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.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPbd7luOvdH
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.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA0ThO3AKln
No one sat near the center.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdUCC69tXb3
Jabari stood at the front of the room, back straight, the cracked ledger box in one hand.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQUbzRHWxQo
He didn’t shout.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡluX4TB4brC
“You all saw what Mercy did.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTHzXchrTIh
Silence.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtcha36iOcF
“She used our stories. Our fractures. She drowned us in our own past.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2qQSDdzccQ
He placed the box down — loudly.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOLwcRyWSLH
“So, this time… we drown her in it.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ16yYNoTboM
He scanned both sides of the room.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoquGQhzRW7
“We have word Naomi’s side is moving — quietly. They’ve offered a containment pact.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs9K3afBu0J
A few gasps. One laugh — quickly hushed.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbf41roS0cg
Jabari continued.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRRNQZRZEiu
“This isn’t an alliance for peace. This is a trap.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSaS449fZ3F
He walked to the chalkboard and drew a quick diagram: the chapel crypt, the drainage lines, the tunnel forks.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLgI2YXelwR
“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.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS4JPSN5KgQ
Kwame wasn’t present.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsTjoUmD5On
But Otieno was — arms folded, expression blank.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs0Cyw5J4aN
Ayo muttered under his breath, “He won’t like this.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZvq4hgcFY8
Juma asked sharply, “So we do Naomi’s cleanup?”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgimUTzvJa4
Jabari looked him straight in the eyes.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo9qN6w0jTu
“We clean up our own ghosts. Naomi’s just part of the smoke.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnN90ZWppJa
Musa stepped forward and unrolled the scroll — Naomi’s signed terms, retrieved from the wall.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzdh23fI1uD
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.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO6nRicBaIJ
The final line:48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCMpKgmRe1j
“No war until the wound is stitched.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyMGhSalJrr
A single nod from Jabari. “Vote?”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLJWT5LkopL
This time, only one hand stayed down.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4PWRjA94ty
Otieno.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhUsBtZLWsW
He met Jabari’s gaze, then whispered: “You catch her… Just don’t become her.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTW0NLEJn4A
The moment Musa finished rolling up the scroll, Juma stood — arms crossed, eyes cold.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIlQLYXKA0r
“We’re trusting Naomi now? The same girl who tried to silence everything Mercy uncovered?”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX7Tx3xLcVc
The room went quiet again. Even the Shadow Walkers leaned in, sensing heat beneath the words.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGsJQD8BOGn
Jabari didn’t answer immediately.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvmvvxe9nKA
Juma continued, his voice quieter but heavier:48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFYkqnBmyyt
“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.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnYr88WTyfc
Otieno glanced at Musa. Ayo looked away.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3YzrFXJPEB
They knew what Jabari suspected but never asked.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHVT02XbgIG
Juma’s voice cracked ever so slightly: “I swore I’d protect Kim. Not just physically. From all this. From becoming one of us.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ72eWXl0WUB
He looked straight at Jabari. “You think Naomi won’t use her if it means killing Mercy’s story?”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5prqfZOTTx
A slow clap echoed from the hallway.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcBb1eXDiPF
Kwame.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN95z8adYap
He leaned against the doorframe, shadowed, smirking.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW8XUE8nVVU
“Now that’s what I’ve been waiting for.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyV4rtciLDK
Jabari’s jaw tightened. “You weren’t invited.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPWUSNChg24
Kwame stepped in. “I don’t need an invitation to watch a castle collapse. Especially when the stones fight each other.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3NBA4VgMkA
He glanced at Juma. “Finally, someone with a spine.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFOt9uNz7y6
Jabari stepped forward. “This isn’t about Kim.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjoZzjhwiF9
Juma didn’t move. “No. It’s about all the people who can’t speak anymore. Mercy included.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyElV4lpKdh
Kwame tilted his head, amused. “You know, I think Mercy would like him.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwo1rh2WMmU
Musa finally spoke. “We don’t have time for this.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRoUUWDpSnV
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.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhq5bLMx7Wz
Juma’s fists clenched.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrvL2jIYyYA
But he didn’t sit back down.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmhZBFv7lQU
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.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn0U8UL0iKo
Kwame leaned against the concrete.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsW28Qi90Qj
“So. You’re really going with Jabari?”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFzy1ohDKWm
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.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Dch4YMUiG
“Does it matter?”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7jk0ijP7Zx
Kwame smirked. “It does to me. I had you pegged as a watcher. Not a follower.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6PLocKqx0N
Otieno stood slowly. “You’re right.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbsJuplS25K
He turned to face Kwame — taller than him in the dim light. 48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHYYiyl5H5R
“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.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR6DVzUrHV6
Kwame’s smile faded slightly.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnbazh2N96m
“She’s rewriting history,” Otieno said. “And you think you’re the editor. But she’ll erase you the second you stop being useful.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC4SS78GbxE
Kwame raised an eyebrow. “And you think Jabari won’t?”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmYBoekCObd
Otieno stepped closer.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnMFxRnHMqh
“If we help Jabari now, we keep Mercy’s revenge from destroying us all. Not for Naomi. Not for orders. Not for walls.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMZQ81Jz4zP
He paused. “For survival.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTV40QtLnUF
Kwame scoffed lightly. “You sound like you’re preparing for a funeral.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuteQIWaQQb
Otieno turned away, sliding the copper ring into place.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm3NuFlnvD8
“I am. The old war never ended. This time, I just want to know which side I buried my friends on.”
