When the first bell rang at 7:23 a.m., girls loyal to the order froze mid-breakfast.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPXKzVKVc1d
By the second bell — louder, longer — every corridor emptied into the courtyard.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJtmfW9N3WC
Whispers flew faster than feet:31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcgVYPVHIy2
“Tribunal.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqsDNOwbdCc
“She’s calling names.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGxp7uz3F5d
“Is it because of the video?”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD9EHRzHuuF
“Did someone move the ledger?”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt0Cj4v2K9f
Inside the Assembly Hall, Naomi stood center-stage, hands behind her back.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVxZJmz8HyV
Behind her: two senior prefects. To her right: Mary.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdKu704YRM4
To her left: the Order Ledger Book, unopened since Mercy’s fall.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJP04sh5zNX
The girls filed in. No laughter. No chatter. Only breaths held under stiff collars.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ1nGOF0Rl2
Naomi’s voice echoed when she began:31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjC5rE9bWP1
“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.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfRROpm5nbi
Gasps rippled through the room.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH25P8P3GVp
“Each girl in this hall will have a choice: Recommit to the Order — or walk away.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjg3xoCSIp7
A hand shot up. Seline. “What about those who were never in?”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmXnfUrFb5y
Naomi didn’t flinch.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyiLptn2kF5
“Then decide who you’re standing beside now.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLVaBJR5gIY
She pointed to the bell.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNVZyCpLRPo
“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.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJO3uIUn33e
The first girl — a Form 1, trembling — stepped up and touched the bell.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIWOa9S6lA2
“Amara Oketch,” she whispered. The bell rang once.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmhF2XppIu9
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.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoxmgjx7K01
Naomi’s expression never changed.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMB0z1s8fbn
But inside, the ledger was already shifting — loyalty was becoming currency.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Ud782QZs9
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.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV6ehiSMJtv
“Kimberly Diana Otieno. I came to listen. Not to lie.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKdQ4wj2PZl
The bell did not ring.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHGif8eXe9K
Mary frowned.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcbB97Lbihb
Naomi closed the ledger without writing.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIYqYadKTo5
“Some names don’t need to echo,” Naomi said.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOYRo9Dmx0s
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.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡASMNjV0gOq
Naomi’s voice is filled with unspoken disgust:31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYruLN2XDXP
“Miss June… do you still believe in the wall?”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDJCQUy2HcB
June walks past the bell, but doesn’t touch it. She stops beside Kim.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJW3coVz4kM
“I believe in the cracks.”
*****31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj9PbH1E7HV
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.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN58alML04P
“There’s a ledger being held by Jabari’s boys. Not the one in the broadcast. A second one. Still sealed.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj77pQ4hxcB
Kim tensed. “We thought Ayo took it.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡykFZQtUawf
“He did,” June said. “But he gave it back too quickly. That means it’s stashed somewhere, waiting for the right time.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH5tDo6x9Mu
Shiko asked, “What’s inside?”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLdDm9hS975
June pulled a folded note from her pocket — Mercy’s handwriting, unmistakable.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3nDUoBxnxU
“Box 3 holds their fingerprints.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQbcuUkM2EG
What they buried beneath your dorm.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyB8LG1xUHt
Who vanished, and who let them.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKsYr0etjeJ
Kim’s throat went dry. “That’s… not just old Order business.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJJndrqSaGG
“No,” June said. 31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC8CHVwU9si
“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.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpx7shtCmz1
Shiko frowned. “We’re not even sure what it looks like.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHKll0zJUbF
June smirked slightly. “You will. It’s the only crate stamped in red chalk. ‘M.O.3’ — Mercy’s final cipher box.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmlODEg3QCR
Kim looked at her. “And what happens if they’ve already opened it?”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRsK3INhSyt
June met her eyes.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3t0yLJ4S1x
“Then make sure what they read next… isn't real.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvRz7ibEIHJ
Kim nods slowly.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSw2PyhgUem
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.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOxeSDfYm9C
“Plant it when the swap’s done. That’s how I’ll know.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTDV1W4Ohee
As June walks away, she murmurs to herself: “Let them remember what we allow.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrXJmeqya1u
*****31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm8swFc2XVo
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.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJoS62g0zP8
“We need eyes everywhere,” Naomi said. “No dorms unchecked. No keys misplaced.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSh80ncWP7k
Seline stepped forward with studied calm.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtSWBFMLq8a
“I may know where they're planning to meet.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4QhLPK3MGM
Naomi narrowed her eyes. “Who?”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbUnhWBkPxZ
Seline didn’t answer directly.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuwovBloydV
“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.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2bVJVW9B7w
Naomi raised an eyebrow. “You think they’re involved with Mercy’s crate?”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLIZqrjH5CK
Seline folded her arms.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdaCiP7kAJm
“I think if you want answers, send your guards to the south incinerator lane — just before dusk. They’ll find more than ash.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOJzgllgDml
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.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpo63uTyepE
“We have six minutes,” Shiko whispered.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡivmoTltyoa
“Once the bell rings for sunset inspection, all internal guards get recalled.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgMMygylh59
Kim glanced at the marked fence post — red chalk: “M.O.3.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Pr0bR6oJE
“Let’s just make sure we’re not the ones being followed.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG66PFT6OgG
Naomi nodded slowly. “Good work, Seline. Stay close.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT60ZdJvbj6
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:31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPbD2HcSsh4
“If the bait’s good, they’ll bite. If they bite, I watch who bleeds.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC0clqBksav
She never pressed send.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK4eU4rd0gh
She didn’t need to.
