When the first bell rang at 7:23 a.m., girls loyal to the order froze mid-breakfast.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSB90iwdg8H
By the second bell — louder, longer — every corridor emptied into the courtyard.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxZxtVuYBtA
Whispers flew faster than feet:23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkbb0fdJTTx
“Tribunal.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu88QCMpZZt
“She’s calling names.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9577ZCWUzm
“Is it because of the video?”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjZzU2buvY5
“Did someone move the ledger?”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpeEo4YfPV2
Inside the Assembly Hall, Naomi stood center-stage, hands behind her back.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSpFmWTwK8E
Behind her: two senior prefects. To her right: Mary.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD23sEq74uL
To her left: the Order Ledger Book, unopened since Mercy’s fall.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjlm4y0V0xy
The girls filed in. No laughter. No chatter. Only breaths held under stiff collars.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYmYnwqAe0i
Naomi’s voice echoed when she began:23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡatM0bo0qt1
“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.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7mbI7ev1d6
Gasps rippled through the room.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFnSjcIiqnY
“Each girl in this hall will have a choice: Recommit to the Order — or walk away.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZsmJkp7yZr
A hand shot up. Seline. “What about those who were never in?”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBnJ8xMnQvc
Naomi didn’t flinch.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ552V3hRkiD
“Then decide who you’re standing beside now.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfoQk7Y4Xa7
She pointed to the bell.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtaPeHrIA3R
“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.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmRtnFZh2sB
The first girl — a Form 1, trembling — stepped up and touched the bell.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQpkKLdj5Ff
“Amara Oketch,” she whispered. The bell rang once.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQCpyJZsud6
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.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvRM5b8msda
Naomi’s expression never changed.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi7CA5JDUIn
But inside, the ledger was already shifting — loyalty was becoming currency.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqqtJjgR6Cq
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.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgPKSj3iE8i
“Kimberly Diana Otieno. I came to listen. Not to lie.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVej8sX1azR
The bell did not ring.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtQVZKdp2WL
Mary frowned.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrZVz5UCEbr
Naomi closed the ledger without writing.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8qUilLtjpr
“Some names don’t need to echo,” Naomi said.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLsEY9Avtqn
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.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhu2ExHyQTK
Naomi’s voice is filled with unspoken disgust:23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXF20Mi6pLO
“Miss June… do you still believe in the wall?”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgjzwbPF0NT
June walks past the bell, but doesn’t touch it. She stops beside Kim.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuz7c2x3VUZ
“I believe in the cracks.”
*****23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuQz8BMn11t
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.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgR4PAqLEwF
“There’s a ledger being held by Jabari’s boys. Not the one in the broadcast. A second one. Still sealed.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡndZ9mN1dnV
Kim tensed. “We thought Ayo took it.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpOmi9egV7v
“He did,” June said. “But he gave it back too quickly. That means it’s stashed somewhere, waiting for the right time.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIDF7OIdpvU
Shiko asked, “What’s inside?”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm33w253AhN
June pulled a folded note from her pocket — Mercy’s handwriting, unmistakable.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1V9YNmVtqw
“Box 3 holds their fingerprints.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkVLCR6CHg1
What they buried beneath your dorm.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjTcKphJXAp
Who vanished, and who let them.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuonhJk98wY
Kim’s throat went dry. “That’s… not just old Order business.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsIv2WaHKtM
“No,” June said. 23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeOqz1lcONw
“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.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTKo7DBBLgd
Shiko frowned. “We’re not even sure what it looks like.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUoJHMnkjSV
June smirked slightly. “You will. It’s the only crate stamped in red chalk. ‘M.O.3’ — Mercy’s final cipher box.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvOxL61U0k2
Kim looked at her. “And what happens if they’ve already opened it?”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMc6mS62JKw
June met her eyes.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWjUCvO0Obo
“Then make sure what they read next… isn't real.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAIa83OgDO3
Kim nods slowly.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBWsyKKnaXw
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.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNxiIGscdl1
“Plant it when the swap’s done. That’s how I’ll know.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF4xsLBAJid
As June walks away, she murmurs to herself: “Let them remember what we allow.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7IXs1nNC4B
*****23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN3dGfhkAxJ
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.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFrCRdBgmWj
“We need eyes everywhere,” Naomi said. “No dorms unchecked. No keys misplaced.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdVAnOK91i8
Seline stepped forward with studied calm.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHJ26N8tayi
“I may know where they're planning to meet.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl90Opsamkk
Naomi narrowed her eyes. “Who?”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAgRbF5tIbw
Seline didn’t answer directly.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGWFihkbhj6
“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.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdRl7H5CFwY
Naomi raised an eyebrow. “You think they’re involved with Mercy’s crate?”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvsdD4PBTLn
Seline folded her arms.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYW7I9IyrdF
“I think if you want answers, send your guards to the south incinerator lane — just before dusk. They’ll find more than ash.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBS628UyUbZ
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.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkRk9NZDgR7
“We have six minutes,” Shiko whispered.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMXUJJKMCNc
“Once the bell rings for sunset inspection, all internal guards get recalled.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsD4yBeuJ5L
Kim glanced at the marked fence post — red chalk: “M.O.3.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5beYMsOVRE
“Let’s just make sure we’re not the ones being followed.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrcg3jZAZSO
Naomi nodded slowly. “Good work, Seline. Stay close.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡONL4I6hSKR
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:23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpTaxibFOMA
“If the bait’s good, they’ll bite. If they bite, I watch who bleeds.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1MLCqakIZ4
She never pressed send.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgHbbyCV2we
She didn’t need to.
