyla, don’t lie to me, okay?” I said with a trembling voice. “Tell me what happened.”

Nyla bawled her heart out and said with a broken voice, “They bullied me, Kaida. They ripped my clothes… and took videos…”

Nyla told me everything they did to her and I had no words enough to describe how despicable they were. I couldn’t take that as bullying anymore. It was an assault.

I comforted Nyla until she fell asleep and went to the nearest moon temple. I prayed to the moon goddess for guidance and apologized because I would be breaking my oath to avenge my sister.

Mom and Dad transferred Nyla to a hospital in our territory after a week, while I prepared to enter her school after the winter break. I went through every blackmail material her bullies sent her and memorized their names and faces. The one that struck me most as the ring leader was the girl named Zara and her cronies. They started with simple harassment like hiding her stuff and throwing dirty water at her, but that quickly escalated into battery and assault, and their latest was dumping her head into the sink filled with water, which didn’t come close to the worst things Nyla had told me. It made me so angry that I had to isolate myself for about two weeks until school started.

That day, vile whispers and murmurs immediately welcomed me the second I stepped through the gate. They were loud enough for me to hear, which was obviously intended to be. It made me think of what Nyla did during her last summer break, and I couldn’t even come close to feeling how great the pain she endured all this time. It was a hideous place for a good girl like her.

I headed toward her classroom with heavy steps, trying to control myself, but they kept testing me.

As soon as I entered the classroom, a book flew to my face. I pretended to pick something and dodged it easily.

“Lazy mutt! Didn’t we tell you to answer when we call? Do you want to die? Where’s our breakfast?” It was Mira, one of Zara’s cronies, and out of everyone who hurt Nyla, she laughed the hardest while watching her getting tortured.

I ignored her and walked straight to my sister’s desk. It was covered with obnoxious words carved onto its surface.

“Hey, bitch! I’m not done talking to you!” Mira yanked my shoulder so hard that I almost crashed into someone else.

She suddenly snickered and slapped the table. “What? Do these words blow you away? Looks good, right?” She grabbed my chin and leaned closer with a dirty sneer. “How about we carve them on your face this time?”

“That’s a great idea! Zara would love it,” her friend agreed, and I could hear the entire class snickering.

I never thought people could be this horrible. To think my parents chose to homeschool me because of my condition, but even a prophesied monster like me wouldn’t do such petty violence as this.

Faced with this unfairness, the darkness I painstakingly kept at bay leaked out from its restraints and coursed through my veins. Their wicked smiles and laughter fueled my rage and I grabbed her, swinging my hand to her face.

A crisp slap echoed through the classroom, and Mira tumbled back onto the floor. She glared at me with utter shock. Her hand covered my handprint on her cheek.

“You dare hit me? Just wait until Zara gets back. You’re dead meat!” she yelled with a shrill voice.

Looking at her shocked expression made me understand a bit why they love hitting people. Giving brats like her a taste of their own medicine sure felt good.

The buzzing room fell silent as everyone looked at me with the same shocked faces, and I scoffed.

“What’s wrong? Why did you all stop laughing?”

Mira got up fuming with rage and raised her hand to hit me back, but the bell for class rang. She glared at me and returned to her seat frustratingly mad.

I stuffed my books into the desk and it felt oddly wet and sticky, so I took them back, but it was covered with a disgusting goo made out of glue and stinky decaying garbage.

“What the fuck?” I muttered in disgust.

I like my things organized and clean, so seeing filthy garbage all over my desk ticked me off. I was on the edge of exploding, ready to rub their smug faces in it, but the teacher walked in.

Ms. Gertrude looked at me dead in the eye, ignoring the mess I held. “Class has started, Nyla. Why aren’t you at your desk?”

I raised my books, trying to control my frustration. “Zara and her gang stuffed my desk with garbage, and my chair’s covered in glue.”

Her expression shifted slightly, but she masked it quickly. Raising an eyebrow, she sneered. “Are you accusing Zara of bullying you? Zara, the top student in our grade? She wouldn’t do that.”

I didn’t respond. I just held her gaze, letting the silence speak for itself.

Ms. Gertrude’s lips curled. “Zara’s not even here today, so stop making baseless accusations.” She turned to Mira, who was nodding with a smug grin.

“Ms. Gertrude, I think Nyla’s just jealous of Zara’s grades. Everyone knows Zara is the best student in our class,” Mira chimed in, looking at me like I was the one at fault.

“Sit down, Nyla. If you don’t want to learn, that’s your choice, but don’t disrupt the others.” Ms. Gertrude’s tone was final, and dismissive, like I was the problem here.

That was it. The bubbling anger I had been holding in burst. I kicked my desk over, sending garbage spilling across the floor. Oil stains seeped into the tiles, and the whole class gasped in shock.

Mira shot daggers at me. “Maybe you’re just a slob and can’t clean up after yourself. Don’t try to pin this on Zara!”

Ms. Gertrude didn’t even glance at the mess. “Zara wouldn’t do this. And if she was bullying you, Nyla, maybe you should ask yourself why. Why doesn’t she bully anyone else? It takes two to tango, doesn’t it?”

I couldn’t take it anymore. Without thinking, I moved swiftly, my hand connecting with her cheek in a sharp slap that echoed through the room.

The class went silent.

Ms. Gertrude’s face turned beet red, her neck swelling with fury. “Nyla! You dare hit a teacher?! You’re finished here! I’m calling your parents. Pack your things; you won’t be studying here anymore!”

I waited in the hallway for Mom to arrive. When she finally did, she gave me a small smile that said, “Well done.”

In the office, Ms. Gertrude unleashed her complaints, her voice thick with indignation. “This student slapped me in front of the entire class! I’ve been teaching for years and have never been so disrespected!”

Mom listened, her head slightly tilted, a look of calm disdain on her face. “Ms. Gertrude, why is it that Nyla only slapped you? Have you considered that maybe the problem isn’t my daughter but you?”

Ms. Gertrude stammered, at a loss for words. Her authority had been shattered by my mother’s sharp response.

“Well,” Ms. Gertrude finally managed, “let’s go see the principal. Let’s see if he’ll keep this disrespectful student or me, an experienced teacher.”

“Let’s,” Mom agreed coolly.

We met the principal in his office, and Mom was all smiles. She shook his hand warmly. “Principal, I’m sorry you’ve been troubled with this. Our Nyla can be thoughtless at times. But my husband and I have been thinking—we’d like to donate a little to give the students a more productive environment.”

The principal’s eyes lit up. “That’s a generous offer.”

Mom nodded, her smile now full of challenge as she glanced at Ms. Gertrude. “Of course, we wouldn’t joke about such a matter.”

The principal beamed. “This really isn’t such a big deal, then. Children can be mischievous, but I’m sure Nyla didn’t mean any harm. Ms. Gertrude, you’ve been here for so long, surely you understand. Right?”

Ms. Gertrude’s face turned an awful shade of blue, her fury barely contained. She was trapped. Nodding stiffly, she said nothing, the expulsion she had planned for me stuck in her throat.

I let out a soft chuckle. This was only the beginning.

I knew my sister had been through something similar. She must’ve reached out to Ms. Gertrude before, probably begging for help, but the teacher had turned a blind eye. She chose to protect Zara and the others instead, aiding their cruelty.

My sister had always been too kind. Even when she was drowning in her pain, pushed to the brink of suicide, she shielded the ones tormenting her, telling us everything was fine. The teachers were “good,” the classmates were “nice.” She never let on how bad it really was, protecting them from our wrath. She knew if we ever got our hands on them, there would be no mercy.

But that was her. I wasn’t going to let them get away with it. Not anymore.