First Bell Fallout

6:00 AM – Monday – Ridgewood High: Before the Bell

The school looked the same.

The banners still hung for Spirit Week. The hallways were freshly waxed. The Ridgewood crest still gleamed above the double doors.

But to Bee Rivera, everything was different.

Because today, the masks were off.

The fallout from Friday's warzone—aka The Red Queen Broadcast—had scorched its way through the weekend like wildfire. Harrow was "on indefinite leave." The board was "under review." The staff whispered. The students watched. And the Queen Bee?

She walked into school like it was her coronation.

Kai was already waiting at her locker, hands in his pockets, one eyebrow cocked. "Nice of you to show up. The whole school's been buzzing since six."

"I figured I'd let the chaos warm up before I strutted in," Bee replied, sliding open her locker.

Instead of books, there was a single envelope sitting inside. Black. Wax seal. No name.

She froze.

Kai leaned in. "That new?"

Bee nodded, tore it open. Inside: a typed note.

> You may have exposed the board, but the game's far from over.

The real puppet masters haven't even blinked yet.

– U

Her spine stiffened.

"He's still watching," she muttered. "The Unknown."

Kai's jaw tensed. "Then it's time we start watching back."

7:15 AM – Homeroom

Phones were banned for the day, and that only made the rumors worse. Students whispered behind textbooks. Screens peeked out of sleeves. Serena snuck Bee updates from the hallway.

Zuri's new poll: Should Bee Rivera run for student council president?

A RidgewoodTV student exclusive was trending: "Queen Bee Unmasked: Rebel or Revolution?"

A hidden Instagram account had gone live: @RedQueenFiles

"Someone's documenting everything," Serena whispered, sliding into the seat next to her. "Photos. Dates. Even theories about the next 'leak.'"

Bee narrowed her eyes. "We're being watched and archived."

A paper plane suddenly landed on Bee's desk. She unfolded it slowly.

> Meet me under the bleachers. Noon. Come alone. Bring the lipstick.

No signature. But Bee didn't need one.

It was written in red ink. Hailey's shade.

11:59 AM – Under the Bleachers

The world muffled above her as she crouched beneath the bleachers. The sun streaked in slits. Her breath came fast.

Footsteps.

Then a shadow.

"I wasn't sure you'd come," Logan said quietly, stepping out.

Bee narrowed her eyes. "You sent the note?"

He nodded. "I needed to know if you still trusted me."

She blinked. "Logan—"

"Because what I'm about to show you? It could blow this entire school sky-high."

He pulled out his phone and opened a video.

Grainy footage. Someone in a school board meeting room. A woman. Young. Furious.

Bee gasped.

"That's Hailey's mother," Logan said. "She used to work here. But she disappeared after Hailey's death. No interviews. No press."

"Because she was silenced?" Bee asked.

"Or because she found something," Logan replied. "Look."

The woman was yelling.

> "You let them hurt my daughter! You let them cover it up!"

"You're all complicit! And you'll pay—every last one of you!"

The video glitched, then ended.

Bee's heart thundered.

"There's a second war coming," Logan said. "One led by someone who doesn't want justice. Just revenge."

"And we're in her way," Bee whispered.

2:00 PM – Rooftop Access Hallway

Bee stood with her back to the skyline. Serena, Zuri, Kai, and Logan surrounded her.

"We started this war to unmask the liars," she said. "But now? We're the targets. Someone's watching us. Cataloging our every move."

"And if they're playing dirty," Kai said, "we'll need new weapons."

Zuri held up her tablet. "Then it's time we launch Phase Two of the REM Protocol."

Bee smiled. "Let's burn the lies down… and build a truth they can't erase."

As the bell rang across Ridgewood, the Red Queen's court stood tall—ready for Round Two.

Because the infiltration was just the beginning.

The real war?

It was personal now.

6:00 AM – Monday – Ridgewood High: Before the Bell

The school looked the same.

The banners still hung for Spirit Week. The hallways were freshly waxed. The Ridgewood crest still gleamed above the double doors.

But to Bee Rivera, everything was different.

Because today, the masks were off.

The fallout from Friday's warzone—aka The Red Queen Broadcast—had scorched its way through the weekend like wildfire. Harrow was "on indefinite leave." The board was "under review." The staff whispered. The students watched. And the Queen Bee?

She walked into school like it was her coronation.

Kai was already waiting at her locker, hands in his pockets, one eyebrow cocked. "Nice of you to show up. The whole school's been buzzing since six."

"I figured I'd let the chaos warm up before I strutted in," Bee replied, sliding open her locker.

Instead of books, there was a single envelope sitting inside. Black. Wax seal. No name.

She froze.

Kai leaned in. "That new?"

Bee nodded, tore it open. Inside: a typed note.

> You may have exposed the board, but the game's far from over.

The real puppet masters haven't even blinked yet.

– U

Her spine stiffened.

"He's still watching," she muttered. "The Unknown."

Kai's jaw tensed. "Then it's time we start watching back."

7:15 AM – Homeroom

Phones were banned for the day, and that only made the rumors worse. Students whispered behind textbooks. Screens peeked out of sleeves. Serena snuck Bee updates from the hallway.

Zuri's new poll: Should Bee Rivera run for student council president?

A RidgewoodTV student exclusive was trending: "Queen Bee Unmasked: Rebel or Revolution?"

A hidden Instagram account had gone live: @RedQueenFiles

"Someone's documenting everything," Serena whispered, sliding into the seat next to her. "Photos. Dates. Even theories about the next 'leak.'"

Bee narrowed her eyes. "We're being watched and archived."

A paper plane suddenly landed on Bee's desk. She unfolded it slowly.

> Meet me under the bleachers. Noon. Come alone. Bring the lipstick.

No signature. But Bee didn't need one.

It was written in red ink. Hailey's shade.

11:59 AM – Under the Bleachers

The world muffled above her as she crouched beneath the bleachers. The sun streaked in slits. Her breath came fast.

Footsteps.

Then a shadow.

"I wasn't sure you'd come," Logan said quietly, stepping out.

Bee narrowed her eyes. "You sent the note?"

He nodded. "I needed to know if you still trusted me."

She blinked. "Logan—"

"Because what I'm about to show you? It could blow this entire school sky-high."

He pulled out his phone and opened a video.

Grainy footage. Someone in a school board meeting room. A woman. Young. Furious.

Bee gasped.

"That's Hailey's mother," Logan said. "She used to work here. But she disappeared after Hailey's death. No interviews. No press."

"Because she was silenced?" Bee asked.

"Or because she found something," Logan replied. "Look."

The woman was yelling.

> "You let them hurt my daughter! You let them cover it up!"

"You're all complicit! And you'll pay—every last one of you!"

The video glitched, then ended.

Bee's heart thundered.

"There's a second war coming," Logan said. "One led by someone who doesn't want justice. Just revenge."

"And we're in her way," Bee whispered.

2:00 PM – Rooftop Access Hallway

Bee stood with her back to the skyline. Serena, Zuri, Kai, and Logan surrounded her.

"We started this war to unmask the liars," she said. "But now? We're the targets. Someone's watching us. Cataloging our every move."

"And if they're playing dirty," Kai said, "we'll need new weapons."

Zuri held up her tablet. "Then it's time we launch Phase Two of the REM Protocol."

Bee smiled. "Let's burn the lies down… and build a truth they can't erase."

As the bell rang across Ridgewood, the Red Queen's court stood tall—ready for Round Two.

Because the infiltration was just the beginning.

The real war?

It was personal now.