When the first bell rang at 7:23 a.m., girls loyal to the order froze mid-breakfast.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI1kj1ihT6K
By the second bell — louder, longer — every corridor emptied into the courtyard.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Ky2vZVYxO
Whispers flew faster than feet:97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnvGAsid6Gr
“Tribunal.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQgC1JpyjZA
“She’s calling names.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPS0hMcY16j
“Is it because of the video?”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI5SmqbGPHz
“Did someone move the ledger?”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnOpuqNEZm5
Inside the Assembly Hall, Naomi stood center-stage, hands behind her back.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK0I0KHCESN
Behind her: two senior prefects. To her right: Mary.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmidgZZAdK9
To her left: the Order Ledger Book, unopened since Mercy’s fall.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPLvO3g9P2F
The girls filed in. No laughter. No chatter. Only breaths held under stiff collars.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE03itLKEiE
Naomi’s voice echoed when she began:97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs0i0UYcOZA
“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.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU64Ks5NLmQ
Gasps rippled through the room.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTlqVsMh27B
“Each girl in this hall will have a choice: Recommit to the Order — or walk away.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL1wi96R7iU
A hand shot up. Seline. “What about those who were never in?”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfMFiz7iGMD
Naomi didn’t flinch.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi2TjsRtnnC
“Then decide who you’re standing beside now.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuX2G75xvLH
She pointed to the bell.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuSbEtZCJe8
“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.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3MCQLObrIM
The first girl — a Form 1, trembling — stepped up and touched the bell.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkEk5pDObQv
“Amara Oketch,” she whispered. The bell rang once.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnQvBa3h3NT
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.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ24q3pWWH6Y
Naomi’s expression never changed.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGZWhXs9nzG
But inside, the ledger was already shifting — loyalty was becoming currency.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSScqCKV6fi
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.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhuoiriT6xx
“Kimberly Diana Otieno. I came to listen. Not to lie.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfoM2awsajn
The bell did not ring.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkikVpYspQn
Mary frowned.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9eJtc6Ycjg
Naomi closed the ledger without writing.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQqAWCACYCQ
“Some names don’t need to echo,” Naomi said.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiGfDROe0Ug
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.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnHPU0rVkSU
Naomi’s voice is filled with unspoken disgust:97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLINu2kxu8F
“Miss June… do you still believe in the wall?”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW39IrgNWQy
June walks past the bell, but doesn’t touch it. She stops beside Kim.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgwTurvTRgS
“I believe in the cracks.”
*****97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmwblNyQMlF
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.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcm4H0czSom
“There’s a ledger being held by Jabari’s boys. Not the one in the broadcast. A second one. Still sealed.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSolKN3edCf
Kim tensed. “We thought Ayo took it.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLO7EBZy45w
“He did,” June said. “But he gave it back too quickly. That means it’s stashed somewhere, waiting for the right time.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjRFImfTSNc
Shiko asked, “What’s inside?”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaWj8rjanJi
June pulled a folded note from her pocket — Mercy’s handwriting, unmistakable.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS70Mh8rMYP
“Box 3 holds their fingerprints.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFIMaMfzrCp
What they buried beneath your dorm.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeV0OK1xeaS
Who vanished, and who let them.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC4ossyMEuE
Kim’s throat went dry. “That’s… not just old Order business.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaCMJksg92E
“No,” June said. 97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM1SOAJmgOa
“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.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGg3FbtrA5J
Shiko frowned. “We’re not even sure what it looks like.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjCqa7ixCyh
June smirked slightly. “You will. It’s the only crate stamped in red chalk. ‘M.O.3’ — Mercy’s final cipher box.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM55ZcmJcaT
Kim looked at her. “And what happens if they’ve already opened it?”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ13TZFrPmq4
June met her eyes.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyXmrgfI0uQ
“Then make sure what they read next… isn't real.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU4ImxnKCgw
Kim nods slowly.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6eo3BMxKv8
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.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcbha7RkSoS
“Plant it when the swap’s done. That’s how I’ll know.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlLINL9l95O
As June walks away, she murmurs to herself: “Let them remember what we allow.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZmPgq6xKsV
*****97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZE8BbWfx4x
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.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZjMmsHk91X
“We need eyes everywhere,” Naomi said. “No dorms unchecked. No keys misplaced.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ591WL0qPRv
Seline stepped forward with studied calm.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcDLJr1L9IT
“I may know where they're planning to meet.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt709fAQs0z
Naomi narrowed her eyes. “Who?”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYLkxSidsV5
Seline didn’t answer directly.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPQZ0TpAZVV
“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.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5PiMg47liw
Naomi raised an eyebrow. “You think they’re involved with Mercy’s crate?”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvLkfHHkgFh
Seline folded her arms.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEBeqrRgaUR
“I think if you want answers, send your guards to the south incinerator lane — just before dusk. They’ll find more than ash.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVoYgd3eSsX
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.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ76RfCFh0Yc
“We have six minutes,” Shiko whispered.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Bi6vGRBuo
“Once the bell rings for sunset inspection, all internal guards get recalled.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCm4zwMZMGk
Kim glanced at the marked fence post — red chalk: “M.O.3.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbMLtYxRjoA
“Let’s just make sure we’re not the ones being followed.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQvvvDlobJw
Naomi nodded slowly. “Good work, Seline. Stay close.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeI0HmMc1su
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:97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNn8nK5uHKV
“If the bait’s good, they’ll bite. If they bite, I watch who bleeds.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfqukvcRM4s
She never pressed send.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ37FuoqNAS4
She didn’t need to.
