Chapter 3
I stared at the security officer.
"Change the competition results?"
He nodded.
"That's what our technology department discovered."
Principal Bennett stood.
"Please explain exactly what you found."
The officer looked uncomfortable.
"I'm not the technician, sir. But the system recorded an unauthorized attempt to modify contestant scores."
I felt Maya's fingers tighten around mine.
"Scores?" she whispered.
The competition hadn't even started.
At least, not the final stage.
But Maya had spent the previous month completing the qualifying rounds.
Her portfolio had already been evaluated.
Her original designs had been reviewed.
And her written presentation had received excellent feedback.
I turned toward Principal Bennett.
"Are you telling me someone tried to change Maya's preliminary scores?"
He looked at the officer.
"We need confirmation before drawing conclusions."
I was tired of hearing that.
But I understood why he had to be careful.
Evidence mattered.
Especially when my daughter had already been hurt.
The officer continued.
"The attempted change involved the costume design category."
Maya lifted her head.
"That's my strongest category."
I knew.
She had spent years building that skill.
She could transform inexpensive fabric into something beautiful.
Our apartment had become a workshop of needles, thread, sketches, and fabric scraps.
Some nights, she worked until her fingers ached.
I often found tiny feathers stuck to our sofa.
And I loved every one of them.
Because they represented her dream.
Principal Bennett excused himself to contact the district technology director.
I stayed with Maya.
For several minutes, neither of us spoke.
Then she whispered, "Mom, do you think Aunt Diane hates me?"
The question nearly destroyed me.
I turned toward her.
"No, sweetheart."
But I stopped.
I couldn't lie.
I didn't know what Diane felt anymore.
My sister had always been competitive.
Growing up, she wanted the better clothes.
The larger bedroom.
The louder applause.
If I earned an award, she suddenly needed a bigger one.
If someone complimented me, she changed the subject to herself.
But she had never done anything like this.
At least, not anything I had recognized.
"I don't know why she did this," I admitted.
Maya looked down.
"She used to love me."
I nodded.
When Maya was little, Diane bought her birthday dresses.
She took her to amusement parks.
She even helped pay for her first sewing machine.
That machine still sat beside Maya's bedroom window.
Our mother had taught her how to use it.
And Diane had once sat beside them, laughing.
I couldn't understand how that woman had become someone willing to humiliate her own niece.
Maya touched a red-stained feather.
"Maybe she never wanted me to win."
I swallowed.
"Maybe."
A tear slipped down her cheek.
"Then why couldn't she just let Lily compete fairly?"
I didn't have an answer.
Before I could respond, my phone rang.
My younger brother, Jordan.
I answered immediately.
"Nia, what happened?"
His voice was frantic.
"Somebody sent me a video of Maya crying in the hallway!"
I closed my eyes.
"Jordan, calm down."
"Was Diane involved?"
"Yes."
Silence.
Then he said, "Tell me where you are."
"At the school."
"I'm coming."
"Please don't make things worse."
His voice softened.
"Is Maya okay?"
I looked at her.
She was staring at the floor.
"She's physically okay."
Jordan exhaled.
"I'll be there soon."
When I ended the call, Maya asked, "Is Uncle Jordan mad?"
"Very."
She gave a tiny, broken smile.
"He always gets mad when someone hurts me."
I touched her cheek.
"Because he loves you."
Twenty minutes later, Jordan arrived.
He was thirty-five, tall, and usually calm.
That afternoon, his face was dark with anger.
When he saw Maya, his expression collapsed.
"Oh, sweetheart."
Maya stood.
He wrapped her in his arms.
She began crying again.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
Jordan pulled back.
"Why are you apologizing?"
"Because everyone is upset."
He shook his head.
"No. None of this is your fault."
I watched him carefully.
Our family had already suffered too much loss.
Our father died when we were young.
Our mother held us together.
And after she died, I had hoped her children would remain close.
Instead, Diane had become the person tearing us apart.
Jordan looked at the ruined costume.
His eyes filled.
"Mom's design?"
Maya nodded.
He touched one of the remaining white feathers.
"I remember when she drew these."
Maya's lip trembled.
"She wanted me to finish it."
Jordan swallowed.
"Then we won't let this be the end of it."
Maya looked at him.
"But it's destroyed."
He shook his head.
"Your talent isn't."
I wanted desperately to believe him.
Then Principal Bennett returned.
He asked Jordan to remain while he updated us.
The technology department had confirmed that someone used Vanessa Collins's school account to attempt changing Maya's preliminary score.
The attempted edit had been blocked by an approval requirement.
Maya's official score remained intact.
But there was more.
The account had also accessed a confidential document listing the competition's leading finalists.
Maya was ranked first after the preliminary evaluations.
Lily was ranked fourth.
I stared at Principal Bennett.
"First?"
He nodded.
"Based on the preliminary categories, yes."
Maya covered her mouth.
She had never known.
The competition committee kept rankings confidential until the final event.
But someone had seen them.
And that information could explain why Diane suddenly attacked.
Principal Bennett continued.
"We've also identified an email sent from Mrs. Collins's account."
I leaned forward.
"To whom?"
"Diane."
My stomach tightened.
"What did it say?"
He looked at Maya.
Then back at me.
"It suggested that Maya's costume should be disqualified before the final presentation."
I felt sick.
"Why?"
"The message referred to supposed safety violations."
Maya shook her head.
"My costume passed inspection last week."
"I know," Principal Bennett answered.
He placed a printed email on the table.
I read it slowly.
Vanessa had written that Maya's entry was a threat to Lily's chances.
She suggested raising an equipment safety concern.
Diane replied with one sentence.
"If the school won't remove her, I'll handle it myself."
I stared at the words.
Then Jordan whispered, "My God."
That was when someone burst into the room.
Lily.
Her pink dress was wrinkled.
Her eyes were swollen from crying.
She looked at Maya.
"Please, I need to tell you something."
I stood instinctively.
"Lily, this isn't a good time."
She shook her head.
"No, Aunt Nia. You need to hear this."
Principal Bennett stepped toward her.
"Lily, is your mother with you?"
She shook her head.
"She's in the office."
Then she pulled out her phone.
Her hands were shaking.
"My mom told me to delete this."
I stared at her.
"Delete what?"
Lily unlocked the screen.
She opened a video.
I recognized Diane's voice immediately.
And what I heard next made me feel like someone had punched me in the chest.
May you like
My sister wasn't just planning to destroy Maya's costume.
She was laughing about how easy it would be to ruin my daughter's future.
