CHAPTER ONE22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCuVoKQmSLA
Seline22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTESMUeNew2
Mercy’s help has been a game-changer. Before she stepped in, our investigation felt like stumbling around in the dark, piecing together rumors and scraps of evidence. Mercy brought order to our chaos. She showed us how to organize our notes, cross-reference details, and even nudged us to request access to old council records-something I never would have thought to do on my own.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ND1gdw67n
She’s always calm, always two steps ahead. Whenever we hit a dead end, she’d suggest a new angle or connect us with someone who might have seen something. It almost feels like she’s mentoring us, giving us the confidence to dig deeper and move faster. I can’t deny how much we’ve accomplished with her guidance; we’ve found patterns in the furniture thefts I never would have spotted alone, and we’re actually starting to get somewhere.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqI55wVNaPx
Still, Mercy keeps her distance in a strange way. She never talks about her own theories, just listens and pushes us to think harder. Maybe she just wants to see what we’re capable of, or maybe she’s testing us. I don’t really know. What I do know is that, thanks to her, Kim and I are working better than ever. We’re close to something big-I can feel it. For now, I’m just grateful for the help, even if I don’t quite understand why she’s so invested in our search.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf7b3mVN9pk
I couldn’t shake the feeling that the furniture thefts weren’t just random pranks. Over days of careful watching, a pattern started to form in my mind. Every year, right after the new prefects are announced in the second term, desks, chairs, or cabinets begin to vanish-always at the same time, always from different places. 22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYeO86S5ryg
Then, months later, those same pieces show up somewhere completely unexpected: a library desk in the music room, a teacher’s chair in the gym storeroom, a cabinet reappearing in the art block. It was too consistent to be coincidence.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ07iXzersl
The more I dug, the more convinced I became that this was a ritual-one with rules and meaning, not just mischief. I spent hours poring over old student council minutes and whispering with alumni. The stories always matched: the thefts stretched back decades, shrouded in secrecy, never solved.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK71QJyQFg1
Mercy encouraged me to organize everything-dates, locations, even the way the furniture was found. With her help, the pattern became clearer. I finally told Kim what I was starting to believe: what if these thefts were actually an initiation rite for new members? The Order of Hermes has always been rumored to have elaborate rituals and loyalty tests, just like the secret societies I’ve read about, where symbolic acts and secrecy are part of becoming an insider22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6uJ8VH9CTi
I pictured how it might work: a new recruit would have to move a piece of furniture without getting caught, placing it somewhere significant to the Order’s history or symbols. Pulling it off would prove you were clever, resourceful, and trustworthy-exactly the qualities the Order values. When the furniture was finally found, it would mean the trial was over and the recruit had earned their place.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjyF4W2t1fY
It all fits. The thefts aren’t just about the furniture-they’re about proving you belong. 22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9z7DCfTQvz
I told Kim, “If we can catch someone in the act, or figure out how they pick their targets, we might finally expose the Order’s initiation-and maybe everything else they’re hiding.”22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEi7j0jyKj1
**********22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe6aZNU71QV
June Mwangangi moved through the corridors of Kisumu Girls with a quiet authority, her sharp eyes missing nothing. As co-chair of the Order of Hermes, she was used to pressure, but this year’s initiation week loomed like a storm on the horizon. The timeline was tighter than ever-just two weeks before the term ended-and the usual calm that accompanied the ritual was nowhere to be found.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWAL7zmHQUQ
The disaster with Kim still lingered, unresolved and casting long shadows over the Order. June had yet to decide whether Kim was a liability or an opportunity. Now, with Mercy newly elected as president, the school’s power structure was shifting beneath her feet. Mercy’s ambitions were no secret, and her rivalry with Jabari was already sending ripples through the Order’s ranks. Jabari, for his part, was insistent: Kim should be recruited. He saw potential in her, a chance to strengthen the Order with someone who had already survived scandal and scrutiny.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUaagIaVe7G
June was less certain. She knew that bringing Kim in could either stabilize the Order or expose it to new dangers. The stakes were higher than ever, and she couldn’t afford a single misstep. The initiations were more than tradition-they were the Order’s way of ensuring only the most resourceful, discreet, and loyal students joined their ranks. This year, with so many eyes watching and so much at risk, the process had to be flawless.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnB1OtUVlBR
