When the first bell rang at 7:23 a.m., girls loyal to the order froze mid-breakfast.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfGayYbgJu2
By the second bell — louder, longer — every corridor emptied into the courtyard.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEYgDNdI0NQ
Whispers flew faster than feet:64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQBO987XeLv
“Tribunal.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7zQ9wiy1pV
“She’s calling names.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA8O1vsekO0
“Is it because of the video?”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgOz30QakMg
“Did someone move the ledger?”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdUl3Jpoqxx
Inside the Assembly Hall, Naomi stood center-stage, hands behind her back.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOcmyKMxJp0
Behind her: two senior prefects. To her right: Mary.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDXKZTwlhCH
To her left: the Order Ledger Book, unopened since Mercy’s fall.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxEdiZgzzhv
The girls filed in. No laughter. No chatter. Only breaths held under stiff collars.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMKjZvXMZzq
Naomi’s voice echoed when she began:64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUpsKAMGf0c
“There is a war over truth. Before we face it out there, We must decide who we are in here. I am calling an Order Tribunal.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBqE2nfhAm9
Gasps rippled through the room.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl2BhfgbnEy
“Each girl in this hall will have a choice: Recommit to the Order — or walk away.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzoktgKQZuS
A hand shot up. Seline. “What about those who were never in?”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡATv8J12TLY
Naomi didn’t flinch.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPPZAwTFp8d
“Then decide who you’re standing beside now.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcJtuG32MeA
She pointed to the bell.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8MywaCOHPG
“Step forward. Touch the bell. State your name. You’ll be marked ‘Known.’ Stay silent — and you’ll remain ‘Unlisted.’ Either way, we’ll all see who you are.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIEg5x85Swa
The first girl — a Form 1, trembling — stepped up and touched the bell.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzTRpgXR34H
“Amara Oketch,” she whispered. The bell rang once.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ30TbR128Gl
Another followed. Then another. Shiko, near the back, stayed seated, her eyes locked on Kim across the room. Seline stepped forward dramatically, hand brushing the bell with a smirk. “Seline Wanjiku. Still watching.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGw4hXWHphu
Naomi’s expression never changed.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqvMSxMaY25
But inside, the ledger was already shifting — loyalty was becoming currency.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS8ZITIevzV
Kim rose only when half the room had already gone forward. She walked slowly, eyes not on Naomi, but on Mary. She touched the bell.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUbd1qIsegg
“Kimberly Diana Otieno. I came to listen. Not to lie.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡADwyvft4zr
The bell did not ring.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Y6B2RlmuO
Mary frowned.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3KsCIBKpq4
Naomi closed the ledger without writing.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3qNyq2FkaE
“Some names don’t need to echo,” Naomi said.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkoBrWw9gKp
There was one empty chair near the stage — June’s and as if she was called out, the back door creaks and June enters late, eyes calm, uniform clean, face unreadable.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZaBEolcLa4
Naomi’s voice is filled with unspoken disgust:64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD3JF91obHl
“Miss June… do you still believe in the wall?”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFlLEFBmqLR
June walks past the bell, but doesn’t touch it. She stops beside Kim.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpjL2FipMBm
“I believe in the cracks.”
*****64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmTIfCJBER7
June didn’t speak until all three of them stood in silence. The air was humid. The echo of the bell still rang faintly in their ears.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT3IOYYHWAI
“There’s a ledger being held by Jabari’s boys. Not the one in the broadcast. A second one. Still sealed.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkAotS6Re0E
Kim tensed. “We thought Ayo took it.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX1X8reoHgf
“He did,” June said. “But he gave it back too quickly. That means it’s stashed somewhere, waiting for the right time.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2UUs9vOxq7
Shiko asked, “What’s inside?”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLAezXHuWlQ
June pulled a folded note from her pocket — Mercy’s handwriting, unmistakable.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSv2WJgkw17
“Box 3 holds their fingerprints.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH6SJUDdtuN
What they buried beneath your dorm.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgqrz5H382o
Who vanished, and who let them.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlrJqdaKnTq
Kim’s throat went dry. “That’s… not just old Order business.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMcfUE4kK4Z
“No,” June said. 64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi1KjJ0ubdE
“It’s a minefield. You need to find the crate. It’s in the archives wing on the boys’ side. Jabari’s men have it under pretext of ‘found records.’ You need to swap it before it's opened. Replace it with anything that looks like it.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBKhrKMidPb
Shiko frowned. “We’re not even sure what it looks like.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZg0lWIl5mG
June smirked slightly. “You will. It’s the only crate stamped in red chalk. ‘M.O.3’ — Mercy’s final cipher box.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiG9ZwR8aPg
Kim looked at her. “And what happens if they’ve already opened it?”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrCINi36Wiu
June met her eyes.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCMFsBiolfm
