The science lab hadn’t been officially used in months — the windows were cracked, the wiring unstable, and the door only locked from the inside. Which made it perfect.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJEkyRLrcfo
Mary adjusted the lens on the UV lamp, flicking the toggle back and forth until the bulb buzzed to life with a dull purple glow.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3kQE18FL5W
She spread the black card across the dissection tray — the one Mercy had retrieved from the chapel and handed over without explanation.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbLPtc7fZOk
“You know how to look,” Mercy had whispered. “So look.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZyLjaygTqJ
So Mary did. At first, nothing.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7i3zZK0XYT
Then the ink shifted — faint glowing threads emerging beneath the card’s surface. The lines curled, widened, and gradually began to form structure.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpTzCycqSl9
It wasn’t art. It was architecture.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCZEAN5NA7W
A floor plan. 20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPs3H5HwLVT
June leaned in over her shoulder. “That’s not just the chapel…”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6YRTI4PYAW
Mary nodded. “That’s the tunnel system.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZKqmmX7kuM
The map showed multiple levels: A narrow tunnel from the borehole curving beneath the dining wing. Level two: The greenhouse access route — confirmed. Level three: A set of interlocking service paths ending in a room marked by a circle and the letters:20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlm1coPm6vh
C.9 – Cryptus Sacrum.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4gcKxhwi3P
Mary’s breath caught.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSVuZnt0dFG
“The chapel has a crypt,” she whispered.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcEIo4rlFjs
June’s eyes narrowed. “No one’s spoken about that since Mercy’s expulsion.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcPiYUJVPb3
“No one dared,” Mary replied.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡatG8q2YZqX
In the bottom left corner of the blueprint, another glow began to rise beneath the UV:20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEFozq0pS68
“Begin from what you buried.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM2XOyCD8cl
— M.O.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgGpql4kRmi
June stepped back slightly. “She’s not just reactivating the tunnels. She’s trying to pull us back in.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8HG6w6ekCh
Mary nodded slowly. “Or she never left.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0vTGVWm9Wo
For the first time in weeks, June didn’t know which side she was on.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx3WvkKhGJI
Naomi had restored her badge. Reinforced their place in the Order. Offered peace. But what Mercy offered now was truth. Not orderly. Not safe. But real.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡneR6f7onnW
And June had always preferred sharp things to dull ones.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ095zhshYVf
She looked at Mary, who was still tracing the lines of the blueprint with a gloved fingertip.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMJfhDoxjOO
“If that’s real,” June whispered, “then we’ve never actually been above ground.”
*****20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe5lGe6hxwj
Kim didn’t look up when June sat down beside her.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBtAUfOiUHi
The bench under the jacaranda had become her quiet spot — the only place where questions didn’t buzz in her ears. The petals drifted down like soft ink, blanketing her shoulder, the pages of her notebook, even the edges of her thoughts.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ62zRtOuUfz
June broke the silence.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNSD9stQ0eQ
“You were right about her.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqtQPh15ntj
Kim turned. “Mercy?”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhejQ5pc9J8
June nodded; her voice taut. “She doesn’t want power back. She wants the Order buried.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWaOumz0EJ7
Kim closed her notebook slowly. “What did you find?”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCfhjOnpCE3
June didn’t answer at first. She reached into her sweater pocket and pulled out a slip of folded paper — not the blueprint itself, but a tracing she’d made in secret, away from Mary, away from Naomi. On it: the outline of the chapel. And beneath it — the crypt, marked in Mercy’s faint symbol: M.O., crossed by three vertical lines.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3afZEyD2it
“Three verticals,” June whispered. “Three prefects. Mercy’s way of marking a trap.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLqWhvbWJka
Kim stared. “You’re sure?”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWacId5Hh3u
“Dead sure. She means to draw them there. Naomi, the others. And seal it. Not physically — symbolically. Shame them. Expose what they covered up about the tunnels, the Walkers, her expulsion. All of it.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBSiSNNjDf6
Kim traced one of the drawn lines with her finger.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbE1ExW0gZa
“She’s not exposing history,” she said slowly. “She’s rewriting it.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡljVmGPFfYY
June leaned forward.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7rwECELVvc
“You’re not in the Order. You’re not on anyone’s side. But you’ve seen more than most — and you don’t scare easy.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡawNoTlIXAi
Kim gave a small, tired laugh. “You sound like Shiko.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCF6YBamHwQ
“No. Shiko’s a scout. You’re a witness.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCc6VqMBpSF
June paused, then added softly:20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnYSvTI0SYG
“I don’t want to be part of burying people. Not even Naomi.”
