The science lab hadn’t been officially used in months — the windows were cracked, the wiring unstable, and the door only locked from the inside. Which made it perfect.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy4aLv1aCb3
Mary adjusted the lens on the UV lamp, flicking the toggle back and forth until the bulb buzzed to life with a dull purple glow.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGzELLGK1uu
She spread the black card across the dissection tray — the one Mercy had retrieved from the chapel and handed over without explanation.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUi7IyXJbsy
“You know how to look,” Mercy had whispered. “So look.”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn1oYkODCar
So Mary did. At first, nothing.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsOdYzLU3Lp
Then the ink shifted — faint glowing threads emerging beneath the card’s surface. The lines curled, widened, and gradually began to form structure.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrNwhDyvYDE
It wasn’t art. It was architecture.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOaWhMOVY46
A floor plan. 70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSm0gXbEVJ0
June leaned in over her shoulder. “That’s not just the chapel…”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHgLAY8DCU8
Mary nodded. “That’s the tunnel system.”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZIt2q0IFc
The map showed multiple levels: A narrow tunnel from the borehole curving beneath the dining wing. Level two: The greenhouse access route — confirmed. Level three: A set of interlocking service paths ending in a room marked by a circle and the letters:70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkIxTpIp8eL
C.9 – Cryptus Sacrum.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5faTKWgCVr
Mary’s breath caught.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzT78bxTvTk
“The chapel has a crypt,” she whispered.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZYhQOHkOk1
June’s eyes narrowed. “No one’s spoken about that since Mercy’s expulsion.”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKCGZALyiyE
“No one dared,” Mary replied.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyPjb1lDWGm
In the bottom left corner of the blueprint, another glow began to rise beneath the UV:70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUYTEW94XzP
“Begin from what you buried.”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKhUsuAL7jM
— M.O.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ032eZ666jG
June stepped back slightly. “She’s not just reactivating the tunnels. She’s trying to pull us back in.”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsYV2U5L7fm
Mary nodded slowly. “Or she never left.”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡECzOI4Ig6F
For the first time in weeks, June didn’t know which side she was on.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAEZSZn70Kx
Naomi had restored her badge. Reinforced their place in the Order. Offered peace. But what Mercy offered now was truth. Not orderly. Not safe. But real.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaA0JvSH2FE
And June had always preferred sharp things to dull ones.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJTyohAcoeX
She looked at Mary, who was still tracing the lines of the blueprint with a gloved fingertip.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡksmG9i1ar2
“If that’s real,” June whispered, “then we’ve never actually been above ground.”
*****70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4KOyN9spHP
Kim didn’t look up when June sat down beside her.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHta3UVcDXm
The bench under the jacaranda had become her quiet spot — the only place where questions didn’t buzz in her ears. The petals drifted down like soft ink, blanketing her shoulder, the pages of her notebook, even the edges of her thoughts.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo8uYuGSW7Q
June broke the silence.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTp3uKF70Lz
“You were right about her.”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJl5yOUIuAN
Kim turned. “Mercy?”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjMs431X1C6
June nodded; her voice taut. “She doesn’t want power back. She wants the Order buried.”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkUWLLMvcPX
Kim closed her notebook slowly. “What did you find?”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡatzPjcLmxI
June didn’t answer at first. She reached into her sweater pocket and pulled out a slip of folded paper — not the blueprint itself, but a tracing she’d made in secret, away from Mary, away from Naomi. On it: the outline of the chapel. And beneath it — the crypt, marked in Mercy’s faint symbol: M.O., crossed by three vertical lines.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXZNpQ9sEzj
“Three verticals,” June whispered. “Three prefects. Mercy’s way of marking a trap.”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3A4iylPfpW
Kim stared. “You’re sure?”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGLyWy5wqV9
“Dead sure. She means to draw them there. Naomi, the others. And seal it. Not physically — symbolically. Shame them. Expose what they covered up about the tunnels, the Walkers, her expulsion. All of it.”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ15t8JnDWaa
Kim traced one of the drawn lines with her finger.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEm7kow7EqY
“She’s not exposing history,” she said slowly. “She’s rewriting it.”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiC2bmGfwQu
June leaned forward.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡadoxZRlR7b
“You’re not in the Order. You’re not on anyone’s side. But you’ve seen more than most — and you don’t scare easy.”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY5wgV32HFi
Kim gave a small, tired laugh. “You sound like Shiko.”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1FuSSKeUUE
“No. Shiko’s a scout. You’re a witness.”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq9EOR4vWZU
June paused, then added softly:70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYs6CkvN6KV
“I don’t want to be part of burying people. Not even Naomi.”
