In the Kisumu Boys' Assembly Room, a closed session in the late afternoon is underway. The rain drums faintly on the roof. Both Order loyalists and Shadow Walker affiliates have been summoned — the first meeting of its kind.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6c0aoJgYmI
The room buzzed with restrained confusion. On one side: prefects, old Order loyalists, data-keepers. On the other: Shadow Walkers — code-runners, graffiti scouts, watchers from rooftops.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKbU9r7L8TG
No one sat near the center.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9TKMtv8u8h
Jabari stood at the front of the room, back straight, the cracked ledger box in one hand.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIB4uUvnTNe
He didn’t shout.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVZIoH7Ri5M
“You all saw what Mercy did.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8JnuqQQAF9
Silence.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBF8Xa1WGLk
“She used our stories. Our fractures. She drowned us in our own past.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ553m9XKsuA
He placed the box down — loudly.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiXGVWjssuz
“So, this time… we drown her in it.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNQ2jwm4iUl
He scanned both sides of the room.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdxGriSrgvM
“We have word Naomi’s side is moving — quietly. They’ve offered a containment pact.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡswlgcK146Q
A few gasps. One laugh — quickly hushed.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSfwXD379TD
Jabari continued.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBWjzTNe26c
“This isn’t an alliance for peace. This is a trap.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0m70B2tiaJ
He walked to the chalkboard and drew a quick diagram: the chapel crypt, the drainage lines, the tunnel forks.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9qmPENr2R5
“Mercy’s using the third memory drop — a ledger no one catalogued. We lure her into finishing the cycle. And we lock her there. Not with chains. With evidence. With noise. With memory.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQilMIZBjJ9
Kwame wasn’t present.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7a83v83OsA
But Otieno was — arms folded, expression blank.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSXpZLQEUTJ
Ayo muttered under his breath, “He won’t like this.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKdCNMgEV6Q
Juma asked sharply, “So we do Naomi’s cleanup?”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡScISW35tea
Jabari looked him straight in the eyes.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5oeQR7CJnS
“We clean up our own ghosts. Naomi’s just part of the smoke.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSXPCtFd7tc
Musa stepped forward and unrolled the scroll — Naomi’s signed terms, retrieved from the wall.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvZBdp9UOgR
He read them aloud: Neutral crypt space during the trap execution. Shared counter-signal system (one chime = cancel, two = proceed). No betrayal until both crates are verified and neutralized.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6iB2Fpcc5b
The final line:37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvCXZ5nK4Ee
“No war until the wound is stitched.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjGreoE7KRc
A single nod from Jabari. “Vote?”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡek9kNZG45z
This time, only one hand stayed down.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡddtfPhEFPT
Otieno.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7IxP5xP6Fr
He met Jabari’s gaze, then whispered: “You catch her… Just don’t become her.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVjYEOJoEgn
The moment Musa finished rolling up the scroll, Juma stood — arms crossed, eyes cold.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡinbQiprZ31
“We’re trusting Naomi now? The same girl who tried to silence everything Mercy uncovered?”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqk6pz0phHX
The room went quiet again. Even the Shadow Walkers leaned in, sensing heat beneath the words.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY1ec5hynwm
Jabari didn’t answer immediately.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN4WzpH6axm
Juma continued, his voice quieter but heavier:37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡja6MyjiyO4
“She isn’t here to contain anything. She’s here to bury it again. And if we help her… we’re part of it. We’ve already done one cover-up, Jabari. I won’t do a second.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6j3GdgCmYy
Otieno glanced at Musa. Ayo looked away.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBRvrRmgS5e
They knew what Jabari suspected but never asked.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA7EwFiHHb9
Juma’s voice cracked ever so slightly: “I swore I’d protect Kim. Not just physically. From all this. From becoming one of us.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ07kEwqTTQP
He looked straight at Jabari. “You think Naomi won’t use her if it means killing Mercy’s story?”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7JI57OQLSU
A slow clap echoed from the hallway.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpQnWxr2kBL
Kwame.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPCD1xGs1nV
He leaned against the doorframe, shadowed, smirking.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEzpaqMKBQm
