When the first bell rang at 7:23 a.m., girls loyal to the order froze mid-breakfast.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqV9r4dFZac
By the second bell — louder, longer — every corridor emptied into the courtyard.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTNxQbImUAF
Whispers flew faster than feet:36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI3YYYwMHNy
“Tribunal.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB5bUuscg0Y
“She’s calling names.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDLB1Uxrli9
“Is it because of the video?”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡks47is1YkC
“Did someone move the ledger?”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEtSu2iPJd0
Inside the Assembly Hall, Naomi stood center-stage, hands behind her back.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlBpdbwSYCv
Behind her: two senior prefects. To her right: Mary.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5m9MnpQDZf
To her left: the Order Ledger Book, unopened since Mercy’s fall.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtoSHJX5vSv
The girls filed in. No laughter. No chatter. Only breaths held under stiff collars.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrJmFU7v0sx
Naomi’s voice echoed when she began:36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6UuVlTVxoR
“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.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTDZygb6xvo
Gasps rippled through the room.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Yfn9U9esK
“Each girl in this hall will have a choice: Recommit to the Order — or walk away.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqS7sO5Qgq1
A hand shot up. Seline. “What about those who were never in?”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoXC1mkiNx2
Naomi didn’t flinch.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCcRyEJatnj
“Then decide who you’re standing beside now.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaR0oHmTvYX
She pointed to the bell.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn24rBsiydj
“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.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3HLS3hwkH8
The first girl — a Form 1, trembling — stepped up and touched the bell.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPIWbunTTyi
“Amara Oketch,” she whispered. The bell rang once.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7CUpySHTcL
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.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0XrVK1wTfK
Naomi’s expression never changed.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡENUCnwChx6
But inside, the ledger was already shifting — loyalty was becoming currency.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGDTtZoDYO8
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.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHue1z9bSn4
“Kimberly Diana Otieno. I came to listen. Not to lie.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd51EkRGifv
The bell did not ring.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlFdACLxdNl
Mary frowned.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWZK3bwhO5x
Naomi closed the ledger without writing.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuY4Qb5Az3P
“Some names don’t need to echo,” Naomi said.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFBaxJrjLKd
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.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ57DTcGKNUX
Naomi’s voice is filled with unspoken disgust:36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡakzkG3D5Vq
“Miss June… do you still believe in the wall?”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvSqTQ0o1t6
June walks past the bell, but doesn’t touch it. She stops beside Kim.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxd1pcumNbh
“I believe in the cracks.”
*****36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIx7mDRbWzl
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.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcAfyZxSpf4
“There’s a ledger being held by Jabari’s boys. Not the one in the broadcast. A second one. Still sealed.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy1DnGzOBHI
Kim tensed. “We thought Ayo took it.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyJIJlM71ir
“He did,” June said. “But he gave it back too quickly. That means it’s stashed somewhere, waiting for the right time.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJA4ZKLzMIO
Shiko asked, “What’s inside?”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4yJPEWO7Os
June pulled a folded note from her pocket — Mercy’s handwriting, unmistakable.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgtahcF3TXl
“Box 3 holds their fingerprints.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM0mOsuSDvz
What they buried beneath your dorm.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtRzyFaw0aE
Who vanished, and who let them.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa1wfXDSGI7
Kim’s throat went dry. “That’s… not just old Order business.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXMTAFUW8z7
“No,” June said. 36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnlYNrLvs8G
“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.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyl7PXcmpxJ
Shiko frowned. “We’re not even sure what it looks like.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrKFTupOvAY
June smirked slightly. “You will. It’s the only crate stamped in red chalk. ‘M.O.3’ — Mercy’s final cipher box.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9rDbSP2tSw
Kim looked at her. “And what happens if they’ve already opened it?”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRLRpHB0wg3
June met her eyes.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwuo9dHodIw
“Then make sure what they read next… isn't real.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz4Jk44QgPK
Kim nods slowly.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRcwWFRZKXD
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.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMgUttqsI5I
“Plant it when the swap’s done. That’s how I’ll know.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6mRQa5uC0K
As June walks away, she murmurs to herself: “Let them remember what we allow.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4YH28uHq98
*****36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvzxZNGS8x7
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.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWuRx30P2lu
“We need eyes everywhere,” Naomi said. “No dorms unchecked. No keys misplaced.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd1s0fxX0Qt
Seline stepped forward with studied calm.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWTq1XPIPNJ
“I may know where they're planning to meet.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4DguynPAdC
Naomi narrowed her eyes. “Who?”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsNxq92PS3Y
Seline didn’t answer directly.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiydpOTtjR8
“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.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ocFnRBDFm
Naomi raised an eyebrow. “You think they’re involved with Mercy’s crate?”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡijLcEvt4bL
Seline folded her arms.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMFj92MwV52
“I think if you want answers, send your guards to the south incinerator lane — just before dusk. They’ll find more than ash.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZZUPixxtRw
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.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdZ5OpycvT5
“We have six minutes,” Shiko whispered.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqhDlv42uyU
“Once the bell rings for sunset inspection, all internal guards get recalled.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN71gxosWFr
Kim glanced at the marked fence post — red chalk: “M.O.3.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmchK9PJQvF
“Let’s just make sure we’re not the ones being followed.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbAtLbGVax2
Naomi nodded slowly. “Good work, Seline. Stay close.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR2M8hHzsdS
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:36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJaWwTFOv9u
“If the bait’s good, they’ll bite. If they bite, I watch who bleeds.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQEjVJMKX7c
She never pressed send.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrKIHiz6G1K
She didn’t need to.
