When the first bell rang at 7:23 a.m., girls loyal to the order froze mid-breakfast.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdkBxpWB27X
By the second bell — louder, longer — every corridor emptied into the courtyard.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbaYEA9VXDa
Whispers flew faster than feet:65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFPdhXfHY7Q
“Tribunal.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXhnHeeuTFH
“She’s calling names.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ITgibriI0
“Is it because of the video?”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLxxmWVZXsY
“Did someone move the ledger?”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDEQD22y8sI
Inside the Assembly Hall, Naomi stood center-stage, hands behind her back.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw0olPDJzbQ
Behind her: two senior prefects. To her right: Mary.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDDwzx66kbr
To her left: the Order Ledger Book, unopened since Mercy’s fall.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuHRcX2bROc
The girls filed in. No laughter. No chatter. Only breaths held under stiff collars.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWzI1nbYfsI
Naomi’s voice echoed when she began:65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsdqYew6IAY
“There is a war over truth. Before we face it out there, We must decide who we are in here. I am calling an Order Tribunal.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdrXGTUPKoC
Gasps rippled through the room.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyrCnaL6ges
“Each girl in this hall will have a choice: Recommit to the Order — or walk away.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFBSRJAwi2H
A hand shot up. Seline. “What about those who were never in?”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaKcr09eaiY
Naomi didn’t flinch.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmkkAmxHREq
“Then decide who you’re standing beside now.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCVkfKSXni7
She pointed to the bell.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGuLcQH8zQ3
“Step forward. Touch the bell. State your name. You’ll be marked ‘Known.’ Stay silent — and you’ll remain ‘Unlisted.’ Either way, we’ll all see who you are.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7jopCPCESL
The first girl — a Form 1, trembling — stepped up and touched the bell.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Ix54y6EbD
“Amara Oketch,” she whispered. The bell rang once.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn6Szvwp1MD
Another followed. Then another. Shiko, near the back, stayed seated, her eyes locked on Kim across the room. Seline stepped forward dramatically, hand brushing the bell with a smirk. “Seline Wanjiku. Still watching.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhtOrcmfF7f
Naomi’s expression never changed.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSEh9tj4eDS
But inside, the ledger was already shifting — loyalty was becoming currency.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoz4RbnmzvH
Kim rose only when half the room had already gone forward. She walked slowly, eyes not on Naomi, but on Mary. She touched the bell.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQoJ4cgFjgT
“Kimberly Diana Otieno. I came to listen. Not to lie.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Rp0PYs1aq
The bell did not ring.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIDKyz9lP69
Mary frowned.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ObJMOzNBj
Naomi closed the ledger without writing.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk1f9WBkQ1f
“Some names don’t need to echo,” Naomi said.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRju38XrmyV
There was one empty chair near the stage — June’s and as if she was called out, the back door creaks and June enters late, eyes calm, uniform clean, face unreadable.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYa9eujFtlE
Naomi’s voice is filled with unspoken disgust:65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡydC6wJ4Fjq
“Miss June… do you still believe in the wall?”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0CzquFJaQf
June walks past the bell, but doesn’t touch it. She stops beside Kim.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH62RCPlZqS
“I believe in the cracks.”
*****65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsl17Q3JRPa
June didn’t speak until all three of them stood in silence. The air was humid. The echo of the bell still rang faintly in their ears.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX5UjjT7rEs
“There’s a ledger being held by Jabari’s boys. Not the one in the broadcast. A second one. Still sealed.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0veby18HQ7
Kim tensed. “We thought Ayo took it.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY3M29K9jSH
“He did,” June said. “But he gave it back too quickly. That means it’s stashed somewhere, waiting for the right time.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlAipzmXw27
Shiko asked, “What’s inside?”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoHDyoVpFE2
June pulled a folded note from her pocket — Mercy’s handwriting, unmistakable.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0zz4rqSMgx
“Box 3 holds their fingerprints.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU83DzB5Hgj
What they buried beneath your dorm.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbaZYcTiuwo
Who vanished, and who let them.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡta6J05z88l
Kim’s throat went dry. “That’s… not just old Order business.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ852EyVc0Cy
“No,” June said. 65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzGsv1UX2Wk
“It’s a minefield. You need to find the crate. It’s in the archives wing on the boys’ side. Jabari’s men have it under pretext of ‘found records.’ You need to swap it before it's opened. Replace it with anything that looks like it.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGCSCWV3Ydb
Shiko frowned. “We’re not even sure what it looks like.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWT7UuPyPuJ
June smirked slightly. “You will. It’s the only crate stamped in red chalk. ‘M.O.3’ — Mercy’s final cipher box.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIR1kBf24Fo
Kim looked at her. “And what happens if they’ve already opened it?”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiUPLRp4Ivl
June met her eyes.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFg4x9TXM2R