******97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz3XkfosbaR
They came from two sides — four prefect guards, swift and silent, their batons clipped tight and flashlights already stuttering in the growing dark.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjWYZ83MmHZ
Kim turned first.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡstrYn40aud
“We’re boxed.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdysfXPev7Y
“No,” Shiko said, calm. “We’re just poorly lit.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ00QT9EZztk
From her satchel, she pulled a small envelope marked “Science Week – Safe Burn”.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ7YZ8wZT2l
Flash-paper.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBcKBwBEks6
Confetti-layered. Impregnated with fine magnesium salt.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP00j0J6FST
Designed for stage experiments.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE8MODfJVKs
She struck the match.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOUER1R6ZTO
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.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzvsGkj7KuT
Kim didn’t flinch.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaHPmlrJ4Lb
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.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsMZRjNS0JY
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.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPlmz6XdBik
“They sent the wrong box,” she said, breathless, flashing her forged badge.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEeLXsy03DM
“I’ve got the corrected archive.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRhsR9rEU40
They looked confused. One shrugged. “It’s all sealed.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMAtxQCPbUQ
Kim tapped the chalk mark on the side — slightly smudged.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeHoIH55QxN
“See? Rained out. Mercy’s tag faded. Could be mislabeled.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2tYcF7CdKy
They hesitated.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrLdNmiqlMy
Shiko appeared behind them, adjusting her glasses, calm and efficient.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlluve6AxPG
The boys handed it over.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeYovsXbIoh
Kim wheeled the real crate away, heart pounding.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL8ZUjm0Wn2
The prefect guards staggered out of the light-blast cloud, coughing and confused. Seline, watching from the upper dorm window, narrowed her eyes.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYu5BCQuvgE
“You underestimated the quiet ones,” she whispered.
*****97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsi8XLPyBmf
Naomi stood at the front table, her fingers on the crate’s seal.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt4lRMz4GDx
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.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv5FRJk4Gyd
“Let this end what she started,” Naomi said.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGpMck0HGwC
She peeled back the tape. Inside: a folder marked “Confession Index: Volume I” — filled with blank pages.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTCjBlchT1g
Mary frowned.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzrbOWneCdw
June looked to Naomi, whose face remained unreadable. “This isn’t the original,” she said.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡExkCS65P0H
Then the lights flickered.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxcbUj6d8wf
Just once.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ68jcoqnlsd
Not enough to panic. But enough to shift attention.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRkurqMZK9k
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.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMhbiZmCna9
Then it clicked. And played.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRWLY5PD4zw
Mercy’s voice.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ94yjyhH1YP
“Nice switch. Too slow.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvfxTggL0I8
Heads turned sharply. A soft whir from the old cassette speaker in the wall — a repurposed relic. Vintage. Protected.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0uw1Uk2Nye
The voice continued — calm, amused, in perfect control:97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQKuAJvBcg4
“Let’s not pretend this was about justice. This was about story. And I still write the better one.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxtB6MQkRlK
A pause. Then:97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHLLrR7iJCc
“To the girl with the sharp hands—well played. But you forgot something. I never left. See you in the crypt. Round two begins.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmbwIC5hLXs
Click. Silence.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHnfVYFtZwn
Outside, thunder cracked.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnMEji4GCyA
Naomi’s fingers tightened on the empty folder.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt7wc1lY9bh
Mary whispered, “She recorded it before the Tribunal.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtZiQY4diR6
June looked at the now-open ceiling vent above the archive. “No. She triggered it after.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRxl0gPkhyI
Kim, listening from the hallway, stared at the speaker — then slowly slipped the real crate deeper under her cloak.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYoRPAzZ0cY
The war hadn’t ended. It had just gone underground again.
**********97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPgAwSuzyFs
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.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCepMosjQZZ
Naomi’s.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4KSZ0z0tKJ
He broke the seal.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Darz6rt43
Inside: a short message and a typed formal proposal, stamped with Naomi’s name.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUyf3itWuw1
“Temporary Intelligence Exchange Proposal.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDxGYD0mlQo
Objectives: Stop second wave. Contain ledger fallout. Restrict Shadow Walker expansion.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH78UuuX3x7
Musa leaned in. “She’s serious.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNOFFm193cH
Juma scoffed. “Serious or desperate?”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvgCqXrIdTm
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.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ66YZgFctNm
Ayo paced. “You trust Naomi?”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsXwGi5bvGc
“No,” Jabari said. “But I trust the threat.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFzv1qf2cFc
Juma added, “If she’s suggesting shared control, it means she doesn’t have it.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ0SKySBiGn
Musa tapped the table. “And if we say no, we’re not allies. We’re targets.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIuKes25dDo
Juma looked around. “I can’t believe we’re even considering this.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡao0KnKYf4X
But his voice wasn’t angry. Just tired.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNrpkvhsMsx
“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.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ShRjYhRo1
One by one, hands rose.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6WrAwBfr5m
Even Juma’s.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrjuwDAoY9d
The decision was unanimous.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ1FOiO0bai
Jabari scribbled a short response:97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnzHBrPQeMj
“Agreed. Shared containment.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6vAL97uFAV
Our fire stays cold until her flame dies.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp6m3FGfq0i
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.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGZLrACZoKg
The next morning, the note was gone.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlc16Sytt2Q
And beneath the vent, someone had drawn a small M.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLUGdlg3Grv
Then crossed it out.
