When the first bell rang at 7:23 a.m., girls loyal to the order froze mid-breakfast.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgWqGOlaZMy
By the second bell — louder, longer — every corridor emptied into the courtyard.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi65Intiysr
Whispers flew faster than feet:37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFIwHKphBUG
“Tribunal.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI0FyWHwp2T
“She’s calling names.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXduvbjZPdL
“Is it because of the video?”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZNA0M49q7Z
“Did someone move the ledger?”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡesfSAqHWEC
Inside the Assembly Hall, Naomi stood center-stage, hands behind her back.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwz6deVq5hn
Behind her: two senior prefects. To her right: Mary.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJciffLuh3C
To her left: the Order Ledger Book, unopened since Mercy’s fall.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDvoDaQ4nV3
The girls filed in. No laughter. No chatter. Only breaths held under stiff collars.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmpnV6ocAgi
Naomi’s voice echoed when she began:37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXKmR78ssAP
“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.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Z88yvU5XR
Gasps rippled through the room.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx2S1SVJXZq
“Each girl in this hall will have a choice: Recommit to the Order — or walk away.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZxItNfi8kC
A hand shot up. Seline. “What about those who were never in?”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbiu0CGQeAK
Naomi didn’t flinch.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7vwaN0asY9
“Then decide who you’re standing beside now.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqgChlOZtb8
She pointed to the bell.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF28eztHFIt
“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.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTVGWrVMCTt
The first girl — a Form 1, trembling — stepped up and touched the bell.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgEoTjIFohW
“Amara Oketch,” she whispered. The bell rang once.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfTQnBnUjnd
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.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYUcg1YABFZ
Naomi’s expression never changed.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC3Fi9X24uT
But inside, the ledger was already shifting — loyalty was becoming currency.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ilf4dDhPM
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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsAjcmliaxU
“Kimberly Diana Otieno. I came to listen. Not to lie.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpg353F22wa
The bell did not ring.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9evYklXK1m
Mary frowned.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOPgk1NQMDo
Naomi closed the ledger without writing.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGCMpLdby4m
“Some names don’t need to echo,” Naomi said.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5NufI7EX6g
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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWZdl2QRL1h
Naomi’s voice is filled with unspoken disgust:37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡht47OtVHzx
“Miss June… do you still believe in the wall?”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqS6hcBloBR
June walks past the bell, but doesn’t touch it. She stops beside Kim.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9yx6jM8ynu
“I believe in the cracks.”
*****37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdglMG4uYos
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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUh7rmVizWL
“There’s a ledger being held by Jabari’s boys. Not the one in the broadcast. A second one. Still sealed.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ76zQM5L8hC
Kim tensed. “We thought Ayo took it.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQwZKq75NKn
“He did,” June said. “But he gave it back too quickly. That means it’s stashed somewhere, waiting for the right time.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC14ycqizWr
Shiko asked, “What’s inside?”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxwPg897omm
June pulled a folded note from her pocket — Mercy’s handwriting, unmistakable.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLpTcgWZHeR
“Box 3 holds their fingerprints.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnduB4IPDYI
What they buried beneath your dorm.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7zZHbCKRWr
Who vanished, and who let them.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7zuHYQwnD9
Kim’s throat went dry. “That’s… not just old Order business.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYYIIqNAdtk
“No,” June said. 37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9eQBgziTi0
“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.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLddoOlGd5G
Shiko frowned. “We’re not even sure what it looks like.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuweYmxLJZk
June smirked slightly. “You will. It’s the only crate stamped in red chalk. ‘M.O.3’ — Mercy’s final cipher box.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ076OE8BAJQ
Kim looked at her. “And what happens if they’ve already opened it?”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc8HiUiPxeM
June met her eyes.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL2NBH9hKXX
“Then make sure what they read next… isn't real.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIqB5eJ1tnY
Kim nods slowly.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQoGYblKN0E
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.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmsxyfOOrgG
“Plant it when the swap’s done. That’s how I’ll know.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7HTfFoMvgo
As June walks away, she murmurs to herself: “Let them remember what we allow.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC74UKaxXVU
*****37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbbzsU0VUfZ
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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlb3BIAOutL
“We need eyes everywhere,” Naomi said. “No dorms unchecked. No keys misplaced.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDOIXmLQSj8
Seline stepped forward with studied calm.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2CDGulNyng
“I may know where they're planning to meet.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡchYSy9GiOH
Naomi narrowed her eyes. “Who?”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAvtbvXtQve
Seline didn’t answer directly.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzCN7m9OUV8
“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.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHyOPpdydLM
Naomi raised an eyebrow. “You think they’re involved with Mercy’s crate?”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRDw7wIYgHY
Seline folded her arms.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSNsBzztddA
“I think if you want answers, send your guards to the south incinerator lane — just before dusk. They’ll find more than ash.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRJWIA5OG8T
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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe639CGWGdB
“We have six minutes,” Shiko whispered.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ26mjcyFr8s
“Once the bell rings for sunset inspection, all internal guards get recalled.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtNOVZ3OGBU
Kim glanced at the marked fence post — red chalk: “M.O.3.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ943ZvByfwg
“Let’s just make sure we’re not the ones being followed.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXR3vWktdNq
Naomi nodded slowly. “Good work, Seline. Stay close.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8KUwZixX66
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:37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUw7hSrM94u
“If the bait’s good, they’ll bite. If they bite, I watch who bleeds.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfw008tNz6k
She never pressed send.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcQVkP4q4RI
She didn’t need to.
