In the Kisumu Boys' Assembly Room, a closed session in the late afternoon is underway. The rain drums faintly on the roof. Both Order loyalists and Shadow Walker affiliates have been summoned — the first meeting of its kind.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNc4c9lilUn
The room buzzed with restrained confusion. On one side: prefects, old Order loyalists, data-keepers. On the other: Shadow Walkers — code-runners, graffiti scouts, watchers from rooftops.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBOvSJIAq3s
No one sat near the center.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡySfo2Ov5YF
Jabari stood at the front of the room, back straight, the cracked ledger box in one hand.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZVcV3a1IT5
He didn’t shout.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRGBesKs9Hx
“You all saw what Mercy did.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡInVC8aoorn
Silence.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAHaRzsevfj
“She used our stories. Our fractures. She drowned us in our own past.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSBI3xfiBmk
He placed the box down — loudly.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsviG6ne4uo
“So, this time… we drown her in it.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoF7Y7BrYPS
He scanned both sides of the room.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu8FQLsy5KC
“We have word Naomi’s side is moving — quietly. They’ve offered a containment pact.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMYqf5rBBJX
A few gasps. One laugh — quickly hushed.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlgOSO8LQCg
Jabari continued.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgxtdwF2NLZ
“This isn’t an alliance for peace. This is a trap.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGwjaMpZ2OW
He walked to the chalkboard and drew a quick diagram: the chapel crypt, the drainage lines, the tunnel forks.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNt4HrXSNcs
“Mercy’s using the third memory drop — a ledger no one catalogued. We lure her into finishing the cycle. And we lock her there. Not with chains. With evidence. With noise. With memory.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOoQPrvlgiQ
Kwame wasn’t present.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4qopdjZJTx
But Otieno was — arms folded, expression blank.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJQv86SWvOP
Ayo muttered under his breath, “He won’t like this.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCvJv70KEMq
Juma asked sharply, “So we do Naomi’s cleanup?”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlEVOUBxMD7
Jabari looked him straight in the eyes.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXCUB9u2O98
“We clean up our own ghosts. Naomi’s just part of the smoke.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtyobLhNoRh
Musa stepped forward and unrolled the scroll — Naomi’s signed terms, retrieved from the wall.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1OiAMKJBGX
He read them aloud: Neutral crypt space during the trap execution. Shared counter-signal system (one chime = cancel, two = proceed). No betrayal until both crates are verified and neutralized.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXOIAcwsBgG
The final line:63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYyA12m4o3S
“No war until the wound is stitched.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxj48DppJ2s
A single nod from Jabari. “Vote?”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy514BV76wj
This time, only one hand stayed down.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmhH0mI0H5o
Otieno.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXrrkgT0vp7
He met Jabari’s gaze, then whispered: “You catch her… Just don’t become her.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRzmawcITnv
The moment Musa finished rolling up the scroll, Juma stood — arms crossed, eyes cold.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoBnItHFuzo
“We’re trusting Naomi now? The same girl who tried to silence everything Mercy uncovered?”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1DmSE7ruRa
The room went quiet again. Even the Shadow Walkers leaned in, sensing heat beneath the words.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsuwTRvt1CB
Jabari didn’t answer immediately.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6LlBpdGH5k
Juma continued, his voice quieter but heavier:63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZigWMOzdBy
“She isn’t here to contain anything. She’s here to bury it again. And if we help her… we’re part of it. We’ve already done one cover-up, Jabari. I won’t do a second.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl2YoGxGnIi
Otieno glanced at Musa. Ayo looked away.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtYFkIZb0Io
They knew what Jabari suspected but never asked.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeoS5XwHAnC
Juma’s voice cracked ever so slightly: “I swore I’d protect Kim. Not just physically. From all this. From becoming one of us.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiQwATsW9Mm
He looked straight at Jabari. “You think Naomi won’t use her if it means killing Mercy’s story?”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZpngDpvjUb
A slow clap echoed from the hallway.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzDYTUxzRsQ
Kwame.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBom35via1c
He leaned against the doorframe, shadowed, smirking.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLiZLzftIVW
