"Daniela Swanson, right? Your parents warned us. Said you've got a stubborn streak."
"Doesn't matter. We've got plenty of home remedies here. Cures every kind of defiance."
The head instructor waved that so-called "consent form" in front of my face and burst out laughing.
"Ha, see this? Your dad signed it. Your mom put her thumbprint on it!"
"They said as long as we fix that filthy temper of yours and get you married off nice and quiet to Bob Lambert, they don't care if we fry your brain out doing it."
The assistant beside him grinned. "Butch, this one looks all high and mighty. Be fun to watch her cry once the current's going."
"Start!" Before the word was even out, the assistant hit the switch.
In that instant it felt like my soul was being torn apart.
The pain exploded from my scalp and swept through my whole body at once, like countless steel needles driven straight into the marrow of my bones.
My teeth chattered out of my control, clacking together.
My body convulsed hard. I wanted to scream and couldn't get the sound out.
The second the current stopped, I slumped into the chair like a heap of mud, drool running down my chin without my say-so.
In the haze, I thought I saw Earl's face, gloating.
After a few rounds I didn't dare fight back anymore. I knelt on the hard cement floor like the rest of them, mouth reciting mechanically:
"The Codes of Obedience, the teaching of the wise ones..."
"Louder! Where's that grateful heart?"
The pointer cracked hard against the wall, "Snap——"
I jerked my voice up. "When parents call, answer at once. When parents command, do not delay."
Over and over I kowtowed and begged, tears sliding down my cheeks one drop at a time, mixed with shame.
"Instructor, please, I know I was wrong. Please call my parents and have them take me home."
"They said it's still early. Let us grind that temper down a little more."
I froze, then clenched my fist and slammed it against the wall like a madwoman, over and over, until it was a bloody pulp.
I curled into the damp corner, my mind blurring, and it seemed like there were noisy voices coming from outside.
The iron door was slammed open with a violent bang.
The old guard from the front booth shouted them down.
"Who are you people! You know breaking into a private facility is against the law? Get out, all of you!"
Squinting, I saw several people rush in wearing purple short-sleeves and staff badges, the last one with a video camera hanging off his chest.
"We're here for this year's statewide humanities valedictorian!"
"Where's Daniela Swanson?"
Through the haze I heard my own name and, by reflex, dragged my hand up with effort.
Butch, the one in front, froze for a second, then planted himself in the doorway, both hands gripping the shock baton.
"What crap valedictorian? Her? I might as well say I'm the king of heaven."
The words weren't even finished before the room broke into laughter.
"Her parents handed her over to me completely. Here's the authorization. We run a legitimate school here."
The camera turned on me. My hair had been buzzed down to a crew cut, not a trace of a girl left in me. No wonder they hadn't dared claim me all that time.
I shrank back on instinct, my face all tear-streaks and grime, my wrists covered in the scorched marks left by the current.
The dean's eyes went red. He reached a trembling hand toward me. "Daniela Swanson, I'm sorry. We came too late!"
The moment the video went up, it shot to number one on dozens of trending charts at once.
*On the scene: university admissions team breaks down the door and rescues statewide humanities valedictorian Daniela Swanson.*
*Corrupt correction facility running illegal school: valedictorian shocked and covered in injuries.*
