"Beat her to death!"
Everyone was shouting, and the scene was descending into chaos. The crowd pressed forward, a disorganized jumble of bodies.
Phoenix Golding's face went pale with fright. She never imagined that a simple report would infuriate the villagers this much. She couldn't comprehend the source of their anger and was convinced the Thorne family had instigated it.
"I didn't report anything! Uncle Preston, you've got it all wrong! I really didn't do it!"
Phoenix Golding cried out her innocence, a look of grievance on her face. She and Jacqueline Spann had the same thought: 'Preston Thorne must be bluffing.' She hadn't gone to Team Leader Lowell directly. The school district's vice-principal, Old Jacobs, had been the one to call him. She hadn't shown her face at all, so how could anyone know she was the one who made the report?
