When the first bell rang at 7:23 a.m., girls loyal to the order froze mid-breakfast.61Please respect copyright.PENANADWpt70r549
By the second bell — louder, longer — every corridor emptied into the courtyard.61Please respect copyright.PENANAXYlRkSXIcp
Whispers flew faster than feet:61Please respect copyright.PENANABC6uhiYrJI
“Tribunal.61Please respect copyright.PENANAVEqpnmCdL3
“She’s calling names.”61Please respect copyright.PENANAQidgXhADpc
“Is it because of the video?”61Please respect copyright.PENANAlovlqtIg4C
“Did someone move the ledger?”61Please respect copyright.PENANAcm3UQQlAoc
Inside the Assembly Hall, Naomi stood center-stage, hands behind her back.61Please respect copyright.PENANAXnm2N7z6zm
Behind her: two senior prefects. To her right: Mary.61Please respect copyright.PENANADze9GFHuUH
To her left: the Order Ledger Book, unopened since Mercy’s fall.61Please respect copyright.PENANAmbV7f8gNdr
The girls filed in. No laughter. No chatter. Only breaths held under stiff collars.61Please respect copyright.PENANASTDhWEgJC9
Naomi’s voice echoed when she began:61Please respect copyright.PENANArCj5nWCkS3
“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.”61Please respect copyright.PENANA4soLDQNGaz
Gasps rippled through the room.61Please respect copyright.PENANAMY8dLMcl9c
“Each girl in this hall will have a choice: Recommit to the Order — or walk away.”61Please respect copyright.PENANAvOkfnX3PYU
A hand shot up. Seline. “What about those who were never in?”61Please respect copyright.PENANA0LffEXs6Nh
Naomi didn’t flinch.61Please respect copyright.PENANABETOVQCbFR
“Then decide who you’re standing beside now.”61Please respect copyright.PENANAjBlP81cORA
She pointed to the bell.61Please respect copyright.PENANAKCh0IOyIOM
“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.”61Please respect copyright.PENANAcALei210N2
The first girl — a Form 1, trembling — stepped up and touched the bell.61Please respect copyright.PENANAAHraqAMWl3
“Amara Oketch,” she whispered. The bell rang once.61Please respect copyright.PENANA1OHyVEFrQ0
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.”61Please respect copyright.PENANAXWpa5jsGFs
Naomi’s expression never changed.61Please respect copyright.PENANA1zcRIan50Y
But inside, the ledger was already shifting — loyalty was becoming currency.61Please respect copyright.PENANAOxu7dJRH4v
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.61Please respect copyright.PENANAAQe4bF5J7y
“Kimberly Diana Otieno. I came to listen. Not to lie.”61Please respect copyright.PENANADxyDOfQ24D
The bell did not ring.61Please respect copyright.PENANASSjkqLifmP
Mary frowned.61Please respect copyright.PENANAjWgSTwgqKW
Naomi closed the ledger without writing.61Please respect copyright.PENANAaL0hh1WAYr
“Some names don’t need to echo,” Naomi said.61Please respect copyright.PENANAEeLgLkbnC7
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.61Please respect copyright.PENANASqq4xKIakX
Naomi’s voice is filled with unspoken disgust:61Please respect copyright.PENANA5Xxleck6TV
“Miss June… do you still believe in the wall?”61Please respect copyright.PENANAgMKH1vtbU5
June walks past the bell, but doesn’t touch it. She stops beside Kim.61Please respect copyright.PENANA9J2o8JusO2
“I believe in the cracks.”