“Now that’s what I’ve been waiting for.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgHCJAfhBqm
Jabari’s jaw tightened. “You weren’t invited.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt7GWdPHDQw
Kwame stepped in. “I don’t need an invitation to watch a castle collapse. Especially when the stones fight each other.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdoUd28v4C3
He glanced at Juma. “Finally, someone with a spine.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ6mvm68xno
Jabari stepped forward. “This isn’t about Kim.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW9o59cDp8J
Juma didn’t move. “No. It’s about all the people who can’t speak anymore. Mercy included.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVevt68vUd3
Kwame tilted his head, amused. “You know, I think Mercy would like him.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYOBtEBEK6V
Musa finally spoke. “We don’t have time for this.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTnX44mFaOK
Jabari looked at Juma. “You can’t protect her from all of it. You can only decide whether you help shape the truth or let it crush her.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKN9734Esgw
Juma’s fists clenched.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyu1G4hazQj
But he didn’t sit back down.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMehe8oxyNN
Later that night, after the hall had emptied and the plan was posted on the encrypted wall scroll, Kwame found Otieno near the water tanks, where the fog rolled low and the pipes hissed with steam.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0XFdzvqMRL
Kwame leaned against the concrete.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhVwK93w6IJ
“So. You’re really going with Jabari?”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvwckrpl6t9
Otieno didn’t look up. He was fitting a copper ring into the vent grate — a piece of an old filtration system he’d been rigging for months.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs3s9YBOBxB
“Does it matter?”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ60nzLtrBG
Kwame smirked. “It does to me. I had you pegged as a watcher. Not a follower.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwVGkB7nITn
Otieno stood slowly. “You’re right.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwF39vbSQtj
He turned to face Kwame — taller than him in the dim light. 63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcdriuYynV3
“I do watch. I watched what happened when the last war between Orders wasn’t stopped. I watched Jabari get blamed for things he never did. I watched you use Mercy’s name like a weapon — without carrying any of her burden.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCPbvbkT9QV
Kwame’s smile faded slightly.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBlMEWiDeS2
“She’s rewriting history,” Otieno said. “And you think you’re the editor. But she’ll erase you the second you stop being useful.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXImLWyUPqs
Kwame raised an eyebrow. “And you think Jabari won’t?”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuvrE1kbel6
Otieno stepped closer.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaiReVpAr9Q
“If we help Jabari now, we keep Mercy’s revenge from destroying us all. Not for Naomi. Not for orders. Not for walls.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr2QgbUHafY
He paused. “For survival.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡloYPSG6ddD
Kwame scoffed lightly. “You sound like you’re preparing for a funeral.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuudh0nc60Y
Otieno turned away, sliding the copper ring into place.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDJ9tjRRJop
“I am. The old war never ended. This time, I just want to know which side I buried my friends on.”
**********63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCYBubeKD6G
The ledger crate was lighter than expected.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3xAw0qnCbu
Musa tested its weight once more as he crouched beneath the courtyard arch. The M.O.3 chalk mark had been carefully redrawn. The false ledgers inside were wrapped in canvas, just enough heft to feel real.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrecwzF9MLb
Jabari stood beside him in the hallway shadows. “You’re sure?”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfbvBgH3ayZ
Musa gave a half-smile. “You trust me with a busted borehole and a map that doesn’t exist, but not a box full of air?”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGbTVMgL7i5
Juma, standing nearby, muttered, “It’s not the box I don’t trust. It’s the gate it’s going through.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ37lbtiNo2k
Musa turned to Jabari.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4MXfd0DbFh
“Let me take it. If we send a signal through anyone else, they’ll second-guess it.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRuYUfvmWZE
He gripped the crate.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ00IHvZ5ZbH
“I’m neutral enough to walk through fire.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4VQaqGXNFO
From behind him, Ayo appeared silently, holding a folded black card — flat, thin, almost forgettable.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDrx48Dqm1I
“For insurance,” Ayo said, sliding it beneath the top canvas.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTuTITQTQsH
Musa frowned. “We’re not sending threats.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBKag92q6lW
Ayo’s voice was smooth. “It’s not a threat. Just… a reminder. She needs to know she’s still being watched.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhccMDBmJAT
