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supreme-lxadxr · 2 years
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hey dummies sorry for my inactivityyyy the rest is coming up soon dw!
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supreme-lxadxr · 2 years
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~The Fallen~
Chapter 10
(A/N-- NY FAVORITE CHARACTER COMES INNNN!!!! I love Hope so much!:) this one is pretty long haha)
CHAPTER 10
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Airin opened her eyes slowly, the Sun beating against her dark-colored eyes. The air was still, left hanging with the prospect of a repeated yesterday, all stuck in the uncertainty of tomorrow.
Dominance flipped onto his side, his eyes lighting up from the brightly blinding Sun in his line of sight.
It seemed that every resident felt a streak of despair, ever so slightly mixing with the hope of morning, the underlying prospect of a worse tomorrow hiding in plain sight.
Airin could hardly feel herself wake up, her body still and unmoving from the night before. Every memory a mere flashback, left hanging- suspended on thin strings hanging from the confines of her mind.
They’d never admit it, but they were both left feeling empty, hope slowly starting to make its way out from them.
Airin was silent as she sat up, Dominance already slipping his shoes and mask on. He hadn’t said anything this morning, a bad feeling arising into his gut.
“Hey, man, am I the only one who has a bad feeling…?” Dominance hesitated, standing near the door. Airin widened her eyes, shifting her weight to the edge of the bed.
“I don’t know...it’s not like another murder is about to happen today. I’ve never heard you say that, so now I’m on edge…” Airin stuttered, folding her arms as she slipped her shoes on.
“Oh- I didn’t mean that, Air! It’s not really important...besides, I’m sure we’ll be fine!” Dominance smiled, taking her arm in his as he swung the door open. She was hardly awake enough to perceive her surroundings, surprised by the sudden change in light.
She noticed the line being somewhat slower, Kiyotaka pushing his way to the front as he always did.
“There’s still a motive going on! I’m sure there’s more important information alongside that...everyone needs to speed their pace!” Kiyotaka shouted, pointing a finger towards the Auditorium.
“I am not sure the reason as to why every resident was so...negatively affected by last night- I believe, anyway. I don’t have a true perception of time, I believe…” Elle trailed off, taking Lynn’s arm in hers suddenly. “It was honestly just a reaction...an art of a thing called ‘a lapse in judgement’. It happens quite often, I’ve been on the receiving end of one myself…” She closed her eyes, touching a hand to her face.
“Yo Socrates- it was a murder, alright? There’s no ‘art’ or any of that crap, it just happened, and I ain’t sorry she did it! I was considerin’ it myself!” Mia yelled, pointing a thumbs-down in Elle’s direction.
“I’m considering it too- but not for him! Maybe Elle, Mia, or Kodie need it- a huge group of idiots who need their mouths permanently closed!” Jess smirked, posing with her hands on her hips.
“Eh- that’s not very nice… they’d be mad at you and probably never talk to you again if they heard you say that.” Kai folded her arms, visibly upset.
“I never talk to her anyway! I wouldn’t care if she went and took that pipsqueak little body of hers right into traffic!” Mia remarked, folding her arms.
“I don’t believe we’ve held a conversation before. I’ve never held a full conversation with any resident here that hasn’t turned into a debate...it’s truly interesting to me.” Elle stated.
“Eh- It’s not that interesting, Elle...nothing’s that interesting that you say is.” Kai’s eyes narrowed, her hair tossing from the slight wind.
“I see...I’ve never heard that before. Your quickly arrogant thinking could surely lead to an untimely death in a place like this, but I’m sure you are aware of that fact.” Elle’s eyes widened, her head tilting as she stated what she believed to be plain fact.
“Ugh...stop saying that! It’s so annoying when you keep trying to predict everyone’s death...just stop!” Kai yelled, her childish, small voice growing louder.
“Hold on, there’s no need to fight- just talk this out, please!” Lynn intervened, being quickly interrupted by Mia.
“Talk this out? What do ya think we are, five year olds for God’s sake? I’ll show ya how to handle somebody like her any day!” Mia yelled, grabbing Elle by her shoulders, shoving her against the wall as hard as she could.
“H-Hey- stop! Let go of her right now!” Lynn shouted after Mia, hardly being able to keep up with her fast pace.
Mia stood tall in front of Elle, stomping her feet with every step she took towards her. Elle’s face stayed blank, not showing any signs of wanting to protect herself.
“Ah, I’m used to this...one time it happened in an alley, I believe it’s called. That’s the only time I believed my dad would step in to save me, but alas, he never accomplished that task.” Elle closed her eyes, seemingly not shaken by her story.
“Shut your mouth right now before I do it for ya! What do ya even think you’re talkin’ about?” Mia stamped closer to her, leaving hardly any space between the two. “I swear, if ya run your mouth about somethin’ stupid again- I’mma give ya a taste of what ya say you’ve been expectin’!” Mia’s voice suddenly increased in intensity, closing her fists tightly.
“I simply told a story, it’s not that ‘stupid’ if you’d use your brain to deeply think about it...besides, with an attitude such as this, you’ll be the Chief’s main target, will you not?” Elle folded her arms, not disturbed by the oncoming situation. “If you kill me, you’ll only be executed yourself. You’ll have many witnesses...and Lynn won’t let you accomplish that, as she seems to truly be the last of the real ones…” Elle smiled to herself, hardly noticing Mia’s growing frustration.
“That’s it- I warned ya- and that’s....that’s IT!” Mia took one step closer, suddenly getting into position to attack. All in one quick motion, she grabbed Elle by her hair, slamming her hard against the wall again.
Before she could cause any further damage, Lynn suddenly ran between the two, forcing a barrier between the oncoming altercation about to take place. Lynn cowered in place, unmoving from her spot.
“Please stop this now! I won’t let you do this over something so selfish!” Lynn shouted, hardly noticing Elle take off in a sprint behind her, dashing towards her square on the floor.
“Selfish? You’re one to talk, always hangin’ out around people who could snap and hurt ya at any second! Do ya even value your life? It’s no wonder you’re here…” Mia folded her arms, aggression taking over her features.
“For your information- she could, but she wouldn’t do it to me, she’s proved it multiple times...and that’s why I’m friends with her and not people like you...it’s not that you’re a bad person, but sometimes I wonder what Kiyotaka was thinking…” Lynn trailed off, pushing her way past the very confused Mia.
“What’s going on over here? This needs to stop before the announcements come on…” Trina closed her eyes, folding her arms in annoyance.
“T-There was a fight I think...is everyone okay?” Mae spoke up, her slender hands shaking.
Kaz suddenly ran into the building, looking for any resident to talk to.
“I hope this stops soon...I don’t hate anyone here anymore. I used to hate Ed, but I guess that doesn’t matter anymore…” Isana trailed off, Bernadette close beside her. Isana was playing a video game on her handheld device, left cracked and dirty from the events of only a few nights before.
“I hated him too...I don’t want anyone getting hurt! I like Mia though, even though she hurts people really easily!” Bernadette smiled, awkwardly messing with her hair. Suddenly Kaz appeared behind her, smiling brightly.
“Oh- so you don’t hate me! I knew it!” Kaz giggled, much to Bernadette’s annoyance.
“It’s not that I hate you, I just tend to forget you exist...it’s for both of our own goods, of course!” Bernadette smiled, watching Kaz’s eyes widen at the venom of her words.
“I’m honestly surprised you stalk her so much- it’s not what I expected from you. But I’m pretty sure Kiyotaka hates your guts, and Dominance is probably taken.” Isana calmly stated, Kaz’s face suddenly becoming pale white.
“H-Hey- don’t say that! I’m not a stalker!” Kaz defended himself, placing his hands over his head in nervousness and embarrassment.
“You never denied the second thing she said...you should really go somewhere else, if that’s the case.” Bernadette pulled at a strand of her hair, appearing annoyed.
“Y-Yes I did! You guys are mean…” Kaz folded his arms, walking back to his own square. Bernadette and Isana exchanged glances for a second, giggling to each other.
“I overheard that- that was good, guys! More savage than I could do myself…” Vinnie pressed her index fingers together, indicating her nervousness.
“Aha- I knew it! And I’m sure you could, Vinnie! Just find someone who grates on your nerves the most and it’ll come easily!” Bernadette slung an arm over Vinnie’s shoulders, smiling brightly.
“Heh, I’m sure I will eventually…” Vinnie smiled sheepishly, suddenly being cut off by the TV cutting on.
Every resident- including Airin and Dominance, who’d been watching this from a distance- went to their designated squares.
“Good morning Residents! As you know, there is still a motive going on, so any murder can happen at any time!” Chief 2 began, and Bryce narrowed his eyes, folding his arms.
“Yeah, like I’ll let that happen…” Bryce muttered, his face becoming angry.
“Anyway, there’s also another thing going on! Instead of being given your food, over today and tomorrow, you’ll have time to make it yourselves, and make a sort-of event for yourselves! There won’t be any other entertainment, so it better be done well- and it all has to be done by tomorrow morning! So get to it- announcements over!”
All residents in attendance bowed, quickly getting up to make their way out the door.
“You know what, my bad feeling already left, man! We’re gonna have a great time today!” Dominance shot Airin a thumbs-up, quickly pulling her behind to the Cafeteria. The kitchen area had been opened, a much bigger room exposing itself in the back. The ingredients were laying out on the tables, everything all ready to go.
“Alright everyone- I’ll arrange some groups while everyone gets settled! Emerald, Alana, Jess, Bernadette, Isana, Kai, Airin, Vinnie and Tina can do the baking, Mia, Kodie, Bryce, Lynn, Elle, Lane, me, and Kaz can cook, and Kiyotaka, Dominance, Trina, and Mae can do the decorating!” Monica asserted, pointing a finger at different sections of the room. “And of course, anyone can switch positions if it’s only one or two at a time...I don’t want things to get chaotic or confusing.”
“Aww~ but I like when things are chaotic and confusing! Nothing’s fun if it isn’t…” Kodie pouted, crossing her arms like a young child.
“Ah- that’s not a good idea! Chaos isn’t very fun...it’s more scary than anything!” Vinnie threw her hands up as if to defend herself.
“Whatever, this doesn’t matter. Let’s just go!” Monica immediately started picking up the chairs in the middle of the room, moving them to the corners.
“Hey man, you can switch positions anytime if you wanna see me! You’re gonna do great, though!” Dominance shot a thumbs-up in Airin’s direction, and she calmly smiled.
“Thanks...you will too, I never saw you as some sort of interior decorator, but I guess I can roll with it, it’s pretty cool, actually…” Airin giggled to herself, Dominance’s reaction mirroring hers.
“Yeah, but you know I can do anything! You can too, of course!” Dominance smiled brightly. “Well...I guess I’ll see ya later!”
She waved to him, smiling as she slowly walked backwards towards the kitchen. Before she could answer him, Emerald and Bernadette each took one of her arms.
“AHA! You’re in our hands now, there’s no going back!” Emerald yelled, starting to drag her backwards.
“H-Hey- what are you doing? Do you wanna die?” Airin shouted, trying- to no avail- to wiggle out of their iron grips.
“No way! We’re just getting started, and you need to lighten up!” Bernadette exclaimed, pulling a confused Airin behind her.
“Come on- let go now!” Airin continued to yell, shifting back and forth in any attempt to break free from the two hyper girls, excitedly pulling her back with them. They eventually let go at the very back of the kitchen, a crowded space that was illuminated by leftover string lights.
“TA-DA! Emerald- the super-ultimate-detective- and decorator- decorated this ALL pretty for ya! Do ya like it?” Emerald jumped up and down, closing her eyes as she smiled brightly.
“I mean, it’s not the worst...but that doesn’t mean it’s good!” Jess closed her eyes, her fists at her sides as she yelled.
“Aww, I think it looks amazing!” Vinnie clasped her hands together, smiling gently.
“Yeah, you did great! I can’t wait to get this started...I have so many ideas!” Alana pointed a finger towards the ingredients, slightly jumping with excitement. “I can’t wait anymore- let’s just get going!”
“Yeah, Alana better do all the work! Everyone else is just gonna make it smell and taste like disgusting pig barf!” Jess crossed her arms, stamping her feet.
“Th-That’s bold o-of you...t-to s-say that wh-when I’ve never se-seen you bathe before…” Tina fiddled with her fingers, rolling her eyes.
“You tried to watch me bathe? You disgusting pervert- get out of here! You smell like a rotting corpse!” Jess shrieked, giving Tina a push towards one of the counters.
“Hey, hey! Stop that! We’re not here to fight unless you wanna be, then be my guest!” Alana placed her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes.
“Eh, what do we do now?” Kai yawned tiredly. “I just wanna go to sleep…”
“Not right now, Kai! It’s time to have fun now!” Alana tried to hype up the smaller girl, to no avail.
“I’m with Kai, I’ve been sleepy ever since I was born…” Isana rested her chin on her hand, closing her tired eyes.
Jess gave Isana a swift kick to the shin, nearly taking out the slightly taller, thicker girl.
“Woman up! What do you think you’re doing right now? It’s bold of someone who looks like they just crawled out of a pigsty to just fall asleep where I’M supposed to be standing!” Jess pouted. “Maybe I’ll let you be lazy there after you run a couple laps!”
Alana suddenly gave Jess a quick slap across the cheek, not hard enough to hurt her badly, but hard enough to stop her in her tracks.
“Stop that right now! It’s so rude to make fun of someone’s body like that! She’s fine just the way she is!” Alana shouted.
“Yeah...I think you should just be quiet. You running your mouth like that isn’t helping anyone…” Isana yawned again, not moving from her spot. Suddenly, Bernadette ran behind her, grabbing her friend’s shoulders.
“Exactly what she said- if you talk to any of my friends like that ever again I may need to take it to the next level!” Bernadette yelled over Isana’s head.
“We should drop this before anything gets physical...Jess, just shut up for now, okay?” Airin sighed, picking up some ingredients to make cupcakes.
“You’re one to talk, you ugly, toilet-clogging piece of trash…” Jess muttered, folding her arms.
Meanwhile, in other parts of the kitchen, half separated by a wall, other chaos of it’s own went on. They weren’t instructed as to what to make, so after lots of debating, they all finally agreed on a Thanksgiving-style dinner- after Bryce finally found an uncooked turkey to put an end to the huge, long debate.
But somehow, Kaz had managed to start a fire on the stove, trying to start the mashed potatoes.
A loud scream erupted from the area near the stove, that being of Kaz.
“G-Guys…? Guys? GUYS?! I-I did something wr-wrong…!” Kaz yelled, the small fire gradually building itself up.
Lane let out a high-pitched scream- but not one of fear.
“WOO-HOO! FIRE, YEAH!” Lane had already started rummaging through the fridge for things to snack on, stuffing herself with cheese and different kinds of meat.
“F-fire?! Everyone, get back! Don’t blow on it, Kaz, it’ll only get bigger!” Lynn stretched her arms out protectively against the other residents behind her. A panicked Kaz stopped in his tracks, holding his long, scarlet red hair back.
Eventually, Monica ran from across the room, calmly- and silently- grabbing a cup of water, and pouring it on the quickly building flame- which was building to be quite large.
“I’ve only seen fire twice...it’s an amazing art, isn’t it? It wasn’t amazing whenever it caught a huge building on fire, or when my hair caught fire, now was it?” Elle stated calmly, running her fingers over her scars.
As if on cue, as soon as Elle finished her sentence, a fire alarm began sounding as if everyone’s lives depended on it.
Which if it wasn’t for Monica, they would’ve.
Airin ran for the door, peeking her head through the opening. She squinted her eyes against the smoke, the silhouettes of the Residents hard to see.
“What...What even just happened?” Airin stuttered out, left in shock from the sight of the stove. It was dripping water, and thick steam and smoke were still spreading everywhere.
“There was a fire...it’s all taken care of now though, don’t worry!” Lynn gave a reassuring smile, looking around for any windows to open.
There were none, but Kiyotaka had opened the front door, the humidity of the outside air doing nothing for the heat of the inside building. Dominance had switched the ceiling fan on, but all it did was push smoke around.
“Alright...let’s just keep going and try not to have that happen again…” Monica asserted, folding her arms in annoyance.
Airin stepped back into the very back of the kitchen, the back windows clouded over with smoke.
“I-I can’t see! Everything’s black! My future is black!” Emerald shouted, running into Isana with her full weight.
“Hey, hey...it’s not that bad…” Isana smiled calmly, placing her hands in front of her.
“Well if a certain someone whose hair looks like a rat’s bloodstream wasn’t so stupid, I’d be able to see my own hand in front of my face!” Jess sneered.
“Isana’s right, it’s not that bad. Please just get over it…” Alana folded her arms in annoyance. “You don’t have to complain about everything on God’s green Earth…”
“I thought you were my friend! And friends agree all the time, right?” Jess stomped her foot.
“No, they don’t. And friends tell you when you’re doing something wrong, too! It doesn’t mean I hate you or anything…” Alana’s gaze softened, and she appeared brighter. She adjusted her pink hair, tossing the short locks about.
“Exactly! ‘Cause you can’t hate someone like me!” Jess tossed her blonde ponytail, smiling as she closed her big, innocent looking eyes.
“I beg to differ…” Airin muttered under her breath, crossing her arms.
“Alrighty then! Let’s get this started!” Alana jumped of excitement, and Jess mirrored her excitement.
“Yay!! Let’s get it goin’ right now!” Emerald grabbed a bowl, suddenly dumping large amounts of flour into it.
“Hey, what are you doing? You do know there’s a thing called a ‘recipe’, right? Jeez…” Alana appeared annoyed, but it faded quickly.
“I d-don’t know h-how to bake...I-I’m only eating s-something I m-make...ngh- they’re p-probably poisoning the food ri-right now…” Tina held herself tightly, interrupting herself often.
“Eh...they wouldn’t do something like that. They probably don’t even like you enough to go to that trouble.” Kai closed her eyes, yawning as she laid her head on the table.
“Th-They...wh-what? I sh-should’ve known…” Tina crossed her arms, sitting slumped against the wall.
“Don’t say that...I’m sure they like you! They might just be...scared of you…” Vinnie nervously laughed, folding her hands together.
“They don’t like her. I don’t like her, she doesn’t even like herself! She smells like a barnyard, that’s why!” Jess crossed her arms, grabbing a second bowl and starting to read a recipe Alana printed out.
“Eek- I-I know...o-one of m-my-” Tina was cut off by Jess once again.
“Ooh, that makes me scared! Water scary! There must be big, bad, monsters in there!” Jess mocked in a high-pitched voice. “Grow up! You’re so pathetic, I’m surprised your mom didn’t abandon you on the side of the road on the way home from giving birth!”
“Alright, stop it! You’re being really mean, Jess!” Bernadette shouted, growing increasingly angry at Jess.
“What are you gonna do about it? Are you gonna hurt me?” Jess mocked again, her eyes wide. “You’re even more pathetic, what’s with you and your friends? It’s so creepy...and Isana’s just jealous of you anyway. That’s the only reason she lets you be such a stalker to her…”
“St-Stalker? Excuse me?” Bernadette balled her hands into fists tightly. “You’re only saying that because you have no idea what friends are like, because obviously you don’t have any.” Her eyes widened, her annoyance growing.
“I’m not jealous of anyone, especially not you. You’re kind of ugly to add onto your meanness...it’s kind of sad, that’s why I don’t like you…” Isana pulled out her handheld device, starting up a videogame as she slumped against the counter.
“I’m sad? I don’t have any friends? I have Alana, ‘cause she’s a nice person unlike you! You’re all just a bunch of bullies who can’t bring yourselves to realize I’m better than you!” Jess’ eyes were wide with anger, and Alana rolled her eyes.
“Yeah, but you’re not above anyone. You’re just being annoying now...and you’re being the bully. Do you need me to slap some sense into you again? Jeez…” Alana firmly asserted, greatly annoyed.
“Please do…” Airin muttered under her breath. “I’m starting to not be able to take this. Do you wanna die? If not, shut up!” Airin shouted, grabbing Jess by her shoulders for a few seconds.
Suddenly, Kodie appeared in the doorway, silently walking towards Jess. All in one quick motion, she swiftly slapped Jess across the face, smirking to herself.
“That’s a low blow right there, and that’s something coming from me…~” Kodie whispered under her breath, her big eyes sparkling in the light.
“Y-You...TAKE THAT BACK!” Jess screamed, grabbing Kodie by the shoulders. Jess slammed her against the wall, suddenly moving as if she’d try to choke her. Jess let out a string of curse words, her hand resting firmly on Kodie’s neck.
“You’re really gonna try and choke me out right here? Oh nonono~ you’re doing it wrong!” Kodie smirked, suddenly slamming Jess to the ground, as quickly as she could blink.
“A-Ah! What are you d-doing?!” Jess screamed, kicking her legs. Kodie kneeled on the smaller girl’s stomach, making sure she couldn’t move. Both of Kodie’s hands wrapped around her neck, starting to squeeze slightly.
“L-Let go of me! Y-You’re gonna kill m-me here?” Jess shrieked, the fear arising inside of her sending the pitch of her voice sky-high.
“H-Hey! Stop that! I don’t wanna witness a murder!” Bernadette suddenly piped up, her voice trembling.
“Make me! I’m not letting you go till you learn a lesson, sorry there, Cracker-Jack~!” Kodie smirked at the new pet name, giggling to herself.
“Don’t y-you dare EVER call m-me that again…! L-Let go!” Jess squirmed, becoming more afraid that Kodie really wasn’t about to let go.
“I just told you I’m not doing that! Sorry! Did ya learn yet?” Kodie giggled through her sentences, her grip on the smaller girl’s neck tightening.
“Let go right now! What do you think you’re doing?! Have you been hanging around the guys or something?” Alana grabbed Kodie’s shoulders, who only stood her ground harder.
“What do you mean, what do I think I’m doing’? I’m doing what you think I’m doing!” Kodie smiled, a hint of evil in those innocent eyes.
“I think you’re trying to murder someone in front of me! Stop it- you’re scaring me!” Vinnie’s voice was sky-high in pitch.
“Fine...you guys are so boring~...” Kodie stepped off of the smaller girl, freeing her iron grip.
Jess sat up quickly, blood rushing to her cheeks as she swayed in place.
“Ngh- don’t ever do that again! What’s wrong with you?” Jess shouted, her voice raw.
“Hehe~ aw, I was just playing with you! Not really...I actually wanted you to learn something. You were just being a bit...difficult, should I say?” The pitch of Kodie’s voice reverted up and down, fluctuating between mocking and serious- lies and truth.
“I think it’s time you leave...I’ve had enough of this!” Isana’s calm, soft voice hiked up in volume as her frustration grew.
“Alright, alright...I’m bored anyway…” Kodie yawned, turning her back as she sprinted.
Everyone stood in silence for a few drawn-out moments, her last words hanging in the air.
“Wh-What...What just happened?” Alana questioned, her eyes widening. She bent down to Jess’ level, who was kneeling down on the floor.
“Hey, hey! Lookie here! Come on, it’s super-ultimate-level cool!” Emerald bounced, unaware of the serious aura holding tightly to the room.
As soon as eyes turned towards her, she revealed a large tray- all full of different colored, uncooked, unfrosted cupcakes. They were filled with sprinkles, saturating the middle and littering over the top.
“See! They’re amazing, amiright?!” Emerald’s eyes were lit up with joy, her whole body nearly trembling from excitement.
“Y-Yeah, those are amazing! They’re so pretty…” Vinnie began, being interrupted by Kai.
“Ngh- they really stole your eyes, didn’t they…?”
“St-Stole my e-eyes…?” Tina held herself tightly.
“I think it’s a figure of speech…” Bernadette tapped a finger to her chin.
“Yeah, it is...everyone knows that.” Airin’s voice grew in annoyance.
“Apparently not everyone…” Alana laughed nervously to herself, scratching at her pink, short locks of soft hair. “But hey- it looks great! I’ll be counting on you to decorate them too, alright? Now let’s get started on the cake- I’ll also be counting on you to help decorate that!”
“IIIII’m...ON IT!” Emerald positioned a hand to the top of her head, in a saluting-type gesture, holding out the “I” sound in uncontained excitement.
“Whatever… no funny business, alright?! And you better not hold it against me if I say that the cupcakes were pretty!” Jess stamped her foot, and Airin tilted her head in confusion.
“Whatever that means...let’s just get to this!” Alana grabbed a bowl and her recipe, holding it out to the other scrambling residents.
“I-It says you need milk, eggs, and fl-flour… I’ve n-never cooked before…” Tina let go of herself, standing straighter. Her hunched-over position was beginning to make her back hurt sharply, making her body feel shocks of pain.
“That’s ok! See, we’ll help you...it’s not that hard once you start learning.” Alana smiled, mixing her newly poured ingredients together in a large bowl. It started to smell less like smoke, and more like actual food, inside of the kitchen.
Airin helped Emerald decorate her newly baked cupcakes, steam rising from the rainbow-colored desserts.
“See! They’re rainbow, ‘cuz Kendall would’ve loved that!” Emerald exclaimed.
“What are you saying…?” Jess questioned, her hands firmly on her hips.
“I think she’s saying she made those in memory of her friend...it was a nice thing to do, in my opinion.” Airin folded her arms, eyeing the mess they’d managed to make on the floor.
“Hm...not that bad…” Jess puffed out her cheeks, crossing her thin arms.
“I think they’re awesome! Ooh~ I like the purple!” Bernadette placed her hands on Airin’s shoulders, standing on her tiptoes over Airin’s head.
“H-Hey- what are you doing…?” Airin questioned, her eyes wide with confusion.
“Ngh...they’re good...they’d be better to eat…” Kai tiredly slumped against the wall, mindlessly eating the handful of soft flour she’d been holding.
“D-Did you just…? You know what, nevermind...I bet they taste even better than they look!” Vinnie smiled sheepishly.
“Are you calling them ugly? Cuz they’re not! They’re pretty and they smell good! Just like me!” Jess snickered, her face inches from the tray.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, inside the kitchen, things had gotten hardly less chaotic. The possibility of another fire hung heavy in the air, scaring every resident into submission.
“Hey, guys?! There’s another fire on the stove!” Kodie shouted, her smirk radiating into every word she spoke. It had been the third time in 15 minutes that she’d tried this, and no one fell for it again.
“Can ya just shut your trap? I’m sick of hearing ya voice go on and on about useless-” Mia’s voice got cut off by the smoke alarm suddenly going off again, tripping the sprinklers.
“It’s in the rules- if the fire alarm is tripped twice, the sprinklers go off!” Kiyotaka’s voice piped up from near the front door, pointing a finger in the direction of the kitchen.
“You’ve got to be kidding me…” Bryce muttered, his face breaking out into an angry expression.
“My bad, y’all! I left some cupcake wrappers in the oven! I was wondering what that smokey smell was! I don’t remember doing that, though...weird, amiright?” Emerald shouted, hardly peeking her head through the doorway.
“T-The cake- the cupcakes! Throw them under a table!” Alana exclaimed, grabbing her cake out of the second oven. She set it onto the floor, careful not to step on the undecorated dessert.
Isana grabbed the tray of cupcakes, protecting them with her body before placing them under the same small table. She knelt by the opening, careful to not let any water damage them.
“Who did this? Why was the fire alarm tripped? I swear- if this is to distract us…” Bryce looked around, ready to defend anyone.
“Nah, it shouldn’t be...besides, who cares anyway? I needed a shower today- haven’t had one in months!” Lane smiled, unaware of the oddness of her statement.
“Oh...how interesting. I am not sure how to feel about water itself, it is nice to stare at...but to think about being in it again...it’s quite the punishment.” Elle closed her eyes, her dark-blonde hair fading into a darker shade as the water soaked through it.
“I...don’t think I wanna know what you’re talking about right now…” Monica nervously stated.
Elle ignored Monica’s nervous words, crossing her arms.
“Ah...I see. Do you not have a reason to do those things, though?” Elle questioned.
“W-Well...not anymore, if you’re talking about what I think- it’s okay though! It’s still important!” Monica smiled, masking her true feelings.
“Your cryptic words make no sense to me...but I suppose I can infer that your aforementioned love interest has passed on?” Elle asked, not a hint of embarrassment in her voice.
Monica’s eyes widened, unsure of how to form her words.
“D-Don’t ask things like that! It’s inappropriate!” Lynn protected, holding her dripping hair out of her eyes.
“Inappropriate...define that.” Elle’s voice suddenly turned serious.
“It means something you’re not supposed to do because it’ll hurt someone…you knew that, right?” Monica answered her.
“I don’t think she did…” Lynn smiled nervously.
“However...it was an interesting proposition. I have to say...romance is a mind-boggling topic...I don’t believe I’ll ever truly understand it…” Elle smiled to herself, seeming to be thinking deeply about something. “I’ve only ever felt it once in my life...I’ve also only done anything romantic- such as to kiss someone once in my life. It was truly amazing, if I must say…”
“I-...I don’t think I’d know anything about that…” Lynn scratched her neck nervously, stepping away from the conversation as calmly as she could.
Elle quickly followed, leaving an extremely confused Monica behind, letting the last drops of water roll off the tips of her tightly curled hair.
The sprinklers had stopped several seconds before their conversation, leaving the kitchen soaked with water and regret.
“I don’t feel right about this. Can someone…” Bryce stopped for a moment, crossing his arms tightly over his chest. “Can someone go check the back? I need to make sure this turkey doesn’t burn in the oven.”
“Eh, I’m sure it’ll be fine! I’ll keep everyone suspicious in check, got it?” Lane smiled, placing her hands on her hips in quick movements. “Nobody’s gonna die if we’re workin’ together!”
“I-Is everyone okay? P-Please...don’t s-slip on the fl-floor! It’s a hazard to anyone who’s g-going too fast!” Mae pointed a finger, concern lacing her innocent eyes.
“Eh, I don’t care that much...it’s not that bad.” Kai picked her head up from the ground, her dyed-green hair soaking wet.
“Kai- why were you laying on the floor?” Bernadette had a confused look on her face.
She closed her eyes slowly, laying her head back down on the floor.
“Ngh...wake me up when it’s time…” Kai yawned, sprawling out on her spot.
“Time for what? Don’t be stupid!” Jess narrowed her eyes at the slightly taller girl.
“Hey, our desserts weren’t ruined by the water! We got them away in enough time for them to be okay...but these plates aren’t very clean anymore…” Alana picked up the heavy dish, lifting it to the wet countertop.
“Hold on- I’ll get new ones now from the kitchen- if we can find any dry ones, that is.” Airin stated, walking towards the small opening for a door. She was suddenly cut off by Bryce, holding a small stack of baking dishes, perfectly stacked as to not fall, in his arms.
“Oh, I’m sorry- don’t drop those, please!” Airin suddenly exclaimed, stopping herself before crashing into him further.
“No, no, it’s okay, really. I was getting these for you guys anyway- I couldn’t help but overhear some talk about needing new ones, and I’m not using them.” Bryce smiled, handing Airin the precariously shifting stack of dishes. She caught them in her hands, wrapping her body around the stack.
“Thank you- are you sure you don’t need them?” Airin questioned, walking backwards slowly.
“Nah, y’all are all good! I already got enough food back here to last me a lifetime!” Lane exclaimed, her hands on his shoulders.
Airin smiled gently, setting the dishes down gently.
“Wh-What am I s-supposed to do w-with those…? W-We already made everything...and I-I...I don’t know h-how to bake.” Tina ran her fingers across the countertop, shifting her feet.
“You don’t know how to bake? Anything? But you just helped us...you liar!” Jess folded her arms, accidentally letting another rude comment slip out.
“Nonono~ Only I’m allowed to say that, Cracker-Jack!” Kodie peeked her head through the door, a smug expression resting on her features.
“I TOLD YOU NOT TO CALL ME THAT!” Jess shrieked, her face red with anger and embarrassment. She picked up a plastic bowl, wailing it as hard as she could in Kodie’s direction. She quickly ducked out of view, missing the bowl. Instead, it hit Kaz square in the back of the head.
“H-Hey! What was that for? I didn’t put that much chocolate in- that just made me dump even more! Come on, it’s not that bad!” Kaz yelled.
“Chocolate in mashed potatoes...is that a thing?” Vinnie stuttered nervously.
“Hm, that works even better. Maybe when he stops screaming like a-” Jess was cut off by Isana, who was already halfway through making a pie.
“Can you please just shut up? I’d rather have us get along...then whatever’s happening right now. Come on guys, this is supposed to bring us together, not tear us apart!” Isana smiled, placing a hand over her heart gently.
“I mean, I agree I guess, but that’s still really weird…” Bernadette crossed her arms, visibly confused and frustrated.
“Oh- Isana, you’ve already started that...okay- that’s fine! Emerald- can I count on you to decorate?” Alana questioned, running a hand through her hair.
“Yeppers! Y’all can always count on me- the super-ultimate-detective- and now, decorator!” Emerald jumped up and down, grabbing a bag of icing in each hand. She had already used some of the frosting to paint small red and purple hearts on her cheeks, and some of the blue frosting had made it’s way into her scarlet-red hair. Her roots had started to show around the top, leaving strands of jet-black all throughout her thick, 4-toned locks.
“Okay...well then, I’ll start baking cookies- whoever wants to help can, okay? But no funny business, we’ve gotta get a move on! I’ll be counting on you.” Alana smiled, handing a bowl to Tina, who’d been sitting in the corner. “Here, it’s really not that hard to just mix some things together. See, no one’s hurting anyone!”
“Hmph- you better not mess this up, or maybe I will poison your food! You better not, okay? Alana’s being nice to you ‘cause she’s nice! You can’t take advantage of her, okay?” Jess stamped her small feet, forcing an irritated frown.
“She won’t take advantage of me, she’s not like that. Just be nice to her, and all goes well, alright?” Alana answered her. “Here, you always forget to do this...I’ll do it for you for awhile, but try to learn how to do it yourself, please…” Alana multitasked, tying the strands of fabric holding her shirt on from the back. The way the shirts were- they were all tied up the back, knots or bows holding the shirt either tightly, or loosely on. Jess always left hers wide open, exposing her skin from the back. The truth was- her arms were too short to reach the ties, so she’d left them open, in hopes no one would notice.
“There you go- that’s gotta feel better now, right?” Alana smiled, tying the last bow tightly. Jess uncrossed her arms, gently smiling.
“Yeah, you did it better than the rest of these losers! Come on, this is what an actual cool person would do, okay? She’s super sweet and nice, you should be more like her!” Jess showed her friend off to the rest of them, for once seemingly calm and happy.
“Are you okay, Jess? I’ve never seen you happy unless you’re tormenting some poor person…” Vinnie played with her fingers, her eyes averting away.
“Don’t make fun of me, you jerk! You smell like a dumpster!” Jess screamed, right back to her normal personality again.
“I- I do?” Vinnie pulled at her shirt nervously.
“Ngh...No way, don’t listen to her! She’s just being a bully…” Kai spoke up, sitting up from her spot on the floor. “Are we done yet? I’m still tired…”
“No, we’re not...why don’t you help us, Kai? You like sweet stuff, right?” Airin spoke up, an idea presenting itself.
“Sw-Sweet stuff…? Where?” Kai’s eyes shot open, a surprised expression lacing itself into her big, innocent eyes.
“Ooh, ooh! It’s here! It’s all here!” Emerald handed her a handful of candy beads, which Kai accepted quickly. She held the candy in her small hands, eating it as fast as it was handed to her.
“Whoa, someone as sugar-crazy as me! Let’s go!” Emerald hopped up and down, shoving a handful of the cake toppings into her mouth.
“H-Hey- are those edible?” Bernadette asked, her eyes wide.
“I don’t know, just let them be. They’re having fun, I guess, so that’s all that really matters.” Airin answered.
“Hey, Isana! I love what you’re doing with your cookies!” Vinnie piped up excitedly.
“Thank you...candy beads shouldn’t just go to waste like that. Sugar, cats, and video games...they’re my favorite things.” Isana smiled calmly, her soft voice barely able to be heard.
She was making square-shaped cookies with grey frosting, and small pieces of candy decorating them to look like small gaming systems. They looked pixelated and small- filled with cute details. It fit her cute, quiet personality quite well.
They were mixed with small, pink cookies, decorated with candy to make them appear as small cartoon cat faces, to match her hoodie.
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, things weren’t so calm.
“Y-You guys...this floor is so covered with food and water- you’re all gonna- eek!” Mae tripped over seemingly nothing, crashing hard onto her chest. The ties of her shirt split completely open, causing her shirt to fall off of her arms, floating down to the wet floor.
“Wowie~ a fanservice moment! You’re really disgusting, aren’t you…?” Kodie checked over her nails absent-mindedly, rolling her eyes.
“Hey- are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?” Lynn ran over to her, helping her up by her wrists.
“N-No, I’m okay, I s-swear! H-How about you guys...did a-anyone else get hurt? Ngh...I’m sorry you had to see me- I’m so ugly!” Mae asked, concerned.
“Aha! That was golden- the way you just fell exactly like that!” Mia pointed, unable to suppress a loud bout of laughter.
“You’re not ugly, everyone’s just being really rude right now…” Monica bent to her level, suddenly standing up tall. “Hey, can you guys stop? She fell, okay? It’s not funny- what about that is funny?”
“Yeah, I ain’t even part of this, and from what I saw it’s not funny! Stop it guys, this isn’t cool!” Dominance piped up, walking in the direction of the kitchen.
Jess appeared in the doorway, a conniving look in her eyes.
“Ew- what am I looking at? What is this cow doing on the floor like that? Are you just waiting for some guy to be desperate enough to lower his standards to useless, used-up trash at the bottom of the dumpster?” Jess smirked, crossing her arms. “Just let me twist your bones in different directions, then I’ll be satisfied-” She was cut off by Lane and Mia grabbing each of her arms, one in both. They heaved her upwards, wordlessly tossing the small girl to the back of the kitchen.
Mae closed her tear-filled eyes, her breath shaky and stuttering.
“I-I’m sorry I’m tr-trash! I-I’ll m-make it up t-to you!” Mae wiped her tear-streaked cheeks, clutching her shirt to her chest. “I c-can’t help wh-what size I a-am...o-or how I l-look-” Mae cut herself off, lifting her body up into a sitting position.
“I don’t need you to make it up to me! You need to make it up to your parents, who gave birth to the wrong thing however many mistakes ago!” Jess stood back up, attempting to enter into the kitchen again- but Mia and Lane blocked her.
“You ain’t takin’ another step on my watch! Y’all better not even attempt to move again!” Mia yelled, pushing her fist into her open palm.
“Hmph- you guys are so mean! I’m just telling her what she needs to hear!” Jess snickered under her breath.
Alana walked up behind Jess, grabbing hold of her shoulders, leading her away silently.
“Ooh~ Cracker-Jack didn’t like that!” Kodie closed her eyes, smiling to herself. She jumped in excitement for seemingly no reason, her cheeks stained pink.
Monica took a deep breath, drawing it out as long as she could to convey her frustration.
“Come on, let’s just get out of here-” Monica got cut off by Emerald suddenly running into the room, wrapping an arm around the shaking girl. Mae was clutching her shirt tightly to her chest, hot tears streaming down her cheeks. They fell off of her chin, pooling in her bared collarbone.
“Come on come on come on! Don’t be sad, you’ll look all pretty when you stop crying!” Emerald smiled, bringing her to her feet. She made quick work of tying the small ties together in cute bows, holding the terrified girl’s shirt on. “There ya go- Emerald strikes again! Here ya go, have some sugary sweetness!” Emerald closed her eyes in excitement, suddenly shoving a pink cupcake in Mae’s face. Mae flinched, but soon opened her eyes, gladly taking the small dessert into her hands.
“Th-Thank you…!” Mae smiled, taking the first bite. Emerald was practically shaking in excitement, jumping up and down.
“Alrighty now, Emerald’s gotta go bake some more! Hey, I’ll stop her from bullying ya, okay? Go eat some more food or something’! That always makes me happy, and I wanna see ya happy!” Emerald smiled brightly, walking backwards into the back of the kitchen. She jumped up and down as she went, chewing on leftover candy in her mouth.
She entered the back, extending her arms out in excitement.
“Y’all need some music! Want me to sing it for ya?” Emerald closed her eyes, happily jumping.
“Ooh, ooh, ooh! Yes! Lemme do it too!” Kodie ran into the room, grabbing a lollipop off of the floor.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea-” Vinnie started, but Kodie interrupted.
“Nonono~ it’s fine! That’s what Cracker-Jack said, right?” Kodie pointed in Jess’ direction, who was also eating one.
“Wh-What? I never said anything!” Jess shouted angrily.
“Alrighty then! I gotta get us fake microphones, ya know! Hold on, have some fun without me!” Emerald darted out of the room to a hallway adjacent to the counter they’d been working on. It was long, dark, and cold, but at the end, Emerald knew it held a freezer that had frozen cake pops- they’d be perfect for microphones. She darted off to grab them.
After several minutes passed, Jess eyed the perfectly placed cupcakes, dipping her finger in the icing and licking it off.
“Hey, don’t do that! That’s kind of...dirty…” Alana scolded, her hands on her hips.
“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?” Jess narrowed her eyes.
Alana didn’t answer, she just finished decorating her cake, since Emerald seemed to be having trouble finding the cake pops.
The cakes, pies, and cookies were all done, 2 to 3 batches of each. The decorating had been done for a small amount of time now, and there was hardly anything else to do. All that was left were just some smaller snacks, and the baking work was done.
“Ngh...it looks good, but I’m too hungry to just look at it…” Kai’s eyes lit up, her hands moving towards the trays.
“Hold on, and we can eat it later! You all did so good...I’m so proud of you guys!” Alana moved to bring in a group hug, to which they obliged. Airin and Kai tried to wiggle out, but it proved impossible.
“Hey guys, something smells good in here...wow! You did amazing!” Monica smiled, crossing her arms. “2 pies, 2 cakes, 3 batches of cookies...you really outdid yourself! If you’re done here...come help us cook!”
“Oh alright, we need something to do anyway! Thanks, Monica!” Alana thanked Monica, her blue eyes sparkling in the light. Everything was starting to dry up now.
Everyone else left the back of the kitchen, while Kai stared, entranced by the desserts.
“Comin’ through! Y’all- get a load of this!” Lane passed by them quickly, waving the plate of turkey in their direction. She nearly dropped it, stumbling over her own feet.
“Hey Kaz, have you burnt anything else recently, or are you just waiting to get roasted?” Isana tilted her head innocently, and he rolled his eyes.
“Oh come on! Can’t someone let me live this down?” Kaz shouted, his hand falling onto the stove. He retracted it back quickly, inhaling sharply.