*****61Please respect copyright.PENANAHeEx54KeWa
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.61Please respect copyright.PENANAMlYUVqNmje
“There’s a ledger being held by Jabari’s boys. Not the one in the broadcast. A second one. Still sealed.”61Please respect copyright.PENANAJwN3eQURP1
Kim tensed. “We thought Ayo took it.”61Please respect copyright.PENANACheHLRgQ9h
“He did,” June said. “But he gave it back too quickly. That means it’s stashed somewhere, waiting for the right time.”61Please respect copyright.PENANAxSCAkoVG8t
Shiko asked, “What’s inside?”61Please respect copyright.PENANAOhxsJOXuQ9
June pulled a folded note from her pocket — Mercy’s handwriting, unmistakable.61Please respect copyright.PENANAIHixwaTJ1Z
“Box 3 holds their fingerprints.61Please respect copyright.PENANAser5tFoqW5
What they buried beneath your dorm.61Please respect copyright.PENANAYYQ0AITd8u
Who vanished, and who let them.”61Please respect copyright.PENANAY0xtAJFVJC
Kim’s throat went dry. “That’s… not just old Order business.”61Please respect copyright.PENANAQ1oapKR9Ia
“No,” June said. 61Please respect copyright.PENANAS6jbzBZisV
“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.”61Please respect copyright.PENANAYhprd6izis
Shiko frowned. “We’re not even sure what it looks like.”61Please respect copyright.PENANAdP183LlLco
June smirked slightly. “You will. It’s the only crate stamped in red chalk. ‘M.O.3’ — Mercy’s final cipher box.”61Please respect copyright.PENANAHE4eKs30cr
Kim looked at her. “And what happens if they’ve already opened it?”61Please respect copyright.PENANAWpaeYiKyua
June met her eyes.61Please respect copyright.PENANAR12celLkDP
“Then make sure what they read next… isn't real.”61Please respect copyright.PENANAoZ8MEqF8Pk
Kim nods slowly.61Please respect copyright.PENANAueIUgC2qyi
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.”61Please respect copyright.PENANAptqZg04xRn
“Plant it when the swap’s done. That’s how I’ll know.”61Please respect copyright.PENANAPTDtBFFR77
As June walks away, she murmurs to herself: “Let them remember what we allow.”61Please respect copyright.PENANA0ANikpyT4B
*****61Please respect copyright.PENANAZYSQZILgxb
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.61Please respect copyright.PENANAXPZPV9N8e1
“We need eyes everywhere,” Naomi said. “No dorms unchecked. No keys misplaced.”61Please respect copyright.PENANAodqFeBPl0F
Seline stepped forward with studied calm.61Please respect copyright.PENANA2ZNirru8mY
“I may know where they're planning to meet.”61Please respect copyright.PENANAwAyCcAc8Ys
Naomi narrowed her eyes. “Who?”61Please respect copyright.PENANAVw9SdjHtjS
Seline didn’t answer directly.61Please respect copyright.PENANAN0ndHLtCBY
“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.”61Please respect copyright.PENANArHHVetQoq0
Naomi raised an eyebrow. “You think they’re involved with Mercy’s crate?”61Please respect copyright.PENANAoBfMrIZg9S
Seline folded her arms.61Please respect copyright.PENANAiKaEvTriaI
“I think if you want answers, send your guards to the south incinerator lane — just before dusk. They’ll find more than ash.”61Please respect copyright.PENANAVpAYC2Htul
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.61Please respect copyright.PENANAN792qVYfOZ
“We have six minutes,” Shiko whispered.61Please respect copyright.PENANAyhoJYbD1RD
“Once the bell rings for sunset inspection, all internal guards get recalled.”61Please respect copyright.PENANAGWdO2qnv7Q
Kim glanced at the marked fence post — red chalk: “M.O.3.”61Please respect copyright.PENANA25zJui4Z9U
“Let’s just make sure we’re not the ones being followed.”61Please respect copyright.PENANA3azsNsWA3I
Naomi nodded slowly. “Good work, Seline. Stay close.”61Please respect copyright.PENANA35WQxaJklc
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:61Please respect copyright.PENANA6wh57KyciV
“If the bait’s good, they’ll bite. If they bite, I watch who bleeds.”61Please respect copyright.PENANAAldYFPSi3C
She never pressed send.61Please respect copyright.PENANAOgc5YT260m
She didn’t need to.
