When the first bell rang at 7:23 a.m., girls loyal to the order froze mid-breakfast.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgEptiSUocz
By the second bell — louder, longer — every corridor emptied into the courtyard.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB8pIQe3PVo
Whispers flew faster than feet:51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLVSAnmtPd3
“Tribunal.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKap8adXLIf
“She’s calling names.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ZQBZ7md7F
“Is it because of the video?”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsUAIGVLVzr
“Did someone move the ledger?”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp7xdTjpNwH
Inside the Assembly Hall, Naomi stood center-stage, hands behind her back.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ58tUytyuTV
Behind her: two senior prefects. To her right: Mary.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBiumAYgBIK
To her left: the Order Ledger Book, unopened since Mercy’s fall.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGcH7CbrmLS
The girls filed in. No laughter. No chatter. Only breaths held under stiff collars.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpfEn5Ef8xF
Naomi’s voice echoed when she began:51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVdJ2FAjoBg
“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.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt1bYQ9481I
Gasps rippled through the room.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1oox72AawR
“Each girl in this hall will have a choice: Recommit to the Order — or walk away.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAvXFPcMet9
A hand shot up. Seline. “What about those who were never in?”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3QJtplZ5SG
Naomi didn’t flinch.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4JBbAYcaa6
“Then decide who you’re standing beside now.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡifRohZiSsh
She pointed to the bell.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5PAToDxQAt
“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.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaJAvOp6Hq8
The first girl — a Form 1, trembling — stepped up and touched the bell.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ4Ajo0ItCh
“Amara Oketch,” she whispered. The bell rang once.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJBzyGsfEi7
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.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuLJCQM0rho
Naomi’s expression never changed.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuJfOBKJZHm
But inside, the ledger was already shifting — loyalty was becoming currency.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcibqxG1kIh
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.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTcz39TwOCT
“Kimberly Diana Otieno. I came to listen. Not to lie.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡntaCzxpdGQ
The bell did not ring.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvduGHvoSxj
Mary frowned.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsb5pZrLgwo
Naomi closed the ledger without writing.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpnwaMK6Vce
“Some names don’t need to echo,” Naomi said.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdjwtTxy8KD
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.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡglXHkkfaIE
Naomi’s voice is filled with unspoken disgust:51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTGJoIq0FqB
“Miss June… do you still believe in the wall?”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvtOnekbVCb
June walks past the bell, but doesn’t touch it. She stops beside Kim.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQMMCStOJYo
“I believe in the cracks.”
*****51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUYx75NEa0j
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.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0PD4U9OZo1
“There’s a ledger being held by Jabari’s boys. Not the one in the broadcast. A second one. Still sealed.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9FPV1QNleN
Kim tensed. “We thought Ayo took it.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv4c7003L70
“He did,” June said. “But he gave it back too quickly. That means it’s stashed somewhere, waiting for the right time.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmSjgCj761k
Shiko asked, “What’s inside?”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡflHYOm3mhp
June pulled a folded note from her pocket — Mercy’s handwriting, unmistakable.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgZ6s9IkB6a
“Box 3 holds their fingerprints.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡexy2XYiId0
What they buried beneath your dorm.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8qGTpaSUv6
Who vanished, and who let them.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLLULSpWRK0
Kim’s throat went dry. “That’s… not just old Order business.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzbiPL5WRVz
“No,” June said. 51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5WXv31ASYw
“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.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwpMSEvnQzz
Shiko frowned. “We’re not even sure what it looks like.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDOVQ0HBHTE
June smirked slightly. “You will. It’s the only crate stamped in red chalk. ‘M.O.3’ — Mercy’s final cipher box.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbulyhDE4Li
Kim looked at her. “And what happens if they’ve already opened it?”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Sne9sKD7v
June met her eyes.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaSAdwIyzlt
“Then make sure what they read next… isn't real.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsprY5XX8YS
Kim nods slowly.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs0F8G0IcBE
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.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcFymRyuHgR
“Plant it when the swap’s done. That’s how I’ll know.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxXg9o3QKDd
As June walks away, she murmurs to herself: “Let them remember what we allow.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1PLpIZz1S0
*****51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEU8rDCY1TZ
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.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡELdHz5SmcO
“We need eyes everywhere,” Naomi said. “No dorms unchecked. No keys misplaced.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi966er9mPz
Seline stepped forward with studied calm.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp5yzhlOOWY
“I may know where they're planning to meet.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡogQ1w1DYZo
Naomi narrowed her eyes. “Who?”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq9YojhOhNv
Seline didn’t answer directly.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfYAoAj0waH
“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.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6K5KYgDKBI
Naomi raised an eyebrow. “You think they’re involved with Mercy’s crate?”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk54nexuvOf
Seline folded her arms.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvXvZ8YkC7N
“I think if you want answers, send your guards to the south incinerator lane — just before dusk. They’ll find more than ash.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkDoA6RZr4j
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.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpM6g4RvEOk
“We have six minutes,” Shiko whispered.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3JOpOqqp82
“Once the bell rings for sunset inspection, all internal guards get recalled.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHMUjrTfQkB
Kim glanced at the marked fence post — red chalk: “M.O.3.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs1YEBEYTWX
“Let’s just make sure we’re not the ones being followed.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7exiYVctkj
Naomi nodded slowly. “Good work, Seline. Stay close.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfmsKjvbM7v
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:51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBzBiCophsc
“If the bait’s good, they’ll bite. If they bite, I watch who bleeds.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx9E2LGXq2L
She never pressed send.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAKohcplPDW
She didn’t need to.
