Maya drank half the juice and closed her eyes for a moment.
The sugar would help.
It would not fix the larger problem.
Her safe meal was gone.
Her name had been turned into a report.
Her calm had been labeled defiance.
Her need had been treated as inconvenience.
Victoria’s phone began ringing.
She looked at the screen and rejected the call.
A moment later, another call came in.
Then a text.
Then another.
Her composure started to fray.
She opened one message and went still.
Maya could not read it.
But Lena’s camera caught Victoria’s expression.
Fear had finally entered the cabin.
But not for Maya’s health.
For Victoria’s reputation.
Ethan noticed Victoria’s face.
“Mrs. Langford?”
She held the phone close to her chest.
“Someone posted something.”
Clare’s head turned quickly.
Lena said, “Yes. I did.”
Victoria stared at her.
“Take it down.”
“No.”
“You have no right to put me online.”
“You had no right to eat her medical meal.”
Victoria’s voice sharpened.
“You little—”
“Careful,” Samuel said.
Victoria looked around and realized several cameras were pointed toward her.
The insult died before she finished it.
Maya opened her eyes and set the juice box down.
“Mrs. Langford, you can still tell the truth.”
Victoria laughed once, too loudly.
“The truth? The truth is you turned a misunderstanding into an attack on me.”
Maya shook her head.
“No. I gave you every chance to stop participating.”
“I was served a meal.”
“You heard my name. You heard medical. You heard no substitutions. You watched me shake.”
“And you ate anyway.”
Victoria looked toward Ethan.
“Are you going to allow her to speak to me like this?”
Maya answered before he could.
“From now on, I speak whether you allow it or not.”
The words settled over the cabin.
Clare looked down.
Ethan’s mouth tightened.
Samuel nodded, almost to himself.
Lena’s phone buzzed again.
She glanced at it and inhaled sharply.
“What?” Maya asked.
“The first video just crossed 50,000 views.”
Clare’s face went pale.
Ethan stepped toward Lena.
“Show me.”
“No.”
“Miss Ortiz.”
“No,” Lena repeated. “You’ve written enough false records tonight. You don’t get to supervise mine.”
Victoria began typing quickly, then stopped and deleted whatever she had written.
Her phone rang again.
This time, she answered in a whisper.