Filed to story: The Daughter in the Shadows (Yunice) Book by Una Norris
Freya burst into laughter. “In that case, nope. Not telling you. If Mr. Wyatt hears, he’ll be traumatized.”
At the mention of Wyatt, Freya’s expression softened. “So he’s totally fine with you going to college?”
“He doesn’t get involved in my business.”
“Providing money for his wife’s tuition? That’s top-tier husband behavior.”
Yunice leaned in to sniff a lipstick, then placed it back down. “This one smells weird. Toss it.”
“Sure,” Yunice replied easily.
Just behind the glass door, Lily remained frozen.
She was listening intently.
Yunice is taking the SAT?
She was already in her twenties. Was that even allowed?
No doubt Wyatt was pulling strings behind the scenes.
Lily scoffed to herself. Why couldn’t Yunice just be content as a rich man’s wife? Why did she have to be so vain?
She was sure Yunice just wanted to compete with Elsie.
Elsie was a grad student. Now Yunice wanted to chase a degree too.
Lily’s mood soured. Yunice had Wyatt smoothing the road ahead for her. Sooner or later, she’d surpass Elsie-and everyone would forget about her daughter.
Grimacing, Lily gave up on seeing Carl and quietly left.
The next day was the SAT.
As Yunice requested, Wyatt selected the most low-profile car in the garage to drive her to the test center.
Roads near the center were restricted, and communication signals jammed.
As they arrived, Yunice reached for the door handle-but Wyatt stopped her. “Too early.”
She sank back into her seat, pulling out her test supplies and double-checking everything for tampering.
Thankfully, it was simple-nothing seemed touched.
When she finally looked up, something yellow entered her view.
Wyatt was holding out a sunflower.
“For a brilliant win,” he said.
Yunice stared for a second-then laughed. She couldn’t take the flower inside, so she stuck it between the car seats.
“It’s hot today,” she said. “You don’t need to wait. Come back when I’m done.”
Wyatt nodded.
Yunice got out.
Outside the exam building, it was chaos.
Parents were everywhere-some decked out in bright qipaos, both men and women, hoping to invoke luck.
There were tears, laughter, whispered blessings, anxious glances.
Every parent wore their hope and worry like a badge. The air buzzed with expectation.
Compared to their family warmth, Yunice looked very much alone.
But she thought about that sunny little flower, and her heart lightened.
Taller than the others, he rated a hand high and gave her a confident grin.
Yunice raised her hand in response, waved once, and turned on her heel, disappearing into the building.
Yunice sat dead center in the exam hall as the invigilator walked down the aisle, distributing the papers. The long exam landed on her desk. She flipped through it calmly, confident in every type of question. Three years in the asylum had not been wasted. She had kept up with her studies, prepared for this moment. She filled in her name on the answer sheet and slipped into full-focus mode. All around her, the tension in the hall was thick and quiet-only the sound of pens scratching and paper rustling broke the silence. Outside, the atmosphere was no less heated.
It was sweltering. The blazing sun beat down on a restless crowd of parents, each one more anxious than their own child. Some stood, others sat on curbs. None looked relaxed. Among them, one person stood out, overdressed for the heat, face hidden under a hat and mask, pacing as she talked excitedly on the phone. “Yes, yes, thank you again for preparing the cheat sheet! Yunice is definitely going to crush the test,” the woman gushed. “Good thing you spoke to the invigilator. With him watching out, no one will catch her. Relax-once this is over, I’ll take Yunice and treat you to dinner.” Though she kept her voice down, her excitement made it impossible not to overhear. Nearby parents exchanged stunned glances. Their faces twisted with rage and envy. The SAT was brutally competitive-every unfair advantage meant another child’s future getting squeezed out.
When the woman finally hung up, she noticed several strangers suddenly standing nearby. One of them, smiling politely, struck up a conversation. “Hi there, here for the SAT too? You look so young and well-kept; your child must be very bright.” Behind her mask, Lily’s eyes curved in a smug smile. “Grades matter, sure, but it’s really about the parents paving the way. Your kids only have one path: studying hard. Mine has options.” The others smiled stiffly. “Your kid must be listed in all the honor rolls by now, huh?” someone said casually. Lily gave a coy smile. “She doesn’t waste time going to school like the rest. She-” In her excitement, Lily gestured too wildly-smack. Her wallet dropped to the ground, popping open.
A parent swiftly scooped it up-snapped a photo of the ID inside-and handed it back with a pleasant smile. Lily snatched it back, eyes wide with panic. But it was too late. The parents had everything they needed. The image of Yunice. Minutes later, the group was gathered at the exam center’s main office, demanding a full investigation. They chanted for the test to be voided-for the cheating student to be permanently disqualified-and for her name to be…
Back outside, Wyatt and Jordan had not yet left. The noise by the school gates drew their attention. Jordan returned with an update. “Someone’s being accused of cheating. It happens every year. Nothing for us to worry about.” Yunice had scored well in mock tests. She didn’t need to cheat. They didn’t take the news seriously.
Inside, Yunice worked swiftly. She’d already completed one side of the test. As she flipped the page, she noticed something odd: the classroom’s camera, which had been rotating, suddenly focused and fixed directly on her. Yunice immediately sensed it. She glanced at the lens briefly, then lowered her eyes and kept writing. What she didn’t know was that in the monitoring room, a team of officials were huddled around the screen-staring, analyzing her every movement.
A few minutes later, four members of the inspection team entered her classroom. Two went straight to the front and pulled the invigilator aside. Whatever they said to him made his face go pale with panic. Moments later, he was removed entirely from the room. Yunice watched it happen out of the corner of her eye. Then, a replacement invigilator took over the post. They’re switching monitors? she wondered. So, the invigilator was under investigation. She lowered her eyes again and kept working. In an SAT room, anything could happen. She wasn’t about to let it throw her off.
But then she noticed something else-a shadow that didn’t leave. Someone was standing right next to her desk. She had been aware of it for several minutes now. Frowning, she slowly looked up. Four people were staring directly at her, arms behind their backs, expressions grim. They weren’t there for a routine check. They were there for her.
Other test-takers began casting glances in her direction.
With four officials surrounding her, there was no hiding the disruption. The implication was clear-something must be wrong with her.
As expected, one of the inspectors tapped his knuckle against the corner of Yunice’s desk and said in a firm, chilly tone, “Student, we’ve received a report that you may be involved in cheating. Please step out now and cooperate with our investigation.”
Yunice wanted to protest.
She hadn’t cheated.
But glancing from the officials to the rest of the room, she understood that now wasn’t the time to speak. If she disrupted the other examinees, she’d risk disqualification no matter what. She wouldn’t even get the chance to defend herself.
With deliberate calm, she stood up.
Her eyes flicked toward the pages she hadn’t yet answered-two sides left, a reading comprehension and the essay prompt.
As she followed the inspection team out, she silently calculated how much time she’d need to finish.
Her test tools were confiscated as well. All that remained was a half-finished answer sheet lying flat on her desk.
They led her into an administrative room under surveillance. Cameras recorded everything for documentation. Some officials examined her supplies-pens, erasers, and scrap paper-while others turned their attention to her directly.
They checked her ears for hidden earpieces, her mouth and teeth for transmitters, her limbs and waistband for concealed signals. Every accessory was removed.
But Yunice wore no jewelry, no watch, no glasses.
Nothing.
They found nothing.
Through it all, she remained utterly composed.
The inspectors couldn’t help but admire her self-possession. Most examinees caught in this situation broke into cold sweats or babbled nervously. But she hadn’t said a word-hadn’t flinched once.