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.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG4TXvfKVmm
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.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5GwSOYxDFC
No one sat near the center.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI7tqq9c7wE
Jabari stood at the front of the room, back straight, the cracked ledger box in one hand.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUSeKCfGwIR
He didn’t shout.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNzkN33eNLn
“You all saw what Mercy did.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZA4looiwZO
Silence.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFjZ4KzZjO2
“She used our stories. Our fractures. She drowned us in our own past.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKGlf1Hg8O4
He placed the box down — loudly.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAeFlW1xcyW
“So, this time… we drown her in it.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHZApA1n1wF
He scanned both sides of the room.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA2Oa0r5lha
“We have word Naomi’s side is moving — quietly. They’ve offered a containment pact.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQHOmVDuLHq
A few gasps. One laugh — quickly hushed.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr2QAzlUMtV
Jabari continued.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSNVlYyUnaL
“This isn’t an alliance for peace. This is a trap.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc4PL3ORcNw
He walked to the chalkboard and drew a quick diagram: the chapel crypt, the drainage lines, the tunnel forks.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡujJp1vt4P4
“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.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGbqvfJRHOB
Kwame wasn’t present.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlbzKlI64am
But Otieno was — arms folded, expression blank.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcgNwQ2JBO3
Ayo muttered under his breath, “He won’t like this.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8DhIA2s9IQ
Juma asked sharply, “So we do Naomi’s cleanup?”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxex8HV7wox
Jabari looked him straight in the eyes.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsIyDjHz7n8
“We clean up our own ghosts. Naomi’s just part of the smoke.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOBVLnclbic
Musa stepped forward and unrolled the scroll — Naomi’s signed terms, retrieved from the wall.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeF3seEOZna
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.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjx1SEtvxwQ
The final line:65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgCCTmojpkC
“No war until the wound is stitched.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ9dqJknhXI
A single nod from Jabari. “Vote?”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6bF9M7KaVh
This time, only one hand stayed down.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbj961dgoge
Otieno.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDP72CsnK2W
He met Jabari’s gaze, then whispered: “You catch her… Just don’t become her.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf3wbrDo4dZ
The moment Musa finished rolling up the scroll, Juma stood — arms crossed, eyes cold.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0fqqubNobo
“We’re trusting Naomi now? The same girl who tried to silence everything Mercy uncovered?”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6BjfYv6QzQ
The room went quiet again. Even the Shadow Walkers leaned in, sensing heat beneath the words.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcSCen1nvYE
Jabari didn’t answer immediately.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTTfagUBREQ
Juma continued, his voice quieter but heavier:65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS5cVBsa8nW
“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.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBBnm2lFmT2
Otieno glanced at Musa. Ayo looked away.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnrA9lqZUJ6
They knew what Jabari suspected but never asked.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb7B2PXhewP
Juma’s voice cracked ever so slightly: “I swore I’d protect Kim. Not just physically. From all this. From becoming one of us.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ99pcSLC0FZ
He looked straight at Jabari. “You think Naomi won’t use her if it means killing Mercy’s story?”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ25oiQLoMLT
A slow clap echoed from the hallway.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQCaplrRv54
Kwame.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzVtL2r5FxM
He leaned against the doorframe, shadowed, smirking.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDCPDujvhkf
“Now that’s what I’ve been waiting for.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9LWEfG5lxk
Jabari’s jaw tightened. “You weren’t invited.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDIJPsxPVUM
Kwame stepped in. “I don’t need an invitation to watch a castle collapse. Especially when the stones fight each other.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAFdbuFshg5
He glanced at Juma. “Finally, someone with a spine.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd87cAAGRe1
Jabari stepped forward. “This isn’t about Kim.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZg3Qr1qv4c
Juma didn’t move. “No. It’s about all the people who can’t speak anymore. Mercy included.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7mliLDaKU6
Kwame tilted his head, amused. “You know, I think Mercy would like him.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvpopQc2uN2
Musa finally spoke. “We don’t have time for this.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOjIhNr1TjS
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.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGwFZ78lsSB
Juma’s fists clenched.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpTdzSNiEMu
But he didn’t sit back down.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeDST8owhAE
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.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFmK3mudALk
Kwame leaned against the concrete.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn3MssnkFPz
“So. You’re really going with Jabari?”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvDDTBBqOrR
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.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqmoYMjSUPf
“Does it matter?”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn9JzIY0Zg3
Kwame smirked. “It does to me. I had you pegged as a watcher. Not a follower.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjHkRkE5SpY
Otieno stood slowly. “You’re right.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCU5z07u4gO
He turned to face Kwame — taller than him in the dim light. 65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7wW0cv8uHO
“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.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjv0hdAShc2
Kwame’s smile faded slightly.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXyxW5ntZK3
“She’s rewriting history,” Otieno said. “And you think you’re the editor. But she’ll erase you the second you stop being useful.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqYnXS9HZCZ
Kwame raised an eyebrow. “And you think Jabari won’t?”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe9UnYaDhgN
Otieno stepped closer.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyiNpUPSrdc
“If we help Jabari now, we keep Mercy’s revenge from destroying us all. Not for Naomi. Not for orders. Not for walls.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBbDFvJJh7E
He paused. “For survival.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDpsqhzmDoq
Kwame scoffed lightly. “You sound like you’re preparing for a funeral.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6n13ohz2QH
Otieno turned away, sliding the copper ring into place.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGv0WSQbhvS
“I am. The old war never ended. This time, I just want to know which side I buried my friends on.”
