In the Kisumu Boys' Assembly Room, a closed session in the late afternoon is underway. The rain drums faintly on the roof. Both Order loyalists and Shadow Walker affiliates have been summoned — the first meeting of its kind.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuVHKJ2IraD
The room buzzed with restrained confusion. On one side: prefects, old Order loyalists, data-keepers. On the other: Shadow Walkers — code-runners, graffiti scouts, watchers from rooftops.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUBJNcilD7q
No one sat near the center.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡslolwG01CA
Jabari stood at the front of the room, back straight, the cracked ledger box in one hand.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCI8E4530y8
He didn’t shout.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKbRqC8Juz7
“You all saw what Mercy did.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJcdf4cFkSz
Silence.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZjh7v0vCej
“She used our stories. Our fractures. She drowned us in our own past.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPbnC65rTpH
He placed the box down — loudly.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyx4srcUTR7
“So, this time… we drown her in it.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVJ6r6c3did
He scanned both sides of the room.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ0ASDuDszb
“We have word Naomi’s side is moving — quietly. They’ve offered a containment pact.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf179HtxaT0
A few gasps. One laugh — quickly hushed.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb2oQ0E98DV
Jabari continued.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr6uFSSvYiv
“This isn’t an alliance for peace. This is a trap.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsGj5hbE3uO
He walked to the chalkboard and drew a quick diagram: the chapel crypt, the drainage lines, the tunnel forks.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbN6914Alpl
“Mercy’s using the third memory drop — a ledger no one catalogued. We lure her into finishing the cycle. And we lock her there. Not with chains. With evidence. With noise. With memory.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwDpvqvynvi
Kwame wasn’t present.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh00grb3KFS
But Otieno was — arms folded, expression blank.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhNGZ9kNQXl
Ayo muttered under his breath, “He won’t like this.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhmhRnYOKSP
Juma asked sharply, “So we do Naomi’s cleanup?”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ96B3W4j1Ax
Jabari looked him straight in the eyes.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3QofDscXZk
“We clean up our own ghosts. Naomi’s just part of the smoke.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡczmVftnkr8
Musa stepped forward and unrolled the scroll — Naomi’s signed terms, retrieved from the wall.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsH8mxhjhBL
He read them aloud: Neutral crypt space during the trap execution. Shared counter-signal system (one chime = cancel, two = proceed). No betrayal until both crates are verified and neutralized.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8eYi03TpH6
The final line:27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxjVEvMupIp
“No war until the wound is stitched.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT2XGb8XgtX
A single nod from Jabari. “Vote?”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuu0epQPrK2
This time, only one hand stayed down.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt1yKQvZYiJ
Otieno.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgHOgf5WXS8
He met Jabari’s gaze, then whispered: “You catch her… Just don’t become her.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR8UYWbDNV8
The moment Musa finished rolling up the scroll, Juma stood — arms crossed, eyes cold.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLcbQjLnOBH
“We’re trusting Naomi now? The same girl who tried to silence everything Mercy uncovered?”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeRr3MWDU2J
The room went quiet again. Even the Shadow Walkers leaned in, sensing heat beneath the words.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmIuB7jOoD7
Jabari didn’t answer immediately.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjiZNPhvETI
Juma continued, his voice quieter but heavier:27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Xt6YwMOy8
“She isn’t here to contain anything. She’s here to bury it again. And if we help her… we’re part of it. We’ve already done one cover-up, Jabari. I won’t do a second.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk8rmxZTtj6
Otieno glanced at Musa. Ayo looked away.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgqdaXM9iSb
They knew what Jabari suspected but never asked.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdUVUudYuhA
Juma’s voice cracked ever so slightly: “I swore I’d protect Kim. Not just physically. From all this. From becoming one of us.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSxWk00hkLP
He looked straight at Jabari. “You think Naomi won’t use her if it means killing Mercy’s story?”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhXl8fCZpzY
A slow clap echoed from the hallway.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY5ycINBroG
Kwame.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡptKWv1fnvG
He leaned against the doorframe, shadowed, smirking.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdjbXmyF6YZ