She spent her days quietly observing, assigning trusted seniors to watch Kim and report back on her behavior. June weighed every detail: Kim’s interactions, her silences, her reactions to pressure. If Kim passed these invisible tests, June would orchestrate the next step-a coded invitation, a subtle challenge, something only a true candidate would recognize.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7TFh7UbDff
Meanwhile, June kept a wary eye on Mercy. The new president was clever, ambitious, and unpredictable. If Mercy suspected the Order’s plans, she might try to interfere or use the situation to her own advantage in the ongoing leadership war with Jabari.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡae5Ar99Kk4
June felt the weight of tradition and expectation pressing down on her. She knew that this year’s initiation would determine not just the future of the Order, but her own place within it. Every decision mattered. And as the days ticked down, June steeled herself for the delicate, dangerous work ahead-knowing that the line between success and disaster had never been thinner.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHzSs3xnGRg
Mercy22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAyyaE98lns
I’ve always believed the best moves are the ones no one notices. When I saw the chance to put Kim and June together, I didn’t hesitate. June, as Deputy President in charge of academics, technically outranks all the class prefects, Kim included. It was almost too easy.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrbWd8rEyAb
During a council meeting, I casually suggested that the prefects should lead a review of classroom environments before exams. 22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgPluV5fi0B
“It would be a great way to show student initiative,” I said, making sure to mention Kim by name as an ideal candidate. 22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0BvDSpnzg0
No one questioned it. By the end of the day, Kim’s name was on the list, and June had been assigned to oversee the project.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu3O6bTlf8a
I watched from a distance as Kim received the memo-signed by June, summoning her to a planning meeting. To Kim, it probably felt like just another task, another chance to prove herself. But I knew June would see it differently. She’s always so precise, so careful in her judgments. This was her chance to size Kim up, to see if she was really as sharp and resilient as Jabari seemed to think.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡie5fOS3qan
I didn’t need to be in the room to know how it would play out. June would run the meeting with her usual efficiency, her eyes always lingering a little longer on the ones she’s truly interested in. Kim would feel that scrutiny, even if she didn’t understand it yet.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLtdVilTB9P
I kept my distance, letting the school’s hierarchy do my work for me. Now, their paths had crossed, and I could sit back and watch what happened next. In this game, sometimes all you have to do is set the pieces in motion.
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Kim22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Ftm3M17jD
Kim’s mind was still reeling from her last encounter with June. The meeting had been briefed but charged: June’s questions were precise, her silences deliberate, her scrutiny unmistakable. Kim had left feeling both tested and strangely seen, sensing that June was weighing her for something beyond the usual prefect duties. There had been no promises, just a lingering look, Kim wasn’t sure if it was a warning or an invitation.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEzo9FGBhQ7
After the meeting, Kim lingered, pretending to organize her notes. June approached; her presence quiet but commanding.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpUtJAwtTbK
“Kim, a word?” June’s tone was neutral, but her eyes were sharp.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm7b5NmwmkH
Kim nodded, following her into the corridor. The hallway was empty, the afternoon sun casting long shadows on the floor.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyMJdQvzYUS
June began; her voice low. “You handle pressure well. That’s not common.”22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxJ67x6qYJo
Kim hesitated, unsure if this was praise or prelude.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdgO9ogVRp7
“Thank you. I try to do my best.”22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOcr6BAfVba
June studied her for a moment, then handed her a folded slip of paper. 22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrEdZ3wAOkR
Room 14, after prep. Don’t be late. And don’t mention this to anyone.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHHwiN2F29Y
So, when Kim found a cryptic note tucked into her Kiswahili exercise book the next morning, her pulse quickened. The riddle was unmistakably Order business, referencing myths and secrets in a way that only an insider would recognize. But the style was different-bolder, more direct. Kim realized with a jolt that this was an invitation, deliberate test from June. 22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLgFSTMxgWf
“For those who walk between shadow and flame,22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡARqctBkEkN
The forge awaits at the hour when day and night are twins.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiUk0ZUJDoj
Bring only your questions. Leave your fear at the door.”22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMZO9eSjr36
Kim can’t shake the feeling that something bigger is at play. The timing is too precise to be a coincidence: just as June, a senior figure with quiet authority, singles her out for a special meeting, she suddenly receives a mysterious, coded note-one she assumes is from June, which actually comes with the fine prints of the Order itself.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtzNBmEz6Xi
