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.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCHB44kgB7X
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.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsw6MLxVKSK
No one sat near the center.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ29V4hilqIr
Jabari stood at the front of the room, back straight, the cracked ledger box in one hand.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTkj01QsMNJ
He didn’t shout.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKyKMknKx6F
“You all saw what Mercy did.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6tUuBfd0G1
Silence.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGddn4v3qhq
“She used our stories. Our fractures. She drowned us in our own past.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTxOr0W9AWK
He placed the box down — loudly.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl1IvWXBdIT
“So, this time… we drown her in it.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBbfvy4CId9
He scanned both sides of the room.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOW7hBd0d07
“We have word Naomi’s side is moving — quietly. They’ve offered a containment pact.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb62W3Qs4io
A few gasps. One laugh — quickly hushed.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1AAFtq8nQ9
Jabari continued.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡISgUI6jogq
“This isn’t an alliance for peace. This is a trap.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb6RYr3Vmyg
He walked to the chalkboard and drew a quick diagram: the chapel crypt, the drainage lines, the tunnel forks.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm7EL8FlP9z
“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.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡylRAEXeg8g
Kwame wasn’t present.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVDbJ2KeFst
But Otieno was — arms folded, expression blank.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq2TgZooRew
Ayo muttered under his breath, “He won’t like this.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUIRBpp2hiV
Juma asked sharply, “So we do Naomi’s cleanup?”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlfKYJLqThN
Jabari looked him straight in the eyes.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0XkBFOhtSj
“We clean up our own ghosts. Naomi’s just part of the smoke.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8prtvaMLHk
Musa stepped forward and unrolled the scroll — Naomi’s signed terms, retrieved from the wall.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaXalbhZTP1
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.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb4BDRwtB9a
The final line:96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPuhLfbkcwA
“No war until the wound is stitched.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH7wPiI0oji
A single nod from Jabari. “Vote?”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpseSVd4PjW
This time, only one hand stayed down.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJC2y9DxBbN
Otieno.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVeiSrFfaMl
He met Jabari’s gaze, then whispered: “You catch her… Just don’t become her.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP2ejKETSmQ
The moment Musa finished rolling up the scroll, Juma stood — arms crossed, eyes cold.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgOBYDtdVHr
“We’re trusting Naomi now? The same girl who tried to silence everything Mercy uncovered?”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvFkLnG8ard
The room went quiet again. Even the Shadow Walkers leaned in, sensing heat beneath the words.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdAKtBMYo0n
Jabari didn’t answer immediately.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXtIonvrRyb
Juma continued, his voice quieter but heavier:96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIl4lttogFX
“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.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1SMfgBk7U4
Otieno glanced at Musa. Ayo looked away.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡByRzD1mmi4
They knew what Jabari suspected but never asked.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhJu4fqjZ8v
Juma’s voice cracked ever so slightly: “I swore I’d protect Kim. Not just physically. From all this. From becoming one of us.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaax98wgqlI
He looked straight at Jabari. “You think Naomi won’t use her if it means killing Mercy’s story?”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPTVGurzp2Y
A slow clap echoed from the hallway.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2JxI6MK1Zf
Kwame.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjwt7KFz7Oa
He leaned against the doorframe, shadowed, smirking.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvoB6Z98PH8
“Now that’s what I’ve been waiting for.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV151Hd6hPl
Jabari’s jaw tightened. “You weren’t invited.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdtoQvlJ3n9
Kwame stepped in. “I don’t need an invitation to watch a castle collapse. Especially when the stones fight each other.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTRWS97x8J0
He glanced at Juma. “Finally, someone with a spine.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvI1lTDRRDn
Jabari stepped forward. “This isn’t about Kim.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNjWKjoIwvl
Juma didn’t move. “No. It’s about all the people who can’t speak anymore. Mercy included.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcs025EJAgn
Kwame tilted his head, amused. “You know, I think Mercy would like him.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEXvmT4mOWF
Musa finally spoke. “We don’t have time for this.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzPAQ8JM2mn
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.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2dHZ9uO7QZ
Juma’s fists clenched.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa5dxiYiukV
But he didn’t sit back down.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyENS6V93n5
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.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXQPSgvw8pQ
Kwame leaned against the concrete.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxKcMS7sbHF
“So. You’re really going with Jabari?”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQBLZlalqKo
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.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjwKvmBIfm3
“Does it matter?”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmnZvn8ln1u
Kwame smirked. “It does to me. I had you pegged as a watcher. Not a follower.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8vQyRgT00p
Otieno stood slowly. “You’re right.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfCzhGEa8kQ
He turned to face Kwame — taller than him in the dim light. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNmMVSvUeBj
“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.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPjLjXMuoam
Kwame’s smile faded slightly.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDUfLkMY3lB
“She’s rewriting history,” Otieno said. “And you think you’re the editor. But she’ll erase you the second you stop being useful.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ93myKy8OcZ
Kwame raised an eyebrow. “And you think Jabari won’t?”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv7r2lRiTAw
Otieno stepped closer.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4xi7wcggve
“If we help Jabari now, we keep Mercy’s revenge from destroying us all. Not for Naomi. Not for orders. Not for walls.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsGCtfJCbC0
He paused. “For survival.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6XnTw7oHLn
Kwame scoffed lightly. “You sound like you’re preparing for a funeral.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ynHR1knK3
Otieno turned away, sliding the copper ring into place.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA1eFHkpzn5
“I am. The old war never ended. This time, I just want to know which side I buried my friends on.”
