Before I could step into the auditorium, a woman stepped directly into my path. She reeked of expensive perfume and entitlement. Beatrice Sterling—a major donor, judging by the VIP badge pinned to her designer blazer.
“Excuse me, I need to get inside,” I panted, trying to sidestep her. “My brother, Leo, is graduating.”
Beatrice sneered, her eyes raking over my stained uniform. “Not looking like a slaughterhouse worker, you’re not. This is a prestigious military ceremony, not a charity clinic.”
“Ma’am, step aside.” I moved forward, but she suddenly shoved her manicured hands hard against my chest, physically knocking me backward. The sheer force caught me off guard, and my shoulder slammed into the heavy wooden doorframe.
“Security!” Beatrice shrieked, pointing at me. “Remove this biohazard immediately!”
Two armed guards sprinted toward us, hands hovering near their belts. I didn’t have time to argue. I didn’t have time to explain the fourteen lives I’d just fought for. I reached into my scrub pocket, my fingers closing around a heavy, deeply grooved piece of bronze. I slammed it down onto the marble registration desk with a resounding clack.
The academy’s head of security grabbed my arm, twisting it sharply behind my back. “Ma’am, you’re coming with us.”
But as the older guard reached over to sweep my belongings off the table, his eyes locked onto the battered coin. He froze, the color draining completely from his face.