**********48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSgpqrVvozH
The ledger crate was lighter than expected.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡulq7zSRBz1
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.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwjHushNDbl
Jabari stood beside him in the hallway shadows. “You’re sure?”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0LvNmAmkAg
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?”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP51o2C19NT
Juma, standing nearby, muttered, “It’s not the box I don’t trust. It’s the gate it’s going through.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl2WZru1WAN
Musa turned to Jabari.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtfi0pVwmtd
“Let me take it. If we send a signal through anyone else, they’ll second-guess it.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbB3NVSbOln
He gripped the crate.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8uemZt1tdO
“I’m neutral enough to walk through fire.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdIaAiYXjtX
From behind him, Ayo appeared silently, holding a folded black card — flat, thin, almost forgettable.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlLMwPTX6dq
“For insurance,” Ayo said, sliding it beneath the top canvas.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0tS2uhLtik
Musa frowned. “We’re not sending threats.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3QuZJFHhRR
Ayo’s voice was smooth. “It’s not a threat. Just… a reminder. She needs to know she’s still being watched.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ8nvzrzyz8
“No names. Just the old cipher. Mercy’s mark.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqUgkPx5FII
Musa hesitated, then said nothing. There wasn’t time. Jabari was still briefing the wall runners. No one else saw.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOMITxLohnS
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.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKch2yV1LXj
He stood still, adjusted his sleeves. Waited.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡurQPPSBiJu
The grate shifted open. Two gloved hands — Mary’s, if he had to guess — pulled the crate silently inside.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJsLU0sO4cK
No words. Only a single origami triangle left behind, folded from printed timetable paper.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXbIGPAWJqO
He picked it up, unfolded it.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq3Y5dry8M7
“Drop scheduled. Second chime. No shadows.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP0e5mMEX03
The plan was live.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzdhNauxbBJ
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.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFx9Ni3p2Y9
Below it: one line in tight handwriting.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpMM7zTZA0s
“She buried you once. Don’t let her bury you again.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXrCHXZAA0N
Mary looked up at Naomi.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5TG2h2czfa
“Did you put this in?”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjAwmVqa1U7
Naomi said nothing.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlwmq2tMHUq
Her fingers tightened.
*****48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPT11fa5lEX
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.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIBin6t5qxi
The room smelled like old pine and chalk dust.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8TMEUWUbF7
June, Mary, and Naomi stood around the crate. No one had spoken since the door shut.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBYw30JtpdR
The origami triangle Musa left sat neatly beside the latch. Naomi’s hands hovered above it.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYMyzWwNtP8
“We open it now,” she said.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXlRLsf8GdO
“We can’t afford another surprise at the Tribunal.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOeJR85sWuC
She glanced at Mary. “Gloves.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡahiNUwPKsY
Mary handed them over — clean surgical pairs swiped from the chem lab.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡssEpYFpnti
Inside, the ledgers were exactly as expected — wrapped, unmarked, blank. But under the first canvas fold, June’s hand paused.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPXzCiEJKhG
“Something’s here.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ01F4LxU2oQ
She pulled out the black card.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5MGi53qgp6
The serpent. Silver ink. Old cipher.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvLHjVjvr7t
Naomi took it. Kim read the line aloud:48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7rwSmyEuNM
“She buried you once. Don’t let her bury you again.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWQ6qMvtLqg
A beat of silence.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKSz5Byowkk
Naomi’s face stayed blank, but her pulse visibly jumped.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7XeBjSxZnl
“It’s not hers,” she said flatly. “She never wrote in third person.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLD1ofjBMNx
June stepped in. “Then it’s meant to make it look like it is.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkB2baqWhEa
Mary whispered, “Could it be a warning? From the boys?”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqQqPghf5D9
Naomi shook her head. 48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2dTWSrywsL
“Too calculated. This isn’t warning. It’s planting doubt. Whoever slipped it in wanted us to panic in front of the school.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6G9pOB2IZi
June laid the card flat on the table.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEnl7Nhmmul
“We pull it now. Quietly. And we never say a word.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQjynUGdS1c
Naomi finally nodded. “Burn it.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡphC06Ija8b
Mary hesitated. “That’s a Mercy move.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTLbFku7Tc9
Naomi replied coldly: 48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ21qT5o8GIV
“Then maybe she taught us well.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJMP1l5al9U
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.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0a3BeReWTb
June turned to Naomi. 48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3mWcKjxUx9
“When you open that crate tomorrow, make sure your voice doesn’t shake.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlNpjMeohmL
Naomi said nothing.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5pCv0v0UbN
But her jaw was set.
