It had been three days since Nelly called her family.
Three days since her chest stopped hoping.
They never called back.
No message. No reply.
Just silence.
And in that silence, Nelly learned something painful:
Being strong doesn't mean being saved.
---
At school, she didn't talk much.
She did her classwork, kept to herself, and spent her breaks under the mango tree — where Joy would come running with stories and questions that made her smile, even when she didn't want to.
But Nelly didn't know someone else had been watching her… listening.
Joy's mother.
Madam Grace, the soft-spoken cleaner in her worn green uniform, had seen the bruises. Heard the gossip. Heard Kylie whisper to Luna in the girl's bathroom:
> "She slapped me like she owns this place. And Jimmy's acting weird now — like he actually likes her."
> "She's getting too confident," Luna had hissed. "That poor girl is getting dangerous."
> "Just wait," Kylie replied. "Sooner or later, Daddy will deal with her… again."
And that was the word that froze Grace in her tracks as she mopped the tiles nearby.
Again.
---
That evening, just after school, Madam Grace gently pulled her daughter aside.
> "Joy… that girl. Nelly. You said she's your friend, right?"
> "Yes, Mama. She's kind. She got hurt a lot, but she always smiles at me."
Grace knelt to her level, wiping sweat from her brow.
> "Do you trust her?"
> "Yes."
Grace looked into her daughter's eyes, searching.
> "What if… what if she needed help, Joy? Would you tell me?"
> "She does need help," Joy said softly. "She cries when she thinks I'm not looking. And she always hides her bruises."
Grace stood slowly, her mind racing.
She had heard enough.
---
LATER THAT EVENING – SCHOOL STORAGE ROOM
Grace found Nelly by the back of the school building, cleaning out supply boxes, a job Luna had 'generously' assigned her.
> "Nelly," she said softly.
Nelly turned, startled.
> "Madam Grace. Good evening, ma."
Grace looked around to make sure no one was nearby… then stepped closer.
> "I heard them. Those girls. I heard what they said about you. About their father."
Nelly froze.
> "I didn't mean to overhear," Grace continued. "But… it confirmed something I've been suspecting for a while."
Nelly's throat tightened.
> "You believe me?"
Grace nodded slowly.
> "I've worked in this school for ten years. I've seen things. Heard things. I know what power sounds like… and what fear looks like."
> "They paid my parents," Nelly whispered. "He bought their silence."
Tears filled her eyes, but she didn't let them fall.
> "I'm all alone."
Grace placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
> "Not anymore."
---
Grace reached into her bag and pulled out a small phone.
> "This is my old one. It still works. It has a recording app. You need to start gathering proof, Nelly. His words. His threats. Their insults. Everything."
Nelly stared at the phone like it was a golden key.
> "If we can't make them believe you… we'll make them listen."
And for the first time since her world shattered… Nelly felt something rise in her chest.
Not just strength.
A plan.