**********96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlPw01WfwJp
The ledger crate was lighter than expected.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhsZZTJW0pr
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.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡivnUd15Ie5
Jabari stood beside him in the hallway shadows. “You’re sure?”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYztD7H2IY4
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?”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGca34o059B
Juma, standing nearby, muttered, “It’s not the box I don’t trust. It’s the gate it’s going through.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFvULtbFqyp
Musa turned to Jabari.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ23Vlowg4v
“Let me take it. If we send a signal through anyone else, they’ll second-guess it.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ciICisDrU
He gripped the crate.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfGngip6pnn
“I’m neutral enough to walk through fire.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnCIbYH23lz
From behind him, Ayo appeared silently, holding a folded black card — flat, thin, almost forgettable.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPoj4lUnxTL
“For insurance,” Ayo said, sliding it beneath the top canvas.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPeH2MqCDxB
Musa frowned. “We’re not sending threats.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDAUREfSwqf
Ayo’s voice was smooth. “It’s not a threat. Just… a reminder. She needs to know she’s still being watched.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqlAYyCYX9P
“No names. Just the old cipher. Mercy’s mark.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwAxTS1e5zL
Musa hesitated, then said nothing. There wasn’t time. Jabari was still briefing the wall runners. No one else saw.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzoE2MOvkfo
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.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd4sbxzXP2F
He stood still, adjusted his sleeves. Waited.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJqWOooIdAU
The grate shifted open. Two gloved hands — Mary’s, if he had to guess — pulled the crate silently inside.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9MijMaduMj
No words. Only a single origami triangle left behind, folded from printed timetable paper.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKJJYuMpnis
He picked it up, unfolded it.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgFguM93KnI
“Drop scheduled. Second chime. No shadows.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡat1d9V7c61
The plan was live.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsosFsTwi0r
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.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYw96zWxx6a
Below it: one line in tight handwriting.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrIfyOQHJkb
“She buried you once. Don’t let her bury you again.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgNFKPXgxCk
Mary looked up at Naomi.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3pogbeyR3p
“Did you put this in?”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfebomWJGeA
Naomi said nothing.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO0VHpp74wX
Her fingers tightened.
*****96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQwwlCUZOxA
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.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8iPIlHJX0T
The room smelled like old pine and chalk dust.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoeuFNhDrRI
June, Mary, and Naomi stood around the crate. No one had spoken since the door shut.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxq64YpLQDT
The origami triangle Musa left sat neatly beside the latch. Naomi’s hands hovered above it.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiOH43cwNl3
“We open it now,” she said.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXsSXc7jhXl
“We can’t afford another surprise at the Tribunal.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz5HQmWwMqt
She glanced at Mary. “Gloves.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrHLqycp51h
Mary handed them over — clean surgical pairs swiped from the chem lab.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM9n9mENArp
Inside, the ledgers were exactly as expected — wrapped, unmarked, blank. But under the first canvas fold, June’s hand paused.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnxPQPcr3aV
“Something’s here.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7m8n8YOlGK
She pulled out the black card.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1HzGpkPJg0
The serpent. Silver ink. Old cipher.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUjgnqT7MZl
Naomi took it. Kim read the line aloud:96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwzzoaHKdU4
“She buried you once. Don’t let her bury you again.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp3sDlKAH9e
A beat of silence.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTODdR3MWzc
Naomi’s face stayed blank, but her pulse visibly jumped.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1E3j4ZOjlP
“It’s not hers,” she said flatly. “She never wrote in third person.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW9pfjBTzoF
June stepped in. “Then it’s meant to make it look like it is.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhiTgT9keNF
Mary whispered, “Could it be a warning? From the boys?”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkSfz2HSEmo
Naomi shook her head. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3rRTRumXdw
“Too calculated. This isn’t warning. It’s planting doubt. Whoever slipped it in wanted us to panic in front of the school.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsDecnT2o6k
June laid the card flat on the table.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTcBo5vgaQv
“We pull it now. Quietly. And we never say a word.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj7oMuS0cxi
Naomi finally nodded. “Burn it.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7GbVIvnHPP
Mary hesitated. “That’s a Mercy move.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡygAX32iwXS
Naomi replied coldly: 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFFS5MLszko
“Then maybe she taught us well.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyN4IvXNRIs
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.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXxHFmOKJ6m
June turned to Naomi. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkaeehECOJp
“When you open that crate tomorrow, make sure your voice doesn’t shake.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyCw2sHV0qN
Naomi said nothing.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2W5np6yWV5
But her jaw was set.
