When the first bell rang at 7:23 a.m., girls loyal to the order froze mid-breakfast.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgGJGHsh9uU
By the second bell — louder, longer — every corridor emptied into the courtyard.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeAdK3mWsGf
Whispers flew faster than feet:65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGxhF9rU4Yu
“Tribunal.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJcZmy9R9VK
“She’s calling names.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHXzjYKUeMA
“Is it because of the video?”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZSiZN0Qcal
“Did someone move the ledger?”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCwcpDj6r8Z
Inside the Assembly Hall, Naomi stood center-stage, hands behind her back.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw8ntCoMBuJ
Behind her: two senior prefects. To her right: Mary.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLVvOkPfpYC
To her left: the Order Ledger Book, unopened since Mercy’s fall.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXPKxoCIUa9
The girls filed in. No laughter. No chatter. Only breaths held under stiff collars.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMGWJ5v62ST
Naomi’s voice echoed when she began:65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIeOptjEMD9
“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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlPSBbu9zPg
Gasps rippled through the room.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5j729zVZUl
“Each girl in this hall will have a choice: Recommit to the Order — or walk away.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnLVxrBhcNA
A hand shot up. Seline. “What about those who were never in?”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqjKrpMiRDc
Naomi didn’t flinch.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVydy4CgdEy
“Then decide who you’re standing beside now.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqzu9Ujn5Zc
She pointed to the bell.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4qJfXM3con
“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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡceZiKbPXgo
The first girl — a Form 1, trembling — stepped up and touched the bell.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNLjliw8TRu
“Amara Oketch,” she whispered. The bell rang once.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSXPdLiTcsM
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNariYsh66f
Naomi’s expression never changed.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHpYeZZehQ2
But inside, the ledger was already shifting — loyalty was becoming currency.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlnMaOtcFwm
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH93dV5U6rA
“Kimberly Diana Otieno. I came to listen. Not to lie.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDlBoyzHJ0l
The bell did not ring.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrRUiFdoex2
Mary frowned.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzjej0lRvY4
Naomi closed the ledger without writing.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL7aGP7Ba08
“Some names don’t need to echo,” Naomi said.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡesrdGXrMk1
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxMuuwLkMib
Naomi’s voice is filled with unspoken disgust:65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡePZCgsO2Mn
“Miss June… do you still believe in the wall?”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkRoBwyz7Bc
June walks past the bell, but doesn’t touch it. She stops beside Kim.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8kPkF0PyVS
“I believe in the cracks.”
*****65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhhK7yNOvah
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3PB5eL0LUI
“There’s a ledger being held by Jabari’s boys. Not the one in the broadcast. A second one. Still sealed.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3oRIQC52hx
Kim tensed. “We thought Ayo took it.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3P43FbOPDo
“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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWtkWaXqJdO
Shiko asked, “What’s inside?”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwrneI5uYzz
June pulled a folded note from her pocket — Mercy’s handwriting, unmistakable.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRcUUoyzIPs
“Box 3 holds their fingerprints.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIcoQP7tKyP
What they buried beneath your dorm.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuT7wRChnHa
Who vanished, and who let them.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdBJSmFDXav
Kim’s throat went dry. “That’s… not just old Order business.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXvpqLkiiw3
“No,” June said. 65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK75Wl5nVGs
“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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgnUq8lN1TK
Shiko frowned. “We’re not even sure what it looks like.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpLbYRDSx5m
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTKTPymoAn3
Kim looked at her. “And what happens if they’ve already opened it?”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbreDjp2Klf
June met her eyes.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQCpXHXMa85
“Then make sure what they read next… isn't real.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ01uK7eHPj0
Kim nods slowly.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ONCTsDGfW
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfUYeBKQvRd
“Plant it when the swap’s done. That’s how I’ll know.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2YbUsFfYMm
As June walks away, she murmurs to herself: “Let them remember what we allow.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAHkkhlzDXd
*****65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN7gtHsY5yR
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡso3i8MhcU1
“We need eyes everywhere,” Naomi said. “No dorms unchecked. No keys misplaced.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTHittC0MfT
Seline stepped forward with studied calm.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxVpmcwZ4Xe
“I may know where they're planning to meet.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiRTUcW74HA
Naomi narrowed her eyes. “Who?”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVptNQhPYCJ
Seline didn’t answer directly.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCVSzh1k5LW
“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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN10fp6GFed
Naomi raised an eyebrow. “You think they’re involved with Mercy’s crate?”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyL5Ega7o9O
Seline folded her arms.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJeTZIcCOuP
“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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡskBZrHLqUW
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3WdWx0s7h4
“We have six minutes,” Shiko whispered.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCipBsFOrFE
“Once the bell rings for sunset inspection, all internal guards get recalled.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdQDRfBMg65
Kim glanced at the marked fence post — red chalk: “M.O.3.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBFTdaMtp5C
“Let’s just make sure we’re not the ones being followed.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR29fWVHUgK
Naomi nodded slowly. “Good work, Seline. Stay close.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtEFYo0TiuW
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ09Bs0ODkEZ
“If the bait’s good, they’ll bite. If they bite, I watch who bleeds.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpHTTOnqKDV
She never pressed send.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡknjktXGJ8V
She didn’t need to.
