“Card of Betrayal”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAUAPw21Mel
The girls Assembly Hall the following morning is the venue for the second Tribunal. Curtains drawn; bell silent. Only selected prefects, Order affiliates, and nominated students have been summoned. The rest go about their normal school routine mostly unaware of the tension in the hall.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnSEAMkJqJA
Naomi stood at the podium under dim, deliberate lighting.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgv2OROXF3D
To her left: June and Mary. To her right: Kim, silent, unreadable. In front of her: the M.O.3 crate, now cleaned, re-sealed, chalk mark intact.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcUWh4F3fZC
“Today,” Naomi began, voice crisp, “we close a page.”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoPGCJgzSDC
“The ledgers within this crate represent the past we choose not to forget—but to contain.”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuJ8KWuDl1C
The prefects stood still. No movement.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpWxXn8fWtG
Naomi leaned forward. “Let it be known: Mercy’s ledger, last of its kind, is here. And this assembly will witness its archiving.”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw8iKbFO6t7
She lifted the lid slowly. Tissue and canvas inside.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7PSsq9IsUJ
Perfectly wrapped.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcyu5HIik5f
She reached in.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPLv4XqJajx
Paused.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6FBwFgyU9w
Her hand emerged—not with a ledger. But with a flat black card, stamped with a silver serpent.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlRN21kXgWs
Gasps rang through the hall.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq8JytTG5Mw
Naomi stared at it, frozen.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcXXKTzZ9yj
She whispered sharply, “That wasn’t in the crate.”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT9KSB5Gu1O
Mary stepped forward, too late.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8rEtMMBx0H
“There’s been a switch—!”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7tYvhqy62R
But the room had already turned.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY04WqHGANx
“Is that… Mercy’s mark? Did Naomi fake the crate?”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6DUtXmVXgN
“Was this whole thing a setup?”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjO8yPQUWRe
From the back of the hall, a junior whispered to another:109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXWDwjoKEOZ
“She said she had nothing left to hide. Then what’s that?”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaaClROPHGN
Naomi placed the card down without a word.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaMGb1kRBZZ
The silence was suffocating.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlJNnafQCfZ
Then she said, slowly:109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCNGi211KYF
“This is not the card we inspected last night.”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaXbff8wwsy
Murmurs spread. A few laughed nervously. Others stepped backward.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmLOUCsxnaf
Kim whispered, “There were two?”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3gAthzJTaT
June’s face hardened. “Or someone replaced ours after we destroyed it.”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsyMBZiCyQu
The room was already vibrating with uncertainty.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKbo8sWMmgT
Naomi's fingers hovered over the black card, but her composure had cracked. Whispers were no longer whispers.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJcikPFyIZZ
“She’s not in control.”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1D9Bpq1dPW
“This was never about safety.”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC5yP1G2tpg
“Mercy’s winning.”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxBYFiGLlFl
Suddenly—109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe5L11Mi1su
June stepped forward. Without asking.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ8mAG62EgW
She snatched the card from Naomi’s hand — held it up to the hall’s filtered light.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX6aIFRzUeE
Gasps rang out.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnBoj3kQRrm
In the upper right corner, only visible at an angle under the glow of the nearby reading lamp:109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXwp2tZq4L3
A faint signature. In soft gold ink.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI7vAsFJeBU
One name:109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKlv4cx8kQ1
Ayo.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyDZZKxSH3s
A prefect shouted, “One of the boys?!”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlYZFUk3Dgk
Another hissed, “So they set us up?”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1JkQELo7yx
Kim’s jaw tightened. “That’s why the card wasn’t just symbolic. It was bait.”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQyqr0N0xcX
Naomi stood frozen — trying to catch her breath, the weight of the card finally gone from her hands.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBY9BRfpEfo
June turned to the room:109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaG7XXjm3aq
“This is not Mercy’s card. This is a forged threat. It carries the signature of a boy who helped deliver the crate.”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyxn9njUHaI
Gasps deepened into murmurs.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCSTWpQE7NU
“It was a plant. So, the alliance wasn’t fake—someone tried to make it look fake.”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHOqgLhkqqb
June turned toward Naomi — not confrontationally, but like a scalpel in a surgeon’s grip.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmEqjmtKhRM
“You need to decide, Naomi. Either call this what it is — sabotage — or let them write your ending for you.”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJZTOZG9Ex9
Naomi finally nodded.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE6zhZMb2nD
She turned back to the room.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4DpHwsGpMh
Naomi quietly sealed the box again, her voice calm.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhaYP44NgIu
“The Tribunal is postponed.”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNhItKaU0C1
The Tribunal Hall had half-emptied. Girls were filing out in low whispers after Naomi’s announcement suspending the boys’ alliance.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj5W0rJKWRY
But Mary stayed behind, unmoving. June stood by the crate. Kim lingered at the base of the lectern. Naomi had turned to leave.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiK7eeMcUiG
That’s when Mary stepped forward.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlgY6VTb8Ae
“There’s something else,” she said quietly.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbHIUxT7azb
Naomi turned.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnPY5Qty52O
“Not now, Mary—”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyRdNtTDzVU
“Now,” Mary repeated, louder.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxWri85T3Un
From her jacket, she pulled a tightly rolled bundle. The room stilled again.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNvtjhcjSsM
“This passed through the old herbarium drain vent.”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG4ZKAQiSWM
She unrolled the pages on the center table.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvy1YCJoeIo
Real ledger pages.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn5MKEMtLHc