******61Please respect copyright.PENANALOQRjedqDb
They came from two sides — four prefect guards, swift and silent, their batons clipped tight and flashlights already stuttering in the growing dark.61Please respect copyright.PENANAIOtrqPJDTU
Kim turned first.61Please respect copyright.PENANAhZ69pZjijn
“We’re boxed.”61Please respect copyright.PENANAstMVps0x2K
“No,” Shiko said, calm. “We’re just poorly lit.”61Please respect copyright.PENANAhzUuoNfdEb
From her satchel, she pulled a small envelope marked “Science Week – Safe Burn”.61Please respect copyright.PENANAZNKf85tlHl
Flash-paper.61Please respect copyright.PENANAAyZUnrCYsF
Confetti-layered. Impregnated with fine magnesium salt.61Please respect copyright.PENANAya6wCj34v2
Designed for stage experiments.61Please respect copyright.PENANA1jtjON8Fb9
She struck the match.61Please respect copyright.PENANAH9owaYTI4z
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.61Please respect copyright.PENANAAMamPbOfn2
Kim didn’t flinch.61Please respect copyright.PENANArvcLY1KjGu
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.61Please respect copyright.PENANA37l7IpavA5
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.61Please respect copyright.PENANAjKXrIVX9nj
“They sent the wrong box,” she said, breathless, flashing her forged badge.61Please respect copyright.PENANAxKISDItB4f
“I’ve got the corrected archive.”61Please respect copyright.PENANAo8mE9tVccw
They looked confused. One shrugged. “It’s all sealed.”61Please respect copyright.PENANAYAlqI0YIDy
Kim tapped the chalk mark on the side — slightly smudged.61Please respect copyright.PENANAqoCuzjT3q3
“See? Rained out. Mercy’s tag faded. Could be mislabeled.”61Please respect copyright.PENANAKRaFkj70eX
They hesitated.61Please respect copyright.PENANAzdk4D64OJQ
Shiko appeared behind them, adjusting her glasses, calm and efficient.61Please respect copyright.PENANAe0NiTXF38h
The boys handed it over.61Please respect copyright.PENANAA3tHuB3Kry
Kim wheeled the real crate away, heart pounding.61Please respect copyright.PENANAiobWmRwZSA
The prefect guards staggered out of the light-blast cloud, coughing and confused. Seline, watching from the upper dorm window, narrowed her eyes.61Please respect copyright.PENANAPewFmpUkTU
“You underestimated the quiet ones,” she whispered.
*****61Please respect copyright.PENANAkd3kX9akMq
Naomi stood at the front table, her fingers on the crate’s seal.61Please respect copyright.PENANAumnHHCmSJR
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.61Please respect copyright.PENANAsvXAeiOpXi
“Let this end what she started,” Naomi said.61Please respect copyright.PENANAUuRkXN3ljj
She peeled back the tape. Inside: a folder marked “Confession Index: Volume I” — filled with blank pages.61Please respect copyright.PENANAQhuSueez9m
Mary frowned.61Please respect copyright.PENANAD3OAZTnifl
June looked to Naomi, whose face remained unreadable. “This isn’t the original,” she said.61Please respect copyright.PENANArxSOaN2gkU
Then the lights flickered.61Please respect copyright.PENANAd1lfCfLq1Y
Just once.61Please respect copyright.PENANADL85BWyOkv
Not enough to panic. But enough to shift attention.61Please respect copyright.PENANApYgLLIWO9J
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.61Please respect copyright.PENANA6uTR7Ku064
Then it clicked. And played.61Please respect copyright.PENANAH4vansAn67
Mercy’s voice.61Please respect copyright.PENANAqsEKteIepT
“Nice switch. Too slow.”61Please respect copyright.PENANAKozIFQynxN