“Ah, I guess that makes 2 things!” Isana smiled, touching her hands together.
Jess was humming a song to herself, progressively starting to sing louder. She tossed her blonde ponytail behind her, (possibly in hopes of it hitting someone) closing her eyes in the moment.
“Hey Jess, didn’t Emerald sing that at the ACE event? Speaking of that...where is she anyway?” Alana asked worriedly, turning to Airin.
“I don’t know...I haven’t seen her since she left- someone better go check she’s not stuck somewhere…” Airin folded her arms.
“Emerald? EMERALD? Are you anywhere here?” Bernadette yelled, to no avail.
“She went into the freezer, it’s in that back hallway.” Isana peeked up from her video game.
Before anyone could answer her, the fire alarm sounded for the third time. Everyone’s eyes turned towards Kaz, who was carrying plates across the kitchen. He stopped in his tracks, setting the dishes down haphazardly. He threw his hands over his ears quickly, closing his eyes tightly.
“Guys- GUYS! It wasn’t me! Did you hear me? It wasn’t-” Kaz got cut off by the power suddenly cutting out.
He stared incredulously into the pitch blackness, the silence hanging in the air like a forgotten word.
Like a lyric to a song- the darkest song you know.
It stood dormant, hanging in the air from thin strings.
Alana felt her hands across the counters, making a last ditch effort to see where she was.
Eventually, the silence was broken by Jess, who let out a short scream. She clung to the person closest to her, who happened to be Kodie.
“Whoa- Cracker-Jack! I knew you’d-” Kodie was cut off by Jess cupping a hand over her mouth, not letting go, like a scared young child.
“Where is everyone? Jess? Hello?” Alana called out into the darkness, finding herself supposedly in the back of the kitchen.
“Huh…? Huh?” An unknown voice called out, seemingly to be of a young male.
“Hold on- I’ll get us out of here. Let me find the door-” Bryce began, starting to walk backwards.
“Alana? ALANA? Where are you?” Jess clung to Kodie tighter, tears in her eyes.
“Airin? Are you okay?” Dominance called out, to which she answered him shortly.
“I’m fine- worry about yourself! Find the door or something!” Airin answered, starting to fall.
“Aw, Cracker-Jack, don’t cry!~” Kodie reassured, in an almost mocking tone.
“G-Get off m-me! What a-are you doing?” Tina yelled, being that Airin tripped over her kneeling body.
“I’m scared to admit that I’ve found the door...but it appears to be locked!” Kiyotaka yelled out. “Everyone stay calm though, panicking will only make things worse! It’s really unsuitable right now!”
“I ain’t panickin’...but let me say that if I find who did this- they’re gonna die tonight!” Mia yelled into the back of the kitchen, as if a 6th sense of hers told her to.
“Nobody move! We don’t know if something’s being planned right now!” Monica called out, making an attempt to secure everyone’s safety.
“No one back up- you may back into a hot stove. I don’t want anyone getting hurt- if you do, please come to me or Mae to help you!” Lynn reassured.
“M-Me…? You t-trust me?” Mae asked, with no answer.
“Ah...this is an interesting thing. Don’t burden yourself with that if you don’t want to, if you don’t mind me saying.” Elle answered for her, holding tightly onto Lynn’s shoulders. She remembered last time she was left in the dark like this- silently hoping nothing like it could ever happen again.
But that was in the past, right?
“The food! I can’t find the food!” Lane interrupted, feeling over the counters. She ended up falling on top of Kaz, to which he let out a short scream.
“Ah- who cares about that? Jeez…” Jess muttered, hardly lifting her head from Kodie’s shoulder.
Through the chaos and confusion, there was the slightest of sounds, choking, gasping breaths, as of someone desperate for just one last gasp of air.
But no one heard.
The temperature suddenly dropped due to the lack of machinery running, causing shivers to run up Airin’s spine, and an unsettling feeling to arise into her stomach.
“Does anyone smell anythin’ weird or is it just me?” Lane blurted out, being cut off by the lights suddenly cutting back on- with a loud, electrical zap sound. Every resident felt a shock run through their body, making some jump, and some nearly fall.
“Oh...that was a nostalgic feeling. I didn’t believe I’d have the capacity to remember it, but my memory seems to have been jogged.” Elle held a serious expression on her face, finally letting go of Lynn.
No one answered, as a once again dormant silence held tight to the room.
But eventually, it had to be broken- and suddenly.
Bernadette let out a high-pitched, short scream, as she stood in the back of the kitchen. Everyone was disoriented, finding themselves in odd positions- but now they were afraid.
Just as everyone’s heads turned in that direction, they were oddly shocked.
“Huh…? Oh...I don’t think I was supposed to be here yet...oh well.” A young male with messy, longish, charcoal gray hair stood in front of them. He was extremely tall, and wore a red jacket over his outfit, like how Isana wore a black one. He was too young to have gray hair like that- his whole appearance was confusing and different.
He wore a bright smile and permanent light blush, his eyes wide with confusion.
“W-Who- Who are you?” Bernadette questioned, her eyes narrowed in confusion.
“Hm, I’m not sure. I can’t remember my name, but the Chiefs say the word ‘hope’ a lot...so I call myself that now.” The male smiled, brushing a messy piece of hair behind his ear.
“Hope…? That’s a girl’s name, stupid! Are you dumb?” Jess mocked, finally deciding to let go of Kodie.
“Huh...it is? You’re pretty annoying already.” He stated plainly, seemingly unaware that it was rude to say that.
“Hmph, don’t say that about Cracker-Jack! I have people who can kill you on my side, ya know!” Kodie smiled, obviously lying.
Hope stared in silence for a second, before opening his mouth to answer. Nothing came out when he tried, though.
“Guys, aren’t we ignoring the elephant in the room? Where’s Emerald?” Monica asked, worried.
“And Bryce, and Alana…?” Mae continued.
Their questions, as if on cue, were suddenly answered. They heard heavy footsteps coming from a hallway they didn’t know existed- one adjacent to the other one. There were boxes in front of it before, impeding their view.
As soon as Bryce stepped into view, a whole new wave of panic and relief washed over every resident’s face, steadily.
“Oh my- you need to go to the Nurse’s Office right now- get out of here!” Lynn suddenly spoke up, rushing towards him.
When every resident averted their eyes to look at him, the white sleeve from his jacket on his left arm- it was completely soaked and dripping with crimson blood. There was a kitchen knife sticking out of the top of his forearm, hardly stalling the immense bloodflow.
“Guys- am I the only one who’s still smellin’ somethin’ weird?” Lane called out, making her way to the back of the left hallway.
“Hold on- I’m coming with you...I don’t trust this situation at all.” Monica called out, running behind Lane. There were no lights in the hallway, leaving a pitch black, closed-in space of multiple scrambling residents.
“I swear- if Alana or Emerald are dead in here...I’m teaming up with Mia and someone’s gonna die!” Jess shrieked.
“Shh- quiet! Hold on… don’t jump to conclusions just yet.” Monica shushed the crowd, slowly opening the cold door. It was almost frozen shut, and she felt the need to kick the door.
But with the sight laying in front of her- it made her wish she hadn’t. She wished so much, a sickening feeling arising into her entire body.
There, right in front of her- lay the bodies of 2 residents, 2 lively, energetic souls, their lives cut short due to the selfishness of another.
Emerald lay slumped against the wall, messy and pinned by a long meat skewer. It appeared to have precisely swung, perfectly impaling her midsection. Her scarlet hair was mangled and stained, sticking together and wrapping around the skewer. The skewer was dented into the wall with the amount of force it hit with, leaving a sickening scene. Her legs were sliced with deep cuts, and she’d lost one of her shoes.
On the other side of the room, there laid Alana, her pink hair laying in her cold, dead eyes. The complexion and color of her skin was indicative of the fact that she’d choked to death, cupcake crumbs spilling from her open mouth and icing smeared across her chin. She had a loose blindfold falling from her eyes, and fabric tied around her wrists tightly. Her lips were blue, her face was white, and her eyes were empty.
“...Huh?” Hope was trembling lightly, unable to force any words from his tightening throat.
“...That’s all you have to say…? I...” Jess began, feeling at a loss for words. “I HATE ALL OF YOU!” She couldn’t stop herself anymore, and simply ran away, never looking back.
“Cracker-Jack- hold on!” Kodie ran after Jess, showing a newfound concern.
“What...Wh-What am I looking at…?” Lane began, peeking behind her. Some more residents showed up over the course of several minutes, a heavy despair hanging over their heads. Blood splattered across the floor, crimson streaks and puddles dripping slowly into insanity.
Lynn had disappeared with Bryce towards the Nurse’s Office long ago, silently trailing behind him. He couldn’t help but want to explain his story, despite the fact that he wasn’t sure if she was listening to him.
“This is probably not going to be of any help during the trial, but…” Bryce stopped for a moment, gathering his thoughts. “I think someone tried to stab me. They were short and had fast breathing...but it was pitch-black in that hallway. I saw the slight metal shine of a knife, somehow...and I caught it in my hand. I threw my arm up, and somehow, I kept calm as I felt it pierce through my skin.”
Bryce reminisced about the scene- he’d been travelling the pitch-black hallways in hopes to find a breaker box. He’d heard soft, light footsteps behind him, but to elude his possible imminent death, he didn’t react. He moved forward with a straight face, making sure to track the person’s every movement. They finally decided to make a move, the knife barrelling towards his chest at full force. He calmly raised his arm, the large knife stabbing through the top of his forearm. He calmed his racing heart, making a point to stay as calm as he could. The more blood he lost, his composure came with it, and he found it hard to stay upright.
“I see. Do you have a guess as to who the culprit is?” Lynn questioned.
“I would say I don’t trust that new guy, but whoever it was was short, and that guy’s tall as all getout.” Bryce began, holding his arm steady. “All I know is that another murder occurred...something I never believed I would live to see. I don’t even know who it is.”
They arrived at the Nurse’s Office, and the Nurse Guard went to slam the door in Lynn’s face. She propped the quickly closing door open with her shin, a serious expression on her face.
“I don’t have much time...but all I’m saying is it’s no one’s fault except for the murderer. Someone closest to me taught me that, and I’ve never forgotten it.” Lynn stated, thoughts of the person flashing through her head quickly. She turned her back, running towards the building. She didn’t know who the victims were yet, silently hoping it was no one close to her.
Meanwhile, at the scene, the investigation had already started.
““As you can plainly see, a murder has happened! This death was not of natural causes- someone murdered Emerald AND Alana in cold blood! After exactly 24 hours has passed, another Trial will begin! Their times of death were approximately 3:47 PM and 3:58, and I’ve decided to kick the Trial to whatever number is between that, which if I subtract 3.47 and 3.58, that’s when it’ll occur! Now before you get to investigating, come to the Auditorium for an announcement!” Chief 2 shouted, their mask shaking with every move they made. Without a second thought, Airin started running towards the Auditorium.
The rest of the Residents blindly followed her and Monica, running quickly to the Auditorium. Some were still in shock, others seemed unmoved, and some seemed in the deepest reaches of despair- unrescuable.
Jess heard the announcement, hiding in Alana’s cottage. She was kneeling on the floor, hot tears of denial streaming down her cheeks. Her 2 friends- some of the only people in her entire life that had given her the time of day. They’d showed her how to be a better person, when hardly anyone else ever took the time to. After her grandmother- the only person she’d ever been truly close to, passed away, she’d once again been on the receiving end of relentless bullying- but she’d learned one thing.
You can’t be on the receiving end of bullying whenever everyone’s afraid of you. No matter how much you hurt yourself, they can never hurt you worse.
She’d learned some good insults from her old bullies, echoing them through empty lies.
Kodie saw herself in the lost girl, watching her intently from across the room as she cried.
She didn’t comment, staring at the creaking floor. She’d been forced to the other end of the room, Jess shouting insults she could hardly hear over the blood pounding in her ears.
The sight of the normally confident girl broken down to just herself- all of her protective walls torn down- it instinctually shoved Kodie forward into wanting to help.
Jess stared in disbelief- incredulously and intently making intense eye contact with the floor. All of her pent-up anger and frustration reared their heads, tearfully forcing their way through.
Kodie got lost in her own flashing mindspace, dark colors taking over her inner vision as she closed her heavy eyes. She only had bad memories, nothing left of anything good.
No hope, no truth.
Lies and despair were the only things left.
She guessed the Chiefs had wiped her memory clean when she’d gotten kidnapped- it’s all she remembered. She didn’t know how people came here to begin with, but unconscious thoughts forced their way through, clouding her remaining memories.
She remembered the pain. The flashing- their harsh voices forced gentle.
Her frail body as she lay in wait, her breathing forced silent as she lay alone in a tight space.
She promised to never let their harsh words take over her mind, no matter how many lies she had to tell- forcing her into an endless spiral of rapidly flashing colors and emotions.
That’s all she had left.
Meanwhile, in the Auditorium, nervous residents shifted, making their presences known by rapid footsteps and heavy, unhinged breathing.
They were all staring each other down, suspicion lost in their deep, tired eyes.
No one was ready for this again. It was far too much.
The TV cut on, Chief 2’s masked face appearing close to the camera. They stared down every resident, seemingly uncertain of something.
“Hello all residents- including a new one! He’s not a newcomer, though! He’s been here for a long time!” Chief 2 announced, and everyone turned their heads towards Hope. He was blushing from embarrassment, and looked at his shoes intently.
“Now of course, that’s not all! There’s still one more left to join you- and a little birdie swooped by and told me a secret- a secret of a new motive!” Chief 2’s voice had a sicky optimistic tone.
“One more…? This is just adding to the killing!” Airin refuted, a horrifying feeling in her gut.
Chief 2 ignored her refutation, and an unfamiliar face- a silhouette of a stranger, appeared on the stage sitting in front of them.
His head was down, his arms crossed. He already appeared uninviting, a resting annoyed look on his features. He had messy, short brown hair, and deep brown eyes. He stopped, lifting his head up, as he eyed everyone up and down.
He felt his stomach turn- a sudden need to make a good impression overtaking him.
“All Residents, please introduce yourself to Jim Hinderer, your newest fellow Resident!” Chief 2 instructed, and Airin suddenly felt a sick feeling in her stomach.
“Fellow Resident...yeah, fellow my behind! Y’all are killin’ each other and y’all want me to treat ya like family or somethin’?” Mia spoke up bravely.
“I don’t know what to say...I didn’t expect this. I’ll make the best of it, though, and I hope all of you would too.” Jim asserted, his voice trembling ever so slightly.
His mind was racing, flashing quickly, with every sort of thought- he knew deep down, he was too selfish to be somewhere like this. It was normal human instinct.
But one important thing about Jim, was that he couldn’t stand change, and here he was, caught up in the middle of it.
Suddenly, to break the hanging silence, the door was pushed- more like kicked- open, by none other than Kodie and Jess.
“Oops, are we late- Ooh~ WHO IS THAT?” Kodie exclaimed, jumping up and down.
“Be careful with me! You’re gonna drop me, trash-for-brains!” Jess shrieked, holding onto Kodie’s shoulders. An odd sight overtook them all- Kodie was carrying the slightly shorter girl- leaving it up to assumption if Jess really wanted her to or not.
“Trash for brains...that sounds oddly familiar. Hm, it’s fitting I wasn’t introduced like this.” Hope trailed off, almost seeming reminiscent of someone else.
“Ngh...why are you saying that…?” Kai asked, her eyes tired. She had a cupcake in her hand, which she was taking small, slow bites of.
“Huh? Oh, I was saying that, since you’ve all been here longer than me. I didn’t sign up to come here...that leaves me a bit inferior, in my opinion.” Hope stated seriously.
“I’m too tired for this. Go bother someone else.” Kai’s eyes narrowed, and Hope sighed.
“I should’ve known…” Hope trailed off, crossing his arms. He rolled his eyes, visibly annoyed- an emotion seemingly common with him.
Jim walked in between the Residents, obviously feeling unsure of himself. Everyone’s eyes on him didn’t help the nerve-wracking experience, sending his heart pounding against his fragile ribcage. His hands were trembling uncontrollably, and his lungs appeared smaller. He breathed quickly, his heart fluttering uncontrollably. He stood dormant next to Hope, who was eyeing him up and down, seemingly confused.
“Huh...are you okay?” Hope questioned, grabbing onto Jim’s arm to ease it’s trembling.
Jim jumped slightly, his expression changing drastically.
“I’m fine. I just...I just don’t like change is all.” Jim confessed, forcing the words out so hard it started to feel painful.
Hope smiled, staying quiet for a moment. His brain was scattered and messy, and he figured forcing out any more words would make Jim’s emotional state even worse.
“The new Resident isn’t the only new thing here, folks! So ya better hold onto your heads and keep listening!” Chief 2 declared, and all Residents turned to face the TV.
“There’s also a new motive! You see- the murderer isn’t exactly done yet! They secretly want one more victim- and a new motive has been selected to make sure they get one!” Chief 2 began.
“Ngh- another one? W-Why?” Kai exclaimed, visibly afraid.
“The new motive is…~” Chief 2 continued, drawing out every syllable of their words. “An escape game! It’s called the Breaking Point! It’s just as it sounds- it’s a game reminiscent of Would You Rather- except it’s more deadly questions! We’ll be monitoring the whole thing, of course! So the investigation is stalled until another murder occurs- but they don’t count unless the death is creative enough! Now just follow the guards- they’ll lead you to your destination! Announcements over!” Chief 2 instructed, and everyone bowed.
“Please- don’t make us do this! We’re too young to die! I-I’m...I’m too tired…” Kai yelled, her voice decreasing in volume as time went on.
“Hey, hey...it’s okay! Just remember what Alana or Emerald would’ve done- they would’ve kept going, right?” Isana reassured her, being interrupted by Lane.
“Giving up isn’t an option, alright? Do ya need me to slap some sense into ya? You’re stayin’ with us, alright?” Lane exclaimed, roughly messing with Kai’s hair.
Kai smiled, closing her eyes innocently. She folded her hands together happily, starting to walk in the direction of the door. Kiyotaka was leading a line- silently this time. He had a disturbingly calm aura about him- he was too scared, too trapped in his own mind, to help anyone at this point. His heart was in his throat- there was too much air and mindless thoughts trapped to let any other words escape. He couldn’t help himself- he was terrified out of his own mind.
All Residents followed him silently, shocked into submission by his sudden change in mood. They didn’t talk among themselves anymore- it felt as if there were a huge barrier between them all, a huge weight falling in the air, suspended by the lightest strings. There was a huge void within all of them- a large hole stabbed right through their middle- they were all left without a part of them.
Every victim and murderer, no matter what their reason, touched a part of all of their lives. Ameena, Hira, Ed, Kendall, Emerald, and Alana were a part of every Resident there, and every time a new body had been discovered, another part was lost, until eventually, nothing could be left of them.
They weren’t that strong.
No one was.
They followed Kiyotaka and the Guards to a part of the Community they’d never seen before- along the right wall, opposite of the area where Isana had been attacked just days before.
There was a small hidden button in the stone that opened a new area, appearing to be of a long, dark hallway. They travelled down it, coursing through the still, frigid air, eventually leading them to what looked to be a small vehicle.
They boarded the rickety frame side by side, and it started to go.
It went,
And went,
And went…
Until everything suddenly stopped, dark colors swirling around every Resident’s vision, until there was nothing left of it.
It was empty. There were no sounds, no thoughts, no sights.
It felt like nothing. It felt empty, used up, despair filled.
Until suddenly, it all returned, all in one go.
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supreme-lxadxr · 2 years
Text
~The Fallen~
Chapter 9
(A/N-- this chapter is really short lol. that last one was sad, right??)
CHAPTER 9
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The residents made their way out of the Trial Room, running up the all-too-familiar staircase.
This world, once again, was stained with the blood of yet another innocent- turned corrupted- individual, with their whole life ahead of them.
As bad as the trial had gotten, no one could find it in them to blame Kendall for her sudden reaction- she had killed in self defense, after all.
All except Airin.
She stood in silence, staring at the colorfully painted wall standing in front of her, mocking her eyes left empty.
“Hey man, are you gonna stand there forever?” Dominance asked, his voice quieter than normal. She shot her eyes wide open, turning to face him quickly.
“O-Oh...yeah, I was just thinking about something...I don’t know how to feel about what just happened.” Airin confessed, walking up the stairs as the lights shut off, leaving the darkness behind the two of them.
“Nobody does, I don’t think...it’s okay! You’re not alone!” He shot her a thumbs up, a bright smile flashing against his features.
Airin returned it, closing her eyes that now felt heavy.
The night was starting to come on- the Sun setting above them.
“That’s how long the trial took, huh?” Airin questioned, her voice small with confusion and disbelief.
The pink and purple clouds painted themselves across the sky, filling the soon-to-be dark void with exploding colors and hope.
Everyone had just returned to their cottages, leaving Airin and Dominance to navigate the empty community by themselves.
“Everything is really never as it seems, huh, man?” Dominance questioned, closing his eyes. He ripped the mask off, relieved to be outside in the fresh air. The air of the Trial room was heavy and hot- thickening with every breath.
“I don’t know what you’re trying to say. But yeah, if I understand...I agree.” Airin responded, her eyes narrowing in confusion.
“I mean- this world seemed perfect, and it’s kinda...not? You know? You understand what I mean, right?” Dominance gestured in confusion.
Airin stared at him for a few seconds, her eyes squinting against the brightly piercing Sun.
“Y-Yeah...I feel like we always knew that, though. Ever since I’ve been born it hasn’t been good...but it’s never been a killing game like this. We were controlled, but there was never any chance of leaving- even the Chiefs know how bad it is at this point.” Airin trailed off, staring into space the closer she grew to her cottage. The beautiful sunset faded, being overtaken by the black void of the night sky, littered with small, burning stars.
Dominance didn’t answer, searching in his memory for anything he could offer up.
But it was all gone.
“Y-You really remember that? I mean…” Dominance stopped himself mid-sentence, deciding not to bring it up right then.
“Not as much as I’d like to, but I’m guessing my mind blocks some stuff out. It doesn’t happen that often...not as often as I wish it did. I really can’t remember much about my childhood- I don’t remember you very much, if you don’t mind me saying that.” Airin stumbled over her words, her face flushing in embarrassment.
“Okay- I can finally get it off my chest...I don’t remember you much either. I know we hung out, though...it’s a memory really far away from me, you know? It’s like it’s not my own- another part of my brain is fighting it.” Dominance began, stopping himself again.
Airin didn’t answer, opening the door to her cottage. She kicked her shoes off, as did he.
“You can stay if you want, but don’t feel like you have to...I feel like it’s like I’m almost forcing you.” Airin crossed her arms, and Dominance suddenly got a look on his face.
“W-What? Did I say that? I didn’t mean to make you feel like that...I feel like this is my home, more than my own cottage! Ya know...it feels better here!” Dominance yelled excitedly, and Airin’s eyes widened at his word choice.
“H-Home...you know we aren’t supposed to s-say that...before, they used to just punish you in other ways...now I feel like they want us dead.” Airin insisted, her voice trembling. “I just wish this was different...I don’t like being afraid for my life every day. It’s not fair to anyone, including you…”
“It’s not supposed to be fair, man! That’s why they’re challenging us so bad...but hey! I know we can do it- I can do anything if we’re doing it together, right?” Dominance flashed her a thumbs-up, and she calmly smiled in return.
“If you really feel that way, then we should be able to survive this without a second thought.” Airin tapped her finger to her chin, signifying that she was in deep thought. “You know, if you just pretend to think how they want you to think- they’ll keep you around. They don’t even force us to take injections in front of them anymore...they just assume we do it ourselves.”
“So, this is a foundation built on lies?” Dominance questioned.
“Yes, because sometimes the truth isn’t enough to keep you alive...it’s built on lost emotions, despair and bitter cynicism. We of all the Residents should know, we’ve been here the longest. It only makes sense, but I guess nothing really makes sense anymore if you think about it.” Airin trailed off, catching herself reminiscent of another familiar Resident.
“Yeah, I guess, but maybe it was all supposed to happen this way! They wouldn’t have told us a possibility of leaving if it couldn’t happen!” Dominance sat on the bed, patting the spot next to him. Airin sat next to him, crossing her legs over each other. “I just try and have high hopes…if you don’t then you’ll just be really hopeless- and I don’t wanna see anyone like that...not even the Residents I don’t even like.”
Airin smiled calmly, flopping onto her back. The blankets pushed off of the bed, the pillows falling behind the bed.
Dominance laid down on his back, using his arm as a pillow.
“So...what now? I don’t think I can sleep after the whole- uh- thing that happened.” Airin managed to choke out slightly, biting her lip in nervousness. “I don’t wanna leave the cottage again, though.”
“You’re still nervous about what we were talking about, huh?” Dominance inferred, scratching the back of his neck. “Well- I’m here to say you shouldn’t be, man! Just think of what it’s gonna be like when they finally let us leave- and with that Bryce guy here, I trust that not much else will happen- so it’ll be with our friends...the ones we still have, that is.”
“I hope that’s the case- with the way things are going right now, I wouldn’t hold my breath. If anything, if we survive the killing spree they’re having us go on, we’ll probably just live here forever.” Airin crossed her arms, still laying on her back as she closed her dark-colored eyes.
“Well that’s not so bad...you wanted to get married on that beach, right? You told me that when we were a lot younger- I’m the only one who knows you’re a hopeless romantic, of course!” He giggled, and a suddenly blushing Airin elbowed his chest.
“D-Do you wanna die?! Seriously, why do you say stuff like that?” Airin smiled to herself, suddenly turning her back to Dominance as if to hide that fact.
Dominance didn’t say anything in return, he just turned onto his side- as to face Airin.
“Your bed’s more comfortable than I thought- not that I mind the couch or anything, I just thought your blanket was soft, is all…” He trailed off, catching himself mid-sentence.
“I mean…-nevermind. Yeah, it is...we can swap blankets- if you want to…” Airin caught herself, grabbing one of her pillows and holding it close into her chest.
“Were you actually about to say that?” Dominance joked, chuckling to himself.
Airin became suddenly hyper-aware of the fast pace of her heart, holding her hands tightly against herself- all to hide the fact that they were slightly shaking.
“N-No, but it didn’t matter what I was actually thinking. I forgot anyway.” Airin lied, noticing how her heartbeat quickened against her ribcage. She suddenly felt a hot pressure in her throat, a nervousness arising into her heart.
“Ah, I was wondering how uncomfortable it would make you if I didn’t sleep on the couch tonight- it’s nothing against you- but sometimes it gets cold there…” Dominance formed broken sentences, scratching the back of his neck nervously. He felt his heartbeat quicken- his body being quickly sent into a flashing overdrive.
Airin shifted nervously, suddenly interrupted by the inability to piece her thoughts into words.
Dominance and Airin sat in silence for a few seconds, the frozen moments accompanied by only the soft tossing of the nightly wind.
Eventually, the courage Dominance always seemed to give Airin returned, filling her eyes with a spark of determination, and causing a red color to fade over her cheeks.
“I w-was actually about to ask you that...it looked- ...cold over there.” Airin pieced her thoughts into words, uncertain as to every action she took.
Dominance flashed a smile, suddenly sitting up to grab the fallen blanket. He held it against his chest for a few seconds, it’s softness suddenly warming his body temperature.
Airin closed her eyes in a hope to calm herself, all to no avail. She sat up, fetching the fallen pillows from behind the bed.
“So...good night, I guess?” Airin began, pulling the uneven blanket over her thin body. Dominance sat next to her, left still in confusion for a few moments.
“Y-Yeah, man, of course!” Dominance felt his heart pound, his hands ever so slightly shaking.
He eventually laid on his back, unable to rest his manic thoughts.
Airin laid with her back to him as to not make him uncomfortable, a feeling of uncertainty holding itself back inside of her.
After a several drawn-out moments, Airin gave in and fell asleep, shutting down every thought piercing itself into her heart.
Meanwhile, other residents did not have the luxury of drifting into a sleep, many laying awake, basking in the discomfort and pain of past moments. They only lasted seconds, but the hardened, sharp memories last forever.
Emerald laid alone in her bed, the dark void of night filling the silence in her ears. Her eyes fell open, forever stuck in the painful position. She scratched at her neck, left empty due to another’s selfish actions. She could feel the faint scars left behind, red marks etching themselves into her fragile skin forevermore.
The Chiefs really had found every last piece to initiate deep pain and despair this time.
The hyper girl suddenly fell silent, feeling nothing but the hard pounding of her heart against her fragile ribcage.
In other parts of the community, cottages stood dormant, filled with the once-living resident’s belongings. Stained with blood and the heart of their once-lively spirit, they stood as ghosts among the living, sturdy cottages of live residents.
Other Residents laid in their beds, filled with confusion. Some felt justification, others felt nothing, though searching for the best reaction to satisfy their own heart with. Some were deeply moved, and some felt every bit of the shock coursing through their veins.
It hadn’t felt real the first time- but now they knew.
They knew how little their lives really mattered to the Chiefs- and if a fellow Resident got passionate enough, someone they used to hold dear.
It was despair in the truest sense.
This despair permeated the thickening atmosphere all night, a sleepless night for many.
All stayed dormant, frighteningly unchanged until the soft glow of the morning.
Eventually, as everyone knew, the morning announcement sounded, leaving a resonating spark of despair throughout everyone’s hearts.
“Good- or bad morning to all residents! As you can see, the motive as of yesterday was not achieved, so that motive is still going today! We’ll allow all residents to eat today, though! But not too long- another killing has to happen before anyone can return to the Washroom again! Morning announcement over!”
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supreme-lxadxr · 2 years
Text
~The Fallen~
Chapter 8
(A/N-- you've stuck around so long omg thank youuuu🥺 if you're actually following this I'm so happy literally- also another of my favorites comes in this one- Kodie!!)
CHAPTER 8
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Before anyone knew it, the morning announcement rang out- startling the residents out of a deep sleep.
“Good- or bad- morning to all residents! As you all know, there will be a TRIAL held at 2:37 PM today- and you already know the rules for that! But there’s some new thoughts arising today- so get your butts out here!” Chief 2’s raspy voice rang out, suddenly cutting off.
Airin turned onto her side, nearly falling onto her face- or possibly, Dominance.
Dominance’s eyes shot wide open- their faces just inches apart.
“Ah- I’m sorry...what are you doing?” Airin yelled, standing up quickly. Her ribs still hurt, a darkening bruise spreading over the area the window pane hit.
“I’m waking up, that’s what I’m doing! Come on, man- let’s get outta here!” Dominance piped up, shooting her a thumbs up as he slipped on his mask. “There might be some exciting stuff out there today- and by the way, did I ever tell you that your hair looks cute messy?” He smiled brightly, hardly noticing the way a dark red color tinted her cheeks. She crossed her arms, slipping on her shoes.
“S-Shut up…” She muttered, unable to suppress a smile.
They made their way out the door- noticing how Kiyotaka led the line to the Auditorium, as he always did. Everyone was noticeably louder today, which made Airin wonder if she’d missed something exciting.
“Hold on everyone! There are ones in our crowd that are still fragile! Bernadette- please refrain from leaning on Isana’s shoulder- it could cause her further injury!” Kiyotaka yelled, turning his head in their direction. Dominance and Airin exchanged a look, before running towards the Auditorium.
As soon as they entered- Airin noticed the 2 new squares on the floor. They didn’t replace the squares the dead residents used to stand on- they were completely new.
“There’s new people, Air! There’s new people!” Dominance shook her arm, and she jumped in surprise.
The TV suddenly powered on- just as Airin noticed Kaz and Isana’s presences. Mae was talking to Kaz, seemingly making sure he still wasn’t hurt in any way. Bernadette was hanging onto her best friend’s arm, who didn’t seem to mind. She was covered in scars- one over her eye, and her arms and legs being littered with them.
“As you may have noticed, there are 2 new squares added to the Auditorium today! The first execution that took place here played a part in this- these 2 Residents were in hiding for their own safety, which led to another person impersonating one of them!”
Everyone exchanged confused glances, standing up straighter as they shifted uncomfortably.
“All Residents in attendance- please introduce yourself to Bryce Togashi, and Kodie Outerbridge!”
2 young-looking people emerged from behind the stage- one heavy-set male with blonde hair, and small glasses. He wore a stern expression, and he stood tall.
To the left of Bryce, was Kodie, who wore long purple hair- which was dyed black at the ends. She wore heavy makeup and 2 different contacts, and was a short, skinny girl. She wore a bright smile- a smile that appeared to hold a deep form of evil.
“I just want to let you all know that I rule this place! This community is mine...and all of you peasants are under me!” Kodie’s voice rang out, echoes resonating off of every corner. She smirked playfully, placing her hands on her hips.
“H-Hold on- we thought you died!” Kaz yelled, placing his hands over his head.
“You guys thought I died? Obviously that was just a prank- or if you wanna get really fun- I was lying! But I’m not a liar- that doesn’t make me a good person, though! I’ve done lots of bad things to get here, and you should fear me!” Her voice echoed, a childish undertone running through every sentence.
Airin shifted uncomfortably, a frustrated expression fading over her features.
“Huh? Do you guys think I’m lying? How fun!” She extended her arms out at her sides, jumping from the stage.
“And I thought there was no one here I could dislike more...go away! You’re just an annoying liar!” Kai placed her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes.
“Guys- let’s give her a chance! Maybe she’s not a liar…” Vinnie began, not realizing Kodie had appeared right in front of her. “Ah- where did you come from?”
“I teleported. I’m superhuman, of course.” Kodie’s voice had a serious tone in it, and her face was blank.
“Something about your energy tells me you’re lying...I can read that, you know!” Vinnie spoke up again, smiling happily.
“Oh wow, I don’t care! That’s so boring to me...anyone can do that.” Kodie crossed her arms over her chest, quickly running away from Vinnie and onto her square.
“I’m sorry for her behavior...I wanted us to have a proper introduction, but due to some...circumstances- that won’t be happening.” Bryce spoke up, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Uh...that’s okay, we’ll know each other enough in the trial, I guess…” Isana spoke up, raising her quiet voice slightly.
Chief 2’s voice rang out from the TV once more.
“Exactly! There will be a trial held today- which means you should investigate some more, until 2:37 PM! That comes quicker than you think, you know! So I’d recommend getting to it! Announcements over!” Everyone in attendance bowed- including the 2 new residents.
As soon as everyone stood back up, Kiyotaka ran towards the door.
“Come on, everyone! It is required that the new Residents know what to do in these situations- and what is suitable!” Kiyotaka yelled, wrenching the door open.
“Jeez! You’re so...high-strung!” Kodie crossed her arms over her chest, rolling her eyes.
“Ew, what is that supposed to be?” Jess piped up, eyeing Kodie’s figure standing casually before her.
“Omigod- it talks!” Kodie’s eyes widened, and a horrified expression spread across her face. “Seriously though, why are you so short? You’re even shorter than me! Hm- maybe you should bow down, you’d be even smaller if you did that!” She smirked, causing Jess to charge at her, pushing her down to the ground. Kodie landed on her back, her eyes widening.
“I think you meant that you should bow down- at least I don’t look like I eat scraps of paper for a living!” Jess answered, stepping on Kodie’s chest.
“Wowie...at least I don’t come up with half-hearted insults like that...are you okay up there? Ya seem a little slow to me, but maybe it’s all a lie!” Kodie giggled, slapping Jess on the head.
“I insist that this stops right now! This is completely unsuitable!” Kiyotaka approached the 2, attempting to break them up before anything bad happened. Kodie pushed him back by his shoulders, kicking a leg towards the smaller girl that was Jess.
“I hope you choke on a rock, you pathetic waste of life!” Jess yelled out, and Kodie only smiled in response.
“Bold of someone whose existence was an utter mistake to say such harsh words, my friend! You can’t beat someone like me, now can you?” Kodie smirked, standing up straight. “Now you’re just my servant, okay? You can’t be good for anything else, so why bother!” The pitch of her voice was high, childish in nature. An innocent current ran through even the harshest of words she spoke.
Every resident started to walk out the door, making their way towards the Sports Center. Isana and Kaz questioned endlessly, being that they’d missed out on almost the whole investigation.
“I won’t allow another murder to happen...I didn’t know whoever this ‘Ed’ was, but no one deserves to die like that.” Bryce started, a serious undertone taking over his voice. “Now move along, I need to see the site of the body. It seems that’s all you people do around here, anyway.”
“Huh, what’s that supposed to mean? I’d rather sleep than do anything else…” Kai’s voice sounded tired, and she closed her eyes for emphasis.
“I mean, you’re always so busy...someone should be on top of something. But get this- as long as I’m here, I won’t let anything happen to anyone, and that much, I can promise.”
Kai smiled, resting her chin on her hand.
“Uh...thank you, I guess. Now I won’t have to do anything…” She smiled innocently, sitting slumped against the wall.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Before anyone knew it, it was 2:30 PM, and the streets were illuminated with bright light. The TV turned on, instructing everyone to make their way over to the Trial Building immediately-or there would be more punishments than there were already about to be.
Kendall and Emerald had left the scene, sitting in Emerald’s cluttered cottage.
Kendall shifted uncomfortably under the pressure she was feeling, guilt and hatred building up in her heart.
“Listen, man, it’s better than you think! At least you don’t have to be scared anymore, amiright?”
Kendall’s eyes widened at Emerald’s proposition, thinking about it for a few seconds.
“Well yeah...but I still should’ve done something...when it was going good, it was going great. All I had to do was not make him mad- and life was amazing. I learned what not to say and do, and it ended up working great for us!” Kendall reminisced, placing a finger to her chin.
“Come on, KJ! You know that’s not how relationships work! It’s like- ooh! It’s like 2 best friends, and when you disagree, you work it out! No one should get hurt, and there should just be love and super fun!” Emerald bounced in her spot, and Kendall laughed at her friend’s behavior.
“Well it was like that. We didn’t have as many problems as it looked like on the surface- it wasn’t as bad as everyone thought. It always ends up that way...why are people so judgmental?” Kendall folded her arms, and Emerald tilted her head in confusion.
“I’m not judging you! I’m not all judgy and stuff, I swear!” Her eyes widened, and she bounced up and down. “I just wanted you to be happy, and you didn’t look happy! I’d know- I’m Emerald, the super-ultimate-detective, right?” Emerald gestured quickly, and Kendall nodded in agreement, giggling to herself.
“Yeah, of course! I didn’t say you were judgmental. Just everyone else...and that’s why you’re pretty much my only friend, but that’s okay! Being friends with you is never boring, to say the least…” Kendall continued, placing her hands on her hips.
“Wowie! I knew I couldn’t be boring for even a moment!” Emerald threw her hands in the air, visibly excited.
“Yeah, you’re not...but I just wish we could’ve spent more time together- you never know what the Chiefs are gonna pull out of a hat…” Kendall stopped, folding her arms as she heard the announcement ring out.
“Alrighty then! Let’s get goin’ and never stop!” Emerald sprang up, pulling Kendall behind her. “And heya, don’t be nervous! Super-ultimate-detective Emerald’s got this! And your life is about to be even more free and super-crazy-fun!”
“Yeah, let’s go! Let’s get some justice!” Kendall ran behind Emerald, struggling to keep up.
Before anyone knew it, their silent walk was over, and everyone had entered the Trial Building. That empty, desolate, broken-down space- the space that held so many memories- all packed full of despair.
And possibly, a glint of the darkest hope.
They all knew the drill now- a fairly large trapdoor in the middle of the floor could open only when stepped on, and when it did, it revealed a large, dark, colorful room that held small podiums in a circle, all elevated off the ground. They were engraved with Resident’s names, allowing them to claim a certain spot.
The Residents who had died had a picture preserved in memory of them, right in the spot they used to stand.
Airin entered the room, standing on her tiptoes as to reach the elevated ground. She leaned on her podium, letting her fingers graze over the top finish.
This is it. We’re losing another resident today...or maybe even 2?
Airin was snapped out of her thoughts as the TV turned on, shocking everyone to silence in their spots.
“I know you’ve all been to a Trial before, but I still suppose it should be explained! You’ll be given until 2:37 PM tomorrow to argue back and forth and discuss your evidence! That’s what a trial is, until you eventually figure out who did it! If you can’t figure it out by 2:37 tomorrow, you’ll all be executed in different ways! But if you figure it out, a specific execution has been planned, and will be executed. And if you choose the wrong person, you have a chance to all be executed, but it can be reversed if you choose the right person in exactly an hour! So let the trial commence!” Chief 2’s voice cut off, and the TV cut to a timer. The lights intensified, and everything seemed to go in slow motion.
This was once again, a battle of life and death, hope, despair, fate, fear, sadness, and rage. Passion, judgement, anger, and deep analysis were the only feelings left rational. Every word- every lapse in judgement- every breath taken, it all meant something. It would determine the fate of one of their fellow residents. It would change their friends and families lives forever.
No one would ever be the same.
Everyone shifted uncomfortably, impatiently waiting for the beginning of this despair-filled tragedy- as it always turns out to be.
“Okay- I think we should start with a basic assertion of what happened, like we did last time. Then we can catch Kodie and Bryce here up to speed!” Monica pointed a finger, an assertive tone taking over her voice.
“As I did last time, I will assert that the victim murdered was Ed- last name unknown, at 2:37 AM!” Kiyotaka yelled, pointing in front of him.
“There was also Hailey- last name unknown, who died due to an accident...there was no murderer for her.” Vinnie stated, and Monica nodded in agreement.
“Correct...we most likely won’t spend much time on her case.” Monica closed her eyes, folding her arms over her chest.
Kai made a sound of disapproval, folding her arms.
“Ah- that’s not fair! Hailey was our friend too!” Kai yelled, clearly upset.
“Heck yeah she was! And no one even really seems to care!” Lane interrupted.
“Right! It’s not right the way we’re ignoring that part of this case!” Bernadette stood up for them, pointing towards their direction.
“I’m not ignoring it! I’m just saying that there was no murderer, so there was no verdict! Although, I’m wondering why Kaz acted the way he did…” Monica trailed off. “Kaz, do you remember anything about that day?”
Kaz looked up, his eyes wide. He ran his fingers through his bright red hair, feeling how it spiked at the top. He nervously searched for words, stuttering over his breath.
“W-Well, I remember something feeling like it was stabbing me, but I thought a spider bit me…” Kaz trailed off, nervously laughing. “Then it kinda- went downhill from there, ya know? It’s not nice to think about what might’ve happened…”
“Wait- someone stabbed you, Kaz? And you didn’t know?” Airin questioned, her voice filling with confusion.
“No, it just felt like it! It was small- like a spider bite. It hardly even hurt, it just felt like it would pass, then suddenly felt like I was gonna pass out, and just- uh...did.” Kaz continued, nervously recounting his memories.
