When the first bell rang at 7:23 a.m., girls loyal to the order froze mid-breakfast.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKppYZPb04W
By the second bell — louder, longer — every corridor emptied into the courtyard.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTlwsrDQWCL
Whispers flew faster than feet:94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUDyEFiElp8
“Tribunal.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8srLZTtZMN
“She’s calling names.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeIU4i87jZq
“Is it because of the video?”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtEVgLvgl2D
“Did someone move the ledger?”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlH4juC6sdC
Inside the Assembly Hall, Naomi stood center-stage, hands behind her back.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqe1Jpwq6LU
Behind her: two senior prefects. To her right: Mary.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQZLRpgtnWB
To her left: the Order Ledger Book, unopened since Mercy’s fall.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkgwkG1gMe1
The girls filed in. No laughter. No chatter. Only breaths held under stiff collars.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVqWBMFDhvp
Naomi’s voice echoed when she began:94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl0Y8M5Awye
“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.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu33STRcXuW
Gasps rippled through the room.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXP6FvMuSqd
“Each girl in this hall will have a choice: Recommit to the Order — or walk away.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGbYauvXfB4
A hand shot up. Seline. “What about those who were never in?”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwYuAuaos2E
Naomi didn’t flinch.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO41TolS9qU
“Then decide who you’re standing beside now.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh6kuEapf3B
She pointed to the bell.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoOy5jykIgm
“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.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxf5N2ta7Yt
The first girl — a Form 1, trembling — stepped up and touched the bell.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxCeJUXNmka
“Amara Oketch,” she whispered. The bell rang once.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsTLsDjEwIS
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.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcFpO6Zs0Te
Naomi’s expression never changed.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTtUXw6svj4
But inside, the ledger was already shifting — loyalty was becoming currency.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9btij07jHp
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.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyfWlG3WDsF
“Kimberly Diana Otieno. I came to listen. Not to lie.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡes8uHPsBt4
The bell did not ring.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeL8CVAj1hz
Mary frowned.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhquMpc92sD
Naomi closed the ledger without writing.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2msTy6GNU5
“Some names don’t need to echo,” Naomi said.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYuSjiWdm5t
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.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk4ZWT7xq5u
Naomi’s voice is filled with unspoken disgust:94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwT8ANVXVyr
“Miss June… do you still believe in the wall?”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNKIqSQkWZ4
June walks past the bell, but doesn’t touch it. She stops beside Kim.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx1ea8DSbDY
“I believe in the cracks.”
*****94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyLPbNwRuxg
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.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDpTSPGIEIS
“There’s a ledger being held by Jabari’s boys. Not the one in the broadcast. A second one. Still sealed.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCkp7DohYTc
Kim tensed. “We thought Ayo took it.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuM67rgw46b
“He did,” June said. “But he gave it back too quickly. That means it’s stashed somewhere, waiting for the right time.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTyKDdKlcOC
Shiko asked, “What’s inside?”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd7khpaHEmE
June pulled a folded note from her pocket — Mercy’s handwriting, unmistakable.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbNta2nlvsb
“Box 3 holds their fingerprints.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH1DPWRuRrx
What they buried beneath your dorm.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUUQv8ozXbR
Who vanished, and who let them.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnjyIQoMLPI
Kim’s throat went dry. “That’s… not just old Order business.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡik7rupuQcD
“No,” June said. 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJd6Ram36Tv
“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.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOpVzeLEMK3
Shiko frowned. “We’re not even sure what it looks like.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy65Bkisgzw
June smirked slightly. “You will. It’s the only crate stamped in red chalk. ‘M.O.3’ — Mercy’s final cipher box.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSsls4ZrPZr
Kim looked at her. “And what happens if they’ve already opened it?”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHDzGdnAfhq
June met her eyes.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl7679UvXB8
“Then make sure what they read next… isn't real.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbcniJgWMZ2
Kim nods slowly.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAyamNmfoz5
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.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbFAiUqGuE5
“Plant it when the swap’s done. That’s how I’ll know.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAombrv6RZF
As June walks away, she murmurs to herself: “Let them remember what we allow.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWc5rAsqmc2
*****94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Y5QKx5w6U
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.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu35wwYWawV
“We need eyes everywhere,” Naomi said. “No dorms unchecked. No keys misplaced.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw4AW1QGUru
Seline stepped forward with studied calm.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGutQwHMBwg
“I may know where they're planning to meet.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIcGj6wUxhG
Naomi narrowed her eyes. “Who?”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWbE0MIUVWt
Seline didn’t answer directly.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLtXKirfWU1
“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.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsWk45SqwVu
Naomi raised an eyebrow. “You think they’re involved with Mercy’s crate?”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8qr6MTHggS
Seline folded her arms.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVg8sywZJmo
“I think if you want answers, send your guards to the south incinerator lane — just before dusk. They’ll find more than ash.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlT4u91a93A
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.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpxOru5dp4G
“We have six minutes,” Shiko whispered.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3a0IHVWrXe
“Once the bell rings for sunset inspection, all internal guards get recalled.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1mNt8KFxhz
Kim glanced at the marked fence post — red chalk: “M.O.3.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTGS071lDRC
“Let’s just make sure we’re not the ones being followed.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJfVa7VXsr
Naomi nodded slowly. “Good work, Seline. Stay close.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdFB0xtNuR5
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:94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUuozLzg005
“If the bait’s good, they’ll bite. If they bite, I watch who bleeds.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoFsxy2RwVk
She never pressed send.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlcpf84brtY
She didn’t need to.
