When the first bell rang at 7:23 a.m., girls loyal to the order froze mid-breakfast.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxYjdoCFlI1
By the second bell — louder, longer — every corridor emptied into the courtyard.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSkySZqfa36
Whispers flew faster than feet:95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnGCBCHrGHO
“Tribunal.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT9KEP2bl1l
“She’s calling names.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfSQ5i7mwt5
“Is it because of the video?”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0R3ZqvwVkp
“Did someone move the ledger?”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPJiq2G8vyc
Inside the Assembly Hall, Naomi stood center-stage, hands behind her back.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTlFr7fJHWD
Behind her: two senior prefects. To her right: Mary.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFxQdLu08ZI
To her left: the Order Ledger Book, unopened since Mercy’s fall.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtuswLTLhO1
The girls filed in. No laughter. No chatter. Only breaths held under stiff collars.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvh724UEGH4
Naomi’s voice echoed when she began:95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9B88MuvNVW
“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.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbgvEluetmq
Gasps rippled through the room.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcn6vWP507c
“Each girl in this hall will have a choice: Recommit to the Order — or walk away.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHCC9mvxxFJ
A hand shot up. Seline. “What about those who were never in?”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzhLBBioR4f
Naomi didn’t flinch.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBnglqMkt4E
“Then decide who you’re standing beside now.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBSxmBEHfEM
She pointed to the bell.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ7eLQdndmv
“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.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVZZHi56Tq8
The first girl — a Form 1, trembling — stepped up and touched the bell.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡINlqcXkcRP
“Amara Oketch,” she whispered. The bell rang once.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnZJbjh7aup
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.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvhPJ5RKZrz
Naomi’s expression never changed.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQlOrTokan3
But inside, the ledger was already shifting — loyalty was becoming currency.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuw2AglOhtR
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.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn9wmPNswgc
“Kimberly Diana Otieno. I came to listen. Not to lie.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOU6WpozcR9
The bell did not ring.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaEiqVdvqem
Mary frowned.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj3B4IzcMTS
Naomi closed the ledger without writing.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4rTeLxz31t
“Some names don’t need to echo,” Naomi said.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjF4vYkYwbv
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.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxWiz7PONX9
Naomi’s voice is filled with unspoken disgust:95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJyPKalMW1A
“Miss June… do you still believe in the wall?”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCdjHXDTNUj
June walks past the bell, but doesn’t touch it. She stops beside Kim.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG0xzHr0p5v
“I believe in the cracks.”
*****95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh5JYV14VwT
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.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwcasgmoFma
“There’s a ledger being held by Jabari’s boys. Not the one in the broadcast. A second one. Still sealed.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwpsJ5lGsAk
Kim tensed. “We thought Ayo took it.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEJnqXSqls6
“He did,” June said. “But he gave it back too quickly. That means it’s stashed somewhere, waiting for the right time.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW2UJQLnxPU
Shiko asked, “What’s inside?”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡackzelkyJj
June pulled a folded note from her pocket — Mercy’s handwriting, unmistakable.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiX01JlJHCu
“Box 3 holds their fingerprints.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfNOFQN4MNb
What they buried beneath your dorm.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEd7sMz4lIM
Who vanished, and who let them.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpawevoRqKj
Kim’s throat went dry. “That’s… not just old Order business.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtyCwvdBZZt
“No,” June said. 95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRjuLK0qlLF
“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.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPYM3IBybok
Shiko frowned. “We’re not even sure what it looks like.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZpdX4pv0cF
June smirked slightly. “You will. It’s the only crate stamped in red chalk. ‘M.O.3’ — Mercy’s final cipher box.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyVqOZMUyaA
Kim looked at her. “And what happens if they’ve already opened it?”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡofkkRaX3lE
June met her eyes.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaL23C4uUrH
“Then make sure what they read next… isn't real.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGNobiiChf3
Kim nods slowly.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡChxPUoXmmB
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.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhBI6YGJwcC
“Plant it when the swap’s done. That’s how I’ll know.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSUAi8MaAgp
As June walks away, she murmurs to herself: “Let them remember what we allow.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ87z6wmJCtq
*****95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPMWYjOmXjE
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.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNnPD69QQUg
“We need eyes everywhere,” Naomi said. “No dorms unchecked. No keys misplaced.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEsHQ1VhoyS
Seline stepped forward with studied calm.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFtl7T3QUhs
“I may know where they're planning to meet.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCOHy0zVoo8
Naomi narrowed her eyes. “Who?”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtWZldSCr3r
Seline didn’t answer directly.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC6FfTwsnov
“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.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcs7S7QXjvU
Naomi raised an eyebrow. “You think they’re involved with Mercy’s crate?”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMzL684v5Qq
Seline folded her arms.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpOotiAte0Y
“I think if you want answers, send your guards to the south incinerator lane — just before dusk. They’ll find more than ash.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1btPL1nGiT
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.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiNWJjjwQ1f
“We have six minutes,” Shiko whispered.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLR90wHpXx2
“Once the bell rings for sunset inspection, all internal guards get recalled.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡprLaSKpD1y
Kim glanced at the marked fence post — red chalk: “M.O.3.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbkgo4z9WQd
“Let’s just make sure we’re not the ones being followed.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEYtg241o5Z
Naomi nodded slowly. “Good work, Seline. Stay close.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkgaKtLWzK5
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:95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRSM946xSWG
“If the bait’s good, they’ll bite. If they bite, I watch who bleeds.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqU9NeU61fk
She never pressed send.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGYQu0Bi50a
She didn’t need to.