“W-When did tha-that happen?” Mae asked, her voice small and trembling.
“The night of the trial! I just felt like- hey, I respond better to a conversation than a stabbing, you know?” Kaz joked, which didn’t lighten the mood.
“That’s just obvious…” Alana muttered, placing her hands on her hips.
“Lies!” Kodie shouted out, cupping her mouth with her hands.
“Hey! I’m not a liar...I’m a resident!” Kaz protected himself, noticeably frustrated.
“Lies!” Kodie shouted again, smiling to herself.
“Stop this nonsense!” Kiyotaka shouted, his frustration growing.
“Lies!” Kodie shouted for the third time, noticeably enjoying herself.
“Listen, I’mma knock you out if ya say it again! Shut your mouth ya little pest!” Mia yelled, pushing her fist against her open hand.
“You would? Really? I’d be honored!” Kodie mocked, bending over her podium.
“Stop this idiocy...we need to carry this trial through the whole way.” Bryce spoke up, folding his arms.
“LIES!” Kodie shouted for the last time, kicking her feet up behind her.
“Enough with that! It’s getting on my nerves!” Alana shouted.
“Ah...how interesting. You’re trying to shift the blame onto others by accusing them of your mirrored behavior- I don’t understand your philosophy.” Elle stated, folding her arms.
“And I don’t understand what you’re spewing out of your pie-hole! I’m sick of hearing you go on about useless stuff- why are you so dumb!” Kodie shouted, nearly falling over the podium.
“Can we just move on? This isn’t what this trial’s about at all!” Monica shouted, visibly angered.
“How about you do something you’ve never experienced before- and stop running your mouth like you’re in some sort of stupid versus stupider competition!” Jess exclaimed, annoyed.
“‘Stupider’ isn’t a word, but your sole existence made it one!” Kodie happily cupped a hand around her mouth, smiling to herself.
“STOP!” The commotion was suddenly broken by Isana, as she delivered a high-pitched yell. “This won’t get us anywhere...fighting never does...I don’t think…” She reverted back to her quiet tone of voice, crossing her arms.
“God, I’m so tired of hearing you say ‘you don’t know’! Either you do or you don’t!” Kodie insulted, crossing her arms.
“Well, honestly, I’m tired of hearing you run your mouth on and on like this!” Bernadette immediately stuck up for Isana, raising her voice at the smaller girl. Kodie wore a blank expression, holding it tightly for a few seconds.
“I’m just gonna keep going...so the murder weapon was a bat, right?” Monica rolled her eyes, visibly agitated.
“Yes, that should be correct…” Bryce interjected.
“And his time of death was 2:37 PM! Wowie! I’m on it again!” Emerald piped up.
“And there were traps set all over the gym, most likely so Ed could be caught off guard!” Mia’s voice grew louder.
“Not all over, just in one specific area. There was a 15 pound dumbbell that was suspended from the ceiling!” Bernadette corrected.
“Wait, how did it get there?” Dominance questioned.
“It looked to me like the killer set a trip-wire using thread to sew with- or that thin line used to make jewelry out of. Then, that was tied to a bungee cord, suspending the dumbbell precariously above the door using a small plastic hook, with some sort of adhesive on the back to hold it there.” Monica explained, trying to recount how she saw it happen.
“Come to think of it, I saw a lot of beads outside, all scattered all over the ground...maybe it was from a necklace or bracelet?” Kendall questioned. “They were pink, purple, and blue…”
“It would make a whole lotta sense for me to have it, but I’ve never seen anything like it! Come to think of it, are we even allowed to be wearin’ jewelry like that?” Mia asked in a loud voice.
“We aren’t?” Emerald let out a loud, exaggerated gasp. “How low can they go?”
“Yes, we are! It’s stated in the rules- although only 1-2 pieces at a time are allowed!” Kiyotaka made his point clear in a loud voice.
“It would make sense for me to have it too...but I only own 1 bracelet, and it’s silver. It wouldn’t be that...and besides, shouldn’t we count for what even happened last night, and any clues that would point to anything?” Monica questioned.
“I believe I have a verdict already...if anyone was smart enough, they would have seen it.” Elle stated in a sickly calm voice.
“What are you doing?” Lynn shot at her, which Elle promptly ignored.
“The culprit is right in front of our eyes...they are not hard to see. Or perhaps, they are a simple accomplice…” Elle trailed off, hugging herself tightly.
“Get to the dang point already! How hard is it?” Mia shot out.
“The culprit is none other than Bryce Togashi- and I do not have to say anything...Monica has every piece of evidence against him.” Elle smiled to herself, pointing in Monica’s direction. Her eyes held no emotion- it dying long ago.
“What are you even saying- stop this nonsense!” Bryce crossed his arms, a confused look appearing on his face.
“What? I have no evidence against him...But I do have a note I believe he wrote. In my opinion, it doesn’t mean Bryce is the culprit, or he killed anyone. Didn’t you hear Chief 2? He was in hiding...so that makes no sense.” Monica reached into her pocket, pulling out the crumpled note and reading it aloud.
“‘I finally found it...I never thought I’d be able to come up here, but here I am.
I won’t let anything else happen, when I can find them.’ And it’s signed “B.T.’...you are the only person with those initials, but to me, that sounds like the complete opposite.”
“Ah- you see...I always believed it was you anyway. The way you took the lead to investigate...I always had a good feeling about you…” Elle hugged herself, her eyes narrowing at her own thoughts.
“Stop this- it’s not right! You don’t even know, and you’re not even basing it off evidence…” Lynn covered her mouth out of embarrassment.
“I think we should hear everyone’s testimonies- everyone has something different to say…” Kendall started, but was interrupted by Mia.
“Are ya tryin’ to get ahead of us? What are you- tryin’ to start somethin’? I won’t have it!”
“C-Calm down...let’s just get to the bottom of this…” Kendall folded her arms.
“Possibly the Mastermind did this...I’ve heard of that before!” Alana spoke up.
“T-The Mastermind? W-Who’s that?” Mae questioned nervously.
“The Mastermind? Why are we even talking about this? Why aren’t we talking about Ed?” Airin appeared annoyed.
“Possibly- could Ed have been the Mastermind?” Trina questioned.
“No, Ed wasn’t the Mastermind. Because Kaz is the mastermind.” Kodie smiled brightly, striking a pose as she sat on top of her podium.
“W-What the…!” Kaz yelled, unable to finish his sentence.
“I-I knew i-it...he was al-always the cu-culprit...out f-for my bl-blood…” Tina trailed off, biting her lip as hard as she could.
“Uh...why would he be out for your blood?” Kai asked, confused and tired.
“Out for blood? I think that’s the opposite of Kaz!” Vinnie stood up for him.
“It’s not the case for Ed...he attacked me whenever I was looking for a Chief. But I think everyone knew that...it doesn’t change the fact that I wanted to roundhouse kick him into Outer Space.” Isana calmly stated, causing a majority of the Residents to gasp.
“H-He attacked you? How?” Monica sounded concerned, and Bernadette nodded in agreement.
“Tell them, Isana- he’s not alive to do anything right now, so it doesn’t matter…” Bernadette had a reassuring tone in her voice.
Isana took a breath, scratching her head.
“When I was out there, I tripped on some sharp rocks and got injured...then he pinned me to the ground, and wouldn’t let me get up. He basically told me he was planning to kill Kendall...and then take me as a partner anyway. I felt kind of violated...and he threatened to hurt me if I told. I would’ve anyway, though…” Isana pulled her hood over her head, and folded her arms. “He actually did hurt me. I tried to get away and he punched me…”
“Hurting a girl like that? He’d be in the ground if I could get to him now!” Lane shouted.
“Be careful as to what you say...that only makes me more suspicious of both you and Isana.” Elle stated calmly.
“Isana? Why would she have done it?” Bernadette asked, confused.
“I’ll tell you why. She probably wasn’t injured...she was probably planning to kill him the whole time, and was in hiding to do so.” Elle stopped for a moment, scanning her eyes around the room.
“She waited for the perfect moment to attack- at night, when no one would’ve seen her. She did not want to be taken forcefully...no one does. It’s truly traumatizing to a human.” Elle shot a glance at Lynn, who didn’t return it out of embarrassment.
“I wouldn’t stoop as low as to kill him...I don’t want to be like him. I was going to tell Kendall what he was planning, but I never want to cause harm to someone…” Isana began, but was promptly cut off.
“We’re missing the huge elephant in the room here...he wanted to kill me?” Kendall asked, her eyes widening in fear.
“Yes...he was planning it. I knocked on your door to tell you last night, but you never answered. I hope you forgive me for looking in your window...but you weren’t in your cottage.” Isana continued.
Emerald let out a loud, exaggerated gasp.
“He...H-He wanted to kill poor KJ?! I wouldn’t let it happen! No one touches my friends, not even my friends!” Emerald positioned her fists in front of her, anger taking over her features.
“I was about to get to that...I walked to Ed’s cottage next, and he wasn’t in it. It was only about 10PM, so he wasn’t dead yet. Then I walked to Emerald’s...and she was asleep and wouldn’t wake up.” Isana continued on in her recounting. “I pounded on her window and door...but she was out. I wondered if she was even breathing...but I eventually figured she was by the way her chest moved. Forgive me for looking there, Emerald…”
“It’s A-OK! But that’s scary...KJ, where were you?” Emerald asked, concerned.
“I could say the same...you’re usually the lightest sleeper out there...it doesn’t make sense. But I was out on my roof, and Ed was too...unless we came at bad times and you caught us as we were climbing it…” Kendall began.
“But I was there for a long time, and walked to every side. You weren’t there, and you weren’t at his house either.” Isana firmly stated.
“Maybe they took a walk or something...did you guys do that?” Monica asked, placing her hands on her hips.
Kendall’s expression changed, from calm, concerned, and deeply in thought, to suddenly enraged.
“I just told you we went on the roof, and that’s it. Why would I lie about something like that?” Kendall asked, suddenly confused and enraged.
“Ah...the way you lost your composure so quickly. It’s truly amazing...dare I say an art of some type?” Elle spoke up.
“Uh, what’s wrong with you? You were so calm…” Kai opened her eyes, confused.
“This...This is insane! Someone help us...what if she’s insane or something?” Kaz yelled.
“Stop this right now! Wouldn’t you be angry if someone suspected you, and you were not the culprit? Jumping to conclusions is unacceptable!” Kiyotaka yelled.
“I agree with Eyebrows over here- don’t jump to conclusions so fast! Cuz~ I know who the culprit is!” Kodie spoke up excitedly.
“Eyebrows? My eyebrows are perfectly normal, and name-calling is unacceptable in this environment!” Kiyotaka defended himself.
“Nono~ it’s okay! No one has to do anymore work- since I have the answers right here! I’m carrying this whole thing right on this back of mine!” She bent over, showing the significance of her words.
“Well then get to it! I’m ready for this thing to be over- I hate standing here for so long...it’s compromising my genius when I’m surrounded by so many idiots…” Mia crossed her arms, flipping a strand of her black hair.
“You’re not a genius- geniuses don’t come from bad nights of drinking and bad choices!” Kodie smiled, jumping slightly in excitement. She’d begun to sweat in nervousness and pure excitement of her next words. “The culprit, to put it simply- was me...as much as I hate to confess like this, I have to! I’d never sleep again if I didn’t!”
“W-What?! You killed Ed? Why would you do that?” Kendall piped up, her face growing red with anger.
“I did it because it was fun, obvi! Everybody hated him, and he was super annoying, amiright?” Kodie placed her hands on her hips, uncertain as to why everyone was looking at her the way they were. “What? You can’t handle the truth?”
“N-No...there’s no way you did that. You were in hiding with me the whole time- stop this lunacy right now.” Bryce insisted.
“Oh, you’re so dumb sometimes...so, so, dumb...so dumb I feel bad for you.” Kodie smirked, hoisting her body up onto her podium. “I guess I’m guilty, no matter what I do! It doesn’t matter if it’s true or not...I’ll always be in trouble with you anyway!”
“What…? There’s no way you did it...I don’t believe it for a minute! If you weren’t a girl, I’d knock some sense into ya!” Dominance piped up, anger taking over his features.
“No problem! I’mma girl, so let’s go!” Mia yelled, stepping down off of her podium. Before she could make her way to Kodie, Kiyotaka grabbed her shoulder- not hard enough to hurt her, but light enough to get her to stop quickly.
“Please don’t- It’s against the rules- and she’s unpredictable! You never know what she’ll do!” Kiyotaka lowered the volume of his voice, and she walked back to her podium, shooting a dirty look at Kodie. She didn’t appear to notice, though.
“Hold on...we need evidence for this, before we should believe her. How did you do it?” Monica asked her, skeptical.
“Jeez, you don’t believe me? And here I thought you were dumb! Just kidding, you’re pretty pathetic. But anyway...yeah, I did it! I’m guilty! What do you think now?” Kodie shot out.
“I think you’re lying. How did you do it?” Airin skeptically asked.
“It’s obvious- I hit him with a bat! Duh-doy, you’re dumb!”
“What was your reason for it, because obviously you didn’t know the motive…” Trina folded her arms, and Kodie looked lost in thought.
“I forgot...oh wait, no I didn’t! I just don’t care! I don’t need a reason, I killed him for fun!”
“K-Kill for fun…? That’s...that’s unsuitable!” Kiyotaka yelled.
“You really believe this? She just said she’s a liar...a dirty, good-for-nothin’ liar!” Mia crossed her arms, an aggressive tone taking over her voice.
“Jeez...you’re so quick to be skeptical of me! It’s really boring, you know!” Kodie crossed her legs as her podium teetered.
“I don’t believe her for a minute! She wasn’t even here- Bryce just said!” Alana spoke up.
“Okay...okay! Jeez… you caught me so easily! Calling me a liar...it’s really dangerous, you know! I could call someone to kill you right on the spot!” Kodie confessed, giving up the playful lie.
“You’re not being very careful throwing your life around like that...I’d recommend never doing that again if you don’t wanna die…” Lynn clasped her hands together, and Elle turned to face her.
“Ah, I knew it was never her to begin with...reading humans has never been a strong suit of mine, but it is truly amazing to the people who can. I don’t believe anyone could use it without selfish gain, I suppose…” Elle closed her eyes, aware that no one was listening to her.
“S-She probably st-still did it...sh-she might be l-lying right now...ngh…” Tina held herself tightly, bending over as she crossed her thighs.
“Let’s just drop it...no one can figure out anything in this situation, the way it’s going right now. We’ve gotten basically nowhere.” Monica asserted, folding the note back into her pocket.
“So we’ve determined that it wasn’t Isana, Emerald, Ed himself, Bryce, or Kodie, and Dominance was with me, so it wasn’t him either. Everyone was most likely asleep, and Kendall is the only one with a conflicting alibis. So...what now?” Airin asked, confusion forcefully running through her words.
“Well then...we should establish Kendall’s alibis. You yourself stated her alibis was conflicted.” Bryce stated, crossing his arms.
“Her alibis…? She was on the roof! She told me, and we heard her fall off! Amiright?” Emerald gestured frantically, confused.
“I don’t know...Isana never ran into Kendall or Ed, and that really makes no sense. Did Ed even frequent the Sports Center?” Monica asked.
“N-No… neither did I...I already told you where I was.” Kendall had an aggressive tone in her voice, and she narrowed her eyes.
“There were also footprints in the room upstairs, and the equipment had been moved up there.” Lynn began. “And the door was blocked...and there were footprints on the window pane.”
“Heya! My necklace- it’s gone! There’s a thief among us!” Emerald frantically yelled, scratching at her neck.
“How interesting! Perhaps the monster under your bed stole it, along with your sense of style!” Kodie interrupted, and was interrupted further by Jess.
“Go play in traffic, you ugly waste of life!”
“Yeah, what she said! Maybe that’s where your necklace is!” Kodie smiled, knowing who Jess’ comments were actually directed towards.
“A necklace...one that has some sort of elastic string… how long has it been gone?” Airin questioned, and Emerald jumped nervously.
“I-I don’t know! I’m panicking too much to think about it!” Emerald exclaimed.
“Hm...acting this way as a strategy is interesting, but futile in attempt. It’s truly amazing to me...but also grating on my very patience.” Elle folded her arms, narrowing her eyes in annoyance.
“Maybe the killer snuck into Emerald’s house while she was asleep, and gave her something to keep her that way so they could get her necklace? Kendall, you said she’s usually a light sleeper, right?” Alana asked, piecing together sentences in her mind.
“W-What? What did I say? Oh yeah...I-I did say that...d-didn’t I…” Kendall appeared nervous, fidgeting with her fingers as her eyes widened in intensity.
“Dude, are you okay? What are you doing? What’s she doing? I’m getting more scared by the second!” Emerald’s heart sped up, her hands shaking in front of her.
“Don’t make this worse! You’re makin’ it worse by panicking like this, and you’re annoyin’ the heck outta me! Just quit it!” Mia yelled, shaking her fists.
“Annoying...ah...ju-just like th-they’d all s-say…” Kendall muttered under her breath, her voice and body trembling like a leaf.
“This is nonsense...please make a valid argument!” Kiyotaka insisted, pointing a finger.
“Ah...aha...j-just like I wo-would…” Kendall was still whispering to herself, the air growing still. Everything seemed to go in slow motion- the room spun in dizzying circles.
“Kendall, do you seriously have no idea where Ed was at 2:37? Don’t you share a cottage?” Vinnie asked, pressing her fingers together nervously.
“Y-Yes...yes...yes…” Kendall’s eyes filled with tears, stuttering breaths escaping her thin, scarred lips. “W-We do...we did...w-we always w-would’ve…”
“Leave her alone, guys! She’s creeping me out…” Bernadette held herself, her eyes widening in fear.
“S-She probably ki-killed him! I’m n-never right...b-but s-she’s acting...different…” Mae’s voice graduated from a whisper to a soft exclamation.
“People grieve in different ways, you know!” Kaz defended her, slightly unsettled.
Suddenly, the silence was broken, an upgraded tone taking over Kendall’s voice. Her eyes were wide, and her cheeks were red and streaked with tears. Her mouth was hanging open, and her hands tangled into her messy blonde locks.
“Huh...a s-slowpoke li-like me...a good-for-nothing...c-clumsy...di-disgusting slowpoke l-like me...killing someone? I co-could never…” She smiled, her eyes rolling back into her head.
“What is going on? This...this isn’t right!” Kiyotaka exclaimed, his hands shaking in fear and frustration.
“Whoa- this is weird! This is really weird! I’m getting more panicked by the minute!” Emerald shook in fear, and Kendall suddenly snapped her head around to face her.
“I-It was your fa-fault… you to-told them i-it was me...th-that’s why they a-all hate me…”
“Whoa- hold on! No one hates you!” Monica began, but was interrupted by Kaz.
“What the- she did it?!” Kaz yelled, pulling his hair out of nervousness.
“Just because it was Emerald’s necklace doesn’t mean anything. Let’s try to piece together the story...and see what adds up.” Airin asserted.
“Uh...okay...I think Ed went to the washroom, then went back to Kendall’s cottage.” Kai stated.
“Yeah, but that’s the only story we have! We need more! Where’d he go after that?!” Dominance yelled.
“I’mma make an assumption here… and say that Kendall and Ed had some sorta fight, and she left to get Emerald, but she was asleep...and ya know what...it makes more sense that Kendall went to get her necklace… maybe she’d had enough of that dirtbag, ya know?” Mia crossed her arms, in deep thought.
“I don’t know who he was, but my assumption was that he was a bad human...it only makes sense in that situation.” Bryce started, but was interrupted by Bernadette.
“Hold on- didn’t we hear a sound just like the one Airin made when she fell last night? Maybe that was the killer trying to enter the window...Isana, did you hear anything like that when you went out?” Bernadette asked, confused by her own thoughts.
“I did...it came from the direction of the Sports Center, come to think of it...but it was only after I’d started to leave. I’m still getting over being attacked like that, so I turned and ran.” Isana folded her hood over her head, her eyes wide and sad.
“That’s fine...did Emerald have her necklace on when she was asleep?” Airin asked, deep in thought.
“No, but I never noticed it to begin with, so it didn’t matter to me...she did have some odd marks on her neck, though.” Isana answered.
“Like...marks like someone tried to strangle her?” Lynn asked.
“I think...they were red and looked deep, but they’re not there anymore.” Isana thought deeply, trying to remember.
“SOMEONE TRIED TO STRANGLE ME?” Emerald shouted, shaking in nervousness. She scratched at her neck- the lines were faint, but there.
“That’s probably why she was sleeping so deeply! Her body was probably still in a state of shock from that…” Vinnie clasped her hands together, nervous from the thought.
“Who would’ve had the key to her house? We aren’t even supposed to be sharin’ keys anyway…” Lane asked.
“Kendall, do you have Emerald’s key to her cottage?” Isana asked, but was interrupted by Emerald.
“I gave her my key last night! Oh, who ever could she have given it to?” Emerald put on a show, giggling to herself to distract everyone from how scared she was.
“Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh?” Kendall repeated the same word over and over again, an emotionless glaze falling over her wide eyes.
“W-What…? What a-are you doing?” Lane shouted, her hands shaking.
“Ah...I was wr-wrong… Wrong! Th-That’s impossible...I to-told you gu-guys where I was...I w-was on top of the roof...I ca-can’t be in two places at once, right?” Kendall’s eyes suddenly lit up, emotion returning to them.
“But it makes sense...I caught you just as you left Emerald’s cottage due to how new the marks looked around her neck… and neither you or Ed were in your cottages. And you weren’t on the roof...but I could hear quick footsteps, and a loud noise, I’m guessing it was similar to when Airin fell from the window…” Isana rambled on, recounting everything she remembered in a tired voice.
“Gyaaaah!!” Kendall shrieked, throwing her hands up as if to defend herself. Her fragile frame was shaking, her breaths stuttering and slow.
“I-It’s true? S-She...She killed Ed? Her own partner?” Dominance shouted, a terrified look taking over his hidden features.
“N-No...t-that’s not it at all! I-I mean...it’s i-impossible...me and E-Ed were cl-climbing the roof… w-we ju-just had a disagreement is a-all...th-that’s all...i-it’s really all…” Kendall trailed off, her eyes dead and filled with a sort of despair. That feeling of acceptance- acceptance of your own fate, when you know it’s too late to get away, even when you’ve done everything.
It was etched permanently into her eyes.
“Uh...at 2 in the morning...you were climbing the roof? Still…? When’d you fall off then?” Kai asked, throwing her fists up in the air.
“Ri-Right...right a-after that...h-he ran to-towards the Sports Ce-Center to get he-help...so he cl-climbed through the window...I wa-watched him do it! I-If you don’t believe me...I-I...I-I’ll re-enact it! S-See! Th-That’s how you’ll k-know I’m no-not the killer!” Kendall tripped and stuttered over every word, her breaths becoming steadily harder and faster.
“Hold on, there’s no way! I heard you guys leave way before that...and I saw footprints in the sand today. One person barefoot and one person with shoes on...I forgot to bring it up. I’ve been really forgetful lately…” Isana yawned, nearly falling asleep.
“Yeah, and why would it have happened in the Sports Center? Why wouldn’t he have just ran to the Nurse’s Office?” Lane interjected.
“Because it’s a lie, that’s why. Kendall...just stop it with your crappy lies. No one believes you...and you’re only digging yourself deeper into a hole that’s really hard to get out of! I should know since I do it every day!” Kodie spoke up, kicking a leg behind her.
“Why dontcha just dig yourself 6 feet under and stay there, ya lyin’ little flamin’ hot piece-a trash!” Mia shouted, throwing a thumbs-down in Kodie’s direction.
“You think I’m hot…? Aw, stop it! You don’t have to flatter me!” Kodie smirked to herself.
“A l-lie…?” Kendall stopped for a second, the same look returning to her face. Her eyes grew wide, nearly swirling with insanity. Her mouth hung open, her tongue slightly sticking out as her eyes rolled back. “I-I already to-told you I’m no-not the killer...wh-why does everyone...wh-why...why d-do th-they...ju-just believe m-me...believe m-me...be-believe...m-me…” Kendall trailed off, whispering to herself as she crossed her thighs, fidgeting with her fingers nervously.
“KJ...what are you doing? Wh-What’s going on...sh-she’s such a stereotypical psychopath! H-Help me!” Emerald shook with fear, violent shivers coursing up her spine.
“Hold on- this isn’t right! We don’t even have a story. I refuse to believe this until we go further.” Bryce interrupted.
“Fi-Finally...someone wh-who believes… be-believes sc-scum like me… y-you don’t ca-call me a liar… and y-you kn-know how ul-ultimately worthless I-I am!” A bright smile flashed across Kendall’s lips, and she swayed- nearly bringing her to the ground.
“I never said that- what are you talking about? Someone stop this!” Bryce’s voice increased in intensity, his hands trembling.
“I told you I won’t let anyone hurt you, not even yourself! Emerald- the super-ultimate-detective- insists you stop talking like that!” Emerald flashed a smile, placing her hands on her hips.
“Heh...hehe...it’s n-not fair...no-not fa-fair...not fair...not fa-fair...no one be-believes me...tr-trash like me…” Kendall murmured, her whisper of a voice cracking, as creaky, shaky breaths escaped her lungs.
“W-What’s going on? She’s getting weirder by the minute…” Kaz interrupted, crossing his arms and baring his teeth in confusion and fear.
“WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE?! You wo-would have forgiven yourself i-if you were i-in that si-situation...I co-couldn’t...I-I...I-I couldn’t ta-take it a-anymore...you co-couldn’t ha-have...ha-have do-done it...the ba-bat...g-go ahead and p-punish me! JUST BELIEVE ME! I d-don’t ca-care if you hu-hurt me… I’m u-used to it...I lo-love it…” Kendall shrieked, her voice graduating to a shaky, painful whisper. Her voice was raspy, harsh with every word she stuttered out. “I de-deserve it...I’d fo-forgive you i-if you forgave m-me...heh...heh…”
“Acting like this to cope...I can’t claim I’ve witnessed things such as it before, but I’d be a happy witness...if it meant my deeper understanding of the situation, of course…” Elle held herself, visibly frustrated.
“Should I ignore this and try to piece together the story?” Airin asked, clearly annoyed- and ever so slightly shaken.
“If you can get her to shut her trap for more than a minute- then go right for it!” Mia shouted over Kendall- who was crouched over, hands on her thighs as she breathed heavily, beginning to cry.
“So...in my knowledge, she, right from the Washroom, went back to her cottage. I’m guessing she went back alone, since it seemed pretty quiet. That’s when she went to Emerald’s, who was already back and asleep. She stole her necklace, wrapping it around her neck as hard as she could as to strangle her...possibly to kill her, or to incapacitate her long enough to carry out what she needed.” Airin stopped for a second, breathing slowly. “That’s when Ed came back, and I’m guessing they had some sort of disagreement, and Kendall ran away with no shoes on- to show for the footprints. This is when Isana came, barely missing them. She basically played tag with them- barely missing them every time. That’s when Kendall went for the window, falling from it.”
Airin was quickly cut off by Kendall- loudly and exasperatedly yelling.
“Gyaah! Yo-you think...y-you think I we-went for the w-window...I go-got pu-pushed...it do-doesn’t mean I’m the ki-killer...n-no one ha-has a right t-to believe so-someone like m-me, though...ri-right…?” Kendall revealed, hugging herself tightly.
“So...she was pushed, I guess. Which is what we heard. Then, I guess she ran into the building...but it still doesn’t add up to why the window was unlocked and dirty.” Airin thought deeply for a minute, deranged silence filling the silent air. “Maybe...maybe she...she went into the window to escape him, then ran down the stairs...that would explain the footprint pattern according to Lynn.”
“Yes, that seems right...I saw 2 sets of footprints, that would add up to that- and so did Isana!” Lynn answered.
“Oh- yeah, I did…” Isana affirmed, yawning tiredly.
“So if that’s the case- they met halfway in the gym area, and the closest weapon was the metal bat- and to keep him from hurting her further, Kendall hit him over the head with it, dropping it. Then, all night, she moved the equipment out of the closet- and possibly set the trap there too, just in case Ed got up and tried to come for her again- and she hid in the closet all night. It would explain the scars on her body...and it would explain why the floor was covered in dirt and sand there. Is that right, Kendall?”
“H-Huh…? Huh, huh, huh, huh, huh, huh, huh, huh, huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? I-It’s n-not...n-no...wh-what did I...wh-what did I...WH-WHAT...WHAT D-DID I D-DO?!” Kendall’s voice increased into a pain-filled scream, her eyes rolling back into her head. She scratched at her skin- leaving deep, red marks all over her arms. She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, her eyes widening by the second. “Wh-What did I do wr-wrong? Wh-Why wo-won’t anyone be-believe me...tr-trash li-like me...a g-good-for-nothing pi-piece of tr-trash…”
“The more you yell like this...the more we’ll suspect you, just so you know…” Trina began, but Isana interrupted her.
“It seems that she’s started arguing...but can you prove it?” Isana asked, calm tones undertaking her voice.
“Pr-Prove it...p-prove it...I’m n-not the ki-killer! I to-told you! Wh-Where’s yo-your pr-proof?! Y-You ne-need proof...i-if you do-don’t have proof...h-how...h-how...h-how c-can you...y-you...y-y-you n-need pr-proof!!” Kendall’s voice trembled, rising in intensity.
“The more you argue...the more you dig yourself into a hole...you lied, didn’t you?” Isana calmly asked once again.
“Y-You kn-know...it’s i-impossible...yo-your st-story is s-so off...y-you need pr-proof! I-It’s impossible f-for me t-to kill...e-even if I wa-wanted to...e-even if I st-stayed up all ni-night pl-planning it...e-even if I did- SO WH-WHAT?! Yo-You’d fo-forgive yo-yourself immediately if y-you ki-killed in se-self defense li-like th-that!” Kendall’s voice range increased and decreased, suddenly taking turns for the worst.
“So...you’re admitting you killed Ed?” Monica placed her hands on her hips.
“Y-You’re gonna...you’re n-not go-gonna h-hurt me, right? Yo-You’re not go-gonna hurt m-me, right? R-Right...right...right, right, right, right, right, right, right?” Kendall trailed off once again.
“Kendall...after I go over everyone’s reports and all the evidence...it only makes sense. Come on- just admit it- just let me believe in you one last time! You...you aren’t a bad person!” Monica reasoned, her finger lingering over the button lined with Kendall’s name.
They were all about to cast votes- it was over for Kendall.
“N-No...I-I’ll...I’ll never admit it...I’ll never l-let you h-hate me! I wo-won’t let anyone hu-hurt me again! I...I...I, I, I...I CAN’T TA-TAKE IT! I can’t ta-take one m-more hurtful wo-word… one m-more a-act of vi-violence...I won’t...I-I wo-won’t have it! You’d f-forgive yourself i-immediately if y-you killed in se-self defense li-like that! I wo-won’t take de-death threats… or v-violence...n-no mo-more violence...e-ever...I-I...I’m...I-I’M DONE! YOU HEAR ME?! I’M DONE! DONE! DONE DONE DONE DONE DONE!!” Kendall’s heart lurched, sending the pitch of her voice sky-high.
Suddenly, the intense atmosphere was sliced through as the TV cut back on.
“I see that a verdict has been decided! Now then, before the punishment begins, we must all take a collective vote! There’s buttons under the desk of your podium with all the resident’s names on it! If you’d like this trial to end, click the button labelled with Kendall’s name, as I assume she’s been voted guilty!” Chief 2 exclaimed, before the TV cut off again.
Everyone- without hesitation, pressed the button all their fingers had been lingering over.
“H-Hold on...KJ- you...y-you really did that…? M-My best friend...m-my only friend! I wo-won’t have it! There’s no way!” Emerald jumped from her podium, running over to the shaking girl.
“Heh...heh...hehe...hehehehehehehehehehehehehehe…th-there’s no way...I-I...I wo-won’t die now…” Kendall’s dark words creeping out of her mouth mismatched her cheerful tone- every word laced with a happy, high-pitched ending.
“Co-Come on! You can’t be serious! Y-You’re really doing this...because it’s you? There’s no way! I’m a super-ultimate-detective- I would’ve known! KJ- answer me!” Emerald’s voice grew in desperation, concern- and ultimate fear hanging onto every frantic word she spoke.
To her horror, there was no response from her friend, as she walked towards the door, stumbling over her own feet as she went.
“Hold on- is this really happening? This feels like slow motion- like it’s a dream! Please- tell me it is!” Bernadette shouted, her voice full of despair.
“No, it’s happening alright...and let me tell you- I’m not letting it happen again.” Bryce’s voice sounded serious, and everyone else was shocked to silence-
Shocked to silence due to the sudden falling away of the floor, and opening of the wall.
A chain snapped around Kendall’s neck, red lights lining the walls suddenly illuminating the worst despair.
She was dragged away, her injured legs kicking as she tried to scream- but no air came to her aid.
She was lifted into the air, closing her eyes against the sudden change of cold air- a draft hitting her like a truck.
She was suddenly dropped down onto the ground, a metal ladder- covered with spikes- laying in front of her fragile frame.
Kendall lifted her tired eyes towards the ladder, accepting her brutal fate.
She grabbed hold of it’s rungs, the closely knitted spikes piercing through her slender fingers, leaving stains of blood sliding down her wrists.
She closed her eyes, hardly able to feel the white-hot pain of metal spikes piercing through the bottoms of her feet. Her veins coursed with hot blood and determination, spiking harder into her heart the more pain she was subjected to.
She smiled against the thoughts beating against her brain, climbing higher- until a chain dropped from the ceiling, catching against her neck.
It swept away the small girl in one swift motion, holding her hostage precariously in the thick air.
She kicked and fought- scratching at the tightening chain- but to no avail. No air entered her windpipe- it crushing under the intense pressure she was being subjected to. Her vision blurred, a wave of nauseating dizziness overtaking her body. The chain caught in her hair, pulling singular strands of it out the more she tiredly fought.
She failed to look under her- just as she broke free from the suffocating grip of the chain- the feeling it gave her reminiscent of just the night before.
Dark paintings swirled in her dead eyes as she fell- falling towards a worse fate than she would’ve suffered without fighting.
As soon as the moment ended- seemingly going in slow motion- she fell on top of a singular metal spike, the air hot and thick.
And with that, it was the end.
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supreme-lxadxr · 2 years
Text
~The Fallen~
Chapter 7
(A/N-- OOOH THIS ONES LONG- stick with it though! you've made it so far!)
CHAPTER 7
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Before anyone knew it- the morning announcement was sounding throughout the small community- sound waves piercing every inch of the thick, hot air outside.
Airin hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before- tossing and turning on every side- her eyes glued to the couch next to her.
It was empty- empty of her closest friend- the one she’d kept closer than her friend.
She knew it could always be worse- he could be dead, but in a place like this, you never know what could happen next.
And in the back of her mind, she could swear she heard distant yelling- coming from the area towards the back right corner, that held a large building used for physical training known as the Sports Center.
“Good morning residents! There’s not much to go into today, it’s all in the Auditorium! Make your way over there right now- prepare to be surprised!” Chief 2’s voice rang out, suddenly stopping and cutting out.
Airin groaned, running her hands through her messy hair. Her body was tired from running all that way, and her voice was significantly quieter than usual- due to Tina attempting to choke her out last night.
She slowly rose up, changing her clothes and slipping on her shoes.
An odd feeling was arising in her stomach- she’d been doing this with Dominance for so long that it started to feel lonely to do this all by herself.
As usual, Kiyotaka was leading the line to the Auditorium, ranting about something someone ended up doing- an unknown fault that seemed to disagree with his moral compass.
They all made their way into the Auditorium, a significantly smaller number of residents than last time.
With Isana, Kaz, Hailey, Hira, Ameena, and Dominance gone, everything seemed to move slower. There was no one next to Airin to tell her to bow even if she didn’t want to- no one to hype her up anymore. It really started to wear on her brain, after even a moment of thought about it.
Airin’s eyes glanced around the room, finally deciding to tune into what Kiyotaka had to say- being that he’d ran up to her and started shouting something.
“Airin! You wouldn’t have seen Ed or Kendall on the way here, did you? It’s unsuitable to be late to something like this! There’s most likely new announcements- which needs to be respected by all in attendance!” Kiyotaka adjusted his glasses in one sharp movement, a serious look lacing his features.
It took a moment for Airin to process the quick words he was shouting in fast succession to one another, causing her to stare blankly at him for a few seconds.
“No...I haven’t. I’d check the Cottages or the Washroom...you know Ed, so who knows at this point…” Airin sighed, closing her eyes.
“I agree with you- it’s honestly unsuitable the way he conducts himself! I’m giving him a stern talking-to as his fellow resident when I find him! All residents should be in harmony with one another, and try to build a good name for themselves! He’s doing the complete opposite- it’s...it’s...unwholesome!” Kiyotaka raised his voice, his eyes slightly widening with passion.
“Okay, whatever will get you off this tangent I’ll be fine with...” Airin sighed and turned away from him, still tired from the night before.
“I’m worried about it...the street lights are off. Everyone knows what that means…” Trina bowed her head.
Emerald jumped in between them, a hyper burst of energy sending her running and twitching quickly to the 3 of them.
“Don’t worry fam!! I’ll find Kendall for you guys, I won’t let anything happen to her! Did I mention we’re best friends? We’re totally besties, man! She’s so great, she listens to music with me and borrows my dresses! I’ll find her for ya, don’t you worry! Emerald’s on the case!” Emerald hopped from foot to foot, a hyper and energetic tone bursting in her voice.
Suddenly, the TV powered on, and everyone quickly made their way over to their designated squares.
“As you all know, we’ve been working on a very special motive for all you guys- and today is the super-despair-inducing-day-we-introduce-it!!” Chief 2 excitedly stated, making everyone uncomfortably shift.
“This motive all lies in that forbidden building called the House Of Memories! In that building holds all of your deepest secrets- including the victims and murderers! So if you don’t want your deepest, darkest, skeletons in your closet to rear their ugly heads, I’d suggest gettin’ to the killing! Today, all residents have a task to complete- finishing up the construction that was cut short yesterday! So get to it! Announcements...over!”
Everyone in attendance bowed, a sinking feeling arising in even the hardest of hearts. Everyone acted as if the words starting from Chief 2 physically slapped them, a terrifying yet nostalgic feeling arising.
They started out the door, softly chatting amongst themselves. Airin’s eyes couldn’t be taken off of the Nurse’s Office no matter how hard she tried, holding herself tightly as if she didn’t trust that she wouldn’t lose control of her body and just walk in. Hundreds of thousands of sharp-edged thoughts stabbing themselves into her brain caused fear to shake her heart- although hardened by cynical notions and haunted by the sight of yesterday.
They all made their way over to the construction site- the ghosts of the past haunting the minds of all in attendance. The spot of concrete had small crimson streaks lining it, waiting to be stepped over in remembrance of every bad thing.
Airin found herself deep in thought again- wondering, contemplating- analyzing deeply.
She found herself shifting uncomfortably at the thought of everyone’s reactions- no one- not even Lane, Vinnie, Mae or Kai- had allowed themselves to grieve over Hailey’s death yet. Everyone was so emotionless and numb, she found herself wondering if it really had happened the way she remembered it.
Without a second thought, Airin ascended a ladder, kneeling on top of a beam- one over from the beam that took Hailey’s life yesterday. She crawled over to it, the feeling of splintered wood on her bare legs making her shift uncomfortably. She made a point to hammer in the loose beam that had been replaced there precariously- still stained with harsh crimson streaks and puddles. It was dried by now- but it was still a harsh memory, forever etched into the heavy piece of wood.
Monica was assigning roles to every resident there, but Airin chose to ignore her for now. She was more worried about fixing this beam than anything else, and wanted nothing more than to just save one more of these resident’s lives.
She wouldn’t admit it out loud, but deep in the darkest, deepest reaches of her most isolated thoughts- she cared about all of them. She wanted nothing more than to see them all leave this horrible place- to grow as people, have families, lives, and full lifespans.
But there was always the ugly truth nagging in the back of her brain- it wasn’t true, and no matter how pretty the lies are, they’re still lies, and everyone is truly, hopelessly, stuck here.
And she already established in her mind what she needed to do to survive- never show any of her emotions.
And with that, she decided to keep all of those promising, false hopes to herself.
Airin was in her own mind, silence overcoming her ears, until she was suddenly snapped out of it, by hearing Lane’s voice overpower all the others.
“Hey- does anyone else smell somethin’ kinda weird? Or is that just me?”
Airin’s head shot up, her mind suddenly turning to the worst.
“H-hey! It’s not my fault, I didn’t get to the washroom in time last night!” Vinnie had a shocked look on her face, holding herself in embarrassment.
“N-Neither did I-I...aw- I-I’m sorry!” Mae’s eyes suddenly filled with tears as she stumbled over a ladder, falling into the middle of the concrete.
“It’s really no problem...I’m sure half the people didn’t anyway. We kinda had a skeleton crew in there anyway, we’ll still have time tonight I think!” Alana’s face broke out into an awkward smile, looking at Mae sprawled out on the floor.
“Ugh, yeah...it probably is you! You look like a gross, fat, pig, and you smell like one too! Go take a shower, you disgusting, toilet clogging piece of trash!” Jess turned her nose up at Mae, folding her arms. Alana rolled her eyes, grabbing onto her small friend’s wrist and pulling her away.
“Jeez...Jess, do you think anymore? You’re getting like some of those guys…” Alana rolled her eyes again, walking away.
“It is unsuitable to talk about other residents in this way! It’s no one’s fault that there was a shortage of residents taking a shower yesterday or any day! But I do advise keeping up with that schedule when is possible!” Kiyotaka threw his hands in front of him, as if to defend the words he was saying.
Suddenly, a familiar figure appeared on the grounds- one that shocked everyone to silence.
“I-I’m so sorry I’m late! I couldn’t find Ed anywhere, and I couldn’t leave without him…” Kendall raised her voice slightly, a scratchy undertone lacing her words.
Emerald ran to her, picking her friend up by the side.
“KJ!! See- I knew the ultimate detective in me could find her!! What happened to your voice, dude?!” Emerald yelled, hugging her friend tightly. Kendall shifted uncomfortably at the sudden movements and loud noises, gently smiling at her friend as she tried to wiggle free.
“Y-yeah...I’m fine...last night was rough. I was trying to go out onto the roof to see the sky but I ended up falling off...I’m really okay though! Don’t worry about me…” Kendall laughed nervously, swaying as she stood still. Her blonde hair was tangled and messy, and her body was littered with bruises. The sight of the darkening bruises and blood were enough to make Emerald stare with her mouth agape for a few seconds- trying to take in everything she was seeing.
