In the Kisumu Boys' Assembly Room, a closed session in the late afternoon is underway. The rain drums faintly on the roof. Both Order loyalists and Shadow Walker affiliates have been summoned — the first meeting of its kind.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ773XAPiPv1
The room buzzed with restrained confusion. On one side: prefects, old Order loyalists, data-keepers. On the other: Shadow Walkers — code-runners, graffiti scouts, watchers from rooftops.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcbnFPxUx1B
No one sat near the center.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ56CeBy0mrl
Jabari stood at the front of the room, back straight, the cracked ledger box in one hand.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8bPltGyg46
He didn’t shout.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ob558vW7P
“You all saw what Mercy did.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡThvg2nVhds
Silence.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1CBJKS7Sgr
“She used our stories. Our fractures. She drowned us in our own past.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgnAyn2sAjw
He placed the box down — loudly.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaZUyYbtwPT
“So, this time… we drown her in it.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh734v4yyOl
He scanned both sides of the room.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIB2EMTB5oM
“We have word Naomi’s side is moving — quietly. They’ve offered a containment pact.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6wgb3w0kCv
A few gasps. One laugh — quickly hushed.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDuMbkKawXj
Jabari continued.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4SFfwhYnb8
“This isn’t an alliance for peace. This is a trap.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWXNm2adjtH
He walked to the chalkboard and drew a quick diagram: the chapel crypt, the drainage lines, the tunnel forks.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqu3wOSQkDA
“Mercy’s using the third memory drop — a ledger no one catalogued. We lure her into finishing the cycle. And we lock her there. Not with chains. With evidence. With noise. With memory.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLqomz1U5IG
Kwame wasn’t present.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpbajzZFNLC
But Otieno was — arms folded, expression blank.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP3iWWc7CkQ
Ayo muttered under his breath, “He won’t like this.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ukHo7OiUe
Juma asked sharply, “So we do Naomi’s cleanup?”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWwBPPzkCFw
Jabari looked him straight in the eyes.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdloMeWq6Ej
“We clean up our own ghosts. Naomi’s just part of the smoke.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdaxs93jGIL
Musa stepped forward and unrolled the scroll — Naomi’s signed terms, retrieved from the wall.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP4LeMLrUHh
He read them aloud: Neutral crypt space during the trap execution. Shared counter-signal system (one chime = cancel, two = proceed). No betrayal until both crates are verified and neutralized.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyvutpOJhDk
The final line:60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡueL1U9hJbx
“No war until the wound is stitched.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrjgdZ5fExU
A single nod from Jabari. “Vote?”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh7bFoybVeX
This time, only one hand stayed down.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDOeBytZXKS
Otieno.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcl38Nm0BFB
He met Jabari’s gaze, then whispered: “You catch her… Just don’t become her.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtQQUlHIHw9
The moment Musa finished rolling up the scroll, Juma stood — arms crossed, eyes cold.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ470MJpyO8A
“We’re trusting Naomi now? The same girl who tried to silence everything Mercy uncovered?”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMkkwO9ciIY
The room went quiet again. Even the Shadow Walkers leaned in, sensing heat beneath the words.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB2giEDglso
Jabari didn’t answer immediately.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyqDJPryEbN
Juma continued, his voice quieter but heavier:60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMEteYd2m0p
“She isn’t here to contain anything. She’s here to bury it again. And if we help her… we’re part of it. We’ve already done one cover-up, Jabari. I won’t do a second.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHuhFuoLERZ
Otieno glanced at Musa. Ayo looked away.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6LT8DhKmDK
They knew what Jabari suspected but never asked.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW8D6pveJoF
Juma’s voice cracked ever so slightly: “I swore I’d protect Kim. Not just physically. From all this. From becoming one of us.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHFbHBQkSYr
He looked straight at Jabari. “You think Naomi won’t use her if it means killing Mercy’s story?”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJjq4uco1KT
A slow clap echoed from the hallway.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡukelYaWNDa
Kwame.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE7Lpqw1uim
He leaned against the doorframe, shadowed, smirking.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk2CHisjuQq
“Now that’s what I’ve been waiting for.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3VTC53EnHe
