When the first bell rang at 7:23 a.m., girls loyal to the order froze mid-breakfast.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw4PEmq8Bmb
By the second bell — louder, longer — every corridor emptied into the courtyard.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡClgRtozG05
Whispers flew faster than feet:63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrKlcJXf2yr
“Tribunal.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1oUSH5YhIx
“She’s calling names.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBs2aO1htIk
“Is it because of the video?”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmwuC0VDYED
“Did someone move the ledger?”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIbsvgS0irv
Inside the Assembly Hall, Naomi stood center-stage, hands behind her back.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkm3RbzLEc1
Behind her: two senior prefects. To her right: Mary.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl6zBZvn2Xx
To her left: the Order Ledger Book, unopened since Mercy’s fall.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCHYDaGFEjM
The girls filed in. No laughter. No chatter. Only breaths held under stiff collars.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSMdymyP22E
Naomi’s voice echoed when she began:63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSmsNlRfkJq
“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.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvyJUXCuMpv
Gasps rippled through the room.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5p8AjcXd26
“Each girl in this hall will have a choice: Recommit to the Order — or walk away.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPiuxJ4rkJu
A hand shot up. Seline. “What about those who were never in?”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0JWzt9Q9IP
Naomi didn’t flinch.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn3jV3ZxPT9
“Then decide who you’re standing beside now.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2FDbmAjqzG
She pointed to the bell.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9irGMqQyfD
“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.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3BfyUjhwWz
The first girl — a Form 1, trembling — stepped up and touched the bell.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6k9oMnAyQl
“Amara Oketch,” she whispered. The bell rang once.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwaXKGlJw4g
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.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCDOVYYYEUI
Naomi’s expression never changed.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEpmQkvDo3P
But inside, the ledger was already shifting — loyalty was becoming currency.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsCo0x4XvTu
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.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO0ys96Ndet
“Kimberly Diana Otieno. I came to listen. Not to lie.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVUpm8t3DF6
The bell did not ring.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ88JCaKirG7
Mary frowned.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqpRzfZaPFL
Naomi closed the ledger without writing.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBft8XFWlBK
“Some names don’t need to echo,” Naomi said.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKtboSPzVDH
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.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjFQXygfBOv
Naomi’s voice is filled with unspoken disgust:63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdGvwNnaBiu
“Miss June… do you still believe in the wall?”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOncrNiaXgZ
June walks past the bell, but doesn’t touch it. She stops beside Kim.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL5dHpzMyyG
“I believe in the cracks.”
*****63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGHCiwTQy0M
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.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK98bR0r65d
“There’s a ledger being held by Jabari’s boys. Not the one in the broadcast. A second one. Still sealed.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhTcD882WK9
Kim tensed. “We thought Ayo took it.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ44JtWGaeDR
“He did,” June said. “But he gave it back too quickly. That means it’s stashed somewhere, waiting for the right time.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7mB8krLeq5
Shiko asked, “What’s inside?”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBEzWhkFvdf
June pulled a folded note from her pocket — Mercy’s handwriting, unmistakable.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7IX63zc03W
“Box 3 holds their fingerprints.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQdC1OOYE9l
What they buried beneath your dorm.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdv276S6Btn
Who vanished, and who let them.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9LepOBqllQ
Kim’s throat went dry. “That’s… not just old Order business.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQJn5UH7f0I
“No,” June said. 63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkIYtgdNyjy
“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.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCZqvw2gT5Q
Shiko frowned. “We’re not even sure what it looks like.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYWvj830V2l
June smirked slightly. “You will. It’s the only crate stamped in red chalk. ‘M.O.3’ — Mercy’s final cipher box.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXrl6jmuoSD
Kim looked at her. “And what happens if they’ve already opened it?”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡICVrXNfdz4
June met her eyes.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIye0nWrlmc
“Then make sure what they read next… isn't real.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSwzTUsKPMV
Kim nods slowly.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPwl3NsPRpd
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.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV0lr0Iq3A4
“Plant it when the swap’s done. That’s how I’ll know.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtzrF7VP70b
As June walks away, she murmurs to herself: “Let them remember what we allow.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAzT8x4oxl6
*****63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsQQLzTV7ut
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.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe1tzZdMqyv
“We need eyes everywhere,” Naomi said. “No dorms unchecked. No keys misplaced.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr1WbtrhCp9
Seline stepped forward with studied calm.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Td84iBbNL
“I may know where they're planning to meet.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHaIL3nut1b
Naomi narrowed her eyes. “Who?”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvomCzDGEBz
Seline didn’t answer directly.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcaDhHuloDi
“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.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsk0e8K4Iv4
Naomi raised an eyebrow. “You think they’re involved with Mercy’s crate?”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrk1fx0PBvj
Seline folded her arms.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbxfUbgUx8g
“I think if you want answers, send your guards to the south incinerator lane — just before dusk. They’ll find more than ash.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuCtjN7cTNb
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.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9fZd6tQkxw
“We have six minutes,” Shiko whispered.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBDDIBTYoYK
“Once the bell rings for sunset inspection, all internal guards get recalled.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS8YA0nE8Mc
Kim glanced at the marked fence post — red chalk: “M.O.3.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQP7W0SeCZS
“Let’s just make sure we’re not the ones being followed.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX28JKAKXQ7
Naomi nodded slowly. “Good work, Seline. Stay close.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOl1Ha4Au6h
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:63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLPF0h1jdN4
“If the bait’s good, they’ll bite. If they bite, I watch who bleeds.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeD8QJqLKMt
She never pressed send.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4EuXDWHzHg
She didn’t need to.
