Anchoring Light, Chapter 1 (8 June)

[Danielle]

Introduction

Where do I even begin?

This afternoon unfolded in a way no parent is ever prepared for. It began routinely and predictably until the school called. The vice principal’s tone was grave and carefully controlled as he told me to come immediately. There had been an incident involving my daughter, Magan.

I imagined every typical teenage misstep: a heated argument, skipped classes, a misunderstanding. But what he told me next shattered those expectations.

Magan had entered her social studies classroom completely naked. No coat. No shoes. No explanations.

She walked in calmly, sat at her desk, and stared ahead as if nothing unusual had happened. Her teacher, stunned but compassionate, approached gently, asking if she was okay, and where her clothing was.

Her voice was low, clear: "Two of my classmates took them."

Asked if she was hurt, she looked down and simply said, "They just took the fabric. Nothing else."

There were no tears. No panic. Just a quiet certainty. And that scared me more than anything.

Because if it wasn’t fear or trauma, then what was it? Strength? Detachment? Something she had decided?

Whatever it was, I knew I didn’t understand. Not yet. But I would.

And this is where our story begins.

Chapter One: The Drive to Truth

The drive to the school stretched like a shadow. I turned corners in silence, the world outside blurred with questions. Every red light offered more time to worry.

Magan had always been quiet, deliberate. Not withdrawn, just... private. Even as a child, she held her thoughts like polished stones—too precious to give away easily. So this? This didn’t fit. Nothing about today made sense.

The front office was hushed when I arrived. The receptionist pointed me down the hall, where Vice Principal Holloway met me at the counselor’s door.

“She’s okay,” he said gently. “She’s with Ms. Carter.”

I stepped inside and saw her—sitting by the window, wrapped in a school-issued blanket. Her posture was composed. Her face was calm.

“Hi, Mom,” she said, as if it were any ordinary day.

I knelt beside her. “Are you alright?”

“They didn’t hurt me,” she replied.

The counselor, Ms. Carter, quietly stepped back, giving us space.

“Magan, what happened?”

She stared at her fingers. “They said I was too quiet. Too perfect. That no one knows me. So they decided to... change that.”

“Rachel and Kiara?” I asked. She nodded.

“Did you want them to do that?” My voice trembled. “Or did they force you?”

Her eyes lifted slowly. “Both.”

Before I could ask more, a knock shattered the silence. The girls—Rachel and Kiara—entered with the school nurse and a female assistant principal.

The atmosphere shifted. You could feel it.

Magan sat straighter. Without a word, she let the blanket fall from her shoulders.

Not to shock. Not to confront. But to speak.

The room froze.

Her voice was soft, firm. “You wanted to see what they did. So now you have. But this isn’t about shame.”

I gently replaced the blanket. She didn’t resist.

“They thought they could embarrass me,” she continued. “But I’m not embarrassed. My body isn’t wrong. Being seen doesn’t make me guilty.”

The girls said nothing. The nurse looked conflicted. The assistant principal nodded slowly. “We’ll continue this conversation with care.”

They left. In the quiet that followed, Ms. Carter finally spoke.

“What you just did, Magan... took remarkable courage.”

Magan nodded slightly.

I reached for her hand. This time, she took it and didn’t let go.

[Somebody]

Incredibly cerebral. This is really good writing and it has my favorite kind of girl, the taciturn and chill kind. I couldn't help but imagine Francis from the criminally underrated show StuGo. Both of them also spell their name weirdly, so....