“Now that’s what I’ve been waiting for.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtKyvtXlfUG
Jabari’s jaw tightened. “You weren’t invited.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT31P5BPwM3
Kwame stepped in. “I don’t need an invitation to watch a castle collapse. Especially when the stones fight each other.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcKKuainwoQ
He glanced at Juma. “Finally, someone with a spine.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL5kclfC7EZ
Jabari stepped forward. “This isn’t about Kim.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPwbbAt3bfq
Juma didn’t move. “No. It’s about all the people who can’t speak anymore. Mercy included.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxSXnzOVWt6
Kwame tilted his head, amused. “You know, I think Mercy would like him.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJcKygxCRsZ
Musa finally spoke. “We don’t have time for this.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡysonVfnByi
Jabari looked at Juma. “You can’t protect her from all of it. You can only decide whether you help shape the truth or let it crush her.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU3yQM8TgLO
Juma’s fists clenched.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9uzyoHK7Ug
But he didn’t sit back down.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡesK3aPqrcK
Later that night, after the hall had emptied and the plan was posted on the encrypted wall scroll, Kwame found Otieno near the water tanks, where the fog rolled low and the pipes hissed with steam.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoJomcGTwN5
Kwame leaned against the concrete.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbfkzilMJZT
“So. You’re really going with Jabari?”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx7xQ0Tfw6q
Otieno didn’t look up. He was fitting a copper ring into the vent grate — a piece of an old filtration system he’d been rigging for months.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLVrAaMVTzB
“Does it matter?”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAHna32xULZ
Kwame smirked. “It does to me. I had you pegged as a watcher. Not a follower.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT02wrT4hbL
Otieno stood slowly. “You’re right.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUHirHm2JBh
He turned to face Kwame — taller than him in the dim light. 37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM7jLjd6c4v
“I do watch. I watched what happened when the last war between Orders wasn’t stopped. I watched Jabari get blamed for things he never did. I watched you use Mercy’s name like a weapon — without carrying any of her burden.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn6ClUId7CA
Kwame’s smile faded slightly.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJE4BZ4pTn6
“She’s rewriting history,” Otieno said. “And you think you’re the editor. But she’ll erase you the second you stop being useful.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJrTiXSk11y
Kwame raised an eyebrow. “And you think Jabari won’t?”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7dBGARv7IB
Otieno stepped closer.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNWhB67MFik
“If we help Jabari now, we keep Mercy’s revenge from destroying us all. Not for Naomi. Not for orders. Not for walls.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvQwjBErgLz
He paused. “For survival.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW4BetjBXNO
Kwame scoffed lightly. “You sound like you’re preparing for a funeral.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTcBgmJIbh5
Otieno turned away, sliding the copper ring into place.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOzHyiIpEm0
“I am. The old war never ended. This time, I just want to know which side I buried my friends on.”
**********37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4nMPTuy7ON
The ledger crate was lighter than expected.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDSaKwkTHG4
Musa tested its weight once more as he crouched beneath the courtyard arch. The M.O.3 chalk mark had been carefully redrawn. The false ledgers inside were wrapped in canvas, just enough heft to feel real.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrv3dH4bZea
Jabari stood beside him in the hallway shadows. “You’re sure?”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfmbNf7KD8H
Musa gave a half-smile. “You trust me with a busted borehole and a map that doesn’t exist, but not a box full of air?”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaWoMZOkvDY
Juma, standing nearby, muttered, “It’s not the box I don’t trust. It’s the gate it’s going through.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKFzFKaqLBs
Musa turned to Jabari.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeQl9cjJPRh
“Let me take it. If we send a signal through anyone else, they’ll second-guess it.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ26KjOG9l1M
He gripped the crate.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaM3soTPP6Y
“I’m neutral enough to walk through fire.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3X3Qho5TIo
From behind him, Ayo appeared silently, holding a folded black card — flat, thin, almost forgettable.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2z2maExW2j
“For insurance,” Ayo said, sliding it beneath the top canvas.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdKmNUGvMug
Musa frowned. “We’re not sending threats.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuGX2P3k37F
Ayo’s voice was smooth. “It’s not a threat. Just… a reminder. She needs to know she’s still being watched.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuaHzfcnKbq
“No names. Just the old cipher. Mercy’s mark.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2yfsZ6AqaW
Musa hesitated, then said nothing. There wasn’t time. Jabari was still briefing the wall runners. No one else saw.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiO6kT9Z0BX
At 5:48 p.m., beneath the buzz of Science Week cleanup, Musa rolled the AV cart up to the old drain-slot gate in the concrete wall.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA0WpuXJFRt
He stood still, adjusted his sleeves. Waited.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡljAvKQpTVU
The grate shifted open. Two gloved hands — Mary’s, if he had to guess — pulled the crate silently inside.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwIbbpZUhIL
No words. Only a single origami triangle left behind, folded from printed timetable paper.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqgPbsZCTkE
He picked it up, unfolded it.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrjkFSaIzYA
“Drop scheduled. Second chime. No shadows.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5yRFmkSw44
The plan was live.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxUChLPLpt2
Inside the crate, beneath the false ledgers and canvas, Naomi’s hand paused when she reached the black card. It bore Mercy’s old cipher — a twisting serpent swallowing its tail — stamped in silver ink.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlEYpeUtKpx
Below it: one line in tight handwriting.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKNnv0jRx1I
“She buried you once. Don’t let her bury you again.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoYWdxN4CTq
Mary looked up at Naomi.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvpWUBtuJ51
“Did you put this in?”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgbtaXlqYpN
Naomi said nothing.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdoTfyE7msI
Her fingers tightened.
*****37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmS3BfgRkBF
On the girls’ side. After dark. Naomi’s inner circle meets in the underground storage room behind the old library annex. The crate sits unopened on a long metal table.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZk7SiMRSDz
The room smelled like old pine and chalk dust.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiQJiuCPm9f
June, Mary, and Naomi stood around the crate. No one had spoken since the door shut.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMGNZndW5UA
The origami triangle Musa left sat neatly beside the latch. Naomi’s hands hovered above it.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7lmd4nnEWH
“We open it now,” she said.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6oP6H7Gcfb
“We can’t afford another surprise at the Tribunal.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSb9kCARjm9
She glanced at Mary. “Gloves.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRFEdcyVEBn
Mary handed them over — clean surgical pairs swiped from the chem lab.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJfI1zfRXHH
Inside, the ledgers were exactly as expected — wrapped, unmarked, blank. But under the first canvas fold, June’s hand paused.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtRBmqQnzQN
“Something’s here.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHRbQIy5ack
She pulled out the black card.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAbk5iWeWpv
The serpent. Silver ink. Old cipher.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnjAoQxgxlv
Naomi took it. Kim read the line aloud:37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjAnUQgCywa
“She buried you once. Don’t let her bury you again.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg8SPJ7V1ql
A beat of silence.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf56RsYo2qM
Naomi’s face stayed blank, but her pulse visibly jumped.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmcUEdBdq5A
“It’s not hers,” she said flatly. “She never wrote in third person.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ81IhbKPxc7
June stepped in. “Then it’s meant to make it look like it is.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIzrNxKSeWE
Mary whispered, “Could it be a warning? From the boys?”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRRM8x1Tl6K
Naomi shook her head. 37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvZE0R50CEC
“Too calculated. This isn’t warning. It’s planting doubt. Whoever slipped it in wanted us to panic in front of the school.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMHEd49FYCy
June laid the card flat on the table.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeXCAwdHJZZ
“We pull it now. Quietly. And we never say a word.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO2GJU1sTU9
Naomi finally nodded. “Burn it.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpn179W9eF8
Mary hesitated. “That’s a Mercy move.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxfLfEacCOf
Naomi replied coldly: 37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ47wut1ujhz
“Then maybe she taught us well.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT06wwANImg
The card was burning in a lab beaker, the serpent curling into ash by the time they were done, Naomi staring into the flame longer than the others.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9x5SwD1ArB
June turned to Naomi. 37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL0tskq1CRF
“When you open that crate tomorrow, make sure your voice doesn’t shake.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVz8B7SjM4h
Naomi said nothing.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2djGYGHHiv
But her jaw was set.