The mangled, bruised mess that was Emerald’s- and many others- friend stood before them, her eyes dark and void of emotion. Yet ever so slightly, a whisper of pain was exploding behind her blue, dead eyes. Emerald shakes under the powerful pain her scars are carrying- lacing her entire frame, all up and down her arms, legs, chest, face and neck.
Airin felt a shiver run down her spine- despite the hot weather that’d been beating down on her back for what felt like hours now.
She didn’t fall off that roof.
Lynn ran to Kendall, taking the smaller girl into her grip- a motherly, concerned grip.
“Oh my- we have to get this taken care of...what happened to you? Have you lost any blood?” Lynn fired questions at the small girl, who flinched at Lynn’s gentle touch.
“N-No… I haven’t. And I fell off my roof, that’s it.” Kendall’s eyes suddenly held a form of aggression- not specifically aimed at anyone, but Lynn could feel a slight pain inside her- she felt as if she needed to take care of Kendall, who had been pushing her away.
Mia suddenly stomped over to them, grabbing Kendall hard by her shoulders.
“I swear...if that dirtbag hurt you, I’mma kill him! You don’t deserve him, girl! You deserve better!” Mia was passionately yelling, her eyes wide. Kendall backed up slightly away from her, surprised by the sudden reaction.
“H-Huh? N-no...it’s not like that! I told you what happened!” Kendall puffed out her cheeks in annoyance towards Mia.
Elle watched them from above, sitting cross-legged on top of a precariously hung beam. The emotionless glaze fell over her eyes again, and she had a dead expression lacing her features.
Meanwhile, Lane continued to walk around, attempting to find the source of the smell she’d been bothered with. It didn’t smell like food- she knew that smell the second it hit her.
It smelled metallic, like rust, metal, iron, or…
Blood. It smelled like blood.
Lane’s eyes widened at the sudden realization, which left her blindly running back to the others.
“Guys- I figured out what I’ve been smellin’! It’s blood! Somebody’s hurt or dead somewhere!” Lane had panic lacing her voice, which caught the attention of the others quickly.
“B-Blood?! There’s no way...everyone’s been here! This...This is so unwholesome!!” Kiyotaka suddenly had panic and anxiety lacing his features, already running after Lane- who had started towards the Sports Center.
Airin jumped down from the beam, hot pain shooting through both of her ankles as they hit the concrete. She pushed through the crowd, running as fast as her legs could possibly take her.
They all made it to the Sports Center, Lane making loud claims that she smelled it the most around this particular area. Every remaining resident ignored the sinking gut feeling they’d had for awhile now- only to get stronger- an unmerciful turn of feelings waving over everyone there.
“Hold on- I’ll check to see if it’s safe first...I don’t want anyone getting hurt, just in case it’s set up with some sort of trap, or something like that.” Monica pushed her way to the front of the surrounding crowd, breathing deeply as she reached for the heavy door. There were already dried crimson stains around the handle of the door, mocking the eyes of every onlooker.
“Someone must’ve been trying to escape...who don’t we have here?” Monica turned around, procrastinating the idea of opening the door.
“Who we don’t have here is who we’re not gonna have here ever again if you don’t woman up and open that door!” Jess screamed, sending the pitch of her voice sky-high. “If you don’t do it, I’mma bop you on the head, you idiot!” She smirked, giggling to herself. Monica sighed, turning around to face the large door in front of her.
It’s probably nothing...Even if it is, I’ll never know anyway if I don’t just try. It’s what they need from me...I have to. I don’t have a choice, even if it’s uncomfortable.
Monica reassured herself silently, the silence of the crowd making her stomach churn as hard as it could.
All in one quick motion, she reached for the door, swinging it open. Lane wasn’t wrong- an overwhelming smell hit her as soon as she stepped inside. Her sense of smell might not have been as tuned as Lane’s, but she definitely noticed the change in the thick air.
It smelled like rust, iron, blood, something decaying almost.
Almost reminiscent of…
Another body.
Airin stepped past Monica, the disgusting, horrific scene unfolding in front of her dark eyes- reminiscent of deep voids, holding pain and despair- all fragments of hope had been gone, once again. All over again the scene played out in front of all of their eyes, shocking colors and gruesome imagery.
There in front of them, laid the body of the once-resident, none other than Ed- the one who they’d just lost- just been discussing.
There lay a metal bat next to him, the floor stained with dripping, drying, crimson regrets.
Kendall walked into the room, standing in pure shock and horror for singular moments- moments that could’ve passed as hundreds of thousands of years.
“N-No...it can’t be…! How did this...how…” Kendall stuttered, tears forming in her eyes. The waves of emotions were too strong for her to handle- shock, self-loathing, guilt, and despair all laced her features, rearing their heads as she began crying, shaking from the sheer force of her own emotions.
Emerald ran to her friend, catching sight of the body- letting out a high-pitched, painful shriek at the gruesome sight.
“Come on, you guys need to leave- we need to report this right now…” Monica’s voice was laced with shame, desperation clinging to every empty word she spoke.
Suddenly, the TV turned on, making a loud zapping sound.
Chief 2’s masked face appeared on the screen- their eyes lit up with a spark of hope- or possibly a sick spark of joy.
“As you can plainly see, a murder has happened! This death was not of natural causes- someone murdered Ed in cold blood! After exactly 24 hours has passed, another Trial will begin! His time of death was approximately 2:38 AM, but since I’m feeling generous, I’ll push it back to 2:38 PM! Now get to investigating!”
Their sickly optimistic, scratchy voice forced harsh shivers up Airin’s spine. She held herself tightly, a sick feeling in her stomach making her chest burn.
“Hold on- the murderer is among us! They could still be looking for another victim!! Everyone come inside the building, just in case!” Kiyotaka ran inside, tripping over his own quick feet. He inspected the body, kneeling next to it for a few seconds.
“I see...I assert that the metal bat next to his body is what was used to murder him! It makes sense in this situation, does it not?” Kiyotaka tilted his head to get a better look at the silver bat next to the still frame of their former resident. It was splashed up the side with crimson splatters, and it looked to be thrown on the ground.
“Who would’ve had a motive to do this...before the motive came out? It doesn’t make any sense to me...” Trina turned her head hard to the left, folding her arms over her chest.
“I don’t even believe this happened. I knew it was a matter of time before the next murder...but not like this…” Airin began, being spoken over by Tina.
“I k-knew it...I-I’m n-next...aren’t I? I w-won’t let t-them hurt u-us again…” Tina held herself tightly, biting her lip as hard as she could.
“That’s aside the point. What the point actually is who committed this murder this time.” Airin’s eyes grew cold as she looked at the slightly smaller girl.
Mae quickly ran to Ed’s empty, mangled frame, moving his blonde hair out of the way to inspect the newfound injuries to his body.
“W-Well the good part i-is that h-he didn’t appear t-to s-suffer…” Mae stuttered, folding her hands together.
“What’s that supposed to mean? Obviously he suffered, he’s on the ground...you know, dead?” Alana placed her hands on her hips.
“I-I’m sorry! I m-mean...he d-died instantly. T-There was n-no ‘last m-moments’...he j-just collapsed.” Mae started, inspecting his body further.
“Ah...well at least he didn’t suffer, I guess. But does it really matter? He’s still dead, and it was going to happen in the long run anyway…” Trina closed her eyes, running a hand through her dark red hair.
“No, nothing matters anymore, does it?” Elle tilted her head, having been standing silently for what felt like hours, staring at the damage left behind. “Humans really are capable of anything, aren’t they? It’s almost an art...an art of passion, and self-preservation.”
“An...an art? Are you kiddin’ me right now? A body’s in front of ya and all ya have to say is it’s an ‘art?’” Mia turned to face her, folding her arms.
“Ah...you just don’t have the eyes to see it as I see it. Or how the Chiefs see it, rather. Do you agree?” Elle smiled, closing her cold, dead eyes.
“I dunno how to respond to that… it’s all a bunch of crap to me anyway.” Mia’s eyes narrowed, and Elle turned her back. “All you’re tryin’ to do is prove me wrong, and it honestly ain’t gonna happen!”
“This is the type of thinking that will lead us all down deadly roads...but it seems residents welcome the beautiful lies, rather than the truth, that can be perceived to be quite horrible.” Elle turned back around, but Mia didn’t appear to be listening to her anymore.
“It’s really horrible...I said I’d never let another killing happen, but it just did! This place...it’s so unpredictable...I really hate it here…!” Bernadette stuttered on her words, shocked by the sight in front of her. She started inspecting the rest of the room, her eyes falling onto a door near the back.
Before she could say anything to the others, she started to walk towards it, Monica closely following behind her.
“Be careful...we all know what happened last time. I’m not saying we’ll find someone in here, but you never really know I guess…” Monica pushed in front of Bernadette, grabbing the door handle- and without hesitation, swinging it open with all of her force.
They both prepared themselves for the worst, cold, dark fears creeping up into Monica’s heart. Sharp, rough-edged thoughts carved into her brain as she closed her eyes, preparing herself.
But when she opened them, she saw nothing.
“Huh...isn’t there supposed to be, you know...stuff in here?” Bernadette began, gathering her thoughts, as Kendall and Emerald appeared behind them.
“Wowie! An empty room! I could totally dance or something in here!” Emerald pushed in between the two, shutting herself inside the closet. “Heya! Can you guys hear me? This place has great acoustics! Yahoo!!” She made a loud, high-pitched sound, jumping up and down at the sound of each echo.
“Maybe y-you shouldn’t do that...there’s probably stuff in there you shouldn’t be touching…” Kendall wrenched open the door, her features laced with concern for her friend. She had a glint of aggression digging deep into her eyes, narrowing them at the very sight of the door in front of her.
Kendall grabbed onto Emerald’s wrists, leading her out of the small, empty closet. She stopped right in front of it, breathing slowly.
“It’s really weird just how empty it is in there...isn’t there usually, like...equipment for sports and stuff in there?” Kendall turned her head back around to look into the dark space. “It did look like there used to be stuff in there, though...there’s so many scratches on the floor.” She bowed her head slightly, bending over quickly to analyze the marks.
There were deep, white scratches all over the floor- similar to the evidence found in the Washroom.
“Oh yeah, that’s like, totally dark, you know? It’s- ooh, it’s like the murderer came and stole everything to hide the evidence, man! That’s super spooky, I’m gonna start panicking so much I can’t even talk anymore!” Emerald bounced around, exaggerated expressions overtaking her features. Kendall looked disturbed, looking past her hyper friend into the dark room.
“Hold on, there’s something in here that shouldn’t be...let me in here alone.” Monica watched where her feet fell strategically, occasionally looking above her.
“There’s a trip-wire here. Whoever the killer is… they must have resorted to using the bat after this method didn’t work for them...but where’s the rest of the equipment?” Monica questioned out loud, starting to nervously sweat.
“A-A trip-wire? Hold on...where?” Bernadette began, stepping into the room. Sure enough- she tripped the small, invisible wire, sending a dumbbell directly above the door crashing to the ground- crashing hard enough to leave a crack in the hardwood floor. It had been suspended by a thicker cord- nailed into the ceiling and tied to the tripwire.
Bernadette let out a high-pitched scream as the force from the dumbbell threw her forward- thankfully now backwards, into where it landed.
“That...that shouldn’t have happened like that! How’d they do that?” Bernadette’s voice trembled with nervousness- as did her body. Monica pushed past her, inspecting the fallen dumbbell.
“It looks like it weighs 15 pounds...that was definitely set up to kill someone. I’m guessing when that method didn’t work, they resorted to using the bat...or maybe this door was locked. Would anyone know where the key is?” Monica rose to her feet, running her slender fingers through her tight, curly locks. “I know every other room here is locked up- I’ve never seen the keys anywhere. It doesn’t make sense how someone could just get that...I don’t get it.”
“Someone probably has the keys...or maybe they’re hidden somewhere, like they were last time? Weren’t they backstage or something?” Kendall perked up, her eyes widening in thought.
“I don’t know who would have them- and yes, they were! You know what…” Monica stopped for a moment, stepping over the fallen dumbbell. “Follow me, I know where some things might’ve gone.”
She made her way towards the back of the room, ascending a tight, hidden staircase. Bernadette, Kendall, and Emerald followed, slightly uncomfortable at the tight space.
Monica turned towards a small door at the top of the staircase, a note being hung from the doorknob. She picked it up, confusion lacing her dark-colored eyes.
I finally found it...I never thought I’d be able to come up here, but here I am.
I won’t let anything else happen, when I can find them.
-B.T.
Monica read it out loud, an indescribable feeling arising into her mind.
“Who wrote this...and how do they have two names?” Kendall stood on her tiptoes, trying to read the small piece of paper.
“I don’t know...who has more than one name here? Anyone’s name start with a B or a T?”
“Well...my name starts with a B, but I definitely didn’t write that! Was it someone...impersonating me?” Bernadette’s eyes were filled with confusion.
“No, I don’t know why anyone would do that. Trina’s name starts with a T...but there’s no B…” Monica trailed off, holding the paper closer to her face.
“Ooh, ooh! I have one- Tina’s name starts with a T!! Their names are so similar...it’s kind of confusing, you know?” Emerald jumped up, nearly falling backwards down the stairs. “There’s so many residents...there’s me, Kendall, Dominance, Kaz, Airin, Monica, Isana, Elle, Lynn, Mia, Kiyotaka...it would be so confusing if they wrote ‘K’, there’s so many K’s here! Guess we’re just A-OK then!”
“Wow, I never really noticed that! But there’s only one ‘B’, and that’s me...which isn’t very helpful at all! Unless someone’s trying to frame me, but who would do that? I...I can’t accept it!” Bernadette threw her hands up in front of her, as if to defend herself.
“It really doesn’t make any sense. Maybe it was planted there by Elle to confuse us?” Kendall questioned, folding her arms.
“While it’s interesting, it’s all aside the point, this is about Ed, whose name doesn’t start with a B or a T...now I’m gonna try and open this door.” Monica appeared annoyed, handing the note to Bernadette. Monica tried to wrench open the door- all to no avail. It didn’t appear to want to budge, no matter how hard she tried.
“Maybe it’s blocked by something? Here, let me try!” Bernadette approached the door, pulling and pushing it as hard as she could- all to no avail. It still didn’t want to move.
“This really makes no sense...why would this be blocked? There’s nowhere to even turn a key, so it’s not locked.” Monica still appeared annoyed, her frustration growing. “There’s probably evidence in there, and the killer was probably smart enough to hide it in there somehow.”
Meanwhile Airin was still trying to help around the site of the body, hardly finding any evidence at all. The only thing found was the fact that he was hit over the head with a metal bat, and he appeared to have some scars, as if he’d gotten into a physical altercation with his killer. His shirt was ripped, and both of his shoes were missing.
Contrary to the other bodies, he didn’t appear to have any sort of puncture wound on his body.
Airin had noticed the commotion coming from the upstairs, and began her way over to the staircase.
“What’s going on over here? I didn’t even know this existed…” Airin called out, ascending the stairs. Emerald, Kendall, and Bernadette allowed her to pass by them, and she stood next to Monica.
“Ah...Airin, we can’t open this door, and there’s no lock on it, so it must be blocked, but you can try to open it if you’d like- maybe you’re stronger than me or Bernadette.” Monica stepped aside, and Airin yanked on the handle. It still didn’t move- push or pull.
“It’s a door you push, you can’t pull it. But I can’t push it either. It must be locked from the inside, or blocked by something…” Airin stated the obvious, turning her back to the door.
“Maybe there’s a window outside or something? We probably won’t be able to get in, but you should try…” Bernadette ran a hand through her hair, awkwardly laughing.
“Ah, I never thought of that! Whoa, that’s some detective-level stuff! Great job, ultimate-detective-number-two!” Emerald jumped up and down, running down the stairs.
The group made their way outside, silently stepping over the dry ground- cutting through the hot, thick air. Airin shifted uncomfortably, unable to tell if she was nervous, or if the hot temperatures was the thing making her sweat so much. She stopped outside of the back wall, her eyes scanning over a high window. It was open, the window pane stained with dirt.
“Someone was in there...but who would want to climb that high- who’s that tall?” Airin shielded her eyes from the hot Sun, standing on her tiptoes.
“Ooh, maybe someone in high-heels on their tiptoes! That would be so cool!” Emerald piped up, being shut down by Kendall.
“Yeah, it would be, but isn’t that impossible anyway? We only have flats to wear, so no…” Kendall folded her arms, laughing nervously.
“I’ll go get somebody super-duper tall for ya! Don’t worry, Emerald’s on this!” Emerald ran towards the door, Kendall close behind, leaving Airin, Bernadette and Monica alone.
“So...uh- does anyone know when we’re gonna see the people in the Nurse’s Office again?” Bernadette spoke up, folding her arms over her chest.
The only time Airin had to not think about it was cut short- again. She wasn’t sure why she cared so much- she was independent, and she thought she didn’t need anyone. She knew she didn’t need anyone else. She could stand on her own just fine.
Which was true, she could stand on her own just fine.
But after doing it for so long- did she really want to anymore?
She was snapped out of her thoughts by Monica responding, hints of confusion in her tone.
“I-I...I don’t know, I wish I did...I honestly forgot about it for a short time there…” Monica placed her hands on her hips, looking to the sky with her eyes. “Is there a specific person you’re worried about?”
Bernadette’s eyes widened, and she turned away from Monica.
“Well, uh...I don’t know what happened to Isana, but there was so much blood all over the ground and her shoes...she’s my best friend, I just wanted to make sure she didn’t die or something…�� Bernadette’s face flushed out of nervousness, and Monica nodded her head in agreement.
“Yeah...I don’t know what happened to her either...I hope they’re all okay. I’m still confused about why Kaz acted the way he did, and why he suddenly passed out like that…How about you, Airin?” Monica turned towards Airin, who’d been silently listening to their conversation. She was snapped out of her thoughtless listening, and her eyes widened.
“Oh...it’s not that important, but I’ve been thinking about Dominance a lot lately...I tried to tell him to not overwork himself, but that’s exactly what he did...so technically, anything that happened to him was my fault.” Airin closed her eyes, turning away. “So you’re free to blame me, and I wouldn’t blame him if he never spoke to me again after this whole thing. I’m not sure why I’m wasting my time anyway.”
Monica and Bernadette exchanged a glance for a second, before Monica spoke up.
“The only thing you’re wasting your time on is worrying about it so much...even if it feels like there’s something you could’ve done about it, in the long run, there’s really not.”
Airin turned back around, narrowing her eyes.
“Was that supposed to be...inspirational?” She questioned, tears threatening to spring to her eyes.
“I wasn’t done- let me finish and then tell me.” Monica began, an assertive tone in her voice. “You’re wasting your time worrying about it, because I’ve never seen a better duo than you two… there’s no way he’d abandon you over that. And if something happened to him...it was because of the shock of not eating or drinking, then witnessing someone die...I don’t think it would’ve mattered what you did or told him. The best part is that you did…” Monica stopped for a second, breathing slowly. “And you still tried to help him, no matter what. And even if something did happen, which I’m almost sure it won’t, that’s okay, since you truly did do everything to help him- and you built an amazing relationship.” Monica stopped, leaving a moment of silence hanging in the air.
Airin’s eyes widened- her emotions trapped tightly in her throat.
“I...I don’t know what to say...thank you…?” Airin pulled at a strand of her hair, embarrassed by her lack of knowledge in a social situation like this.
Monica’s gaze softened, and she folded her arms.
“You’re welcome, it’s the least I could do- being that we’re in almost the same situation and all.” Monica closed her eyes, deep in thought.
Before Airin could form an answer, Emerald’s voice rang out from behind them.
“Heya!! We found some super-ultra-crazy-tall-people!!” She was dragging Elle behind her by the wrist, who was trying to pull back. Kendall was walking alongside Lynn, leading her to Airin, Bernadette and Monica.
Monica’s eyes narrowed at the sight of Elle, silently stepping aside, in case she got any ideas.
“And enlighten me as to what was going through your mind when you brought Elle with you?” Airin shot out what everyone else- all except Emerald- were thinking.
“Nothing at all! She’s super-crazy-tall, that’s what, man! And Lynn said she’d control her, cuz she knew how to!” Emerald raised her voice excitedly, and Elle’s eyes widened. She lost the emotion in her eyes as quickly as it came, folding her arms over her chest.
“She is telling the truth...although I am not sure how to be a help to this situation- nor do I want to…” Lynn grabbed Elle’s wrist as she turned around, ready to walk away.
“Go right ahead, I’d like to see you walk away now. You’re helping them, whether you want to or not...sometimes you have to do things you don’t want to do…” Lynn pulled Elle towards her, not allowing her to leave the situation.
“I’m not supportive of helping potential murderers...but it’s bold of you to trust someone like me. Being that I could’ve done it, as well as any of you could have. Am I wrong?” Elle spoke up, and Lynn’s gaze grew angry.
“Stop joking like that...we all know you were not the culprit…” Lynn answered, covering her mouth with her hand.
“Huh...that’s an interesting proposition. But you don’t know that I’m joking, just as you don’t know we’re all pawns in a game.” Elle smiled, walking towards the wall. She wasn’t tall enough to reach it, but she very well could’ve jumped for it.
“The fact you’re not that far off from the window makes me suspicious, but I guess anyone could jump for that. I don’t know why one of us can’t just try it anyway.” Airin folded her arms over her chest in annoyance. Elle stood on her tiptoes, reaching for the window pane. She could just barely touch it, causing Lynn to wonder. She walked up behind Elle, and stood on her tiptoes. She could place her hand on the window pane, being that she was a few inches taller than Elle.
Lynn grabbed onto the windowpane with both hands, attempting to shift her weight into the open window.
“Please don’t ever try this- you could end up really hurting yourselves, just take my word for it!” Her voice was strained as she struggled, nearly losing her balance. Elle reached up, pushing Lynn into the open window as hard as she could. Her eyes widened as Lynn fell through, causing her to try and see into the high window.
“That’s not what I intended to do...it’s you of course, I would’ve intended to do it to anyone else, if you want honest words from me…” Elle smiled to herself, concern silently lacing her eyes.
Lynn stood up, not falling very far from the window. She looked down at the others, everyone wearing a concerned expression.
“I’m okay, don’t worry about me… This place is really packed tightly with equipment though…” Lynn began, barely being able to turn herself around.
Airin glanced behind her, noticing a medium-sized rock on the ground.
“Hold on...maybe the culprit wasn’t tall after all. Could they have used this to vault themselves into the window?” Airin questioned, kicking at the dusty rock.
“Only you would know, of course...why don’t you try it again?” Elle smiled condescendingly, tilting her head. Airin turned her back, completely ignoring the nonsensical words hanging in the air.
She pushed through the thickening atmosphere, digging both of her feet into the dusty ground. Everything started to feel like a challenge, the rock in front of her suddenly became an obstacle to overcome- all for a greater reason. She’d found herself snapping into this mindset multiple times, her thoughts becoming sharp and pointedly focused.
She ran with a start, positioning one foot quickly onto the top of the rock- dust kicking up into her face. All in one quick movement- twisting, turning, and rushing air followed- she propelled herself off of the rock, aiming for the window pane.
Thoughts in quick succession to one another flashed through her head as she opened her eyes, squinting against the heavy dust and bright Sun.
Before she knew it, she was all-too familiar with the window- hitting into the window pane with all of her force. She could feel the air leaving her body, waiting patiently for someone to laugh at her.
But no one ever did.
She hit the ground with as much force as she’d hit the window with, landing hard into the ground with a loud crash.
She could feel the air leaving her body with as much force as she could handle, the world fading to black around her.
When Airin opened her eyes, she was surrounded by Kendall, Lynn, Monica, Bernadette, Elle, and Emerald.
“Whoa! She’s dead! I’m standing over a dead person! Kendall!!” Emerald grabbed onto her friend, shaking her violently.
“H-Hey, what do you think you’re doing? Get off!” Kendall pushed her off, shocked by the sudden contact.
“She is not dead...trust me...I'd know more than anyone here, of course." Elle breathed slowly, bending to Airin’s level. Her eyes held a spark of fear and nostalgia- dark hopes and memories.
Airin felt a burning sensation in her chest- every ounce of air being forced out of her lungs. She gasped, blood making its way from the corner of her mouth.
“I-I’m okay...I j-just hit m-my fa-face on th-the window pane...I ju-just need a moment…” Airin choked on her words, stuttering breaths escaping her lungs as she opened her eyes against the blinding Sun.
“B-But there’s blood! So much! This doesn’t look okay...I should go get Mae or someone...right?” Bernadette sounded awkward and scared, her eyes wide.
Airin sat up, trickles of blood escaping from her mouth. She wiped them quickly, trying to make her way back onto her feet.
“It’s no-nothing I ha-haven’t seen before...it’s okay. B-But...did anyone e-else hear a sound just l-like the one I ma-made when I fell?” Airin caught her breath, a painful feeling shooting through her body.
“Well just now I did, obviously, it just happened in front of us!” Kendall folded her arms, half-joking.
“That’s not what she meant...she meant before...like maybe last night? And yes, I did...but wouldn’t that have been Kendall falling off the roof?” Monica questioned, placing her hands on her hips.
“Y-Yeah...it probably was that...I didn’t fall as hard as Airin, though. I just got the wind knocked out of me, like she did...but not as hard…” Kendall trailed off, inspecting Airin’s fragile, scarred frame as it sat on the ground. Airin didn’t feel any better than she had when she first hit the ground- air was hard to get in, like her chest was tight around her. She laid her head on her knees, hugging them to her chest- in some attempt to numb the tingling pain in her ribs.
Lynn stared down from above- already making an attempt to jump from the window to help.
Elle walked to the window, gently pushing her back in.
“That’s not going to be necessary… Monica seems to be able to control this situation- although I still am hesitant to put my trust in her…” Elle trailed off, starting to scale the wall with the help of the window pane, in an attempt to climb into the window.
Lynn lifted her up into the window, hoping that she wouldn’t fall and meet the same outcome Airin had.
“Me and Elle are going to search for some clues up in here, if you don’t mind...it’s so packed full of equipment, we might not be able to fit anyone else.” Lynn started, and was promptly cut off by Monica.
“It’s not that I don’t trust you guys...but I don’t think it’s a good idea. I’ll be coming too- and I’ll be bringing the note.” Monica held her hand out to Bernadette- in a signal to hand over the note. As soon as she did, Monica made an attempt to climb the window.
Elle grabbed onto Lynn’s hand tightly, her eyes scanning the place. She appeared slightly unsettled, but stayed silent about whatever the mysterious, disturbing thing was.
“We really should start looking around here...but be careful, since this place might be set up with more traps, if the killer is smart.” Lynn instructed, pulling Elle behind her.
“Every killer is smart. In a place like this, they must match the art of self-preservation with the art of passion and bloodlust...or perhaps it’s a pure accident. The mystery makes it more enjoyable, you know.” Elle smiled, closing her eyes. Lynn ignored her ominous words, fighting her way through the endless amounts of sports equipment- things no one had even seen before.
There were multiple pieces of different sets of things- hung all around the room like misplaced chandeliers. Something about it felt out of place- being that all of this either used to be somewhere else, no one knew it existed- or the possibility that it helped in a murder.
“I don’t see any traces of blood anywhere...or any signs anyone was here, other than the equipment all being in here now.” Lynn started, glancing her eyes around the room.
Monica eventually was able to vault into the window, nearly losing her balance and falling towards the uneven wooden floor.
“Why do you think-” She cut herself off, straining to stand up after she’d fallen. “Why do you think someone did that? Who do you think is strong enough?” Monica stood straight, grasping the note tightly in her hand. “Possibly- whoever this B.T. is- is strong enough.”
“B.T? Is this an accomplice?” Lynn questioned, confused towards the new name.
“No, it was on this note. I don’t know who it is- no one does. Maybe it’s a trap…” Monica trailed off, reading the note over and over again.
“It’s probably your other personality...no one has any evidence you didn’t write that note. It’s very plausible that you wrote it in the victim’s very blood…” Elle began, staring intently at the floor.
“Yeah yeah, talk your mouth off. I never did that, and you said yourself you have no evidence against me…” Monica folded her arms, walking the other way.
They walked around the tightly cramped room for what seemed like hours- finding nothing. The only thing they found was a broken camera, which they guessed to be broken off of the wall using the bat. There were some dirty footprints running out towards the door- but they appeared to be of bare feet, so it was impossible to match them to anyone, although they did try.
Before anyone knew it, it was night, and the 10PM announcement rang out over the speakers.
Everyone knew the rules- no one could eat until the investigation and trial was over- which led to more nights of not eating, and minimally drinking.
Airin was beginning to feel better- the pain had hardly gone away, but she’d started to do better at ignoring it. She’d started to help around the site of the body again- which by now had been sitting there in hot temperatures for so long, it was getting hard to work with.
Hardly any evidence was found around the site of the body either, only significant wounds, which showed signs of a struggle. But it hadn’t happened after he’d been hit with the bat- since his death was instant.
Hardly any suspects were on the line, since no one had a truly clear view of what was happening.
Meanwhile, in the Nurse’s Office, Dominance had begun to wake up, an empty feeling arising inside of him. There was a guard who acted as a nurse- one of the only female guards. She’d been gone for a long time, and every light was off in the building. He sat up, brushing his magenta, spiky hair out of his face. He ran his fingers over his skin- his mask had been removed. He’d only ever done it once in front of anyone- in the skit he performed with Airin. But the curtains were closing, and no one saw it anyway. It wasn’t as bad as everyone thought in his eyes- he’d lived, and he still had basic functions- being able to talk, hear, a limited sense of smell, and sight out of one of his eyes. The rest of his skin was scarred over with charred, burnt flesh, which still smelled of that fateful day-
The fire. All of the fire...the fire he couldn’t protect himself from.
And Airin- how she’d tried to stop it- but she couldn’t reach him in time. His memories were fuzzy, failing every thought he reached into the most isolated reaches of his mind to find. He found himself shaking, his head buried deep in his hands. He couldn’t believe his lack of memory- if it continued the way it was, he’d probably end up forgetting about Airin at some point.
He shook the thought away, opening his large, blue eyes. One of them was useless- he couldn’t see anything from it anymore, and it’s color could be described as being lighter- almost metallic in color.
When he opened up his eyes, he could only see faint silhouettes- everything was pitch-black.
A sinking feeling arose into his stomach, turning and twisting as every bit of his comfortability fell away.
“A body...a body was found…” He whispered, his voice harsh and raspy. He was connected to a machine to measure his heart, soft beeping sounds emitting from it every so often. He removed the light clamp from his finger, standing up as quickly as his weak body would allow. He ran his hands along the table next to his bed, hope arising that he could find his mask.
As soon as his hands touched it’s stiff fabric, he slipped it on, and made his way into the cold night.
He was only wearing a small nightgown-leaving no protection against the harsh wind. He held it close, running his hands over his scarred arms.
It was just as he feared- every street light was off, meaning someone- a fellow resident- had been found dead.
He stumbled over his own feet, his shaky legs ready to give out at any still moment left hanging.
Dominance found himself walking towards Airin’s cottage, who’d been laying in her bed for several minutes now.
He analyzed the options he had as he stood outside of her door- intently wondering if his actions could unsettle her- being that a murder had obviously occured.
Or his worst fear- that the murderer was a person closer to him than he’d ever thought.
His body appeared to move on it’s own- as he found himself knocking on her door, his fist hitting the wood softly, but loud enough to be audible.
Airin had been laying in silence for some time now, staring out of her small window towards the beach.
“That’s the one. If we never leave here, before I die...I wish something could happen on that beach. It doesn’t matter if I get married or not- I just want something good to happen there- one last time.”
Airin had been lost in thought, her eyes fixed on the white, moonlit sand as the wind tossed it around, littering the grass with tiny pieces of white and gold.
“There’s a spark of hope- even in a place like this. There’s always hope...it never truly leaves.”
Airin smiled at her thoughts, tossing onto her back.
That’s when she heard it- the knocking at her door. She rushed to put her uniform back on, being that it didn’t feel as constricting around her whenever she didn’t wear it to bed. Every time she looked down, she noticed darkening bruises and scars around the area where the windowpane had hit her.
She stood up quickly, still dizzy from the impact with the ground. Her mouth wasn’t bleeding anymore, but she had found an area where an especially sharp tooth of hers had slashed a cut on her bottom lip- being the culprit of the blood.
She took some quick steps to the door, silently staring at it for several seconds.
The knocking came again, which caused her to jump slightly.
Her eyes grew wide with anticipation; her heart pounding in her ears.
The knocking came for the third time, the mysterious figure resting their hand on the other side of the door gently, as if to give a nervous welcome.
Her voice was shaken, the nervousness mirroring her own as she opened the door, ever so slightly as to see a familiar figure on the other side.
“H-Huh...how d-did you…?” She stuttered on her words, forcing them out as hard as she could. She was shocked by the sight laying in front of her- Dominance, standing ever so tall on her doorstep. He nervously chuckled, giving her his signature thumbs-up.
Her thoughts conflicted with each other in the height of her confusion- so badly she wanted to invite him in, and say everything she’d never told him. She wanted it so badly- especially in the glimpse of the thought that the murderer was still out there somewhere.
But at the same time, she knew truly in her heart- that he probably couldn’t forgive her for that. He’d know too much and leave- or blame her entirely for the whole reason he’d been in such a state.
She began to close the door, barely noticing how the moonlight illuminated the fear in her eyes perfectly.
“You really need to leave...they probably don’t even know where you are right now.” Airin stated, her eyes growing cold.
Dominance widened his eyes, confusion taking over his hidden features.
“Air, they know just where I am! And they know where I’ll be, too! Why are you scared of me now, man?” He put a cheerful tone on, stepping towards the door. She stepped back, closing the door in front of her.
“It’s just that...it doesn’t matter. I don’t know why you still would even want to see me right now anyway. That whole thing...it wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for me. So if you don’t want to talk to me again, I understand that.” She latched the door, and he stood in silence for a moment. His eyes wide and his heart beginning to race- he wasn’t sure how to react.
He stepped closer after a moment, placing his hand on the door handle. It wasn’t locked, but Airin was no longer standing there.
“Hey, man...what are you even talking about? Right after I woke up, you’re the first person I wanted to see- I wanted to make sure I didn’t crush you when I fell, or anything!” He began to laugh innocently, slightly cracking the door open. She smiled, hugging her knees to her chest. She was sitting on the floor slightly away from the door, enough that she could hear his voice. She was choking back tears, but to no avail, as they began streaming down her cheeks like rivers.
“So...obviously I don’t think it was your fault...and even if I did, I’d still forgive you anyway.” His voice had a serious tone to it, as he began stepping inside. She waved her hand in a way to signal him to come in- not lifting her head towards him.
Dominance stepped inside, closing the door behind him. Her cottage was pitch-black, illuminated only by the faint moonlight shining over her bed from the window.
He sat next to her, his breathing slow and heavy. He was still nervous- not sure how to calm the situation without making it worse in the process.
“I-I know y-you would...y-you’re kind o-of an idiot so-sometimes…” She smiled, wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand. They were wet and streaked with tears- the tears she wouldn’t allow to show again.
He smiled, closing his eyes as he turned his head to face her.
His emotions swirled inside him- an indescribable feeling arising into his chest. All in one quick, thoughtless moment, he reached up to pull his mask off, the fabric catching on his hair.
Airin lifted her head, confusion filling her features as she noticed him- without his mask on- which was really making himself vulnerable.
“Y-You didn’t have to take that off if you d-didn’t want to...I hardly ever see you without it, so I’m guessing it makes you uncomfortable…” Airin questioned, pulling her knees closer to her chest.
“No way man, it’s okay! I only do this around people I actually trust, I wouldn’t want anyone else seeing this...they can’t handle it like you can!” Dominance flashed a smile, closing one of his eyes.
Airin’s gaze softened, a smile falling over her lips.
“Huh...so you trust me?” Airin questioned, a sense of calm falling over her.
Dominance’s smile widened, as did his eyes.
“Of course I do, man! What reason are you gonna give me that I shouldn’t?”
Airin tilted her head, opening her eyes fully as to look at him.
“Why? Do you want a few?” She smirked, folding her arms across her chest.
“Hit me with it! ‘Cause it’s not gonna work anyway!” Dominance’s voice naturally heightened, the pitch of it low, but the tone of it growing.
“You know what, I don’t even know. Why don’t you come up with something?” Airin sighed, knowing whatever she said probably wouldn’t get through to him anyway.
He stopped for a second, thinking hard about something.
“Well, you’re really strong and could probably snap my neck if you tried, but I’m sure you wouldn’t do that!” He flashed her a thumbs-up, and she lowered her head, smirking to herself.
“Don’t try me, you never know what I will or won’t do...just like this!” She suddenly leapt at him, grabbing his wrists and pushing him towards the ground. It caught him off guard for a second, confusion etching itself into his eyes.
“Oh, I knew you were about to do that! I told you...you’re strong enough to take me, so I figured you would at some point, anyway.” He spoke up, suddenly realizing the position they both found themselves in.
“W-Well...are you gonna fight back? I’m proving my strength right now, you should be doing the same, I’m just expecting it now!” Airin spoke up louder, smirking to herself now.
“Yeah, give me all you got! But I mean, there’s still some basic rules, like don’t cause any permanent damage, don’t pretend you’re hurt just for an advantage, and obviously don’t hit anywhere that could seriously hurt anyone…” His face suddenly darkened in color, a light blush spreading over his cheeks as he started to sit up.
“Define that last one better.” Airin suddenly had a serious expression on her face, and he turned his head, scratching his neck.
“W-Well...don’t like, kick me between the legs or something.” His voice stuttered, nervousness overtaking his features. She nodded in agreement, folding her arms.
“So, how are we supposed to ‘win’? Is it like...a game?” Airin questioned, and he nodded in agreement.
“You got that right! To win, you gotta pin the other person down for three seconds, and I guess you can count that by counting to three out loud.” Dominance continued, and Airin’s gaze shifted around the room.
“Well then, come over! Let’s start!” His voice was slightly louder, filled with passion and excitement as he sat on the bed. He patted the spot next to him, and Airin walked to it. She sat down on her bed, silently worrying that it wouldn’t be able to hold both of them.
“Alrighty then, let’s get-” Dominance was cut off by Airin throwing herself at him, immediately pinning him down.
“1, 2…” She was cut off by Dominance shoving her weight off of him with his foot, landing on top of her pillow.
“I ain’t gonna go easy on you, Air! Give me all you got!” Dominance flashed a competitive smile, springing towards her.
She caught his wrists, and they began to push back and forth with all their weight.
They continued pushing each other back and forth, Airin being unable to suppress a smile. She giggled at his intensity, pushing back with all her force. He suddenly grabbed her shoulders, but she wrenched out of his grip quickly enough to throw him back. She suddenly noticed the way his eyes sparkled in the moonlight- including the one he couldn’t use anymore.
He tried to grab her wrists again, but in a quick movement of her leg, she kicked his hands away.
“I told you I wouldn’t go easy on you, and I wasn’t-” She was cut off by him suddenly hoisting her up onto his shoulder, all while she was distracted.
“H-Hey, let me go right now! Do you wanna die?” She kicked her legs as hard as she could, but he only spun and ran around, Airin still balanced on his shoulder.
“No way! You’re gonna have to make me!” He giggled, closing his eyes. Airin got a spark of determination in her eyes, suddenly wrapping her legs around his chest, suddenly enough to make him fall backwards. He tried to catch himself, only to be met with the back of the couch.
“H-Hey, are you okay? No pretending to be hurt, okay?” Airin had a hint of true concern lacing her voice, and she sat up on her knees.
Dominance laughed, a spark of passion in his veins.
“Are you kidding me? Do you think I’d get hurt just like that? No way- that was nothing! Don’t ya see what I’m made of?” He stood up, flexing his muscles for a few seconds. She giggled, standing up in front of him.
“Yeah yeah...we know, we’ve all seen it…” Airin rolled her eyes playfully, smiling to herself.
“Hey Air, you know what this reminds me of?” Dominance’s eyes grew wide, and she shook her head in confusion. “It’s like that skit we did not too long ago...you almost fell on top of me that time too!” He laughed, and her eyes suddenly grew wide. Her cheeks reddened in embarrassment, and she quickly turned her back to him.
“Y-You were thinking about th-that?” She stuttered on her words, and he appeared confused.
“Well yeah, wasn’t it fun? I loved it, man! You did great- it was so in character! It’s like it was actually us…” Dominance trailed off, crossing his arms.
“Well it sort of was, who do you think we are- clones of us, or something?” Airin questioned playfully, and he averted his eyes to the ceiling.
“Well no- you knew what I meant! I see what you did there…” He giggled, smiling at her brightly. “No...I meant, the roles were so in character. I did it on purpose.”
“Y-You did? I m-mean...it w-was a lot like us…” Airin trailed off, hugging herself tightly.
“Yeah, I did! It was really fun, right? You seem so serious...come here!” Dominance stepped closer to her, suddenly pulling her into a hug. He picked her up off the ground, spinning around once before setting her feet back down on the ground.
She held onto him tightly, unable to suppress a smile she felt coming on.
“H-Hey- what do you think you’re doing?” Airin exclaimed, pushing her body away from his playfully. She didn’t mean it when she implied she wanted him to go away- at this point, she honestly just wanted to see how he’d react to it.
It was all in good taste- at least in her eyes it was.
After several seconds, Dominance set her back down on the bed, facing in a way that she was laying on her back.
He let go of her, sitting himself down on the bed, out of breath and sweating. He noticed the way his hands were shaking, but he didn’t try to do anything in an effort to hide it.
“S-So...what now, man?” Dominance’s voice shook as he laid on his back, his lungs taking in deep breaths.
“It’s pretty late...we should probably get to sleep now. But you don’t have to leave...if you don’t want to. I...I-I don’t want you to.” Airin sat up, turning her head away from him and folding her arms.
Dominance’s eyes widened, and he smiled.
“I wasn’t gonna leave you, man! Not when you need me most, which I can obviously tell!” Dominance smiled brightly, flashing his teeth in his happy gaze.
Airin’s gaze softened, as she closed her eyes. She suddenly had an overwhelming feeling- a feeling that he was okay, she was okay, and nothing was going to hurt them.
It’s okay- he’s not going to leave me again. He doesn’t blame me...and he’s still here. After everything I’ve done...he’s still here.
Airin smiled at her thoughts, rolling onto her side to face him.
“You...You aren’t gonna leave me, right?” Airin questioned, her voice small with confusion and uncertainty.
