When the first bell rang at 7:23 a.m., girls loyal to the order froze mid-breakfast.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXaSNRkehio
By the second bell — louder, longer — every corridor emptied into the courtyard.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr7eNDEt09Z
Whispers flew faster than feet:63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzPdoPJTCBw
“Tribunal.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn7TtItA9oX
“She’s calling names.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcz1e0P9Kfl
“Is it because of the video?”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5PQ9isFE6b
“Did someone move the ledger?”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnsDatp379F
Inside the Assembly Hall, Naomi stood center-stage, hands behind her back.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQq8O6X5QuQ
Behind her: two senior prefects. To her right: Mary.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh0mRDOzWMN
To her left: the Order Ledger Book, unopened since Mercy’s fall.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMl5rI7hclr
The girls filed in. No laughter. No chatter. Only breaths held under stiff collars.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQIWYio1CuJ
Naomi’s voice echoed when she began:63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY8P2BO00Hd
“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.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ3mEPZTZkb
Gasps rippled through the room.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyDzdAZfK1B
“Each girl in this hall will have a choice: Recommit to the Order — or walk away.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF7fNjiXN4f
A hand shot up. Seline. “What about those who were never in?”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJvG8G4bcde
Naomi didn’t flinch.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3C5hy8Q7ts
“Then decide who you’re standing beside now.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXip3nBcs90
She pointed to the bell.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGvkcaTFXy8
“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.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBmP870oHZ9
The first girl — a Form 1, trembling — stepped up and touched the bell.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjvRHvaXz1u
“Amara Oketch,” she whispered. The bell rang once.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXqgXVtwSrC
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.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiehpe8Avnn
Naomi’s expression never changed.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnABA2fS88H
But inside, the ledger was already shifting — loyalty was becoming currency.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD8Lafu2CHd
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.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuKmuESxfe7
“Kimberly Diana Otieno. I came to listen. Not to lie.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2OlBeumb8B
The bell did not ring.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrrX0BSv692
Mary frowned.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmKbmUdFL3m
Naomi closed the ledger without writing.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrbzPQC0OMP
“Some names don’t need to echo,” Naomi said.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡadjzyzqjzW
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.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMdWgrGVxcc
Naomi’s voice is filled with unspoken disgust:63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBc3bZeWYOz
“Miss June… do you still believe in the wall?”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGVm8C3x06O
June walks past the bell, but doesn’t touch it. She stops beside Kim.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl4Z3JNVGjP
“I believe in the cracks.”
*****63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtsE3X9PLpm
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.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2hJDHQ58ko
“There’s a ledger being held by Jabari’s boys. Not the one in the broadcast. A second one. Still sealed.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡztxZgF8uSL
Kim tensed. “We thought Ayo took it.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd0g7LypqUD
“He did,” June said. “But he gave it back too quickly. That means it’s stashed somewhere, waiting for the right time.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJAaPjHABU3
Shiko asked, “What’s inside?”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbdPRdutX6V
June pulled a folded note from her pocket — Mercy’s handwriting, unmistakable.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEBeXEBZ0qf
“Box 3 holds their fingerprints.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwD1vaPVvaF
What they buried beneath your dorm.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjv85MR2QWd
Who vanished, and who let them.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3rKAeSD8ja
Kim’s throat went dry. “That’s… not just old Order business.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Pd4q2lCHT
“No,” June said. 63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa282kg7NAI
“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.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2VoYZOJRDN
Shiko frowned. “We’re not even sure what it looks like.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPxMmsVkcb4
June smirked slightly. “You will. It’s the only crate stamped in red chalk. ‘M.O.3’ — Mercy’s final cipher box.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqAkjcn6fCP
Kim looked at her. “And what happens if they’ve already opened it?”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5J3Mhi3Ra2
June met her eyes.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM8rsxfUjEK
“Then make sure what they read next… isn't real.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwaIQYE9JSB
Kim nods slowly.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRYaExCu3nZ
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.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ud5Z1JjQN
“Plant it when the swap’s done. That’s how I’ll know.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRTr9YjmTHo
As June walks away, she murmurs to herself: “Let them remember what we allow.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0uDGJK8JDc
*****63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNhR2eyi21h
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.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzyS3FOBTYo
“We need eyes everywhere,” Naomi said. “No dorms unchecked. No keys misplaced.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmS1zgGjMfY
Seline stepped forward with studied calm.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDFUyR6km4a
“I may know where they're planning to meet.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAZJv2Acx5u
Naomi narrowed her eyes. “Who?”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0X9dnPVqhR
Seline didn’t answer directly.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvwRD5Xvia2
“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.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGxdofm4EUR
Naomi raised an eyebrow. “You think they’re involved with Mercy’s crate?”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBDMmyorCfJ
Seline folded her arms.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRDqo8vavuT
“I think if you want answers, send your guards to the south incinerator lane — just before dusk. They’ll find more than ash.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCAfg1ZyMnv
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.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUkTUWVLNZQ
“We have six minutes,” Shiko whispered.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXRAyI5DchA
“Once the bell rings for sunset inspection, all internal guards get recalled.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK53SB3GuCZ
Kim glanced at the marked fence post — red chalk: “M.O.3.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEDYKpf62kA
“Let’s just make sure we’re not the ones being followed.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR3zuSNLnLt
Naomi nodded slowly. “Good work, Seline. Stay close.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlvXbEVdcMK
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:63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuWrCoWTdmQ
“If the bait’s good, they’ll bite. If they bite, I watch who bleeds.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Xt3fHybsw
She never pressed send.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHijUioRSOx
She didn’t need to.