She finds herself wondering about June’s true role. Is June simply acting as Deputy President, or does she have a deeper connection to the Order of Hermes? The overlap between June’s attention and the Order’s secretive outreach makes Kim suspect that June is either a gatekeeper or a recruiter for the society. Why else would the Order reach out now, when June has just begun to test her?22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡANft32kV3k
Seline22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaaBCWnNLv6
I’ve spent weeks piecing together the pattern behind the furniture thefts, and now, with Kim suddenly at the center of the Order’s attention, everything is coming into focus. If the Order of Hermes is really using these thefts as initiation rites, and Kim is the newest recruit, we have a rare chance-either to expose their methods or turn the knowledge to our advantage.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9yIS165cMz
I scanned the lines, my heart thudding faster with every word. “Kim, this isn’t just some random note. It sounds like an initiation. Like what the Order would do.”22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtWQVtjZjxQ
Kim’s eyes widened. “You really think so?”22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfXvBy9IRXE
I nodded. “The timing is too perfect. Every year, after new prefects are picked, the furniture starts disappearing. Always in weird ways, always showing up months later. I’ve been digging through old council records, and it’s the same pattern, every time. I think it’s a test. For new recruits.”22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbRQAImTbVD
She went quiet, thinking it through. “So… you think I’m being recruited? That this is all connected?”22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxNFkQ8VCN5
“Exactly.” I felt a surge of excitement. 22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4NNeTo9G3U
“If we can track what they ask you to do, we might be able to predict the next theft-or even catch them in the act. We could finally prove what the Order’s been doing.”22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb96L3stZfH
Kim’s face set with determination. “So, what do we do?”22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6wtGCeyQjn
I leaned closer, lowering my voice to a whisper. “You play along. Follow their instructions, but tell me everything. I’ll keep track of the details-dates, times, places. If we’re right, we’ll see the pattern before they realize we’re onto them.”22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm67pRdNBTK
“And if they ask me to steal something?” Kim asked, her voice barely above a whisper.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG8v0Xpe0Q1
“We’ll be ready,” I said. “We’ll set a trap. If we can catch them in the act-or get proof of the ritual-we can expose the Order. Or, if it’s too risky, we use what we know to protect ourselves. Either way, we’re not just pawns in their game anymore.”22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxlD0HCzMQ2
Kim nodded; her eyes fierce. “Let’s do it.”22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6d33EWFB97
**********22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5KanEZJlG8
Mercy listened intently as Seline and Kim laid out their discoveries in her office, their voices low but urgent. The desk between them was scattered with Seline’s neatly organized notes, color-coded charts, and a copy of the cryptic note Kim had received. The atmosphere was charged with the thrill of revelation and the tension of risk.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJyYat0FsAd
Seline explained the pattern she’d uncovered in the furniture thefts, tracing the timeline and highlighting the strange consistency with which items vanished and reappeared. Kim described her recent encounters with June and her suspicion that she was being tested for something bigger. Together, they presented their theory: the thefts were not random acts of mischief, but part of the Order of Hermes’ secret initiation rites.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuNxke6II3Y
Mercy nodded along, her expression calm and encouraging. She offered practical advice, reminding them to be careful and to document everything, to trust no one outside their circle, and to always have a backup plan. She didn’t reveal how much she already knew about the Order’s rituals, nor did she share her own ambitions regarding the society’s secrets. Instead, she played the role of mentor and ally, reinforcing their trust in her.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNc4Qa7U4jX
She recognized the value of what Seline and Kim had brought to her. Their plan was simple but effective: Kim would go along with the Order’s recruitment, reporting back every step. Seline would keep meticulous records, looking for the next predictable move. If they could anticipate the Order’s next act, they might catch them in the process or at least gather enough evidence to expose the truth.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq54Q70xL15
As the meeting ended and the girls left her office, Mercy allowed herself a small, satisfied smile. She was proud of their resourcefulness and determination, but she was also acutely aware of the power such secrets could bring. Whether the plan succeeded or failed, Mercy was prepared to use whatever they uncovered to her own advantage. In the intricate web of Kisumu Girls, she intended to remain at its center, guiding the game as only she could.
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