KingSilver I know I limit my chapters to 1000 words minimum, but if there are 1000 words written for the flashbacks, I will add at least 500-800 words or the last option, where I can just dedicate a whole chapter to a flashback.
Boreas POV
"Do you want to do the honors?" I asked Chris
"No, I'll just observe." he replied, "I'm Chris Ren, if any of you don't know, I hope that my name alone should confirm my credibility, I'm just letting the boy learn the ropes."
No negative reaction to him so far, if anything, I sensed no nervousness, but the board members did look around nervously.
"The reason I'm doing this is simple," I began, "We can't let this poison spread any further. It's already taken one life, and it was that of a noble child, and if we don't act now, it will take more. The academy is supposed to be a place of safety and learning, not a haven for illegal activities. And the reason why none of you are allowed to leave...well, it's simple, one of you helped cover it up."
A few reacted to that accusation negatively, but just because they reacted negatively doesn't mean they are the culprit, people act defensively over different things after all. Chris then proceeded to add some details to the case, like the coverup and the other reasons we have to suspect everyone here, as they are the only ones who can cover up the case, we then passed around the details of the corpse to everyone with a very detailed sketch of it as well.
"The school can handle a baron's child," the human resource director shrugged as she then proceeded to explain her statement, "The student who died from the overdose is the son of a baron and the baron in question is wealthy and has many children. For him, losing one child might seem somewhat disposable compared to his more talented offspring. However, he will still hold the academy accountable for allowing this tragedy to happen."
"I agree." Chris chimed in, "If we don't find someone to blame, the baron will come after the academy with everything he has. The entire institution will be affected even if the school cannot control such acts. But...nowhere did the paper say or indicate that it was a baron's child, Boreas didn't say it either...how did you know it was related to a baron?"
The Human Resource Director’s face paled, realizing her slip. The other board members turned to her, their expressions a mix of surprise and confusion.
"Well, I... uh..." she stammered, trying to recover from her mistake.
"I made sure that the victim's background was hidden and told only a few staff members of what happened." Chris chuckled, "I even met those staff members myself, and yet your confidence..."
"I can't believe you all fell for the oldest trick in the book," I said while shaking my head, "I had such a complicated plan in my head for the grand reveal, only for it to be done by such a simple trick. Like let me show off for once, drugs and murder are so fun to solve, and yet you just revealed it so easily, now we'll know your accomplices as well, did you seriously not think it through?!"
"Boreas, we got a suspect, leave the complaining for later." Laurel intervened
"Bitch, you stay in yo lane."
"Bit...did you just call me a bitch?"
"Yes, now let me complain, it's not often that I get to solve a case, even if it involves an idiotic person who somehow made it to this position. I was expecting the whole bald-headed chemistry teacher series long of a case, not like this...let's hope there's a better drug case next time then."
"Since when were you an expert on drugs?"
*Flashback*
3rd Person POV
When Boreas' parents died, he was handed over to his next of kin, his maternal uncle. He was only a boy then, barely able to comprehend the loss that had shattered his world. His uncle’s family took him in, but it quickly became clear that they viewed him as a burden rather than family. At first, he barely spoke, his mind numbed by grief and shock. His uncle and aunt didn’t seem to care. They had three children of their own, and they made sure he understood his place was at the bottom of the pecking order.
Chores became his primary duty. While his cousins played or studied, he scrubbed floors, washed dishes, and took out the trash. Mealtimes were especially humiliating; he was only allowed to eat the leftovers after everyone else had finished. Trips and family outings never included him. On more than one occasion, he was left alone at home for days, given a single bag of fast food and strict instructions not to touch the fridge or anything else in the house.
The isolation was the worst. They accused him of things he hadn’t done, like eating food that went missing or misplacing items around the house. No one believed him when he denied it. At night, he was initially allowed to sleep in the basement, but that changed when his uncle decided to remodel it after receiving his parents' inheritance. The money, meant for his care, was instead used to upgrade their lifestyle.
The court decided that as Boreas' parents did not have a will, and the judge decided to divide it evenly between the family, no family relatives argued against it. Boreas didn't either as he was silenced by his uncle.
They moved him to a small wooden shed in the backyard. It was cramped and cold, but he made do with what little he had as it was the only place where he could be alone with his thoughts, away from the constant belittling and accusations of his cousins. But it only got worse, Boreas was entitled to a portion of the inheritance, but his uncle and the rest of his relatives forced him to give it out against his will, and so he was left with nothing, no one took his side, and his relatives only looked at his uncle's family like a saint.
One day, his uncle’s family went on another trip, leaving him behind as usual. They handed him a bag of fast food and left for what he later found out would be a two-week vacation. It was the last straw. The food wasn't enough, nowhere near being enough. He couldn’t bear another moment of this neglect and mistreatment. He packed what little belongings he had and left. The decision wasn’t difficult.