“Then make sure what they read next… isn't real.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQILK6SgJJD
Kim nods slowly.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡln52QryT4m
Shiko reaches into her backpack and pulling out a dummy crate lid she stole from chemistry storage and June hands Kim a paperclip bent into a tiny “M.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZvAwwjY3tJ
“Plant it when the swap’s done. That’s how I’ll know.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS2aC4V5BFT
As June walks away, she murmurs to herself: “Let them remember what we allow.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT6lUcOmXUq
*****65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡedRUqKtGT5
Naomi stood beneath the frangipani tree, flanked by two prefect guards. The tribunal had quieted some nerves — but not all. There was still one ledger out there. Still one story too dangerous to break.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcjYPJRXA5e
“We need eyes everywhere,” Naomi said. “No dorms unchecked. No keys misplaced.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0HJrTqD3Vp
Seline stepped forward with studied calm.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnca4316i94
“I may know where they're planning to meet.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY3iq19P2R9
Naomi narrowed her eyes. “Who?”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHNMZJpa7qE
Seline didn’t answer directly.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn5cd2gahY4
“Let’s say I’ve seen enough body language. Kim. And the quiet one. Shiko. They’ve been whispering too much for two girls with nothing to hide.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMW4bLMh6Mq
Naomi raised an eyebrow. “You think they’re involved with Mercy’s crate?”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSvN6wCYf2C
Seline folded her arms.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTuFrySBpR0
“I think if you want answers, send your guards to the south incinerator lane — just before dusk. They’ll find more than ash.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAqYIvLUr6n
At the meeting point near the old herbarium wall, Kim adjusted the dummy crate lid inside her bag. Shiko scanned the perimeter with a pocket mirror.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrN9G5GG6gB
“We have six minutes,” Shiko whispered.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5EozwZyPIa
“Once the bell rings for sunset inspection, all internal guards get recalled.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2iz0JzNTut
Kim glanced at the marked fence post — red chalk: “M.O.3.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ7VhWMHg5H
“Let’s just make sure we’re not the ones being followed.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsqrSKSFV8N
Naomi nodded slowly. “Good work, Seline. Stay close.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9eFnV8NuS9
As the prefect guards jogged off, boots thudding across the tiled walkways, Seline lingered behind — smiling faintly. She pulled her phone from her sock — the one she was never supposed to have — and tapped a message into a hidden note app:65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ45IDjef8Qt
“If the bait’s good, they’ll bite. If they bite, I watch who bleeds.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡws0LbSfRln
She never pressed send.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdpNLStTLXT
She didn’t need to.
******65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgRozYDRDeW
They came from two sides — four prefect guards, swift and silent, their batons clipped tight and flashlights already stuttering in the growing dark.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8xKee61bOj
Kim turned first.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMIfONEcBzg
“We’re boxed.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWkFzQa1kQl
“No,” Shiko said, calm. “We’re just poorly lit.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9SuQFO4J4Y
From her satchel, she pulled a small envelope marked “Science Week – Safe Burn”.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiPZ9vSEK7f
Flash-paper.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVaCdCpqV93
Confetti-layered. Impregnated with fine magnesium salt.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5BwLw1mU0X
Designed for stage experiments.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd9fWvuysSs
She struck the match.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG18YpQhEKa
FOOM. A burst of white light exploded around them — silent, heatless, bright enough to blind the guards for two full seconds. White flecks scattered through the air like ash and stars.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx2cEvUbZeq
Kim didn’t flinch.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnOMlsEEMU0
She sprinted through the dust cloud, weaving past the closest wall and cutting behind the Hall, where the delivery crate — “M.O.3” — was being wheeled toward the west staff entrance on a borrowed AV trolley.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtY9LJ3ajr8
Two tech interns who worked in the principal’s office were halfway through handing it over to the runner when Kim appeared, winded, bag in hand.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJkdg6Pw6PC
“They sent the wrong box,” she said, breathless, flashing her forged badge.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfwd5va3XZr
“I’ve got the corrected archive.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgZESlY2poI
They looked confused. One shrugged. “It’s all sealed.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbMngl8AEik
Kim tapped the chalk mark on the side — slightly smudged.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyBfBOyJPej
“See? Rained out. Mercy’s tag faded. Could be mislabeled.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx1fzlJi8Yd
They hesitated.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaVvntdwLDR
Shiko appeared behind them, adjusting her glasses, calm and efficient.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡemqLtci85F
The boys handed it over.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3K1bAWdUPy
Kim wheeled the real crate away, heart pounding.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡziykblM1tR
The prefect guards staggered out of the light-blast cloud, coughing and confused. Seline, watching from the upper dorm window, narrowed her eyes.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsYtprFuNZP
“You underestimated the quiet ones,” she whispered.
