The alarm that echoed through Ashwick Academy at 2:15 PM wasn’t the usual fire drill or severe weather warning. This was the lockdown alert—a sharp, piercing sound that meant potential danger and immediate shelter-in-place protocols. Students froze in hallways, teachers rushed to secure classrooms, and the entire campus shifted into emergency mode within seconds.
I was in Advanced Chemistry when the alarm started, carefully measuring compounds for an experiment on pharmaceutical synthesis. The irony wasn’t lost on me that I was studying the very industry that had made my family wealthy while hiding that wealth from everyone around me.
“Everyone remain calm,” Professor Martinez announced, moving quickly to lock the classroom door. “Lockdown procedures are now in effect. No one leaves this