******36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk2eKx9zdg8
They came from two sides — four prefect guards, swift and silent, their batons clipped tight and flashlights already stuttering in the growing dark.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTEo5DlgPTF
Kim turned first.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZFJOqkaUWT
“We’re boxed.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxSANtBpZ92
“No,” Shiko said, calm. “We’re just poorly lit.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ45parrpL9f
From her satchel, she pulled a small envelope marked “Science Week – Safe Burn”.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRGYIQINxj1
Flash-paper.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgRhOiSG88b
Confetti-layered. Impregnated with fine magnesium salt.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoCuCFMzUP2
Designed for stage experiments.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHclmSsAF1r
She struck the match.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNhO1DNj4jx
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.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJuvDo8sTUE
Kim didn’t flinch.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHdn8KfUPXI
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.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcrvcJzaQPw
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.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDJJZF84J4C
“They sent the wrong box,” she said, breathless, flashing her forged badge.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQwM7WiCu81
“I’ve got the corrected archive.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIzB4RL6c2K
They looked confused. One shrugged. “It’s all sealed.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnrHNd04GeQ
Kim tapped the chalk mark on the side — slightly smudged.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrmwTQ2WkTN
“See? Rained out. Mercy’s tag faded. Could be mislabeled.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPkh2ZC8KGH
They hesitated.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCuCXlw2yym
Shiko appeared behind them, adjusting her glasses, calm and efficient.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKMwn6957pb
The boys handed it over.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYw4E8X6NYR
Kim wheeled the real crate away, heart pounding.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0X6JTu6Z0U
The prefect guards staggered out of the light-blast cloud, coughing and confused. Seline, watching from the upper dorm window, narrowed her eyes.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTP1jPD7M9e
“You underestimated the quiet ones,” she whispered.
*****36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfhx8MxwN3w
Naomi stood at the front table, her fingers on the crate’s seal.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrXgrd9QrIC
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.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeUq1gOrefe
“Let this end what she started,” Naomi said.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIOrpi6P3qJ
She peeled back the tape. Inside: a folder marked “Confession Index: Volume I” — filled with blank pages.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRJ9T15Rx58
Mary frowned.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4YpVHqtyFG
June looked to Naomi, whose face remained unreadable. “This isn’t the original,” she said.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMg9eSvXT95
Then the lights flickered.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7EAEkwt71h
Just once.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlP420WF3xV
Not enough to panic. But enough to shift attention.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHvjFG42Vrr
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.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTTp6BTaLHf
Then it clicked. And played.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbthReEG0Th
Mercy’s voice.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡma6HG58hDu
“Nice switch. Too slow.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2sA1QiPIbE
Heads turned sharply. A soft whir from the old cassette speaker in the wall — a repurposed relic. Vintage. Protected.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUdaS4x9elj
The voice continued — calm, amused, in perfect control:36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQmGkBFFLjH
“Let’s not pretend this was about justice. This was about story. And I still write the better one.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Z2dBAoG8j
A pause. Then:36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCDHUaJ0CWy
“To the girl with the sharp hands—well played. But you forgot something. I never left. See you in the crypt. Round two begins.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMNuz0kTn3E
Click. Silence.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmsNFsHkJke
Outside, thunder cracked.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Xxr3ypdPZ
Naomi’s fingers tightened on the empty folder.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2azWyxph33
Mary whispered, “She recorded it before the Tribunal.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUxVfDDhETu
June looked at the now-open ceiling vent above the archive. “No. She triggered it after.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDMSF725lP3
Kim, listening from the hallway, stared at the speaker — then slowly slipped the real crate deeper under her cloak.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw6oG6NMl18
The war hadn’t ended. It had just gone underground again.
**********36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1fuhgazxSd
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.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGxE7Np7ipj
Naomi’s.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡopNC8WYulw
He broke the seal.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ1DyZousTl
Inside: a short message and a typed formal proposal, stamped with Naomi’s name.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiQvJmPOtlY
“Temporary Intelligence Exchange Proposal.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSTJZt6xYEj
Objectives: Stop second wave. Contain ledger fallout. Restrict Shadow Walker expansion.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKkQBaFLANM
Musa leaned in. “She’s serious.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtbgxdIQv5p
Juma scoffed. “Serious or desperate?”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWHV8Yc1xA5
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.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6QyHDRm9Cb
Ayo paced. “You trust Naomi?”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGPOsHKZzIB
“No,” Jabari said. “But I trust the threat.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe8O94u0NIu
Juma added, “If she’s suggesting shared control, it means she doesn’t have it.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxsB73z8KUk
Musa tapped the table. “And if we say no, we’re not allies. We’re targets.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXrsV3gnYEE
Juma looked around. “I can’t believe we’re even considering this.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxZjcgzWMja
But his voice wasn’t angry. Just tired.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡux4nqzlmsJ
“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.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuj1QpwZNHW
One by one, hands rose.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDIrjIZhX8w
Even Juma’s.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXaFcOiiiBf
The decision was unanimous.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuUcDmaBq6W
Jabari scribbled a short response:36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBKN0JChTmQ
“Agreed. Shared containment.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeSb5pb2TCq
Our fire stays cold until her flame dies.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTzuT1kVpvv
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.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6L62RayFC1
The next morning, the note was gone.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFJ5TCrwSRl
And beneath the vent, someone had drawn a small M.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡby1kaCVc1S
Then crossed it out.