“W-What? No way, we can’t leave each other! We’ve seen too much to just...not be able to work something out like that. We have to stick together- it’s like fate.” Dominance had a serious tone in his voice, as if he deeply felt every word he said.
“That’s not what I meant...I meant-” Airin cut herself off, swallowing her emotions. “I meant, like...what just happened to Ed, Hira, Hailey, and Ameena. Like...you won’t die on me, right?”
Dominance’s eyes widened in his sudden realization, and he felt his chest tightening.
“N-No...well I don’t know...but they can’t kill me! You know me- they can’t kill someone who looks like this!” He ran his fingers through his hair, winking one of his eyes as he laid on his side. “But anyway, no way- we can’t die on each other! And if we go down, we go down together, okay?” Dominance sat up, grabbing both of Airin’s hands.
She suddenly felt a rush come over her, courage coursing through her veins. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears, her hands shaking in front of her. She stared into his eyes, chasing the feeling hanging in the air for just a few more moments.
Just one more second…
Airin was snapped out of her thoughts by Dominance suddenly standing up, heading towards the couch she pushed against her bed.
“H-Hey...you don’t…” She cut herself off, silently terrified to lose every moment they’d just shared. “Nevermind, it’s okay, y-you can sleep there.” She forced a smile, pain exploding behind her eyes.
Dominance confusedly looked at her for a moment, before fetching the blanket hung around the back of the couch.
“S-Sure! Well...uh- good night, I guess! Listen, Air- I really enjoyed coming over, even though you tried to lock me out and all!” He giggled, and she couldn’t suppress a mirrored reaction.
“Ah- shut up! That really doesn’t matter…” She rolled her eyes, laying down with a smile. “Well, good night, I guess…”
“Yeah! Good night, Air!” He smiled, turning onto his back.
Airin’s thoughts raced- every inch of cynicism conflicting with her exploding emotions.
We’re not in love...we don’t even share any stories.
Or do we…?
It just feels right- it’s something in his eyes.
Airin closed her eyes, letting her arms fall at her sides, and her racing heart and mind calm down.
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Meanwhile, in another part of the community- Lynn and Elle weren’t so lucky to be able to fall asleep, and started to walk around the cottages, circling every path. Their journey was mostly quiet, the cold breeze filling with still silence.
Eventually, that silence had to be broken.
“Are you afraid to be out here at night, with no street lights?” Elle spoke up, staring intently at her feet. Lynn turned her head towards her friend, uncertain as to how to answer.
“No...even if I was, it doesn’t matter. I learned that awhile ago- my kids depend on me- and due to my motherly nature...I guess some of you do too. So I can’t just simply be ‘afraid’.”
Elle closed her eyes, silent for a moment.
“Ah, I don’t understand...why you’d want so many people depending on you. You’re too...strong for that. Don’t you understand human nature is just to break that down into nothingness? Have you ever seen something bad that you can’t forget?” Elle answered, her curiosity growing with each passing second.
“Well yes...we all have at some point in our lives. Mine is probably a car accident...I tried to drive away, after legally divorcing my partner. I wrecked the car, since he slashed my tires.” Lynn’s voice grew in intensity, her darkest memories filling her eyes. “No one got hurt, but that feeling...I’ll never forget it. The way the car rocked as I smashed into the tree, hearing my kids as they questioned what was going on- I’ll never forget that.”
Elle nodded in agreement, searching for an appropriate emotion to feel.
“I also didn’t forget this- that I lived through it...and so did my kids. Some people aren’t that lucky in life- I only had minor injuries.”
“Huh- I never heard of that. I’ve only been in a car a minimal amount of time, and I’ve never driven.” Elle confessed, not the slightest hint of embarrassment in her voice. “I have only minimal memories of it anyway, as I only have minimal memories of anything.”
Lynn stared at her in confusion for a moment- concern and uncertainty latching onto every word she spoke- and digging deep into her features.
“Please explain if you feel comfortable doing so…” Lynn spoke up, and Elle stopped under a street light. The pitch-blackness held steady in the atmosphere, a soft breeze tossing Elle’s hair upwards.
“Ah...it’ll scare you away, but I suppose I don’t mind…” Elle smiled to herself, hugging herself tightly. “Did you know I saw someone die once? That’s one of my clearest memories...the crimson color sticks with me all the time.”
Lynn’s eyes widened, but she stayed silent.
“You seem surprised by that. Have you not seen the same?” Elle turned around to turn her back to Lynn, a blank expression holding tightly to her features.
“Yes...but in a place like this that happens to be normal.” Lynn mirrored Elle’s tone, and Elle felt shock creeping into her mind.
“Well...I suppose you can’t be wrong...but it was already normal for me. One isn’t supposed to talk down on family members, so I am not sure if my father is truly a bad human at heart...but he did begin my hatred for it as a whole.” Elle closed her eyes, folding her arms over her chest. “I suppose being part of a gang makes you a bad human...and he used to bring me along on their missions...to this day I could get a memory of it from entering into a black-colored car.”
Lynn’s eyes widened further, concern arising in her heart.
“One day, when he returned home, he’d had enough of having a family...I saw it all, and I learned something new. Did you know using electroshock treatment doesn’t at all erase memory? It does delay brain function, I suppose...and the function of emotions isn’t always preserved alongside it.”
It took Lynn a few moments to process the words Elle was speaking, but as soon as the cold realization set in, an unsettling feeling arose inside of her body.
“O-Oh...that was...sudden. I didn’t know that happened, that’s why you’re...the way you are, right?” Lynn questioned, her face breaking out into an awkward expression.
“I am not sure I know of what you’re speaking of...my personality is the way it is, due to the fact that I like being this way. Mere humans cannot just...change that.” Elle answered, turning towards Lynn.
“I don’t believe that, you yourself just said your emotions and brain functions aren’t firing at full capacity, did I hear you correctly?” Lynn asked, scratching the back of her neck.
“Yes, I did say that...do you want to see something?” Elle tilted her head, moving closer to Lynn. Her figure was dimly lit by the moonlight, and the dead expression had left her eyes.
She parted her dark blonde hair, revealing old scars lining each side of her head and neck.
“This is from when it happened...it’s an art, isn’t it? Not an art of passion, per se...an art of rage. Perhaps- a lapse in judgement? I only would leave this place to start over...giving me and a person like you a chance to have another life.” Elle stopped herself, searching for her deepest thoughts. “Your life was bad like mine. That’s why you can tolerate things just like I can...it’s truly interesting to me. How humans perceive things is an anomaly to me...I’ll never truly understand some concepts.”
“I don’t think anyone can understand everything, and that’s okay- we don’t have to. But maybe listening to people could help you understand them better, and understand that not everyone has an intention to hurt you.” Lynn answered, her voice breaking under the pressure of her mind.
“Ah, I’ve never heard that before. I know how you perceived your trauma...nothing similar to someone like me. I don’t know how to feel about it- all I know is that we should survive this. You have the mind to do it...you think as the Chiefs do. They’ll spare you for that...I know I would.” Elle smiled, emotion filling her eyes as they widened. “I am not sure I know how to perceive someone caring about me...but I suppose I won’t stop you.”
“You shouldn’t stop me. Everyone in this world deserves a second chance- and someone to listen to them.” Lynn’s eyes filled with passion, and her heart filled with a desire- a desire to help- to focus.
Elle’s eyes widened, softening her gaze. A calm smile spread over her lips, and she clasped her hands together.
“You’re truly the only human I trust in this world...I know you’d never hurt me or someone else. I suppose that’s why I believe your children would mature to be...responsible people as well. This place doesn’t deserve someone like either of us- that’s why we should leave. We should stay...as friends. Someone like you shouldn’t lose a person who believes in you- instead of someone who’d chase you somewhere and attempt to hurt you.” Elle stopped herself, watching Lynn’s expression change. “Even if it takes all night, or maybe 100 years? I’ll never know...but I believe I’ve found hope sleeping inside myself. And I’d like to share it...I’ve never felt hope before.”
“You’ve...never felt hope before? In anyone- or anything? How did you get through anything?” Lynn questioned, her eyes growing wider.
“I do not have all the answers...but I believe I’m still alive, so isn’t that proof enough?” Elle answered, leaving Lynn to stare at her in confusion.
“I don’t think I’ll ever really know how that happened- or really how to get through to you...but I think I just did, so I guess I’m not doing horrible?” Lynn questioned, awkwardly shifting.
Elle smiled, closing her eyes.
“I wish I could feel things like you...but that’s alright. I can’t learn, but I’ll try anyway, if that would be certain to work…” Elle trailed off, starting to walk backwards. Lynn followed her silently, walking back to the cottages.
“Do you believe that I’m...evil?” Elle questioned, breaking the thick silence.
Lynn stared at her in confusion, before folding her arms.
“No, I don’t...I think you’re misunderstood. If you really had something to do with Ameena’s death, I understand your motive, although I don’t condone murder.” Lynn sternly answered her, and Elle nodded in agreement. “I think you needed someone to listen to you. And I guess that’s what I’m here for- don’t hesitate, okay?” Lynn smiled, and Elle mirrored her reaction.
They arrived at Elle’s cottage, both entering. Elle didn’t speak again for the rest of the night, silently motioning towards her couch.
Lynn laid down, kicking her shoes in the direction of the door.
Her thoughts were beating against her brain- stabbing through her heart and consciousness.
She knew it probably wasn’t safe to be in Elle’s cottage, alone- like she was- but she figured that Elle had proven she wouldn’t do anything- but was cut off by suddenly drifting into sleep.
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supreme-lxadxr · 2 years
Text
~The Fallen~
Chapter 6
(A/N-- aww I love Elle so much </3 it's starting to get good in my opinion!! I gotta know- who's your favorite character?)
CHAPTER 6
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2 Guards carried Isana to the Nurse’s Office, as 4 more were sent out for Dominance and Kaz. Airin was holding Dominance’s head in her lap, occasionally brushing the hair out of his eyes. She’d ignored how hungry she was until that moment, and she’d started to feel faint herself. She internally cursed at herself for not forcing Dominance to go sleep somewhere, and now she wasn’t sure if he would be okay. It’d been about an hour, and he still hadn’t woken up, and neither had Kaz. Bernadette had left a long time ago to go look for Isana, but didn’t appear to have any luck, as she still wasn’t back. So had Ed, and he hadn’t returned either. All of the residents had stopped working, even Kiyotaka, due to the situation. Monica and Ryan never came to help them- they never left their cottages. Airin had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach- everything was rubbing her the wrong way. The way Vinnie never helped them with Kaz, even though she was standing right there, and hadn’t talked until Bernadette wanted to go find Isana, which she strictly instructed her not to. Airin had asked Lane and Kai about it, but they’d chalked it up to Vinnie’s tendency to be afraid to say the wrong thing. Elle had woken up since then, but she didn’t move. She just laid there next to Hailey, staring at what she’d done. She had no trace of regret in those cold eyes of hers, though. Her short blonde hair fell into her eyes, slightly tinted crimson due to the open wound that had been trickling blood on the side of her head.
Mae inspected Kaz’s body to try and investigate the cause of his sudden loss of consciousness, but was unable to find anything. Except, he did have a small puncture wound on his wrist, similar to Hira’s. No one could seem to figure out it’s origin, the sheer mystery of this case mocking every onlooker’s eyes. As soon as the Guards came, every other resident was called to the Auditorium.
Meanwhile, Bernadette had travelled all over the land, just as Isana had. The only evidence of Isana was her bloody and muddy shoes, which Bernadette stole as evidence. There was blood coating every inch of that cursed piece of land. Her heart started furiously beating out of her chest, a terrified look etching itself into her features. She started back up the hill, following the crimson trail left behind by her friend. She followed it into the Auditorium, a bit later than everyone else. A confused look glazed her eyes as she held the shoes above her head. The Guards had cleaned the floor, so no one had to look at the puddle of blood and exploding pain.
“As I’d been saying, one of you has tampered with another resident, Kaz, causing him to act the way he’d acted! But it also had to do with the motive of being unable to eat or take a shower! So since it’s only 9PM, I’ll allow all residents to eat at the Cafeteria, and take a shower in the Washroom towards the back! I’ll allow it tomorrow as well, so every resident can do this! Announcements over!” Chief 2’s voice rang out, and all in attendance bowed.
Airin had a sinking feeling of betrayal arising in her stomach, knowing Dominance wouldn’t be able to enjoy this with her. She closed her eyes, blinking away the tears that started to arise. She never let herself cry in private, why in public now?
All residents formed a single-file line towards the Cafeteria, a feeling of relief washing over all of them.
Airin led the line, and was suddenly greeted by Bernadette grabbing her arm.
“Hey, looks like we’re in the same boat right now, am I right?” She smiled awkwardly, her hand running through a strand of her blonde hair.
“Yeah, if you look at it that way. I just didn’t expect this to happen like this...I should be used to it by now. I’ve seen so many lives come and go...just not like this. I’ve never been close to anyone here before until now…” Airin trailed off, her fingers fidgeting with the fabric of her shirt. Bernadette slung an arm over Airin’s shoulders as the door to the Cafeteria opened.
“Well yeah...I never saw anyone die before so it’s gotta be scary...I hope I never get used to it. Death still scares me a lot...and I really don’t want my friends to die...nothing makes me more sad than that, and that’s why I’ll try to prevent it as much as possible!” Bernadette suddenly had a fiery look glaze over her eyes. Airin’s gaze softened as they both took a seat at the circular table, with just enough seats for all of them. Some seats were empty- mocking the eyes of the shocked and bitter residents.
Suddenly, to order everyone to silence, the door opened once more. A familiar silhouette stood tall in the door frame, eyes dead with despair and an indescribable shock. They smiled, their face void of any sort of happiness.
“I’m sorry to let all of you down...I heard the body discovery announcement...I’m sorry everyone, I wish I could’ve been there- that was selfish of me.” Monica shifted into a seat, everyone’s gaze softening at the sight of her. She was still and silent, and she looked exhausted.
“We aren’t the ones who just lost 2 friends at one time. We’ll forgive you-” Airin began, but was intrusively cut off by Jess.
“But only this time! Don’t do that again, everyone wouldn’t stop talking about you!”
Monica looked confused for a second, before smiling gently to herself.
“Well at least I wasn’t forgotten, I guess. Anyway, does anyone care to tell me what even happened back there?” Monica raised her eyebrows and tilted her head to the side.
The rest of the half hour they had allotted to them to eat was filled with different sides of the story, all differing in length and detail, but all coming to the same gruesome conclusion.
Airin didn’t give much feedback, and mostly sat and ate her food her body had been begging her for. She didn’t realize how much she’d actually needed it until that moment. The food wasn’t the best she’d ever had in her life, but she still ate all of it as if her life depended on it- which at that moment, it did.
What really surprised her was Tina’s reaction. Her whole body was shaking, and she wouldn’t touch the food no matter how hard Lynn tried. Eventually, Lynn just had to force her to eat it, which ended up making a huge mess and a huge scene. Airin averted her eyes- she’d rather be dealing with anything but that.
Her eyes were empty, but her brain and heart were full. She couldn’t stop thinking about him no matter how hard she tried.
If only she’d just covered for him, this never would’ve happened. They didn’t even notice Monica was gone, and they never notice when Ryan is gone. She’d always wondered about that, and if he was really even real- maybe they’d made him up. Maybe he held more secrets than what was at first thought. She’d never even seen his face ever since they started living here- more months ago then she’d care to reach into the back of her brain to remember.
But one thing was for sure- something about him- and the way they acted about or around him- wasn’t at all right.
Guilt and confusion etched themselves into her features as her eyes darted around the room- falling onto the empty seat next to her- the one marked with Dominance’s name. Or should she have said- his nickname. That was another thing that she’d always felt guilty for, never being able to remember her closest friend’s real name.
The weirdest part about it all, wasn’t her forgetfulness, but rather, his own. He acted as if he never had any other name in his entire life.
A flash of nervousness coursed through her veins.
Maybe this was worse than she thought.
Airin was snapped out of her thoughts when the TV turned on again, the announcement sounding throughout the walls that they should leave and make their way to the washroom. She stood up, dusting herself off. She darted her eyes around the table, scanning every resident’s figures carefully. Something still didn’t feel right about this whole situation- there were too many people missing.
She’d have to get used to it, if motives were coming out as fast as they were.
Airin didn’t wait for anyone else, and just made her way to the Washroom near the corner of a wall, away from everything else. She was careful to step around the crimson trails swirled around the road, reminiscent of a dark painting you didn’t know was dark until you found out the story behind it.
It was fitting for the world they’d found themselves in.
She looked around, scanning her eyes over the outside of the building. It had small windows on each side, and it appeared to just be one large room. Without any curtains or rooms, and not to mention the cameras, it really had no sense of privacy or individuality.
Airin blinked her eyes quickly, the rest of the girls pushing past her. They seemed all too comfortable with this situation- one that was definitely far from even their warped definition of normal.
Monica sat on one of the benches, spreading her outfit out over the space next to her, occasionally checking the windows. She’d been here without anyone else knowing about it not too long ago, time distorting itself to abstract places in her mind as she reached into her deepest memories. One thing in her mind was making itself clear over all else, though.
She’d been with Hira in some of the last moments of her life.
Monica’s eyes filled with a jolt of guilt and fear, sharp emotions coursing their way through her veins.
She held herself tightly as the water powered on, running over strands of her curly hair.
Her previously empty mind filled with memories of her friend- the one she’d kept closer than she’d ever known. The way she could see Hira’s eyes light up every time they’d hang out together- every time Monica told her she was strong enough. The way she’d always do a thing where she’d jump around when she was excited- the way she’d get excited over small things, such as just being able to say something that was on her mind. She was so excited when Monica started to help her train physically- just so she could have a bit more confidence over her small frame. Monica’s eyes were glazed over with a certain type of dark expression lacing her features. It held despair and hope, love and hate, spite, fate, and nostalgia.
She closed her eyes, bowing her head slightly. The water ran off of her hair and onto the floor, and she stayed in that position for the rest of the time she sat in her spot.
Airin shifted uncomfortably at the awkward situation, placing herself on a bench near the corner- away from all of the windows.
She ran her fingers underneath the seat out of habit, scratching the wood hard enough for it to chip off, leaving her fingers slightly scratched. There appeared to be some sort of intricate pattern scratched into the wood, reminiscent of misplaced words.
Airin knelt to the floor, soaking her uniform she still hadn’t thought to take off.
She ducked her head under the seat, the hot water springing from the ceiling weighing her short hair down into her eyes. She blinked quickly, attempting to read the mysterious message. She squinted her eyes, the message being unclear. It looked to be scratched in with a knife or sharp blade- deep cuts and stabs covering the area around it. There were deep, white scratches all over the floor under it- but surprisingly, no sign of blood or foul play.
They won’t find the truth.
The ominous message was deeply cut into the wood, smaller, accidental scratches surrounding the small area.
2 words were scratched into each of the bench’s 4 legs over and over again, wearing the wood down to a small, unsteady structure.
Get out.
Airin had a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach, her eyes growing colder with every passing second.
She was suddenly jolted out of her thoughts by a familiar voice behind her- with an unfamiliar tone. There was a darker tone- an underlying story behind it.
“Ugh...they’re gonna kill me w-when they f-find that...” Tina’s eyes crossed, her legs crossed and shaking. She was biting her lip in nervousness, twitching around slightly. The way her tone changed so abruptly left an unsettling feeling arising in Airin’s mind.
“What are you talking about? You always say that for some reason...it confuses me. If you’re trying to play around with me, you’d be better off stopping right now.” Airin was slightly shaken by her appearance- she was still wearing her uniform as well, soaking wet and dirty. The pant legs had been ripped up by some sort of blade…
Airin’s eyes widened as she darted them behind her, taking a step back.
“You did this...didn’t you, Tina?”
Tina’s eyes widened, and her mouth hung slightly open.
“Huh? Y-You...I k-know people like y-you…!” Tina suddenly grabbed the collar of Airin’s shirt, dragging her across the floor in one quick motion. She appeared to have some sort of newfound confidence, and her eyes filled with rage and passion. Her face cracked into a sickening smile as she narrowed her eyes at the sight of Airin- as if the mere sight of the girl in front of her made bloodlust course through her veins.
“I...I...I…” Tina stuttered as she started breathing heavily through her teeth, her hand moving up towards Airin’s neck. She was gaining attention from the other residents, but all of the wrong ones- as no one wanted to do anything about it.
Airin’s eyes filled with rage, and a jolt of anger flashed through her bones. She raised her hand, grabbing Tina by her hair, and all in one quick motion, slammed her to the ground with all of her strength. Airin positioned her foot on Tina’s back, pressing down into the floor. Tina’s eyes were wide as she suddenly burst into tears, the smile leaving her face. She didn’t put up a fight, and simply laid on the ground, heavy breaths escaping her lungs.
“I...I j-just wanted to p-protect m-myself...y-you’re just like h-her...please d-don’t hurt me a-again…” Tina stuttered through broken breaths. Airin’s unmerciful gaze stabbed through Tina’s eyes, cold daggers shooting through her skin.
“I’ll say it one last time. I don’t know who you’re talking about. I’m just myself, and if you’re talking about someone I don’t know, then that’s your own problem. If you don’t wanna die, then I’d suggest never laying your hands on me again.”
Tina pulled her legs to her chest, suddenly taking on the form of something reminiscent of a helpless child.
“Temper, temper! And you....you have the nerve to say I am...how do I put this...someone who is corrupted. A corrupted individual is someone who goes out of their way to injure another person. Luckily for the situation all residents just witnessed...everything ended very quickly, did it not?” Elle tilted her head, clasping her hands tightly together.
“But you’re a murderer...murder is wrong, no matter what the situation… no one should ever get used to it...and I’ll do anything in my power to make sure that never happens.” Airin narrowed her eyes, rage and despair lacing her cold eyes.
“Ah...but that’s where you’re wrong. In a place such as this...anything goes. Unless you’d just love the idea of...dying yourself.” Elle smiled, closing her eyes as she held herself. “It would be pretty nice to be the last man standing...but that would have to be me, obviously...since I’m the only one who seems to think the way the Chiefs do. There’s no one I’m attached to here...humans utterly disgust me in the first place.”
Airin stood silent for a moment, slowly releasing her foot off of Tina, who’d been completely still for the past moment- that seemed to drag on through time, as if years had passed.
“I don’t want to hear about this anymore. You can take this somewhere else...I’m not living in close quarters with someone who openly admits to being a murderer. It’s...wrong.” Airin closed her eyes, and in one quick movement, was on her way out the door of the Washroom.
At this point, Elle, Tina, and Airin had the attention of the rest of the residents. Lynn had already rushed over to Tina, who’d backed herself into a corner.
Airin, on the other hand, had started running to her own cottage. She tried to push the dark thoughts invading her mind away, but they didn’t seem to want to go anywhere else. Trapped in the tight confines of her own mind, she had nowhere else to run.
Everyone inside was watching the empty situation closely, silence resonating off of every wall.
Elle stood in silence, watching Lynn’s every move as she attempted to help Tina, who continued to back her small, fragile frame back into a corner.
“Hm...fast actions really can harm people, can’t they?” Elle tilted her head, sighing to herself. Lynn turned her head, pushing her wet, short, purple hair out of her eyes.
“I suppose so...this is why I wish the residents wouldn’t fight like children. All it does is make me feel like a babysitter...and constantly afraid for all of our lives.” Lynn closed her eyes, backing up from Tina. She was still kneeling on the wet ground, but had turned her body to face Elle. Suddenly she felt lighter, as if she could say anything she wanted to say.
Elle’s eyes lit up with a slight spark, and she turned her head hard to her left, folding her arms.
“If you’re that concerned then stop being such a pushover. It doesn’t do you any good anyway, and besides, you seem like that type of person who could be the last man standing with me…you don’t seem to put trust in other humans- reminiscent of my own behavior...” Elle stopped herself, backing towards the door.
Lynn stood up, grabbing a towel out from under her assigned bench. Elle seemed to follow her, shocked from the thoughts Lynn had shared with her.
The steady stream of water had shut off long ago, and every resident was making their way to leave for their cottages. Lynn shuffled her feet around the small girl who had found her way to the middle of the floor- Tina, who appeared to still be deeply disturbed.
Unlike last time, Lynn didn’t offer to help her, silently shaken by the thought that she could snap and hurt her at any moment- just like she’d done to Airin.
She didn’t want to set Elle off in the few moments she’d finally gotten to try and get to know her- finally not just for trying to collect information and evidence against her. Lynn secretly never felt like they were that different- contrary to everyone’s deep hatred for the girl.
They’d been walking towards the cottages for a few minutes now- it seemed like just seconds ago Lynn hadn’t even left yet.
But here she was, alone with someone she knew could snap and kill her immediately.
Well, she wasn’t sure. She had been left confused by everyone’s accusations against her- Hira committed the crime, didn’t she? Lynn appeared deep in thought, staring at her feet.
“You don’t have to stare at the ground like that. What do you think- I’ll just snap and stab you or something? I don’t blame you if you think that…” Elle sighed, her darkest smile spreading across her lips.
Lynn’s eyes shot wide open, turning her head sharply towards Elle.
“I didn’t think that until right now. You have it in you, but you won’t do it. I’d bet money on the fact that you wouldn’t do it right now- you’re free to prove me wrong.”
Lynn was silently terrified, her body shaking slightly at the thought of Elle suddenly snapping and stabbing her. She played it out in her head- Elle would probably get that creepy look in her eyes, then get on top of Lynn and pull her knife out…
Lynn started to doubt her wanting to get to know Elle better, and started walking faster.
“Someone like me couldn’t ever prove someone like you wrong...I’m afraid to say this is no exception.” Elle folded her arms, her eyes closing as she searched in the back of her mind for new, unsaid words.
“So you won’t kill me?” Lynn narrowed her eyes at Elle, who’s gaze had softened.
“Yes, I meant that. First impressions truly mean nothing, if you’re living in a place like this.” Elle put her hands up in front of her, signifying she had nothing to show for any sort of weapon. Lynn’s uncertainty settled itself, and she smiled gently to herself.
“I agree with that...but I disagree with your philosophy. I have reasons to leave this place- I don’t view it as somewhere I’d like to live for the rest of my life.” Lynn reached into the back of her suppressed memories, holding herself tightly against the cold.
“Ah...I see...you don’t believe humans cannot be trusted with only themselves, can you?” Elle looked straight ahead, the emotionless glaze behind her eyes slowly leaving.
“Yes, I do believe that...if I could do anything in this world, I’d become some sort of leader. Anyone could love or hate me, and most importantly, I could make sure no children- especially my own- are in situations that could potentially harm them.” Lynn’s voice started to break out of deep embarrassment and shame- laced with fragments of hope- hope that Elle wouldn’t ask any more questions.
She was silent for a minute, rooted deeply in confused thoughts.
“Everyone here was selected because they acted in a way- or lived their lives in a way that proves that they are unappreciative of their lives. Is this what you are referring to?” Elle paused for a moment. “Everyone here was also selected between the ages of seventeen and twenty-three… don’t tell me you’re not one of the oldest ones here. That would just add to my suspicion and overall confusion…” Lynn blinked her eyes quickly, lost in thought as she tried to understand Elle’s particularly precise way of speaking.
“Allow me to explain...they are the result of a forced marriage due to my culture. I was a mere young girl whenever I was taken into marriage, and according to custom, children come next. I tried to run away, taking my own children with me, but it’s been no use.” Lynn’s face flushed in embarrassment, making Elle’s eyes widen.
“Ah...the human race is a peculiar, uncanny existence, is it not? It is unfair in differing ways, but injustice always seems to stay the same. If you weren’t such a pushover, I’d tell you that you’re truly the only human in this world that doesn’t utterly disgust me...and I’d mean it- but only if you proved that I can trust a person like you…” Elle paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts as they stopped under a bright street light.
“Which you have accomplished, multiple times. Take that how you will, if you don’t mind.”
Lynn’s gaze softened, and she suddenly pulled Elle into a tight hug- which was lightly returned.
“Huh...no one’s ever done this before...I guess we’re that thing called...friends...now...correct?”
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supreme-lxadxr · 2 years
Text
~The Fallen~
Chapter 5
(A/N-- oooh it got sad again!! better get used to it! I was around 13 here so it got a little better, not much but we're GETTING there!! please DM me if you have any thoughts or questions, I'll always be happy to help!)
CHAPTER 5
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As the Sun peeked over the horizon and into the morning sky, the morning announcement startled some out of sleep, while most hadn’t been able to sleep at all.
“Good morning residents! Since everyone had such a late night last night, I doubt anyone’s awake enough for anything!”
Airin sat straight up, opening her eyes wide. She’d gotten about 10 minutes of sleep at the maximum.
“But that doesn’t mean you have nothing to do today! There’s new motives on the way, but as of right now, after the announcements at the Auditorium are over, there should not be any killing happening! Not yet, anyway!”
The TV shut off, and Airin ran her fingers through her hair. She hadn’t bothered to change her clothes since last night, so she didn’t need to get dressed like she usually would. She glanced to her left, scanning her bed. It was empty except for her, but her couch was occupied by Dominance. He hadn’t woken up, despite the loud alarm sounding at the beginning of the announcement.
Airin stood up and walked to him, careful where she stepped. Her movements were slow and heavy, due to her lack of sleep- and not to mention, they hadn’t eaten anything the day before.
Dominance’s eyes shot open the second she stepped closer.
"A-Air- you scared me, man! I just got to sleep and all…" Dominance ran his fingers through his magenta-colored hair, adjusting the mask that covered his nose, mouth, and one of his eyes.
Airin shifted her weight before reaching for his hand.
"Yeah, so did I. If they don't work us to death today, I'd suggest trying to go to sleep anywhere where they can't see you."
Dominance blinked his eyes quickly, before sitting up. He attempted to adjust his eyes to the newfound light. He stood up, swaying a bit, before walking to the door.
Pretty soon, they were all in the Auditorium, 2 spaces left solemnly empty towards the middle. The empty squares mocked the eyes of the onlookers- the spaces that used to hold Ameena and Hira, now haunted by the stains of blood and corrupted memories they’d forever be remembered for. Mia caught herself staring at Ameena’s space- the one directly to her left. The only energy echoing through the room was the permeating despair of the night before- no one forgot. They couldn’t forget unless they lied to themselves- why would they forget? Whether they wanted to or not was aside the point- out of the question. The overwhelming guilt that comes with trying to forget about someone was more than anyone saw fit. Whether they lied to themselves or not, or wanted to forget, they never could, or even wanted to.
No one talked amongst themselves anymore, the only sounds were the sounds of feet shuffling against the hardwood floor.
Suddenly, as everyone situated themselves in their stations, the TV snapped on with a loud static sound resonating off every wall.
“Good morning residents! As you heard in the morning announcements, today is different from yesterday! There’s no trial today, and there shouldn’t be any killings either, since the newest motive isn’t out yet! We can only work so fast, you know!”
Everyone exchanged glances for a second, before looking back to the TV.
“Instead of killing happening today, there’s a new project everyone should be working on! There’s a building towards the back that’s been being built by the Security Guards, but I’m starting to think that you guys should be doing it instead! Of course, only the structure, there’s a limit to what you guys should know about what’s going on the inside! Now make your way over there! End of announcements.”
Airin stood straight for a second, before Dominance grabbed her wrist, forcing her to bow, so she didn’t get shot again. The TV powered off with a loud zapping sound, and the residents stood up straight. Dominance was hesitant to let go of Airin’s wrist, and only loosened his iron grip after she shifted her wrist around quickly to break free. He snapped back to reality, his eyes widening slightly after she stopped in front of him.
“None of us are up to this, especially not you. I’ll cover for you if you need to go sleep somewhere.” She had a deadpan expression glazing her eyes, to show him she wasn’t playing around. He stood silent for a moment, his fuzzy thoughts scattered about his brain.
“N-No...I wouldn’t do that, they could kill you, man! Didn’t you see last night?” He closed his eyes and stepped closer to her. Her expression didn’t change.
“Yes, I did, but I really don’t think this situation fits with that one. Do you wanna die from sleep deprivation before we get to leave this place like you always say we will?” She raised her voice slightly as the security guards stepped closer to them.
“Well I guess you have some point there...but you didn’t sleep either…- I think we should leave here and go talk about this somewhere else…” His breath caught in his throat as he noticed the guards stepping closer to them.
“When the TV goes off, all residents leave. So if you don’t want to-” The guard was cut off by Kiyotaka running at full force towards Dominance and Airin, grabbing both of their wrists.
“My greatest apologies for these two! Immature lover’s quarrels can really go against the rules...It’s so unsuitable for this! What were you thinking?” Kiyotaka bit his lip out of nervousness, dragging them both out of the building. He didn’t stop ranting about how “unwholesome” and “unsuitable” that situation was until they got to the rough structure of the building- the mysterious one they were supposed to work on. He hid the fact that his hands were shaking out of nervousness by gripping theirs tighter, and Airin and Dominance could only exchange glances.
It hadn’t fully set in what Kiyotaka had said until they had gotten there.
“Immature lover’s quarrels”?
There’s no way he was serious...he really thought Airin and Dominance were…
Lovers?
Airin turned her head hard to the left, blushing hard like she hadn’t before.
She pushed the thoughts from her mind as she gazed at the empty structure absentmindedly. Kiyotaka ran quickly towards a ladder, scaling it so quickly he forgot to make sure it was sturdy enough to climb in the first place. He teetered on the edge, from left to right precariously. He didn’t seem to notice, though.
Airin snapped out of her thoughts when Dominance started to talk in his typical loud, hyper voice. She turned to face him, her eyes falling over his figure as she eyed him up and down. He didn’t seem to notice.
“Hey man, we should probably start getting to work now, I wanna make sure they don’t...you know-” He cut himself off, breathing sharply for a second.
“They won’t. I told you I’d cover for you before, and I still mean that. I’d rather get caught by the guards then have something happen to you…again...” She trailed off, looking away and folding her arms. She whispered the last part, just in case he’d rather not be reminded of anything she was thinking of. She hardly remembered it, if she was being honest. She just remembered one day he started wearing that mask, and they didn’t ever call him by his real name again.
What was his real name again? She was ashamed to be this lost in thought- they’d known each other since they were young kids. They’d both had the same situation- Airin’s mother birthed her in this small village, and Dominance never knew his mother, but his father told him almost an identical story. The only problem being that Airin’s mother was killed by guards when she was only 9 years old, and one day, soon after the incident that left him scarred- supposedly a failed execution when he was only 7- Dominance never saw his father again. Airin had a secret, she’d heard of something she shouldn’t have known about- executions done in private. It was most likely just a lethal injection. In fact, she’d seen the syringes before aside from the ones in their cottages. She always attributed Dominance’s father’s disappearance to that, but was never sure.
She started to think harder.
Didn’t Hira’s body have a puncture wound on her shoulder, like she’d been injected with something?
Airin didn’t realize she was mumbling to herself, until Dominance snapped her out of her thoughts.
“Hey- Air, maybe you should go sleep? You were mumbling stuff about Hira’s body...that sounded wrong…” Dominance awkwardly chuckled, and Airin rolled her eyes.
“I think you’re hearing things. And besides, why do you care so much what I thought of her?” Airin smirked, simply playing with his mind. He turned a shade of red, before biting his lip.
“I thought I would’ve gotten a different vibe from you, but I guess I was wrong again!” He playfully patted her shoulder, laughing. “I’m just messing with you, man! Now come on, even if we’re both tired, nothing’s impossible! Not if we’re together!” He closed his eyes and shot her a thumbs up, before running towards the building.
“Hey- wait up! Do you wanna die or something?!” She shouted after him, not able to suppress a smile.
He grabbed some tools, tilting his head in confusion at the large building. He’d never been the sharpest tool in the shed, so to speak, so he got confused easily. The foundation of the large building was already standing on concrete, and the only thing for them to do is side and roof the house. Airin glanced up and down, before grabbing some tools herself, and starting to add to the foundation. The Sun was hot against them, and their uniforms didn’t provide what they really needed to be wearing. They were heavy and weighted, which led to the fabric being less than effective or convenient, for that matter. Airin ran her fingers through her short, brown hair, looking for the longest strands to tie back.
The others talked amongst themselves, Isana sitting in the middle of the foundation playing a game, Emerald holding Mae up on her shoulders, and Kaz attempting to balance his weight on a beam across the top of the foundation. He teetered back and forth, his weight shifting back and forth.
“Hey dummy, you should stop making a fool of yourself and provide us with some quality entertainment! I wonder if your bones would crack if you fell, you’re so painfully skinny it’s ugly!” Jess cupped her hands around her mouth, and Alana folded her arms, narrowing her eyes. She was standing precariously on a ladder, and turned around to scold Jess, like a mother would to a child. Lane was holding Kai up on her shoulders, getting distracted every so often and almost dropping her.
Kaz suddenly changed his expression as he leaned hard to the left, nearly losing his balance. Kiyotaka hadn’t noticed until this moment, and his expression suddenly changed to an indescribable look.
“Kaz- I recommend you get off of that beam right now before something bad happens! This is unsuitable for this environment- if you fall off of that structure you could cause yourself or your fellow residents harm!” He yelled, quickly jumping off his ladder, which rocked the foundation. Kaz rocked along with it, loosening a beam close to where he was standing.
“This- This is unacceptable! I will bring a ladder over, and I instruct that you lower yourself down onto it at this moment! I couldn’t forgive myself if something bad happened to one of my fellow residents!” Kiyotaka was still yelling as he dragged the ladder to the middle of the foundation. Mia was distracted for a moment with trying to cool off- notably by removing her shirt so the only thing she was wearing was a sports bra and shorts- but snapped back to reality to help Kiyotaka after a moment.
Kiyotaka steadied the unsturdy ladder as best he could, before noticing Mia standing in front of him. He turned a dark shade of red, averting his eyes wherever else allowed.
“This...This..T-This is u-unsuitable f-for...for this e-environment!! W-what are y-you doing…?” Kiyotaka stuttered, covering his face with his hand. She giggled, blushing slightly as she realized why he reacted the way he did.
“Oh yeah, I totally forgot I did that! It’s not against the rules or anything, right? It’s not as bad as it could be I guess, but you’d know of course, Mr. Uptight Goody Two-Shoes!” She teased him, giggling.
“Y-Yes!! I suggest...p-putting y-your...uniform b-back on…” He ran his fingers through his hair, averting his eyes all over the place. She ruffled his hair for a few seconds, smiling and blushing slightly, before running to look for wherever she’d put the rest of her outfit.
“Hey guys, I’m in kind of a bad situation here! I’d be happy if you guys would...uh...help me, you know!” Kaz stuck his arms out to each side to steady himself, before swaying back and forth again. Mia returned in a moment, grabbing the ladder to steady it.
“Alrighty then, come on down! I’m not doin’ that again though, tough luck!” Mia stuck her tongue out, which Kaz and Kiyotaka both ignored at that moment. Hailey turned her head to watch what was happening, which led to her running over to help.
“Hey, don’t do this on your own! He might need someone to help him down! Besides, I’m used to working out every day in my cottage, so my arm strength is probably pretty okay at the moment…” She smiled, extending an arm out to Kaz.
“Thank you, any help is much appreciated! Alright, now make your way between the planks of wood and step onto the ladder, Kaz!” Kiyotaka gave him a reassuring smile.
“T-this is a bad idea...I..I-I…” Kaz’s face suddenly turned a sick shade of white, and he swayed again. He swayed hard to the side, causing him to step hard to the left to steady himself.
“Wait- stop him! That’s not level there!” Bernadette suddenly yelled from her ladder, jumping down. Isana stood up quickly to move out of the way, just in case something happened. Bernadette ran towards the four of them, stopping before she ran into the ladder.
“I...I can try to catch him if he falls again! Kaz, are you feeling okay?” Bernadette asked, a hint of concern in her voice.
Kaz stepped anywhere he could to steady himself, making sure he didn’t fall headfirst into the pavement. His vision was blurry, and his breaths were shallow. Mae suddenly ran over, standing under him.
“K-Kaz...p-please d-don’t fall! I d-don’t think he’s o-okay!” She exclaimed in a high-pitched voice.
“N-no...I-I’m...I’m not...n-not okay…” He stuttered, swaying again, just barely catching himself. He stepped to the side, using every plank to the left of him to steady himself.
“Hey- that one right above Hailey isn’t bolted in, Kaz, KAZ! STOP!” Bernadette screamed, just as he stepped onto a beam that was not supported. It caved in, and all in one quick moment that felt like hours, an explosion of blood and a rocking of the ladder sent Kiyotaka, Mia, Mae, and Bernadette running the opposite way. The only sound that could be heard could be described as a loud cracking, crashing, and then…
Utter silence.
The silence lasted for a few seconds, as Hailey and Kaz lay still on the stained pavement. Bernadette and Mae stood still in shock for a few seconds, and Mia held onto Kiyotaka like a lifeline.
Suddenly every resident was looking in their direction, excluding Monica and Ryan, since neither of them had showed up.
Time seemed to slow down as they inspected the bodies on the ground.
After what felt like years, Elle broke the silence, quietly making her way over to the bodies and kneeling next to them.
“Kaz is breathing, he doesn’t even have any fatal wounds on him. Hailey got hit head-on, good luck with that.” Suddenly, she stood up, stepping on the ladder, pushing its weight further onto Hailey.
Airin and Dominance watched from a distance, and in a spur of the moment reaction, Dominance started to lose his consciousness. Airin jumped off her ladder and ran towards him, attempting to catch the much larger male from behind. She ended up kneeling on the wet grass, his head in her lap.
“What is wrong with you? What even was that?” Mia balled her hands into fists, and in a quick reaction, she grabbed Elle by her hair, slamming her down onto the concrete. Mia was breathing heavily, her eyes wide with anger. “First you screw around with Ameena, then Hira, then THIS?!” Mia slammed her down again. Elle appeared to have no reaction as she just closed her eyes.
“You...You’re...YOU’RE INSANE! What were you THINKING?! You lied in that trial...I know...you’re a LIAR! You know you are, and you don’t even care! I KNOW you killed Ameena! You...you...killed...Hira...and you KNOW you did it!” Mia screamed, her voice cracking as she positioned her foot on Elle’s back, holding her down. “If you get executed, I’m watching the whole thing...I don’t care what else happens...Hira deserves justice, and YOU DON’T! YOU NEVER DID!” Mia slammed her down one last time, officially knocking her unconscious. Kiyotaka ran to her, grabbing her by her shoulders and pulling her back hard.
