When the first bell rang at 7:23 a.m., girls loyal to the order froze mid-breakfast.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2RrsOJazCa
By the second bell — louder, longer — every corridor emptied into the courtyard.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfZLEhb27jS
Whispers flew faster than feet:92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh0hDbFhrOq
“Tribunal.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOso9zpKDWE
“She’s calling names.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKTsRIUa08Y
“Is it because of the video?”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRIYfQQlwMW
“Did someone move the ledger?”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCT7RfnRLzM
Inside the Assembly Hall, Naomi stood center-stage, hands behind her back.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLpmdGw2kfF
Behind her: two senior prefects. To her right: Mary.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6qNdVBTHt7
To her left: the Order Ledger Book, unopened since Mercy’s fall.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqOFs00FFtJ
The girls filed in. No laughter. No chatter. Only breaths held under stiff collars.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ449VJRwjST
Naomi’s voice echoed when she began:92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmVwXLCQ4ZE
“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.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxupiKi9AdD
Gasps rippled through the room.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb0zo0fvDc9
“Each girl in this hall will have a choice: Recommit to the Order — or walk away.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXT8BeHaQfl
A hand shot up. Seline. “What about those who were never in?”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyMWO9j6EFL
Naomi didn’t flinch.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7uIDPfwMkE
“Then decide who you’re standing beside now.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd5uVWwwRqT
She pointed to the bell.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU8383LzvmX
“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.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiwJ9zvsdtg
The first girl — a Form 1, trembling — stepped up and touched the bell.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXaip6kwnni
“Amara Oketch,” she whispered. The bell rang once.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDSzVKQhFEF
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.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvDJh1Z8Sna
Naomi’s expression never changed.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWQpGztpFsu
But inside, the ledger was already shifting — loyalty was becoming currency.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVSYfuPMwJG
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.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIaI66XPjtu
“Kimberly Diana Otieno. I came to listen. Not to lie.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCrv4Nusl7W
The bell did not ring.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8SacFjIsbM
Mary frowned.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPKOmLeLqQ9
Naomi closed the ledger without writing.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVen7rPkChe
“Some names don’t need to echo,” Naomi said.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5xLmEtp8QU
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.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiacub2DlBZ
Naomi’s voice is filled with unspoken disgust:92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN0OLR3qGJy
“Miss June… do you still believe in the wall?”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhuUUxhQAji
June walks past the bell, but doesn’t touch it. She stops beside Kim.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4RefdJCQ9Y
“I believe in the cracks.”
*****92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD0oJt5zwJ4
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.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBoQq9dvJTb
“There’s a ledger being held by Jabari’s boys. Not the one in the broadcast. A second one. Still sealed.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Bx68utogX
Kim tensed. “We thought Ayo took it.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC76SMa8MHB
“He did,” June said. “But he gave it back too quickly. That means it’s stashed somewhere, waiting for the right time.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡziBb13p9d8
Shiko asked, “What’s inside?”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJxxFYZsIw3
June pulled a folded note from her pocket — Mercy’s handwriting, unmistakable.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQctoOMd2kN
“Box 3 holds their fingerprints.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjlTOac2xNG
What they buried beneath your dorm.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe1gfyfE3dJ
Who vanished, and who let them.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz83bLKMxDn
Kim’s throat went dry. “That’s… not just old Order business.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKFKD3NtiCW
“No,” June said. 92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpsdImImeyt
“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.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz7MwNhyTay
Shiko frowned. “We’re not even sure what it looks like.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSUvqTfJgDn
June smirked slightly. “You will. It’s the only crate stamped in red chalk. ‘M.O.3’ — Mercy’s final cipher box.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBtzYRaxpdO
Kim looked at her. “And what happens if they’ve already opened it?”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBkvyiEsfAW
June met her eyes.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKz7peTU0lC
“Then make sure what they read next… isn't real.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK9qTX0hI9l
Kim nods slowly.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ1tNsbDGD3
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.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjVI0SbqYDk
“Plant it when the swap’s done. That’s how I’ll know.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoH0bP99i4D
As June walks away, she murmurs to herself: “Let them remember what we allow.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyMUfTrUn5B
*****92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEqe5bwstrS
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.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrNQMHCbVto
“We need eyes everywhere,” Naomi said. “No dorms unchecked. No keys misplaced.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeuu53Q6byX
Seline stepped forward with studied calm.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnUCV904VKM
“I may know where they're planning to meet.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw2cnjYagt7
Naomi narrowed her eyes. “Who?”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP5UHxIEXD4
Seline didn’t answer directly.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZfav9a7oMi
“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.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTPGqM6g7Xy
Naomi raised an eyebrow. “You think they’re involved with Mercy’s crate?”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK6HOuVnEjX
Seline folded her arms.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOpK3AhR67I
“I think if you want answers, send your guards to the south incinerator lane — just before dusk. They’ll find more than ash.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQddB9ErxF6
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.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Q7Sv8R4je
“We have six minutes,” Shiko whispered.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwRKpkv7yMA
“Once the bell rings for sunset inspection, all internal guards get recalled.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS4iwAFMZIg
Kim glanced at the marked fence post — red chalk: “M.O.3.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkw2jKgd4i4
“Let’s just make sure we’re not the ones being followed.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbXjmuv9oqN
Naomi nodded slowly. “Good work, Seline. Stay close.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3n1Qnk3fDA
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:92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMCpJr3OJYH
“If the bait’s good, they’ll bite. If they bite, I watch who bleeds.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcHsU9htliN
She never pressed send.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2tF3jo6Vfj
She didn’t need to.