******63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmurKF0n9fx
They came from two sides — four prefect guards, swift and silent, their batons clipped tight and flashlights already stuttering in the growing dark.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡylv9IC0UE8
Kim turned first.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkwTDPAP5bi
“We’re boxed.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDHArxSLSSp
“No,” Shiko said, calm. “We’re just poorly lit.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0HawjdAJL7
From her satchel, she pulled a small envelope marked “Science Week – Safe Burn”.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc8yJCQgkwI
Flash-paper.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR8vRZsrRUV
Confetti-layered. Impregnated with fine magnesium salt.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKmVSj56hNi
Designed for stage experiments.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjNuAHiXXsK
She struck the match.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLD9XxWAaeX
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.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzmPdN1HRTd
Kim didn’t flinch.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCcfXGKA5aQ
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.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnVWFSOwQZX
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.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ84IQ9w87uT
“They sent the wrong box,” she said, breathless, flashing her forged badge.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMWpnb2YCxB
“I’ve got the corrected archive.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMRF1Stx8pL
They looked confused. One shrugged. “It’s all sealed.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSxst6PfIJt
Kim tapped the chalk mark on the side — slightly smudged.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGBiphiyrnr
“See? Rained out. Mercy’s tag faded. Could be mislabeled.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDxFFoGl6lw
They hesitated.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYDuPDGg9ZL
Shiko appeared behind them, adjusting her glasses, calm and efficient.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVLbmqKF8VP
The boys handed it over.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjH2caBNCHG
Kim wheeled the real crate away, heart pounding.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrZrZliOGys
The prefect guards staggered out of the light-blast cloud, coughing and confused. Seline, watching from the upper dorm window, narrowed her eyes.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMUkdFSdkH7
“You underestimated the quiet ones,” she whispered.
*****63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbSqgyuIwva
Naomi stood at the front table, her fingers on the crate’s seal.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp3L2n6BSsB
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.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2lOz1xU93O
“Let this end what she started,” Naomi said.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI5HogMUJzZ
She peeled back the tape. Inside: a folder marked “Confession Index: Volume I” — filled with blank pages.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkaCf9Mp8ZY
Mary frowned.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡes4WaVq2u7
June looked to Naomi, whose face remained unreadable. “This isn’t the original,” she said.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL1prSoM4Ro
Then the lights flickered.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjCD2xCSHV2
Just once.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgbmA5II9u2
Not enough to panic. But enough to shift attention.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5IUIOzXAA9
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.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLICUYpxM6m
Then it clicked. And played.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6XvJM8Pb71
Mercy’s voice.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ0STpkZo0k
“Nice switch. Too slow.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZuVsWBZRdf
Heads turned sharply. A soft whir from the old cassette speaker in the wall — a repurposed relic. Vintage. Protected.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3JZEAEUGot
The voice continued — calm, amused, in perfect control:63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuoKY10hV9T
“Let’s not pretend this was about justice. This was about story. And I still write the better one.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ82MDyX0yjD
A pause. Then:63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOyS7EH8qCB
“To the girl with the sharp hands—well played. But you forgot something. I never left. See you in the crypt. Round two begins.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvBO1LnCiGB
Click. Silence.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡglDc0kCZfJ
Outside, thunder cracked.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO8sQjY8niy
Naomi’s fingers tightened on the empty folder.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡya5F4ZpcEI
Mary whispered, “She recorded it before the Tribunal.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv9R0TFVDJS
June looked at the now-open ceiling vent above the archive. “No. She triggered it after.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡohmEeIfQcQ
Kim, listening from the hallway, stared at the speaker — then slowly slipped the real crate deeper under her cloak.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKoWeLePO6K
The war hadn’t ended. It had just gone underground again.
**********63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP8npEyqzkm
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.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡePSRVdYgHR
Naomi’s.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ3SkSLgpj9
He broke the seal.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk9quIzaINv
Inside: a short message and a typed formal proposal, stamped with Naomi’s name.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRVOcKqMYVt
“Temporary Intelligence Exchange Proposal.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsvthhwHeRC
Objectives: Stop second wave. Contain ledger fallout. Restrict Shadow Walker expansion.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡffzCJhSB5K
Musa leaned in. “She’s serious.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUDKf4KwOpd
Juma scoffed. “Serious or desperate?”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyERU2i44rT
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.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgyZTBA5Ytk
Ayo paced. “You trust Naomi?”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc7EaxkrXIc
“No,” Jabari said. “But I trust the threat.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMrBaYHmzf0
Juma added, “If she’s suggesting shared control, it means she doesn’t have it.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdcZbeIBesF
Musa tapped the table. “And if we say no, we’re not allies. We’re targets.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvSbT37ScVN
Juma looked around. “I can’t believe we’re even considering this.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡks7ixQOC3I
But his voice wasn’t angry. Just tired.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWDsElFnZ07
“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.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPiUaiEwYpM
One by one, hands rose.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnoZTtuK4K4
Even Juma’s.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiUEGhpufFF
The decision was unanimous.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV1UwlDihCS
Jabari scribbled a short response:63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXk9LA6kpS1
“Agreed. Shared containment.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXTmqKym6eG
Our fire stays cold until her flame dies.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ03OCCR4qDv
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.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6iqckqGSlb
The next morning, the note was gone.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgb4LluNLLu
And beneath the vent, someone had drawn a small M.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5hj1biAYDC
Then crossed it out.
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