“No names. Just the old cipher. Mercy’s mark.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaAeJQ30p82
Musa hesitated, then said nothing. There wasn’t time. Jabari was still briefing the wall runners. No one else saw.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhir45UZAJv
At 5:48 p.m., beneath the buzz of Science Week cleanup, Musa rolled the AV cart up to the old drain-slot gate in the concrete wall.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxSHICvOUJk
He stood still, adjusted his sleeves. Waited.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAmcH0ng9Ak
The grate shifted open. Two gloved hands — Mary’s, if he had to guess — pulled the crate silently inside.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj9LdhjbGYx
No words. Only a single origami triangle left behind, folded from printed timetable paper.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRC5tDMlAPW
He picked it up, unfolded it.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuTdYbUG4R3
“Drop scheduled. Second chime. No shadows.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr0XbqYCge6
The plan was live.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfPNC7uqOLi
Inside the crate, beneath the false ledgers and canvas, Naomi’s hand paused when she reached the black card. It bore Mercy’s old cipher — a twisting serpent swallowing its tail — stamped in silver ink.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjIj5GMcpbY
Below it: one line in tight handwriting.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZa8ZqVIsul
“She buried you once. Don’t let her bury you again.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHlu0ztH4v1
Mary looked up at Naomi.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzWT4XQzzpd
“Did you put this in?”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWWL50CqTSS
Naomi said nothing.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxEEeoFBLLX
Her fingers tightened.
*****63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkgLUg1qPqm
On the girls’ side. After dark. Naomi’s inner circle meets in the underground storage room behind the old library annex. The crate sits unopened on a long metal table.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTSEyvXL4JC
The room smelled like old pine and chalk dust.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiEEMcTNfE1
June, Mary, and Naomi stood around the crate. No one had spoken since the door shut.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBRwk8C3YEn
The origami triangle Musa left sat neatly beside the latch. Naomi’s hands hovered above it.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCEhsG5YPYI
“We open it now,” she said.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx4B3rjdxcQ
“We can’t afford another surprise at the Tribunal.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN0yOXGTTUQ
She glanced at Mary. “Gloves.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEavIjuV1zd
Mary handed them over — clean surgical pairs swiped from the chem lab.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr2Zrcfywb8
Inside, the ledgers were exactly as expected — wrapped, unmarked, blank. But under the first canvas fold, June’s hand paused.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRETgaZYuaR
“Something’s here.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvXnnfenqgB
She pulled out the black card.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhvk2KaBebD
The serpent. Silver ink. Old cipher.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw18O1VeSXI
Naomi took it. Kim read the line aloud:63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2G4q1Qr11k
“She buried you once. Don’t let her bury you again.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbHcSjypZUJ
A beat of silence.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡme5V45vjLd
Naomi’s face stayed blank, but her pulse visibly jumped.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcBTyKh7wZq
“It’s not hers,” she said flatly. “She never wrote in third person.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡguoPfJysbY
June stepped in. “Then it’s meant to make it look like it is.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKKaevp4Mmq
Mary whispered, “Could it be a warning? From the boys?”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTECxqaDxhd
Naomi shook her head. 63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZZaOvu25oo
“Too calculated. This isn’t warning. It’s planting doubt. Whoever slipped it in wanted us to panic in front of the school.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Y2jBfFOlg
June laid the card flat on the table.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUBhCUNfnHN
“We pull it now. Quietly. And we never say a word.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCw1lAq1isR
Naomi finally nodded. “Burn it.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZgoHOIPN3z
Mary hesitated. “That’s a Mercy move.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcNpmrpxrc2
Naomi replied coldly: 63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSItR8FAlXl
“Then maybe she taught us well.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgoB7n8GCgu
The card was burning in a lab beaker, the serpent curling into ash by the time they were done, Naomi staring into the flame longer than the others.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBlY6pb7sei
June turned to Naomi. 63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡppIfnlAOPc
“When you open that crate tomorrow, make sure your voice doesn’t shake.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqX2MtfA8gA
Naomi said nothing.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWZIoOZk2Qp
But her jaw was set.