******92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhvGZcN10nt
They came from two sides — four prefect guards, swift and silent, their batons clipped tight and flashlights already stuttering in the growing dark.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVb5IhQJFpe
Kim turned first.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYatf9jfKjp
“We’re boxed.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU8icgJa7S1
“No,” Shiko said, calm. “We’re just poorly lit.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ36orwImq4A
From her satchel, she pulled a small envelope marked “Science Week – Safe Burn”.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWhyt53jYXu
Flash-paper.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ42WsrUOHZE
Confetti-layered. Impregnated with fine magnesium salt.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuOJG7OBwly
Designed for stage experiments.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5yL1lR4V46
She struck the match.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIYpQkrzhKN
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.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡonwpNKqfun
Kim didn’t flinch.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEAkdx3UYeL
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.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQWDGWkTzoG
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.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGidn3QtC9s
“They sent the wrong box,” she said, breathless, flashing her forged badge.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡToSw1YYGxd
“I’ve got the corrected archive.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtAvHVtFogz
They looked confused. One shrugged. “It’s all sealed.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6fjgDqkFzX
Kim tapped the chalk mark on the side — slightly smudged.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZXFiGUslT2
“See? Rained out. Mercy’s tag faded. Could be mislabeled.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFPkq5NMdTf
They hesitated.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPqtHJYmbOK
Shiko appeared behind them, adjusting her glasses, calm and efficient.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqpEbM7cG9C
The boys handed it over.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2sSTHirBIb
Kim wheeled the real crate away, heart pounding.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI5K1RgCLSx
The prefect guards staggered out of the light-blast cloud, coughing and confused. Seline, watching from the upper dorm window, narrowed her eyes.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ20zcwuCSL4
“You underestimated the quiet ones,” she whispered.
*****92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ89NgjCMFm
Naomi stood at the front table, her fingers on the crate’s seal.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU2cRLmjk5K
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.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYZjKuyVOtc
“Let this end what she started,” Naomi said.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHWlYi1j6aI
She peeled back the tape. Inside: a folder marked “Confession Index: Volume I” — filled with blank pages.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo0dFsLGTdW
Mary frowned.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyVWea8cP03
June looked to Naomi, whose face remained unreadable. “This isn’t the original,” she said.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyT20Kz8j6Z
Then the lights flickered.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNPH9bk8YGt
Just once.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNyxFhXcux6
Not enough to panic. But enough to shift attention.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡscO30TXUXf
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.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9kDyXYr3TX
Then it clicked. And played.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSgLBnkMg2A
Mercy’s voice.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfr55Uxc11G
“Nice switch. Too slow.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8kdFtHICc8
Heads turned sharply. A soft whir from the old cassette speaker in the wall — a repurposed relic. Vintage. Protected.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSf3xAWgkt9
The voice continued — calm, amused, in perfect control:92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5tVzRHtxnn
“Let’s not pretend this was about justice. This was about story. And I still write the better one.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwNTJWLAfDB
A pause. Then:92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Zd5CxEEc2
“To the girl with the sharp hands—well played. But you forgot something. I never left. See you in the crypt. Round two begins.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡllVOvX5kEF
Click. Silence.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg959QBOsDD
Outside, thunder cracked.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPsmpTxdPLZ
Naomi’s fingers tightened on the empty folder.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo4oygJSQDr
Mary whispered, “She recorded it before the Tribunal.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmiGhxHwkCA
June looked at the now-open ceiling vent above the archive. “No. She triggered it after.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡelDRgXCqJI
Kim, listening from the hallway, stared at the speaker — then slowly slipped the real crate deeper under her cloak.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo3bdUHhLLN
The war hadn’t ended. It had just gone underground again.
**********92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI7r40bn2cp
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.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRthiRXoAUW
Naomi’s.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVW2AldrblB
He broke the seal.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsTy3NiV1ZD
Inside: a short message and a typed formal proposal, stamped with Naomi’s name.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxMGwnGcZZO
“Temporary Intelligence Exchange Proposal.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgdoQKulJ2G
Objectives: Stop second wave. Contain ledger fallout. Restrict Shadow Walker expansion.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ824eC6af7g
Musa leaned in. “She’s serious.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyfyNU1uZcf
Juma scoffed. “Serious or desperate?”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFAluW3pPTY
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.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXP0WBAhheP
Ayo paced. “You trust Naomi?”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNflro716D1
“No,” Jabari said. “But I trust the threat.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRGRM5RYMNP
Juma added, “If she’s suggesting shared control, it means she doesn’t have it.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkupPN8nCAw
Musa tapped the table. “And if we say no, we’re not allies. We’re targets.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDe7U5WKr2n
Juma looked around. “I can’t believe we’re even considering this.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡemXNgWVOwn
But his voice wasn’t angry. Just tired.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAW7QE8NjPy
“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.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSN2SjuZKL6
One by one, hands rose.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIHBwEO2lcX
Even Juma’s.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuUtEj1cSep
The decision was unanimous.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZKOGSs2X6n
Jabari scribbled a short response:92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8fTxum7BQY
“Agreed. Shared containment.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEWrmqk5ziV
Our fire stays cold until her flame dies.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAw3jkd2yfa
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.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4DLUUnHtp8
The next morning, the note was gone.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMosHknmwIm
And beneath the vent, someone had drawn a small M.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHorWUnLE4x
Then crossed it out.
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