Heads turned sharply. A soft whir from the old cassette speaker in the wall — a repurposed relic. Vintage. Protected.61Please respect copyright.PENANAMFG3B6BG8g
The voice continued — calm, amused, in perfect control:61Please respect copyright.PENANAX1zPU2aPaR
“Let’s not pretend this was about justice. This was about story. And I still write the better one.”61Please respect copyright.PENANAcHQl17mtb8
A pause. Then:61Please respect copyright.PENANA5uLjkTUfOe
“To the girl with the sharp hands—well played. But you forgot something. I never left. See you in the crypt. Round two begins.”61Please respect copyright.PENANAOFRCLdMlbK
Click. Silence.61Please respect copyright.PENANASiM9Lrc5jG
Outside, thunder cracked.61Please respect copyright.PENANAnVWTkYHyqK
Naomi’s fingers tightened on the empty folder.61Please respect copyright.PENANA8YTd5cXSG5
Mary whispered, “She recorded it before the Tribunal.”61Please respect copyright.PENANAY7S0PgrIWm
June looked at the now-open ceiling vent above the archive. “No. She triggered it after.”61Please respect copyright.PENANAAgb1cItLFG
Kim, listening from the hallway, stared at the speaker — then slowly slipped the real crate deeper under her cloak.61Please respect copyright.PENANATMcyHNQ5zs
The war hadn’t ended. It had just gone underground again.
**********61Please respect copyright.PENANA9uAjcGrBgD
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.61Please respect copyright.PENANAq2vUqtFxQs
Naomi’s.61Please respect copyright.PENANAlcRsKh5rYm
He broke the seal.61Please respect copyright.PENANAXwYF0l1yaD
Inside: a short message and a typed formal proposal, stamped with Naomi’s name.61Please respect copyright.PENANAVZ3rdGm0pt
“Temporary Intelligence Exchange Proposal.61Please respect copyright.PENANALnEKXQUbpO
Objectives: Stop second wave. Contain ledger fallout. Restrict Shadow Walker expansion.”61Please respect copyright.PENANAhOvlSDTaN6
Musa leaned in. “She’s serious.”61Please respect copyright.PENANAdaAs1XNauI
Juma scoffed. “Serious or desperate?”61Please respect copyright.PENANAue5ec5a7ZT
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.61Please respect copyright.PENANAS1WcDXbGkc
Ayo paced. “You trust Naomi?”61Please respect copyright.PENANAH4eYHr2762
“No,” Jabari said. “But I trust the threat.”61Please respect copyright.PENANAeHfEw4bBRz
Juma added, “If she’s suggesting shared control, it means she doesn’t have it.”61Please respect copyright.PENANAaAj78cCLF5
Musa tapped the table. “And if we say no, we’re not allies. We’re targets.”61Please respect copyright.PENANAK96skdIoWw
Juma looked around. “I can’t believe we’re even considering this.”61Please respect copyright.PENANArMo1VKPqDE
But his voice wasn’t angry. Just tired.61Please respect copyright.PENANAfC3PPDDcBP
“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.”61Please respect copyright.PENANAlQ9k7NkIDH
One by one, hands rose.61Please respect copyright.PENANAamgfXGWVPl
Even Juma’s.61Please respect copyright.PENANAoL7IGaOwd5
The decision was unanimous.61Please respect copyright.PENANAHSCergfg59
Jabari scribbled a short response:61Please respect copyright.PENANAZfT1h0fmuk
“Agreed. Shared containment.61Please respect copyright.PENANAz76V0gZXmL
Our fire stays cold until her flame dies.”61Please respect copyright.PENANAWxPyckp53o
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.61Please respect copyright.PENANApIpKDMZM0d
The next morning, the note was gone.61Please respect copyright.PENANAVPuxIjXfwr
And beneath the vent, someone had drawn a small M.61Please respect copyright.PENANAPDJWh2sQqG
Then crossed it out.