******23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgLqvJcKErd
They came from two sides — four prefect guards, swift and silent, their batons clipped tight and flashlights already stuttering in the growing dark.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaflKjYOCxL
Kim turned first.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyNBMD4axJX
“We’re boxed.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO6eBjwfcQn
“No,” Shiko said, calm. “We’re just poorly lit.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ0F7RMh9Ev
From her satchel, she pulled a small envelope marked “Science Week – Safe Burn”.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTVHAIyP1Vl
Flash-paper.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLapcJQsphu
Confetti-layered. Impregnated with fine magnesium salt.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb0VVunqAPn
Designed for stage experiments.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvQTV7coBYF
She struck the match.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlPrxtBe4Nc
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.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4gLfIKn31Z
Kim didn’t flinch.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKY7A0K6mKF
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.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgVPOD3CM4p
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.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFNHD72KcZN
“They sent the wrong box,” she said, breathless, flashing her forged badge.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡleG7kpjNKW
“I’ve got the corrected archive.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLP8icyif32
They looked confused. One shrugged. “It’s all sealed.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR5Ay2ib5Fa
Kim tapped the chalk mark on the side — slightly smudged.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMZq1DXE6GP
“See? Rained out. Mercy’s tag faded. Could be mislabeled.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡygKAdRNMPf
They hesitated.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGevyOdaPU5
Shiko appeared behind them, adjusting her glasses, calm and efficient.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpzMiUmXDFv
The boys handed it over.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnp8T1L6YBP
Kim wheeled the real crate away, heart pounding.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpDTnq2kh0v
The prefect guards staggered out of the light-blast cloud, coughing and confused. Seline, watching from the upper dorm window, narrowed her eyes.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6jgJALeYV0
“You underestimated the quiet ones,” she whispered.
*****23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDVGEzqpgOb
Naomi stood at the front table, her fingers on the crate’s seal.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgHq0xyCJkP
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.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ251Dri1WWf
“Let this end what she started,” Naomi said.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXHhmWGuCTA
She peeled back the tape. Inside: a folder marked “Confession Index: Volume I” — filled with blank pages.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4XXKSRg9cS
Mary frowned.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUmv8ZrwCcZ
June looked to Naomi, whose face remained unreadable. “This isn’t the original,” she said.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUuX3s8B46J
Then the lights flickered.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa5rLHOiZLY
Just once.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfB2eTsZg6p
Not enough to panic. But enough to shift attention.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbFWDtg527l
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.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzO09lM2Iib
Then it clicked. And played.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyg0XbmwtrK
Mercy’s voice.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoZxBgVGhj1
“Nice switch. Too slow.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2HAhzrOEZI
Heads turned sharply. A soft whir from the old cassette speaker in the wall — a repurposed relic. Vintage. Protected.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIZt7GV3g1V
The voice continued — calm, amused, in perfect control:23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB5Wc7LSW5y
“Let’s not pretend this was about justice. This was about story. And I still write the better one.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTmQzjv4tzT
A pause. Then:23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPBAWbuUI3h
“To the girl with the sharp hands—well played. But you forgot something. I never left. See you in the crypt. Round two begins.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLj8VLu5kG7
Click. Silence.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY1oAH34d1C
Outside, thunder cracked.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmSKeBk3OFw
Naomi’s fingers tightened on the empty folder.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkRUkk8c7RV
Mary whispered, “She recorded it before the Tribunal.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ohxzaDOY2
June looked at the now-open ceiling vent above the archive. “No. She triggered it after.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmAgtCqEiVv
Kim, listening from the hallway, stared at the speaker — then slowly slipped the real crate deeper under her cloak.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1KZYj6urkJ
The war hadn’t ended. It had just gone underground again.
**********23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwVrPFadzPo
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.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbC1lUfcLKU
Naomi’s.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTkAXQkVz4Z
He broke the seal.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0E7gnkOnfm
Inside: a short message and a typed formal proposal, stamped with Naomi’s name.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPCW7X9zwIh
“Temporary Intelligence Exchange Proposal.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2jIo2gqW0w
Objectives: Stop second wave. Contain ledger fallout. Restrict Shadow Walker expansion.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ51hdOxQAK2
Musa leaned in. “She’s serious.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡniq38XywRe
Juma scoffed. “Serious or desperate?”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwRGcVTU329
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.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsyDR0tXWuw
Ayo paced. “You trust Naomi?”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ19Nxa09RnQ
“No,” Jabari said. “But I trust the threat.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWavOodgpVL
Juma added, “If she’s suggesting shared control, it means she doesn’t have it.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyTiQ6g4Pr3
Musa tapped the table. “And if we say no, we’re not allies. We’re targets.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6b5gxwEan5
Juma looked around. “I can’t believe we’re even considering this.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqID3EchCgt
But his voice wasn’t angry. Just tired.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgVWGluTJUy
“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.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2L9Y3qnQZe
One by one, hands rose.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNxJpYRX80M
Even Juma’s.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1TtyPNKkaW
The decision was unanimous.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDzxW1rgsY5
Jabari scribbled a short response:23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcudlsHzXWs
“Agreed. Shared containment.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCZZHfQLDI2
Our fire stays cold until her flame dies.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuiKYRiAPoQ
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.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlN2ohbTt4w
The next morning, the note was gone.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIsHhRGuhuy
And beneath the vent, someone had drawn a small M.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMxCfPtxmXh
Then crossed it out.