******95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFaMHE3xDU7
They came from two sides — four prefect guards, swift and silent, their batons clipped tight and flashlights already stuttering in the growing dark.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpBPh1TiC0t
Kim turned first.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv5AQ29BUA9
“We’re boxed.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ6SAXgGEl0
“No,” Shiko said, calm. “We’re just poorly lit.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5qbfOoYeWU
From her satchel, she pulled a small envelope marked “Science Week – Safe Burn”.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEQ72QX1P4U
Flash-paper.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr0ab9ME7ec
Confetti-layered. Impregnated with fine magnesium salt.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0dXuj4y8z1
Designed for stage experiments.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡALYI8AKten
She struck the match.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0fXIMdohyy
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.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡurKLsUbyjS
Kim didn’t flinch.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7MtxO9qsDJ
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.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs9sfquKO0F
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.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOcGjLmUova
“They sent the wrong box,” she said, breathless, flashing her forged badge.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ79DKR9jfnH
“I’ve got the corrected archive.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNMu00KqtBJ
They looked confused. One shrugged. “It’s all sealed.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡItSKOqYHOm
Kim tapped the chalk mark on the side — slightly smudged.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXLf71dFjgo
“See? Rained out. Mercy’s tag faded. Could be mislabeled.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOjByyD3PqQ
They hesitated.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNVnYNNMmr4
Shiko appeared behind them, adjusting her glasses, calm and efficient.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyDfapbi1vu
The boys handed it over.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfWgbpJNXdR
Kim wheeled the real crate away, heart pounding.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfyzdC3yn6t
The prefect guards staggered out of the light-blast cloud, coughing and confused. Seline, watching from the upper dorm window, narrowed her eyes.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp2TdBQIQFY
“You underestimated the quiet ones,” she whispered.
*****95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg79mb3csRE
Naomi stood at the front table, her fingers on the crate’s seal.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQDI3v9bOLi
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.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx7Otw7ZAXN
“Let this end what she started,” Naomi said.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUFqHZIUbU2
She peeled back the tape. Inside: a folder marked “Confession Index: Volume I” — filled with blank pages.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCERIIzD26S
Mary frowned.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8qtYDyPqLF
June looked to Naomi, whose face remained unreadable. “This isn’t the original,” she said.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg5pcVxL9SS
Then the lights flickered.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnS7TN4onIf
Just once.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNmZ7mMqfAY
Not enough to panic. But enough to shift attention.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNHYGDl7MIC
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.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNMCXCDhWMW
Then it clicked. And played.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6l8tucaC2R
Mercy’s voice.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4T1n5YsBux
“Nice switch. Too slow.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ55puP9TEnq
Heads turned sharply. A soft whir from the old cassette speaker in the wall — a repurposed relic. Vintage. Protected.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp514whi4Jb
The voice continued — calm, amused, in perfect control:95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF7bYFPL00A
“Let’s not pretend this was about justice. This was about story. And I still write the better one.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ZBP3Q41nV
A pause. Then:95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6N1uaoIsBZ
“To the girl with the sharp hands—well played. But you forgot something. I never left. See you in the crypt. Round two begins.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡARjzcdA74C
Click. Silence.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiNUOBz0xZr
Outside, thunder cracked.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Y8mbDBim2
Naomi’s fingers tightened on the empty folder.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt27H6Jxtpg
Mary whispered, “She recorded it before the Tribunal.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMpOx9MgELh
June looked at the now-open ceiling vent above the archive. “No. She triggered it after.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgvlSqEPAOR
Kim, listening from the hallway, stared at the speaker — then slowly slipped the real crate deeper under her cloak.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKo86PSOl6z
The war hadn’t ended. It had just gone underground again.
**********95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡidh2PPJpDR
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.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡikrUGEwPZx
Naomi’s.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ612sDr1db
He broke the seal.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm0ztQU1Lv7
Inside: a short message and a typed formal proposal, stamped with Naomi’s name.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ00CeULn6Nh
“Temporary Intelligence Exchange Proposal.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTVAgTXVVic
Objectives: Stop second wave. Contain ledger fallout. Restrict Shadow Walker expansion.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvsSlw73nRw
Musa leaned in. “She’s serious.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTWtQTcqr1G
Juma scoffed. “Serious or desperate?”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZP1iQMce37
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.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO5U16q0iRg
Ayo paced. “You trust Naomi?”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsUdfXK1SqC
“No,” Jabari said. “But I trust the threat.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJNkAIy4GKk
Juma added, “If she’s suggesting shared control, it means she doesn’t have it.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLnT94lgk19
Musa tapped the table. “And if we say no, we’re not allies. We’re targets.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoQWuYmYmg5
Juma looked around. “I can’t believe we’re even considering this.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlj1Esy2azD
But his voice wasn’t angry. Just tired.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgr12xlNf1j
“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.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZIbqFivRgc
One by one, hands rose.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ22JLXzThfQ
Even Juma’s.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzwgCz2UqCB
The decision was unanimous.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeNgLjISMai
Jabari scribbled a short response:95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKxAvObNaSn
“Agreed. Shared containment.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuqbLbceO2J
Our fire stays cold until her flame dies.”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzaxNG0zIsj
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.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrFLhWUmydl
The next morning, the note was gone.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ZBxUDqUt8
And beneath the vent, someone had drawn a small M.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzhCuyRV4gr
Then crossed it out.
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