CHAPTER TWO28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb9lvde7gmp
The next evening, Kim walked back to the bougainvillea alone.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnmhPlgE3xJ
A hush settled over the compound, the kind that came not from silence, but from secrecy. The evening felt heavier, thick with the scent of damp earth and unanswered questions.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeuuoFlDVOy
Kim stopped just short of the bougainvillea, the paper still pressed against her palm, edges softened from too many rereads. She shouldn’t be here. Not like this—not alone, not retracing steps that weren’t even hers to follow.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmNYAVwhYQK
But she was here. And now, standing at the edge of the forbidden space, she realized something:28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNIvBSLDaz6
If S had been reckless enough to write the letter, whoever it was meant for might have been reckless enough to answer.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtLSDOHADnI
The vines trembled slightly, touched by the evening wind. But was it just the wind?28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdFfyOrYQeb
"To the one who whistles…" she murmured under her breath, watching the vines sway faintly in the wind. She glanced around, half-expecting to see someone watching her.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0e4d1Em09L
No one.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbfth8LQEf0
But someone had written it. 28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgDoDcb5ARO
Someone brave. Or stupid. Or both.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnXWtiqYWc3
At prep earlier, Kim had started looking at the girls around her differently—watching how they moved, how they whispered. Her mind had latched onto a possibility. Seline.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHwZOfmUWLp
Seline Wanjiku. Form 2 Purple. Kim didn’t know her well—only that she was quiet, rarely in trouble, and always writing in her little notebook with a purple pen. She had a careful way of tucking her hair behind her ear when thinking. And once, in the dining hall line, Kim had seen her drop a blue beaded bracelet into her pocket.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY9TJ9xlqCW
Blue.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Z0oYnoz6K
Blue like the color mentioned in the letter.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyVWLnrZLxx
A signal.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgZxWVD5m26
Tonight, the bougainvillea held something new.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs0cT4QZNY7
Kim froze when she saw it.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0RL3EQo2xp
A blue paper clip, twisted into the shape of a star, nestled gently among the petals. It hadn’t been there yesterday. Someone had come after her.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpvWzml7V7v
Or before her.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBPWOWUyXTy
She didn’t touch it. Just stared.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRZoSjlL8Pr
The wall didn’t hum or whisper like in the stories. But it felt alive now—like it was listening.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX9aCSCJmei
Behind her, a voice spoke, soft and unexpected.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoWQAygZ9vI
“You’re not supposed to be here, you know.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT5g7kj1pLE
Kim turned sharply. It was Seline, standing a few meters away, arms crossed over her chest, not angry—more curious than anything.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ41uAuD4zHZ
Their eyes locked. For a moment, neither of them said a word.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYOtXTZ60om
Then Seline glanced past her, toward the wall, and smiled faintly.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbWc8FXBnbg
“Careful,” she added, her voice lower now. “The wall listens more than it talks.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNlqTw3NUk6
And just like that, she turned and walked away, shoes squelching lightly in the wet grass.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWAsFC6uXk2
Kim stared after her, heart thudding.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVx3oQoY5q0
She had come looking for answers.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWvCM7Jj7tn
But now… she had more questions.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDd0GYZPe0X
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk4WdKf5GNe
Penana
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