“That was completely unsuitable! What if you accidentally became her killer or something! I don’t even care about the rules at this point...I just don’t want to see you get executed!” Kiyotaka’s voice had an increasing intensity as he held her by her shoulders. The rage slowly left her eyes, and her gaze softened.
“I...I don’t know how to respond to that…” She was lost in words as she silently stared into his eyes. “I don’t express grief through sadness, just through anger and a whole lotta forgetting...didn’t you notice that? I don’t let myself be sad and stuff...I don’t even know how at this point!” Her eyes filled with tears unexpectedly, matching his, contradicting her previous statement. His eyes widened before he unexpectedly pulled her into a hug, which caused her to stiffen up at first, but she soon eased into it.
Meanwhile, Bernadette was holding onto Isana’s shoulders tightly like a lifeline, and wordlessly, for once in her life. She wanted to be close to her friend, knowing something just like this could happen to Isana just as easily as it did a few seconds ago to Hailey, and last night to Hira.
Mae was kneeling near Kaz and Hailey, and to her horror, their suspicions about Hailey had been correct.
Another death had occurred.
Mae was holding Kaz’s head in her lap and softly stroking his bright red hair, tears falling down off of her cheeks.
“G-Guys...K-Kaz is alive...b-but Hailey…” Mae stopped, choking back tears as she gripped an unconscious Kaz’s hand tightly.
Kiyotaka was still holding onto Mia tightly, attempting to hold in the tears that wanted to stream down his cheeks freely. He didn’t want to be weak in front of everyone like that, so he held it in as best as he could, a fiery, painful feeling arising in his chest. He was unaware of this, but she had been in the same situation. She was holding her breath as long as she could to keep her emotions at bay, but the way her body was shaking was betraying her more than words could.
“I’m sure no one wants to do this but we have to...I need to get the guards or the Chiefs involved...it’s too dangerous if not…” Isana pushed her light blue hair behind her ears. Before anyone could stop her, she was already running as quick as her short legs could take her towards the Auditorium.
Everyone was standing still in shock for a second, before Bernadette moved towards the bodies slowly.
“What...W-What happened to them? Do we know she’s...she’s…” She stopped, breathing slowly but sharply. The Sun was starting to set, leaving the sky dark and the air heavy. The whole situation had an eerie feeling to it.
“W-Well s-she wasn’t d-dead...t-till Elle c-came and st-stamped on the l-ladder...it p-pushed it into...u-uh…” Mae wiped the tears off her cheeks, pushing her messy black hair out of the way.
“I saw what happened to her. Why do you think it happened the way it did...have we even looked?” Trina cut them both off, making her way towards the scene and removing the heavy metal ladder. Her eyes widened, averting them away from the scene.
“Why even come to help if you can’t look at it? Jeez...the nerve of some people!” Jess ran to her, Alana closely following. She hid behind Trina, silently terrified of the horrifying sight before her.
“Jeez...does anyone have feelings anymore? I’m talking to you, Jess! How hard is it to walk in someone else’s shoes?” Alana placed her hands firmly on her hips.
“Aw- I don’t want to! My feet already hurt from jumping off that ladder, and I don’t want them to smell!” She turned her nose up, and Alana rolled her eyes.
“You knew what I meant! It’s a figure of speech! Jeez, are you stupid?” Alana snapped at her friend.
Before Jess could answer, Trina closed her eyes quickly, opening her mouth to speak but no words came out- all except her heavy breathing. Her face suddenly turned a sick shade of white as her eyes widened again. She covered her mouth quickly and sprung to her feet.
“F-Forgive me for this...I can’t look at this any longer…” She backed away from the scene, noticeably shaken.
Meanwhile, Isana searched for any sign of a Guard or Chief, and there seemed to be none. She looked in every cottage and all over the land- in the Nurse’s Station, the Auditorium, the beach, the Trial Building- but there was none. All that was left was the House Of Memories, which she knew full well was forbidden.
“Huh...they’re trying to trick me, aren’t they…” She mumbled under her breath. She travelled behind the Auditorium, being greeted by the smell of rotting garbage and fiery ashes.
Come to think of it, there were ashes scattered all over the ground.
“H-Huh…?” She didn’t realize she was talking out loud, as she inspected the area. There was an opening to a vent in the wall, which fell right over a small hole in the ground. It was covered by a circular metal disc, and the ends appeared to be stained with something she couldn’t make out in the darkness. She bent down to open it, and as soon as she did, the smell of a burnt-out fire and blood hit her like a truck. It looked big enough to fit a person inside, and was covered with ashes, blood, and some other substance she couldn’t quite make out. There was also an empty syringe, which she took a picture of with her small handheld device in her pocket.
Isana decided to leave the scene before anyone spotted her. She felt an oncoming sense of dread, which caused her to start running. She ran until she was against the wall that surrounded them, which she leaned against. She breathed heavily, kneeling in a small pile of mud that left her legs and feet stained brown.
As she tilted her head upwards, she could swear she saw a precise silhouette of a familiar stranger in the far distance.
Isana rose to her feet, the burning feeling in her throat finally deciding to leave. She stared down at her hands- her delicate fingers ever so slightly stained with the brownish-red, drying liquid she identified as blood.
She blinked her eyes quickly, her mouth hanging open slightly at the sight.
“H-Huh…?” She began, her voice small and breathless.
Her darkest thoughts echoed through her mind, resonating off every corner.
“That’s what I get for stumbling on a crime scene...right…? I think...”
She quickly wiped her fingers on her shirt, the brownish stains transferring over onto it.
Turning her back to the wall, she stood up, the mud on her legs streaking down into her shoes. She slid her shoes and socks off, picking them up and starting on her way again. The pitch blackness was thick enough to cut through, and for an unknown reason, all of the street lights had shut off.
Isana felt along the wall with her hand, looking for a sign of anyone.
“H-Hello…?” She choked out, empty, stuttering breaths escaping her lungs.
The moon was high in the cloudy sky, and the wind was softly tossing her hair.
All was quiet except for her light footsteps, the unkempt grass on the side of the wall stabbing her feet as she stepped on thorns and branches. She closed her eyes, standing up on her tiptoes.
“U-Usually we’re s-so mo-monitored…” Isana choked on her shaky breaths, her whole body starting to tremble from the cold of the night.
“Wh-Why...why w-won’t they…c-come...p-please…” Her feet were starting to become too painful to stand on, after walking on rocky, sharp ground for so long. She tripped over an uneven patch, the side of her right foot slicing open on an especially sharp edge of a rock.
She let out a high-pitched cry of pain, trying to support herself on her arms but failing. Her body was too weak to support her- not having eaten for almost 3 days now, and only drinking minimally, mixed with the harsh cold lashing against her weak frame.
“I...I-I’m...n-not gonna...p-please...I ha-have to...l-live…” She whispered, silently gasping for air.
Isana closed her eyes, laying her head on her arm. Her whole body felt heavy, every gust of wind sending a harder chill up her spine.
She opened her eyes after what felt like years, her heart pounding out of her chest.
She dragged her weak legs near to her chest- suddenly feeling as if weights were attached to them, the warm blood and dirt shifting between her thighs.
The cold wind was beating against her back, threatening to snap her fragile figure if she dared make one more movement. She continued to drag each leg to her chest, attempting to lift herself up onto her knees.
“P-Please...just...j-just m-move...f-for...once…” Her voice was weak and scratchy, similar to radio static- the announcer continues to speak over the overwhelming sound. It’s quiet.
Speaking of quiet- it was quiet all around her, and every move she made sent shocks of pain throughout her entire body. Her breaths were weak and shallow, but sharp and rough. It hurt so much to do anything, but she kept trying.
“I...I-I...ha-have to...mo-move...I...I-I c-can’t…” She let her head fall onto the ground, dirt smashing against her face and tangling into her hair. All she could feel was the crimson regret trickling down her legs, feet, and the side of her face, as she lay still in the cold.
Suddenly, to break the silence, she could hear heavy footsteps behind her. She opened her eyes, but her head felt too heavy to turn.
“W-What...who a-are you...p-please don’t hu-hurt me…” Isana pleaded under her stuttering breaths. She felt hands pressing against her waist, which made her shift uncomfortably. She gathered the last bit of strength she had, using it to turn her head behind her. It was all for nothing, as it was too hard to see through the thick darkness.
“Wh-What...what a-are you doing…?” She whispered, her voice raw.
She was suddenly cut off by a hand being pressed over her mouth. A violent chill shot through her body, and she inhaled sharply through her teeth. She was suddenly pushed onto her back, still unable to see who the mysterious figure looming over her identified as.
Isana closed one of her eyes as blood began to trickle down her face, pooling onto the ground and intertwining around strands of her light blue hair.
“P-Please...ju-just...let m-me go...p-please…” She muttered, the unknown hand muffling the words she was choking on.
“Hey, listen to me. What I’mma tell you, you can’t tell anyone ‘bout it.” A sharp, deep voice broke the silence. She recognized it to be Ed’s. She’d never liked him- especially because of the way he treated Kendall. He never let her leave his cottage, and she wasn’t allowed to have hardly any friends. He degraded her with words, and Isana always wondered where those random scars on her body came from.
“I...I’ll o-only st-stay quiet i-if you l-let go...p-please…” She hissed at him, anger filling her eyes. He only held tighter. She was pinned down to the ground, and no matter how hard she shifted, he held her tighter.
He disregarded her begging to be let go, and continued his harsh whispering.
“I can’t stand Kendall. I only keep ‘er ‘cause I know what’ll happen if I were to ever let ‘er go.” He began, his nails digging into Isana’s forearms.
She stayed quiet, shifting her weight around as best as she could. She couldn’t break free no matter how hard she tried, though.
“There’s no motive out yet, am I right?” He continued, raising his voice slightly. Isana didn’t answer.
“I said, am I right?!” He raised his voice again, and she stuttered out a broken answer.
“Anyway, I ain’t keepin’ her ‘round here forever. ‘Er time is up livin’ ‘round here. I’mma need someone else in place of ‘er, and I’ve had my eyes on you forever.” Isana couldn’t see him, but she could feel the bloodlust radiating off of him. She knew he would eventually kill her. He was just like Elle, but wasn’t as outright about wanting another victim. She wasn’t stupid. In quick movements of her legs, she was able to wiggle away from him, and start crawling backwards.
“I...I’m n-not stupid, Ed. I k-know what you want. Y-You want t-to...you wa-wanna kill me...I wo-won’t let you...a-and you won’t kill Ke-Kendall either.” Isana’s eyes were filled with unmerciful rage, and his face broke out into an anger-filled expression.
“I ain’t as bad you think...I wasn’t gonna hurt you…” He began, but Isana cut him off.
“I’m b-bleeding out ri-right now...p-please save this f-for later.”
He suddenly felt a wave of rage explode inside of him, and he swung his fist at her. He hit her directly in the face, causing blood to drip a steady stream of blood from her nose. She clenched her jaw in pain, before swinging back. She missed, and he grabbed her hair, slamming her back into the dirt.
“Now listen here, I’m startin’ to think you’re worse than that-” She cut him off by reaching her arms upwards, being lucky enough to poke him in his eye- hard. He recoiled hard, and she gathered her last bit of strength and adrenaline to stand up and begin to run. Her legs and foot were leaving puddles of blood wherever they landed. Every step hurt more than the last, and she was left covered in mud, dirt, and her own blood. Her shirt was ripped from the impact of hitting the ground, and was stained with her own pouring crimson regret and trial. Her body swayed, making jerking movements with every breath she took. She ran until she reached the road, as the wall was quite far from any sort of building or civilization. The street lights had turned on, and she continued to run in the light. She’d lost her shoes and socks way back near the wall, but she had no choice but to keep going as fast as her injured, mangled legs could take her. She continued, noticing the cameras turning towards her.
“The...th-the Chiefs...th-they’re he-here…” She smiled, running for the Auditorium. Usually, when anyone had a request, hardly was it ever fulfilled, but if they dare try, the said resident in question would come to the Auditorium. She pushed her way into the heavy doors, her body threatening to collapse and break at the slightest touch.
The TV turned on as soon as she crashed through the door, her fragile frame collapsing into a mangled, bloody mess onto the floor. She crawled towards her designated square, leaving a trail of blood behind her.
“P-Please...I...I-I n-need he-help...please...p-please h-help m-me…”
Chief 2 stood before her on the large screen, eyeing her figure as she crawled. She spit some leftover blood from her mouth from when Ed had attacked her onto the floor.
“It looks like you’ve survived an attempted murder! Is this true, Isana?” Chief 2 spoke up in their sickly optimistic voice.
She laid her head on the ground, coughing so violently her body shook.
“N-No...i-it’s H-Hailey...she d-died be-because of a-an accident...p-please d-do...so-something…” Isana closed her other eye tightly.
“We’ve been alerted to this and an announcement has been made! That’s why the street lights turned on, you know!” Chief 2 spoke up, and the guards stepped closer to her.
“Wa-Wait...h-how…” She breathed heavily and slowly, as she lay with her eyes closed.
“We were alerted by another resident of yours and her predicament, but thankfully, someone was sent out to look for you!”
Isana felt a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.
It was Ed who was sent out- who just tried to hurt her. Actually, he had. Her nose was still trickling blood.
Isana couldn’t keep staying conscious, and wanted to give out so badly- but she didn’t know if she’d wake up again. She wanted to live, she wanted to get out of here...she wanted to see Bernadette one last time…
Before she officially lost consciousness, she felt herself being lifted up by what she assumed to be the Guards. She smiled to herself, her eyes closing tightly as her body went limp.
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supreme-lxadxr · 2 years
Text
~The Fallen~
Chapter 4
(A/N-- woooo this one's long. sorry for the rushed ship- was still 12-13 haha!! keep sticking around, it gets good <3)
CHAPTER 4
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It took all night to investigate the scene. Everyone scoured the building for every little clue, and had to inspect the body. They all left intermittently throughout the night, until only Lynn, Airin, Dominance, Bernadette, and Monica were left. Well, Isana was there too, but she’d fallen asleep backstage long before. And no one had seen Elle since she went backstage, and everyone figured she was still in hiding and fell asleep in there, or died somewhere and no one found it yet. Eventually, when the Sun was on the horizon, Lynn basically forced everyone to go back, making Bernadette carry the smaller girl that was Isana back to her cottage, and Dominance took Airin. Monica carried Hira, who was still unconscious after so many hours.
It was morning before anyone knew it, and pretty much no one was awake enough to move. Not even Kiyotaka, who was always the first to wake up. Everyone congregated in the building they’d been investigating all night long- it was the last place they wanted to be at this point. No one even talked, they all just stood in their spots. Hira was hardly awake, and refused to speak. She seemed half alive- if even that.
Suddenly, the TV snapped on.
“Good- or bad morning to all of you!”
Everyone groaned, folding their arms in annoyance as if on cue.
“We all know that after a certain amount of time passes- 24 hours, a trial is held! Ameena’s time of death was approximately 9:57 PM, so that’s when the trial will start, and it won’t end until the murderer is figured out!”
Some hung their head, some angrily stood straight and folded their arms.
Everyone turned to face the door, then turned around again to bow. All except one.
Airin was standing as straight as she could be, arms at her sides.
“Air- what are you doing, you’re gonna get yourself killed!” Dominance tried to whisper to her, but she pretended not to hear.
“I’m not sure if you heard me correctly the first time, but now is the time to BOW. All in attendance.”
The security guards pushed their way through the people and stood at each side behind Airin. She didn’t do as much as breathe.
“Everyone keep bowing, if I catch someone other than Airin as much as shift, executions will happen after- or even before the trial.”
She kept standing straight, making direct eye contact with the camera stationed above them. Both security guards grabbed her and one held a weapon to her head.
“What do you have to explain this sudden behavior?”
She didn’t blink. She kept her composure and didn’t do as much as look.
“Murder happened and you justified it. I’m not going to blindly agree to murder. Ameena was a live human with her life in front of her, and she’ll never get to live that now. Is this really a ‘perfect’ place?”
They didn’t hesitate in pushing the weapon against her harder.
“We can and will use this-”
“I don’t care. This just proves my point that murder is justified here, thus making it imperfect. Am I the only one not completely blinded?”
The 2nd security guard attempted to raise and fire his weapon, but she raised her arm in just a way that the shot fired, but it only hit her arm. She didn’t miss a beat in pushing them away from her and running out the door, with blood pouring onto the floor.
“Air- wait up!” Dominance stood straight up and ran after her, and the TV shut off. Everyone was silent for a second, before standing straight up. To their surprise, the guards lined the walls and let them pass. They didn’t go after Dominance or Airin.
“In case you’re wondering, it’s against the rules to shoot again if a guard misses the first time! That would be unwarranted execution! It’s rule number 11!” Kiyotaka yelled as he walked quickly out the door, nervous to run.
“I think you’re the only one who’s wasted their time reading that garbage, you nerd!” Jess smirked at him before pushing her way out the door.
“I wouldn’t call that a waste of time. I find that important.” Trina didn’t look at anyone as she spoke.
“Wait, but isn’t every death unwarranted? Death should never happen in a place like this if it really is perfect, if anyone’s ever thought of that…” Bernadette held herself, nervous to speak up.
“Not executions! If someone kills someone else, they deserve it! And I’m watching the whole thing!” Mia yelled, and Kiyotaka held her back by her shoulders.
“We’ll just have to see about that, I never condone revenge, but lately I’ve been feeling a violation to my morals...” Kiyotaka looked deep in thought.
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Dominance found Airin past the cottages, on a small beach next to water. It was always so pretty and peaceful there, one place Airin always went when she wanted nothing to do with anyone or just wanted to think. She always dreamed of getting married here if she ended up being unable to leave. It’s so romantic to her- if this is what love feels like. It was a bittersweet feeling to her, like ice and fire in her heart, wondering if he felt the same way every day. If it was really just a skit to him, it was never real.
She always kept those feelings to herself, though. She sat on a rock next to a small fire. Her arm was tied in a makeshift bandage she made out of streamers, ribbons, and scraps of table cloths left over from the outside of the building. The wound didn’t appear to be bleeding anymore, but she had left a long trail of blood to that spot.
“Hey, Air, it’s me! You really scared me, man! Are you okay?” Dominance tried to be positive, but inside, he was terrified.
She turned to look at him, not appearing to really even be startled by his presence. For once she was calm, with really no expression on her face. That fiery glint had left her eyes for once, and she looked at peace. It happened every time she came here.
“I’m alright. It needed to be said, and you don’t need to worry so much. You’re always putting on a fake, happy persona. You don’t have to. You don’t have to be happy all the time, just be honest with yourself.”
“I-I’ve never really done that...it’s fine! I don’t wanna be a drag to everyone else- I wanna hype everyone else up and fill ‘em with passion!”
“It’s not being a drag or letting anyone down if you care for yourself once in a while.”
“I’ve never heard anyone say that before...what made you say that anyway? And how’d you stop bleeding?”
She dodged the first question and pulled the bandage off her upper arm. The wound wasn’t bleeding anymore, but it was scarred and burned, like she’d stuck it into a raging fire.
“I burned it shut. It stops bleeding quickly- it’s something my mom taught me how to do a while back. Not like it matters or anything.”
She motioned for him to sit next to her, and he did. A bit closer than she expected, but she didn’t mind.
“That’s pretty impressive- you did that all by yourself?”
“Well yeah, I don’t really find it useful to rely on others. I never did- I never could, so why start now?”
She cursed herself in her mind, wondering if that sounded like she didn’t want him around. She wondered if he even thought like that. If he was smart enough for all this. She caught herself wanting to laugh at her thoughts towards him.
“That’s pretty impressive! I’ve always needed someone around, but I guess I can be independent if I had to...I just get so lonely, ya know? I need someone to hype up- someone to make happy and fill ‘em with passion for life! You can’t do anything without it!”
He smiled brightly, flashing 2 excited thumbs-up’s in her direction.
“Don’t get any ideas, and I guess I’ll stick around for that.”
She tried to fold her arms to assert her dominance, but couldn’t suppress a smile. She giggled slightly, bowing her head to attempt to hide it.
“Ooh- I can make you smile! I knew it was in you, and you were putting on one of those ‘persona’s’ you like to talk about!” He laughed and playfully poked her arm. She started to laugh at him, playfully slapping his hand away.
“I told you not to get any ideas!”
“Ah, I see you forgot that you called me ‘unpredictable’, didn’t you?”
“That was only a skit!”
“Well, I don’t know if I’d say that...it felt pretty real to me, did you get that too?”
She was taken aback by his response.
...He was just talking about that one part, right? Definitely not the end of it. That was staged. It had to be..
But then why did he take off his mask for just that part? Why did he never rehearse it, since he wanted it to be special?
She just stared at him for a second, before standing up.
“That’s too much for me to think about right now...let’s just go help the others.”
She reached for his hand, trying to calm her racing heart and thoughts, and he took it. He had a confused look on his face, and he tilted his head slightly. He reluctantly stood, trying to come back from that.
“A-Alright, let’s go then!” He regained his composure and started running, pulling her behind.
She ran to catch up with him, their fingers interlocked with each other. She tried not to think about it- how much she probably screwed up- or didn’t- as she followed him.
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Before anyone knew it, it was 9:30 PM, and an announcement came over the TV.
“As you guys remember, at 9:57 PM, a trial will be held in- you guessed it, the Trial Building! I’d recommend getting ready to go there now, and hope you have enough evidence!”
A collective sigh overtook everyone. It felt like nothing changed since last night, except Mia and Kiyotaka were in the building now. Everyone tried to swarm her to say whatever they’d say, but she didn’t answer them. She felt like being alone, and basically didn’t talk to anyone except Kiyotaka. Airin and Dominance didn’t talk very much, still trying to come back from earlier. Hardly no evidence was found, their only information being the scars on Ameena’s body, and the blood all over Hira’s. The knife was most likely the murder weapon, as no one found anything else. No one had discussed their opinions yet- no one had really discussed anything. It would have been silent if it wasn’t for the sound of shuffling feet and breathing.
At around 9:45, everyone made their way out the building and formed a line towards the Trial building. It was dark, but the street lights lining the street lit the way to their destination- giving them almost a false sense of hope, like maybe it wasn’t as bad as it seemed. Everyone had different thoughts and mannerisms, some wanting nothing more than to see the murderer get what they deserve, some still hardly awake, some confused or scared.
The murderer felt absolutely nothing, they’d known what they’d done. They were used to the feeling. It’s all they’d ever known- growing up around it and being threatened constantly with the prospect of it. They felt dirty- unwanted, and possibly used. They ran their hands over their long faded scars, wanting nothing more than just an impossible new beginning.
As soon as everyone lined into the Trial Building, they were uncomfortable at the sudden change of atmosphere. It was cold, uninviting, and…
Empty.
“Where is everything? Shouldn’t there be trial stuff here? Like tables...chairs...more than walls?” Hailey looked around and let her fingers trace the cracking drywall. It was an old room with wood floors and cracking white-painted walls. No pictures, no furniture, no people. Only empty space.
“M-maybe we’re in t-the w-wrong place…?” Mae had fallen to the floor, even though there was nothing to trip over.
“I t-told you t-this would h-happen! T-they're t-trying to t-trap us-” Tina got cut off by a short scream, as she stepped in the middle of the floor, falling through it and onto a set of steps.
“Jeez, how do you get through life without breaking your neck you klutz! You’re a disgrace to human society, I hope your mom repented for her sins after she made you!” Jess laughed at her, before being pushed forward into the newly opened space by Lane.
“I hope you not only eat those words but choke on them too!” Lane let out her frustrations in a scream in Jess’ direction, before running down the stairs.
“Yeah, what she said!” Bernadette grabbed Isana and followed down the steps.
“Wait up, running in this environment is unsuitable!” Kiyotaka walked quickly after them, not exactly running but close enough.
Everyone walked down the stairs, greeting a big, cold room filled with small podiums in a circle. There was a TV above the back corner, and a chair in the back corner. Elle was sitting on the back of it, her feet on the area where you’d usually sit.
“Well that took longer than it should’ve, but after hearing your useless chatter, I see why…” Elle sighed and bowed her head, smiling to herself.
Everyone ignored her and went to their designated areas, with their names on the inside of the podiums.
Elle reluctantly followed, standing on tiptoes and slouching her entire body over her podium. Everyone uncomfortably shifted, shaking from nervousness and the cold draft. The walls were painted like you’d imagine a kindergarten classroom to be painted- splotches of seemingly random colors, predominantly yellow, that stained the edges of the dark blue carpet.
The TV powered on, glitching a bit as Chief 2 spoke.
“Since you’ve never been to a trial before, I guess it should be explained! You’ll be given until 9:57 PM tomorrow to argue back and forth and discuss your evidence! That’s what a trial is, until you eventually figure out who did it! If you can’t figure it out by 9:57 tomorrow, you’ll all be executed in different ways! But if you figure it out, a specific execution has been planned, and will be executed.”
Everyone groaned, except for Elle. She giggled to herself and smirked.
“And if you choose the wrong person, you have a chance to all be executed, but it can be reversed if you choose the right person in exactly an hour! So let the trial commence!”
A loud beeping sound resonated off every wall, and the TV cut to a timer. Every camera turned towards them. It was a battle of life and death. Justice, revenge, anger, hatred, and love. All were twisted and warped, and an uncomfortable feeling rose. Everyone had to be ready to talk about anything they saw. Evidence they collected, no matter how hard it was to talk about. They all had to be ready. Except no one was ready- no one seemed to want to be the first person to speak.
“I suggest that we discuss a summary of the crime scene, and the most basic facts we already know. We can spring off of those later, and use them to our advantage!” Monica pointed a finger, asserting her dominance over this class trial. Everyone submitted to her, being that she did do the most investigating.
“Well I assert that the person killed was Ameena- last name unknown! At 9:57 PM!” Kiyotaka yelled, throwing his hands in the air.
“We knew that part already, dummy! Jeez, are you okay? Or is your mind still in the gutter?” Jess smiled at him, narrowing her eyes.
“And the murder took place backstage it appeared.” Trina looked down at the floor.
“And she had multiple stab wounds in her abdomen and legs!” Bernadette piped up.
“W-wait...how will this h-help us later? I-isn’t this w-why we investigated?” Mae chimed in, her body shaking.
“Exactly! This ain’t gonna help us, let’s just settle this with our fists!” Lane yelled excitedly.
“Did you even listen to the rules?” Kaz shot back.
“I don’t want violence in here, that’s not gonna solve anything!” Hailey shrieked, seemingly afraid.
“There was also evidence of a struggle, was there not?” Vinnie tilted her head slightly.
“Uh...I think...she was also found in the piranha tank…” Kai basically whispered in a tired voice.
“Well yeah, but wasn’t she backstage for awhile? That makes everyone here a suspect, since everyone was moving and getting up so much!” Ed put his fists in front of his chest, in an attempt to defend himself.
“Yeah yeah, you’re just trying to say that you weren’t the killer! We get it!” Alana put her hands on her hips.
“That makes no sense, man! Everyone was backstage at some point!” Emerald spoke up.
“I think that was his point, that everyone here is a suspect due to everyone being there at some point.” Kendall defended.
“That was my EXACT point, but it’s obvious that you don’t agree with me.”
“Why else would I have said that?”
“You’re just trying to get all the blame taken off you. I saw your breakdown on that stage. I knew from the moment she was revealed that it was YOU!” He pointed at Kendall, making her jump.
“Hey hey, I think I saw her sitting with Mia and Kiyotaka when Kendall was on stage...I think…” Isana crossed her arms.
“This doesn’t involve you, so you can just shut up, pack your stuff, and get out of here!”
“This class trial doesn’t revolve around anyone, especially not you! Anyone can talk as they please!” Bernadette fought back.
“Let us start by reviewing the incident. This senseless arguing is getting us nowhere…” Lynn crossed her arms.
“So, Ameena was found backstage. We established that…” Trina closed her eyes.
“What was she even doing back there anyway?” Airin spoke up for the first time.
“Probably trying to help Vinnie and Kai with that project of theirs- what were you guys doing anyway?” Dominance answered, looking at Kai.
“Uh...we were just preparing for our show...she never came to help us. I never even saw her, but half the time I was in the storage closet…” Kai yawned and looked away.
“But that’s where we found Hira, covered in blood and a knife in her hand!” Monica shot back.
“Y-You what..? I don’t remember that!” Hira spoke up, her voice shaking. She was just starting to come back to her senses again.
“H-Huh? She wasn’t in there when I was in there.” Kai woke up quickly.
“She must’ve been moved there after Kai was moved to the fish tank.” Airin put her finger to her chin, signifying she was deep in thought about it.
“Hira, do you remember anything about that?” Monica bent to her level.
“N-no...I j-just remember seeing someone wearing a character’s mask grab me and then I f-felt a pain in my shoulder...and that’s it…” Hira stuttered, shakily trying to recount that night.
“M-maybe t-the culprit s-stabbed Hira’s s-shoulder and t-that’s where the blood came from!” Mae tilted her head to look at Hira.
“But there were no wounds on her body when we looked at it together, right?” Isana pointed a finger and spoke up.
“Correct. There were signs of a struggle on her wrists, but no open wounds. That’s why Monica must have concluded that the blood didn’t belong to her.” Trina looked Hira up and down, inspecting her tiny wrists. They were covered in purple bruises, and she had some cuts on her forearm.
“That’s right, I’m glad you paid attention, Trina! But- there was a small mark that looked like it could’ve been caused by a syringe on her shoulder. I found that today.” Monica answered.
“But no one ever found the syringe- someone could’ve stepped on it by now!” Kaz yelled, putting his hands over his head.
“Well didn’t Mae say she wanted to work in a hospital if we all leave? Wouldn’t that mean it’s her? Oops! Someone slipped up!” Jess pointed a finger accusingly.
“Eek- I d-did say that b-but that d-doesn’t mean a-anything!” Mae started to cry, and Jess rolled her eyes.
“Hold on. Don’t jump to conclusions yet, we still have no idea! Where would anyone even get access to a syringe anyway?” Alana crossed her arms over her chest.
“Someone must’ve taken it from the dresser backstage- isn’t that where the guards get them for morning injections?” Bernadette questioned.
“I looked through those drawers beforehand and never saw anything even like that!” Vinnie answered, looking around, confused.
“What would be put into that syringe to make Hira pass out like that?” Lynn looked at Hira, who was mostly awake, but slightly swaying.
“I-it m-must have b-been some s-sort of s-sleeping d-drug!! I s-should’ve k-known s-someone w-would do t-that...ngh- I-I m-must be n-next on their list!” Tina grabbed and pulled her hair to calm herself down, to no avail.
“I d-don’t remember...I just remember screaming for some reason...then someone grabbed me and threw me into that c-closet! Everything j-just went black…” Hira stuttered.
“Hey wait- no one’s found that mask, have they? That would probably help us a ton, you know?!” Kaz pulled at his clothes. “Bernadette, did you find it? Cuz you’re like...good at investigating and stuff! N-not like I wasn’t paying attention or anything…”
“No, no one’s found it as far as I know, I definitely would’ve said something if I had! That’s not a compliment towards me, that’s an accusation! A creepy one!” Bernadette had an angry expression on her face.
“Are you saying you were watching her the whole time? What are you even good for?” Airin shot him a dirty look.
“It’s probably backstage somewhere- or maybe she threw it out! Did we even look through the garbage can?” Dominance crossed his fists over his chest.
“Yeah, we did this morning. We just found a whole bunch of wrappers and scraps of food.” Airin replied.
“We did find a lollipop at the scene, though. Does anyone remember that? It was half-eaten and covered in blood!” Hailey looked around, like she was trying to remember something.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Elle spoke up for the first time. Everyone went silent as they looked at her.
“W-What are you talking about? Nothing’s obvious anymore!” Kaz yelled in anger.
“I mean...isn’t the culprit obvious? If you were smart you’d see it. You’d see through all the lies and deception spewing out of a certain someone’s mouth like a disease. Or maybe, silence is the true telltale sign.” She smirked condescendingly.
“Uh- what are you talking about…? I haven’t noticed anything!” Kai shot at her.
“Yes, explain yourself! You are making no sense! This has to be against the rules!” Kiyotaka pointed in her direction.
“Spare me, spare me!” Elle threw her hands up. “I’m helping you out here...and I’m here to tell you that the culprit…”
She stopped for a moment, scanning her options.
“Is Mia.”
“What? That’s wrong- you’ve got it wrong! She was with me!” Kiyotaka yelled.
“What’re you even tryin’ to say? Do ya even realize I have proof against you, but no one shut their traps long enough to hear what I had to say?” Mia argued.
“Oh- enlighten me! I have proof against you too! That whole staged reaction of yours was so fake...I couldn’t help but suspect you from the very beginning.”
“If that was all fake, then why’d ya have to grab Ameena from the table? Everyone overlooked that, now didn’t they!” Mia raised her voice and pointed in Elle’s direction.
“I told you this before. I’m worried for your memory...I said that Hira needed her.” Elle never broke eye contact, a blank expression lacing her features.
“Wow Elle...tryin’ to make a fool outta me, huh?”
“Can you hear yourself? Your very existence tortures me...sometimes I wonder if that’s the sole reason you were born into this world…”
“You’re messin’ with a girl genius! I was born into this world cuz of my golden brain and platinum looks! You’re just tryin’ to hide the fact that you’re fallin’ all over yourself cuz of me!”
“Falling all over myself? Listen, no one believes your lies. You’re covering up the fact that you were hurt at some point in your life and you have no self-esteem, so you’re just trying to shift all the negativity onto the thought that I’m ‘jealous’ of you. Did I get that right?”
“Dude, what’s your problem? Who took a crap in your cheerio’s this morning?” Emerald stuck out her tongue and narrowed her eyes.
“Don’t speak. Do you even know who you’re talking to?” Elle didn’t even turn to face her.
Mia stood in shock for a second, before bursting out into obnoxious laughter.
“Are ya kiddin’ me right now? Do ya hear yourself? Y’all know nothin’ about me except that I’m above you and you don’t like it! AHA! Mia’s right again, as usual!” Mia stuck her tongue out and pointed at her, still laughing.
“I insist the accusations stop now! It’s unsuitable for these circumstances!” Kiyotaka stood straight up and narrowed his eyes.
“Ooh, you sound like an actual teacher or somethin’! No wonder I’m the only one who loves to hear it!” Mia leaned to her left, nearly knocking over her podium.
“While I enjoy your attempts to...uh- communicate with me, I must agree that now is not the time!”
“When is?”
“After this trial has taken place! I’d like to be able to think clearly!” He closed his eyes and folded his arms, his face turning a dark shade of red.
“Ugh- romance is disgusting! I don’t even wanna think about those two...uh-” Jess looked uncomfortable as she pursed her lips and looked away.
“Then you don’t have to. This isn’t what this trial is about. We’re trying to get some justice for Ameena here, guys!” Monica stepped in.
“So who’s the culprit already? I wanna go home and start takin’ my uniform off!” Mia pulled at the short sleeves of her shirt.
“This...This is unsuitable for this environment!! I suggest that you save this for another time!” Kiyotaka covered his face with his hand, hiding his flustered expression.
“Jeez, I was just talkin’ about changin’ clothes! That’s just indicative that ya ain’t as wholesome as ya think you are!” Mia laughed and pointed at him, and he laid his head on his podium.
“Ew- you two are so disgusting I might actually throw up right here and make you guys lay in it! Is that wholesome enough for you?” Jess turned a shade of white, as if she were to actually do it.
“Can we please just move on already...I’m getting tired of this.” Airin turned her head away from them.
“So back to the subject of Hira- do you remember what the mask looked like?” Monica piped up.
“N-No...I think it was white...I just remember the pain in my shoulder and it went black...I’m sorry…” Hira clasped her hands together.
“It’s fine I guess...Vinnie or Kai, did either of you see this?” Monica sighed.
“Uh...no...I was helping Vinnie set up the dunk tank.” Kai answered.
“Yes, she was! I was in charge of loading the piranhas, but I didn’t see Ameena in there when I did that!” Vinnie answered, slightly louder than Kai.
“Are we sure they aren’t just covering for each other, since...you know...people do that sort of thing?” Kaz looked at them, suspicion in his eyes.
“You’d only do that since you seek recognition from people who won’t give it to you, so that means nothing to me! They aren’t suspicious to me until I determine that myself!” Bernadette refused to look at him, and instead looked at Vinnie and Kai as they stood side by side.
“Uh...I do remember Hira saying we needed to go into the kitchen for something, and we both did. She kinda rushed us out…” Kai looked around as if she was trying to remember.
“Wh-what? I don’t remember...that! At all! I told you what I remember!” Hira was shaking violently, and holding onto her podium.
“Maybe Elle made her say that? Ya ever think of that?” Mia pointed at both of them, and Elle looked shocked for a second.
“I’m surprised you said that, especially since I shared food with her and all. We were close, you know.” Elle didn’t break eye contact with Mia.
“W-what? We were n-never close...I d-don’t like you! And I d-don’t remember eating!” Hira yelled in frustration through suppressed tears.
“Come to think of it, Hira didn’t eat anything on the plate you guys got her...I only noticed her eating for a split second while she ran out to grab a leftover prop! I know this since...well...I don’t mean to throw her under the bus or anything...but Emerald kept telling me to look at you and Kiyotaka…and to try and see how...close you guys were…she seems to like you two together.” Kendall laughed nervously, scratching her head.
“Heck yeah I did! Y’all are adorable together!” Emerald laughed at them.
“This is not what this trial is about! Somehow it keeps circling back to this since you seem to like to see me in this state!” Kiyotaka attempted to hide his flustered expression once again, to no avail.
“T-that’s right...I do remember eating. I think it was a lollipop…”Hira looked around for a second.
“W-well t-then stop c-contradicting yourself! E-Either y-you remember or y-you don’t!” Tina pulled at her hair.
“She just said she remembers. That explains that piece of evidence...” Lynn covered her mouth in embarrassment.
“Hey, I know we’d love to figure out who the culprit is, but shouldn’t we figure out the sequence of events first? That would help a lot, I think...” Isana crossed her arms and looked around. Everyone looked confused for a second- no one knew.
“Well then, we should probably do that first. Isana is right, that is important.” Trina closed her eyes and bowed her head.
“So...if I remember right- Ameena was called backstage by Elle telling her that Hira needed her for something?” Kaz asked, confused.
“Yes, because she did. Does everyone doubt me?” Elle stared him in the eyes, laughing but not smiling- or meaning it.
“Then, I’m guessing that the murderer grabbed Ameena by the wrists and pulled her in harder, since there were marks on her wrists signifying that there was a struggle?” Bernadette questioned.
“Yeah, that seems right!” Dominance agreed.
“And my guess is, due to my knowledge of this since I’ve seen so many cases before...Hira could sense something was wrong and ushered Vinnie and Kai to the kitchen.” Airin theorized.
“That seems right to me…” Vinnie answered.
“And then, the murderer stabbed Hira in the shoulder with some sort of sedative and threw her in the closet-” Kendall started, but was interrupted by Mia.
“And then the murderer stabbed the heck outta Ameena by pushing her onto the ground- with a knife from the kitchen!”
“Wait, weren’t Vinnie and Kai in the kitchen? How did the murderer get that knife?” Isana asked, confused.
“They would’ve had to have had it. Maybe it was in a pocket or something...and besides, the knives in the kitchen were all untouched. None were out of place or messed with, and they looked the same as they did when I first cleaned the kitchen. And that makes sense since I found the knife in Hira’s hand.” Monica reasoned.
“But wait, how did that knife get in Hira’s hand?” Bernadette asked.
“I was gettin’ to that if y’all would shut up! Ameena tried to put up a good fight, but couldn’t due to the blood loss. She died, and then the murderer dumped Ameena’s body in the piranha tank while the curtains were drawn! And then, to top it all off, they dragged Hira out of the closet through the blood, bit a lollipop and threw it on the ground, and then placed the knife in her hand, and locked the door- all to frame her!” Mia explained a detailed story, and everyone seemed to believe it- all except one.
“That makes absolutely no sense. You really aren’t going to even consider Hira as a suspect?” Elle chimed in.
There was a collective silence, before Monica stepped in.
“Mia’s story seems to be the most plausible...and it makes me think...with all the evidence...she may be right about all signs pointing to you!” Monica pointed a finger accusingly.
“Now how would that make sense-” Elle was cut off by Trina.
“I agree with her. Especially since you grabbed her and took her backstage, saying Hira needed her...when she didn’t.” Trina reasoned.
“Have you ever thought about the fact that I was back there and saw everything?” Elle asked them, not breaking composure.
“Well if ya were, ya certainly didn’t help anythin’! If anythin’, ya made it worse!” Mia yelled.
“Hold on and hear me out. Also, if I didn’t try to break it up, would this have happened?” Elle pulled up her shirt to reveal several bruises, resembling those of the aftermath of a severe physical altercation. They went up her stomach and obviously onto her chest, although she only showed her stomach.
“I won’t believe you until we have solid proof that’s where they came from, and a full story with NO plotholes!” Bernadette raised her voice.
“Yeah...I need more than just some scars. I need a story if I should believe someone like you…” Isana agreed.
“Hear me out then. I was backstage when Hira told me she needed Ameena for something. I fetched her, but Hira wasn’t there. Neither were Vinnie and Kai...and then suddenly, Hira just snapped. She had a kitchen knife and she pushed Ameena down, and started stabbing her with it. I tried to get in the middle of it, but Hira fought me. That’s when Ameena stabbed her shoulder, and then died. Hira picked her up and threw her into the open entrance for the piranha tank, and I pushed her into the storage closet so hard she hit her head and passed out, still holding the knife. I locked it so she couldn’t kill anyone else, but I didn’t tell anyone in fear that they’d think it was me…” Elle explained her story, not breaking composure and not appearing to feel any sort of sympathy.
“Hold on- how am I supposed to believe that? There were so many holes in that- I don’t even know where to begin!” Monica yelled in disbelief.
“S-she what? There’s no way...Hira was so sweet! Why would she have something against Ameena like that?” Kendall spoke up.
“Why are you believing her! I don’t trust any suspect right now, but I have most of my trust in Hira!” Bernadette threw her fists up in front of her.
“I t-told y-you I n-never t-trusted her!” Tina pointed at Hira, who just stared at Elle in disbelief. Pretty soon all Hira could hear was just loud voices of people yelling at her in disbelief and shock, arguing over her and how she wasn’t strong enough. It’s all she could hear- or think about. She had no other choice. She’d die either way no matter what she did.
“Hira- did you really do this? Please just tell me…” Monica bent to her level, and Hira couldn’t take it anymore. She started to cry, her head down on the podium.
“I-I’m sorry...I c-couldn’t s-stand up f-for m-myself…” Hira choked out.