They sat in silence for a moment, petals collecting like snow.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡueKigZ18RH
Then Kim asked, “What do you want me to do?”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe8HezkKINB
June looked up. Her voice was quieter now. Less prefect. More person.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbE8is3gjE5
“If anything happens in the crypt... if I can’t stop it... you tell the others. Shiko. Seline. Even Jabari, if you have to.”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpmqgw2QogQ
Kim stared at her. “That could expose you.”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVeJtctZrx1
June nodded once.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmm780K7ujA
“Better me than them.”
*****70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3lWVye8thV
The corridor was nearly empty when Seline appeared.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYqjeNmD83l
She didn’t slam her locker or call Kim’s name. She just stood there, leaning against the doorway like someone who had waited long enough for the exact moment to arrive.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsjMmw4cwqN
“You’ve been busy.”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfpS51TSsW1
Kim turned slowly, not startled — just tired.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd0jecnaA3B
“So have you.”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj4gIy6MEht
Seline’s eyes were cold, but not cruel.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSJPhLZVheU
“Let’s skip the pretend part.”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXYtpcffYfW
Kim raised an eyebrow. “Which part?”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFCrwlZCffU
“The part where you pretend, you’re not helping Mercy. Or June. Or whoever it is this week.”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE4s3V0M4Y8
Kim closed her locker slowly. “I’m not helping anyone. I’m trying to understand what’s happening.”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD6701MQQNc
“That’s exactly what makes you useful.”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKI0sjsHXMR
Seline stepped closer, her voice low and measured.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjVYbsX6coY
“Help me expose Mercy before this thing in the chapel happens — and I’ll show you something.”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡduqyzzO1cY
Kim didn’t move. “Something about Juma.”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbsIqAs24s8
That stopped her.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg3uB9ur7ls
“Juma?” she said, sharper than she meant.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBHC0R37XPe
Seline nodded. “Something you’ve clearly been dancing around since last term. Don’t look so surprised, Kim. You don’t hide infatuation well.”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs2nQO2L8LR
Kim crossed her arms. “And you just happened to be saving this for a rainy day?”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjKGwiGJOBs
“No. I was saving it for the right pressure point.”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAHLMDiUvas
Seline reached into her sweater pocket and tapped a folded sheet. Thick. A printout? A photo?70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb0BkcD6Ngu
“You help me shut this down — expose Mercy, burn the tunnels, force Naomi to act — and you’ll get the truth about what Juma’s really doing when he says he’s ‘off-grid.’”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd9WKpWxENO
The corridor felt suddenly colder. Kim stared at the folded paper, then at Seline’s face. Not smug. Not even manipulative. Just… determined.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOCb4mHyZBc
Like a girl who had once been close to Mercy. Like a girl who knew betrayal personally — and intended to weaponize it back.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzuBhh565Y3
“You don’t even care about Naomi,” Kim said.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtXE9VU8D7y
Seline’s voice softened. “I care about not being erased.”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOLPQNbGt6H
When Kim returned to her desk in the class, there was another mystery to follow waiting up on her.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeA0PxmY6jw
There was no envelope.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgUzB9UyyX9
Just a folded note, slipped between the spine of Kim’s literature textbook and the dusty edge of her locker wall.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcX8jcmFyRo
She knew it was Shiko’s. The paper was squared at the corners. Neat. Dry. No handwriting on the outside. Just careful silence.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaVeX1ewlSm
Inside, a short message:70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGkBhXUtXD7
“Meet at Science Week’s midnight demonstration. No one else. No delay.”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxsGsh3lWlX
— S70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg3Ei77GdCU
Kim stared at the paper, rereading the curves in the "S" — round and sharp in the way only Shiko's handwriting ever was.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkr4lTj2yLy
She folded it twice and slipped it into her sock.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxqZ7AqaihF
Outside, thunder rolled low and slow across the lake.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNuB1mLE0hP
If Seline was a warning... Shiko was a reminder:70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWLMd1YzdSU
She wasn’t alone.
