When the first bell rang at 7:23 a.m., girls loyal to the order froze mid-breakfast.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnS8O1nmwi1
By the second bell — louder, longer — every corridor emptied into the courtyard.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMuWLyp4zQp
Whispers flew faster than feet:28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXx1MTXsTBp
“Tribunal.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh5sefR6cHz
“She’s calling names.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUyaKqEDNSZ
“Is it because of the video?”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡroFR3rIhrW
“Did someone move the ledger?”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs56jJH4pFg
Inside the Assembly Hall, Naomi stood center-stage, hands behind her back.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqXvLjNXsy4
Behind her: two senior prefects. To her right: Mary.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlagT1Kaxoy
To her left: the Order Ledger Book, unopened since Mercy’s fall.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvGhjBR0w6U
The girls filed in. No laughter. No chatter. Only breaths held under stiff collars.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡujeqBB3kgV
Naomi’s voice echoed when she began:28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWvGex4SVTB
“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.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXM8XcDrulh
Gasps rippled through the room.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfR8X9wHVBu
“Each girl in this hall will have a choice: Recommit to the Order — or walk away.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIWgsBnlQk3
A hand shot up. Seline. “What about those who were never in?”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡezVxy45fLB
Naomi didn’t flinch.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrUQEUrVy2C
“Then decide who you’re standing beside now.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXvsTgKMdUa
She pointed to the bell.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡznh9JWMF5y
“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.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9qVxuwRdxr
The first girl — a Form 1, trembling — stepped up and touched the bell.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGgzTmfiQ0f
“Amara Oketch,” she whispered. The bell rang once.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlnw9UiGKza
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.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzlcdqCqGhp
Naomi’s expression never changed.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYp3NDcq1EC
But inside, the ledger was already shifting — loyalty was becoming currency.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8v7ZbGC27i
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCCbgfaIANp
“Kimberly Diana Otieno. I came to listen. Not to lie.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqRMYMRNhsc
The bell did not ring.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl3fH8xJkqr
Mary frowned.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡffSDy5iFLW
Naomi closed the ledger without writing.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXUJkmZJYnx
“Some names don’t need to echo,” Naomi said.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx3CKUtcYLc
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdRrrCXrKsb
Naomi’s voice is filled with unspoken disgust:28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7zC57B62fY
“Miss June… do you still believe in the wall?”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡabJfIbuogk
June walks past the bell, but doesn’t touch it. She stops beside Kim.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9NGF9G8BXg
“I believe in the cracks.”
*****28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzM9vIS8ClF
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAdtADt1079
“There’s a ledger being held by Jabari’s boys. Not the one in the broadcast. A second one. Still sealed.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnxFRzdlUSm
Kim tensed. “We thought Ayo took it.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyQcJ96sBv6
“He did,” June said. “But he gave it back too quickly. That means it’s stashed somewhere, waiting for the right time.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsjkNzKScU1
Shiko asked, “What’s inside?”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsZfTGjWlfF
June pulled a folded note from her pocket — Mercy’s handwriting, unmistakable.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoZedfnaCFA
“Box 3 holds their fingerprints.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbsJdqRLfEH
What they buried beneath your dorm.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuJdJWRHe9k
Who vanished, and who let them.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZbkXcFPxaq
Kim’s throat went dry. “That’s… not just old Order business.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ647gu3UR1W
“No,” June said. 28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEVOdN0PcjQ
“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.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiq5d83VSuX
Shiko frowned. “We’re not even sure what it looks like.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9z8z2iFHcO
June smirked slightly. “You will. It’s the only crate stamped in red chalk. ‘M.O.3’ — Mercy’s final cipher box.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPgpTiiNxQd
Kim looked at her. “And what happens if they’ve already opened it?”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Vt2E4hN5a
June met her eyes.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxpvHUHGcqw
“Then make sure what they read next… isn't real.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqff59XlExR
Kim nods slowly.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFZDInxujZ6
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.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPNJ6rBPEAf
“Plant it when the swap’s done. That’s how I’ll know.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5is2vgwBTO
As June walks away, she murmurs to herself: “Let them remember what we allow.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhDBCdp5lYc
*****28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwICCbG79WJ
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzAhFOPoCMa
“We need eyes everywhere,” Naomi said. “No dorms unchecked. No keys misplaced.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXyvr24sRVW
Seline stepped forward with studied calm.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQwc6t3chrN
“I may know where they're planning to meet.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnflRF0m3y3
Naomi narrowed her eyes. “Who?”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEwweerKkTW
Seline didn’t answer directly.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwQLlMao7uV
“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.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡktVOqw1agI
Naomi raised an eyebrow. “You think they’re involved with Mercy’s crate?”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyPrlP7NDSy
Seline folded her arms.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmRy57ylOCB
“I think if you want answers, send your guards to the south incinerator lane — just before dusk. They’ll find more than ash.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ4UafB0uLR
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4MCwSQd4cA
“We have six minutes,” Shiko whispered.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡld5wn8Dxrv
“Once the bell rings for sunset inspection, all internal guards get recalled.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4tZrKJokdY
Kim glanced at the marked fence post — red chalk: “M.O.3.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmBHhTG3rOF
“Let’s just make sure we’re not the ones being followed.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOspIYMzPzA
Naomi nodded slowly. “Good work, Seline. Stay close.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnW7dWlj4iM
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:28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc4SPoyrS42
“If the bait’s good, they’ll bite. If they bite, I watch who bleeds.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡodfvOtglGS
She never pressed send.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7zNdII7U0r
She didn’t need to.
