When the first bell rang at 7:23 a.m., girls loyal to the order froze mid-breakfast.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOFZ8J7X4Q0
By the second bell — louder, longer — every corridor emptied into the courtyard.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeP4kt3PqbD
Whispers flew faster than feet:50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDFmKjKB294
“Tribunal.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2t5bvEOCk5
“She’s calling names.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ8dkDRxRl5
“Is it because of the video?”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP8OYaOUfBd
“Did someone move the ledger?”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0bZTcotwI5
Inside the Assembly Hall, Naomi stood center-stage, hands behind her back.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQXVz0G5YbD
Behind her: two senior prefects. To her right: Mary.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC7sRREwvLB
To her left: the Order Ledger Book, unopened since Mercy’s fall.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsGNkdTuqxm
The girls filed in. No laughter. No chatter. Only breaths held under stiff collars.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡci9bLfE7Yo
Naomi’s voice echoed when she began:50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlxO58RaOXV
“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.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4w5liqsoUn
Gasps rippled through the room.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ07pPQX5MWc
“Each girl in this hall will have a choice: Recommit to the Order — or walk away.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdpuEbVlyUq
A hand shot up. Seline. “What about those who were never in?”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTUGRorBoEi
Naomi didn’t flinch.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZykUMEq0k5
“Then decide who you’re standing beside now.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMRU5GvxvEG
She pointed to the bell.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGX1kOFGQQr
“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.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQylwkWEEjd
The first girl — a Form 1, trembling — stepped up and touched the bell.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoLoD5uPq4Q
“Amara Oketch,” she whispered. The bell rang once.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwGAAXiOZIl
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.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3sxWlEJksc
Naomi’s expression never changed.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZKQEhP5i5m
But inside, the ledger was already shifting — loyalty was becoming currency.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAyc7WE2o6J
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.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo9KCp6qPKz
“Kimberly Diana Otieno. I came to listen. Not to lie.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡToqT5ssXtH
The bell did not ring.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWZ9rKkp8q9
Mary frowned.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNjBnlisR5W
Naomi closed the ledger without writing.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡitBbwkGSPX
“Some names don’t need to echo,” Naomi said.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNHscpDdJxl
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.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlSfZGzQM3w
Naomi’s voice is filled with unspoken disgust:50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgIXDA7HLKc
“Miss June… do you still believe in the wall?”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡky2FnWQO0A
June walks past the bell, but doesn’t touch it. She stops beside Kim.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ30Uy09GnbD
“I believe in the cracks.”
*****50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkzs5rCDFQF
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.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPb7bB0EriX
“There’s a ledger being held by Jabari’s boys. Not the one in the broadcast. A second one. Still sealed.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtuRBocePSS
Kim tensed. “We thought Ayo took it.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsRF2vpTko2
“He did,” June said. “But he gave it back too quickly. That means it’s stashed somewhere, waiting for the right time.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIiFMyGrLP0
Shiko asked, “What’s inside?”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSYGori2ZpJ
June pulled a folded note from her pocket — Mercy’s handwriting, unmistakable.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFC0nck1gFn
“Box 3 holds their fingerprints.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfD2rQ0PvSG
What they buried beneath your dorm.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxu8Hcb7mjt
Who vanished, and who let them.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡankuMPyISm
Kim’s throat went dry. “That’s… not just old Order business.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvz7SC1AitY
“No,” June said. 50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyJ6tuPQgH4
“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.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUzYKMf6EUh
Shiko frowned. “We’re not even sure what it looks like.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXdUtytfL3J
June smirked slightly. “You will. It’s the only crate stamped in red chalk. ‘M.O.3’ — Mercy’s final cipher box.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3sADWX4VLw
Kim looked at her. “And what happens if they’ve already opened it?”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYp7oCf6gRH
June met her eyes.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhEkGYW0Qiy
“Then make sure what they read next… isn't real.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgDjwSTQUIS
Kim nods slowly.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqVMsNQ92a3
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.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy8A7ctAqp9
“Plant it when the swap’s done. That’s how I’ll know.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡewxGxiylK0
As June walks away, she murmurs to herself: “Let them remember what we allow.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6HyPy24v7T
*****50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4MRbJKmbAs
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.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrnpw01M9rq
“We need eyes everywhere,” Naomi said. “No dorms unchecked. No keys misplaced.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0UD9nC6vVx
Seline stepped forward with studied calm.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmeb3NjAeRG
“I may know where they're planning to meet.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3V1SNgkeI8
Naomi narrowed her eyes. “Who?”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡywqN79x1q8
Seline didn’t answer directly.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNOR8sQGBfo
“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.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj021yP9dvV
Naomi raised an eyebrow. “You think they’re involved with Mercy’s crate?”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ8zM86qT3L
Seline folded her arms.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXKtzD6NCXP
“I think if you want answers, send your guards to the south incinerator lane — just before dusk. They’ll find more than ash.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzC3sjeKPrl
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.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ35C8OYYcdc
“We have six minutes,” Shiko whispered.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK8oG0jjfIB
“Once the bell rings for sunset inspection, all internal guards get recalled.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡglUWuDrgGY
Kim glanced at the marked fence post — red chalk: “M.O.3.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJo9tWRpgt6
“Let’s just make sure we’re not the ones being followed.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnKXZQuTyqK
Naomi nodded slowly. “Good work, Seline. Stay close.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT8hU2azWbF
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:50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXbfUGw9QBC
“If the bait’s good, they’ll bite. If they bite, I watch who bleeds.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEBeIiOxhNq
She never pressed send.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzWZwO1SVCk
She didn’t need to.
