CHAPTER TEN154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQsgJeX0WkX
Mary’s latest note was tucked inside a battered copy of Things Fall Apart in the library, slipped between pages dog-eared by a hundred anxious hands.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpz9Ud2b0Ap
“Order meeting after lights out. Mercy absents. Prefects nervous. Watch for new patrols near the tank. –M”154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYBQZUgTFyF
Kim read it twice, then passed the book to Seline under the table. Their eyes met for just a moment-enough to agree on the next step.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡphAOQdoaxH
That evening, as the sky faded to indigo and the wall’s shadow stretched across the field, Kim and Seline moved quietly through the compound. They didn’t linger together-never enough to draw suspicion-but their paths crossed at just the right moments. A nod at the water tank. A glance near the bougainvillea. Each signal meant the plan was moving forward.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGFoS3gTqgi
They didn’t have the Order’s reach or its old network of loyalists, but they had something better: information. Mary’s updates, June’s whispered hints about which teachers were restless, which prefects were wavering, and which adults might listen if approached the right way.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6xPmSsn5pQ
Seline, ever the observer, noticed that Mrs. Atieno lingered after evening prep, her eyes sharp but not unkind. Seline approached her, careful to sound casual.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrGw8m2OsvK
“Madam, I heard some girls might be sneaking out tonight. Maybe someone should check near the tank? I just… don’t want anyone to get in trouble.”154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd7CNITrlkM
Mrs. Atieno’s gaze sharpened. She nodded, and Seline slipped away, heart pounding.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjWl6Xq6cyj
Meanwhile, Kim made her way to the staffroom, her excuse ready. She needed to return a lost library book. As she waited for the teacher on duty, she left a folded note on the desk-unsigned, but clear:154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZZRfAMGLbe
“Some students are hiding things in the old storeroom. Please look tonight.”154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRWrPIIUVyu
Back in the dorms, Seline quietly gathered a few trusted girls-ones who had suffered under the Order’s rules, or who had seen too much to stay silent. They didn’t talk about plans, not directly. Instead, they shared stories, piecing together a picture of what the Order had done, who had been hurt, and how the silence could finally be broken.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhChoIMvlVh
The next morning, the school buzzed with news: a surprise inspection, a prefect caught out of bounds, a teacher who seemed to know more than she should. The Order was on edge, its members glancing nervously at each other, unsure where the next blow would come from.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDFA6Kf43kd
Kim and Seline watched from the sidelines, careful not to celebrate too soon. Their actions were small, almost invisible, but each one nudged the balance of power. They weren’t just disrupting the Order-they were building something new: alliances with adults who cared, solidarity among the girls, and a quiet resistance that grew stronger with every secret passed through the wall.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbPXQqcvL79
In the golden hush of evening, as the jacaranda petals drifted down and the wall glowed in the last light, Kim and Seline knew they were no longer just outsiders. They were the ones changing the story-one careful move at a time.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJx3CB946VC
June154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsP3MAk3CMs
June moved through the corridors of Kisumu Girls’ with a kind of practiced invisibility. She wasn’t a prefect anymore, but the memory of her leadership lingered in the way teachers nodded to her in the staffroom, the way the bursar always smiled when she handed in club receipts, the way even the strictest dorm captain softened her voice when June asked for an extra blanket for a sick girl.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGggEHChK4h
It was a power she wore lightly, never flaunting it, always careful. That afternoon, as the sun slanted through the jacaranda trees, June lingered near the staffroom door, pretending to check the noticeboard. She listened as Mrs. Atieno and Mr. Omondi discussed the latest rumors-something about missing library books and students sneaking out after prep. June tucked away every detail, every stray complaint, every mention of “unusual activity near the wall.”154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ59X4S3XkSo
Later, in the dining hall line, she found herself behind Ruth, a junior prefect whose loyalties had always wavered. June leaned in; her voice low but warm. “You know, Ruth, sometimes it’s better to ask questions than to follow blindly. Things are changing. You don’t want to be on the wrong side of the story.”154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvV3ecCPEO2