******37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡozrdFKLDa7
They came from two sides — four prefect guards, swift and silent, their batons clipped tight and flashlights already stuttering in the growing dark.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0PbGPHprSL
Kim turned first.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJGnn2DIBr6
“We’re boxed.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1lyi1qGDqR
“No,” Shiko said, calm. “We’re just poorly lit.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6JgG7BL2O2
From her satchel, she pulled a small envelope marked “Science Week – Safe Burn”.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8q0VkjJK7y
Flash-paper.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWASVttpHHx
Confetti-layered. Impregnated with fine magnesium salt.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlfXJvyAI51
Designed for stage experiments.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqKNVeTaXtw
She struck the match.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjuX8dc0ykX
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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPPiKPf4aIN
Kim didn’t flinch.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx6QgmlTQOI
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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkxt2Kau9tT
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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT8UKUPBbXf
“They sent the wrong box,” she said, breathless, flashing her forged badge.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7iOl31A6nB
“I’ve got the corrected archive.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8UzVpAkNsD
They looked confused. One shrugged. “It’s all sealed.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfoehZgisi5
Kim tapped the chalk mark on the side — slightly smudged.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTEQE1wlI0M
“See? Rained out. Mercy’s tag faded. Could be mislabeled.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZCyt5MngMD
They hesitated.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZidWRtnrFv
Shiko appeared behind them, adjusting her glasses, calm and efficient.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwd8oL21ow8
The boys handed it over.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ74zwTsCcDs
Kim wheeled the real crate away, heart pounding.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdxQ2FsNWL0
The prefect guards staggered out of the light-blast cloud, coughing and confused. Seline, watching from the upper dorm window, narrowed her eyes.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYhwNM9rRWc
“You underestimated the quiet ones,” she whispered.
*****37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvbelVokWLW
Naomi stood at the front table, her fingers on the crate’s seal.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzz8iDZgZTV
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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0nZAlGcEId
“Let this end what she started,” Naomi said.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuH6auX3wAI
She peeled back the tape. Inside: a folder marked “Confession Index: Volume I” — filled with blank pages.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcASXXb4qzI
Mary frowned.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp8BS40QL7X
June looked to Naomi, whose face remained unreadable. “This isn’t the original,” she said.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGihMIaUigm
Then the lights flickered.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcqIVAvhcEd
Just once.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnz6UedybFU
Not enough to panic. But enough to shift attention.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsEcS6yX2FE
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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtqDAFjGcy3
Then it clicked. And played.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqfQYpSHIkV
Mercy’s voice.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRyCnMaz2DG
“Nice switch. Too slow.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYDG9qaBjQp
Heads turned sharply. A soft whir from the old cassette speaker in the wall — a repurposed relic. Vintage. Protected.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4smQA9xPJD
The voice continued — calm, amused, in perfect control:37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV4CJJ13EmC
“Let’s not pretend this was about justice. This was about story. And I still write the better one.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF5dS6jYEre
A pause. Then:37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhv6aPCTzXw
“To the girl with the sharp hands—well played. But you forgot something. I never left. See you in the crypt. Round two begins.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡajJZd2Z17o
Click. Silence.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxUliDUDhUr
Outside, thunder cracked.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNygNFF1a26
Naomi’s fingers tightened on the empty folder.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3M2srjghf7
Mary whispered, “She recorded it before the Tribunal.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAmpgpbckIa
June looked at the now-open ceiling vent above the archive. “No. She triggered it after.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsdn9wUQXpU
Kim, listening from the hallway, stared at the speaker — then slowly slipped the real crate deeper under her cloak.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDgnBFKd125
The war hadn’t ended. It had just gone underground again.
**********37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz69o9wnZB6
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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGa83awS50W
Naomi’s.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOPsWPrSXUZ
He broke the seal.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8fD0WGkLgU
Inside: a short message and a typed formal proposal, stamped with Naomi’s name.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡigDeonmDbC
“Temporary Intelligence Exchange Proposal.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ06MPaglkW5
Objectives: Stop second wave. Contain ledger fallout. Restrict Shadow Walker expansion.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzWkGdpLiy2
Musa leaned in. “She’s serious.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpXyvGhTAVE
Juma scoffed. “Serious or desperate?”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHhGmxbQvSL
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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ19hBeqAWQ6
Ayo paced. “You trust Naomi?”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYl30Yg2HQe
“No,” Jabari said. “But I trust the threat.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa1f05UVAxY
Juma added, “If she’s suggesting shared control, it means she doesn’t have it.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9QAVa7P9Vy
Musa tapped the table. “And if we say no, we’re not allies. We’re targets.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsy6ka2AJ62
Juma looked around. “I can’t believe we’re even considering this.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuKKSzU2CUg
But his voice wasn’t angry. Just tired.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq3tTALbfyL
“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.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjbu0jDfIiW
One by one, hands rose.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlxUrHWcViL
Even Juma’s.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡggnNNeEGk5
The decision was unanimous.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCKWNTthPd9
Jabari scribbled a short response:37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDlThUGuvxz
“Agreed. Shared containment.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3rPo0cMcAt
Our fire stays cold until her flame dies.”37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Qtd2dAHuv
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.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkd5AIdWfk5
The next morning, the note was gone.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqWt4x0aNSV
And beneath the vent, someone had drawn a small M.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBBhETgkRmT
Then crossed it out.
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