They sat in silence for a moment, petals collecting like snow.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz2WDu0cAa5
Then Kim asked, “What do you want me to do?”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpODowIWrtf
June looked up. Her voice was quieter now. Less prefect. More person.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6s5WXipYPp
“If anything happens in the crypt... if I can’t stop it... you tell the others. Shiko. Seline. Even Jabari, if you have to.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXHzOyxi3Gj
Kim stared at her. “That could expose you.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Eg1asDTvx
June nodded once.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWQStP3ohh3
“Better me than them.”
*****20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl611MA6ZJT
The corridor was nearly empty when Seline appeared.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNMKVFSScjL
She didn’t slam her locker or call Kim’s name. She just stood there, leaning against the doorway like someone who had waited long enough for the exact moment to arrive.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs15DIDrOyt
“You’ve been busy.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIMS8tqlt7J
Kim turned slowly, not startled — just tired.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjH81qotp5I
“So have you.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh9orx8ORr6
Seline’s eyes were cold, but not cruel.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKDIV8scEFs
“Let’s skip the pretend part.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWj8aHwH7BZ
Kim raised an eyebrow. “Which part?”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXRr2n1qNrQ
“The part where you pretend, you’re not helping Mercy. Or June. Or whoever it is this week.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhQC145jweN
Kim closed her locker slowly. “I’m not helping anyone. I’m trying to understand what’s happening.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡot1ayzYShk
“That’s exactly what makes you useful.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtgX7EFSgLf
Seline stepped closer, her voice low and measured.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyt6VM1wkSc
“Help me expose Mercy before this thing in the chapel happens — and I’ll show you something.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLH4544v9p5
Kim didn’t move. “Something about Juma.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0vL7W6UQTb
That stopped her.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy39f0V7dRN
“Juma?” she said, sharper than she meant.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlJXr41LomX
Seline nodded. “Something you’ve clearly been dancing around since last term. Don’t look so surprised, Kim. You don’t hide infatuation well.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡScKLa2J0gT
Kim crossed her arms. “And you just happened to be saving this for a rainy day?”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPbxPvPmdvq
“No. I was saving it for the right pressure point.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgzd7gHwkhk
Seline reached into her sweater pocket and tapped a folded sheet. Thick. A printout? A photo?20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡESahLJMweI
“You help me shut this down — expose Mercy, burn the tunnels, force Naomi to act — and you’ll get the truth about what Juma’s really doing when he says he’s ‘off-grid.’”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLIKRO79lJG
The corridor felt suddenly colder. Kim stared at the folded paper, then at Seline’s face. Not smug. Not even manipulative. Just… determined.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡphV0CefEEK
Like a girl who had once been close to Mercy. Like a girl who knew betrayal personally — and intended to weaponize it back.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq5zqXYW8WU
“You don’t even care about Naomi,” Kim said.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcIpNnocesN
Seline’s voice softened. “I care about not being erased.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpc6boS3aD3
When Kim returned to her desk in the class, there was another mystery to follow waiting up on her.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3USXoFyxDu
There was no envelope.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnsO2UNVIpu
Just a folded note, slipped between the spine of Kim’s literature textbook and the dusty edge of her locker wall.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0WtbT7Vsg1
She knew it was Shiko’s. The paper was squared at the corners. Neat. Dry. No handwriting on the outside. Just careful silence.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7L8SGRzxlZ
Inside, a short message:20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg4BkE6uaHZ
“Meet at Science Week’s midnight demonstration. No one else. No delay.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvEYqPBuYlk
— S20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRAh1zwZVMR
Kim stared at the paper, rereading the curves in the "S" — round and sharp in the way only Shiko's handwriting ever was.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5dbNeimJGv
She folded it twice and slipped it into her sock.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLcdIhTyWKk
Outside, thunder rolled low and slow across the lake.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT0dsD3k3E2
If Seline was a warning... Shiko was a reminder:20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ50s9SQnReE
She wasn’t alone.