Ruth glanced at her, uncertain, but June only smiled and moved on, leaving the words to settle.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwevJkhDvgR
In the library, June found Mercy’s friend, Lydia, hunched over a stack of textbooks. June sat beside her, not speaking at first. When Lydia finally looked up, June said, “If you ever need to talk about… anything, you know where to find me.”154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdp2iV1LocL
She left a folded note in Lydia’s book, a simple message:154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC9XAlzTQgL
“Not everyone who leads is right. Not everyone who follows is safe.”154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVzsFEIapMA
As dusk fell, June walked the edge of the compound, pausing near the wall. She watched as a group of Order loyalists huddled by the water tank, their conversation tense, their glances nervous. June caught the eye of one-a girl named Faith, who had once confided in her about the pressure to “keep things quiet.” June gave her a small, knowing nod. Faith looked away, but June saw the uncertainty flicker in her eyes.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2jhJ6fdul6
By the time evening prep ended, June had gathered enough whispers and fragments to piece together the Order’s next move. She passed a coded message to Mary, who would get it to Kim and Seline:154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtuNntMSWTD
“Watch the water tank. Some are wavering-Faith especially. Staff are restless. The wall isn’t as silent as it seems.”154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAmwNV6FpKy
June never claimed credit. She never needed to. Her influence was a quiet current beneath the surface, shifting loyalties, planting doubts, and gathering truths. In a school divided by stone and silence, June’s power was in the spaces between-in the trust she inspired, the doubts she sowed, and the secrets she carried from one side of the wall to the other.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE6vrQsCyeP
**********154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo1KPVcNCc9
Mary’s note arrived tucked inside a dog-eared math revision booklet, slipped onto Kim’s desk during afternoon prep.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Zr3AtKhSA
“Ruth is scared. She’s not sleeping. Prefects questioned her about the wall. She’s not loyal-just trapped. –M”154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5mnzmNikvG
Kim read the message twice, then slid it to Seline under the table. Seline’s purple pen tapped once, a silent agreement. They’d seen Ruth-her eyes ringed with worry, her laugh brittle, always glancing over her shoulder.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOrGhuo9it8
That evening, as the sky deepened to indigo and the jacaranda shadows stretched across the compound, Kim found Ruth alone by the water tank, pretending to fix her shoelace.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWu4g59tb2s
Kim crouched beside her, voice low. “You don’t have to keep covering for them, you know.”154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmc35i8JzBN
Ruth’s hands stilled. “I don’t know what you mean.”154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYflUaVcpD4
Seline appeared, as if by accident, standing a few paces away. “We know you’re not like the others. You don’t have to be afraid.”154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTTX2VeMsWc
Ruth looked between them, her eyes wide and uncertain. “If they find out I talked to you-”154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzSrgZN5WjC
Kim shook her head. “We’re not asking you to betray anyone. Just… help us stop this. You know what they did last night. You saw who was there.”154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzYITKXkM8B
Ruth hesitated, then nodded, a tremor in her voice. “I just want it to end. I want to sleep again.”154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVWi9ZLjuJP
Seline smiled gently. “Then you’re already on our side.”154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjZrVxR4GpB
Word spread quietly-Mary made sure of it. She whispered to another wavering prefect in the library, left a coded message in a borrowed textbook, steered frightened juniors toward Kim and Seline with a reassuring nod. Each new ally brought a piece of the puzzle: a name, a time, a warning about the Order’s next move.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYAJYTvkcii
One by one, the Order’s unity frayed. Those who had ruled by fear now found themselves isolated, their commands met with silence or, worse, quiet defiance. The wall still stood, but the lines of loyalty had shifted; the old boundaries were blurring.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKlcDucxQi0
By the end of the week, Kim and Seline had gathered a handful of former Order loyalists-girls who had once enforced the rules, now quietly helping to dismantle them. Mary kept the updates flowing, always a step ahead of suspicion.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiNV0kAX4fX
In the hush before lights out, Kim looked around the dormitory and realized: the Order was no longer one solid wall. It was a crumbling line, and every new ally was a crack letting the light through.
