The Prophecy Workbook of False Accusations

I'm reviewing a math practice test the night before the college entrance exam when I spot a chunk of red text that shouldn't be there. "At 10:00 pm, your sister's classmate, Britney Lowe, will come to your house asking to stay the night. She'll say she had a fight with her parents and has nowhere else to go." "At 2:00 am, she'll sneak into your room, then call the police at dawn and accuse you of assaulting her." "The police will arrest you, and you'll be sentenced to three years in prison. Your younger sister, Lizzie Brown, will become the target of school gossip, and unable to face the online bullying, she'll jump to her death." I frown as I read it, assuming it's some kind of prank. But right on schedule, the doorbell rings. There's Britney, standing in the doorway, her eyes red from crying. Lizzie freezes. "Britney? What are you doing here?" "Lizzie, I fought with my parents and don't really have anywhere to go. Can I stay at your place tonight?" I stand in the living room, watching it unfold. A chill runs down my back. The prediction in my workbook is actually coming true. I quickly look down at the workbook lying open on the table. The last line of red text is still there. "Once the police take you away, your spot at Bayfield College will go to Britney's boyfriend." I stride over to the door and turn her away without hesitation. "Sorry, Britney, but we'll be staying at a hotel tonight." Chapter 1 Tears instantly rolled down Britney Lowe's face. "Why? Why the sudden decision to stay at a hotel?" I answered, "The college entrance exam is tomorrow, and the hotel is quiet and convenient." Britney suddenly broke into loud, dramatic sobs. "Lizzie, are you tired of me? My parents don't want me anymore. Are you going to abandon me too?" Her cries carried through the building, drawing neighbors to see what was going on. Sarah Bale from across the hall was the first to step out. "Sweetheart, why are you crying so hard? Did someone hurt you?" Britney could barely get the words out between sobs. "Ma'am, I fought with my parents, and I have nowhere else to go. I wanted to stay at Lizzie's, but Mike said they're going to stay in a hotel… I don't mean to cause trouble… She's the only friend I have left." Sarah's heart softened, and she turned to me. "Mike, that's not right of you. She's Lizzie's classmate. Why can't you help her out?" Keith Meyer from next door stepped out as well. "Yeah. You're taking the college entrance exam tomorrow. What difference does it make whether you stay home or at a hotel? This poor girl has nowhere to go this late at night. What if something happens to her? Are you going to take responsibility?" The neighbors piled on, one after another. My sister, Lizzie Brown, came out of the living room. She looked at Britney, then at me. Taking my hand, she pleaded, "Mike, Britney's my best friend. I can't just leave her like this." Britney kept crying, peeking at me through her fingers every now and then. I took a deep breath. If she wanted to put on a show, I would play along. I walked over to Britney and stuffed my house keys into her hand. "Sarah and Keith are right. That was an oversight on my part. Britney, how about this? You stay here, and we'll stay at a hotel." Britney froze, tears still clinging to her cheeks. "Huh? I-I don't think that's a good idea. This is your house…" "It's fine. You can stay. You're Lizzie's best friend, after all!" I deliberately emphasized "best friend" so everyone could hear, then turned toward the house. "Mom, Dad, let's go." Britney panicked and grabbed my sleeve. "Mike, please don't go! I-I'm scared of being alone. What if something goes missing from your house? How am I supposed to explain that?" I almost laughed. Her fear wasn't about having to explain anything; she was terrified that if we all left, her whole plan would fall apart. I looked into her eyes and forced a smile. "So what do you want us to do?" Chapter 2 Britney wiped her tears, choosing her words carefully. "M-Maybe I'll come with you to the hotel instead. I promise I won't disturb your studies…" I looked at her and stayed silent for a few seconds before replying, "Fine." Lizzie tugged at my sleeve and lowered her voice. "Mike, what are you doing? Britney's my friend. Why won't you let her stay at our house?" "Don't ask." "But…" "Just trust me." Even though Lizzie looked puzzled, seeing the serious expression on my face, she swallowed the rest of her words. At the hotel reception, I booked three rooms. Britney was taken aback. "Three rooms?" I said it matter-of-factly. "Yeah, one for my parents, one for me, and one for you and Lizzie. Is there a problem? Or were you hoping to share a room with me?" Britney's face paled. "No! Mike, please don't joke around like that." I slung my arm around Lizzie's shoulders. "You said you were scared of being alone, right? Lizzie can keep you company tonight." Real or not, I wasn't taking any