Stiff, yellowed, handwritten. Dated.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm3KX3hH3Je
June stepped in, scanning the topmost page.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9oSttBVyi6
Mercy’s handwriting. Pages of surveillance. Fabricated claims.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIN0Rs4GgH6
Invented correspondences.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ZTTFt9w12
Mary flipped to one marked in red:109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKaacULYGHl
“Naomi collaborated with external prefects to remove dissenters in Form 3. False medical reports approved.”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdhtQYKikuL
Naomi stared at it.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXSDPzpDsMe
Kim stepped forward. “Is it real?”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdHdcWMTo8j
Naomi didn’t speak for a long time.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIz4x6QTEt9
Then — finally:109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPCJQCsEgBv
“Partially. The cover-ups happened. But I didn’t know about all of them. I let the fear run the archive. And I let Mercy control that fear.”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ8VlTjbXX3
She stepped back from the lectern.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4b3L0HduqK
“I wasn’t innocent. But I wasn’t the architect either.”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLBIrwQj0vd
Mary rolled the pages up again.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt7yTq8sKh0
“How can we trust that you are not trying to protect yourself. We need to decide what to do with this. Not the Order. Not even you, Naomi.”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJpsvRpxfFP
Naomi nodded.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvYdFN2d5qp
She looked at Mary with a hint of something close to gratitude.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfEgdxZi1Oj
“Then make sure whatever truth you choose next… doesn’t turn into another cage.”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAV0E9x9s9Q
As Mary rolled up the real ledger pages and Naomi sat in quiet resignation, a slow clap echoed from the back of the Tribunal Hall.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOiiTJINMip
All heads turned.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7L3AbqHFQC
Seline stepped forward, eyes blazing.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgEQkgoCyu3
“So that’s it? We’re supposed to believe the Order was never complicit? That Mercy lied, but Naomi just… forgot?”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGCm5Vx6DjZ
June’s jaw tightened. “Seline—”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTRKeGhO7GH
“No. I’ve listened long enough.”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtgCHI2JV6N
She pointed at Naomi, then Mary.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGQDvvZlwjg
“You covered for each other. You buried girls under perfect files and soft threats and fake silence. And now you want to be forgiven because someone else did worse?”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMZ234PgkZv
Kim stood, but didn’t speak.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwvzA78UIgs
Seline stepped onto the tribunal platform.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXAEKG07fdk
“You all failed us. Naomi with her scripts. Mercy with her games. Even June with her riddles.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkHjmOFPm03
You think you saved us by picking the cleanest villain.”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU8zS0XDZPt
She pulled a thin red ribbon from her wrist and tied it around her thumb.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDZbdjqP4QJ
“I don’t owe this school another secret. I don’t owe this Order another name.”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaRnpvbRlb8
She faced the remaining prefects.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTpxzmnHVA5
“As of today, I start my own record. One that doesn’t vanish in burn bins or whisper vents. One that remembers.”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1avYAqd9Y1
She turned.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTHevb83NNJ
“You can keep your confessions. I’ll take the truth.”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4rm0IuiYmK
And she walked out.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcQ8cqDTKyR
No one followed.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpo0kdRV2Qn
But several girls looked at each other with new uncertainty.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM9JqBvuy9r
As Naomi walked out, her fingers are trembling though nobody notices.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV4KujgHgNt
In the archive box beneath Kim’s bed that night, a second folded black card is found — unsigned, but marked with a blue thumbprint.
*****109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpzRH668VzS
The Assembly Hall had nearly emptied.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfYRjORWFhN
Seline’s vow still echoed in the minds of those who remained. Naomi had retreated behind the archive walls. Mary and June spoke in hushed tones beside the crate.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUiMVNAVfRH
Kim slipped outside.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2qxdvyHQPr
She didn’t notice the breeze at first, or the swirl of jacaranda petals on the stone steps. Only when a shadow moved beside her did she exhale.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUpKwx2vScX
Shiko.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfekYCHm5Pa
No words — just presence.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbTomfUTcW6
For once, Kim didn’t resist the comfort. She leaned in, and Shiko placed a hesitant hand on her shoulder.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFImCdUaElI
“You were right,” she whispered.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtOcFjgJSq2
“You didn’t flinch.”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ7yV4ZdeZL
Shiko gave a nervous smile. “I still wanted to.”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF6FqpBZRHH
Then — just above the wind, quiet enough to be mistaken for breath:109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZpgsvYjIEC
“I think I’ve always wanted to tell you.”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2oNjdaKLwb
“That night by the wall. The message in the atlas. The fake card I planted to protect you.”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO7BXTZ9Ixc
Kim turned her face toward her.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBbiygjxrE7
“Why?”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh7ESDLWzKP
Shiko swallowed. “Because… if they ever turned on you, I wouldn’t be able to stand behind a wall.”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDbFPuBQ5f0
A pause.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOSA4OuBQJ9
Their foreheads touched for half a second. She almost let it linger.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0yfmZ5XC9f
But then — her eyes flicked.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtvLtOYP34A
Across the courtyard. Toward the boys’ side.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWcp3UWi6Qc
Toward Jabari, standing with Musa beneath the awning, just beyond reach — half-shadow, fully watching.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ49fz1mJZ0s
Her breath caught.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgkuHm7GDLu
She pulled back gently.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVDLZQF93je
“You’re brave, Shiko. You always have been.”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8iNpLHJfEs
“But sometimes the person you trust the most… isn’t the one who unlocks the map.”109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzFeU3zstQ9
She squeezed her hand once. Then walked back away.