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June154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5GBT7M3xhS
June’s presence in the group was always quiet, but tonight it was purposeful. She sat at the edge of the group, her notebook open, eyes flicking between Kim, Seline, and Mary as they whispered over the low hum of the dormitory’s evening routine.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeSSq33EgTP
She listened first-always listening-while the others described what they’d seen: the new patrols near the wall, the prefects’ sudden interest in the water tank, the coded glances exchanged at roll call. When they finished, June spoke, her voice barely above a whisper.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHhobrLxgV3
“They’re nervous. That’s why the patrols are doubling back, why Mercy’s group is splitting up instead of moving together. When I was in charge, we always rotated the routes after a scare. It makes them feel in control, but it actually leaves gaps-especially near the old storeroom and the back gate.”154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHRvVg61vFU
Kim nodded, scribbling notes in the margin of her Chemistry book. “So, if we want to move something-or meet someone-we do it when the patrols are changing over?”154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡULs8a6D4Xi
June smiled, just a hint of pride in her eyes. “Exactly. And if you want to pass a message without being caught, use the library returns slot. Prefects rarely check it, and the staff only empty it in the morning.”154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ9vSiwm4Fn
Mary, perched on the edge of her bed, added, “What about the teachers? Some of them are getting suspicious.”154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLKysG5Q9Uv
June leaned in. “That’s where timing matters. If you want a teacher to see something, make sure it happens just before evening prep-when they’re tired and less likely to ask questions. And always let them think it was their idea to investigate. Never push too hard.”154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl0HsElFlNJ
Seline, twirling her purple pen, asked quietly, “What about the Order’s loyalists? Some of them are scared, but they’re still watching us.”154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzUHkI6lxy6
June’s expression softened. “Find the ones who hesitate before they speak. The ones who linger after meetings. Offer them a choice, not a threat. When I was in charge, the most loyal girls were the ones who felt trapped. Show them a way out, and they’ll help you-sometimes without even realizing it.”154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtbKUhDRNnk
The plan came together in whispers and glances: when to move, where to hide, who to trust. June’s experience turned their scattered ideas into a strategy-one that used the Order’s own routines and fears against them.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdl3K2CPAyK
As the bell rang for lights out, June closed her notebook and looked at the others. “Remember, they expect chaos. Give them quiet instead. That’s how you win.”154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ISVzAcIG9
Kim smiled, feeling a surge of confidence she hadn’t known in weeks. With June’s guidance, the wall no longer felt impenetrable. It was just another obstacle-one they could outthink, one step at a time.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfK7OYORs2Z
**********154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgEFWIxKOUx
June’s notebook was always half-hidden, its pages filled with careful notes and coded sketches of the compound. She sat with Kim, Seline, and Mary in the far corner of the library, where the smell of old paper masked their whispers.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfHEWoFBUyQ
June tapped her pen against the page. “If you want to meet without being seen, do it during the changeover after evening prep. The Order always rotates patrols then-there’s a five-minute gap near the storeroom and the water tank. That’s your window.”154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNk5YysnBU5
Mary nodded, committing the detail to memory. Seline glanced at Kim; her purple pen poised over her own notebook. “And if we need to pass a message?”154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7NXHy1I3ZO
June smiled faintly. “Use the library returns slot. Prefects never check it after seven, and the staff only empty it in the morning. If you need a faster way, leave a blue paper clip in the bougainvillea. That’s the old signal-no one outside our circle knows it means ‘urgent.’”154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5HOSho5QoC
Kim leaned in; voice low. “What about the Order? If they realize we’re meeting-”154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6xcnOkXCQY
“They’ll try to flush you out by calling a surprise roll call or sending a prefect to ‘accidentally’ find you,” June said, her tone matter-of-fact. 154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZHBL8YjdNz
“If that happens, split up. Never let them catch two of you together. Always have a cover story-water bottle left behind, library book to return, anything.”154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNa398HZJFu