“Then make sure what they read next… isn't real.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1evxZdbCmu
Kim nods slowly.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡla8UQQbYK9
Shiko reaches into her backpack and pulling out a dummy crate lid she stole from chemistry storage and June hands Kim a paperclip bent into a tiny “M.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdgvK44D2tO
“Plant it when the swap’s done. That’s how I’ll know.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvIVZpi5MTW
As June walks away, she murmurs to herself: “Let them remember what we allow.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXr6iuPI9Ac
*****64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoBCsrdNkEE
Naomi stood beneath the frangipani tree, flanked by two prefect guards. The tribunal had quieted some nerves — but not all. There was still one ledger out there. Still one story too dangerous to break.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6vapsBQKwj
“We need eyes everywhere,” Naomi said. “No dorms unchecked. No keys misplaced.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL26EOCHG8H
Seline stepped forward with studied calm.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7m1XcY9b6z
“I may know where they're planning to meet.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ380x08TOQS
Naomi narrowed her eyes. “Who?”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaObqdBmpZO
Seline didn’t answer directly.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpW2Iyx3mZi
“Let’s say I’ve seen enough body language. Kim. And the quiet one. Shiko. They’ve been whispering too much for two girls with nothing to hide.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCeh1H6XBuv
Naomi raised an eyebrow. “You think they’re involved with Mercy’s crate?”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ6gs44OFDj
Seline folded her arms.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaBEagF3XCb
“I think if you want answers, send your guards to the south incinerator lane — just before dusk. They’ll find more than ash.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg6TT7K1Gen
At the meeting point near the old herbarium wall, Kim adjusted the dummy crate lid inside her bag. Shiko scanned the perimeter with a pocket mirror.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0NlERJn6iK
“We have six minutes,” Shiko whispered.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuHTlkF70rB
“Once the bell rings for sunset inspection, all internal guards get recalled.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBrAO5Hw99s
Kim glanced at the marked fence post — red chalk: “M.O.3.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl98jMuj8r8
“Let’s just make sure we’re not the ones being followed.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIF6b4KwVnj
Naomi nodded slowly. “Good work, Seline. Stay close.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6iOE1PAo9e
As the prefect guards jogged off, boots thudding across the tiled walkways, Seline lingered behind — smiling faintly. She pulled her phone from her sock — the one she was never supposed to have — and tapped a message into a hidden note app:64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMtDKxaMXl9
“If the bait’s good, they’ll bite. If they bite, I watch who bleeds.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMznxlAc8fv
She never pressed send.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6wjdjzmnBc
She didn’t need to.
******64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWPxBJLCyR5
They came from two sides — four prefect guards, swift and silent, their batons clipped tight and flashlights already stuttering in the growing dark.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ25h9yXA9To
Kim turned first.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd2xrEkE8aY
“We’re boxed.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡseEKzxjzBV
“No,” Shiko said, calm. “We’re just poorly lit.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9CsqqP1rWZ
From her satchel, she pulled a small envelope marked “Science Week – Safe Burn”.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSslkrM78Vb
Flash-paper.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKq2hF6bN3H
Confetti-layered. Impregnated with fine magnesium salt.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw8S7G7hJi7
Designed for stage experiments.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡohHQlGhBrD
She struck the match.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAcJwIOAZho
FOOM. A burst of white light exploded around them — silent, heatless, bright enough to blind the guards for two full seconds. White flecks scattered through the air like ash and stars.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡryCrF78R0u
Kim didn’t flinch.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLmP4ZiKSmV
She sprinted through the dust cloud, weaving past the closest wall and cutting behind the Hall, where the delivery crate — “M.O.3” — was being wheeled toward the west staff entrance on a borrowed AV trolley.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoEbB8F1649
Two tech interns who worked in the principal’s office were halfway through handing it over to the runner when Kim appeared, winded, bag in hand.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn529H3k6vR
“They sent the wrong box,” she said, breathless, flashing her forged badge.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡna4dfAsUDu
“I’ve got the corrected archive.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdyFYH5dzAr
They looked confused. One shrugged. “It’s all sealed.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTropnlKbFS
Kim tapped the chalk mark on the side — slightly smudged.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYOwB6OmS7w
“See? Rained out. Mercy’s tag faded. Could be mislabeled.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfJu0WZXG9y
They hesitated.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF9UsLvUd55
Shiko appeared behind them, adjusting her glasses, calm and efficient.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQCPgpZISVE
The boys handed it over.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyu02xnVIWS
Kim wheeled the real crate away, heart pounding.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHWKY6C3vrE
The prefect guards staggered out of the light-blast cloud, coughing and confused. Seline, watching from the upper dorm window, narrowed her eyes.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Ab32ntpNE
“You underestimated the quiet ones,” she whispered.