“But...did you do it?”
“I….I-I had no c-choice…I h-had to…I...I..I d-don’t...even k-know…”
“If she doesn’t remember then she can’t be counted as guilty...we need more proof of Elle’s story for us to believe her.” Airin looked around at everyone else in the room.
“I...I o-only remember…” Hira choked on air, struggling to gasp for a full breath. “...I only r-remember s-some t-things...i-it only m-makes sense t-that I d-did it. I c-couldn’t stand up for m-myself...I-I...I’m s-sorry…”
“What are you talking about? Please- tell me what you mean! I can’t handle this suspense anymore- I hate this!” Kiyotaka yelled in anger and frustration, slamming his hand down on his podium before laying his head down again. Mia leaned to touch his shoulder, wordlessly making eye contact with Hira.
“I...I j-just remember...blood. S-So much b-blood...and i-it wasn’t m-mine...a-and...and I-I think t-the p-person in the m-mask was Elle...s-she was t-trying to s-stop me…” Hira looked down at her wrists, using her upper body strength to hold her up at this point.
“Wait a minute- Elle, you never brought up anything about that mask again...why- if you were wearing it...why?” Isana questioned her.
Elle was silent for a moment, making direct eye contact with Isana.
“Are you trying to suspect me again?”
“I...don’t know. I don’t know who to trust...I feel like you had something to do with this...can you just tell us more?” Isana put her head down and crossed her arms.
“Why do you desire so much to hear more? It’s not like it helps you, and obviously Hira’s the culprit or she wouldn’t be confessing like this.” Elle smiled at a terrified Hira to the right of her.
“Well I didn’t suspect you but now I do! The others might trust you...but I feel like Hira just wouldn’t do this...I have faith in her! There’s no way she’d just go and kill Ameena like that if she didn’t have a good reason!” Bernadette yelled.
“I...don’t know my reason...I-I...just…” Hira stuttered, choking in between tears.
“It’s okay...I understand you don’t remember. I get it, it’s okay…” Monica bent to her level again, tears in her eyes as she reassured the terrified girl.
“I-It’s...it’s not okay...I-I...s-should pay f-for th-this…I will...Ameena d-deserves j-justice m-more t-than I do. S-She w-wasn’t...w-weak l-like me.” Hira’s eyes were filled with tears as she stood up straight, brushing the hair out of her face. She had a brave face on, but her body was still shaking.
“You aren’t weak if you don’t remember what happened...it’s just not very case-closing to me. I feel like there should be more to this.” Airin reasoned, thinking hard. “I just don’t know how we’re supposed to come out with any sort of verdict when the supposed murderer doesn’t even know they did it.”
“Exactly what I’ve been thinkin’- that doesn’t give me closure at all! I wanted revenge, and this ain’t it!” Mia slammed her hands down on her podium. “Someone like me should’ve figured this out in seconds- and I still ain’t sure I didn’t!” She glared in Elle’s direction, who pretended not to notice.
“But...m-my memories- the fragments o-of what I h-have...i-it only m-makes sense...and I’d r-rather n-not be here all n-night long trying t-to figure out what I-I know…” Hira swayed a bit, but caught herself on her podium.
“Can you prove it?” Isana looked her in the eyes directly.
“P-prove it...w-well- I j-just remember there being b-blood- so much o-of it. T-then I f-felt that p-pain, and I-I remember someone- I think i-it was Elle...she grabbed me and threw me i-into the c-closet. S-she m-must’ve been t-trying to s-stop me...I-...I j-just don’t know w-why...why…” Hira stopped for a second, breathing heavily. “W-why...I...d-did t-that- w-why I h-had to b-be so weak...w-when all she e-ever did w-was help m-me be stronger...w-why...why did i-it have to...h-happen…” Hira’s voice trailed off as she began crying again, resting her head on the podium.
A collective silence swept through the room solemnly, before Hira broke it.
“Why...why...WHY DOES EVERYONE ALWAYS HATE ME??!” She let out an ear piercing scream as she stood straight up, slamming her hands down on the podium. Her eyes shot wide open as she held herself.
“It’s not fair...it never is...everyone always thinks I’m weak...I-I...I...I can’t...I can’t change…”
“Hold on Hira, we don’t know it’s your fault yet… no one knows for sure. No one even figured out about that stupid mask yet anyway.” Alana turned to face her.
“B-But...but...it makes...it makes so much s-sense...I...I-I remember- I remember h-holding a knife...t-there w-was blood...s-so...so…much...b-blood…” Hira’s voice trembled, her breathing heavy as she stuttered for words.
“Why won’t anyone believe me? I provided enough evidence for all of us combined, isn’t that enough for anyone?” Elle started to raise her voice.
“This doesn’t make any sense...no one’s even thought about this. Wouldn’t Hira remember this eventually? Why did she pass out? I had to give her a shower and change her clothes when she was out of it...why wouldn’t I have found anything?” Monica pressed her fingers against her head as she tried to reason, her frustration growing.
“Wasn’t there some other guy there anyway? No one’s seen him in forever...maybe he did it?” Lane spoke up.
“That’s Ryan. No one’s seen him and no one can get him to leave his cottage...unless someone can prove me wrong I’m almost guaranteeing that’s impossible.” Airin folded her arms.
“Ooh, ooh, I can prove it! I saw him through the window when me and Kendall went to my cottage! He was asleep, so it’s probably not him!” Emerald stuck her hands on her hips.
“I confirm this! I was there too...like she said…” Kendall smiled awkwardly.
“I still refuse to believe Hira did it...there’s no way…” Monica stepped down from her podium and began to pace back and forth.
“I ain’t believin’ it either! How in Heaven’s name would that make sense? She just doesn’t remember it or somethin’? Listen- Hira’s better than that, and you should believe me, bein’ that I’m a girl genius of course!” Mia stuck her tongue out and smiled.
“I don’t believe you. No one believes you. Your efforts to protect her by lying to yourself by intense mental gymnastics isn’t working for anyone, including yourselves. Can you please just get on with this?” Elle glared at Mia, her dead eyes holding a cold, malicious lust that no one could explain.
“Please...please...just v-vote for m-me...everyone w-was r-right...everyone...who...w-who...called me w-weak- and t-the kids w-who used to bully m-me...my p-parents…” Hira’s voice trailed to a whisper as she attempted to suppress tears.
“No- I’m not going to do this- there’s not enough evidence! It doesn’t even make sense! This isn’t justice! I object! I OBJECT!” Monica’s frustrated tone turned into a pain-filled yell.
“Monica..y-you can’t hide f-from the truth...e-even if I don’t r-remember it...e-even if I-I didn’t...I...didn’t d-do it...it gives you a chance to be free again...p-please. It’s w-what everyone n-needs f-from me...I-I w-was too w-weak t-to...t-to do anything t-then...so I-I want you to b-be strong for me n-now...please…” Hira smiled, the tears in her eyes starting to fall.
“No...it’s not right! I...I-I’d never...I’d never forgive myself!” Monica’s eyes filled with tears.
“I’m afraid it’s the only thing we can do...I don’t know how else to go about this. All signs point to it...and as much as it doesn’t make sense, I’m afraid it’s our only choice.” Airin sighed.
Suddenly, after a moment of silence, the TV came back on, Chief 2 appearing on it.
“I see that a verdict has been decided! Now then, before the punishment begins, we must all take a collective vote! There’s buttons under the desk of your podium with all the resident’s names on it! If you’d like this trial to end, click the button labelled with Hira’s name, as she’s been voted guilty!”
“W-wait- there’s no way- it’s wrong! We don’t even have enough evidence to prove it- please just wait!” Monica threw her hands up in defense.
“I’m afraid we have no time...as sad as this time may be...I don’t understand it either, although I would love to. I want to appeal it...but it goes against the rules.” Kiyotaka hung his head, and pressed the button.
Everyone pressed the button- including Hira herself. All except Monica.
“You have to have this wrong- there’s no way this is right! She doesn’t even remember- how is this fair?” Monica protested.
“Monica- please just vote for me...I want to be strong enough to end this once and for all. Just never forget...I love you guys.” Hira closed her eyes and stepped off her podium, walking towards the door that would hold her fate.
Everyone paused for a moment as Hira stood there silent. She stared at the door, awaiting her promised fate that she’d almost been anticipating. She didn’t want to die, she only wanted to save everyone around her- she truly believed it was the only way. It’s not like she’d proved anything to anyone except for how weak of a person she truly was, and that’s all they needed to see.
“I am not sure if this is appropriate for this context, but I’m willing to take the fall if I need to.” Kiyotaka stood up straight, before walking slowly to her. He hesitated for a moment, before hugging her. It ended quickly, but it was enough to get Hira to feel again. She didn’t say anything- she didn’t even move. She just stood there with her arms at her sides, tears falling like waterfalls down her cheeks, each with their own pain and stories to tell.
Kiyotaka didn’t say anything more, he just walked back to his own podium, but turned to face her. Mia was completely still as she watched Hira, making direct eye contact with her. She eyes Hira’s small, shaking figure for a second, before walking to her slowly and bending to her level.
“I-I’m s-sorry…”
Mia pulled Hira into a hug, closing her eyes and contemplating her deepest thoughts. She managed to make out the hardest words she could think of, and put on her most serious tone.
“It’s okay...I...I forgive you.”
Hira buried her face in Mia’s shoulder, crying again- letting herself do so. She let her mask slip once and for all, letting every bit of suppressed emotion out of her body. She stopped trying to hold herself up, and fell onto her knees. Mia caught her, kneeling on the floor next to her. She held the small girl close to her, her knowing that this would be the last time she could.
They stayed like this for a few minutes, before Monica stood up, joining them both. She wrapped her arms around Hira from the back, extending to Mia’s shoulders.
“It’s okay- we forgive you.”
Elle could do nothing but stare, her eyes blank- her emotions spilling out like blood pouring from her hardened heart. She’d hardly broken her composure, her hand covering her mouth, as she let out empty, stuttering breaths.
She couldn’t forgive what she’d seen in front of her- the despair that permeated the room was too much to get anything through to her head.
Before she could even blink- her mind blank and oblivious- she found herself kneeling on the floor next to the group, her arms around Hira’s small body. She’d hardly noticed the hot beads of tears spilling off of both of her cheeks, the air trapped in her chest distracting her.
“It’s… It’s okay. I don’t know why you’re all wasting your time.” Hira wiped her tear-streaked cheeks, holding her small body tighter. She racked her brain for any plausible solution-
To which she found none.
She was a murderer.
An unforgivable sinner- she’d taken the life of one of her closest friends.
Darkening thoughts spiraled around her racing mind as static, holding her hostage against her own overwhelming despair.
“I’m not wasting my time...you’re wasting your own time, I believe. You don’t have much of it left, after all.” Elle closed her eyes, wiping the tears from her cheeks.
“H-Hey- I heard that! Don’t tell her stuff like that! Maybe...it’s not true!” Hailey objected, jumping slightly.
“I object to that statement as well! It’s unsuitable for such an environment!” Kiyotaka rushed over to the small group, kneeling next to Mia, one of his closest friends since they’d all ended up in this mysterious place.
“Eh, don’t waste your time. She wasn’t a functioning member of society anyway.” Ed retorted, gaining himself many dirty looks from stabbing eyes.
“What is that supposed to mean, you deadbeat?” Alana narrowed her eyes at him.
“I f-feel like y-you guys shouldn’t b-be fighting over h-her right now…” Mae’s voice was small, stuttering as she clasped her hands together.
“Of course not. She’s in a fragile state of mind right now, and I’d recommend stopping that.” Lynn stated, walking to the small girl, pushing a lock of red hair behind her ear.
Suddenly, the door in front of them started to shake, and the lights shut off. All the cameras pointed towards them, and a red light started to emit from the TV.
Mia and Monica took this as their cue to run, and Mia grabbed her by the wrist. Monica stood there for a second, watching it all go down. She wanted one last chance- things could change in a second. They would change. She wouldn’t just let Hira die like that. She positioned her feet steadily under her, waiting.
Watching…
Listening…
Until the door suddenly opened, and the floor separated where Hira had managed to stand straight up. It turned into a conveyor belt, and it started to move very quickly.
Monica ran towards it, extending her arm towards Hira’s, in a desperate attempt to save her one last time- to no avail. Hira couldn’t reach her hand if she tried- which she didn’t.
The walls separated to reveal a large room with a slim glass tank in the middle of it. Hira suddenly felt a chain snap around her neck, lifting her up off the ground and towards the glass tank. She shifted and fought, kicked and tried to scream, scratching and clawing at the chains to no avail. She started to regret her decision, looking below her to see what she’d be facing. She was suddenly dropped into the tank feet-first, a sharp pain shooting through both legs. Adrenaline should’ve taken over, but she couldn’t move, and could hardly even breathe. She turned her head towards her friends, giving them one last smile as 2 chains snapped around her ankles.
“I’m sorry guys...I just wanted to save you…” she whispered as the lid slammed on top of the tank. A small, circular opening gave way to her left, and it started spilling water into the small area. It saturated her clothes, spilling over her lower body. She looked to the corner, eyeing a small key that was suspended by a string. She considered it for a second, before standing up on her mangled legs. The water bled red from her wounds, the water now at her chest. She stood on her tiptoes, reaching for the key- the key that taunted her- right above her reach. She attempted to jump, her ankles shifting and cracking under the pressure of the chains. She let out a cry of pain before falling onto her side again, her head under the water. She stood up again, holding her trembling, bleeding body up with her arms. She suddenly had a strong urge to live, her adrenaline taking over. But unfortunately, she was too late, as the water already reached over her head.
Hira had one last burst of adrenaline, her heart beating fast and her air running out, as she made one last jump for the key.
Everyone watched in horror as the water reached the lid, and Hira’s last ditch effort failed. They were forced by their supposedly perfect leaders to watch- watch as Hira, everyone’s friend- the one they shared so many memories with, sink under the water, the life leaving her eyes.
And just like that, the walls moved again, and the lights turned back on, leaving everyone in a state of shock.
“D-did s-she...n-no...there’s n-no way! W-We...we have t-to s-save her!” Bernadette’s last spark of hope fired in her eyes, leaving almost as fast as it came.
“What did you think happened? She just lived or something? No one has that much hope- or at least they shouldn’t.” Ed turned around, already making his way up the steps.
Elle was wordless as she left, making sure no one detected her running out the door.
“N-No way...that didn’t actually happen, right? Like- the only time we’ve seen this was that one time we had that person who went out past 10PM and they like, killed them? Who was that again?” Kaz took his hands off his eyes, looking around to see if anyone else got what he got.
“That was Kodie, but no one ever saw her...I didn’t even know who she was until then. But no, that was just a security guard who did that. We’ve never been in a trial until today…” Airin held herself, trying to hide the fact that she was deeply shaken by what she’d just seen. “Well, you guys haven’t. I’ve seen one before, but I’ve never been part of it.”
“That’s pretty cool, you’re kind of a pro at this then! You could totally lead one of these things!” Dominance shot her a smile and thumbs up, which was not returned.
“No...people shouldn’t get used to this kind of thing. I hate that it’s supposed to be our new normal- murder should never be normal. Whether you’ve grown up around it or not.”
Dominance stayed silent, and he just motioned for her to follow him. The lights shut off again, all except for the small glint of the faint TV static.
The only people left were Mia and Kiyotaka, who hadn’t moved since it ended. He was hugging her tightly, and she showed no signs of letting go.
Everyone else had left as soon as it ended, Monica being one of them. She didn’t stick around to comfort anyone- she just ran straight to her cottage, not stopping until she was at her door.
Mia wasn’t crying anymore, that ran out a long time ago. She just stood in shock, cold shivers making their way up her spine.
“Mia, I know this is a sensitive time- but I suggest we leave here and go to my cottage. It’s probably much warmer there- and this area may lock at night!” Kiyotaka glanced at his watch over Mia’s shoulder, but couldn’t read it due to the low light.
“If you said the right time to continue what we started was after the trial, the trial’s over now, isn’t it?” Mia smirked at him, letting go slightly. She hated to change the subject so abruptly- she just didn’t want to keep thinking about it.
He adjusted his glasses, blushing slightly.
“I d-don’t know if here’s a great place...there’s cameras everywhere- and I’m not sure-”
She cut him off, laughing loudly and getting closer to him.
“Get ya mind outta the gutter, Kiyotaka! Why even call yourself wholesome anymore, that’s just makin’ you a liar!” Mia exclaimed a little too loudly, and he backed up until his back hit a podium.
“I-I...I’m not sure what to say...you’re too unpredictable! How am I not supposed to wonder what you’re thinking-”
She grabbed his shoulders, and he abruptly stopped talking. His face turned a dark shade of red, and he averted his eyes slightly.
“Mia, what are you doing? This has to be a set up-”
She cut him off again, gently placing her lips on his, parting after a few seconds.
He stood silent, in shock for a moment.
“D-Did you just...do...what...I...think you did?” Kiyotaka stuttered, looking hard to his left.
“Well what’d ya think I did?” Mia grabbed his shoulders again and leaned closer to him. He tried to back up slightly, but just hit the podium behind him.
“I-I...It’s not that I d-don’t enjoy your efforts...but I suggest we d-do this elsewhere! It’s possible that they lock this building!” He tried to regain his composure, trying to hide his flustered expression with his hand. She wordlessly grabbed his hand and started towards the door, all while he looked at the ground, attempting to gather his innermost thoughts and feelings- not even beginning to be able to understand them.
She pushed open the door, revealing a night sky and a cold draft. It was just the 2 of them, everyone else was either asleep or laying awake, alone or with someone else, looking through each other’s feelings with dead eyes.
Mia and Kiyotaka walked wordlessly with their fingers interlocked throughout the night, letting the wind guide their next path. They didn’t look at each other, they just walked silently throughout the grounds of their “perfect” world. The high walls surrounding it, the small beach on the edge, the Main Building, the patches of grass with small flowers surrounding the pathways, the Cafeteria, the intricately placed cottages- it should’ve been perfect. It shouldn’t have turned into what it did. All anyone could see were the blood stains on their perfect world. Corrupted justice, hopeless fates.
The loneliness of the road was cold and uninviting, being that there was nothing but the two of them, and just street lights to light the way. They both knew they could get killed for this, but a small flame of hope ignited in them- that they wouldn’t have to go down together, but knowing if they had to, maybe it would at least be fast.
Now of course, there was always somewhere they wouldn’t venture- they wouldn’t think of setting foot on it’s grounds, smothering the thoughts as soon as they came.
The House Of Memories. The most mysterious place in their twisted world of mysteries, the place that was said to hold the answers to all their pasts- their last names, the memories that were once held in the safeplaces of their minds, that were forcibly removed.
Who each of them truly were, and if any of this was even real at all. And if it wasn’t...who’s nightmare- or dream is it?
Kiyotaka glanced in it’s direction, adjusting his glasses to get a better look at the mystery in tangible form. He knew what the rules said- he had a copy of them in his room, and he read them almost every night just to remember. He could be so forgetful sometimes- only remembering the things or people he cares most about. No time for feelings or deep thought, he often moved through life quickly. He’d only started to learn how to slow down and think about himself sometimes- his real feelings, not the ones he wanted everyone else to see. Not what his parents or teachers would want from him, and not always exactly what his immediate thoughts would tell him was right.
He had trained his brain to only think of what was right or wrong, and not exactly what he personally wanted or felt. He wasn’t very in touch with himself, but he caught himself learning.
Mia turned her head to look in the same direction, wordlessly grabbing his hand. She scanned the building up and down, feeling a stronger inclination then Kiyotaka did- to walk inside and risk it all. She knew the guards could- and would kill them both if they took one closer step to the front door, but she wanted nothing more than to rebel against the system. After what they’d both just seen, they had one thing in common- strong morals or not, they’d both just lost almost all respect for whoever was running this “perfect” world.
Mia might have different views then Kiyotaka- she’d always been more in touch with her feelings, and didn’t care for rules or other’s feelings. She wanted to live her life to the fullest, a small thought in the back of her head letting her know that life isn’t that long. It could end any second- she’d seen that 3 times now. The way her older brother died in a car crash when she was only 10 years old, the way Ameena was brutally murdered, and Hira executed. The only way she could keep going is by pretending it never happened- causing her to come off as rude or unsympathetic. Whatever bad things in her life took place, she pretended it was all a nightmare, her dead loved ones- Ameena, her older brother, and Hira- were waiting for her in an unspoken place. Her dad had really stayed with them after her brother died, and her mom hadn’t gone to a hospital. The car crash never happened- her brother just drove away from his problems. Even if he left her alone, she understood why. She made up scenarios in her head as to why people treated her the way they had all her life- she even made up fake memories as to why she’d ended up here. She did wonder that in the cold nights she spent alone, maybe it was bad luck, fate, or anything else anyone claimed to believe in. Maybe her soulmate was hiding in plain sight here- maybe she fell asleep at the wheel while she attempted to drive away from her problems. Anything could’ve happened, that’s the fun of losing your memories. Any lies you make up in your head can seem almost rational, to you or to everyone but you.
She also couldn’t explain her relationship with Kiyotaka, how they’d grown so close in just the few months they’d been living here. At first he appeared to dislike her and her mannerisms, them being polar opposites of each other. They didn’t act alike and certainly didn’t value the same things in life. She remembered the first time they met- they’d been assigned to sit at the same table in the Cafeteria. He was like a teacher, attempting to change the way she talked to the other students and presented herself, claiming that she was ‘disrespectful’, and should place more emphasis on her moral values. She playfully teased him for a few days, until she got bored with that, deciding to actually try to communicate with him. She was fascinated with his way of thinking and acting, although she never attempted to copy it herself. She invited him to her cottage to watch movies, and after lots of negotiating, he gave in and did it. Something changed in him that night- something he’d never experienced before. They weren’t supposed to get along, but when the movie got boring, and talking for hours seemed more preferable, he couldn’t help but feel like his initial feelings were wrong. It went against everything his parents told him was important, but he couldn’t help but feel different. He’d never tried to have his own opinions before, but he had this sense of courage and independence he hadn’t had before.
He didn’t want to change his way of thinking, but ever since that night, he couldn’t help but feel like he’d never be the same.
Mia and Kiyotaka pushed their thoughts aside as it started to rain, drops of water falling off their faces as they turned to face each other.
“As...close as that moment was, I suggest we go back to my cottage now...it’s getting too late for this! I’m sure it’s most likely close to morning now!” Kiyotaka spoke up, glancing at the cloudy night sky.
“Alrighty then, we’ve been wanderin’ around aimlessly for awhile anyway- I’d rather do somethin’ fun!” Mia smiled and grabbed his shoulders, making him blush.
“It’s a bit t-too late for anything t-to really happen that’s fun… I’m sure as long as no one takes advantage of the next motive, there will be more opportunities for fun things to happen!” He smiled and adjusted his glasses, starting to walk backwards in the direction of his cottage.
Mia giggled to herself, walking closely beside him.
They walked to his cottage, the moon ever so slightly starting to set. Mia kicked her shoes off near the door, and wordlessly sat on his bed. They didn’t exchange any words as he shut and locked his front door.
“I...I can sleep on the couch if that’s more suitable for this situation…” Kiyotaka averted his eyes slightly and placed a hand on the back of his neck.
Mia lost her normal loud demeanor, and shifted to the opposite side of the bed wordlessly. She tried to adjust her eyes to the pitch blackness, as she tried to see Kiyotaka.
“Who ever said ya had to do that? There’s really no rules on that, but I guess you’d know more than me…I mean, it’s not that unwholesome in my opinion anyway.” Mia laid on her back and closed her eyes.
Kiyotaka kicked his shoes near the door, and sat on the edge of the bed for a moment. He ran his fingers through his black hair, matching with Mia’s and the dark of the room. He took off his glasses, setting them lightly on the table next to him, before laying on his back. Mia laid on her side to face him, and they both laid wordless for a moment.
“Is this...right? I hope this doesn’t go against the rules...that would be…” Kiyotaka got lost in words for a few seconds. “It would be unsuitable for someone like me. It seems that way, anyway.”
Mia sat up, adjusting her weight slightly. Kiyotaka stayed laying down.
“Jeez...I don’t know why ya always care so much about what everyone else thinks… why the heck does it even matter to ya? As long as I’m not dead or worse, everyone else’s opinion is nothin’ but steamin’ hot trash to someone like me!” Mia regained her energetic demeanor, smirking slightly.
Kiyotaka sighed and closed his eyes, running his fingers through his hair. It was a nervous habit he had- he did it to calm himself in a situation he found stressful. He noticed his heart pounding against his chest as he prepared himself- he never talked about his own feelings, so it was a new feeling to him.
“I...I just think I should be an example to everyone else- I believe everyone should have a strong moral compass. I think it’s one of the most important things in life- yet no one else seems to share that viewpoint…” Kiyotaka placed his arm over his eyes, in another nervous habit he had. Mia crossed her legs and placed her hand on his shoulder, making him jump slightly.
“Well yeah...it’s important I guess...I don’t think about it much. I wasn’t raised like that so I’m honestly not sure why anyone does…” Mia crossed her arms.
Kiyotaka sighed, struggling to look for the right words.
“Well, I was raised to believe that it’s the most important thing. I don’t even know if that’s the right thing to say...I don’t know how to phrase this. That’s the problem...I shouldn’t be getting lost in words so easily…” Kiyotaka breathed heavily, closing his eyes tightly. “I don’t want to scare you away with a story...it would be just as unsuitable as it could be. But I guess it wouldn’t be very nice of me to leave you hanging like that…”
“I ain’t gonna tell anyone- who do I have to tell anyway?” Mia folded her arms and narrowed her eyes.
Kiyotaka opened his eyes for a second, taking his arm off his eyes. He sighed after a moment, placing it back where it was.
“I don’t believe I’ve ever told anyone else this...but when I was a young child, my father left us, and I was never sure if he really left, or if he was no longer alive...but that’s aside the point. My mother was an even more strict rule-follower than I even am today, and she instilled in me the need to have a strong moral compass, as I do.”
Mia nodded her head, preparing herself for the inevitable worst part about to come.
“That doesn’t sound anywhere near something I’ve never told anyone...the really unwholesome part is the way she would react if she thought I didn’t follow the rules in the exact way she believed they should be followed. No one knew, since I believed it to be unsuitable to talk about my own feelings or experiences- as I still do. That’s why I don’t feel comfortable disclosing any more than that at the moment.” He pulled his sleeves over his arms, the serious expression he’d been holding on his face never leaving. “I still find it important to have a strong moral compass...that’s what defines me! It has to- right?” Kiyotaka sat straight up, his breathing starting to shake. Tears were in his eyes, but he bowed his head in a way that Mia couldn’t see it.
She thought for a moment, before suddenly pulling him into a hug. He jumped slightly, but eased into it.
“It can define you, but no, it doesn’t have to! That’s boring anyway, and it’s not as important as you think it is...you’re allowed to have fun sometimes too- you don’t have to be uptight all the time! But I guess it’s a work in progress...I like ya the way ya are anyway. Ya don’t have to change…” Mia trailed off for a second. Kiyotaka closed his eyes and decided to hug her back, starting to blush slightly.
They didn’t say anything for the rest of the night, deciding to lay back down. They both laid still for a second, before Mia pulled him close to her, and he did the same, before falling asleep in that position.
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supreme-lxadxr · 2 years
Text
~The Fallen~
Chapter 3
(A/N-- it's not quite there yet, but you've stuck around this long! it gets sad in this chapter :( sorry if formatting is bad and once again- STICK AROUND LONGER!)
CHAPTER 3
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When Emerald and Kendall arrived back at the building, it was getting dark, and the first show had already started.
Lynn and Tina performed a duet song, which wasn’t wonderful but it was okay. The best part was the piano work, done by Lynn herself.
A few acts came and went, Alana and Jess danced rhythmically to an upbeat song, Lane did some gymnastics, and Mae tried to do a dance, but ended up falling off the stage.
Airin’s breath quickened as she knew her name would be announced soon, and she grasped the sides of her chair.
Elle, Kai, Vinnie and Hira were still disappeared backstage, except sometimes you could see Hira peek her small head around to watch.
Monica did a quick dance routine to a familiar song, not messing up even once, even though she wore very high heels. She got caught off guard a few times when she realized that Ryan was nowhere to be found, but tried to recover quickly.
Eventually Kendall and Emerald were called to the stage, and Emerald set up her guitar.
“ARE Y’ALL READY TO ROCK?????!!!!!!!!!!!!” Her voice echoed through the building, earning some cheers and claps. Emerald looked around nervously for Kendall, realizing she couldn’t find her.
“Yes, I’m performing now!” a voice suddenly yelled out from the back of the room. “I don’t care if you think I look like a tramp, I’m done with that! This song is about you anyway…”
Ed tried to grab Kendall’s arm as she ran, but she ran to the stage, letting him rip her sleeve and grabbed the microphone.
She felt a newfound confidence, proud of herself as she reflected on her past self- submissive and quiet.
“I’m sorry for the interruptions. I’m not used to doing this so let’s just get started, I guess.”
Emerald started shredding her guitar strings as she performed a rock version of a song hardly anyone knew, but Kendall frequented nearly every day.
“Wake me up, when I’m old enough to care about my rusty heart, I swear…” Kendall started singing softly, closing her eyes as her body shook.
“You lift me up a thousand times, but when you hit it hurts like guns…” She opened her eyes, averting her eyes from Ed slightly.
“I'm not bulletproof
I'm not bulletproof
Bulletproof
When you're gathering up your army
Just shoot me in the middle
Where my heart's supposed to be
The choir sings forever, rest in peace…”
Tears sprang to her eyes as she thought about everything that could happen to her for wearing this… for singing in front of people like this. She was scared, and nearly cried at every note she hit.
“Care for me
Though it's too much for you to heal
Show me your love and hold me near
Don't back down
You lift me up a thousand times
But when you hit it hurts like guns…”
Tears started rolling down her cheeks, staining her blushed face and smearing her eyeliner.
“I'm not bulletproof
I'm not bulletproof
Bulletproof
When you're gathering up your army
Just shoot me in the middle
Where my heart's supposed to be
The choir sings forever rest in peace
I'm not bulletproof
I'm not bulletproof
Bulletproof
When you're gathering up your army
So just shoot me in the middle
Where my heart's supposed to be
The choir sings forever rest in peace
I'm talking 'bout the wondering
I'm talking 'bout the little things
I'm talking 'bout the hunger
Give me love, my love, my love, my love
You know I'm, I'm talking 'bout the love and pain
It's messin' with my brain oh
You lift me up a thousand times
But when you hit it hurts like guns…”
She prepared her voice as her body continued to shake, and more tears rolled down her cheeks, resembling small, pain-filled waterfalls, as she reached the chorus one last time.
“I'm not bulletproof, I'm not bulletproof, Bulletproof....
When you're gathering up your army...just shoot me in the middle where my heart's supposed to be, the choir sings forever rest in peace…”
She held out the last note, closing her eyes as she struggled for breath.
Emerald dropped her guitar after a short outro, grabbing her friend as she fell to her knees on the stage.
Emerald picked up Kendall bridal style, helping her back to her seat gently and carefully.
“You did great out there, dude! You’re really amazing, man! What do ya say to bein’ besties from here on out?”
“S-sure..you d-did great t-too, by the way.” Kendall hugged her, and Emerald laughed.
“Thanks my man! You’ve gotta do this more often!”
Soon after that, Hira’s name was called to the stage, and she appeared out of the back. Her red hair was tied up in a bun, and she was wearing a huge bow on the side. She wore a fluffy green dress with small flat shoes to match.
Her body was shaking so much she nearly fell, grabbing onto the microphone.
“I-I don’t know h-how to d-do introductions...I’m sorry. T-this is embarrassing...I-I’m sorry I’m s-so weak…”
Tears were forming in her eyes, and she closed them.
Suddenly, a small voice broke the silence.
“Hey- Hira?” Ameena gave a small whisper and a bright smile. “You can do it, I believe in you!” She gave a thumbs up, making Hira smile.
“O-Ok...here goes nothing.”
Lynn started to play the piano, and Hira started to softly sing- so soft you could hardly hear it.
“I can hold my breath,
I can bite my tongue,
I can stay awake for days
If that's what you want
Be your number one…”
She raised her voice slightly, realizing how hard it was to hear her.
“I can fake a smile
I can force a laugh
I can dance and play the part
If that's what you ask
Give you all I am
I can do it
I can do it
I can do it…”
She closed her eyes and raised her voice for the chorus, gaining a newfound confidence with every note she sang.
“But I'm only human
And I bleed when I fall down
I'm only human
And I crash and I break down
Your words in my head, knives in my heart
You build me up and then I fall apart
'Cause I'm only human…”
Ameena smiled proudly as Hira poured her heart into the singing, occasionally giving her a thumbs-up or just a wave. She saw herself in Hira. Her younger self, timid, fragile, and shy, attempting to dance for the first time on a stage. People clapped and cheered- and they also laughed and mocked little 7 year old Ameena. She didn’t let it get to her. She just kept dancing…
That’s also when she met Mia. Even though she could be annoying and overbearing- she meant well. She really did. She was Ameena’s inspiration to keep dancing, no matter what. Her loud attitude and mannerisms calmed Ameena. It gave her a sense of strength- knowing what they’d been through together. They’d been friends for over half their lives now, and they got each other. She sensed her calling in ballet, and so did Mia. That calling drew them to each other, and even though neither of their lives had been easy, they hadn’t given up. Ameena smiled to herself, reflecting back on all those moments- all the time they’d spent together...
She was snapped out of her thoughts by Hira’s singing. By this point she was halfway through the song, as Ameena had basically reminisced about half her life.
“I'm only human,
I'm only human,
Just a little human!”
Hira closed her eyes and hit an extremely high note, shocking herself. It’s the first time she’s ever felt confident enough to do this...even in her own rehearsal.
“I can take so much
'Til I've had enough...”
There was silence for a few seconds as Hira gathered herself. She opened her eyes slightly to see Ameena, and when she saw her bright smile, along with Mia’s, she decided to keep going.
'Cause I'm only human,
And I bleed when I fall down,
I'm only human,
And I crash and I break down,
Your words in my head, knives in my heart
You build me up and then I fall apart
'Cause I'm only human...”
She finished the song, tears in her eyes, but her body wasn’t shaking anymore. She felt confident enough to open her eyes and stand straight up, and that she did. She took in every ounce of the light surrounding the stage, closing her eyes again, but this time not out of nervousness.
She could hear Ameena cheering the loudest, and she opened her eyes again. She happily threw an enthusiastic thumbs up in Ameena’s direction, smiling brightly as the slight draft windswept her hair.
Maybe she wasn’t so weak after all.
Soon after Hira was called off the stage, Bernadette and Isana waited nervously for their turn to be next. Isana tucked her handheld device into her pocket, grabbing onto her friend’s hand.
Hira ran over to Ameena and Mia, quickly and unexpectedly being swept up by Mia.
“You just made me look like a liar in 10 different languages! I said no one could top me, but you just came pretty dang close if I’m bein’ totally honest! But of course, you’ll never actually top the gorgeous girl genius, who’s me if you were wonderin’!”
“Ignore Mia, Hira, you did amazing! I knew you could do the best if you just believed you could, and you did...we’re all so proud of you!”
Hira genuinely laughed and put her hand over her heart.
“No way you mean that, but thank you! I couldn’t have done it without you, of course..!”
Ameena opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by Bernadette and Isana’s names being called.
They, hand in hand, ran to the stage and stood there proudly. Isana took the hood off her head and walked to the microphone.
“Hey hey everyone, we’ve got something special prepared for you!”
Bernadette put her hands on Isana’s shoulders and stood on her tiptoes, talking loudly into the microphone.
“Yeah, we’ll be doing a duet of a song while the other one does a routine we both created!”
“Now let’s get this thing started! The sooner it’s over the more time we’ll have to eat and stuff...I think...”
Bernadette giggled and stood on her highest tip-toes she could reach. She borrowed some flat ballet slippers from Ameena, being that she’d done ballet in the past. She didn’t advance very much, though, and watching videos of other dancers was good enough for Isana and Bernadette to learn- in 1 day.
Mae walked to the stage, and stood in the back. She was talented at playing the violin, and mixed with the piano, it sounded perfect.
Isana started to sing as Bernadette got into position.
“Thought I found a way
Thought I found a way out
But you never go away,
So I guess I gotta stay now...”
Bernadette stood on one leg, spinning twice before taking some graceful steps to the left and doing it again. She felt the music Isana was singing with every part of her. Isana got prepared to sing the chorus, and opened her eyes.
“Isn't it lovely, all alone?
Heart made of glass, my mind of stone
Tear me to pieces, skin to bone
Hello, welcome home...”
Her singing voice was beautiful, fragile and intricate, just like ice. It made Bernadette want this performance to go on for the whole night- unlike Isana.
Bernadette got prepared to sing her own verse, making her way to the edge of the stage and bowing, moving her body in such a precise way that you’d think she’d always done this.
“Walkin' out of town
Lookin' for a better place
Something's on my mind
Always in my head space”
Isana wasn’t as talented at dancing as Bernadette, since she’d never done it before. She’d practised this routine more times than she’s played video games, though, so she was comfortable. She backed up until her back touched Bernadette’s, and they both twirled together, back to back, as they both sung their parts in unison.
“But I know someday I'll make it out of here,
Even if it takes all night or a hundred years,
Need a place to hide, but I can't find one near,
Wanna feel alive, outside, I can't fight my fear...”
They ran to opposite ends of the stage, slowly spinning and making their way back to each other to meet in the middle as Bernadette sang her version of the chorus.
“Isn't it lovely, all alone?
Heart made of glass, my mind of stone
Tear me to pieces, skin to bone
Hello, welcome home...”
They met in the middle of the stage as the outro played, doing the same thing, spinning as they held both of each other’s hands, back to back.
“Hello, welcome home...”
They both sang in unison before turning around to face each other as the music faded out.
It was silent for a moment, before everyone in attendance started to clap and cheer. Bernadette unexpectedly picked Isana up, holding the smaller girl by her waist on her side, as if she were a child.
“Thank you guys! You’ll all do great!” Bernadette yelled loudly, bowing, still carrying Isana. She carried her off the stage, only setting her down at her seat. She hugged the smaller girl, complimenting her in between giggling lightly. Isana’s face lit up as she grabbed Bernadette’s hand again, genuinely happy again.
Airin smiled at Bernadette and Isana, but they didn’t appear to notice. Dominance was shovelling his mouth full of food, reading his notes and energetically talking. Airin was afraid deep down inside, she was still on edge from the thought that someone could possibly die- but she was trying not to think about it. She couldn’t shake the thoughts she was having- she wanted this whole thing to be...
Real. She wanted this skit to be reality- she’d been friends with Dominance ever since he’d arrived here- they were both probably around 9 or 10 years old. That was over half her life, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that their friendship should be...more than that.
It’s like they were meant to be together, in ways closer than they already were.
Suddenly, Airin was snapped back into reality by the TV- she heard her and Dominance’s names being called.
The curtains drew for a moment as the props were brought out, but they were raised just as fast.
“Are ya ready, Air?” He smiled brightly and patted her back.
“Y-Yeah, let’s get this out of the way I guess...”
They walked to the stage, slightly caught off guard when the lights abruptly changed colors, from blue to red.
Airin stood behind Dominance, looking at all the props as he walked to the microphone.
“Me and Air have a little skit we put together for you guys, we worked really hard on it- well that is- before Air fell asleep on me!” He started laughing, and she playfully punched his arm. She did it hard enough so he’d stop, but not hard enough to actually hurt him.
“Alright, alright...but seriously guys- I hope you enjoy this! We worked really hard on it!” He gave a thumbs-up, before walking to the bench. She scanned her notes quickly, confused by the drawings he’d made on the bottom. He drew...hearts?
She spoke up, doing her lines.
“I am so glad you talked me into marrying you, and it’s so close to Valentine’s Day.” She could hardly look him in the eyes, she didn’t understand why, but something held her back.
“Well, it didn’t take much talking into. All I had to do was turn on my baby smile and you melted in my arms!”
“Don’t you believe that for a minute! I played hard to get!”
The crowd laughed, which made Airin more comfortable.
“Hard to get me? Are you kidding me? You see, I had it all planned!
He was so...in character. But at the same time, he wasn’t at all. It was really him.
“Are you trying to say that you tricked me?!”
“Aw- don’t be a sore loser. It’s not that bad.”
“I would never trick you- you’re so full of surprises, I never know what to expect. It scares me sometimes.”
“Come on, you’re taking this too hard. Let’s just start over...”
“Yes, completely over! I wish I never met you, how about that?”
It wasn’t true. It hurt to even say- or think.
“No no, sweetheart- you’re taking this the wrong way!”
It made her heart feel weird when he called her sweetheart- no one’s ever done that before. Except maybe her mom- but that was forever ago.
“The only thing wrong is that I told you YES!”
“Are you telling me you won’t marry me on Valentine’s Day?”
The crowd gave a sympathetic sigh.
“Yes, I’m saying I won’t marry you on Valentine’s Day or ever!”
She crossed her arms, trying to suppress a smile.
“What have I done letting my ego interfere with my heart?”
“Your ego just flew South.”
She kept her arms crossed over her chest, smirking slightly.
“That’s good, at least I’ll be all heart now!”
She sighed, smiling to herself as she put her hands behind her head.
“Give me one good reason to marry you?”
“Aw- just take a look at me!”
He stood up and flexed his muscles. The crowd laughed, and Airin suppressed the urge to.
“I’m looking at you- and I want to run away!”
“Well then run then, baby!”
He smiled and picked her up.
“Get your hands off me- what are you doing?!”
“I’m saving you!”
“From a life of unhappiness?”
“No, from the black widow spider that just landed in your hair! If we run it might blow out!”
She jumped from his grip and shook out her short hair, a small, plastic spider falling from it. The audience audibly gasped, laughing- some- including Bernadette- even screamed.
“Get it out, get it out! Use your hands or something!!”
“No way! Do you want me to get bit?”
“More you than me! Now help me!”
The crowd laughs at the irony of the situation- it had already fallen out.
“Ok- now sit down on the bench then.”
“Oh God- they’re crawling all over the bench!”
She sprang up and ran across the stage.
“It’s alright, sweetheart, I’ll protect you!”
He starts brushing them off- while singing the Itsy Bitsy Spider song. It was cheesy and cute, and both Airin and the audience laughed.
Airin walked to the bench, running her fingers across it.
“Hold up- these are burnt toast crumbs!”
“Oops- I had my breakfast out here this morning! They must be crumbs from that!”
