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.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvaHdeajIXX
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.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcrdEVCRoi3
No one sat near the center.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPXGeuFTIUd
Jabari stood at the front of the room, back straight, the cracked ledger box in one hand.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqD8iaXRI91
He didn’t shout.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZnZBzf97bg
“You all saw what Mercy did.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhCQMavrIgp
Silence.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIP5B1DsQIS
“She used our stories. Our fractures. She drowned us in our own past.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZsYIYXl9gK
He placed the box down — loudly.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGYp383RcEN
“So, this time… we drown her in it.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNxiAAr9ZYx
He scanned both sides of the room.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR1Hfc4V1zu
“We have word Naomi’s side is moving — quietly. They’ve offered a containment pact.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt2VyKqu360
A few gasps. One laugh — quickly hushed.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4NLRO0YF7v
Jabari continued.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4kVmQuIzvB
“This isn’t an alliance for peace. This is a trap.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡODfPGsKaSJ
He walked to the chalkboard and drew a quick diagram: the chapel crypt, the drainage lines, the tunnel forks.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQwhL6lAZOl
“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.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZUkeSX2K5g
Kwame wasn’t present.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ5i0zVeaV8
But Otieno was — arms folded, expression blank.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9x3gTeTEb2
Ayo muttered under his breath, “He won’t like this.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc2rZ7a83bt
Juma asked sharply, “So we do Naomi’s cleanup?”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOfHAJ74rkR
Jabari looked him straight in the eyes.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOb9xNOPpBL
“We clean up our own ghosts. Naomi’s just part of the smoke.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsyFlXzAW7j
Musa stepped forward and unrolled the scroll — Naomi’s signed terms, retrieved from the wall.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyoFWrUnKSm
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.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJYAoej1lgD
The final line:49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPmprvdthUv
“No war until the wound is stitched.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOVAD0d7fzd
A single nod from Jabari. “Vote?”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbE0ckSTlLY
This time, only one hand stayed down.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZiRXzSe37x
Otieno.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfnpGAdquL5
He met Jabari’s gaze, then whispered: “You catch her… Just don’t become her.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡECKRW0Oac4
The moment Musa finished rolling up the scroll, Juma stood — arms crossed, eyes cold.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbFxU1Xxoao
“We’re trusting Naomi now? The same girl who tried to silence everything Mercy uncovered?”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlSN0z0JVGX
The room went quiet again. Even the Shadow Walkers leaned in, sensing heat beneath the words.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRAB3lup2Lb
Jabari didn’t answer immediately.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXpbbP52sDt
Juma continued, his voice quieter but heavier:49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiMkyFzCcy6
“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.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOl1skMCf6n
Otieno glanced at Musa. Ayo looked away.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsN9NYcfFSv
They knew what Jabari suspected but never asked.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsWZmfGBPZq
Juma’s voice cracked ever so slightly: “I swore I’d protect Kim. Not just physically. From all this. From becoming one of us.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHooWV34p66
He looked straight at Jabari. “You think Naomi won’t use her if it means killing Mercy’s story?”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR5GUpiY7Cl
A slow clap echoed from the hallway.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQci1PTMugk
Kwame.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ02XoADGFkX
He leaned against the doorframe, shadowed, smirking.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVhxGodd36n
“Now that’s what I’ve been waiting for.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ic4ejWMVr
Jabari’s jaw tightened. “You weren’t invited.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6eKj8095zW
Kwame stepped in. “I don’t need an invitation to watch a castle collapse. Especially when the stones fight each other.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdVf8Lsd8cZ
He glanced at Juma. “Finally, someone with a spine.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQz7P448ZNC
Jabari stepped forward. “This isn’t about Kim.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTeWIOFZbOi
Juma didn’t move. “No. It’s about all the people who can’t speak anymore. Mercy included.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBFlYRoj6pt
Kwame tilted his head, amused. “You know, I think Mercy would like him.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0fsXjzzpVG
Musa finally spoke. “We don’t have time for this.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVE8PHvrOZ1
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.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBUh6qO09EJ
Juma’s fists clenched.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnfga0o1CNP
But he didn’t sit back down.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8zG2I5hjXE
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.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRl2j7HST7r
Kwame leaned against the concrete.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPtaoYmNEAh
“So. You’re really going with Jabari?”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpnJbZ7ILcN
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.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8immXhcs5p
“Does it matter?”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT2k9qvqOPA
Kwame smirked. “It does to me. I had you pegged as a watcher. Not a follower.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡExGOKUL7bj
Otieno stood slowly. “You’re right.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSAesHpRP0y
He turned to face Kwame — taller than him in the dim light. 49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaX5xXQEMDu
“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.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJtehrte7JS
Kwame’s smile faded slightly.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfcsPJpYCFn
“She’s rewriting history,” Otieno said. “And you think you’re the editor. But she’ll erase you the second you stop being useful.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡru4WiHfetf
Kwame raised an eyebrow. “And you think Jabari won’t?”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZDji5xjQbr
Otieno stepped closer.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQQplBdXHk1
“If we help Jabari now, we keep Mercy’s revenge from destroying us all. Not for Naomi. Not for orders. Not for walls.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyMzLsbXE9F
He paused. “For survival.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj0nYFtjt5q
Kwame scoffed lightly. “You sound like you’re preparing for a funeral.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYczY50e3EM
Otieno turned away, sliding the copper ring into place.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsAt9gh43JN
“I am. The old war never ended. This time, I just want to know which side I buried my friends on.”