******28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU2Z8vjl1SI
They came from two sides — four prefect guards, swift and silent, their batons clipped tight and flashlights already stuttering in the growing dark.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡglbDukugpa
Kim turned first.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1KrpIyFmR0
“We’re boxed.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLuCQpcNlzp
“No,” Shiko said, calm. “We’re just poorly lit.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ75NOonq9yL
From her satchel, she pulled a small envelope marked “Science Week – Safe Burn”.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3dhjH1xWnM
Flash-paper.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpDSEqJjr5F
Confetti-layered. Impregnated with fine magnesium salt.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6powVTDYdm
Designed for stage experiments.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX2ypmmV23y
She struck the match.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡedGlD6Tx4m
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT1VxlXRWoZ
Kim didn’t flinch.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjw1Up4YtAb
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBFiDpCnDGN
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡovxrawmgXu
“They sent the wrong box,” she said, breathless, flashing her forged badge.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6GUiBnmdXW
“I’ve got the corrected archive.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn3EoW7b7wK
They looked confused. One shrugged. “It’s all sealed.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPjZHqhWC6o
Kim tapped the chalk mark on the side — slightly smudged.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWQWw00apA0
“See? Rained out. Mercy’s tag faded. Could be mislabeled.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8SicyJPJ2I
They hesitated.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrCkMsKcMiD
Shiko appeared behind them, adjusting her glasses, calm and efficient.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWS7ZLhZgpr
The boys handed it over.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0GRZ6cZzYO
Kim wheeled the real crate away, heart pounding.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtON12684rn
The prefect guards staggered out of the light-blast cloud, coughing and confused. Seline, watching from the upper dorm window, narrowed her eyes.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡySTqxYwYjZ
“You underestimated the quiet ones,” she whispered.
*****28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2z6B1EEt1P
Naomi stood at the front table, her fingers on the crate’s seal.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9sl79RRWpW
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAznRU0nVGJ
“Let this end what she started,” Naomi said.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8iKPXxkUCh
She peeled back the tape. Inside: a folder marked “Confession Index: Volume I” — filled with blank pages.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSubWWycTbn
Mary frowned.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ26Vd4rg5Ep
June looked to Naomi, whose face remained unreadable. “This isn’t the original,” she said.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlfgJe0A0mQ
Then the lights flickered.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNU1bTDEWka
Just once.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrjSf8TiWEs
Not enough to panic. But enough to shift attention.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKJ9KvINpc3
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG7ZSRIjiBl
Then it clicked. And played.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1rCCD2eHQU
Mercy’s voice.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwEMmRo1OCz
“Nice switch. Too slow.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC4I5mD91Jj
Heads turned sharply. A soft whir from the old cassette speaker in the wall — a repurposed relic. Vintage. Protected.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjwqwDmLS6r
The voice continued — calm, amused, in perfect control:28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA1IF2m1sqS
“Let’s not pretend this was about justice. This was about story. And I still write the better one.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVMs0vOMK3b
A pause. Then:28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdwNzPkzd56
“To the girl with the sharp hands—well played. But you forgot something. I never left. See you in the crypt. Round two begins.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd6wxGaVBqw
Click. Silence.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ40J2AkJHDS
Outside, thunder cracked.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdE1vi1wSbC
Naomi’s fingers tightened on the empty folder.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFvo6n763AQ
Mary whispered, “She recorded it before the Tribunal.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRG42wZhZaD
June looked at the now-open ceiling vent above the archive. “No. She triggered it after.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXuJEqn4OJn
Kim, listening from the hallway, stared at the speaker — then slowly slipped the real crate deeper under her cloak.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPqVNvAekNu
The war hadn’t ended. It had just gone underground again.
**********28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLfNYt1GXh2
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj7mx95WaT6
Naomi’s.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJbu6t0Pq96
He broke the seal.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ86DLmfnPEi
Inside: a short message and a typed formal proposal, stamped with Naomi’s name.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0UgZ0m9Mwv
“Temporary Intelligence Exchange Proposal.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡocshU6rMcX
Objectives: Stop second wave. Contain ledger fallout. Restrict Shadow Walker expansion.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7BlU1fjUHs
Musa leaned in. “She’s serious.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7kcN5U4Rch
Juma scoffed. “Serious or desperate?”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOebDUPzdgg
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLsWukEuTXt
Ayo paced. “You trust Naomi?”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxylv8EOXXe
“No,” Jabari said. “But I trust the threat.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIsiG8cdVsF
Juma added, “If she’s suggesting shared control, it means she doesn’t have it.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzarMFXVPeP
Musa tapped the table. “And if we say no, we’re not allies. We’re targets.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwVLZb5WVia
Juma looked around. “I can’t believe we’re even considering this.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡald4JTfEcK
But his voice wasn’t angry. Just tired.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEUfSV8eozr
“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.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJP8qMwxOZY
One by one, hands rose.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVgqHGA3BkY
Even Juma’s.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuTz0Cryl5a
The decision was unanimous.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRiY6fEcMs0
Jabari scribbled a short response:28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTCVCMGna7w
“Agreed. Shared containment.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkvv8zmsPbI
Our fire stays cold until her flame dies.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgBdswV9zTk
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9lpAEo2Sug
The next morning, the note was gone.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡghIZqgy9Bi
And beneath the vent, someone had drawn a small M.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmOqKgb2jgf
Then crossed it out.