chances with that prediction. I was going to keep Lizzie right by Britney's side tonight. I wanted to see how exactly Britney planned to pull off her scheme. After we checked in, my parents went to their room. As I was about to enter mine, I pulled Lizzie aside around the corner of the hallway. "Mike, what are you even doing?" she demanded. "Britney's my classmate. We're pretty close. Why are you watching her like she's some kind of criminal?" "Pretty close?" I sneered. "Do you know why she showed up tonight?" "Huh? What do you mean?" I looked Lizzie straight in the eyes. "She came here to sabotage my college entrance exam." Lizzie looked confused. "What?" "I can't explain everything to you right now. Just remember this—whatever happens tonight, I need you to do one thing." "What is it?" "Keep a close eye on her. Don't let her take a single step out of your room." Lizzie's expression shifted from confusion to seriousness. Although she didn't fully understand, she knew I wouldn't act without a reason. "Okay, I'll do as you say." I watched Lizzie turn and head back to her room, then added, "Oh, and find out who Britney's boyfriend is." She nodded without asking any questions. After Lizzie's door clicked shut, I let out a long breath in the hallway. The last line in the workbook was burned into my mind. "Once the police take you away, your spot at Bayfield College will go to Britney's boyfriend." Britney wasn't Lizzie's friend. She'd shown up to steal my spot at Bayfield College. I stared at the closed door at the end of the hallway, tightening my grip on my room key card. I would lock my door and stay on high alert tonight! Chapter 3 Half an hour later, Lizzie texted me, "Mike, Britney refused to tell me at first. But I went through her phone and found out that her boyfriend is Duncan Reid, the school heartthrob." That guy who was always in second place? He was consistently a few points behind me. I used to think he was just unlucky. Looking back, though, there had never been any genuine friendliness in the way Duncan looked at me. If I got arrested and lost my spot at Bayfield College, he'd be next in line. I clenched my phone, my nails digging into my palm. At midnight, Lizzie texted me again. "Mike, she's already in bed, and I've locked the door." I didn't reply, placing my phone face down on the bed. At 1:00 am, a third message came in. "Mike, I think she's asleep." I stared at the screen for a long moment. I typed a few words, then deleted them. Finally, I instructed Lizzie, "Don't fall asleep. Keep a close eye on her." It was almost 2:00 am. I waited for Lizzie to reply, but ten minutes passed, and there was still nothing. Just as I was about to message her again, I heard the lock click from outside. Someone was at my door! Could it be Britney? Had she really come? My heart raced, and I instinctively tried to sit up, only to find that I couldn't move. It felt as though an invisible weight was pinning me down, and my limbs refused to obey. My eyelids felt heavy. I struggled desperately to open them, yet I could only manage a narrow slit. I lay there helpless as someone approached my bed. A familiar voice, low and trembling, came from the darkness. "Mike, don't blame me. You're in Duncan's way." Just as I expected, it was Britney. She drew a steady breath, her voice even softer now. "Once your reputation is ruined and you're expelled from school, Duncan will get your spot at Bayfield College. I-I have to do this…" Then came the soft rustle of fabric. Britney was undressing. I wanted to fight back, but my consciousness plunged into total darkness. … "Ahh!" A scream pierced the silence. I jolted awake. My head felt heavy, and it took several seconds for the room to stop spinning. I looked down and saw myself lying in bed, the blanket pulled up to my chest. Britney was curled up at the foot of the bed, wrapped in a sheet. Her hair was a mess, and the front of her shirt had been torn open. She cried out, "Help! Somebody help me!" Within moments, a crowd burst into the room. I quickly stammered, "I'm innocent… I woke up and found her in my bed. I didn't do anything…" Britney said through her tears. "You're lying… My stomach hurt in the middle of the night, so I wanted to ask you for some medicine. But you dragged me inside the moment you saw me. And then…" She couldn't finish, covering her face and sobbing. My voice was hoarse. "No, I didn't! I never opened the door! I locked it last night!" Britney lifted her head, her eyes red. "Then how do you explain this? Did I just fly in?" More and more people gathered in the hallway. Some pulled out their phones to record, while others whispered among themselves. "Isn't he the kid taking the college entrance exam today? How's he supposed to take it after pulling a stunt like this?" "Poor girl. She was just trying to get some medicine, and this happened to her." "Boys these days are capable of doing anything, literally." My mom, Annie Cohen, somehow