When the first bell rang at 7:23 a.m., girls loyal to the order froze mid-breakfast.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjHHVshLWF0
By the second bell — louder, longer — every corridor emptied into the courtyard.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMK9UBsn0AP
Whispers flew faster than feet:89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfSo0P8M59g
“Tribunal.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9wbKOQ7dXp
“She’s calling names.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDZr8YBxtYC
“Is it because of the video?”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8zgUOSY0Jo
“Did someone move the ledger?”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Vma1D6wjr
Inside the Assembly Hall, Naomi stood center-stage, hands behind her back.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQUgd7jdWRt
Behind her: two senior prefects. To her right: Mary.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUVH6WgBE5h
To her left: the Order Ledger Book, unopened since Mercy’s fall.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTHXMnauq17
The girls filed in. No laughter. No chatter. Only breaths held under stiff collars.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCzxTu0jY4E
Naomi’s voice echoed when she began:89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡslxzxa4nqn
“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.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ98is5nWlbt
Gasps rippled through the room.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJHtMs24jko
“Each girl in this hall will have a choice: Recommit to the Order — or walk away.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡle8KIw06te
A hand shot up. Seline. “What about those who were never in?”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgiM6SI3glL
Naomi didn’t flinch.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡenwCx9qswv
“Then decide who you’re standing beside now.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQBfagtM2HX
She pointed to the bell.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡISdcyLbCVO
“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.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa8XwQTDbqG
The first girl — a Form 1, trembling — stepped up and touched the bell.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPvbAE6ftmN
“Amara Oketch,” she whispered. The bell rang once.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLpN8mPQ2X3
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.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1zv6t17GCB
Naomi’s expression never changed.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC54KdwFBCB
But inside, the ledger was already shifting — loyalty was becoming currency.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb3fBxuISvO
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.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvGKyonGiKt
“Kimberly Diana Otieno. I came to listen. Not to lie.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5qb85YsOpH
The bell did not ring.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCGzRmzx24f
Mary frowned.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGtqdOQi8E4
Naomi closed the ledger without writing.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQixp14P8So
“Some names don’t need to echo,” Naomi said.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAkNEvJ6Etd
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.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWO9CFqqdZl
Naomi’s voice is filled with unspoken disgust:89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9iia7tb3L8
“Miss June… do you still believe in the wall?”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrRk0drwb2f
June walks past the bell, but doesn’t touch it. She stops beside Kim.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKctQa3AIjn
“I believe in the cracks.”
*****89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1fx86QTOtT
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.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ59ufawTjlz
“There’s a ledger being held by Jabari’s boys. Not the one in the broadcast. A second one. Still sealed.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm9N2WHPg9f
Kim tensed. “We thought Ayo took it.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5SQGA9eCsF
“He did,” June said. “But he gave it back too quickly. That means it’s stashed somewhere, waiting for the right time.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMuEuODGPtY
Shiko asked, “What’s inside?”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO5xGX9O3ow
June pulled a folded note from her pocket — Mercy’s handwriting, unmistakable.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoTFVB2Oszy
“Box 3 holds their fingerprints.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIc5QLokdJT
What they buried beneath your dorm.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYVAIsdfNAO
Who vanished, and who let them.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWJbrFwQUjU
Kim’s throat went dry. “That’s… not just old Order business.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoeAThFkQjG
“No,” June said. 89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlOqdp5Y3Bh
“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.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAO0hxcIrgm
Shiko frowned. “We’re not even sure what it looks like.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfIU90X3BbD
June smirked slightly. “You will. It’s the only crate stamped in red chalk. ‘M.O.3’ — Mercy’s final cipher box.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZkZ7WLZD9j
Kim looked at her. “And what happens if they’ve already opened it?”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRXzNSIKDEC
June met her eyes.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSLSIthDsNC
“Then make sure what they read next… isn't real.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOIuU898QlS
Kim nods slowly.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnMSKBgY4pt
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.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr9v3xsKxeX
“Plant it when the swap’s done. That’s how I’ll know.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3QzwuddURQ
As June walks away, she murmurs to herself: “Let them remember what we allow.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKNLNPAaoG6
*****89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTxG38LYh9F
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.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBXkuOjlDHZ
“We need eyes everywhere,” Naomi said. “No dorms unchecked. No keys misplaced.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLThiBpfhIz
Seline stepped forward with studied calm.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnWqRe1FsZx
“I may know where they're planning to meet.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUL8jSYOf46
Naomi narrowed her eyes. “Who?”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmrPMYu6sdU
Seline didn’t answer directly.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLwWr3h7pmp
“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.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPBVWexkuFC
Naomi raised an eyebrow. “You think they’re involved with Mercy’s crate?”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbZKROnl9ub
Seline folded her arms.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBhnYHBwp2J
“I think if you want answers, send your guards to the south incinerator lane — just before dusk. They’ll find more than ash.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ6u3CN065K
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.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY8vmLFgAGG
“We have six minutes,” Shiko whispered.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSqcymWymMK
“Once the bell rings for sunset inspection, all internal guards get recalled.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUmoZ6BjXF7
Kim glanced at the marked fence post — red chalk: “M.O.3.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa8dZOev7yH
“Let’s just make sure we’re not the ones being followed.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzb7Z1nB4ja
Naomi nodded slowly. “Good work, Seline. Stay close.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoGpQ0sovQf
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:89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMgH1RbaJRg
“If the bait’s good, they’ll bite. If they bite, I watch who bleeds.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkODV1qpm7c
She never pressed send.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc7fLjhuhIt
She didn’t need to.
