The Swap That Sentenced Them

Sharp commands sliced through the dead-silent auditorium.

A jolt ripped through me. My eyes cracked open.

A tall figure in uniform strode in.

My dad.

Electrodes covered my chest. Blood stained my lip. His eyes went nuclear.

He scanned the room. "Who did this? Step forward."

No one moved. The same people who'd been yelling a minute ago suddenly found the floor fascinating.

Hampton stood frozen, hand still midair from yanking my hair. His face went chalk white.

Lily had retreated to a corner. The hand that had pressed into my wrist now shook like she was the victim. Please.

The dean rushed over. One glance at the star on my father's shoulder and his spine bent fast. "Sir, I'm Gerald Perry, Dean of Civil Engineering. Your daughter—this was... a sudden heart episode?"

My dad's voice turned to ice. "Someone deliberately pulled power from my daughter's pacemaker and blocked her from getting help. That's attempted murder."

Hampton's legs buckled. He barely stayed upright.

Dr. Perry sucked in a breath and forced a smile. "Let's not say that. They're kids. Maybe it's just... a misunderstanding."

He threw Mr. Thompson a desperate look. Too late. Mr. Thompson was already rattled by the four stone-faced guards behind my dad.

He pointed with a shaking hand. "Not me! It was Hampton Finch and Lily Rowe! They did it!"

Every eye swung their way.

Hampton couldn't look at my dad. He pasted on a smile that looked worse than crying. "Mr. Bowen, this is all a misunderstanding. I'm Juliet's boyfriend. She's mentioned me, right?"

"Don't know you."

Two words. Ice cold.

Hampton went ghost pale. He clenched his jaw. "You can't blame us completely. I gave her a power bank. She didn't use it. She was strong enough to kick and grab people. I thought she was fine. Right, Lily?"

Lily nodded fast and lifted her wrist like it was Exhibit A. "Yes, Mr. Bowen. My ribs still hurt. I wasn't even thinking about Juliet."

"Sir..." Dr. Perry tried, forcing a careful smile. "Maybe we can both take a step back here?"

My dad let out a cold laugh and glanced at the officer behind him. "Are the police here?"

"You're calling the police?" Dr. Perry's voice jumped. "This semester just started. If this gets out, the fallout will be terrible!"

The officer stood straight. "Report, General Bowen. Captain Larsen is personally leading the team. They're at the entrance."

"Let them in," my dad said, calm and final. "And find my daughter's emergency alarm."

The word alarm drained the last bit of color from Hampton and Lily.

After my surgery, Dad had arranged that device himself. Military-grade. The second it activated, it recorded everything and sent my location in real time.

He looked at Dr. Perry, each word heavy. "My daughter doesn't cause trouble. And if you've done nothing wrong, you've got nothing to fear. The only people scared of police are the ones hiding something."

His gaze sliced past Lily and Hampton.

"Search."