*****20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNzUGRnMbnm
Naomi’s heels echoed unnaturally down the corridor.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ5pOgNigC1
She didn’t bark orders. She never had to.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpX3BiKO3GZ
Two junior prefects flanked her, carrying empty crates. She stopped at the lab entrance and waited until the girls looked up from the bench.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt1uuQ1kVns
“New directive from the principal,” Naomi said evenly. “All ultraviolet lighting equipment is to be removed from the lab facilities effective immediately.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHTadFPyZpn
Mary blinked. “Why?”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡurlWxDDRmg
Naomi held up the clipboard. “Cited: potential risk of chemical interactions. Some of these lamps are over a decade old. Filaments cracking. Possible mercury leaks.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgHWJiJQMAQ
June stepped forward. “That’s never been a concern before.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdxiPbTqRKs
Naomi raised an eyebrow. “Well, it is now.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNIsQMrqOvY
As the juniors moved through the cupboards, one lifting the dusty UV lamp from the back shelf, Mary and June exchanged a look.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcXLpXEqoyF
This wasn’t about safety. This was about control.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxiA9VaCR9f
Naomi didn’t glance at the blueprint folder tucked beneath Mary’s stack of textbooks — but her silence was surgical. Her eyes landed on it. Briefly. Knowing.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGCNSLlD5ZY
Then she turned to go.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYsXTJtut5y
“If you need light,” she said over her shoulder, “try daylight.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcLQgj78gSV
The door clicked shut behind her.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnD0Eygsz8i
Mary’s fingers dug into the edge of the desk.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdO6TRJkAgQ
“She knows,” she whispered.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0kbTG9Oyaf
June stared at the door. “She doesn’t know everything.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM8M5TIDec2
Mary hesitated. “Should we tell Kim?”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlGY3nWWRJQ
June exhaled.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW28RGMEnnK
“No. Not yet. Not until we find the crypt entrance ourselves.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEinFYpJ99Q
She picked up the blueprint sketch, gently smoothed the corner, and whispered under her breath:20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrL2VEfeWur
“We don't need light. We need memory.”
******20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPZl4vdegAP
Juma paced just outside the back stage canopy, fists in his jacket pockets. He could feel Jabari before he saw him.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP9kFnSiR03
“You’re late,” Juma muttered.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtMlbKIQXDK
“You followed me,” Jabari replied calmly.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡffD2pXprRc
Juma stepped forward. “You’re walking into a trap. Mercy isn’t just planting symbols — she’s turning them into a net. And Naomi doesn’t see it.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6x527wVky0
Jabari’s voice was cold. “Neither did you, until you saw the card.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk9aNgCmV51
Juma’s jaw clenched. “This isn’t about who saw what first. It’s about stopping a collapse. Tonight. In the chapel.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZanI0Ogkxi
Jabari finally turned, locking eyes.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCOU1q7Rmv2
“Then let’s collapse it before she does.”
Beneath the science wing on the girls’ side, Kim and Shiko crouched behind the old reagent shed.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXPqhG31RI1
Shiko passed her the flashlight. “If the crypt’s real, it has to open from somewhere near the annex sub-basement. The original plans placed the drain gate there.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaTKbbtSFFi
Kim stared at her. “You sound like you’ve been practicing this.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkNHhCeieKc
Shiko gave a faint grin. “You’re not the only one who gets notes.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbOsrkBQCsF
Kim unfolded hers again: “Midnight. Come quiet.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTsiKv1Kskf
There had been no signature — but the direction had been clear. The trap wasn’t just Mercy’s.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDtIfotTGhd
Someone was planning to stop it.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBqBU8znjF5
They were just making sure someone else survived it.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJkAcHfdIw3
At 12:06 a.m., while students at the science demo lit hydrogen bubbles and experimented with heat coils, four shadows moved in four separate arcs: Jabari and Juma, slipping behind the stage, through the external water tank corridor. Kim and Shiko, looping behind the incinerator shed toward the chapel annex. Mercy, already beneath the chapel, lighting her candle, placing the final lock in the metal gate.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEE0cBWkyy5
And somewhere else — Seline, watching from above the science dome, her eyes flickering with a phone she shouldn’t have had.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUMRIMbx4gA
Jabari reached the tunnel grate first.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡztEnnvAeaG
Juma slipped beside him, passing the folded metal rod they’d stashed days ago. Together, for once, they said nothing.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkV906eLoeA
Inside the tunnel — faint blue paint glowed at the seams.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfE2VKEkgBL
The glyph for “complete.”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa64oBpYMU2
Mercy had finished the sequence.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0JiJy3minP
On the girls’ side, Kim reached into the drain gate.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlx3saJovys
Shiko crouched beside her, prying open a rusted latch.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3O6g2aqXCh
Below them, the faint sound of a click echoed.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfWSMS4eW1E
A door opened.
