When the first bell rang at 7:23 a.m., girls loyal to the order froze mid-breakfast.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiUXIHBgMqW
By the second bell — louder, longer — every corridor emptied into the courtyard.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR17BbwZPfV
Whispers flew faster than feet:65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgFAntYorKB
“Tribunal.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZMfIBeWozU
“She’s calling names.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk9k7uTbI2k
“Is it because of the video?”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIzwhD0q3EV
“Did someone move the ledger?”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeVzoW2FxjF
Inside the Assembly Hall, Naomi stood center-stage, hands behind her back.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡry9Bq6Eh2B
Behind her: two senior prefects. To her right: Mary.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz1jJW4h3it
To her left: the Order Ledger Book, unopened since Mercy’s fall.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj1GzwtwBCr
The girls filed in. No laughter. No chatter. Only breaths held under stiff collars.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Bq22agPZO
Naomi’s voice echoed when she began:65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK6d6PINvUb
“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.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3OU5hoJQEm
Gasps rippled through the room.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrFeDHfljZ2
“Each girl in this hall will have a choice: Recommit to the Order — or walk away.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg3NnIJ2Q5n
A hand shot up. Seline. “What about those who were never in?”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy711DlEVIg
Naomi didn’t flinch.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNAvazg3h0w
“Then decide who you’re standing beside now.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡprTTglOGi4
She pointed to the bell.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtAXvu9Ebgy
“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.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuh1DJqqmOb
The first girl — a Form 1, trembling — stepped up and touched the bell.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ9R7TUQQjq
“Amara Oketch,” she whispered. The bell rang once.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcQSaCVo12V
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.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWyUT1G5HZb
Naomi’s expression never changed.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDi3PKdFRm9
But inside, the ledger was already shifting — loyalty was becoming currency.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCKWpb6qJJY
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.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCw4l9xp74P
“Kimberly Diana Otieno. I came to listen. Not to lie.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnAQ6EPaUJD
The bell did not ring.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLN7HVNgL1e
Mary frowned.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt6o1SbGEt4
Naomi closed the ledger without writing.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8iJ4L5QzuU
“Some names don’t need to echo,” Naomi said.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu4OYrF7dPa
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.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN1kKioIgvy
Naomi’s voice is filled with unspoken disgust:65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7lLCEesoh7
“Miss June… do you still believe in the wall?”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXPNvVsLlr0
June walks past the bell, but doesn’t touch it. She stops beside Kim.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtyzmc82Cfe
“I believe in the cracks.”
*****65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtOhSQ7VwLZ
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.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfctBuODBds
“There’s a ledger being held by Jabari’s boys. Not the one in the broadcast. A second one. Still sealed.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcIL5UCVFQK
Kim tensed. “We thought Ayo took it.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTHUx75YIMB
“He did,” June said. “But he gave it back too quickly. That means it’s stashed somewhere, waiting for the right time.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuw035pV15G
Shiko asked, “What’s inside?”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA4B4MHPmmV
June pulled a folded note from her pocket — Mercy’s handwriting, unmistakable.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjKigGAW6QY
“Box 3 holds their fingerprints.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡViT2evOfRW
What they buried beneath your dorm.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZmSF5PI1c7
Who vanished, and who let them.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtVQ33dMn7l
Kim’s throat went dry. “That’s… not just old Order business.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC3XDWkyO82
“No,” June said. 65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQVzMuSyv6G
“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.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbyhjoB71up
Shiko frowned. “We’re not even sure what it looks like.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzqt8vf4t7p
June smirked slightly. “You will. It’s the only crate stamped in red chalk. ‘M.O.3’ — Mercy’s final cipher box.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWdf6BuGjtZ
Kim looked at her. “And what happens if they’ve already opened it?”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfnSrNGBMG1
June met her eyes.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNdAJHIvGcC
“Then make sure what they read next… isn't real.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0XHDBxuPsg
Kim nods slowly.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn4kLQR76xC
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.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ84Ly6G1mva
“Plant it when the swap’s done. That’s how I’ll know.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ73eSHjPcBR
As June walks away, she murmurs to herself: “Let them remember what we allow.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpaQc3IVHyY
*****65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIlhOQxAhsH
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.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRu6pMVz9IJ
“We need eyes everywhere,” Naomi said. “No dorms unchecked. No keys misplaced.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdHeC9WnVhX
Seline stepped forward with studied calm.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPn1T3wPsVS
“I may know where they're planning to meet.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpYjZOpYkhz
Naomi narrowed her eyes. “Who?”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlaU3AD7EMx
Seline didn’t answer directly.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQKqhrkgzdF
“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.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6qsDLnthhz
Naomi raised an eyebrow. “You think they’re involved with Mercy’s crate?”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPFBQDJhP9L
Seline folded her arms.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHqRZHI23rf
“I think if you want answers, send your guards to the south incinerator lane — just before dusk. They’ll find more than ash.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0EikYAOBAF
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.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡybtDhAaXD8
“We have six minutes,” Shiko whispered.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCS2t8dVp70
“Once the bell rings for sunset inspection, all internal guards get recalled.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqx51ar0vXa
Kim glanced at the marked fence post — red chalk: “M.O.3.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡenC6ruWNN4
“Let’s just make sure we’re not the ones being followed.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlczgQgmRWv
Naomi nodded slowly. “Good work, Seline. Stay close.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgOxwYIpSd3
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:65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOEphd2kthm
“If the bait’s good, they’ll bite. If they bite, I watch who bleeds.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz8ntYaz5eD
She never pressed send.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ26dlatCYxu
She didn’t need to.
