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.64Please respect copyright.PENANAQReDCRuA7A
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.64Please respect copyright.PENANAGcCtjjMZ2u
No one sat near the center.64Please respect copyright.PENANAkVN7u3zDrY
Jabari stood at the front of the room, back straight, the cracked ledger box in one hand.64Please respect copyright.PENANAT6PQ00EudE
He didn’t shout.64Please respect copyright.PENANA02XlkmIJak
“You all saw what Mercy did.”64Please respect copyright.PENANAOFhc4U7Pc9
Silence.64Please respect copyright.PENANAGqnDtSMNoS
“She used our stories. Our fractures. She drowned us in our own past.”64Please respect copyright.PENANA4rIhLbes4I
He placed the box down — loudly.64Please respect copyright.PENANAB9Wa4AESPJ
“So, this time… we drown her in it.”64Please respect copyright.PENANATlqGqFPIPl
He scanned both sides of the room.64Please respect copyright.PENANAZS44z3SPGi
“We have word Naomi’s side is moving — quietly. They’ve offered a containment pact.”64Please respect copyright.PENANAwZ99BuLHnw
A few gasps. One laugh — quickly hushed.64Please respect copyright.PENANAwTB2OuuWvK
Jabari continued.64Please respect copyright.PENANAuS9yWH8RJ1
“This isn’t an alliance for peace. This is a trap.”64Please respect copyright.PENANA62R2oB6bxr
He walked to the chalkboard and drew a quick diagram: the chapel crypt, the drainage lines, the tunnel forks.64Please respect copyright.PENANAMd2oWGvSrh
“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.”64Please respect copyright.PENANAEzbZ6POPHH
Kwame wasn’t present.64Please respect copyright.PENANAod8G5nxTID
But Otieno was — arms folded, expression blank.64Please respect copyright.PENANAWG8aTVZx35
Ayo muttered under his breath, “He won’t like this.”64Please respect copyright.PENANAfKNxWnNeLw
Juma asked sharply, “So we do Naomi’s cleanup?”64Please respect copyright.PENANAHi7haTP1Ei
Jabari looked him straight in the eyes.64Please respect copyright.PENANAgYxWh606wZ
“We clean up our own ghosts. Naomi’s just part of the smoke.”64Please respect copyright.PENANA58OxyOSpIP
Musa stepped forward and unrolled the scroll — Naomi’s signed terms, retrieved from the wall.64Please respect copyright.PENANAKVeoROo0uP
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.64Please respect copyright.PENANATNeSBiBi3U
The final line:64Please respect copyright.PENANAOSLOkvh5Dc
“No war until the wound is stitched.”64Please respect copyright.PENANAFbhyVOSMJj
A single nod from Jabari. “Vote?”64Please respect copyright.PENANAOh08uAA3rx
This time, only one hand stayed down.64Please respect copyright.PENANAMeSJt67n6K
Otieno.64Please respect copyright.PENANASOW36pgxec
He met Jabari’s gaze, then whispered: “You catch her… Just don’t become her.”64Please respect copyright.PENANA2nNXIHM0YO
The moment Musa finished rolling up the scroll, Juma stood — arms crossed, eyes cold.64Please respect copyright.PENANABmHZMeSmzE
“We’re trusting Naomi now? The same girl who tried to silence everything Mercy uncovered?”64Please respect copyright.PENANAm8t7WiCYkl
The room went quiet again. Even the Shadow Walkers leaned in, sensing heat beneath the words.64Please respect copyright.PENANA4Fa9jFhV4T
Jabari didn’t answer immediately.64Please respect copyright.PENANAIHDcvUKLzJ
Juma continued, his voice quieter but heavier:64Please respect copyright.PENANAniqb0esfkp
“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.”64Please respect copyright.PENANAUdMRPBWmc2
Otieno glanced at Musa. Ayo looked away.64Please respect copyright.PENANArar4xyxg9f
They knew what Jabari suspected but never asked.64Please respect copyright.PENANAGElTUnS0wz
Juma’s voice cracked ever so slightly: “I swore I’d protect Kim. Not just physically. From all this. From becoming one of us.”64Please respect copyright.PENANAbFErkCme9W
He looked straight at Jabari. “You think Naomi won’t use her if it means killing Mercy’s story?”64Please respect copyright.PENANAuFtpWk4FZh
A slow clap echoed from the hallway.64Please respect copyright.PENANA7QMwcH8Vyc
Kwame.64Please respect copyright.PENANAdbgJSyU3Iz
He leaned against the doorframe, shadowed, smirking.64Please respect copyright.PENANAW3N6pAv1IY
“Now that’s what I’ve been waiting for.”64Please respect copyright.PENANAongymJOEH5
Jabari’s jaw tightened. “You weren’t invited.”64Please respect copyright.PENANAxWgpXmExUe
Kwame stepped in. “I don’t need an invitation to watch a castle collapse. Especially when the stones fight each other.”64Please respect copyright.PENANASuPFgK3K3S
He glanced at Juma. “Finally, someone with a spine.64Please respect copyright.PENANAyZmp9cGL89
Jabari stepped forward. “This isn’t about Kim.”64Please respect copyright.PENANAfvqE7RbEIi
Juma didn’t move. “No. It’s about all the people who can’t speak anymore. Mercy included.”64Please respect copyright.PENANAppGVJKXWXt
Kwame tilted his head, amused. “You know, I think Mercy would like him.”64Please respect copyright.PENANAMrnAVRmbVe