“Well, you’re the biggest crumb I’ve ever met.”
She crossed her arms again, smirking and sitting down.
“Does that mean you won’t marry me?”
“Ok- I know you said some weird things and I’ll forgive you for that. But now it’s time for my payback.”
“Payback? What does that mean?”
“It means I’ll Stand By My Man, that’s what it means!”
An older song started to play in the background- it was Dominance’s idea, he was always into older music like that.
“Ah, that’s nice! Will you marry me then?”
“Yes, and to think of all the years I’ll have to get even...”
“It’s alright, all I know is that I love you!”
“I love you too...”
It felt weird for her to say that- especially considering how she’d wanted to for so long now...
Even if it was just a skit, it was real to her. And the moment he picked her up and their lips met right on the beat- that was real to her too. They’d never practised that moment. He wanted it to be special- and it was. The simple movement proved everything they’d never said to each other, yet leaving it open to interpretation.
The audience clapped and cheered madly, and even after the curtains were drawn, they didn’t stop. It only stopped when they were both out of air- and they were just left to stare into each other’s eyes for a minute, before Airin grabbed his hand, and they walked back to their seats wordlessly.
“HEY- GET A ROOM! YOUR KIDS WOULD BE ADORABLE!” Mia yelled across the room at them- much to Kiyotaka’s dismay, and they both pretended not to hear it.
Elle suddenly appeared out of backstage, walking between tables before stopping at Mia’s table.
“Hira needs Ameena for something, if you can spare her for just a minute.”
“S-She does? Okay- I think our part is coming up-”
“Why do you suddenly believe this dirtbag? She won’t be comin’ with ya, lady!” Mia kicked her feet up on the table, giving Elle a criticizing look.
“It’ll be ok Mia, I’ll stick with Hira. Hira wouldn’t lie to me, would she?”
“Nah, but Elle would!”
“I’ll be right back, I promise. It’s okay, just don’t stress over this.”
Ameena grasped Mia’s hand, before following Elle close behind.
Mia scoffed, watching Ameena close before she was no longer visible.
The TV turned back on, announcing Kai and Vinnie’s names. The curtains rose, revealing a large dunk tank, with Kai standing atop it. Kai was a small, childish, but sweet girl. She wore a beanie with a cat’s face on it, and a small red dress. She had short, green hair in a bob, and she always admitted to believing in childish things like unicorns, dragons, mermaids, and magic. She was sweet and couldn’t hurt a fly even if she tried.
“Hello everyone! I’m going to jump into this tank, and Vinnie has 2 minutes to break me out before a tank full of piranhas is dumped in the water!” Kai shouted shakily, cupping her mouth with her small hands.
“Well- we should probably get started then- let’s hope this isn’t too plain...am I right? Okay...let’s go!” Vinnie spoke up at the microphone. She was a blue haired, tall, sweet girl who tended to be quiet and quite plain. She referred to herself as such, so everyone just adopted that.
Vinnie counted to 3, and Kai jumped in the tank, the door shutting and locking above her. She started to get scared, even though this was all a trick, and there was a small space in the tank that was separated from the rest- but it was also submerged in water. There was slightly less, and there were no piranhas, but Kai wasn’t a skilled swimmer.
She refused to panic, closing her eyes and holding her breath for as long as she could, before slowly and messily making her way to the surface and gasping for air.
Unfortunately, Vinnie- unlike rehearsal- couldn’t open the lock.
“I think it’s...broken or something?” Vinnie struggled with it, trying to break it off desperately at this point.
Eventually, 2 minutes passed, and the small section of the glass door on the inside of the glass cage opened, and piranhas spilled out into the water. Since there was a space above where Kai was treading water, piranhas were getting in and causing her to scream and try to break the glass. But that wasn’t the worst part.
What the rest of them saw was about to change their lives forever.
Not only did piranhas spill out of the small opening, but...
A body.
The body of none other than Ameena.
Her blonde hair swayed in the water, and the wounds on her body bled the water red.
Everyone was silent for a moment, you could hear a pin drop.
Suddenly, a scream filled the room, recognized as Bernadette’s. It was so loud it woke a sleeping Isana up, who had been sleeping on her shoulder.
Mia’s eyes went wide as she stared in silent shock for a painful moment.
“Wait- hold on!! Open the door- OPEN THE DOOR!!!” Mia sprang from her seat, running up to the stage and nearly shaking Vinnie off the top of the cage.
“I can’t, I can’t! It won’t break! Help me!!” Vinnie desperately tried to break the glass, moving on from the broken lock.
“WELL DO SOMETHING!! DON’T JUST SIT THERE, SHE MIGHT NOT BE DEAD!” Tears were streaming down Mia’s cheeks as she pounded the glass in anger and frustration.
“Please, someone help! Break the glass with something! Anything!” Vinnie yelled out, stamping the glass but getting not as much as a crack.
Kai started to panic as her space was invaded with the small fish, who had already knocked her under the water and nearly drowned her- while biting her. She pounded the glass as hard as she could, but her small body could do nothing to it.
Bernadette stood up, grabbing her chair quickly and running at the glass with it.
Airin stood in silent shock, not being able to believe what she was seeing. Before she knew it, Dominance had picked her up and started to back away.
“Don’t move Air, we don’t know where the killer is!”
“I can help- let me go!!”
“No, I don’t want you to get hurt!”
She grasped his shirt tightly, as Bernadette threw the chair at the glass, leaving a large dent in it. Mia snatched the chair from her, smashing the glass repeatedly with it.
“Wait a second, everyone’s sitting here! That’s a bad-”
Lynn was cut off by Lane lifting up an entire table, and hoisting it over her head.
“INCOMING!!!!!!” She yelled at the top of her lungs, before hurling it towards the glass. It was the last thing Kai saw before she blacked out, and everyone else dove out of the way. It caught Bernadette’s shoulder, and threw her against the wall.
It took Lynn off her feet, and Mae fell down the steps. Mia would’ve gotten hit head-on with it if it hadn’t been for Emerald running from across the room, grabbing her hand, and pulling her hard to the side. The explosion of glass that ensued filled up the entire room, flooding the floors with bloody water and dying fish, and taking out light fixtures with the glass shards.
And as expected, the body washed up in the middle of the floor. And also as expected, it was Ameena, and she was definitely dead.
“N-no...t-this…”
“This isn’t right...it can’t be…”
Mia knelt next to the body, shaking heavily and breathing hard. Blood smears had stained her knees and hands up to her wrists.
“W-Why...did this...happen...?”
She was whispering under her breath, choking on her shaky breaths and tears. Her hair was brushing against the body- the cold, messy shell of what used to be her best friend.
Her soft whispers gradually turned louder, until she finally couldn’t put anything into words anymore, and let out a pain and anger-filled scream.
Kiyotaka quickly ran to her, pulling her into a tight hug from behind, silencing her. Everyone stood silent for a moment, shocked over everything that happened. You could hear heavy breathing and uncomfortable shifting as everyone looked around at the walls stained red. Glass showered over the floor and splinters of wood from the table covered the stage, and the bodies of many fish.
“Wait- I think she’s waking up!” Vinnie held Kai’s head in her lap as she lay unconscious. She was soaking wet and bloody from the glass, but she wasn’t dead.
Mia opened her eyes, full of one last fragment of hope. The problem was, is that they weren’t talking about Ameena, they were talking about Kai, and for a minute, Mia hated everyone there.
She turned around to bury her face in Kiyotaka’s shoulder, making him shift slightly but get used to it after a few seconds.
Suddenly, after a few moments of silence, the TV turned on after a minute of static.
“As you can plainly see, a murder has happened! This death was not of natural causes- someone murdered Ameena in cold blood!”
Airin shifted uncomfortably and clenched her jaw.
“After exactly 24 hours have passed, a trial will begin! Don’t worry about cleaning any of this up- you’ll need to investigate a little bit! Since it’s already 10PM, you’ll have to stay up later then you usually do!”
The TV shut off, and the same expression spread over everyone’s face as they looked at each other.
“Guys- I know it’s not a good time to break the silence...but has anyone seen Hira?” Hailey perked up, tilting her head slightly.
“I have not! Now if you’ll excuse us, I’m taking Mia back to my cottage for a short while, then I will resume the investigation!” Kiyotaka stood up, some old blood on his white pants and somehow, on his glasses. He didn’t seem to notice it, though.
“Wait just a second- how do we know it wasn’t Mia who did it? It was probably just a jealousy thing- or maybe Ameena couldn’t take whatever’s going on between you two!” Jess snickered and threw her hands in the air, as if she was having the time of her life.
“I-It’s not what you think! Don’t joke or make assumptions like that in this environment!”
“What, you need me to teach you or something? Jeez, are you okay in the head?”
“Don’t jump to conclusions, Jess- we don’t know who did it yet. And we won’t know till the trial happens, so just don’t say anything till then and help us out.” Alana put her hands on her hips and led Jess away.
“No way, I’m not taking another step! My feet hurt from dancing!” Jess pouted and stamped her foot.
Kiyotaka turned away and led a- for once- completely silent Mia away from the scene.
Airin shifted her feet, starting to walk away from the corner of the room. Dominance had set her down, and for once in his life, he was completely silent. He didn’t have any words of encouragement left in him, and all that passionate spark had left his eyes.
He wasn’t even close to Ameena. He just wasn’t ready for this.
Airin grabbed his wrist, leading him with her. She followed Tina, Hailey and Monica backstage, standing on tiptoes around broken glass.
“H-Hira was back here- right? Why don’t we see her? M-maybe she’s d-dead...j-just like in the m-movies...” Tina stuttered, peeking around corners and looking under props. Hira was nowhere to be seen, and the amount of blood backstage was enough to leave a sinking feeling in everyone’s stomach.
“Hey wait- I think she left this here!” Hailey picked up a small lollipop off the floor- that was half chewed up and now covered in somewhat fresh blood.
“I’m not sure why that would make sense unless it was the murder weapon, which it obviously wasn’t. Hold on guys, don’t assume anything yet. I don’t think she’s dead, maybe she’s just hiding?” Monica walked to a storage closet and attempted to yank the door handle open. “Someone locked it from the inside...maybe she was scared. I’ll open it to the best of my ability, I guess.” She looked in every drawer of a small dresser in the corner, before finding a small key.
“Have you found the spare key? It’s possible the murderer locked-”
“Yeah, we found it. She’s probably in there since we can’t find her anywhere else.” Airin cut Lynn off, not even looking in her direction.
“Well then- okay…” She walked away, going for the kitchen directly off the stage.
Monica wordlessly stuck the key in the door, turning it to a horrifying sight.
Hira was slumped against the wall, covered in blood. There was a knife next to her, and she was unconscious.
“What did I s-say? I told y-you guys s-she’d be d-dead in here!” Tina held herself, turning a sickly shade of white.
“How did you know that? She’s crazy- she’s got powers! That’s cool and creepy!” Dominance piped up, his eyes wide.
“Who has powers? Is it really real?” Kaz’s eyes sparkled, like his.
“Shh- wait a minute.” Monica shushed them and moved closer to Hira’s limp body, putting her hand on Hira’s chest.
“Guys, she’s not dead! She’s breathing, just barely!”
A collective sigh filled the room, and Monica lifted Hira up bridal style. The knife fell out of her hand, and she started to breathe heavily, but slowly.
Monica inspected Hira’s body, flipping her over and pressing different parts of her body to see if she bled.
“The odd thing is that she doesn’t appear to be hurt or have any wounds- so why all the blood? And the knife? It doesn’t even look like it’s her own blood, so how does that make sense?”
“Isn’t it obvious or are you just that blind? She did it obviously, how wouldn’t that make sense?”
“Because she’s hardly even breathing, it had to come from somewhere? Maybe she was scared and ran into the closet to protect herself after Ameena got-”
“Explain all the...t-the...the b-blood…” Tina collapsed onto the floor, luckily in a place where broken glass was minimal. Lynn ran to pick her up, worried for the girl after the way she reacted.
“I don’t think she did it. If it is someone else’s blood, then she probably stole the knife from the real murderer or something in an attempt to protect Ameena, but it was too late.”
“I hate to say this...but do you think she...no...she couldn’t have! Why- why would she do that?” Hailey fought back tears at her suppressed suggestion.
“I don’t think that’s the case...she had no reason to do that.” Airin folded her arms, and turned her head to Trina as she approached them.
“That means nothing. She could’ve seen the murder happen and didn’t want to face whoever the murderer is getting executed, and she could’ve been thinking like that anyway.”
“She-She WHAT???” Kaz’s eyes got huge, and he put his hands over his head as he yelled.
“No one knows that yet, so I suggest you stop now.”
“She couldn’t have actually done that guys- what are you even saying! She’s still alive!” Dominance yelled and pointed to her unconscious body laying in Monica’s lap. Trina had a serious expression on her face as she knelt down.
“She’s not dead. But who knows if she attempted anything...we just don’t know yet.”
Airin moved away from the scene, stepping down from the stage.
“I don’t think we’ll know until the trial. For now we’ll just focus on the actual dead victim.”
Isana was kneeling beside it with Bernadette and Mae, and they were inspecting it.
“She appears to have been stabbed through the abdomen at least twice...I think…”
“She has slashes all over her arms and legs too, and bruises on her wrists- like someone grabbed her by the wrists and pulled her.” Airin knelt down and ran her finger over it.
“Who would’ve done something like this- she never hurt anyone! Whoever did this...they’ve gotta pay somehow!” Bernadette’s hands were shaking and she was holding onto Isana’s arm tightly.
“They will, they’ll get executed for sure. Sometimes I really wonder if that’s a good or a bad thing, depending on who did it and why.” Trina closed her eyes and looked the other way. She seemed deeply unsettled by the sight of the body, and wouldn’t look at it.
0 notes
supreme-lxadxr · 2 years
Text
~The Fallen~
Chapter 2
(A/N-- I was still 12 when I wrote this! it isn't very good yet but it will GET THERE!! stick to it!)
CHAPTER 2
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The morning had started with every resident waking up, changing into their set uniforms, grey tunics with brown shorts that was to be worn even in winter. They would all walk to the Auditorium in a line, chatting amongst themselves. The same thing happened every day, One of the Chief’s would broadcast themselves to a large TV in the middle of the large, empty room. Today it had lots of pull out chairs and a large stage lit up by stage lights, and curtains. Tables lined the walls, soon to hold bowls and plates full of the food they hardly had. They would stand in their designated square marked on the floor in tape, and watch the announcements. After the announcements ended, everyone in attendance would bow.
“Remember, if anyone is spotted skipping their injections, they can and will be forced to make up for all the skipped days- all in one sitting.”
Mae twitched and pulled at her hair.
“F-forgive me if I-I’m w-wrong, but c-couldn’t that k-kill us?” She stuttered out, tears in her eyes.
“Cheer up, I’m sure they won’t actually do that! When has that happened?” Hailey, an optimistic, athletic, well built girl piped up.
“I suggest we all quiet down! It’s unsuitable to talk through an announcement such as this during such an important time!” Kiyotaka yelled and shot straight up, sweating and basically pacing out of nervousness. He really didn’t know when to quiet down and was constantly yelling about rules and regulations, which no one ever seemed to listen to. Nevertheless, everyone stopped talking.
“If you’re caught AGAIN not taking your injections, you have the chance of having a trial, but it will most likely end in execution.”
“...”
Everyone stayed silent.
Most people in there had a secret. The Chiefs and Security guards really had no way of checking the resident’s injection levels after Hira and Kaz, both good with mechanical things and programming, banded together and rewired the scanner used to test the levels. They even altered the syringes slightly, and no one had figured it out yet. Everyone shifted uncomfortably before turning around to face the door.
“Now what’s on the agenda for today, is to get this place more ready then it already is, and if you’re looking for a good way to leave, you can use this motive to your advantage. End of announcements.”
They all turned around and bowed again. Airin sighed under her breath, wanting so much for everyone else to see how bad this actually was. Murder isn’t right. She would never give in to believing that. None of them had yet. The ones before them had either made some minor mistake, or just died of sickness or natural causes. They’re mostly in their teens to early 20’s, but the others were much older. They’re all from different backgrounds, too. Everyone had something to offer.
The only reason Airin suggested the injections were dangerous, is because she knew what they did. Her mom had told her before she died. They could convert you to a state of despair, completely emotionless and hopeless. She knew this. She didn’t tell anyone though, only her closest friends. Cynical in nature, she still found it hard to trust even them.
They all collected into a crowd outside the building, chatting amongst themselves and running in separate directions to grab their needed supplies.
“That was screwed up to heck, man! Does anyone realize that other than me? Just me? We really wake up for this-”
“Yes, we need to wake up for something! Please find some purpose in life!” Kiyotaka interrupted Mia’s whole monologue.
“Well no, maybe some people shouldn’t wake up at all in the mornings! All you’re here to do is clog the toilets and be an annoying, nasty pig!” Jess, a short, cute girl with long hair always in a ponytail, turned her nose up and laughed at the 2. She sneered, going to turn away, before Lane stopped her. She was a tall, built, darker-skinned girl who could intimidate anyone in her path. She had a soft side, but due to her upbringing, she didn’t show it.
She pushed her fist into her open hand, grinning with her teeth bared.
“Ya wanna say that again, ya little brat?” Her eyes were wide with anger and passion. Jess looked genuinely scared for a moment, before turning away and scoffing.
“Yeah whatever, like you could hurt me- go dig in the trash some more, obviously that’s where you found...whatever that is.” She looked Lane up and down, pointing at her loose shirt and short skirt. Trina quickly grabbed Lane’s arm, controlling her like she was an animal ready to attack.
“Leave her, this is what she wants from you.” Trina closed her eyes and turned away.
Suddenly, a figure appeared out of nowhere. A tall girl with short blonde hair turned in their direction, a dead expression lacing her features.
“I apologize for being late, I guess. Well not really, if you want the honest truth you always talk about.”
Airin rolled her eyes, before giving her a cold glare. She knew exactly who this was.
Elle, the literal bane of Airin’s existence. Something about that dead expression of hers that only lit up when she was mocking someone she believed to be lower than her. The way she swung her hips when she walked- everything about her was annoying. Overly fake, and of all things to be real, she just had to have her real personality out. An absolute cynical monster.
She smiled evilly at Airin, pushing past her as she made her way to the building. She looked it up and down, standing in the doorway of the large doors.
“This isn’t as good as what I thought, especially because of your unnecessary reactions. Maybe you were just trying to lure me out here so you could torture me with your presences.”
Isana opened her eyes wide, and puffed out her cheeks in annoyance.
“I’m sorry Elle, but can you just be quiet?”
“Excuse me? Do you know what you just said?”
Elle stamped her feet as she charged towards Isana, but she didn’t move.
“It’s just...you’re being really not helpful right now...I think…”
“What do you mean you think? Either you know or you don’t!”
“I said, you’re not being helpful right now and you should leave.” Isana’s whisper of a voice raised slightly, and she took her hoodie in the shape of a cat, off her head.
“I’m getting sleepy now, I’d go home if I trusted you. I’ll be keeping an eye on you...I’ll never let a killing happen...never ever…” She yawned and stuck her finger out towards Elle so she knew she was serious.
“Good luck with that-”
She was cut off by an angry Bernadette running up and punching her- something out of the normally calm and innocent girl’s nature.
“Apologize to her you jerk!!” Her voice trembled with her body.
“Do you intend to hurt me? You’re too weak for that, you know that…” She smiled condescendingly at Bernadette, bending down.
“H-Huh?” Bernadette gasped before going in to grab her hair. “You want me to show you I’m not weak?? Be my guest!!” She screamed, before she was grabbed from behind by her shoulders.
“Fighting won’t solve anything, I suggest you 2 talk this out. Also, I’m sorry I’m late, I had some things to take care of…” It was Monica, a tall, dark-skinned, sweet girl with long and unnaturally curly hair. “Is anyone leading this group? We need to get things done efficiently, and I’m here to help!” She shot a bright smile, with an even more enthusiastic thumbs-up.
“M-Monica...c-can you help me h-hang some lights?” Hira appeared behind her, trying her hardest to be heard due to her quiet voice and timid nature. She resembled a timid little bunny, her mannerisms imitating it nearly perfectly.
“Sure thing Hira, let’s go! I’ll think of some roles for the others while I help you do that. Before that happens, Elle, I’d like you to work backstage and make sure all the effects work. Everyone else just clean something or rehearse for a few minutes.” Monica commanded confidently, before disappearing with her friend.
Bernadette adjusted her blonde hair, slinging an arm around her sleepy friend- who had appeared to fall asleep standing up.
“Isana? Did she hurt you?” Bernadette raised her voice out of concern. Isana opened her eyes and pulled her hood over her head again.
“I’m okay, I think...thank you. We can both make sure no killings happen, and everyone has fun!” She smiled and put a hand over her heart.
“Yes! We can be the best duo out there- and after the party I’ll challenge you to a game of Mario Kart at my cottage! I remember last time- but I’ll win this time!!”
“Hey hey, It’s not my fault you were driving slow and lost every time!” Bernadette laughed innocently and ran back to her cottage, Isana close behind.
“You ready for this, Air?” Dominance raised an enthusiastic thumbs up, a hand on her shoulder.
“I told you not to call me that unless you wanna die!!” She blushed and yelled, turning the other way. “But to answer your question, no...we should’ve practised more.”
“Let’s do that now then, let’s go!” He grabbed her hand and ran towards her cottage, remembering he hadn’t taken down any props and still had the notes and costumes.
“I-Is this high enough?” Hira stood precariously on a stepstool, her fragile body shaking along with the unsturdy frame of the wooden stool.
Monica opened her mouth to talk, but Ameena cut her off, running up to Hira and holding her waist.
“Hey, I’d try to hang the lights a little lower. So you don’t- you know...fall. Or break. You seem fragile- sorry, that was inappropriate!!” Ameena nervously giggled to herself and covered her mouth with her free hand.
“I-It’s okay, I knew I was weak…just look at me. I don’t know why I ever thought I could be strong...” Hira crossed her clasped hands over her chest and closed her eyes.
“N-No, I didn’t mean to incite that!! You aren’t weak, Hira, don’t judge yourself based on your appearance...it truly means nothing.” Ameena grasped Hira’s hands and led her off the stool, sitting her down on it.
“My dance teacher used to always tell me that...our bodies are imperfectly perfect, and even if we want what others have, it’s not for us, and it doesn’t suit us. We’re all perfect in our own ways, and think of it this way- the word ‘imperfect’ has the word ‘perfect’ in it for a reason, right?”
Hira nodded, her shaking decreasing after she realized Ameena wouldn’t hurt or scold her, she would only reassure her- something Hira wasn’t used to.
“R-right, I think…”
“Yes, right! Now hang the rest of those lights up with confidence, I know you can do it!” Ameena flashed a bright smile before walking off with a sway in her hips. Mia ran to her, leaning on her shoulder confidently. It was unheard what she said, even though she bellowed when she talked.
Elle watched from a distance in a corner, occasionally undoing what the others had done, such as knocking over the trash cans or ripping the lights down.
Lane attempted to beat her up twice, but someone stopped her each time.
Kai and Vinnie prepared the food in the back, Lynn serving it to the tables. Bernadette and Isana returned eventually, Airin and Dominance following closely behind.
“I think we have it pretty down now, but if you wanna use notes that’s totally fine with me! I’m just here to tell you you can do it, I’m sort of like your own personal cheerleader, man!” Dominance cheered Airin on, giving her two enthusiastic thumbs-up’s.
“Thanks, I guess. But don’t get too ahead of yourself yet- we don’t know how it’ll go until it happens.”
“Cheer up, man! I’m sure it’ll go perfectly, exactly how you planned it! Just try not to fall on top of me at that one part if you can help it- unless you want-”
“A fanservice moment? Oh yeah, I forgot, no one wants to see you in that way, except maybe each other! Ahaha- I’d have to be drunk before I’d even consider either of you!!” Jess piped up, sticking her nose up at the two of them.
“Just ignore her Dominance, the best way to deal with idiots like her is to just shut up and keep nodding like you actually care.”
After a few hours of everyone working tirelessly to set up everything perfectly, it was finally done. Blue and purple string lights and lanterns lined the ceilings and walls, and delicious food of every kind lined the tables against the wall. The stage was lit up by multiple stage lights, and a huge tank of water was backstage. Kai and Vinnie were about to do something with that, which they hadn’t told anyone what that was yet.
Hira had been helping backstage for awhile too, loading the tank with a box of something. Whatever it was made Vinnie scream twice, and Hira sounded like she was about to cry. Airin was standing in the corner next to Dominance, reading her notes over and over again. She couldn’t help but feel like this was more than a skit.
She wouldn’t admit it, she hardly admits anything. She hardly even talked. But...she wanted this to be more than a play.
She wanted it to be a reality.
“Maybe someday, when all of you stop being so blind and we can leave this place…” She whispered under her breath, not realizing she was talking out loud. She was cut off by the TV in the corner turning on, and the red lights of the security cameras turning on in the corners.
“Welcome to ACE, or the Annual Concert Event! Since everyone got this prepared so nicely, I’ll allow you guys to get your plates early! But be careful, there could be someone lurking among you with murderous intentions!”
Chief 2. They thought they were funny, but they weren’t.
Everyone scattered around to get into a line, talking amongst themselves and looking around.
“Y'all have nothing on what I’ve got prepared, losers! You’re messing with a gorgeous girl genius and this idiot over here!” Mia laughed obnoxiously as she linked arms with Ameena, who had Hira on her shoulders.
“Just ignore her, I’m sure you all did amazing! Make sure to eat enough-”
“Nah, NO ONE’S got anything on us! They all did skits or some elementary garbage! Me, on the other hand, have more to show ya!” She winked and stuck her tongue out.
“Oh my God, are you okaaaaay? Usually people as dumb as you have some sort of brain damage or something!” Jess sneered, and Mia’s eyes bulged.
“Call me back when you go through puberty, ya little 9 year old brat!” She was about to flip a finger at Jess, but Kiyotaka’s incessant yelling about how “unwholesome” that was, and his going the extra mile to grab her hand- and not let go- stopped her. She didn’t seem to mind, though.
“Agh- the only person allowed to touch me is Ameena! The rest of y’all are ugly! Except you I guess, Kiyotaka!” Mia laughed, as she adjusted her top, pulling it down slightly.
Trina sighed quietly and put her head down, throwing her hood over her head as to resign herself from dealing with them.
Isana was involved in playing a video game on her small handheld device, and didn’t even notice them.
“Wow- you beat that boss twice! I couldn’t even do it once! You’re totally an Ultimate at this or something!! Is that even possible?” Bernadette’s excited yelling didn’t help the noisy environment. “Sorry, I’m just not used to seeing someone actually good at doing this! Yeah that’s right, KICK HIS BUTT!!!”
“THANKS FOR BEING SO WHOLESOME!!” Kiyotaka smiled and yelled in Bernadette’s direction- still holding a loudly cursing Mia’s hand.
“Yeah, that’s right!! Isana’s usually innocent nature is compromised by her sweet fighting skills!” Bernadette excitedly exclaimed- rather loudly.
“Ngh...I’m not some girl gamer who brags about games she’s never beaten. I’m beating this one, even if it takes all night...I think…”
“Yeah you will! Mainly because you’re actually pretty good at this- like an Ultimate- like I said!”
“Huh, an Ultimate...I’ve never heard that before...thanks!” She maintained her naturally calm and tired personality, yet seemed genuinely happy to hear that. For once she wasn’t distracted and was really happy.
After a long wait, everyone had their plates full of food and stood against the wall, as they had been instructed to do off the TV after it was all said and done.
When they were instructed to return to their seats, in round tables with small pull out chairs, they all ran. All except Mae, who had tripped and fallen, flipping her new skirt over her head, and dropping- and shattering her plate.
“Woah man, you okay?” Emerald sprang up.
“H-Hey- what happened? Hm, not bad…” Kaz smirked to himself, rushing to her.
“Ngah!! Pl-please don’t look..!” She started crying, and Emerald, Bernadette and Lynn rushed to help her up, Kaz following close behind.
“Ugh, an unexpected fanservice moment! How do you even get through the day you klutz?!” Jess yelled from her table, slamming her small fists on the table.
“Eek!! I’m- I-I...I’m sorry for-” Mae felt hot tears roll down her cheeks as she was cut off.
“That’s what your mom said when she gave birth to you!!” Jess giggled to herself.
“Jeez- calm down Jess, you aren’t fixing anything.” Alana chimed in, putting her hands on her friend’s shoulders, in a sudden motherly gesture.
“You aren’t helping very much, Alana!!” Jess crossed her arms over her chest.
Ed started laughing at her, pointing at the mess she’d made all over herself.
“Hah- it looks like something you’d do!” He pointed at Kendall, and her face nearly turned red with anger. She kept her mouth shut, and turned away from him.
“Hey, why are you ignoring me?” He reached for her hair, and she whipped around to face him.
“That was embarrassing, that’s why.” She nearly whispered, wanting no problems. She was the only one not dressed in a flashy outfit to perform in.
“Yo Kendall, follow me! I got somethin’ for ya!” Emerald sat Mae down at her table, and grabbed her friend’s hand.
“Woah hey- why are you...where are you taking me?!”
“Cheer up little dude! I’mma give you one of my outfits to wear, you look like a hot mess my man!”
“Uh- t-that’s okay, I’d rather not wear anything revealing, if that’s okay…”
“Nah fam, they don’t have to be! You trust me, right? Let’s go!”
They ran for her cottage, making a mad dash to open the door.
“Come on Emerald, my boyfriend’s gonna think something bad if I’m gone too long…”
“Who cares? You gotta be independent at some point, right my dude?” She slung an arm around her.
“Y-yeah, I guess…”
“Alright then! Take your pick, all yours man!” Emerald pointed to her bed, messy with eyeliner, lipstick, and very punk outfits. The one that caught her eye was a long, puffy black and red dress. There were accessories and tons of earrings, perfect for what Kendall always wanted to wear but never could.
Kendall walked into Emerald’s closet to change, and was slightly nervous as she tugged and pulled the dress over her slim body. She started breathing hard as she noticed suddenly the scars on her hands were extremely visible.
“What’s up dude? You ok in there?”
“I-I’m scared… Everyone can see the scars on my hands since the sleeves only go to my wrists…”
The frilly dress with a tight, chain belt around the middle made Kendall nervous. Her messy blonde hair didn’t fit the look, and she believed it to look...out of place.
“That’s all good! People should love you no matter the scars, or whatever else! You’re pretty cool anyway, so people should forgive you when they see that fierce dress and personality of yours, dude! Also, let me fix that hair of yours, I got some fierce ideas!”
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After about 20 minutes, Emerald had straightened Kendall’s hair, put it in 2 pigtails, and did her makeup heavily, like Kendall knew she would. She had small hearts under each of her eyes done in eyeliner, which also lined her eyelids heavily. She had red lipstick on her top lip, and black on the bottom. She had fake piercings all over her, and real earrings in 2 holes in her ears. She had fake tattoos on her hands, and black nails.
“All in 20 minutes...I’m a new person…?”
“Heck yeah man! You like it! I think you look sick!”
“Yeah...I do, a lot! I think you found a new side of me today...thank you!”
“Nah man, it’s always been in you! How’d you think I found my style?”
Emerald had reddish-pink dyed hair with blue, yellow and green stripes in it, and it was dyed purple at the bottom. She had tattoos up her arms and always had lots of accessories, and wore lots of leather and lace wherever she could. She also always wore heavy makeup and lots of piercings- she looked like how rock and roll sounded.
Somehow that fit Kendall too, and gave her a sense of her own individuality, something rare.
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supreme-lxadxr · 2 years
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~The Fallen~
Prologue/Chapter 1
(A/N-- I was around 12 when I first started to write this so it isn't very good up until recent chapters. I PROMISE everything ties together eventually and I'd appreciate it more than you could ever know if you'd give this story a chance <3
PROLOGUE
“The only way to survive…”
A cloud of despair hung over our heads, a group of teenagers to young adults, one cut short.
“Is to be calm…”
I choked back a reaction. Our Leaders watched from above as the corrupted form of what they called justice took place.
“Strong…”
The air I struggled to breathe was thick; it was hot, my windpipe could collapse under the pressure. I plastered an emotionless glaze over my eyes, holding down the waves of emotion I’d long forgotten to feel.
“And completely, and utterly, stone-faced. No reactions, emotions, or feelings. All that is secondary, if you want to survive here. No sugarcoating, no play or fun. Life is what it makes itself out to be here, but if you have hope, you can beat the despair that permeates it.”
Mother’s words were for me and me only. That blood-stained letter was still holding onto life in my pocket, penetrated by the sick stains of blood that soaked one half of it.
Mother’s cursive handwriting always gave me some sort of feeling, it felt comforting, like home; hope, even.
My fingers grazed the edges of the ripped paper, I could reach it without even placing my hand down in my pocket, there was a tear in the hem of the pants I could reach it through, and I often attempted to make it bigger to reach it better.
It’s all I have left of that life, sometimes I still feel like I’m trapped in that 9 year old body of mine, innocent and full of life, love and hope written in my features.
But that’s long passed, ever since the incident, a few people full of hope believed they could create a utopia, but soon, it got overpopulated, and reports of crime and unrest rang out. It soon lost most of it’s hope, and the only solution that a few corrupt individuals could think of, was to decimate that hope completely, controlling the people, corrupting the justice system in that area, and bringing people they saw fit into this dystopian society. Hardly anyone knows that it’s wrong, as most of us forgot our memories. Murder and every kind of crime happens here, people get executed, but it’s hardly the murderer or for a good reason, and the only hope of escaping is to never lose your hope, as they figure that the minute you fall to despair, you’re easier to control.
It’s what I’d just seen. Another execution, not because they were a murderer, but because they only left their cottage after 10 PM...
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CHAPTER ONE
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A solemn cloud hung over the heads of those involved. The headmasters watched from above, the residents of this imperfect place watched from head-on. Justice doesn’t work here. Executions happen regularly, it becomes a fact of life eventually, but a hard one to swallow, as natural feelings of attachment and love can get in the way of such facts. Security guards guarded the exits, occasionally checking the pocket devices they had on every student, keyed in on some more than others. Executions happened for odd reasons, hardly ever did the actual murderer get killed. But hardly were they released, either. The headmasters made good note to install false hope in the residents. They echoed lies, if you survive your execution, or kill a fellow resident and get off scot-free, you can leave. How often do these things happen, but hardly does anyone leave. No one knows why sometimes fellow students turn on each other, who the true leader is; the mastermind. Their motive. But one thought it made certain; they believe the best way of life is living as pawns; in a state of despair, completely controlled, and to constantly live in uncertainty.
The residents were stolen away and forced to wear the same clothes. There was quite a few of them now- There were the girls, Airin, Bernadette, Monica, Kendall, Hailey, Vinnie, Kai, Isana, Emerald, Lane, Hira, Trina, Mae, Elle, Jess, Alana, Lynn, Tina, Mia, and Ameena. There were few men, only Kiyotaka, Ed, Ryan, Kaz, and the one who was known only as Dominance. It was almost unheard of to survive your prepared execution, though not impossible. Dominance is forever scarred, choosing to wear a mask to hide the gruesome damage left behind.
It seems like a normal community at first, aside from the fact that there could, at any point, be someone planning to kill just to leave this life behind. The residents are only chosen through their actions, if they are deemed unworthy, and unappreciative of their life.
Back to the possibility of a murder happening, if a murder does end up happening, the residents will stand in an arranged circle in the “Trial Building”, and figure out who committed this crime. If it is believed that they had a motive other than leaving, and they do not blame the victim for what happened, they may stay. But if not, they undergo a prepared execution, leaving them in their last moments wondering what could’ve happened if they’d just stayed in their room. Executions often happened for other reasons, though those ones were created with a chance of escaping.
Rarely did that happen, though.
A wicked woman known only as Chief 1 spoke over a loud speaker.
“You’re going to want to leave the execution scene now, there’s no point standing here. The show being performed tomorrow is a good motive as well, so everyone must have something prepared, but be asleep by 10:30.”
They all stood still for a moment, contemplating what had just been said. They started to talk amongst themselves, creating plans for the following day.
“I’m guessing this is some sort of singing, or talking, or dancing type of thing?” Airin questioned herself. “I’m not a fan of any of it.”
“I believe it is, at least I hope it is, since me and Isana already have something special prepared for you guys!” Bernadette’s blue eyes sparkled as she slung an arm over her friend’s shoulder. Strands of Bernadette’s light blonde hair intertwined with Isana’s icy blue locks, making a shiny combination of color in the light.
“Huh? O-Oh yeah, it’ll be great...I think…” She always had a calm, almost sad, aura about her.
“I haven’t been blown away by anything for awhile now, I’d like to see that.” Trina bowed her head, a smile plastered over her sad expression she always seemed to carry. Her short, bright orange waves of hair brushed over her face, just enough to see her green eyes.
“Me and Ameena’ve got somethin’ prepared for y’all that’s gonna be better than whatever trainwreck is gonna come outta these 2, ‘cuz her ballet and just seein’ me is gonna be the best part of all y’all’s night! Especially the boys!” Mia bellowed, casually adjusting her short clothing. Even though they had to wear the same uniform, they never said anything about cutting the shirt into a crop top and the pants into shorts so short they could pass for swim trunks. That’s just the kind of person Mia is though, and everyone was used to her and her backhanded comments by now. Everyone pretty much just figured she didn’t mean them, and wasn’t exactly sure when to stop. Yeah, that’s it.
The big clock chimed, signifying that it was 10PM and they were no longer allowed to be outside.
“Well I’ll catch y’all later, smell ya tomorrow!” Mia locked her arm with Ameena’s and skipped towards the cottages in the opposite direction.
“Alright then, don’t hurt yourselves now!” Lynn locked her hands and smiled innocently.
Airin said nothing, she just walked to her own cottage. She opened the door, nearly swinging it shut in Dominance’s face. She didn’t notice him walking close behind her.
“Whoa there- I know you weren’t expecting that but do you have to get so violent?” He laughed nervously, scratching his head.
“What’s wrong with you? Do you wanna die?” She yelled, slightly still shaken by the whole thing.
“It’s okay, you don’t have to be scared, man! I just wanted to help you since you didn’t have a project for tomorrow- and those Chief leader’s scare me a little. I wanna do a group thing with ya since I don’t have anything either!” Dominance smiled brightly, giving his signature thumbs up.
Airin averted her eyes, slightly pulling at her hair.
“Whatever, just don’t screw this up for me.”
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Meanwhile in the other cottages, music blasted against the walls as Emerald practised her guitar solo, Alana practised her singing (which sounded more like screaming at some points) and many different dances went on. Feet could be heard hitting the wooden floors hard, whether it be from the rhythmic tapping of pointe shoes, or bare feet in a gymnastics routine.
Bernadette and Isana attempted to write a skit they’d do together, but instead, ended up doing what Isana likes to do the most- play video games. She fell asleep first, and pretty soon they were both passed out on her bed.
Distant yelling could be heard from a cottage far to the back, but everyone was used to it by now. Anything Kendall did with her boyfriend, Ed, would most likely end in this, and it was hard to hear unless you really listened. Mostly Kendall was alone unless it was with him. She never bothered to make friends, and hardly ever even talked.
It was the same with Mae and Ryan, he was never at his own cottage, always at hers. He hardly ever left, but no one confronted her. She was like a broken piece of glass, beautiful but so shattered to the point of one wrong word could send her into a crying fit. She was clumsy, constantly tripping over herself and apologizing more times than could be counted. She had that innocent spark to her, that no one wanted to mess with, and no one wanted to make her upset since she was cute. But at the same time, she seemed off. She seemed as if she could snap and choke someone out as fast as she could blink. She never did, though.
Her cottage was always oddly quiet.
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Airin and Dominance continued to write a project- a project so amazing it would blow them out of the water.
And hopefully spare their lives as well.
After hours upon hours into the night, Airin fell asleep laying against her bed frame as Dominance wrote the rest of the script. They never got to practise it, since he was careful not to wake her. He carried her to her bed, and debated his options, before grabbing a small throw blanket out of the closet, laying on the couch near her bed, and falling asleep with their heads almost touching.
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It was morning before they all knew it, and the Morning Announcement played on their TV’s inside their rooms.
“Good morning, all 27 of you! That could change at any moment so be very careful! Today is the Annual Concert Event, or ACE, since no one could come up with a better name! You better have something prepared- this is a motive!”
Airin’s eyes shot open, and she naturally looked in the direction Dominance was laying. He was wide awake and sitting up already. He always had so much drive and energy…
“D-Dominance- I didn’t know you were staying here tonight! You didn’t have to sleep on the couch if you didn’t want to…” She averted her eyes from his again, blushing slightly and gently tugging at her hair.
“What’re you implying, Air?” He smiled brightly, showing his teeth and giggling at himself.
“Don’t call me that unless you wanna die.” Her glare turned cold, but he knew she didn’t really mean it. She’d just been raised to be the way she was.
...
(A/N-- ONCE AGAIN. I WAS 12 WHEN I BEGAN WRITING THIS AND I PROMISE IT GETS SO SO SO SO SO MUCH BETTER BECAUSE I'M STILL WRITING IT.)
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supreme-lxadxr · 2 years
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~~Just an introduction~~
Hi!! So as you might've seen in my bio, I write and I'm really passionate about it. I wanna start doing imagines with characters and eventually writing stories with some of my OC's. I'm open to requests and I'll take them as long as they don't go against my rules! Here's a list of some things I won't write~
Smut, nsfw, 18+, etc, I'm not comfortable writing it
Haiji Towa, Izuru Kamukura, any of the Warriors of Hope, Overhaul
Yandere/noncon
Graphic death
That's about it!! please feel free to request, they'll be open, I can't wait to get started <3
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supreme-lxadxr · 2 years
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"Everything- Kira means everything to me." -Misa Amane
omg I love her so so so much help me😭
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supreme-lxadxr · 2 years
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"..I don’t really have a good reason- but if I did, you’d be like, 'Ooh, that’s a good reason!'" -Bruno
I LOVE HIM SMMMMMM
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supreme-lxadxr · 2 years
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writers are literally the best people because they can look at a carton of milk at the grocery store then suddenly get a huge rush of inspiration and run home and write a 76 chapter book with fully developed characters out of it if they don't die from writer's block in the meantime
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supreme-lxadxr · 2 years
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andddd this is why I have 5 playlists for it
every song i like is related to death note somehow because i said so
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supreme-lxadxr · 2 years
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"I am...I am...justice!!" -L Lawliet (and Light Yagami)
first art post!! hype me up, what do y'all think of it? I love L so much, best character for sure :)
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