> 📖 Previously: Episode 8 – “Parents’ Weekend”
The chapel was empty when Chisom crept in after prep, heart pounding in her chest. The silence inside echoed like a warning. Shadows stretched across the pews as the wind whispered through the stained-glass windows. She moved quickly down the aisle toward the altar, the words from Dapo’s note repeating in her mind:
There’s a key behind the altar.
She reached behind the carved wood, fingers trembling, until she felt it — a small, cold metal key taped to the back. She peeled it off and slid it into her pocket just as the heavy door creaked open.
Chisom ducked.
Footsteps.
She crouched behind the pulpit, holding her breath. A flashlight beam swept across the room. Someone was searching.
Then the voice: familiar. Male. Calm.
“Whoever is here,” said Head Boy Femi, “I suggest you come out now.”
Chisom stayed still. Her phone vibrated once. A message from Ada:
Room 2C. Now.
Femi waited a moment, then sighed and turned away. The door shut behind him.
She waited ten seconds, then bolted.
Room 2C was in the old science block — long abandoned after the fire two years ago. It was off-limits to students, but the door had been forced open. Chisom slipped inside, heart still racing.
Ada was waiting, holding a flashlight.
“You found the key?”
Chisom nodded and held it up.
Ada led her to a rusted metal cabinet at the back. “I think this is what it opens.”
The key turned with a click.
Inside were dozens of old files — staff records, student transcripts, and… a leather-bound notebook with no name.
Ada opened it carefully. “It’s a logbook.”
The entries were handwritten, the ink faded but still legible.
Initiation Night – Nov 14
Pledge completed. Silence oath taken. Members present: Head Boy, VP’s son, Madam Ronke, two others. The Order grows.
Chisom’s eyes widened. “The Order?”
Ada nodded grimly. “It’s real.”
They flipped through pages.
Disciplinary Action – Jan 9
Student caught investigating. Removed from St. James. Evidence buried.Assignment – Feb 2
Frame target. Admin will support narrative. No leaks.
“Frame target…” Chisom whispered. “That’s me.”
Ada’s hand was trembling. “This isn’t just about bullying or rivalry. This is organized. They’re protecting something — maybe someone.”
Chisom closed the logbook. “We need to copy these. Photos, scans, something.”
Ada pulled out her phone and started snapping pictures.
Suddenly, a crash outside.
Footsteps.
A voice shouted: “We know you’re in there!”
Ada and Chisom exchanged a glance. No time.
They grabbed the logbook and ran.
They made it back to the girls’ dorm through the back path behind the labs. Chisom’s hands were scraped from the thorns, but she barely noticed. Her mind was reeling.
Dapo had known. That’s why he disappeared.
That’s why he left the clue.
That night, they stayed up late in Ada’s room, reviewing the photos. The more they read, the clearer it became: The Order was a secret society rooted deep in the school’s leadership, recruiting students with influence — prefects, club heads, teacher’s kids — and using them to control the narrative.
They silenced troublemakers.
They buried scandals.
And they were terrified Chisom would expose them.
The next day, announcements rang over the speakers as usual, but Chisom felt eyes on her everywhere she went. Femi smiled too easily. Madam Ronke called her in for a “routine check.” Even the VP’s handshake during inspection lingered too long.
They knew.
But so did she.
After classes, Ada slipped her a new note.
“Library basement. 7 p.m. Another member wants to talk.”
Another?
Chisom folded the note, her heart already racing again.
The Hidden Files were no longer just files.
They were a war.
🕯 Next Time on The Hidden Files of St. James College: Episode 10 – “The Hidden Tunnel“
She finds an old tunnel under the school leading to a hidden office filled with documents, student records… and video footage from the night Kunle disappeared.
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Interesting ❤️💯