When the first bell rang at 7:23 a.m., girls loyal to the order froze mid-breakfast.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYmlh4sQM29
By the second bell — louder, longer — every corridor emptied into the courtyard.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF5jiTaBNCv
Whispers flew faster than feet:100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpkQLVOzlUG
“Tribunal.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVDKD5NxHeY
“She’s calling names.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzULtF3Oduq
“Is it because of the video?”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ44CLwXqol0
“Did someone move the ledger?”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSqti5sgpcb
Inside the Assembly Hall, Naomi stood center-stage, hands behind her back.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpJFZg4Xy9L
Behind her: two senior prefects. To her right: Mary.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU7Eh1EMwsP
To her left: the Order Ledger Book, unopened since Mercy’s fall.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLesh61LPQe
The girls filed in. No laughter. No chatter. Only breaths held under stiff collars.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFGSVaHiqvU
Naomi’s voice echoed when she began:100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvMq7eoSUFm
“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.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfzWSsYLV4o
Gasps rippled through the room.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0DAYZVJToL
“Each girl in this hall will have a choice: Recommit to the Order — or walk away.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBUCcZgC1fA
A hand shot up. Seline. “What about those who were never in?”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYtAT92Pp73
Naomi didn’t flinch.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt5OtZFHmIi
“Then decide who you’re standing beside now.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWXSsH2Ib8O
She pointed to the bell.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIexIXlEbfm
“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.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmYYDQVkkze
The first girl — a Form 1, trembling — stepped up and touched the bell.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1561XBVOgd
“Amara Oketch,” she whispered. The bell rang once.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIotT9Z1MBA
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.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO4bqb9cHO8
Naomi’s expression never changed.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaOtMwFA8JC
But inside, the ledger was already shifting — loyalty was becoming currency.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ97cmS8UQTh
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.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡryz5cfAZL3
“Kimberly Diana Otieno. I came to listen. Not to lie.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3JBECqlU3S
The bell did not ring.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3gKXwASLSR
Mary frowned.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5TdhKlKoTu
Naomi closed the ledger without writing.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡElFpBdF8UC
“Some names don’t need to echo,” Naomi said.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUOkCEOXRnL
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.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNQWfKJXFk0
Naomi’s voice is filled with unspoken disgust:100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoLBUoSSDfe
“Miss June… do you still believe in the wall?”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAJ58izv73F
June walks past the bell, but doesn’t touch it. She stops beside Kim.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLy3kYILIz6
“I believe in the cracks.”
*****100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkNmOjuqypY
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.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvB68vRtWZw
“There’s a ledger being held by Jabari’s boys. Not the one in the broadcast. A second one. Still sealed.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtR8kN2b62D
Kim tensed. “We thought Ayo took it.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIo1ZsMyWhB
“He did,” June said. “But he gave it back too quickly. That means it’s stashed somewhere, waiting for the right time.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqZX13HtVaf
Shiko asked, “What’s inside?”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzZtD9TGrth
June pulled a folded note from her pocket — Mercy’s handwriting, unmistakable.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrWCNYOW2eM
“Box 3 holds their fingerprints.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvtBtN2bzjB
What they buried beneath your dorm.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOBuQu1BUmt
Who vanished, and who let them.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBa1goh4Txp
Kim’s throat went dry. “That’s… not just old Order business.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPsLx3vCxSp
“No,” June said. 100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzH8v0exQqD
“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.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB94UTj7RrG
Shiko frowned. “We’re not even sure what it looks like.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN0FxDsUnTL
June smirked slightly. “You will. It’s the only crate stamped in red chalk. ‘M.O.3’ — Mercy’s final cipher box.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPxHm58OTPB
Kim looked at her. “And what happens if they’ve already opened it?”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOmVA4YXzft
June met her eyes.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnyoY4WGpvw
“Then make sure what they read next… isn't real.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdSnw90FDQz
Kim nods slowly.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvcNwylkSlb
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.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxw5t0tB9B6
“Plant it when the swap’s done. That’s how I’ll know.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgeQmdL46s3
As June walks away, she murmurs to herself: “Let them remember what we allow.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Oe3zgcmxO
*****100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0vbMyZan7H
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.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSB0K3kdQFE
“We need eyes everywhere,” Naomi said. “No dorms unchecked. No keys misplaced.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnTRGnszhKL
Seline stepped forward with studied calm.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVGBGdXXpW5
“I may know where they're planning to meet.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7t99OD4Uqb
Naomi narrowed her eyes. “Who?”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEe7XxT1eXB
Seline didn’t answer directly.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcZTI4WpNKF
“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.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡryWhy5vsNu
Naomi raised an eyebrow. “You think they’re involved with Mercy’s crate?”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyTE9zMvDQq
Seline folded her arms.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR2tvGdx0go
“I think if you want answers, send your guards to the south incinerator lane — just before dusk. They’ll find more than ash.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ59ojnJXA9W
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.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡePbXWTN8ZQ
“We have six minutes,” Shiko whispered.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgk5e4GqNdI
“Once the bell rings for sunset inspection, all internal guards get recalled.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp6Xo11Fybo
Kim glanced at the marked fence post — red chalk: “M.O.3.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI7XsXBgdw8
“Let’s just make sure we’re not the ones being followed.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZgCRjyrgwL
Naomi nodded slowly. “Good work, Seline. Stay close.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgAiVBCzaa3
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:100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0x3jXGoWll
“If the bait’s good, they’ll bite. If they bite, I watch who bleeds.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqhnZkXgGlX
She never pressed send.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCrH2WoMY9o
She didn’t need to.
