Chapter 2

Yvette posted her prank announcement on a public social media account.

At 10:30 that night, I came across the post while scrolling.

The caption read: [The internet's first firefighter prank video. Tonight at 7:00. Don't miss it. Everyone involved is already in position.]

The photos showed a full view of the equipment they had set up inside the apartment, along with a photoshopped 'cast and crew' list. Everyone's name was there, along with their assigned role.

My name, Janet Chapman, was listed under: [Special thanks: location coordination]

The comments were already blowing up.

[Seriously? Aren't you guys afraid this could get out of hand? You could even get arrested!]

Yvette replied almost instantly: [Come on, we're just having fun. Besides, maybe the firefighters will think it's funny too.]

[Where exactly is this happening? I want to come watch the livestream.]

One of our friends who had grown up with us posted the apartment complex and building location without a second thought: [Near Kensington Road. If you want to come watch the chaos, find your own way here.]

[Isn't this going too far? You're messing with emergency services…]

Yoel Harris jumped in to defend themselves: [We're graduating soon. We're not little kids and we know where the line is. And besides, we're helping the firefighters make content. Free publicity for a good cause. Get it?]

My eyes locked on the screenshot of the 'cast and crew' list.

Janet Chapman.

Yet I had not taken part in a single part of the planning.

I took a screenshot of every post, every photo, and every interaction in the comments. Then I saved everything into a folder labeled 'Evidence'.

After that, I called the apartment management office. "Hi. Someone is planning to set off stage smoke bombs inside the apartment around three this morning to trigger the fire alarm as a prank on the firefighters."

The property manager on duty sounded completely unconcerned.

"Oh, you mean that? Ms. Larson already told me about it this afternoon. She said they were filming a short video and just wanted to trigger the hallway smoke detectors. The smoke bombs don't produce actual flames, so there's no risk of a real fire."

I frowned. "She told you about it, and you approved it? Do you understand that triggering a fire alarm means evacuating the entire building?"

His lazy tone immediately turned irritated. "Oh, come on. You young people just like fooling around. There isn't a real fire. Once the firefighters get here, they'll take one look and know what's going on."

Then his tone shifted. There was something almost mocking in his voice.

"I heard from Ms. Larson that you had a fight with your boyfriend? You two are having relationship problems. Can you please leave the property management office out of it? We're busy enough as it is."

He emphasized the words 'relationship problems' like he was enjoying himself.

I closed my eyes for a moment. Then, I looked at my phone, which was still recording.

My voice turned icy. "So, you're saying that you know someone is deliberately triggering the fire alarm in this apartment complex, and as the manager on duty, you're choosing not to intervene, report it, or stop it?"

"Hey, young lady, watch your tone…"

"Okay. I understand." I hung up and saved the recording.

My second call was to the fire department's public information line.

The operator sounded much more serious. She carefully recorded everything I told her: the address, the estimated time, the number of people involved, and the items they planned to use.

In the end, she advised me to preserve my evidence and stay away from the scene. She also said she would pass the information along to the local fire station.

"If the situation actually gets out of control, call 911 immediately. However, please don't call repeatedly just to check whether anything has happened, and don't tie up an emergency line."

"Understood. Thank you."

Two phone calls, and I had recorded both from start to finish.

In my previous life, I had done everything I could to get the property management office involved. This time, I was only collecting evidence. When I was done, I turned off the lights and sat alone in the darkness.

The group chat started buzzing again.

Shane tagged me: [@Janet, you don't want to participate, whatever. But you actually reported us to management?]

The chat erupted instantly.

[Janet, seriously? Was that necessary?]

[Yvette just wanted a graduation memory. How can Janet be so cruel?]

[She's too scared to join in, so now she wants to ruin it for everyone else.]

I stared at those messages. Little by little, my chest grew colder.

A moment later, Yvette sent a voice message. She was crying so hard that she could barely catch her breath.

"Janet, what did I ever do to you? Why do you have to target me like this? I just want to give everyone a special memory before graduation. Why do you wanna ruin it?

"I stayed up for several nights working on this plan. I already paid for the equipment rental, and I spent money on the promotion too. And now, just because you reported us, everything we worked on is wasted!"

The group immediately filled with messages comforting her.

[Yvette, don't cry. You didn't do anything wrong. We're with you!]

The final message in the group came from Shane.

[No matter what happens, we're going ahead at 3:00 am. Anyone who wants to come, come. Anyone who doesn't, don't bother showing your face around us again.]

Seven people replied in a neat row.

[Got it.]

I did not reply. I turned off my phone.

Outside my window, the city sat silent beneath the darkness. In three hours, the fire alarm in this building would scream into the night. This time, I was only going to watch.