When the first bell rang at 7:23 a.m., girls loyal to the order froze mid-breakfast.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZJpds7rDzN
By the second bell — louder, longer — every corridor emptied into the courtyard.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2dh8mrTnUS
Whispers flew faster than feet:104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡltL2ZORWOl
“Tribunal.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSJwy2C3NDT
“She’s calling names.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN1O11MiLml
“Is it because of the video?”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ45C0s0NQ0f
“Did someone move the ledger?”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1gFzWBifmF
Inside the Assembly Hall, Naomi stood center-stage, hands behind her back.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGkEkLoOM9y
Behind her: two senior prefects. To her right: Mary.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHIhUqI4Kl1
To her left: the Order Ledger Book, unopened since Mercy’s fall.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq3Yx3OmmdV
The girls filed in. No laughter. No chatter. Only breaths held under stiff collars.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx5NmUI9bPf
Naomi’s voice echoed when she began:104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡges7KmKJ3Z
“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.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSXb2rS10eF
Gasps rippled through the room.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj0NeC8DK4G
“Each girl in this hall will have a choice: Recommit to the Order — or walk away.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsTN43VoakV
A hand shot up. Seline. “What about those who were never in?”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtQ0NzwZGvo
Naomi didn’t flinch.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX6NWMsUS2W
“Then decide who you’re standing beside now.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJrcqD9jbP6
She pointed to the bell.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG7dxMZIteZ
“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.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2rSzIZb0os
The first girl — a Form 1, trembling — stepped up and touched the bell.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWUJnF7EvsG
“Amara Oketch,” she whispered. The bell rang once.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8knQAV66Y8
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.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡutyGidjwmq
Naomi’s expression never changed.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoUGqRwDkXT
But inside, the ledger was already shifting — loyalty was becoming currency.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5UsjodaGKW
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.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPzQumblzQP
“Kimberly Diana Otieno. I came to listen. Not to lie.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYIWrBq6psL
The bell did not ring.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡln50zJRWeH
Mary frowned.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkjLTlmib1D
Naomi closed the ledger without writing.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiYDMB5qaQe
“Some names don’t need to echo,” Naomi said.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAVyCKXKEgH
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.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhbGdVyOjcO
Naomi’s voice is filled with unspoken disgust:104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG33IqA5Hks
“Miss June… do you still believe in the wall?”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrwio2cZjfI
June walks past the bell, but doesn’t touch it. She stops beside Kim.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQbsIvGiHoD
“I believe in the cracks.”
*****104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSnkRvWOPKb
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.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPplLDdpPrX
“There’s a ledger being held by Jabari’s boys. Not the one in the broadcast. A second one. Still sealed.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYIy3RU3deD
Kim tensed. “We thought Ayo took it.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxM52XACNGI
“He did,” June said. “But he gave it back too quickly. That means it’s stashed somewhere, waiting for the right time.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkUbBR9BMMp
Shiko asked, “What’s inside?”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI8QSDp13EP
June pulled a folded note from her pocket — Mercy’s handwriting, unmistakable.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo2ZTLjeAEq
“Box 3 holds their fingerprints.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5dx7vEG15m
What they buried beneath your dorm.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyDOuxfvAwp
Who vanished, and who let them.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ074u0K530
Kim’s throat went dry. “That’s… not just old Order business.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOZTMcW3Nm8
“No,” June said. 104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbCkZfKxo8E
“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.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl4olT5qx59
Shiko frowned. “We’re not even sure what it looks like.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs3dpZBxZir
June smirked slightly. “You will. It’s the only crate stamped in red chalk. ‘M.O.3’ — Mercy’s final cipher box.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ktQjiy7UZ
Kim looked at her. “And what happens if they’ve already opened it?”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdp27i6FgS7
June met her eyes.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHUflDi91b8
“Then make sure what they read next… isn't real.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFvZ35Y8oiJ
Kim nods slowly.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZGwwBwH6Ye
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.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtkLILX2t8X
“Plant it when the swap’s done. That’s how I’ll know.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRYbyG5Bo2X
As June walks away, she murmurs to herself: “Let them remember what we allow.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlcNHxasBlR
*****104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwA0huwNK9s
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.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ63k65PSVJY
“We need eyes everywhere,” Naomi said. “No dorms unchecked. No keys misplaced.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYxxkhLRVxW
Seline stepped forward with studied calm.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjSoykKRc7m
“I may know where they're planning to meet.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQm9p3Qdruv
Naomi narrowed her eyes. “Who?”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwCAt0gmjzZ
Seline didn’t answer directly.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRPZma6SY9T
“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.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeyXfLGKDoE
Naomi raised an eyebrow. “You think they’re involved with Mercy’s crate?”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpyVspETCqv
Seline folded her arms.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUeDaHQMiF0
“I think if you want answers, send your guards to the south incinerator lane — just before dusk. They’ll find more than ash.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIMkpUfNq5T
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.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvvC7B4Hffn
“We have six minutes,” Shiko whispered.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF5eckpCJga
“Once the bell rings for sunset inspection, all internal guards get recalled.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPjNgvbG3n1
Kim glanced at the marked fence post — red chalk: “M.O.3.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFUfBvDrMoZ
“Let’s just make sure we’re not the ones being followed.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQVdxFiiZZt
Naomi nodded slowly. “Good work, Seline. Stay close.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhfheMCihqK
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:104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRrL9gVDASx
“If the bait’s good, they’ll bite. If they bite, I watch who bleeds.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvUTD1jkyNW
She never pressed send.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsiq5yXrzLk
She didn’t need to.