**********49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHJcwT9G6IV
The ledger crate was lighter than expected.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLO5JclYUtr
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.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRbEgOPo9RI
Jabari stood beside him in the hallway shadows. “You’re sure?”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFnyIBLcwmw
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?”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEuBppbGWqJ
Juma, standing nearby, muttered, “It’s not the box I don’t trust. It’s the gate it’s going through.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl8eIt4XjFC
Musa turned to Jabari.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ7p7uyvNzS
“Let me take it. If we send a signal through anyone else, they’ll second-guess it.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf0MZpjSvQw
He gripped the crate.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDIQD9Xwx0S
“I’m neutral enough to walk through fire.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFqxnLm01zf
From behind him, Ayo appeared silently, holding a folded black card — flat, thin, almost forgettable.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi1h9A7YyYJ
“For insurance,” Ayo said, sliding it beneath the top canvas.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4FYiue1TOc
Musa frowned. “We’re not sending threats.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡefrEV5ZHrU
Ayo’s voice was smooth. “It’s not a threat. Just… a reminder. She needs to know she’s still being watched.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIOGPXIU92X
“No names. Just the old cipher. Mercy’s mark.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0hzx2JPKsU
Musa hesitated, then said nothing. There wasn’t time. Jabari was still briefing the wall runners. No one else saw.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8xbJKCqEzC
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.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMGbTs0fA8i
He stood still, adjusted his sleeves. Waited.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeyMdoGW4uC
The grate shifted open. Two gloved hands — Mary’s, if he had to guess — pulled the crate silently inside.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡER2huGlRF5
No words. Only a single origami triangle left behind, folded from printed timetable paper.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT6d5o4S07J
He picked it up, unfolded it.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZzxPOfYGRE
“Drop scheduled. Second chime. No shadows.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVTUuJhgt0s
The plan was live.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6M2Tvodpgt
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.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzHWBMzTWYr
Below it: one line in tight handwriting.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzuQ5Y8QjkR
“She buried you once. Don’t let her bury you again.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHq5b9V7eFm
Mary looked up at Naomi.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnS5MivPW9W
“Did you put this in?”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuax2DP0tmH
Naomi said nothing.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSDYug4y0Rv
Her fingers tightened.
*****49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWxBowk33me
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.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMWpI94sv2Q
The room smelled like old pine and chalk dust.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8y9KQtPD6U
June, Mary, and Naomi stood around the crate. No one had spoken since the door shut.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqceNsbv5rR
The origami triangle Musa left sat neatly beside the latch. Naomi’s hands hovered above it.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZFOmkEwGDm
“We open it now,” she said.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqQbiwo9Lhk
“We can’t afford another surprise at the Tribunal.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAYvbu1GWwn
She glanced at Mary. “Gloves.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZZNXZzq3sU
Mary handed them over — clean surgical pairs swiped from the chem lab.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN9mYJJfVle
Inside, the ledgers were exactly as expected — wrapped, unmarked, blank. But under the first canvas fold, June’s hand paused.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSQSPVDr8ZR
“Something’s here.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh0m0bz4PWN
She pulled out the black card.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhJsO8FirOM
The serpent. Silver ink. Old cipher.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrZEyjcYMZd
Naomi took it. Kim read the line aloud:49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoempOpxFBE
“She buried you once. Don’t let her bury you again.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTfCH02nMzJ
A beat of silence.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8GUv1L6dDJ
Naomi’s face stayed blank, but her pulse visibly jumped.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡymEXvpDdXp
“It’s not hers,” she said flatly. “She never wrote in third person.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ30yqWmt9tW
June stepped in. “Then it’s meant to make it look like it is.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXsPzmC3yto
Mary whispered, “Could it be a warning? From the boys?”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjdCX9zy5np
Naomi shook her head. 49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkpnhwrs1Ic
“Too calculated. This isn’t warning. It’s planting doubt. Whoever slipped it in wanted us to panic in front of the school.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxaTnqEJwoU
June laid the card flat on the table.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzCiWqmWYhp
“We pull it now. Quietly. And we never say a word.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNUNYIxGFHQ
Naomi finally nodded. “Burn it.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡybl9lL1Q7c
Mary hesitated. “That’s a Mercy move.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmJZAwzMaSK
Naomi replied coldly: 49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvLbQ5Fr6Yg
“Then maybe she taught us well.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJsnnkQmk83
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.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIPN7cf35tP
June turned to Naomi. 49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS7DGfmgMQN
“When you open that crate tomorrow, make sure your voice doesn’t shake.”49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXanC7gp6cw
Naomi said nothing.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡybO3V28AKx
But her jaw was set.