Jabari’s jaw tightened. “You weren’t invited.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwXRlj7PpTZ
Kwame stepped in. “I don’t need an invitation to watch a castle collapse. Especially when the stones fight each other.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyFiveSt4ev
He glanced at Juma. “Finally, someone with a spine.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡchT633bjy4
Jabari stepped forward. “This isn’t about Kim.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIq3PhBDOLx
Juma didn’t move. “No. It’s about all the people who can’t speak anymore. Mercy included.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQVXudMrHqs
Kwame tilted his head, amused. “You know, I think Mercy would like him.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFKtHiSF19p
Musa finally spoke. “We don’t have time for this.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIYxoy4zScW
Jabari looked at Juma. “You can’t protect her from all of it. You can only decide whether you help shape the truth or let it crush her.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnjc3lfWYbE
Juma’s fists clenched.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyLmWYjYnwO
But he didn’t sit back down.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSEqiQJ0ri1
Later that night, after the hall had emptied and the plan was posted on the encrypted wall scroll, Kwame found Otieno near the water tanks, where the fog rolled low and the pipes hissed with steam.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoZC5UoTAXi
Kwame leaned against the concrete.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ0ZmvQsgb9
“So. You’re really going with Jabari?”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1YXi8Mihf2
Otieno didn’t look up. He was fitting a copper ring into the vent grate — a piece of an old filtration system he’d been rigging for months.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlwosD9Czzy
“Does it matter?”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDVWfMxuvB3
Kwame smirked. “It does to me. I had you pegged as a watcher. Not a follower.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7HSWmKs7wl
Otieno stood slowly. “You’re right.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIKZlqHgVMW
He turned to face Kwame — taller than him in the dim light. 60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmPXjOsQMbZ
“I do watch. I watched what happened when the last war between Orders wasn’t stopped. I watched Jabari get blamed for things he never did. I watched you use Mercy’s name like a weapon — without carrying any of her burden.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYt3OZ6DeiM
Kwame’s smile faded slightly.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡutLRmLvCfE
“She’s rewriting history,” Otieno said. “And you think you’re the editor. But she’ll erase you the second you stop being useful.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNn7H69ZHfH
Kwame raised an eyebrow. “And you think Jabari won’t?”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE4QdASIvwu
Otieno stepped closer.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ469Rn8QROV
“If we help Jabari now, we keep Mercy’s revenge from destroying us all. Not for Naomi. Not for orders. Not for walls.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡec3zT6DvCh
He paused. “For survival.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0tSSvv3RkL
Kwame scoffed lightly. “You sound like you’re preparing for a funeral.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLTgOx1OLo6
Otieno turned away, sliding the copper ring into place.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0lpsZZhG37
“I am. The old war never ended. This time, I just want to know which side I buried my friends on.”
**********60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvx434pNTAg
The ledger crate was lighter than expected.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaXwjBTODNC
Musa tested its weight once more as he crouched beneath the courtyard arch. The M.O.3 chalk mark had been carefully redrawn. The false ledgers inside were wrapped in canvas, just enough heft to feel real.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8p1OHAYIts
Jabari stood beside him in the hallway shadows. “You’re sure?”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoeJkaBxeIQ
Musa gave a half-smile. “You trust me with a busted borehole and a map that doesn’t exist, but not a box full of air?”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVFu4lnthCu
Juma, standing nearby, muttered, “It’s not the box I don’t trust. It’s the gate it’s going through.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbOCRVh9Xl6
Musa turned to Jabari.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcwmLoULSyZ
“Let me take it. If we send a signal through anyone else, they’ll second-guess it.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdx9w2lW4yE
He gripped the crate.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡskvYBfyOxC
“I’m neutral enough to walk through fire.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEyodgrdQkA
From behind him, Ayo appeared silently, holding a folded black card — flat, thin, almost forgettable.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMy2KeqPQsz
“For insurance,” Ayo said, sliding it beneath the top canvas.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDKM2CBx7jI
Musa frowned. “We’re not sending threats.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqTLQceHA0X
Ayo’s voice was smooth. “It’s not a threat. Just… a reminder. She needs to know she’s still being watched.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmVisFYkSqx
“No names. Just the old cipher. Mercy’s mark.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKKrO8jWfOG
Musa hesitated, then said nothing. There wasn’t time. Jabari was still briefing the wall runners. No one else saw.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoGOBpT9iq6
At 5:48 p.m., beneath the buzz of Science Week cleanup, Musa rolled the AV cart up to the old drain-slot gate in the concrete wall.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPFLbw7WcPh
He stood still, adjusted his sleeves. Waited.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqypK0h49WP
The grate shifted open. Two gloved hands — Mary’s, if he had to guess — pulled the crate silently inside.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRknKxeSBLW
No words. Only a single origami triangle left behind, folded from printed timetable paper.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMXhxnQxqQJ
He picked it up, unfolded it.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPRMDtERJ5m
“Drop scheduled. Second chime. No shadows.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZwxm9RDIi7
The plan was live.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiBdE05gxwI
Inside the crate, beneath the false ledgers and canvas, Naomi’s hand paused when she reached the black card. It bore Mercy’s old cipher — a twisting serpent swallowing its tail — stamped in silver ink.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0YGzEfFxAW
Below it: one line in tight handwriting.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9BtHPeiFwV
“She buried you once. Don’t let her bury you again.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡijv1CK7hj8
Mary looked up at Naomi.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPjciBiXMQe
“Did you put this in?”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE96Au7PcQC
Naomi said nothing.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfHZdn384IS
Her fingers tightened.
*****60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhHpHu9iYEy
On the girls’ side. After dark. Naomi’s inner circle meets in the underground storage room behind the old library annex. The crate sits unopened on a long metal table.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYXWUV1DDrR
The room smelled like old pine and chalk dust.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC5kemre0LK
June, Mary, and Naomi stood around the crate. No one had spoken since the door shut.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ae7zGwTsj
The origami triangle Musa left sat neatly beside the latch. Naomi’s hands hovered above it.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfVjX6n5NAA
“We open it now,” she said.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0r01luyutj
“We can’t afford another surprise at the Tribunal.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlGqabsHVqU
She glanced at Mary. “Gloves.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb3iAOVtM9K
Mary handed them over — clean surgical pairs swiped from the chem lab.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSfQmqFN9MY
Inside, the ledgers were exactly as expected — wrapped, unmarked, blank. But under the first canvas fold, June’s hand paused.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmpc4cRxbMf
“Something’s here.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ93voN9maix
She pulled out the black card.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuJw8qabOwl
The serpent. Silver ink. Old cipher.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyknwwybJvp
Naomi took it. Kim read the line aloud:60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfRcrhsVNAY
“She buried you once. Don’t let her bury you again.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4FoJ4Zdj74
A beat of silence.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzLg14MEqai
Naomi’s face stayed blank, but her pulse visibly jumped.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyZp8ANYXAS
“It’s not hers,” she said flatly. “She never wrote in third person.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAhSbMAjtYn
June stepped in. “Then it’s meant to make it look like it is.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR5PzAFVl2V
Mary whispered, “Could it be a warning? From the boys?”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEu1wPjeja4
Naomi shook her head. 60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfEvrVmmSk9
“Too calculated. This isn’t warning. It’s planting doubt. Whoever slipped it in wanted us to panic in front of the school.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM15NPo6wJz
June laid the card flat on the table.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbjtOiIbDkP
“We pull it now. Quietly. And we never say a word.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuKrFWfRmWO
Naomi finally nodded. “Burn it.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtFPkwIS4fi
Mary hesitated. “That’s a Mercy move.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQFTH5GCHOz
Naomi replied coldly: 60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQgOMSK7Z2h
“Then maybe she taught us well.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTfwyOye3nm
The card was burning in a lab beaker, the serpent curling into ash by the time they were done, Naomi staring into the flame longer than the others.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe962ZYXWkr
June turned to Naomi. 60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKxdP4zriks
“When you open that crate tomorrow, make sure your voice doesn’t shake.”60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3CeEcc3wUi
Naomi said nothing.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoaFEMEcnRe
But her jaw was set.
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