The first few days on his own were harsh. He had only the fast food they had left him, along with a few snacks and necessities he had managed to scavenge from the house. It wasn't much, but it was all he had. The first couple of days were manageable. He walked through town, finding secluded spots to rest and eat sparingly, knowing his food supply wouldn’t last long. He avoided people, especially the authorities, fearing they would send him back to his uncle’s house if they caught him, just focusing on going out as far as possible.
When he ran out of food, he tried scavenging for food, picking through trash bins, and searching for anything edible. It was degrading, but desperation left him with little choice. Sometimes he found scraps, other times he found nothing. One night, as he huddled under an overpass, he encountered a group of older kids, runaways, and street kids like himself. He tried to avoid them, but he soon got surrounded.
"Got any food?” one of them asked while stepping closer
“No. Nothing.” He shook his head and instinctively stepped back.
They searched him anyway, taking the last of what little he had. One of them shoved him, and he fell, scraping his palms on the rough pavement. Laughter echoed around him, cruel and mocking, as they walked away, leaving him more alone than ever. He then continued to scavenge for food and even resorted to begging. But people mostly ignored him. He felt invisible.
One afternoon, while wandering near a market, he saw police officers patrolling. His heart pounded in his chest, and he ducked into an alley, trying to stay out of sight. But it was too late as one of the officers had spotted him.
“Hey, kid! Stop right there!” the officer called out
Panic surged through him. He ran, weaving through the narrow alleys, but the officers were faster. They caught up to him, and one grabbed his arm, holding him firmly.
“Let me go!” he yelled
Fear tightened his throat as they later took him to the station. There, they contacted his uncle. The wait was excruciating, each minute stretching into an eternity. Eventually, his uncle arrived, cutting their trip short to come get him. The car ride home was silent and when they reached the house, his uncle’s anger exploded.
“How dare you embarrass us like this!” he shouted. “Do you have any idea the trouble you’ve caused? We had to come back early because of you!”
“After everything we’ve done for you, this is how you repay us?” his aunt joined in
He stood there, silent, absorbing their rage, knowing that nothing he said would make a difference. He had dared to hope for a better life, but now he was back in the same place he had fought so hard to escape. The shed in the backyard seemed smaller and colder than ever that night. As he lay there, he vowed to himself that one day, he would leave for good, and never come back. He just had to survive until then. No matter what he had to do...he will do it.
KingSilver I know I limit my chapters to 1000 words minimum, but if there are 1000 words written for the flashbacks, I will add at least 500-800 words or the last option, where I can just dedicate a whole chapter to a flashback.
Boreas POV
"Do you want to do the honors?" I asked Chris
"No, I'll just observe." he replied, "I'm Chris Ren, if any of you don't know, I hope that my name alone should confirm my credibility, I'm just letting the boy learn the ropes."
No negative reaction to him so far, if anything, I sensed no nervousness, but the board members did look around nervously.
"The reason I'm doing this is simple," I began, "We can't let this poison spread any further. It's already taken one life, and it was that of a noble child, and if we don't act now, it will take more. The academy is supposed to be a place of safety and learning, not a haven for illegal activities. And the reason why none of you are allowed to leave...well, it's simple, one of you helped cover it up."
A few reacted to that accusation negatively, but just because they reacted negatively doesn't mean they are the culprit, people act defensively over different things after all. Chris then proceeded to add some details to the case, like the coverup and the other reasons we have to suspect everyone here, as they are the only ones who can cover up the case, we then passed around the details of the corpse to everyone with a very detailed sketch of it as well.
"The school can handle a baron's child," the human resource director shrugged as she then proceeded to explain her statement, "The student who died from the overdose is the son of a baron and the baron in question is wealthy and has many children. For him, losing one child might seem somewhat disposable compared to his more talented offspring. However, he will still hold the academy accountable for allowing this tragedy to happen."
"I agree." Chris chimed in, "If we don't find someone to blame, the baron will come after the academy with everything he has. The entire institution will be affected even if the school cannot control such acts. But...nowhere did the paper say or indicate that it was a baron's child, Boreas didn't say it either...how did you know it was related to a baron?"
The Human Resource Director’s face paled, realizing her slip. The other board members turned to her, their expressions a mix of surprise and confusion.
"Well, I... uh..." she stammered, trying to recover from her mistake.
"I made sure that the victim's background was hidden and told only a few staff members of what happened." Chris chuckled, "I even met those staff members myself, and yet your confidence..."
"I can't believe you all fell for the oldest trick in the book," I said while shaking my head, "I had such a complicated plan in my head for the grand reveal, only for it to be done by such a simple trick. Like let me show off for once, drugs and murder are so fun to solve, and yet you just revealed it so easily, now we'll know your accomplices as well, did you seriously not think it through?!"