Mary’s eyes widened. “How do you know all this?”154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU9QKFRu2eo
June’s smile was almost sad. “Because I used to plan it. The same way they do now.”154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlfvqn3Ugsg
She outlined the rest:154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE6uuVU0Tgb
“Never use the same meeting spot two nights in a row. If you hear the phrase “sunflower duty” from a prefect, it means a sweep is coming-hide anything suspicious. If you need to warn someone fast, use the old storeroom window: a folded note taped to the inside means “danger-don’t come.”154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡchWUFeOJRF
Seline scribbled it all down, her hands steady. Kim felt a strange surge of confidence. With June guiding them, the wall no longer felt like a prison. It was a chessboard-and they finally knew the moves.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU0WMD2NlLN
As dusk crept in and the bell rang for evening prep, June closed her notebook and met their eyes. “Stay alert. Stay separate. And remember-timing is everything.”154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgdIu6Ck1TO
The girls slipped away, each to her own path, their hearts racing not with fear, but with purpose. In the golden hush of the Kisumu evening, they moved as shadows-quiet, coordinated, and unseen.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiBCM3X68hq
**********154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZGCWeLzoq3
June’s voice was always calm, even when the others’ nerves frayed at the edges. Tonight, she gathered Kim, Seline, and Mary in the shadowy alcove behind the old science block-a place the Order rarely patrolled, and where whispers could be swallowed by the hum of the generator.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ66BJ6VSrBc
She laid out the plan with the precision of someone who’d once enforced the very rules she now helped to subvert.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1DnKwwXcHK
“Listen,” June said, her finger tracing a map of the compound drawn in the dust on the floor. 154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGsadRjVk4V
“The Order always retaliates in patterns. If someone gets caught near the wall, they’ll call a surprise roll call the next night-usually just before lights out. They’ll search bags, check for missing girls, and question anyone who looks nervous. That’s when you keep your heads down. Don’t volunteer. Don’t argue. Just blend in.”154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡezu5xfn4RH
Mary nodded, scribbling notes in her margin. Seline’s purple pen hovered, ready.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtmlLo0TOjc
June continued, “If you want to pass a message or move something important, do it right after evening prep, when the Order is busy reporting to the staff. That’s the only window when their guard is down. And never use the same route twice-rotate between the storeroom, the water tank, and the library returns slot. If they catch a pattern, they’ll set a trap.”154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFJiZYBhrRG
Kim frowned. “What about the loyalists? They’re watching us more closely now.”154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbbuCcTMgRj
June’s eyes narrowed, thoughtful. “That’s why you need a decoy. If you know the Order is planning a sweep, have someone unrelated-someone they’d never suspect-ask a loud question in the dining hall or start a harmless commotion. It’ll draw their attention away from the real meeting spot.”154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGn4VhggWGG
She paused, letting her words settle. “And remember: they discipline by isolation. If they suspect you, they’ll try to separate you from the others-send you on errands alone, assign you to different dorm chores. Don’t let them. Always move in pairs, even if it’s just to fetch water.”154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtROZT7Z423
Mary looked up. “And if someone gets caught?”154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsQLZMvAl1W
June’s voice softened. “If anyone is questioned, say as little as possible. The Order relies on fear and confusion. If you don’t give them a story, they can’t twist it. And if you have to take the blame, make sure it’s for something small-never the real secret.”154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP93MUOcd2e
Seline’s eyes shone with new resolve. “You make it sound like a game.”154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDGOEEJff2x
June smiled, just a little. “It is. But we know the rules now. That’s how we win.”154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg9ccURTKN3
As the bell rang for lights out, the girls melted into the shadows, each carrying their part of the plan-every step calculated, every risk measured. With June’s guidance, their rebellion was no longer reckless. It was precise, invisible, and-most importantly-untouchable.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjVXIgIiVF2
And in the hush that followed, the wall seemed to pulse with a new kind of energy-not just a boundary, but a silent witness to the quiet war being waged in its shadow.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaPFZV4R7lW
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