CHAPTER ONE19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO21Z1qVcgn
Seline19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXZJwzN8CPk
Mercy’s help has been a game-changer. Before she stepped in, our investigation felt like stumbling around in the dark, piecing together rumors and scraps of evidence. Mercy brought order to our chaos. She showed us how to organize our notes, cross-reference details, and even nudged us to request access to old council records-something I never would have thought to do on my own.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyx43AbLAak
She’s always calm, always two steps ahead. Whenever we hit a dead end, she’d suggest a new angle or connect us with someone who might have seen something. It almost feels like she’s mentoring us, giving us the confidence to dig deeper and move faster. I can’t deny how much we’ve accomplished with her guidance; we’ve found patterns in the furniture thefts I never would have spotted alone, and we’re actually starting to get somewhere.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoiCKRpYfQ5
Still, Mercy keeps her distance in a strange way. She never talks about her own theories, just listens and pushes us to think harder. Maybe she just wants to see what we’re capable of, or maybe she’s testing us. I don’t really know. What I do know is that, thanks to her, Kim and I are working better than ever. We’re close to something big-I can feel it. For now, I’m just grateful for the help, even if I don’t quite understand why she’s so invested in our search.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrBjiK0co7Y
I couldn’t shake the feeling that the furniture thefts weren’t just random pranks. Over days of careful watching, a pattern started to form in my mind. Every year, right after the new prefects are announced in the second term, desks, chairs, or cabinets begin to vanish-always at the same time, always from different places. 19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm3ta7TYEsh
Then, months later, those same pieces show up somewhere completely unexpected: a library desk in the music room, a teacher’s chair in the gym storeroom, a cabinet reappearing in the art block. It was too consistent to be coincidence.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS8mTEzmGEg
The more I dug, the more convinced I became that this was a ritual-one with rules and meaning, not just mischief. I spent hours poring over old student council minutes and whispering with alumni. The stories always matched: the thefts stretched back decades, shrouded in secrecy, never solved.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTADdXQb2FI
Mercy encouraged me to organize everything-dates, locations, even the way the furniture was found. With her help, the pattern became clearer. I finally told Kim what I was starting to believe: what if these thefts were actually an initiation rite for new members? The Order of Hermes has always been rumored to have elaborate rituals and loyalty tests, just like the secret societies I’ve read about, where symbolic acts and secrecy are part of becoming an insider19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0N9FRHlFup
I pictured how it might work: a new recruit would have to move a piece of furniture without getting caught, placing it somewhere significant to the Order’s history or symbols. Pulling it off would prove you were clever, resourceful, and trustworthy-exactly the qualities the Order values. When the furniture was finally found, it would mean the trial was over and the recruit had earned their place.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnQNGDLF323
It all fits. The thefts aren’t just about the furniture-they’re about proving you belong. 19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd3GtlkZg66
I told Kim, “If we can catch someone in the act, or figure out how they pick their targets, we might finally expose the Order’s initiation-and maybe everything else they’re hiding.”19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnZ5yi2zL39
**********19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ24MCd7vzjq
June Mwangangi moved through the corridors of Kisumu Girls with a quiet authority, her sharp eyes missing nothing. As co-chair of the Order of Hermes, she was used to pressure, but this year’s initiation week loomed like a storm on the horizon. The timeline was tighter than ever-just two weeks before the term ended-and the usual calm that accompanied the ritual was nowhere to be found.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ36Czypzpx
The disaster with Kim still lingered, unresolved and casting long shadows over the Order. June had yet to decide whether Kim was a liability or an opportunity. Now, with Mercy newly elected as president, the school’s power structure was shifting beneath her feet. Mercy’s ambitions were no secret, and her rivalry with Jabari was already sending ripples through the Order’s ranks. Jabari, for his part, was insistent: Kim should be recruited. He saw potential in her, a chance to strengthen the Order with someone who had already survived scandal and scrutiny.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjXyscBl6fY
June was less certain. She knew that bringing Kim in could either stabilize the Order or expose it to new dangers. The stakes were higher than ever, and she couldn’t afford a single misstep. The initiations were more than tradition-they were the Order’s way of ensuring only the most resourceful, discreet, and loyal students joined their ranks. This year, with so many eyes watching and so much at risk, the process had to be flawless.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ36RR9CII4p
