Chapter 275: It went beyond bullying.
The air was still buzzing with when secretary Mika Red stepped forward. He bowed low, clutching folder with some papers. It was his first time before the king, and it showed in the way his tail was twitching nervously.
"Lady Sienna," he said his voice trembling like his hands. "We have received this from Assistant Timothy. It is the compiled secret record from the academy. Incidents logged but never reported to the headmaster. Discipline board entries that were suppressed."
Sienna snatched the folder, her eyes narrowing. She flipped it open, the parchment crackling. The first page was filled with neat script and she began to read aloud, her voice trembling with fury.
"Before any of you teachers begin screaming your condemnations of my treatment of you today, I would like to read off the names of the children whose suffering you ignored: Lily Carter, age six. Human. Locked in her locker for three hours daily for a full year. She was transferred by her mother the following year.
Samuel Finch, aged seven. Sparrow beast man. His new wings were clipped and his feathers torn. He was unable to fly for weeks and when he did, he flew away from school and never returned. His parents moved back to their home city. There is an additional note here that he has not flown since his escape."
The crowd gasped.
"Emily Brown, age eight." Sienna continued. "Human. Because she was the brightest in class, Danny decided to burn her books. Any new book she got was set on fire. She was forced to rely on her memory alone, which became hard because Danny made a girl named Izzy sit behind Emily and prick her with needles during class. Her grades dropped and she also left the academy."
The king flashed a sharp gaze at Danny. The prime Envoy flinched.
Sienna continued. "Danny Grant, age nine. Goat beast man. Because he shared the same name with Danny, he was pushed into mud repeatedly and stripped to his underwear. His back was painted with insults and the bullies took pictures. His father even took this to the enforcers but a captain blocked the report. Like the rest of the bullied children, Danny left the academy."
She paused and looked at the Prime Envoy, allowing it to sink in. Danny could not stop a captain of enforcers. Obviously, his parents had done it. That corruption she had talked of came into play.
She took a deep breath and continued, "Sassi Billiam, age ten. Human. Her shoes were stolen daily and she was forced to walk barefoot everywhere. She endured until the age of thirteen and then left the academy.
Jacob Whitley, age sixteen. Rabbit beast man. His tail was pulled until he bled. His teacher ignored the injury, forcing him to attend class and endure the pain. By the time he made it to the academy treatment hall, it was permanently damaged.
Mira Johnson, age eleven. Human. Locked outside in the rain during exams. She missed a vital exam and failed to achieve her make up grade so she was forced out due to academic failure.
Hilly Scott, age thirteen. Dog beast man. Danny forced him to crawl between his legs while barking while his friends recorded. When he refused, he was beaten with sticks almost everyday for a full month. He limped for half a year.
Chloe Adams, age fourteen, human. She was Danny’s first crush and she said no. He had her hair cut off and made others mock her as a slave. She dropped out after two months because she couldn’t endure it."
She stopped and took a deep breath, muttering, "Scum of the earth. This is crazy."
Elias patted her chest and put a cup of tea to her lips. "I can take over," he whispered.
She turned him down. "I have to finish what I started. This is not the battle of fox lord, it is the battle of human Sienna." After gulping down two sips, she started from where she had stopped. "Lucas Reed, age fifteen. Cat beast man. Because he was said to be the most good looking boy in the academy, Danny and his friends forced him to eat spoiled food from the cafeteria trash. They recorded it, as usual. And then threatened to burn his face. He was so scared that he took a leave of absence and never returned to the academy."
The king roared.
Sienna went on, "Noah Clarkson, age sixteen. Human. Pushed into the same pond my brother was forced to jump in. Nearly drowned. Saved by his older cousin who was a feared tiger beast man around school.
Hannah Lewis, age seventeen. Human. Danny’s second crash who also dared to say no. Locked in the toilet overnight. Found unconscious the following morning, with her....." She stopped, her voice cracking, "hair cut, skirt ripped and buttons torn! Her parents took her home and she never returned to the academy." She raised the folder, "there are additional notes here that not from the school. She was....defiled."
The crowd rippled with whispers. What did this mean? What had Danny done? Eyes with myriads of accusations were short to the Risser’s. The teachers had long forgotten their hatred for Sienna. While some of them knew about a few incidents, they didn’t know everything. Some had been handled so discreetly that only the head of the discipline board was called in.
The headmaster rose, fury burning in his eyes. "When did this happen? When did all these things happen? Why wasn’t I informed?"
Linera grabbed his shoulder, pushing him back down. "You will get your turn to defend yourself."
Sienna continued at the front, "Ethan Brooks, age eighteen. Wolf beast man. He defeated Danny in a combat exam and that very night, he was deliberately attacked by stronger beast men in the dorm. His legs were broken.
Grace Turner, twelve. Human. Danny shoved her into the dirt, exposed her underwear and called her meat for beasts. A few girls happened to walk by the playground and he run off. The next day, she was expelled.
Sophia Ward, age sixteen. Human. Danny grabbed her on her way to the dorm, fondled her breasts and also called her meat for beasts. He left her with broken ribs and a broken arm. It was her birthday. The next day she was expelled for theft. Additional notes here from a hospital prove that she was also defiled.
The crowd exploded in rage. This was no longer a matter of simple bullying, these were crimes. The queen and king were making calls, looking frantic. The teachers were shouting denials, in a hurry to prove they knew nothing and played no role in this.
The Prime Envoy was trembling. Danny had fainted, his friends looked close to doing the same. His mother was weeping softly and his father was just still, like a statue.
Everyone knew the same thing: it was over.
She stopped and looked at Elias, her eyes wide with horror. "My goodness, were we going to send Ali here? Elias....were we about to push our own daughter into the flames?"
Elias touched her back, urging her to calm down. "A coward like him would never target her. He seemed to only target weak human girls."
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