*****70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXnlGyOozJy
Naomi’s heels echoed unnaturally down the corridor.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHvjQh5iEm2
She didn’t bark orders. She never had to.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLYC9GF7N3u
Two junior prefects flanked her, carrying empty crates. She stopped at the lab entrance and waited until the girls looked up from the bench.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsvjThWKgYw
“New directive from the principal,” Naomi said evenly. “All ultraviolet lighting equipment is to be removed from the lab facilities effective immediately.”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlo70na85eR
Mary blinked. “Why?”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2NarlFQU9G
Naomi held up the clipboard. “Cited: potential risk of chemical interactions. Some of these lamps are over a decade old. Filaments cracking. Possible mercury leaks.”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnRIhhHFGGC
June stepped forward. “That’s never been a concern before.”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNFp51FsSjq
Naomi raised an eyebrow. “Well, it is now.”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSVKs1SiRg1
As the juniors moved through the cupboards, one lifting the dusty UV lamp from the back shelf, Mary and June exchanged a look.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVdPaM7bMAO
This wasn’t about safety. This was about control.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5QypZWvC9L
Naomi didn’t glance at the blueprint folder tucked beneath Mary’s stack of textbooks — but her silence was surgical. Her eyes landed on it. Briefly. Knowing.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4vsfTnPdfL
Then she turned to go.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSL8b5kku26
“If you need light,” she said over her shoulder, “try daylight.”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeZGXUVyTqi
The door clicked shut behind her.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiEDbx2oiIX
Mary’s fingers dug into the edge of the desk.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ50RsbaKsjK
“She knows,” she whispered.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpa8IRZpVjH
June stared at the door. “She doesn’t know everything.”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZVwubUG8e3
Mary hesitated. “Should we tell Kim?”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoWdt9yWU9Q
June exhaled.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsclwapRHSn
“No. Not yet. Not until we find the crypt entrance ourselves.”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNMwtaKgToX
She picked up the blueprint sketch, gently smoothed the corner, and whispered under her breath:70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvfcc0IxYkE
“We don't need light. We need memory.”
******70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6VX4jmgmmQ
Juma paced just outside the back stage canopy, fists in his jacket pockets. He could feel Jabari before he saw him.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡavW2gSf412
“You’re late,” Juma muttered.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡObItRzvRzi
“You followed me,” Jabari replied calmly.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4QUsPlUEHk
Juma stepped forward. “You’re walking into a trap. Mercy isn’t just planting symbols — she’s turning them into a net. And Naomi doesn’t see it.”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡilgjqf8xTB
Jabari’s voice was cold. “Neither did you, until you saw the card.”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0u21a3QJUA
Juma’s jaw clenched. “This isn’t about who saw what first. It’s about stopping a collapse. Tonight. In the chapel.”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJtM0jdRYJE
Jabari finally turned, locking eyes.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxCVvklWp4u
“Then let’s collapse it before she does.”
Beneath the science wing on the girls’ side, Kim and Shiko crouched behind the old reagent shed.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRd8frtkFm4
Shiko passed her the flashlight. “If the crypt’s real, it has to open from somewhere near the annex sub-basement. The original plans placed the drain gate there.”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTwh8Mivvnq
Kim stared at her. “You sound like you’ve been practicing this.”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwpF4oOtGyW
Shiko gave a faint grin. “You’re not the only one who gets notes.”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbquYAU7hu6
Kim unfolded hers again: “Midnight. Come quiet.”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRJ3FaxStdO
There had been no signature — but the direction had been clear. The trap wasn’t just Mercy’s.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr75nL9I2eO
Someone was planning to stop it.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh0CabgxvEj
They were just making sure someone else survived it.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiCHvWgYQHH
At 12:06 a.m., while students at the science demo lit hydrogen bubbles and experimented with heat coils, four shadows moved in four separate arcs: Jabari and Juma, slipping behind the stage, through the external water tank corridor. Kim and Shiko, looping behind the incinerator shed toward the chapel annex. Mercy, already beneath the chapel, lighting her candle, placing the final lock in the metal gate.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI46uE1U1kG
And somewhere else — Seline, watching from above the science dome, her eyes flickering with a phone she shouldn’t have had.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Qt9DtIMRK
Jabari reached the tunnel grate first.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPjBcqhbvX3
Juma slipped beside him, passing the folded metal rod they’d stashed days ago. Together, for once, they said nothing.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH6rs2czAqp
Inside the tunnel — faint blue paint glowed at the seams.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw0KBlAvgtG
The glyph for “complete.”70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyeSJriG6WC
Mercy had finished the sequence.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVdLvHQBhD2
On the girls’ side, Kim reached into the drain gate.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8OUTNITGC4
Shiko crouched beside her, prying open a rusted latch.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIaWt52qoy9
Below them, the faint sound of a click echoed.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1pGqSdPnze
A door opened.