**********65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhOIYGxwiBI
The ledger crate was lighter than expected.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlaJSFxNKuW
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.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdS4v1Vp7qE
Jabari stood beside him in the hallway shadows. “You’re sure?”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWTGBZP0m3C
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?”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQvtA2XNsjg
Juma, standing nearby, muttered, “It’s not the box I don’t trust. It’s the gate it’s going through.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ97WryasEUe
Musa turned to Jabari.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6xOV84D8Jw
“Let me take it. If we send a signal through anyone else, they’ll second-guess it.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHHSsaTPSJa
He gripped the crate.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdzmqvkeX4r
“I’m neutral enough to walk through fire.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBJFICaTDVy
From behind him, Ayo appeared silently, holding a folded black card — flat, thin, almost forgettable.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi2GjKZIZPk
“For insurance,” Ayo said, sliding it beneath the top canvas.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx8LRLUQfZo
Musa frowned. “We’re not sending threats.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrnASk2lwW1
Ayo’s voice was smooth. “It’s not a threat. Just… a reminder. She needs to know she’s still being watched.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2kgfBX4NWP
“No names. Just the old cipher. Mercy’s mark.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsrNwC26eFm
Musa hesitated, then said nothing. There wasn’t time. Jabari was still briefing the wall runners. No one else saw.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfkF15ybpZN
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.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGQaFky9hI7
He stood still, adjusted his sleeves. Waited.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡts3cwQfVEP
The grate shifted open. Two gloved hands — Mary’s, if he had to guess — pulled the crate silently inside.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz06WcPVup0
No words. Only a single origami triangle left behind, folded from printed timetable paper.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMmO1AnqTwo
He picked it up, unfolded it.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu2pVlddMNZ
“Drop scheduled. Second chime. No shadows.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7A7h20qVFK
The plan was live.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQVIuijYVRU
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.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyfGYMEKjcr
Below it: one line in tight handwriting.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMiW1tay7i6
“She buried you once. Don’t let her bury you again.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbjn49VyLkh
Mary looked up at Naomi.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRPN2qzFMca
“Did you put this in?”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9H6TncCctn
Naomi said nothing.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfgi0Lc3XUm
Her fingers tightened.
*****65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡemdsqFsmwR
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.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo7rd3onGdX
The room smelled like old pine and chalk dust.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCM3C6t9gST
June, Mary, and Naomi stood around the crate. No one had spoken since the door shut.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi6Vwx3AimL
The origami triangle Musa left sat neatly beside the latch. Naomi’s hands hovered above it.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Fhde21WtF
“We open it now,” she said.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrfjoP7Xo5k
“We can’t afford another surprise at the Tribunal.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2kDP9PQl0l
She glanced at Mary. “Gloves.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBj6GOqdkO5
Mary handed them over — clean surgical pairs swiped from the chem lab.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRZSNSvZk8N
Inside, the ledgers were exactly as expected — wrapped, unmarked, blank. But under the first canvas fold, June’s hand paused.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV3MvDpbvsj
“Something’s here.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyKfnF9sImc
She pulled out the black card.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy4AF1I1kUf
The serpent. Silver ink. Old cipher.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdUkQh17KKP
Naomi took it. Kim read the line aloud:65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcFUtb5CnYi
“She buried you once. Don’t let her bury you again.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAHoW8gsI9J
A beat of silence.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpPqAsIDB1Z
Naomi’s face stayed blank, but her pulse visibly jumped.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡySdu8EyaXn
“It’s not hers,” she said flatly. “She never wrote in third person.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoeOUtSkhch
June stepped in. “Then it’s meant to make it look like it is.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8d2VUZxlgh
Mary whispered, “Could it be a warning? From the boys?”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡraKiNdjSXR
Naomi shook her head. 65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiVJusYYyDJ
“Too calculated. This isn’t warning. It’s planting doubt. Whoever slipped it in wanted us to panic in front of the school.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6VgzZ8racg
June laid the card flat on the table.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQCASBVgd2a
“We pull it now. Quietly. And we never say a word.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ84MRiQpiAq
Naomi finally nodded. “Burn it.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe0b2yg6cZA
Mary hesitated. “That’s a Mercy move.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOe8C0SRALo
Naomi replied coldly: 65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnBMzMUPKZF
“Then maybe she taught us well.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFGWwIIQjCI
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.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7SszdRkuBb
June turned to Naomi. 65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7a9Llrn06H
“When you open that crate tomorrow, make sure your voice doesn’t shake.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfbR1zJzjAK
Naomi said nothing.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy5pBTVktd2
But her jaw was set.