She spent her days quietly observing, assigning trusted seniors to watch Kim and report back on her behavior. June weighed every detail: Kim’s interactions, her silences, her reactions to pressure. If Kim passed these invisible tests, June would orchestrate the next step-a coded invitation, a subtle challenge, something only a true candidate would recognize.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfI6aw8FDVP
Meanwhile, June kept a wary eye on Mercy. The new president was clever, ambitious, and unpredictable. If Mercy suspected the Order’s plans, she might try to interfere or use the situation to her own advantage in the ongoing leadership war with Jabari.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk50UELspAi
June felt the weight of tradition and expectation pressing down on her. She knew that this year’s initiation would determine not just the future of the Order, but her own place within it. Every decision mattered. And as the days ticked down, June steeled herself for the delicate, dangerous work ahead-knowing that the line between success and disaster had never been thinner.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQOmGDZW9Zu
Mercy19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmxvb4ZUwcr
I’ve always believed the best moves are the ones no one notices. When I saw the chance to put Kim and June together, I didn’t hesitate. June, as Deputy President in charge of academics, technically outranks all the class prefects, Kim included. It was almost too easy.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWtAZBlhU0L
During a council meeting, I casually suggested that the prefects should lead a review of classroom environments before exams. 19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX1WY4cFhsO
“It would be a great way to show student initiative,” I said, making sure to mention Kim by name as an ideal candidate. 19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHFiLSLIxRU
No one questioned it. By the end of the day, Kim’s name was on the list, and June had been assigned to oversee the project.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDNcE1ZuQgK
I watched from a distance as Kim received the memo-signed by June, summoning her to a planning meeting. To Kim, it probably felt like just another task, another chance to prove herself. But I knew June would see it differently. She’s always so precise, so careful in her judgments. This was her chance to size Kim up, to see if she was really as sharp and resilient as Jabari seemed to think.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjDEif0a9wc
I didn’t need to be in the room to know how it would play out. June would run the meeting with her usual efficiency, her eyes always lingering a little longer on the ones she’s truly interested in. Kim would feel that scrutiny, even if she didn’t understand it yet.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHsCvMEbTFM
I kept my distance, letting the school’s hierarchy do my work for me. Now, their paths had crossed, and I could sit back and watch what happened next. In this game, sometimes all you have to do is set the pieces in motion.
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Kim19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpbYE3mThZS
Kim’s mind was still reeling from her last encounter with June. The meeting had been briefed but charged: June’s questions were precise, her silences deliberate, her scrutiny unmistakable. Kim had left feeling both tested and strangely seen, sensing that June was weighing her for something beyond the usual prefect duties. There had been no promises, just a lingering look, Kim wasn’t sure if it was a warning or an invitation.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI2mDfMXbfX
After the meeting, Kim lingered, pretending to organize her notes. June approached; her presence quiet but commanding.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYe1D2LttUN
“Kim, a word?” June’s tone was neutral, but her eyes were sharp.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFou3Z3f2b8
Kim nodded, following her into the corridor. The hallway was empty, the afternoon sun casting long shadows on the floor.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUnKyE68gMN
June began; her voice low. “You handle pressure well. That’s not common.”19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnve00vCvQb
Kim hesitated, unsure if this was praise or prelude.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNEvM48HIlO
“Thank you. I try to do my best.”19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwQd4vxHVh8
June studied her for a moment, then handed her a folded slip of paper. 19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJjrSO3IEWG
Room 14, after prep. Don’t be late. And don’t mention this to anyone.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0YANbNIVYq
So, when Kim found a cryptic note tucked into her Kiswahili exercise book the next morning, her pulse quickened. The riddle was unmistakably Order business, referencing myths and secrets in a way that only an insider would recognize. But the style was different-bolder, more direct. Kim realized with a jolt that this was an invitation, deliberate test from June. 19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxUwPZiYB73
“For those who walk between shadow and flame,19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo7nXCoFUMB
The forge awaits at the hour when day and night are twins.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN9MWvbR6hO
Bring only your questions. Leave your fear at the door.”19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSxUFzxfNUC
Kim can’t shake the feeling that something bigger is at play. The timing is too precise to be a coincidence: just as June, a senior figure with quiet authority, singles her out for a special meeting, she suddenly receives a mysterious, coded note-one she assumes is from June, which actually comes with the fine prints of the Order itself.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKzoG6f79NH