******104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiyNZFES8vY
They came from two sides — four prefect guards, swift and silent, their batons clipped tight and flashlights already stuttering in the growing dark.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7WjMYQlFBJ
Kim turned first.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIqVKJj6hrQ
“We’re boxed.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Z3VWnwHtd
“No,” Shiko said, calm. “We’re just poorly lit.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxiT2djAgVm
From her satchel, she pulled a small envelope marked “Science Week – Safe Burn”.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGIxtzYw6kB
Flash-paper.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4FGH19X3DU
Confetti-layered. Impregnated with fine magnesium salt.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ46lMcoerrM
Designed for stage experiments.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiNNoYo4C67
She struck the match.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTKkMDuYMhp
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.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY3f8b94Lpp
Kim didn’t flinch.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFO55dQbCLD
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.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqf4JLG2ZP6
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.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk3s2AR0F57
“They sent the wrong box,” she said, breathless, flashing her forged badge.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlE9ZMcxiu6
“I’ve got the corrected archive.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbB4tOojx6B
They looked confused. One shrugged. “It’s all sealed.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpCdBJhQXMS
Kim tapped the chalk mark on the side — slightly smudged.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmG73WzdrvT
“See? Rained out. Mercy’s tag faded. Could be mislabeled.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQGB4ll3LVO
They hesitated.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0AKAgSQj4e
Shiko appeared behind them, adjusting her glasses, calm and efficient.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8eiUXtH9l4
The boys handed it over.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpXYkNVY4Uy
Kim wheeled the real crate away, heart pounding.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5divjMFUVl
The prefect guards staggered out of the light-blast cloud, coughing and confused. Seline, watching from the upper dorm window, narrowed her eyes.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQcEa6S5ZvO
“You underestimated the quiet ones,” she whispered.
*****104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2AtCl9nP1P
Naomi stood at the front table, her fingers on the crate’s seal.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrUn4lXFaSJ
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.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxNVmjPrfif
“Let this end what she started,” Naomi said.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZY7Gmndwa
She peeled back the tape. Inside: a folder marked “Confession Index: Volume I” — filled with blank pages.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Hbse2s0AX
Mary frowned.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcZzZc398RY
June looked to Naomi, whose face remained unreadable. “This isn’t the original,” she said.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2oxGRBLdBo
Then the lights flickered.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeAg9VqkoQI
Just once.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6C1qgSZnMP
Not enough to panic. But enough to shift attention.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYuWweSwARK
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.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ16NSoS46UU
Then it clicked. And played.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtz0GyYcWat
Mercy’s voice.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2k4Mlm0KTT
“Nice switch. Too slow.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlTSrHwdKei
Heads turned sharply. A soft whir from the old cassette speaker in the wall — a repurposed relic. Vintage. Protected.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7mgDA85Zdc
The voice continued — calm, amused, in perfect control:104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ65rJDYVqiU
“Let’s not pretend this was about justice. This was about story. And I still write the better one.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfnwEugcaeW
A pause. Then:104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvtLKOUMcGa
“To the girl with the sharp hands—well played. But you forgot something. I never left. See you in the crypt. Round two begins.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP34pPKcMqF
Click. Silence.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBooTaUpsbG
Outside, thunder cracked.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPe4wAJNPxx
Naomi’s fingers tightened on the empty folder.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhXI17NaIeq
Mary whispered, “She recorded it before the Tribunal.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVjSqCEqPMZ
June looked at the now-open ceiling vent above the archive. “No. She triggered it after.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1tt8XkP8Ln
Kim, listening from the hallway, stared at the speaker — then slowly slipped the real crate deeper under her cloak.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY1Kc2skcWJ
The war hadn’t ended. It had just gone underground again.
**********104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW49RDoiiK9
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.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6JLuFVtG2T
Naomi’s.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXtwH3u17VL
He broke the seal.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoqPEx7FTfz
Inside: a short message and a typed formal proposal, stamped with Naomi’s name.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYFg3gwXjnz
“Temporary Intelligence Exchange Proposal.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNfuWl3sEOi
Objectives: Stop second wave. Contain ledger fallout. Restrict Shadow Walker expansion.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0iBtNCxhEm
Musa leaned in. “She’s serious.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq68vzrzai0
Juma scoffed. “Serious or desperate?”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1pXSXMrK8i
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.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSJxsftHKBB
Ayo paced. “You trust Naomi?”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnPUy0xaS85
“No,” Jabari said. “But I trust the threat.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9sRDnQcuAm
Juma added, “If she’s suggesting shared control, it means she doesn’t have it.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSMSy2XJ5wt
Musa tapped the table. “And if we say no, we’re not allies. We’re targets.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡleIakYez0f
Juma looked around. “I can’t believe we’re even considering this.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPmjMYIJksh
But his voice wasn’t angry. Just tired.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhDG9PvwMOJ
“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.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPv8v8DfMm8
One by one, hands rose.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw7GQU1DM9t
Even Juma’s.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQJKh0UqE9B
The decision was unanimous.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU9NCitGCBc
Jabari scribbled a short response:104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡciRLfkjyTQ
“Agreed. Shared containment.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLB6TriWUE0
Our fire stays cold until her flame dies.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2pjbvHt9EY
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.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW7xRlAw0Vo
The next morning, the note was gone.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ46Nn1W3nG5
And beneath the vent, someone had drawn a small M.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOzv98o0vFI
Then crossed it out.