******63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4KmVNFNYb6
They came from two sides — four prefect guards, swift and silent, their batons clipped tight and flashlights already stuttering in the growing dark.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIMUeQt0dUu
Kim turned first.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQCN5YowvHX
“We’re boxed.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTz9y4yzSUg
“No,” Shiko said, calm. “We’re just poorly lit.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfW7ooeAhdj
From her satchel, she pulled a small envelope marked “Science Week – Safe Burn”.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJIHkO6kgbV
Flash-paper.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4jjSGXBMi1
Confetti-layered. Impregnated with fine magnesium salt.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9TkZlX4ePV
Designed for stage experiments.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ERihCiYl9
She struck the match.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6z3uZjtWMF
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.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe0fUqUI34I
Kim didn’t flinch.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZADZ77kXN8
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.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEgvFZN3Mfc
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.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHJuW34hvOL
“They sent the wrong box,” she said, breathless, flashing her forged badge.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkLlPtoBS1A
“I’ve got the corrected archive.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiei88yDDfp
They looked confused. One shrugged. “It’s all sealed.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIbShYpH4FN
Kim tapped the chalk mark on the side — slightly smudged.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsE6XDh9ewT
“See? Rained out. Mercy’s tag faded. Could be mislabeled.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgBRAVVHwAQ
They hesitated.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYEP1fGAZdN
Shiko appeared behind them, adjusting her glasses, calm and efficient.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoIEtimBjXw
The boys handed it over.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcKYRC5JXRE
Kim wheeled the real crate away, heart pounding.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡihMMRnoh5Y
The prefect guards staggered out of the light-blast cloud, coughing and confused. Seline, watching from the upper dorm window, narrowed her eyes.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsySO9L1ykq
“You underestimated the quiet ones,” she whispered.
*****63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLueNmTAvqS
Naomi stood at the front table, her fingers on the crate’s seal.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ97SdkbUoF9
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.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEO6VK1q6dC
“Let this end what she started,” Naomi said.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRx174zXqmc
She peeled back the tape. Inside: a folder marked “Confession Index: Volume I” — filled with blank pages.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOxlZ6pxjgh
Mary frowned.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiY3dZNuuhV
June looked to Naomi, whose face remained unreadable. “This isn’t the original,” she said.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjJWwBMkr5q
Then the lights flickered.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHDVHbVzFMA
Just once.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmdjKu6AC29
Not enough to panic. But enough to shift attention.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwVM3ZPRBlN
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.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfNpeNwubVP
Then it clicked. And played.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmE3dZbgS6h
Mercy’s voice.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2DQygjoDoI
“Nice switch. Too slow.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZPSAw2rpRn
Heads turned sharply. A soft whir from the old cassette speaker in the wall — a repurposed relic. Vintage. Protected.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSrlr2f6LWg
The voice continued — calm, amused, in perfect control:63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpPr2nteFfJ
“Let’s not pretend this was about justice. This was about story. And I still write the better one.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKIXdFDBykv
A pause. Then:63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRqaVJ8W7TM
“To the girl with the sharp hands—well played. But you forgot something. I never left. See you in the crypt. Round two begins.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGu2f37mAf9
Click. Silence.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJMWEiWadEx
Outside, thunder cracked.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyBEA1c5Rya
Naomi’s fingers tightened on the empty folder.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuaKOFFhp55
Mary whispered, “She recorded it before the Tribunal.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh7LiSnPQoM
June looked at the now-open ceiling vent above the archive. “No. She triggered it after.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaHIwj62k30
Kim, listening from the hallway, stared at the speaker — then slowly slipped the real crate deeper under her cloak.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLhRYwk5C68
The war hadn’t ended. It had just gone underground again.
**********63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4oAfrGRyN7
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.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwBif3O8YAb
Naomi’s.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBubqyHqKjO
He broke the seal.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS7p307w0un
Inside: a short message and a typed formal proposal, stamped with Naomi’s name.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzrJrdHxJD9
“Temporary Intelligence Exchange Proposal.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSpKcTwspKu
Objectives: Stop second wave. Contain ledger fallout. Restrict Shadow Walker expansion.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU0OYHFwkEV
Musa leaned in. “She’s serious.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv2Y0mRqJan
Juma scoffed. “Serious or desperate?”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrc5CvafG5e
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.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5g8GB9CFqM
Ayo paced. “You trust Naomi?”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRcLlg1cQlt
“No,” Jabari said. “But I trust the threat.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRyt7tmxQPf
Juma added, “If she’s suggesting shared control, it means she doesn’t have it.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvQIy8EEgDr
Musa tapped the table. “And if we say no, we’re not allies. We’re targets.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3JVeL3prrD
Juma looked around. “I can’t believe we’re even considering this.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1doLxKoOdT
But his voice wasn’t angry. Just tired.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVt6vYELhs3
“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.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLNgCmozboA
One by one, hands rose.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLzuF3SrMIp
Even Juma’s.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBZFpswYK4P
The decision was unanimous.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJkqdcilQCT
Jabari scribbled a short response:63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9bOKZs6u0N
“Agreed. Shared containment.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4RfI47UDG7
Our fire stays cold until her flame dies.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfbdmVveQra
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.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrZwdQorgkX
The next morning, the note was gone.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj9n5PkBVJQ
And beneath the vent, someone had drawn a small M.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo9b2yLOz5o
Then crossed it out.
