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.
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