CHAPTER TWO158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWb07dvKjR2
The next evening, Kim walked back to the bougainvillea alone.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv2rOGs8kRY
A hush settled over the compound, the kind that came not from silence, but from secrecy. The evening felt heavier, thick with the scent of damp earth and unanswered questions.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLfxUYWAYfy
Kim stopped just short of the bougainvillea, the paper still pressed against her palm, edges softened from too many rereads. She shouldn’t be here. Not like this—not alone, not retracing steps that weren’t even hers to follow.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq37jsBSmmJ
But she was here. And now, standing at the edge of the forbidden space, she realized something:158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4yqtvzlxn8
If S had been reckless enough to write the letter, whoever it was meant for might have been reckless enough to answer.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJGENh0ytY1
The vines trembled slightly, touched by the evening wind. But was it just the wind?158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnjeBCWU4cM
"To the one who whistles…" she murmured under her breath, watching the vines sway faintly in the wind. She glanced around, half-expecting to see someone watching her.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN9TWmSt3Yf
No one.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiCBHVEKTDH
But someone had written it. 158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtp24rMhXkY
Someone brave. Or stupid. Or both.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy0At5YRJf4
At prep earlier, Kim had started looking at the girls around her differently—watching how they moved, how they whispered. Her mind had latched onto a possibility. Seline.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFMGlK4ekEu
Seline Wanjiku. Form 2 Purple. Kim didn’t know her well—only that she was quiet, rarely in trouble, and always writing in her little notebook with a purple pen. She had a careful way of tucking her hair behind her ear when thinking. And once, in the dining hall line, Kim had seen her drop a blue beaded bracelet into her pocket.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbMIYYaeLP3
Blue.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiW2OauJ1ul
Blue like the color mentioned in the letter.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPfH6uogOkq
A signal.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB2GFUTbH5h
Tonight, the bougainvillea held something new.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXkGLasADef
Kim froze when she saw it.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡah7ejNXrCe
A blue paper clip, twisted into the shape of a star, nestled gently among the petals. It hadn’t been there yesterday. Someone had come after her.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡanfgFlOjrD
Or before her.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1s2hrJ5agQ
She didn’t touch it. Just stared.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgZQDKyAgyH
The wall didn’t hum or whisper like in the stories. But it felt alive now—like it was listening.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpWD2CVTDZY
Behind her, a voice spoke, soft and unexpected.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDgVynmmf7L
“You’re not supposed to be here, you know.”158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYkrqII1S0b
Kim turned sharply. It was Seline, standing a few meters away, arms crossed over her chest, not angry—more curious than anything.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Du5XudGDH
Their eyes locked. For a moment, neither of them said a word.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3jADRCbm5s
Then Seline glanced past her, toward the wall, and smiled faintly.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyHUlAWUbZI
“Careful,” she added, her voice lower now. “The wall listens more than it talks.”158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjHdfpiCmNP
And just like that, she turned and walked away, shoes squelching lightly in the wet grass.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuGjgFZaFP4
Kim stared after her, heart thudding.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtzEaC7GlXM
She had come looking for answers.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrgcHdXU3zm
But now… she had more questions.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0bN3KBH31a
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxErXfyd2vo
Penana
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