******65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKe9kikvoXO
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTi8qhNGDz3
Kim turned first.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡakbhdGPR8o
“We’re boxed.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUPHQU8A5zM
“No,” Shiko said, calm. “We’re just poorly lit.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKo8CSIp0Un
From her satchel, she pulled a small envelope marked “Science Week – Safe Burn”.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbTVji58i8s
Flash-paper.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡucJorXRIwn
Confetti-layered. Impregnated with fine magnesium salt.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ZcMbtDpbB
Designed for stage experiments.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3YpdhCr8FT
She struck the match.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWKwtgHQ1n7
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL44L3bB8KH
Kim didn’t flinch.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWLDkKEkNp6
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjCdCBKhIdX
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuk59NbhK4y
“They sent the wrong box,” she said, breathless, flashing her forged badge.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxbwcLJWFsA
“I’ve got the corrected archive.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBZs9v7MkBV
They looked confused. One shrugged. “It’s all sealed.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiTM4eeQz51
Kim tapped the chalk mark on the side — slightly smudged.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0GUicut1zF
“See? Rained out. Mercy’s tag faded. Could be mislabeled.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7q0KD6cLsY
They hesitated.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJDpSzKETal
Shiko appeared behind them, adjusting her glasses, calm and efficient.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhYcJhMx8ZQ
The boys handed it over.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJH1Y2VQ1AL
Kim wheeled the real crate away, heart pounding.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5AXSHgWPgY
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwPq6FBRrkq
“You underestimated the quiet ones,” she whispered.
*****65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtsFmgvRBNu
Naomi stood at the front table, her fingers on the crate’s seal.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFs4pMAtVwr
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg5wfGbl7sH
“Let this end what she started,” Naomi said.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYdfUMzIJxQ
She peeled back the tape. Inside: a folder marked “Confession Index: Volume I” — filled with blank pages.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSc2Vq1kiPM
Mary frowned.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDmhyzNoG6u
June looked to Naomi, whose face remained unreadable. “This isn’t the original,” she said.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvy3Op5Kg2M
Then the lights flickered.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8U84rQzHKl
Just once.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbkH5lChzHs
Not enough to panic. But enough to shift attention.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAlBYIN5BkV
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNO7e4Z4NQe
Then it clicked. And played.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN5GTn1EyyB
Mercy’s voice.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSJvqsBybgo
“Nice switch. Too slow.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7mxmUx5Xd3
Heads turned sharply. A soft whir from the old cassette speaker in the wall — a repurposed relic. Vintage. Protected.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFTbczXHCYZ
The voice continued — calm, amused, in perfect control:65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5B8z74iMsu
“Let’s not pretend this was about justice. This was about story. And I still write the better one.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgJrZnmQokN
A pause. Then:65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpEMpmMS2bR
“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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡofu3ZRDTQh
Click. Silence.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDDTaZb0b1w
Outside, thunder cracked.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqjW58WCXen
Naomi’s fingers tightened on the empty folder.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUGlJb9eZGy
Mary whispered, “She recorded it before the Tribunal.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ0mZIL08wp
June looked at the now-open ceiling vent above the archive. “No. She triggered it after.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHRH8Igzazf
Kim, listening from the hallway, stared at the speaker — then slowly slipped the real crate deeper under her cloak.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMLjPZWqA8a
The war hadn’t ended. It had just gone underground again.
**********65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS67d4zUrun
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFPHzpM4tA2
Naomi’s.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoja0IjlCSS
He broke the seal.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp7BTkEj5Gu
Inside: a short message and a typed formal proposal, stamped with Naomi’s name.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF3RnGXkjjb
“Temporary Intelligence Exchange Proposal.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9XVc1V1ZUF
Objectives: Stop second wave. Contain ledger fallout. Restrict Shadow Walker expansion.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeiWhh1bHU2
Musa leaned in. “She’s serious.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYidVYP5JPE
Juma scoffed. “Serious or desperate?”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTAEcUTNJff
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM9WfDpsE99
Ayo paced. “You trust Naomi?”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1AgzWmyAtg
“No,” Jabari said. “But I trust the threat.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqiGTsmQWDU
Juma added, “If she’s suggesting shared control, it means she doesn’t have it.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHVX87m4Aem
Musa tapped the table. “And if we say no, we’re not allies. We’re targets.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR1T2BD8y61
Juma looked around. “I can’t believe we’re even considering this.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBfTYNhUFlc
But his voice wasn’t angry. Just tired.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiVe1URxNcK
“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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp5xQD3omCf
One by one, hands rose.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4letMaZ8em
Even Juma’s.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcyp04XcfqL
The decision was unanimous.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj3WVHObxCh
Jabari scribbled a short response:65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBWjh5CtiPe
“Agreed. Shared containment.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpsJFAGNUmV
Our fire stays cold until her flame dies.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ72fVv4oVyw
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMdK2AVHgFc
The next morning, the note was gone.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ43OyZAhufh
And beneath the vent, someone had drawn a small M.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnwgLXayjQ1
Then crossed it out.
