Chapter 2

"Are you sick in the head?"

"My brother never talks. You think you can just get an answer out of him?"

Kathryn yanked hard at my high ponytail, and I dropped down onto the floor.

Patricia's face twisted as she cursed at me. "You don't even know that Eli never says a word, and you still want to try? You just want to leech off his traffic. People like you, your whole family deserves to die!"

Melvin jabbed a finger at me and growled, "Samantha, that's enough. Get out of my livestream, now!"

The chat only got uglier.

"You'd have to sacrifice your whole family to grow a face this thick."

"Mind this filthy, were you born in a gutter?"

"Guys, I've got Samantha Pruitt's personal info, DM me!"

I felt so helpless, and so rushed. I couldn't exactly tell them I could hear the inner voice of an autistic person, could I?

Even if I said it, no one would believe me.

"It's my sister!"

"She stole my work. My original songs, and she put her name on all of them!"

"I, I, I can't speak because of a mental problem, so the only way I can fight back is by hurting myself!"

Elijah's voice rose again inside my mind.

So this was why he hurt himself.

He was autistic. He already held on to the things he cared about with a deep, unyielding attachment.

And he couldn't speak, which only made it worse.

So he fought back by hurting himself. I understood that.

I wanted to help him.

Not just because he'd promised me two hundred thousand.

But because he was so pitiful.

I looked at Elijah, whose eyes were full of pain, and gave him a small nod, telling him without a word that I would help him.

Then I stood up, and my gaze landed on Kathryn.

"You plagiarized your brother's work!"

"He can't speak, so the only way he can fight back is by hurting himself!"

I laid the truth bare.

The livestream went dead silent in an instant.

I saw it clearly. The moment I spoke, there was panic and fear in Kathryn's eyes.

Smack!

Melvin slammed the desk and shot to his feet, roaring at me. "Samantha, have you lost your mind? You made up a lie like this just to get famous?"

Patricia pointed at me and shouted, "Let me tell you, spreading rumors is illegal. Watch yourself, or I'll have you thrown in prison!"

The chat was howling too.

"This Samantha Pruitt is shameless, making up rumors just to blow up!"

"Everyone online knows Katie is the best sister there is!"

"Katie would die for Eli, and you're actually framing her? Are you even human?"

The panic and fear had already vanished from Kathryn's eyes.

Because she'd realized everyone was on her side.

She burst into tears.

"Samantha, I don't know why you'd frame me like this!"

"Even if you want to get famous, you could pick another way!"

"But instead you spread a lie that I stole Eli's work. That's the deepest wound you could give me!"

Melvin pointed at me. "Samantha, you'd better produce proof today, or I'll pull every string I have to make sure you never graduate. I mean it!"

"I don't need proof!"

"Elijah can't speak, but he can nod!"

"So all we have to do is ask him."

The moment I finished, I turned to Elijah. "Kathryn plagiarized your work, didn't she? If she did, nod!"

In that moment the livestream fell silent again, and even the chat paused for a beat.

Every eye landed on Elijah.