******100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlVhPf9dIp7
They came from two sides — four prefect guards, swift and silent, their batons clipped tight and flashlights already stuttering in the growing dark.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLzcNAnqffE
Kim turned first.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz7KeAsQ4RP
“We’re boxed.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxofxE64Fsu
“No,” Shiko said, calm. “We’re just poorly lit.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY1RNjtSyVd
From her satchel, she pulled a small envelope marked “Science Week – Safe Burn”.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNTxhcAarzh
Flash-paper.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYbYpSRFQlG
Confetti-layered. Impregnated with fine magnesium salt.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf7gz3jauTo
Designed for stage experiments.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLsIrjq0wuz
She struck the match.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl7ZUKQFIH9
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.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTeXlBBw5OO
Kim didn’t flinch.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDcYy6xPlK8
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.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIx8kKZlApi
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.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAMzdLF03VE
“They sent the wrong box,” she said, breathless, flashing her forged badge.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWvP5LoE2cd
“I’ve got the corrected archive.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIQXGQwSjni
They looked confused. One shrugged. “It’s all sealed.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhxzSrBAOyW
Kim tapped the chalk mark on the side — slightly smudged.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaPbEHMR2iz
“See? Rained out. Mercy’s tag faded. Could be mislabeled.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe9zqoLXVb2
They hesitated.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtr9evBCAq9
Shiko appeared behind them, adjusting her glasses, calm and efficient.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXZl190zfdo
The boys handed it over.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwxb8x0mqlJ
Kim wheeled the real crate away, heart pounding.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpvQFGryaVg
The prefect guards staggered out of the light-blast cloud, coughing and confused. Seline, watching from the upper dorm window, narrowed her eyes.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAQuF6M2s8F
“You underestimated the quiet ones,” she whispered.
*****100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZU5KZJOXMD
Naomi stood at the front table, her fingers on the crate’s seal.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrHqUnr8doQ
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.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzbl1m2l3um
“Let this end what she started,” Naomi said.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd7lg9cakUb
She peeled back the tape. Inside: a folder marked “Confession Index: Volume I” — filled with blank pages.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWqpDP5Phvt
Mary frowned.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJIzI7JGVkq
June looked to Naomi, whose face remained unreadable. “This isn’t the original,” she said.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ31D1yUdB9v
Then the lights flickered.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVA11VmMpfI
Just once.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqsDiDyAGfQ
Not enough to panic. But enough to shift attention.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6PVgCknTIF
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.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAo3AVI0JhX
Then it clicked. And played.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnAhaE7k1ad
Mercy’s voice.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVlboSHrWXU
“Nice switch. Too slow.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr0Al6p90V3
Heads turned sharply. A soft whir from the old cassette speaker in the wall — a repurposed relic. Vintage. Protected.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFf5Nu5lsWD
The voice continued — calm, amused, in perfect control:100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyu6uO4NDuP
“Let’s not pretend this was about justice. This was about story. And I still write the better one.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwYTE7RWcjg
A pause. Then:100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡujlcQJIgYD
“To the girl with the sharp hands—well played. But you forgot something. I never left. See you in the crypt. Round two begins.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG1XsDZigWA
Click. Silence.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2g1FZS9uP2
Outside, thunder cracked.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJzITEFTVUF
Naomi’s fingers tightened on the empty folder.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6pl8UUljNp
Mary whispered, “She recorded it before the Tribunal.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoYmKsGRVl6
June looked at the now-open ceiling vent above the archive. “No. She triggered it after.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBF1UuLikIQ
Kim, listening from the hallway, stared at the speaker — then slowly slipped the real crate deeper under her cloak.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTcDi0bJMPr
The war hadn’t ended. It had just gone underground again.
**********100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjd8rdJdPuv
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.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQnzuRsV4AP
Naomi’s.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5yKsgNP9X8
He broke the seal.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡInl5kcki7n
Inside: a short message and a typed formal proposal, stamped with Naomi’s name.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiNsqlDJTuQ
“Temporary Intelligence Exchange Proposal.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMFRqE6Tout
Objectives: Stop second wave. Contain ledger fallout. Restrict Shadow Walker expansion.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1bfMjc18MC
Musa leaned in. “She’s serious.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaDI29XfoCd
Juma scoffed. “Serious or desperate?”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdC24ifriEi
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.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEV9PX5RPcF
Ayo paced. “You trust Naomi?”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ89oX0REVFP
“No,” Jabari said. “But I trust the threat.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡytprEulWup
Juma added, “If she’s suggesting shared control, it means she doesn’t have it.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5jGAflF7Ud
Musa tapped the table. “And if we say no, we’re not allies. We’re targets.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiox4fKVHQL
Juma looked around. “I can’t believe we’re even considering this.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyw7OMbAo4J
But his voice wasn’t angry. Just tired.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUFEtlIychU
“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.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyJfnx0d0wU
One by one, hands rose.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcLlmku3XYh
Even Juma’s.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDwSay5UaS6
The decision was unanimous.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH8F7b55633
Jabari scribbled a short response:100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsWyzTLBAN2
“Agreed. Shared containment.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwklPDJiXkX
Our fire stays cold until her flame dies.”100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOEs1OJXgqx
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.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHyXM1B0Cln
The next morning, the note was gone.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaM9HXSrnEY
And beneath the vent, someone had drawn a small M.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWfQXMvOd5q
Then crossed it out.
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