******89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLkAR3SEyhS
They came from two sides — four prefect guards, swift and silent, their batons clipped tight and flashlights already stuttering in the growing dark.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzost5U3SeV
Kim turned first.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV6JAfcd68w
“We’re boxed.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNfEArrgf8d
“No,” Shiko said, calm. “We’re just poorly lit.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZJnued1omi
From her satchel, she pulled a small envelope marked “Science Week – Safe Burn”.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyJG3wI5uC9
Flash-paper.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgGoGf8nygj
Confetti-layered. Impregnated with fine magnesium salt.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE9S2O9DInu
Designed for stage experiments.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYLis1bvRtG
She struck the match.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1zFi3fQ0Gm
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.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBLbHpvaq6g
Kim didn’t flinch.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsCEf0JBQ7B
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.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhHa8TNc4HG
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.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF2cVNc37WN
“They sent the wrong box,” she said, breathless, flashing her forged badge.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxElxOJV48i
“I’ve got the corrected archive.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtIUvT3b5s7
They looked confused. One shrugged. “It’s all sealed.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiq0ojidIvq
Kim tapped the chalk mark on the side — slightly smudged.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡepTdXWaQKK
“See? Rained out. Mercy’s tag faded. Could be mislabeled.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiWBmI9p31z
They hesitated.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡefqYsZIYNA
Shiko appeared behind them, adjusting her glasses, calm and efficient.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvKLczOBqp5
The boys handed it over.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMk165yrcjC
Kim wheeled the real crate away, heart pounding.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD62MWPokRD
The prefect guards staggered out of the light-blast cloud, coughing and confused. Seline, watching from the upper dorm window, narrowed her eyes.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIFYbElHnZq
“You underestimated the quiet ones,” she whispered.
*****89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLwYM2oEcUY
Naomi stood at the front table, her fingers on the crate’s seal.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4tlkHEg7wN
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.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhEIQmWWRj8
“Let this end what she started,” Naomi said.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOBvYNMtm9R
She peeled back the tape. Inside: a folder marked “Confession Index: Volume I” — filled with blank pages.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm3jJ7DyitU
Mary frowned.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡze8CleFshW
June looked to Naomi, whose face remained unreadable. “This isn’t the original,” she said.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJRCKmtbwRg
Then the lights flickered.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcjQbWCAFEq
Just once.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3KZfAXlCEc
Not enough to panic. But enough to shift attention.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcKLQOAdqld
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.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDRdalfdW9v
Then it clicked. And played.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW9yKF2D2up
Mercy’s voice.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB3wILYD9a1
“Nice switch. Too slow.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7doycAFZb9
Heads turned sharply. A soft whir from the old cassette speaker in the wall — a repurposed relic. Vintage. Protected.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ftxGntmiz
The voice continued — calm, amused, in perfect control:89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjOqvjIhvDb
“Let’s not pretend this was about justice. This was about story. And I still write the better one.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnbE3k7q1E8
A pause. Then:89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw3FbIL7V7o
“To the girl with the sharp hands—well played. But you forgot something. I never left. See you in the crypt. Round two begins.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqXHBkkVuHD
Click. Silence.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFLzc6WVhds
Outside, thunder cracked.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSPrxqxNXtJ
Naomi’s fingers tightened on the empty folder.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw0wExqMzIP
Mary whispered, “She recorded it before the Tribunal.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUE8NWwiPMf
June looked at the now-open ceiling vent above the archive. “No. She triggered it after.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmPD2Uy1UU2
Kim, listening from the hallway, stared at the speaker — then slowly slipped the real crate deeper under her cloak.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡreiHjGKEj4
The war hadn’t ended. It had just gone underground again.
**********89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdunOs7vcau
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.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoJF93DLP1E
Naomi’s.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbX4kmznGyd
He broke the seal.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhwMO9VIbFi
Inside: a short message and a typed formal proposal, stamped with Naomi’s name.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ44TJQ2TISv
“Temporary Intelligence Exchange Proposal.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRmBATfaWXS
Objectives: Stop second wave. Contain ledger fallout. Restrict Shadow Walker expansion.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ZC47ctCSe
Musa leaned in. “She’s serious.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgjmoMxA6n2
Juma scoffed. “Serious or desperate?”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ94TlJ16VAt
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.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ91WeTf3tZv
Ayo paced. “You trust Naomi?”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTD0uT9PiOS
“No,” Jabari said. “But I trust the threat.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡimaYgobEw8
Juma added, “If she’s suggesting shared control, it means she doesn’t have it.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkGBUSA8Y1a
Musa tapped the table. “And if we say no, we’re not allies. We’re targets.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNK4PUZYR9d
Juma looked around. “I can’t believe we’re even considering this.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXZZL9Mx0aV
But his voice wasn’t angry. Just tired.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy5U3kAAibI
“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.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIekVnVNMRv
One by one, hands rose.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ46jYHeURGv
Even Juma’s.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4yrdb8vnge
The decision was unanimous.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkkjrgvdqEd
Jabari scribbled a short response:89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3baulYqezx
“Agreed. Shared containment.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLqe46nWZ0i
Our fire stays cold until her flame dies.”89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtQ1KmAmzps
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.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6AZ3dD2suq
The next morning, the note was gone.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNsPTcRMBBo
And beneath the vent, someone had drawn a small M.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw4DNoIspSR
Then crossed it out.
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