*****65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0QpHfXAKzY
Naomi stood at the front table, her fingers on the crate’s seal.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJzxGms7UPV
June and Mary flanked her. The Order Hall was quieter than usual — no full assembly, just a controlled group of trusted seniors. The rest had been dismissed after the Tribunal.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZUVBrE4XMg
“Let this end what she started,” Naomi said.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMOp4bbiZ6T
She peeled back the tape. Inside: a folder marked “Confession Index: Volume I” — filled with blank pages.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT2j70b8DRb
Mary frowned.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEHpO4YCdGl
June looked to Naomi, whose face remained unreadable. “This isn’t the original,” she said.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYidTs2DbXF
Then the lights flickered.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvWKdNKcX1M
Just once.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKW2UJpjYbT
Not enough to panic. But enough to shift attention.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0moDvz1nqg
A faint hum rose from the archive cabinet in the corner — the audio box used for morning address recordings. It hadn’t been touched in weeks.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAiwqZfMVBZ
Then it clicked. And played.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYE4pZfhQjD
Mercy’s voice.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx18KYd4uLc
“Nice switch. Too slow.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRCqonIpqFJ
Heads turned sharply. A soft whir from the old cassette speaker in the wall — a repurposed relic. Vintage. Protected.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVqRD4xj90e
The voice continued — calm, amused, in perfect control:65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk69YPc9j1V
“Let’s not pretend this was about justice. This was about story. And I still write the better one.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcoH1j9ZDWb
A pause. Then:65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWLe9ulfUja
“To the girl with the sharp hands—well played. But you forgot something. I never left. See you in the crypt. Round two begins.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWIc0zlfJjX
Click. Silence.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCjihmOhmY1
Outside, thunder cracked.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH1gr7wmp3i
Naomi’s fingers tightened on the empty folder.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ49mpt4VYKQ
Mary whispered, “She recorded it before the Tribunal.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJSpxNagANH
June looked at the now-open ceiling vent above the archive. “No. She triggered it after.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR2s7SUZqhP
Kim, listening from the hallway, stared at the speaker — then slowly slipped the real crate deeper under her cloak.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpJpOGHhjAl
The war hadn’t ended. It had just gone underground again.
**********65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZM20Y9dJ30
Jabari laid out the sealed envelope on the table. It had come that afternoon — slipped through the vented panel beneath the main wall, the one only a few knew existed. No name, but the handwriting was unmistakable.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgoPUtJVEHZ
Naomi’s.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIFaWFAYHkN
He broke the seal.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdqmDiCLGb9
Inside: a short message and a typed formal proposal, stamped with Naomi’s name.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUDfrzqcUDb
“Temporary Intelligence Exchange Proposal.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN87aVdobYL
Objectives: Stop second wave. Contain ledger fallout. Restrict Shadow Walker expansion.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZN9PPZ4Q0f
Musa leaned in. “She’s serious.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjC4tNbyLoE
Juma scoffed. “Serious or desperate?”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoFdGXUkEhX
Jabari didn’t answer. He was already reading the fine print: No direct physical meetings. Exchange via designated wall drops. Shared surveillance logs (anonymized). Tunnel use strictly prohibited unless both sides agree. All mentions of “M.O.” to be contained or denied until internal hearings.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsLxlF5gNFt
Ayo paced. “You trust Naomi?”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYPZeih2Shz
“No,” Jabari said. “But I trust the threat.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0XB3zhEY8m
Juma added, “If she’s suggesting shared control, it means she doesn’t have it.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMPybTatXxa
Musa tapped the table. “And if we say no, we’re not allies. We’re targets.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6yDUMyZApd
Juma looked around. “I can’t believe we’re even considering this.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQPMcCDOkyC
But his voice wasn’t angry. Just tired.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFWlxfISvwL
“She beat us. That message from the chapel? That was a declaration. If we don’t stand together, we’re all just going to be footnotes in her confession index.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS9VcVFX0lZ
One by one, hands rose.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTP8Zv4AnPu
Even Juma’s.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS4CXCDDtec
The decision was unanimous.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR7u2ydgpzC
Jabari scribbled a short response:65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6z1nRZzqgE
“Agreed. Shared containment.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjIGNgG4QWJ
Our fire stays cold until her flame dies.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBj1XcA8vvx
He slipped the letter into a clean envelope, sealed it with the old Order wax-stamp, and marked it with a chalk triangle. That night, just before midnight, Musa tucked it behind the drain grate, the way they used to pass ledgers during term inspections.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfmBlTyTUoN
The next morning, the note was gone.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWE6H1KY4zW
And beneath the vent, someone had drawn a small M.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiFUxsGTfxQ
Then crossed it out.