******65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgkz40OOTJP
They came from two sides — four prefect guards, swift and silent, their batons clipped tight and flashlights already stuttering in the growing dark.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSWSw068hpF
Kim turned first.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡumcyoj3h3V
“We’re boxed.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbH8UV26fGd
“No,” Shiko said, calm. “We’re just poorly lit.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH3JvREHPES
From her satchel, she pulled a small envelope marked “Science Week – Safe Burn”.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqim3eEn0E5
Flash-paper.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvw4ynW7wYc
Confetti-layered. Impregnated with fine magnesium salt.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcw4qX1X98l
Designed for stage experiments.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYIk04I5HKf
She struck the match.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8eu0pnuVqi
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.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKyIiwcsV0g
Kim didn’t flinch.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡur5Zzq2Ha8
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.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBoEhKTUxwx
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.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDmAO4e2pWg
“They sent the wrong box,” she said, breathless, flashing her forged badge.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIvZa0z5bZc
“I’ve got the corrected archive.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqAsCWqU7AE
They looked confused. One shrugged. “It’s all sealed.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyEaSTMoM5c
Kim tapped the chalk mark on the side — slightly smudged.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN5Xa47gidv
“See? Rained out. Mercy’s tag faded. Could be mislabeled.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUc01fiXe1M
They hesitated.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmcz4zPL69y
Shiko appeared behind them, adjusting her glasses, calm and efficient.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCy4Uiv2K2I
The boys handed it over.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX3rj2KJ9KB
Kim wheeled the real crate away, heart pounding.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0pCwPqMz2a
The prefect guards staggered out of the light-blast cloud, coughing and confused. Seline, watching from the upper dorm window, narrowed her eyes.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVro00qYRT1
“You underestimated the quiet ones,” she whispered.
*****65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkaVRjg9fPo
Naomi stood at the front table, her fingers on the crate’s seal.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEWMFy6Th1v
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.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp2VNOiRV7S
“Let this end what she started,” Naomi said.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ18IBeJAALY
She peeled back the tape. Inside: a folder marked “Confession Index: Volume I” — filled with blank pages.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYAoU6P5hZC
Mary frowned.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0IOvF0MbsX
June looked to Naomi, whose face remained unreadable. “This isn’t the original,” she said.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWqkAyGpH0b
Then the lights flickered.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoHkSHYOQm5
Just once.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ3dWXLU3by
Not enough to panic. But enough to shift attention.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmKvDz1DNi2
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.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhuq5VtdsX4
Then it clicked. And played.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfiM38TKB3R
Mercy’s voice.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHxWn8YcLDs
“Nice switch. Too slow.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgrT0gpsVdh
Heads turned sharply. A soft whir from the old cassette speaker in the wall — a repurposed relic. Vintage. Protected.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtYcifuMAzr
The voice continued — calm, amused, in perfect control:65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrUfRKzrx4W
“Let’s not pretend this was about justice. This was about story. And I still write the better one.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwXz3g5yDkW
A pause. Then:65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhlJsYpvL1K
“To the girl with the sharp hands—well played. But you forgot something. I never left. See you in the crypt. Round two begins.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ94scfEFjYc
Click. Silence.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMlq9PdgKGX
Outside, thunder cracked.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxpnvsZPlGh
Naomi’s fingers tightened on the empty folder.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡleuEH5Qcto
Mary whispered, “She recorded it before the Tribunal.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzJwz5pa0Rq
June looked at the now-open ceiling vent above the archive. “No. She triggered it after.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFYUJzs51Tf
Kim, listening from the hallway, stared at the speaker — then slowly slipped the real crate deeper under her cloak.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcdX1lEg4tR
The war hadn’t ended. It had just gone underground again.
**********65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtpeUCmGLnf
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.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0BaevMHHQs
Naomi’s.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZsUaGIVF9G
He broke the seal.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0jZjYjBNdi
Inside: a short message and a typed formal proposal, stamped with Naomi’s name.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcvKqzR1paP
“Temporary Intelligence Exchange Proposal.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAH0uPwebQv
Objectives: Stop second wave. Contain ledger fallout. Restrict Shadow Walker expansion.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRNyRXeyHtp
Musa leaned in. “She’s serious.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYljhvu6UV2
Juma scoffed. “Serious or desperate?”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIRagsW74QW
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.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsBafPyd2Bw
Ayo paced. “You trust Naomi?”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKaPdV1goBk
“No,” Jabari said. “But I trust the threat.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvC7ViqUlQE
Juma added, “If she’s suggesting shared control, it means she doesn’t have it.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ81bv4pamBT
Musa tapped the table. “And if we say no, we’re not allies. We’re targets.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHuj4MgoN94
Juma looked around. “I can’t believe we’re even considering this.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPsuA52EDOe
But his voice wasn’t angry. Just tired.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTmCEB3APog
“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.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ93JUE1PHVT
One by one, hands rose.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3bKZZv6jPn
Even Juma’s.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjdDTfAXUA6
The decision was unanimous.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI7tr7qLsDv
Jabari scribbled a short response:65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCN2p0VRUmm
“Agreed. Shared containment.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzDLDsxIvQl
Our fire stays cold until her flame dies.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqSEeydNn20
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.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc74okjtsOs
The next morning, the note was gone.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMErkx9oAf4
And beneath the vent, someone had drawn a small M.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvcOQHUDWif
Then crossed it out.
