When the first bell rang at 7:23 a.m., girls loyal to the order froze mid-breakfast.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWCgWOeWm9p
By the second bell — louder, longer — every corridor emptied into the courtyard.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt6dcukMszB
Whispers flew faster than feet:56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ00aBmMAAuR
“Tribunal.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡijokAYMZDc
“She’s calling names.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFbJbUSy8xa
“Is it because of the video?”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2MYQYfGrfw
“Did someone move the ledger?”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUuKkuhecJu
Inside the Assembly Hall, Naomi stood center-stage, hands behind her back.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLxyZNrT4Tx
Behind her: two senior prefects. To her right: Mary.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHwU41lCOw5
To her left: the Order Ledger Book, unopened since Mercy’s fall.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFzTQnFy9EE
The girls filed in. No laughter. No chatter. Only breaths held under stiff collars.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoEZBvRmaxW
Naomi’s voice echoed when she began:56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxIojLqu3bg
“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.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCO5bkAhBkA
Gasps rippled through the room.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh9l4H7r5Wn
“Each girl in this hall will have a choice: Recommit to the Order — or walk away.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdZ8vafxNbk
A hand shot up. Seline. “What about those who were never in?”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8TWCSiSneJ
Naomi didn’t flinch.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHkVwjjh4DU
“Then decide who you’re standing beside now.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg2E5XZYev7
She pointed to the bell.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFeMg8AweV3
“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.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8iKhYFQ8pg
The first girl — a Form 1, trembling — stepped up and touched the bell.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeTK0zcQth9
“Amara Oketch,” she whispered. The bell rang once.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7YkPerQO8X
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.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3mAx8qrwFn
Naomi’s expression never changed.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrvcZCdGcnZ
But inside, the ledger was already shifting — loyalty was becoming currency.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ247aOPXx7l
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.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2tKjx7jzO2
“Kimberly Diana Otieno. I came to listen. Not to lie.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡetY7GRxhL4
The bell did not ring.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlHCTR8WUwW
Mary frowned.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbcRvIvduXT
Naomi closed the ledger without writing.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyLjJxweM4m
“Some names don’t need to echo,” Naomi said.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcBTRjwo4un
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.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAFYKYyxvSB
Naomi’s voice is filled with unspoken disgust:56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlofPaLIqHS
“Miss June… do you still believe in the wall?”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGco7YphIXM
June walks past the bell, but doesn’t touch it. She stops beside Kim.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh8ajUNjRrP
“I believe in the cracks.”
*****56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcLexLP9M8W
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.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAUUhpwplv1
“There’s a ledger being held by Jabari’s boys. Not the one in the broadcast. A second one. Still sealed.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ09moaMLSIP
Kim tensed. “We thought Ayo took it.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxIFpFZjfzU
“He did,” June said. “But he gave it back too quickly. That means it’s stashed somewhere, waiting for the right time.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy3zXcW0vZp
Shiko asked, “What’s inside?”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvqJ8n47x6E
June pulled a folded note from her pocket — Mercy’s handwriting, unmistakable.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX4S32feVAO
“Box 3 holds their fingerprints.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNVairosaG0
What they buried beneath your dorm.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYr4VjBVfix
Who vanished, and who let them.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ2VAaE7VYm
Kim’s throat went dry. “That’s… not just old Order business.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvmdbTCizli
“No,” June said. 56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8zrfph4pzz
“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.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs1lslwLqVv
Shiko frowned. “We’re not even sure what it looks like.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKPk0z1QTks
June smirked slightly. “You will. It’s the only crate stamped in red chalk. ‘M.O.3’ — Mercy’s final cipher box.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLItU2YdkYs
Kim looked at her. “And what happens if they’ve already opened it?”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPFarmaKwAx
June met her eyes.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZonUvvzCoF
“Then make sure what they read next… isn't real.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYyFqPiJ1OO
Kim nods slowly.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeHZ0Uh8lsu
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.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPtgT39stkk
“Plant it when the swap’s done. That’s how I’ll know.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtLCkC2Bdy7
As June walks away, she murmurs to herself: “Let them remember what we allow.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxu7VijNDM2
*****56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtiZuI1KkvN
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.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOiZvBdcASL
“We need eyes everywhere,” Naomi said. “No dorms unchecked. No keys misplaced.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Tm0mEhvkP
Seline stepped forward with studied calm.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPdQFNQeX0S
“I may know where they're planning to meet.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc5F4vsjACC
Naomi narrowed her eyes. “Who?”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm6Ci0zesjP
Seline didn’t answer directly.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡceezy4fSlH
“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.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmRn9dndSad
Naomi raised an eyebrow. “You think they’re involved with Mercy’s crate?”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZjaFwRcHj5
Seline folded her arms.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ75oLVdRIjz
“I think if you want answers, send your guards to the south incinerator lane — just before dusk. They’ll find more than ash.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGxJULCpCZh
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.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEO62IGCQhz
“We have six minutes,” Shiko whispered.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ8thGjWE2V
“Once the bell rings for sunset inspection, all internal guards get recalled.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTvJ3fc1O0e
Kim glanced at the marked fence post — red chalk: “M.O.3.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtI19lhm6KS
“Let’s just make sure we’re not the ones being followed.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqUVMV2Z8ow
Naomi nodded slowly. “Good work, Seline. Stay close.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2hz9YKhVCA
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:56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG86SBkoi3R
“If the bait’s good, they’ll bite. If they bite, I watch who bleeds.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwO2iWaFUVd
She never pressed send.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ2GVQHPYu3
She didn’t need to.