******51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6p5yWOznrx
They came from two sides — four prefect guards, swift and silent, their batons clipped tight and flashlights already stuttering in the growing dark.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlP7BLXuTIe
Kim turned first.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3h8FFoy36E
“We’re boxed.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaDZOtASvFd
“No,” Shiko said, calm. “We’re just poorly lit.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFcGGNV8toZ
From her satchel, she pulled a small envelope marked “Science Week – Safe Burn”.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWkC8Hhfeev
Flash-paper.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqJOoDGg59P
Confetti-layered. Impregnated with fine magnesium salt.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXTUyznMA8F
Designed for stage experiments.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJz0JzUSyca
She struck the match.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0VpAZ1jpNn
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.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUP1rOKnpd6
Kim didn’t flinch.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgdvvr6En6V
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.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡphRUPzcmqI
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.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwENHJAsXFw
“They sent the wrong box,” she said, breathless, flashing her forged badge.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAaJfGerSw4
“I’ve got the corrected archive.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6HWTqlSner
They looked confused. One shrugged. “It’s all sealed.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN42DVTV31q
Kim tapped the chalk mark on the side — slightly smudged.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqupB20mINW
“See? Rained out. Mercy’s tag faded. Could be mislabeled.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJLFnM0Cdwx
They hesitated.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuWH5em05PD
Shiko appeared behind them, adjusting her glasses, calm and efficient.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZRK8JJ4spo
The boys handed it over.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7yDarnkDy6
Kim wheeled the real crate away, heart pounding.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDyqXVPvkL4
The prefect guards staggered out of the light-blast cloud, coughing and confused. Seline, watching from the upper dorm window, narrowed her eyes.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtGwHccwa0Z
“You underestimated the quiet ones,” she whispered.
*****51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5hmvDIahp3
Naomi stood at the front table, her fingers on the crate’s seal.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbk52dlwyH9
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.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvD6rF3j4bN
“Let this end what she started,” Naomi said.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgcEJFDIneI
She peeled back the tape. Inside: a folder marked “Confession Index: Volume I” — filled with blank pages.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ6OPSytUJi
Mary frowned.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDz6IeBR2aA
June looked to Naomi, whose face remained unreadable. “This isn’t the original,” she said.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡahdjDVqjPf
Then the lights flickered.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPhpAIlC33a
Just once.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCH6gja0tBN
Not enough to panic. But enough to shift attention.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM5gMkNWVZ0
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.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmrkJjcRgDa
Then it clicked. And played.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1WNYwqmnFV
Mercy’s voice.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9S1GVfK0Jw
“Nice switch. Too slow.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmyVnhLwZ42
Heads turned sharply. A soft whir from the old cassette speaker in the wall — a repurposed relic. Vintage. Protected.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdB5RJcvbQl
The voice continued — calm, amused, in perfect control:51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡByg6iEuLFN
“Let’s not pretend this was about justice. This was about story. And I still write the better one.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYT6Ci1aNoZ
A pause. Then:51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMXfMN4iPed
“To the girl with the sharp hands—well played. But you forgot something. I never left. See you in the crypt. Round two begins.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJryke5C5i2
Click. Silence.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv4JOctHqWn
Outside, thunder cracked.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjEpppPZit5
Naomi’s fingers tightened on the empty folder.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡge8n1O6N5k
Mary whispered, “She recorded it before the Tribunal.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRRjLrSUiMv
June looked at the now-open ceiling vent above the archive. “No. She triggered it after.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsZidkCkigA
Kim, listening from the hallway, stared at the speaker — then slowly slipped the real crate deeper under her cloak.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdqVIIbvOla
The war hadn’t ended. It had just gone underground again.
**********51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxiiJOAz34n
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.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP4yZlCzMnz
Naomi’s.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwadRwHzlD6
He broke the seal.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSvwWU1kMo7
Inside: a short message and a typed formal proposal, stamped with Naomi’s name.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKKFxILuhF5
“Temporary Intelligence Exchange Proposal.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1kdOyaacdU
Objectives: Stop second wave. Contain ledger fallout. Restrict Shadow Walker expansion.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9VD2VwI2sh
Musa leaned in. “She’s serious.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ13baJwpAos
Juma scoffed. “Serious or desperate?”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxrq4higWcc
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.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLTjRoidMkw
Ayo paced. “You trust Naomi?”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6xY2EX1lUZ
“No,” Jabari said. “But I trust the threat.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWPbwKJedeP
Juma added, “If she’s suggesting shared control, it means she doesn’t have it.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc1Gkwiidgt
Musa tapped the table. “And if we say no, we’re not allies. We’re targets.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡURrI491Dly
Juma looked around. “I can’t believe we’re even considering this.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxhJwFi8y1G
But his voice wasn’t angry. Just tired.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfdCWuYsGbk
“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.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtxZxyXg1Qb
One by one, hands rose.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡziaLfSkpYY
Even Juma’s.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4to3q6We6f
The decision was unanimous.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4lIHfLxMIb
Jabari scribbled a short response:51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkEia2kHxrm
“Agreed. Shared containment.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjNq8h1V2KI
Our fire stays cold until her flame dies.”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCc6G3Aqf2p
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.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1eDoRHbYhD
The next morning, the note was gone.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2E0yemP9Fd
And beneath the vent, someone had drawn a small M.51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOUQeNkK7zj
Then crossed it out.