She finds herself wondering about June’s true role. Is June simply acting as Deputy President, or does she have a deeper connection to the Order of Hermes? The overlap between June’s attention and the Order’s secretive outreach makes Kim suspect that June is either a gatekeeper or a recruiter for the society. Why else would the Order reach out now, when June has just begun to test her?19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2aUaQkXI1F
Seline19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFmr3ARYYeR
I’ve spent weeks piecing together the pattern behind the furniture thefts, and now, with Kim suddenly at the center of the Order’s attention, everything is coming into focus. If the Order of Hermes is really using these thefts as initiation rites, and Kim is the newest recruit, we have a rare chance-either to expose their methods or turn the knowledge to our advantage.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡznbdcwLeec
I scanned the lines, my heart thudding faster with every word. “Kim, this isn’t just some random note. It sounds like an initiation. Like what the Order would do.”19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDt5ZQ3xKf1
Kim’s eyes widened. “You really think so?”19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1eF4StccSf
I nodded. “The timing is too perfect. Every year, after new prefects are picked, the furniture starts disappearing. Always in weird ways, always showing up months later. I’ve been digging through old council records, and it’s the same pattern, every time. I think it’s a test. For new recruits.”19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLYw1SspVdf
She went quiet, thinking it through. “So… you think I’m being recruited? That this is all connected?”19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1xGGzVIdrC
“Exactly.” I felt a surge of excitement. 19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqENsqIEzds
“If we can track what they ask you to do, we might be able to predict the next theft-or even catch them in the act. We could finally prove what the Order’s been doing.”19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSGqClVlFb4
Kim’s face set with determination. “So, what do we do?”19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡryZJTgYWkx
I leaned closer, lowering my voice to a whisper. “You play along. Follow their instructions, but tell me everything. I’ll keep track of the details-dates, times, places. If we’re right, we’ll see the pattern before they realize we’re onto them.”19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1OOyL0yRLZ
“And if they ask me to steal something?” Kim asked, her voice barely above a whisper.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg18kzvjZF0
“We’ll be ready,” I said. “We’ll set a trap. If we can catch them in the act-or get proof of the ritual-we can expose the Order. Or, if it’s too risky, we use what we know to protect ourselves. Either way, we’re not just pawns in their game anymore.”19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4DEJ2I2UNf
Kim nodded; her eyes fierce. “Let’s do it.”19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnT2wFgH0QZ
**********19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW3KL3zAHN2
Mercy listened intently as Seline and Kim laid out their discoveries in her office, their voices low but urgent. The desk between them was scattered with Seline’s neatly organized notes, color-coded charts, and a copy of the cryptic note Kim had received. The atmosphere was charged with the thrill of revelation and the tension of risk.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnWZzBDqjvk
Seline explained the pattern she’d uncovered in the furniture thefts, tracing the timeline and highlighting the strange consistency with which items vanished and reappeared. Kim described her recent encounters with June and her suspicion that she was being tested for something bigger. Together, they presented their theory: the thefts were not random acts of mischief, but part of the Order of Hermes’ secret initiation rites.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLhDqbBTr44
Mercy nodded along, her expression calm and encouraging. She offered practical advice, reminding them to be careful and to document everything, to trust no one outside their circle, and to always have a backup plan. She didn’t reveal how much she already knew about the Order’s rituals, nor did she share her own ambitions regarding the society’s secrets. Instead, she played the role of mentor and ally, reinforcing their trust in her.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFRMJ0oIgFq
She recognized the value of what Seline and Kim had brought to her. Their plan was simple but effective: Kim would go along with the Order’s recruitment, reporting back every step. Seline would keep meticulous records, looking for the next predictable move. If they could anticipate the Order’s next act, they might catch them in the process or at least gather enough evidence to expose the truth.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpRYrEYFAKg
As the meeting ended and the girls left her office, Mercy allowed herself a small, satisfied smile. She was proud of their resourcefulness and determination, but she was also acutely aware of the power such secrets could bring. Whether the plan succeeded or failed, Mercy was prepared to use whatever they uncovered to her own advantage. In the intricate web of Kisumu Girls, she intended to remain at its center, guiding the game as only she could.
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