*****64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeC1kzElx78
Naomi stood at the front table, her fingers on the crate’s seal.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2mNYLujXhr
June and Mary flanked her. The Order Hall was quieter than usual — no full assembly, just a controlled group of trusted seniors. The rest had been dismissed after the Tribunal.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7zDKGAE64K
“Let this end what she started,” Naomi said.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡexvQscqFnO
She peeled back the tape. Inside: a folder marked “Confession Index: Volume I” — filled with blank pages.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIZwL9o9wxt
Mary frowned.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWtoGjVMaWO
June looked to Naomi, whose face remained unreadable. “This isn’t the original,” she said.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6jkU27kBDq
Then the lights flickered.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp7nMikBFJy
Just once.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ8vbY8K6sS
Not enough to panic. But enough to shift attention.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwjvAFhl1V7
A faint hum rose from the archive cabinet in the corner — the audio box used for morning address recordings. It hadn’t been touched in weeks.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFnB1RBxpO0
Then it clicked. And played.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH8pIJ9hA36
Mercy’s voice.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZzzjC5mHT1
“Nice switch. Too slow.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡet0C2huohU
Heads turned sharply. A soft whir from the old cassette speaker in the wall — a repurposed relic. Vintage. Protected.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJkkyKlZtzV
The voice continued — calm, amused, in perfect control:64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡod3BSlDdTr
“Let’s not pretend this was about justice. This was about story. And I still write the better one.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg8bKBENaBk
A pause. Then:64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrFinYXDe4k
“To the girl with the sharp hands—well played. But you forgot something. I never left. See you in the crypt. Round two begins.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSaAWqIuGjA
Click. Silence.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR5fKyBsu2f
Outside, thunder cracked.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuvwmEV5azA
Naomi’s fingers tightened on the empty folder.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhX0xIsLJhC
Mary whispered, “She recorded it before the Tribunal.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmpWwz1Kd0I
June looked at the now-open ceiling vent above the archive. “No. She triggered it after.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg26Thl1oyy
Kim, listening from the hallway, stared at the speaker — then slowly slipped the real crate deeper under her cloak.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhF53lFc2Bt
The war hadn’t ended. It had just gone underground again.
**********64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxmgY5xawkc
Jabari laid out the sealed envelope on the table. It had come that afternoon — slipped through the vented panel beneath the main wall, the one only a few knew existed. No name, but the handwriting was unmistakable.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj57ii9KPqm
Naomi’s.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJVSvigw0Ci
He broke the seal.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvMQFeIX4Ka
Inside: a short message and a typed formal proposal, stamped with Naomi’s name.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEL0ibF0A4g
“Temporary Intelligence Exchange Proposal.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwuVmZ9Qtfn
Objectives: Stop second wave. Contain ledger fallout. Restrict Shadow Walker expansion.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡboH5AoOZRT
Musa leaned in. “She’s serious.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡddjC1ajeUl
Juma scoffed. “Serious or desperate?”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi72qqZmCzG
Jabari didn’t answer. He was already reading the fine print: No direct physical meetings. Exchange via designated wall drops. Shared surveillance logs (anonymized). Tunnel use strictly prohibited unless both sides agree. All mentions of “M.O.” to be contained or denied until internal hearings.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ20K5Z3lxS2
Ayo paced. “You trust Naomi?”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaTRYiTAApz
“No,” Jabari said. “But I trust the threat.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtqHqjo1H9m
Juma added, “If she’s suggesting shared control, it means she doesn’t have it.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtJ5RSiSShl
Musa tapped the table. “And if we say no, we’re not allies. We’re targets.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ffUh6IHKv
Juma looked around. “I can’t believe we’re even considering this.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBLLJtJqeDN
But his voice wasn’t angry. Just tired.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn07U0w73ty
“She beat us. That message from the chapel? That was a declaration. If we don’t stand together, we’re all just going to be footnotes in her confession index.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCE72MA52b6
One by one, hands rose.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡodBJIefKhz
Even Juma’s.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXRRgcLor8S
The decision was unanimous.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDAA0KttVHa
Jabari scribbled a short response:64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVQzQAwWtdZ
“Agreed. Shared containment.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBdqBwQ3aoe
Our fire stays cold until her flame dies.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlec0T5ZDcA
He slipped the letter into a clean envelope, sealed it with the old Order wax-stamp, and marked it with a chalk triangle. That night, just before midnight, Musa tucked it behind the drain grate, the way they used to pass ledgers during term inspections.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtHvSwnCZcA
The next morning, the note was gone.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyevGvbSRXD
And beneath the vent, someone had drawn a small M.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡal92ei4OR7
Then crossed it out.