******56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ2UmPDcTGX
They came from two sides — four prefect guards, swift and silent, their batons clipped tight and flashlights already stuttering in the growing dark.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAsdd8IUBwh
Kim turned first.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiuHFwKvAt0
“We’re boxed.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwC1QCT5BOI
“No,” Shiko said, calm. “We’re just poorly lit.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvXzj5CWDho
From her satchel, she pulled a small envelope marked “Science Week – Safe Burn”.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiZGreYQGzK
Flash-paper.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkB8vu2FKlu
Confetti-layered. Impregnated with fine magnesium salt.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsAjqkbrZiq
Designed for stage experiments.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ1l4V2n2BJ
She struck the match.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCylwC79o80
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.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhqriahUaaw
Kim didn’t flinch.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg1Cq18SItw
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.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGtlXTI7i41
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.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4nNYZkzzuO
“They sent the wrong box,” she said, breathless, flashing her forged badge.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmU6ljXZfJF
“I’ve got the corrected archive.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr0QOPZpvHv
They looked confused. One shrugged. “It’s all sealed.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ64SGLirnzN
Kim tapped the chalk mark on the side — slightly smudged.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKaJ8d3kbEx
“See? Rained out. Mercy’s tag faded. Could be mislabeled.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxFUpYS7OA8
They hesitated.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpRmFeINdgA
Shiko appeared behind them, adjusting her glasses, calm and efficient.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwuHFxe1sYp
The boys handed it over.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRdf041RWax
Kim wheeled the real crate away, heart pounding.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp1TKeyWIrB
The prefect guards staggered out of the light-blast cloud, coughing and confused. Seline, watching from the upper dorm window, narrowed her eyes.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkn02jhQXGm
“You underestimated the quiet ones,” she whispered.
*****56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDmhfxNYdbY
Naomi stood at the front table, her fingers on the crate’s seal.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWVe4sMfpxL
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.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZDh7MVXcDu
“Let this end what she started,” Naomi said.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡILpS6IxBFx
She peeled back the tape. Inside: a folder marked “Confession Index: Volume I” — filled with blank pages.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcSkYA9tAZ6
Mary frowned.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeJLAtG6E6I
June looked to Naomi, whose face remained unreadable. “This isn’t the original,” she said.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3qAxWjw7z0
Then the lights flickered.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡujVPwTfd4L
Just once.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhf98dAWWNF
Not enough to panic. But enough to shift attention.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡthd2DCp7ss
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.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUw9qcbZkQU
Then it clicked. And played.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5RRW46idM2
Mercy’s voice.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRWI3gnXcnr
“Nice switch. Too slow.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw9xOzCX99f
Heads turned sharply. A soft whir from the old cassette speaker in the wall — a repurposed relic. Vintage. Protected.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgD8VTsQk4b
The voice continued — calm, amused, in perfect control:56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡalPLOQ4h6t
“Let’s not pretend this was about justice. This was about story. And I still write the better one.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUtd8lZ2NYh
A pause. Then:56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbLsBoN88AR
“To the girl with the sharp hands—well played. But you forgot something. I never left. See you in the crypt. Round two begins.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr2ytnStn2s
Click. Silence.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlMUBYgAnf3
Outside, thunder cracked.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpW8EqllWEK
Naomi’s fingers tightened on the empty folder.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7z36VeFqXZ
Mary whispered, “She recorded it before the Tribunal.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5UTFTEEm6b
June looked at the now-open ceiling vent above the archive. “No. She triggered it after.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE6TgDnCrzI
Kim, listening from the hallway, stared at the speaker — then slowly slipped the real crate deeper under her cloak.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp4s1FsefHE
The war hadn’t ended. It had just gone underground again.
**********56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr1kF5zVgJJ
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.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhi7gkg9x1L
Naomi’s.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoeTfeKpmwY
He broke the seal.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrv7cdlmi9R
Inside: a short message and a typed formal proposal, stamped with Naomi’s name.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2w6U0ip53S
“Temporary Intelligence Exchange Proposal.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj3yt63W9Y1
Objectives: Stop second wave. Contain ledger fallout. Restrict Shadow Walker expansion.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlikFNvd0dL
Musa leaned in. “She’s serious.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyBeoeHNKiK
Juma scoffed. “Serious or desperate?”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSQ0QMGVcZy
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.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡritq54yUzn
Ayo paced. “You trust Naomi?”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZE8x9PNYO0
“No,” Jabari said. “But I trust the threat.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzrBQ41hG0i
Juma added, “If she’s suggesting shared control, it means she doesn’t have it.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPcxvDmHSJS
Musa tapped the table. “And if we say no, we’re not allies. We’re targets.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ37HquQdkfF
Juma looked around. “I can’t believe we’re even considering this.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpU76puoJT8
But his voice wasn’t angry. Just tired.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxrhhwq6gEM
“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.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu80w83COlB
One by one, hands rose.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfEiqpnju63
Even Juma’s.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdNeRw2dLlv
The decision was unanimous.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzwnD2RvxS3
Jabari scribbled a short response:56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsv6aVXQwWx
“Agreed. Shared containment.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8IsQcHHk2U
Our fire stays cold until her flame dies.”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTmw2ovFfTW
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.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3b5loMDuad
The next morning, the note was gone.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡixnYXzupn7
And beneath the vent, someone had drawn a small M.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsxjXy1UG6m
Then crossed it out.
