Chapter 10 - JULIA REED’S REAL CONNECTION TO NORTHWOODThe bigger identity reveal was not Kaia’s martial arts rank.
It was her mother.
Julia Reed had attended Northwood herself.
And she had been bullied there.
Badly.
At fifteen, a group of girls locked her in a theater storage room for nearly two hours.
Administration called it:
“A prank.”
Julia never forgot.
Years later, after becoming a psychologist, she returned.
Not for revenge.
She offered to fund better reporting systems.
Independent counselors.
Accessibility improvements.
Anonymous complaint channels.
The school accepted.
After Julia died, the foundation continued.
Kaia had read her mother’s records.
She knew the history.
But she had not told classmates.
Why?
“I wanted one place where Mom wasn’t the first thing people knew about me.”
Principal Benton understood.
That was why he protected her privacy.
Until Tessa falsely accused her of initiating violence and context became relevant.
Even then, Kaia wished he had said less.
He later apologized.
“You had the right to control more of your story.”
May you like
She accepted.
Adults learning boundaries too.
