The siege began at 7 AM when I woke up to the sound of angry voices echoing through the dormitory hallways. I grabbed my phone to find dozens of missed calls from my grandmother, texts from Roni warning me to "stay in your room and lock the door," and a news alert that multiple parent and alumni delegations had descended on Ashwick Academy demanding emergency meetings about "student conduct and institutional accountability."
"Isabella," Roni burst into our room without knocking, looking panicked and slightly disheveled. "They're here. Like, everyone's parents. Everyone's angry, wealthy, powerful parents with lawyers and media teams and demands for explanations about literally everything that's happened this year."
"What are they demanding?"
"Accountability for the gala apocalypse, expla