managed to push her way into the room. Her eyes darted between Britney's disheveled state and my pale face. Her lips began to tremble. "Mike, tell me. Did you really…" "Mom, I swear I didn't do anything!" I was nearly in tears. "I don't even know when she got into my room!" Mom started to say something, but no words came out. Then her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed backward. "Mom!" I rushed over. A loud commotion broke out in the crowd. My dad, Eddie Brown, arrived moments later. He took one look at Britney before glaring down at me. "Dad, I can explain…" "What is there to explain?" Dad roared before landing a sharp slap across my face. Everyone fell silent. Dad yelled, "I worked so hard to put you through school, and this is the sort of thing you do?" Chapter 4 I covered my face, looking completely helpless. "I swear I didn't do anything. I never left my room last night… You can check the security cameras." Britney cried even harder. "No girl would risk her reputation to falsely accuse someone! I'm calling the cops… I'll get you locked up!" Someone had already called the police. The crowd whispered among themselves. "Yes, we need the cops to handle this. We can't let someone like him get away with this." "They need to stop him from taking the college entrance exam!" These people surrounded me, and no matter how I denied it, no one believed me. Disbelief was written all over Lizzie's face when she rushed in. "Mike… What is going on here?" "Didn't I ask you to keep an eye on her?" I lowered my voice. "Why did you fall asleep?" Lizzie looked apologetic. "Mike, I'm so sorry. I was just too tired…" I looked at Britney. She was still weeping, her body trembling, but now I noticed the hint of triumph behind those tears. I thought back to the bottled water she handed Lizzie and me the night before. I clenched my fists. No wonder we had suddenly lost consciousness—Britney had drugged us. It was too late now, though. The empty water bottles were long gone, and we had no physical evidence to prove it. Ten minutes later, heavy footsteps echoed from the end of the hallway. "Make way. The cops are here." The crowd parted, and two uniformed officers walked into the room. "Who called the police?" "I did." Britney raised her hand. "He… assaulted me." Her voice shook. So did her entire body as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. One of the cops looked at me, then back at her. "What is your relationship with him?" Britney replied, "He's my classmate's brother. I had a stomachache in the middle of the night, so I came over to ask for some medicine. But he dragged me into his room and…" I immediately protested, "No, I didn't! I never opened the door last night! She snuck into my room herself!" The cops frowned. "Did the security cameras capture what happened?" "No," the hotel receptionist spoke up from the doorway, stepping forward. "They have been down for the past couple of days, and the replacements haven't arrived yet. But…" She glanced at me before continuing, "I heard a scream while I was on duty last night. It seemed to be coming from this room. "When I asked him about it, he told me he was just watching a horror movie to unwind before the college entrance exam. I didn't think much of it then. But looking back, the scream must have come from this poor young woman!" "You're lying!" I shouted. "We never met last night, and I didn't watch any horror movies!" The receptionist looked indignant. "Why would I lie? I have no personal grudge against you. Why would I slander you? I'm just telling the truth!" The officers looked at me, and I could tell their attitude had completely shifted. They had a witness corroborating the timeline. As far as they were concerned, the truth had been made clear. They strode over to me. "Come with us to the station. We need to take your formal statement." Mom hurried over, breaking down in tears. "Officers, my son would never do something like this. This has to be some kind of mistake…" "That's what the investigation is for," the officer said calmly, "For now, he needs to come with us and answer some questions." Dad gritted his teeth in frustration and grabbed the officer's arm. "The college entrance exam is today! You can't take him away right now! If you do, you'll completely ruin his future!" The officers ignored him, and I was handcuffed. "Let's go." "Wait." I turned to Britney. "Britney, I'll ask you one more time. Are you sure I assaulted you last night?" She didn't understand why I was asking, but she stood by her story without hesitation, eager to seal my fate. "Of course. My answer won't change no matter how many times you ask." Very well. I turned around, popped a small button off my shirt, and held it up for everyone to see. "I've been wearing a hidden body camera since the day we checked into this hotel. It recorded every single second of how Britney broke into my room last night and staged this entire setup."