She stood abruptly, marching toward the stage. "You want to talk about truth?" she shouted, pushing past Harrington to grab the microphone. "Let's talk about Amira Johnson, the girl you're all suddenly defending! Did you know her family has a history of violence? That her parents were probably killers? That she's been trained to fight since she could walk?"
The auditorium fell silent, stunned by the outburst.
"She's been playing all of you!" Veronica continued, her voice rising hysterically. "Acting weak and pathetic while hiding what she really is! Ask her! Ask her what her grandfather taught her in that basement every night!"
Security personnel moved toward the stage, but Veronica was beyond caring. She jumped down, pushing through the crowd toward where Amira sat—still calm, still watching with those unnervingly steady eyes.
"Tell them!" Veronica demanded, standing before Amira. "Tell them who you really are!"
When Amira didn't respond, something in Veronica broke completely. With a cry of frustration, she lunged forward, hands reaching for Amira's throat—an action so shocking, so out of character for Wellington's calculated queen, that the entire assembly seemed to freeze in disbelief.
The previous night, while Veronica had been planning her final attempt to destroy Amira's reputation, Amira had been in the basement of her home with her grandfather. The rumors circulating about her family hadn't escaped William Johnson's notice, nor had the increasing isolation his granddaughter faced at school.
"They're digging into our past," Amira had said quietly, practicing a complex sequence of movements with fluid precision.
Her grandfather watched from the side of the training mat, his expression serious. "This was inevitable the moment you stopped hiding your abilities."
"I know," Amira acknowledged, completing the sequence without a single wasted motion.
William rose from his chair, his movements belying his age as he stepped onto the mat. "Tomorrow, they will try to break you—either physically or by turning the school completely against you."
"Veronica's already done that with the rumors," Amira replied.
"No," her grandfather countered. "What she's done is create fear. Fear without respect is dangerous; it makes people unpredictable." He moved to the center of the mat. "Show me your defense sequence."
For an hour, they trained together, grandfather and granddaughter moving through increasingly complex patterns. Finally, William stopped, studying Amira with evaluating eyes.
"No more holding back," he said firmly. "When the moment comes—and it will come soon—you must show them exactly who you are. Not to hurt, but to end this definitively."