Musa finally spoke. “We don’t have time for this.”64Please respect copyright.PENANAunTsihFhw9
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.”64Please respect copyright.PENANAkUAymWMsDZ
Juma’s fists clenched.64Please respect copyright.PENANA3Hn65EKRcg
But he didn’t sit back down.64Please respect copyright.PENANAB2GqtNvqit
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.64Please respect copyright.PENANAbXF7MXzaHU
Kwame leaned against the concrete.64Please respect copyright.PENANA8LB1liDXyK
“So. You’re really going with Jabari?”64Please respect copyright.PENANAruYLvBGwBq
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.64Please respect copyright.PENANA1pNSSeWsdd
“Does it matter?”64Please respect copyright.PENANAhXZlkns2Yl
Kwame smirked. “It does to me. I had you pegged as a watcher. Not a follower.”64Please respect copyright.PENANAjThnvpZkay
Otieno stood slowly. “You’re right.”64Please respect copyright.PENANANM76UtHGuU
He turned to face Kwame — taller than him in the dim light. 64Please respect copyright.PENANAUemqBhqsp6
“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.”64Please respect copyright.PENANAyzfafJD627
Kwame’s smile faded slightly.64Please respect copyright.PENANApRkUoc9vLW
“She’s rewriting history,” Otieno said. “And you think you’re the editor. But she’ll erase you the second you stop being useful.”64Please respect copyright.PENANAQWQvwzjMrw
Kwame raised an eyebrow. “And you think Jabari won’t?”64Please respect copyright.PENANAMsz9JePtsp
Otieno stepped closer.64Please respect copyright.PENANA2MTcTOr99X
“If we help Jabari now, we keep Mercy’s revenge from destroying us all. Not for Naomi. Not for orders. Not for walls.”64Please respect copyright.PENANAr8iBQGy5Px
He paused. “For survival.”64Please respect copyright.PENANAr7MQ4r3IXK
Kwame scoffed lightly. “You sound like you’re preparing for a funeral.”64Please respect copyright.PENANAe4tPfYXhrh
Otieno turned away, sliding the copper ring into place.64Please respect copyright.PENANAjRD2Z9Wrv5
“I am. The old war never ended. This time, I just want to know which side I buried my friends on.”
**********64Please respect copyright.PENANAwTXp5wI4Pn
The ledger crate was lighter than expected.64Please respect copyright.PENANA9x2cRSLADc
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.64Please respect copyright.PENANAemBwDEGDLN
Jabari stood beside him in the hallway shadows. “You’re sure?”64Please respect copyright.PENANA3NbSj7KAMM
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?”64Please respect copyright.PENANAPUEAjlySrk
Juma, standing nearby, muttered, “It’s not the box I don’t trust. It’s the gate it’s going through.”64Please respect copyright.PENANAPEdfYxGY3Y
Musa turned to Jabari.64Please respect copyright.PENANAzntiEQOdD9
“Let me take it. If we send a signal through anyone else, they’ll second-guess it.”64Please respect copyright.PENANAfk9m90mpzB
He gripped the crate.64Please respect copyright.PENANAUVoQOr3QzA
“I’m neutral enough to walk through fire.”64Please respect copyright.PENANA4Wc2ymoHbY
From behind him, Ayo appeared silently, holding a folded black card — flat, thin, almost forgettable.64Please respect copyright.PENANAAhVBFzUvci
“For insurance,” Ayo said, sliding it beneath the top canvas.64Please respect copyright.PENANAPuDxUimTP3
Musa frowned. “We’re not sending threats.”64Please respect copyright.PENANAut1IlMH23C
Ayo’s voice was smooth. “It’s not a threat. Just… a reminder. She needs to know she’s still being watched.”64Please respect copyright.PENANAtGvg2r9Amv
“No names. Just the old cipher. Mercy’s mark.”64Please respect copyright.PENANAXagyG3Nbrh
Musa hesitated, then said nothing. There wasn’t time. Jabari was still briefing the wall runners. No one else saw.64Please respect copyright.PENANAekor8n5V5t
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.64Please respect copyright.PENANA6NTtKxsNx9
He stood still, adjusted his sleeves. Waited.64Please respect copyright.PENANANlR6sRh5O1
The grate shifted open. Two gloved hands — Mary’s, if he had to guess — pulled the crate silently inside.64Please respect copyright.PENANAReme2W5RHG
No words. Only a single origami triangle left behind, folded from printed timetable paper.64Please respect copyright.PENANAKmCTAWu3dk
He picked it up, unfolded it.64Please respect copyright.PENANAElLCQHf234
“Drop scheduled. Second chime. No shadows.”64Please respect copyright.PENANAZcwYMoz3L2
The plan was live.64Please respect copyright.PENANACSJILkxyUD
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.64Please respect copyright.PENANAPlapxDqshj
Below it: one line in tight handwriting.64Please respect copyright.PENANAEatLwHwSvf
“She buried you once. Don’t let her bury you again.”64Please respect copyright.PENANAkZjqQMnvBz
Mary looked up at Naomi.64Please respect copyright.PENANANz83wuXvrP
“Did you put this in?”64Please respect copyright.PENANA4orX0qZBP3
Naomi said nothing.64Please respect copyright.PENANAho94K0Gzq3
Her fingers tightened.