“Now that’s what I’ve been waiting for.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBvcvCNd4bS
Jabari’s jaw tightened. “You weren’t invited.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6oIdBkPmk6
Kwame stepped in. “I don’t need an invitation to watch a castle collapse. Especially when the stones fight each other.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ynFvHeQcj
He glanced at Juma. “Finally, someone with a spine.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlqXyMuCqiQ
Jabari stepped forward. “This isn’t about Kim.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc9DucX1dj2
Juma didn’t move. “No. It’s about all the people who can’t speak anymore. Mercy included.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGPPTH12i8p
Kwame tilted his head, amused. “You know, I think Mercy would like him.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYJ4x3KdHoh
Musa finally spoke. “We don’t have time for this.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKasQxi9dcZ
Jabari looked at Juma. “You can’t protect her from all of it. You can only decide whether you help shape the truth or let it crush her.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAly0SIW4ow
Juma’s fists clenched.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLEw8SouVyW
But he didn’t sit back down.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUXhjZMexs6
Later that night, after the hall had emptied and the plan was posted on the encrypted wall scroll, Kwame found Otieno near the water tanks, where the fog rolled low and the pipes hissed with steam.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWHEPDVy3zp
Kwame leaned against the concrete.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ61SguEI7qT
“So. You’re really going with Jabari?”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfPtKqEiQpn
Otieno didn’t look up. He was fitting a copper ring into the vent grate — a piece of an old filtration system he’d been rigging for months.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5b8SVj89Cs
“Does it matter?”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBupOl7tHt4
Kwame smirked. “It does to me. I had you pegged as a watcher. Not a follower.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIlehRiLBmV
Otieno stood slowly. “You’re right.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ngHE4TJNv
He turned to face Kwame — taller than him in the dim light. 27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWXrZyfAFFs
“I do watch. I watched what happened when the last war between Orders wasn’t stopped. I watched Jabari get blamed for things he never did. I watched you use Mercy’s name like a weapon — without carrying any of her burden.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRpIjLO0Iud
Kwame’s smile faded slightly.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrZ5XZLaTtD
“She’s rewriting history,” Otieno said. “And you think you’re the editor. But she’ll erase you the second you stop being useful.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4KneQLNxaG
Kwame raised an eyebrow. “And you think Jabari won’t?”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8tOAlQK3ck
Otieno stepped closer.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3zUibS71vu
“If we help Jabari now, we keep Mercy’s revenge from destroying us all. Not for Naomi. Not for orders. Not for walls.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfERI5Zyn3c
He paused. “For survival.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhpjQDzlvzg
Kwame scoffed lightly. “You sound like you’re preparing for a funeral.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZGWoBLlBxQ
Otieno turned away, sliding the copper ring into place.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxPxKOybwXB
“I am. The old war never ended. This time, I just want to know which side I buried my friends on.”
**********27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn2IYOjuau8
The ledger crate was lighter than expected.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD0BUGbFUOH
Musa tested its weight once more as he crouched beneath the courtyard arch. The M.O.3 chalk mark had been carefully redrawn. The false ledgers inside were wrapped in canvas, just enough heft to feel real.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxP2zZrzh4h
Jabari stood beside him in the hallway shadows. “You’re sure?”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVdZlyxMHqm
Musa gave a half-smile. “You trust me with a busted borehole and a map that doesn’t exist, but not a box full of air?”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgawSF9NIGW
Juma, standing nearby, muttered, “It’s not the box I don’t trust. It’s the gate it’s going through.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnSYcC5Zll4
Musa turned to Jabari.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2kpV0HXWSx
“Let me take it. If we send a signal through anyone else, they’ll second-guess it.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡobDRN7NMDi
He gripped the crate.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxUOWnVIhVI
“I’m neutral enough to walk through fire.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsOTB91nBSO
From behind him, Ayo appeared silently, holding a folded black card — flat, thin, almost forgettable.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSE80Oen1yq
“For insurance,” Ayo said, sliding it beneath the top canvas.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcUoUmTfdVo
Musa frowned. “We’re not sending threats.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡemob0e143M
Ayo’s voice was smooth. “It’s not a threat. Just… a reminder. She needs to know she’s still being watched.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrAbIs4JTQh