******50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHDgXG4pciW
They came from two sides — four prefect guards, swift and silent, their batons clipped tight and flashlights already stuttering in the growing dark.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGZeBa4ZOjN
Kim turned first.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQKa307oNyM
“We’re boxed.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcKGrwffrBP
“No,” Shiko said, calm. “We’re just poorly lit.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkMg3DMSERM
From her satchel, she pulled a small envelope marked “Science Week – Safe Burn”.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh5ySnFyOKU
Flash-paper.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqjtq0FcgUe
Confetti-layered. Impregnated with fine magnesium salt.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU8NrRhXChj
Designed for stage experiments.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡquU6j1idFc
She struck the match.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0otNApjueV
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.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW5wQFW7nPt
Kim didn’t flinch.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLCYR8ldnak
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.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCcpzy1h0cb
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.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA6GPx21spg
“They sent the wrong box,” she said, breathless, flashing her forged badge.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfkqK4GaApJ
“I’ve got the corrected archive.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeT6k5H0tBx
They looked confused. One shrugged. “It’s all sealed.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBnBGiCVfq4
Kim tapped the chalk mark on the side — slightly smudged.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaP0HULiVhV
“See? Rained out. Mercy’s tag faded. Could be mislabeled.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ovkOTSZR9
They hesitated.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqclns4dZ4m
Shiko appeared behind them, adjusting her glasses, calm and efficient.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl4D7eAmdFu
The boys handed it over.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSNSEYqx0pq
Kim wheeled the real crate away, heart pounding.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡteiBGTHXvF
The prefect guards staggered out of the light-blast cloud, coughing and confused. Seline, watching from the upper dorm window, narrowed her eyes.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdisXNsL9o5
“You underestimated the quiet ones,” she whispered.
*****50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjoZ0vYFUMC
Naomi stood at the front table, her fingers on the crate’s seal.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Jul2JrtoK
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.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtpboO9wgPu
“Let this end what she started,” Naomi said.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Rmu7c5Nmf
She peeled back the tape. Inside: a folder marked “Confession Index: Volume I” — filled with blank pages.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUuPFTZc1I5
Mary frowned.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWZuFBcNBBk
June looked to Naomi, whose face remained unreadable. “This isn’t the original,” she said.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM4u0F4OtwS
Then the lights flickered.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwEDzRE9NWn
Just once.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6M8TYieehX
Not enough to panic. But enough to shift attention.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡniUaGHzcKx
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.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdLmxASmBaR
Then it clicked. And played.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1dTjljUCqE
Mercy’s voice.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLHLdRA6uWg
“Nice switch. Too slow.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf1IuIPj9P1
Heads turned sharply. A soft whir from the old cassette speaker in the wall — a repurposed relic. Vintage. Protected.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSsrFrgx9aE
The voice continued — calm, amused, in perfect control:50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdiOgqkvuUA
“Let’s not pretend this was about justice. This was about story. And I still write the better one.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFIdcF8vdAJ
A pause. Then:50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwotKocJfDt
“To the girl with the sharp hands—well played. But you forgot something. I never left. See you in the crypt. Round two begins.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMgYnoF8NF8
Click. Silence.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9UReyxNft9
Outside, thunder cracked.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcbXEoaKptj
Naomi’s fingers tightened on the empty folder.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb3QRHOu0j0
Mary whispered, “She recorded it before the Tribunal.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXZmGRQdrmC
June looked at the now-open ceiling vent above the archive. “No. She triggered it after.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmJ0yCu9Ipk
Kim, listening from the hallway, stared at the speaker — then slowly slipped the real crate deeper under her cloak.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVjidpKSOWG
The war hadn’t ended. It had just gone underground again.
**********50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfIRAJ8XwoH
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.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvMVSiTyTea
Naomi’s.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9zsqySPTBA
He broke the seal.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCrakueLb0x
Inside: a short message and a typed formal proposal, stamped with Naomi’s name.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbg7D7iO2Aw
“Temporary Intelligence Exchange Proposal.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYNHfOxf724
Objectives: Stop second wave. Contain ledger fallout. Restrict Shadow Walker expansion.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYfjrFjlZEA
Musa leaned in. “She’s serious.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeuCeLsfQ9q
Juma scoffed. “Serious or desperate?”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqyhN2CVCG7
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.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9aKRoLWoH2
Ayo paced. “You trust Naomi?”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2tfLqL2uhJ
“No,” Jabari said. “But I trust the threat.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4VROQ5bgn0
Juma added, “If she’s suggesting shared control, it means she doesn’t have it.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnywGMZhlTj
Musa tapped the table. “And if we say no, we’re not allies. We’re targets.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZVP6xXj2zA
Juma looked around. “I can’t believe we’re even considering this.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWwcLvBvuHI
But his voice wasn’t angry. Just tired.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡplcqw49XwP
“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.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ17xWxX9nnB
One by one, hands rose.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6fNV9eCey9
Even Juma’s.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3hgcVmNQr0
The decision was unanimous.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhklEgeQ8RH
Jabari scribbled a short response:50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1UXjK7XuGv
“Agreed. Shared containment.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQx5qYFXRIa
Our fire stays cold until her flame dies.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqUssSqvtGr
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.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqf8jvbjVz3
The next morning, the note was gone.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIK0Y7Nu5T3
And beneath the vent, someone had drawn a small M.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx5U9lJEPWX
Then crossed it out.