******94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2aySR3ib0p
They came from two sides — four prefect guards, swift and silent, their batons clipped tight and flashlights already stuttering in the growing dark.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj4Vpqeqafx
Kim turned first.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4GYcM1Sdco
“We’re boxed.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡidd8MmVkhr
“No,” Shiko said, calm. “We’re just poorly lit.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBhXHRCAGCO
From her satchel, she pulled a small envelope marked “Science Week – Safe Burn”.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUxDs5fq363
Flash-paper.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA0BUPDYDzw
Confetti-layered. Impregnated with fine magnesium salt.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPh41mkBu7d
Designed for stage experiments.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡujkOu9VAHv
She struck the match.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ3Qr4dbIMs
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.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQtFLqfEUs8
Kim didn’t flinch.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB5xHDEBvI2
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.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡakWVAB9tYZ
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.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBEcyOmuQZA
“They sent the wrong box,” she said, breathless, flashing her forged badge.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjBE1A9xANU
“I’ve got the corrected archive.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjjafe4gpYn
They looked confused. One shrugged. “It’s all sealed.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoy0aGzyaWR
Kim tapped the chalk mark on the side — slightly smudged.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvpa722Gz8D
“See? Rained out. Mercy’s tag faded. Could be mislabeled.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzAaacknatK
They hesitated.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡecl8zHEqx0
Shiko appeared behind them, adjusting her glasses, calm and efficient.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkGq64krJlN
The boys handed it over.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcGv2WFPBWk
Kim wheeled the real crate away, heart pounding.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfDMMyW7TjB
The prefect guards staggered out of the light-blast cloud, coughing and confused. Seline, watching from the upper dorm window, narrowed her eyes.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqnPnDLzR7Y
“You underestimated the quiet ones,” she whispered.
*****94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDru6p8TFII
Naomi stood at the front table, her fingers on the crate’s seal.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLb0oB3dx7G
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.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjp2om9RJ3i
“Let this end what she started,” Naomi said.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsPFchOspKo
She peeled back the tape. Inside: a folder marked “Confession Index: Volume I” — filled with blank pages.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlvlUq5pCJg
Mary frowned.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwllr7Cf8rd
June looked to Naomi, whose face remained unreadable. “This isn’t the original,” she said.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAfktONHGCn
Then the lights flickered.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBUEIK5aKWg
Just once.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzd51k1uYF3
Not enough to panic. But enough to shift attention.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjOjl2jQU83
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.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMCq22Jh9jx
Then it clicked. And played.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz7NXdeQ4s7
Mercy’s voice.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡomwbCd2WIQ
“Nice switch. Too slow.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ17H64a81nq
Heads turned sharply. A soft whir from the old cassette speaker in the wall — a repurposed relic. Vintage. Protected.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgnXQ7EpK33
The voice continued — calm, amused, in perfect control:94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPU2O48iNW0
“Let’s not pretend this was about justice. This was about story. And I still write the better one.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBIzjhNh7Fs
A pause. Then:94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu89AjoxDyW
“To the girl with the sharp hands—well played. But you forgot something. I never left. See you in the crypt. Round two begins.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ42BuveD4DO
Click. Silence.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGdt7LJtZKi
Outside, thunder cracked.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuyXkchSlim
Naomi’s fingers tightened on the empty folder.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPOeqx2405h
Mary whispered, “She recorded it before the Tribunal.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1jpP7HGOcV
June looked at the now-open ceiling vent above the archive. “No. She triggered it after.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYXNs89moLy
Kim, listening from the hallway, stared at the speaker — then slowly slipped the real crate deeper under her cloak.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcHMAWw4RgM
The war hadn’t ended. It had just gone underground again.
**********94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡURWo7VAXvu
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.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKUotW1mmVi
Naomi’s.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMnAXp7x7Ha
He broke the seal.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtuBPkJhyu8
Inside: a short message and a typed formal proposal, stamped with Naomi’s name.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGyHswh5JNE
“Temporary Intelligence Exchange Proposal.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk73EmOCfMb
Objectives: Stop second wave. Contain ledger fallout. Restrict Shadow Walker expansion.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzgGC8ABIBE
Musa leaned in. “She’s serious.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNnoshf2BdB
Juma scoffed. “Serious or desperate?”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzZ2VDFm8ZO
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.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlpbOXBfE9N
Ayo paced. “You trust Naomi?”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgLm2bWJ2DS
“No,” Jabari said. “But I trust the threat.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUxWwDYvzWv
Juma added, “If she’s suggesting shared control, it means she doesn’t have it.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡECwT6AUppD
Musa tapped the table. “And if we say no, we’re not allies. We’re targets.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmdZFs3RK4M
Juma looked around. “I can’t believe we’re even considering this.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfBOz3HVzcy
But his voice wasn’t angry. Just tired.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkUAatjo7cJ
“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.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhtzMEfeS5G
One by one, hands rose.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE0oIqe1BXa
Even Juma’s.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcvZBPZNnW6
The decision was unanimous.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHvOYRpOFCn
Jabari scribbled a short response:94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfHVY14e1J2
“Agreed. Shared containment.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPKdwkNmOxu
Our fire stays cold until her flame dies.”94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwINOwCDLVP
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.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRZTVYCnNOQ
The next morning, the note was gone.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Etcbcn4XL
And beneath the vent, someone had drawn a small M.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRg927hRR0p
Then crossed it out.