******31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡidwt7xVHUg
They came from two sides — four prefect guards, swift and silent, their batons clipped tight and flashlights already stuttering in the growing dark.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Y3lAdkzip
Kim turned first.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKwoXhTq9gc
“We’re boxed.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6NO9vdhl7l
“No,” Shiko said, calm. “We’re just poorly lit.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwop0D3agOz
From her satchel, she pulled a small envelope marked “Science Week – Safe Burn”.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBMnfxDdNYQ
Flash-paper.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxJ4Jp3dpCs
Confetti-layered. Impregnated with fine magnesium salt.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMtIGOEs3PG
Designed for stage experiments.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRWu4QukCFN
She struck the match.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Pyo5AMjXZ
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.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ16LxrAZZFD
Kim didn’t flinch.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCiormqzqeB
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.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb2Xk2t2nrq
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.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ85Bda1jxKA
“They sent the wrong box,” she said, breathless, flashing her forged badge.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd9FFPY0nCX
“I’ve got the corrected archive.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9USEYjQlim
They looked confused. One shrugged. “It’s all sealed.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgMz0FNGfpE
Kim tapped the chalk mark on the side — slightly smudged.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpDg48Xrrtu
“See? Rained out. Mercy’s tag faded. Could be mislabeled.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDS2PI5Jwi0
They hesitated.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlftk2VCLP8
Shiko appeared behind them, adjusting her glasses, calm and efficient.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS4ncTls7JW
The boys handed it over.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgZ0nfw8oKG
Kim wheeled the real crate away, heart pounding.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHpZJmYXVk6
The prefect guards staggered out of the light-blast cloud, coughing and confused. Seline, watching from the upper dorm window, narrowed her eyes.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrsLXaiIGhR
“You underestimated the quiet ones,” she whispered.
*****31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlwp6FAwaRW
Naomi stood at the front table, her fingers on the crate’s seal.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3j5iP8slG4
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.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgbdUqObPxD
“Let this end what she started,” Naomi said.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfpqRMIATx7
She peeled back the tape. Inside: a folder marked “Confession Index: Volume I” — filled with blank pages.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVq8jyWwtpB
Mary frowned.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJC9XiAttCE
June looked to Naomi, whose face remained unreadable. “This isn’t the original,” she said.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWWkY5aQoyN
Then the lights flickered.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQOSiSgdhG9
Just once.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7aYmPl0oi2
Not enough to panic. But enough to shift attention.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL47v4Mg7eV
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.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡflGDys10vk
Then it clicked. And played.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUUgQq9FYZT
Mercy’s voice.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGuqtr0QCno
“Nice switch. Too slow.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiURngObYHy
Heads turned sharply. A soft whir from the old cassette speaker in the wall — a repurposed relic. Vintage. Protected.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHgBIsng3zD
The voice continued — calm, amused, in perfect control:31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQhlZ1XvNyx
“Let’s not pretend this was about justice. This was about story. And I still write the better one.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRCnNcunQBO
A pause. Then:31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDvukrYnUZl
“To the girl with the sharp hands—well played. But you forgot something. I never left. See you in the crypt. Round two begins.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡth51AC5e3j
Click. Silence.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHhtXk7naUj
Outside, thunder cracked.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEH8LtmWuyx
Naomi’s fingers tightened on the empty folder.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr8gLjVEH0o
Mary whispered, “She recorded it before the Tribunal.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHDLK6psf5x
June looked at the now-open ceiling vent above the archive. “No. She triggered it after.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡShvvmUC0Sn
Kim, listening from the hallway, stared at the speaker — then slowly slipped the real crate deeper under her cloak.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt6I0iFmxze
The war hadn’t ended. It had just gone underground again.
**********31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSBlYGxlIkN
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.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRn1AlfCCRq
Naomi’s.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYgBM0yAOWf
He broke the seal.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCCRoVn0Ygy
Inside: a short message and a typed formal proposal, stamped with Naomi’s name.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlvdhEP7i3t
“Temporary Intelligence Exchange Proposal.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPg393RIlrt
Objectives: Stop second wave. Contain ledger fallout. Restrict Shadow Walker expansion.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGQPEUNzNB5
Musa leaned in. “She’s serious.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡygiZXQssOV
Juma scoffed. “Serious or desperate?”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1GEqTLsiGs
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.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVmxtKidCFU
Ayo paced. “You trust Naomi?”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX81SVCI9yU
“No,” Jabari said. “But I trust the threat.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFWfrnrW9jR
Juma added, “If she’s suggesting shared control, it means she doesn’t have it.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOMPyx6vqOm
Musa tapped the table. “And if we say no, we’re not allies. We’re targets.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlmdvhWWfk9
Juma looked around. “I can’t believe we’re even considering this.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8YC4QHYJVC
But his voice wasn’t angry. Just tired.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQw2sAXmDOq
“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.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8oTRcZcNgl
One by one, hands rose.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDftn6fkLLz
Even Juma’s.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLVz52j0VOc
The decision was unanimous.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSOuxt87Gvz
Jabari scribbled a short response:31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUqDHp6NMSm
“Agreed. Shared containment.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnQhrLcMqg5
Our fire stays cold until her flame dies.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7bOGs40Jfs
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.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQn7bhYhsV2
The next morning, the note was gone.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡON9geoaTC5
And beneath the vent, someone had drawn a small M.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0F47dUgT22
Then crossed it out.
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