*****64Please respect copyright.PENANAOjLe1mEt03
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.64Please respect copyright.PENANAWXyiBKdTDT
The room smelled like old pine and chalk dust.64Please respect copyright.PENANAvzGFqCrkI4
June, Mary, and Naomi stood around the crate. No one had spoken since the door shut.64Please respect copyright.PENANA1A04NlAIzx
The origami triangle Musa left sat neatly beside the latch. Naomi’s hands hovered above it.64Please respect copyright.PENANAXUrnpbFu5Y
“We open it now,” she said.64Please respect copyright.PENANAbbEuVkucuw
“We can’t afford another surprise at the Tribunal.”64Please respect copyright.PENANAtYax0PWy3q
She glanced at Mary. “Gloves.”64Please respect copyright.PENANA8nQByggG4D
Mary handed them over — clean surgical pairs swiped from the chem lab.64Please respect copyright.PENANAwKMvl0HG1e
Inside, the ledgers were exactly as expected — wrapped, unmarked, blank. But under the first canvas fold, June’s hand paused.64Please respect copyright.PENANAHbfh0AcfjG
“Something’s here.”64Please respect copyright.PENANAVZm2ZfUwRm
She pulled out the black card.64Please respect copyright.PENANAvz8KkdqRFY
The serpent. Silver ink. Old cipher.64Please respect copyright.PENANAciWIYWRpMG
Naomi took it. Kim read the line aloud:64Please respect copyright.PENANA0ccNbF10tp
“She buried you once. Don’t let her bury you again.”64Please respect copyright.PENANAizkw6S754Q
A beat of silence.64Please respect copyright.PENANAbw9dG5Z5pF
Naomi’s face stayed blank, but her pulse visibly jumped.64Please respect copyright.PENANATonrH1IeUt
“It’s not hers,” she said flatly. “She never wrote in third person.”64Please respect copyright.PENANAacpKO2378Y
June stepped in. “Then it’s meant to make it look like it is.”64Please respect copyright.PENANA8eytx2L9Z8
Mary whispered, “Could it be a warning? From the boys?”64Please respect copyright.PENANA3dM02Ec5Xj
Naomi shook her head. 64Please respect copyright.PENANASd0aceXR40
“Too calculated. This isn’t warning. It’s planting doubt. Whoever slipped it in wanted us to panic in front of the school.”64Please respect copyright.PENANAzuMpCqGNQE
June laid the card flat on the table.64Please respect copyright.PENANAU7mGXQM8qY
“We pull it now. Quietly. And we never say a word.”64Please respect copyright.PENANAnOFFuDYPUA
Naomi finally nodded. “Burn it.”64Please respect copyright.PENANAZuJJdA46B0
Mary hesitated. “That’s a Mercy move.”64Please respect copyright.PENANAr1Q9SiioA5
Naomi replied coldly: 64Please respect copyright.PENANA1HWqsGlSzp
“Then maybe she taught us well.”64Please respect copyright.PENANASgSXolecHh
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.64Please respect copyright.PENANAX6HbZqgCv9
June turned to Naomi. 64Please respect copyright.PENANAjbXXtbyKQz
“When you open that crate tomorrow, make sure your voice doesn’t shake.”64Please respect copyright.PENANArH3SxpNP4W
Naomi said nothing.64Please respect copyright.PENANAAaJfqjVVfL
But her jaw was set.