The Apex Oracle

"Teaching without a license puts kids at risk. If my son doesn't get into college, I'll make sure you pay for it!"Three days before the SATs, Kendra Hodge took a screenshot of the parents pooling money to buy me fruit and used it as evidence.Then she brought more than a dozen families with her to formally report me for running an illegal tutoring business...."Alynna Dawson, quit hiding in there! You're giving us an answer today!"With that shout, the front door to my apartment flew open.Thirty-three high school seniors who had been hunched over practice tests looked up in alarm. Pens clattered to the floor.Kendra stood in the doorway with her hands planted on her hips. Behind her were several uniformed city officials."That's her!" Kendra pointed straight at me. "She's running an illegal tutoring program out of her apartment and brainwashing our kids!"The official in charge, Damon Pierce, stepped forward, his expression stern. He pulled out a formal complaint and slappe

There were only seventy-two hours left until the SATs, yet the homeowners' group chat for Willow Creek was practically celebrating.Kendra posted a screenshot of the $50,000 transfer she'd received from me the day before.[Everyone, this is what happens when the parents in our community band together and use their brains to defeat someone trying to take advantage of us! The only way to deal with a scammer like Alynna Dawson is to use the law against her!]A flood of thumbs-up emojis immediately followed.Whitney sent a voice message: "Thank God Kendra took the lead. Otherwise, we'd still be letting that woman fool us."Kendra replied with a smug emoji. Then she dropped a polished-looking business card into the chat.[Everyone, listen up. Don't get too attached to that little compensation payment you just received. I had to pull some strings with people high up at the state level just to get this former test developer to agree to help us.][His name is Dr. Francis Holt! If we put

At nine thirty the next morning, more than thirty anxious-looking parents gathered outside the imposing headquarters of the City Department of Education.Kendra unfurled a white banner. Across it, in glaring red paint, were the words: "Top Student Colluded With Test Makers To Sabotage Our Children!"Several of the louder parents had brought megaphones, which repeatedly blasted accusations that I'd been illegally exploiting families for money.Kendra had somehow managed to bring in a handful of obscure local reporters and social media influencers. They stood around with cameras and selfie sticks as Kendra sobbed dramatically for the livestream."Everyone, that woman, Alynna Dawson, is a highly intelligent sociopath! She used my son as a guinea pig for her test-prep experiments!"And when her experiment failed, she abused her connections to change the SAT questions and cover up what she'd done!"Her story was riddled with holes. Nevertheless, with the livestream fueling the outrage

The City Department of Education's main auditorium was packed with education officials from across the state and principals from its top high schools.Reporters from major media outlets had cameras set up throughout the room, flashes going off constantly.The sheer scale of the event left the parents too intimidated to make a sound. The tactical officers seated them in the public gallery at the very back.The ceremony officially began.As the deputy director of the state testing authority, Christian stepped up to the podium and cleared his throat."Today, we are here to honor an unsung hero whose contributions to education in our state have been immeasurable."His voice echoed through the vast auditorium. "She is not only the sole benefactor and controlling founder of Launch, the largest educational nonprofit foundation in the state, which provides financial assistance to thousands of disadvantaged students every year."For the past ten years, she has also anonymously advised on

That same afternoon, after Kendra was taken away, police moved quickly.They arrested Dr. Holt at a run-down motel in a neighboring state, where he'd been hiding after fleeing with the money.The moment the police statement went online, the story exploded across the internet. The so-called "elite test developer" turned out to be an unemployed high school dropout. He'd racked up debts with loan sharks from spending all his time gaming, which was why he'd jumped at the chance to partner with Kendra.The police statement laid out exactly what had happened.Kendra had preyed on the other parents' anxiety and acted as Holt's inside accomplice. She hadn't just been the first to pay in order to convince everyone else that the boot camp was legitimate. She and Holt had also secretly agreed to split the proceeds forty-sixty.In other words, a huge portion of the money the parents had desperately borrowed for their children's last-minute test prep had gone straight into Kendra's pocket.