“No names. Just the old cipher. Mercy’s mark.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIPoOLAr91Z
Musa hesitated, then said nothing. There wasn’t time. Jabari was still briefing the wall runners. No one else saw.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ31eveBfEpA
At 5:48 p.m., beneath the buzz of Science Week cleanup, Musa rolled the AV cart up to the old drain-slot gate in the concrete wall.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnCzNPMZ3Ns
He stood still, adjusted his sleeves. Waited.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh2MueY6igF
The grate shifted open. Two gloved hands — Mary’s, if he had to guess — pulled the crate silently inside.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5vSz5KdaPZ
No words. Only a single origami triangle left behind, folded from printed timetable paper.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlW9Hp5w7IL
He picked it up, unfolded it.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI1EtQB9p6V
“Drop scheduled. Second chime. No shadows.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE9nBLjDze8
The plan was live.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsaU4DAY4GQ
Inside the crate, beneath the false ledgers and canvas, Naomi’s hand paused when she reached the black card. It bore Mercy’s old cipher — a twisting serpent swallowing its tail — stamped in silver ink.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYq4IkJSxj4
Below it: one line in tight handwriting.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKwwz5kJvfa
“She buried you once. Don’t let her bury you again.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3cDJEm6xGX
Mary looked up at Naomi.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡspxHewEj3o
“Did you put this in?”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJmwnivPNhR
Naomi said nothing.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ysdC6ipZd
Her fingers tightened.
*****27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR5TuuKaEII
On the girls’ side. After dark. Naomi’s inner circle meets in the underground storage room behind the old library annex. The crate sits unopened on a long metal table.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVxoUvKMq77
The room smelled like old pine and chalk dust.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg4Mbm3y261
June, Mary, and Naomi stood around the crate. No one had spoken since the door shut.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnea4t0QNWZ
The origami triangle Musa left sat neatly beside the latch. Naomi’s hands hovered above it.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhHQDDW8xT8
“We open it now,” she said.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWW43txiV5x
“We can’t afford another surprise at the Tribunal.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhXXnsFZs3j
She glanced at Mary. “Gloves.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ13Z9q1Zgxu
Mary handed them over — clean surgical pairs swiped from the chem lab.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyz0bRyNND6
Inside, the ledgers were exactly as expected — wrapped, unmarked, blank. But under the first canvas fold, June’s hand paused.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXEkwwGbYpc
“Something’s here.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwannktPLPm
She pulled out the black card.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUuTPQsaVK3
The serpent. Silver ink. Old cipher.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6KrhMDAs2w
Naomi took it. Kim read the line aloud:27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFTwp2qHXcK
“She buried you once. Don’t let her bury you again.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuWSpw2WnIX
A beat of silence.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhBHqlQEEmA
Naomi’s face stayed blank, but her pulse visibly jumped.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9zvdrHtLe1
“It’s not hers,” she said flatly. “She never wrote in third person.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Eepin14fe
June stepped in. “Then it’s meant to make it look like it is.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYPvx9thfe3
Mary whispered, “Could it be a warning? From the boys?”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡucYJDUjhsn
Naomi shook her head. 27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡldc5uT308f
“Too calculated. This isn’t warning. It’s planting doubt. Whoever slipped it in wanted us to panic in front of the school.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbgOT7d7Rcr
June laid the card flat on the table.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Xa1cT0xyA
“We pull it now. Quietly. And we never say a word.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx5qjJgn9Qc
Naomi finally nodded. “Burn it.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUeSwAiyI6m
Mary hesitated. “That’s a Mercy move.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkm5RtOmdPm
Naomi replied coldly: 27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ75BRXXS7WX
“Then maybe she taught us well.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeBUwgvIYtW
The card was burning in a lab beaker, the serpent curling into ash by the time they were done, Naomi staring into the flame longer than the others.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtnHmxJnEyL
June turned to Naomi. 27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE12lRifQgQ
“When you open that crate tomorrow, make sure your voice doesn’t shake.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHoGMUMPL1n
Naomi said nothing.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7HYpTwGvHk
But her jaw was set.