"Boreas, we got a suspect, leave the complaining for later." Laurel intervened
"Bitch, you stay in yo lane."
"Bit...did you just call me a bitch?"
"Yes, now let me complain, it's not often that I get to solve a case, even if it involves an idiotic person who somehow made it to this position. I was expecting the whole bald-headed chemistry teacher series long of a case, not like this...let's hope there's a better drug case next time then."
"Since when were you an expert on drugs?"
*Flashback*
3rd Person POV
When Boreas' parents died, he was handed over to his next of kin, his maternal uncle. He was only a boy then, barely able to comprehend the loss that had shattered his world. His uncle’s family took him in, but it quickly became clear that they viewed him as a burden rather than family. At first, he barely spoke, his mind numbed by grief and shock. His uncle and aunt didn’t seem to care. They had three children of their own, and they made sure he understood his place was at the bottom of the pecking order.
Chores became his primary duty. While his cousins played or studied, he scrubbed floors, washed dishes, and took out the trash. Mealtimes were especially humiliating; he was only allowed to eat the leftovers after everyone else had finished. Trips and family outings never included him. On more than one occasion, he was left alone at home for days, given a single bag of fast food and strict instructions not to touch the fridge or anything else in the house.
The isolation was the worst. They accused him of things he hadn’t done, like eating food that went missing or misplacing items around the house. No one believed him when he denied it. At night, he was initially allowed to sleep in the basement, but that changed when his uncle decided to remodel it after receiving his parents' inheritance. The money, meant for his care, was instead used to upgrade their lifestyle.
The court decided that as Boreas' parents did not have a will, and the judge decided to divide it evenly between the family, no family relatives argued against it. Boreas didn't either as he was silenced by his uncle.
They moved him to a small wooden shed in the backyard. It was cramped and cold, but he made do with what little he had as it was the only place where he could be alone with his thoughts, away from the constant belittling and accusations of his cousins. But it only got worse, Boreas was entitled to a portion of the inheritance, but his uncle and the rest of his relatives forced him to give it out against his will, and so he was left with nothing, no one took his side, and his relatives only looked at his uncle's family like a saint.
One day, his uncle’s family went on another trip, leaving him behind as usual. They handed him a bag of fast food and left for what he later found out would be a two-week vacation. It was the last straw. The food wasn't enough, nowhere near being enough. He couldn’t bear another moment of this neglect and mistreatment. He packed what little belongings he had and left. The decision wasn’t difficult.
The first few days on his own were harsh. He had only the fast food they had left him, along with a few snacks and necessities he had managed to scavenge from the house. It wasn't much, but it was all he had. The first couple of days were manageable. He walked through town, finding secluded spots to rest and eat sparingly, knowing his food supply wouldn’t last long. He avoided people, especially the authorities, fearing they would send him back to his uncle’s house if they caught him, just focusing on going out as far as possible.
When he ran out of food, he tried scavenging for food, picking through trash bins, and searching for anything edible. It was degrading, but desperation left him with little choice. Sometimes he found scraps, other times he found nothing. One night, as he huddled under an overpass, he encountered a group of older kids, runaways, and street kids like himself. He tried to avoid them, but he soon got surrounded.
"Got any food?” one of them asked while stepping closer
“No. Nothing.” He shook his head and instinctively stepped back.
They searched him anyway, taking the last of what little he had. One of them shoved him, and he fell, scraping his palms on the rough pavement. Laughter echoed around him, cruel and mocking, as they walked away, leaving him more alone than ever. He then continued to scavenge for food and even resorted to begging. But people mostly ignored him. He felt invisible.
One afternoon, while wandering near a market, he saw police officers patrolling. His heart pounded in his chest, and he ducked into an alley, trying to stay out of sight. But it was too late as one of the officers had spotted him.
“Hey, kid! Stop right there!” the officer called out
Panic surged through him. He ran, weaving through the narrow alleys, but the officers were faster. They caught up to him, and one grabbed his arm, holding him firmly.
“Let me go!” he yelled
Fear tightened his throat as they later took him to the station. There, they contacted his uncle. The wait was excruciating, each minute stretching into an eternity. Eventually, his uncle arrived, cutting their trip short to come get him. The car ride home was silent and when they reached the house, his uncle’s anger exploded.
“How dare you embarrass us like this!” he shouted. “Do you have any idea the trouble you’ve caused? We had to come back early because of you!”
“After everything we’ve done for you, this is how you repay us?” his aunt joined in
He stood there, silent, absorbing their rage, knowing that nothing he said would make a difference. He had dared to hope for a better life, but now he was back in the same place he had fought so hard to escape. The shed in the backyard seemed smaller and colder than ever that night. As he lay there, he vowed to himself that one day, he would leave for good, and never come back. He just had to survive until then. No matter what he had to do...he will do it.
