One Way Ticket To Despair
Prologue:
My eyes flicker open only for me to close them again suddenly. There is a light and it is blinding. What was I thinking, not turning the light off before going to bed? I shield my face with an arm as I open my eyes once again and try to adjust. Eventually, I can move my arm away to reveal an unfamiliar ceiling. How strange. I'll remember it soon enough. I always do. I'm just tired at the moment. My mind is a mess and my thoughts are clouded. It's always like this after a good sleep. It takes me some time for everything to come together. People say my head works a bit like a computer. With processing times like this, they must be thinking of an old tower PC running Windows 98.
Who was it that introduced me to that abomination of an Operating System? Of course, Uncle Shinji. His computer still ran it up until a couple of years ago when he realised that newer models existed.
There we go. My mind's back up and running, remembering the most meaningless things. I can finally take in my surroundings and remember where I am. Sitting up, I register that I'm on a fairly comfortable bed. It's a single bed. I'm on top of the duvet. I'm fully dressed. This definitely isn't right. I never fall asleep like this. I look around. I can't even describe where I am as a room. It's too small for that. It's more like a cupboard of some kind. Only with a bed in it. There's hardly anything in here. Not that much can fit. There is the bed that I'm sat on and less than a metre of floor space between it and the door. There's a bedside table crammed in by the head of the bed with a small lamp resting on it. There's also what appears to be a pair of cupboards above my head. Next to the light on the ceiling is a small black dome. Is that… a CCTV camera?
Why was I sleeping in the view of a security camera? Why was I sleeping the way I was? Why was I sleeping at all? What the Hell was I doing to find myself in a situation like this?
The room is all rather depressing. Everything is grey. And plastic-y. I stand up in what space there is and turn around. That really is it. This is a tiny living space with nothing in it. Except me. And I still can't for the life of me remember why. I want to explore further into my mind for answers when I notice the final thing in here. On the wall between the bed and cupboard is a blind. I didn't see it at first because of that dull, grey and plastic appearance it has. It just blended into the wall.
I reach out and pull it up, hoping the view from the window would remind me of where I am. I am finally greeted by something that doesn't look like it's made of plastic. Sadly, it continues to fit the dull and grey theme. There is no window. Instead, there is what appears to be a sheet of metal bolted to the wall by comically large screws. I pull the blind back down before lifting it up again, hoping that I was seeing things and the window would appear second time round. It does not.
What on Earth is going on?
I slide the blind back down because the metal covering is creeping me out. I try to take a step back, only to realise that there is a wall there. I'm going to have to commit this room to memory so that doesn't happen again. First, I have to go back into my memory and figure out why it isn't already there.
I close my eyes and a new world opens up on the back of my eyelids. I weave my way through the endless maze of everything I have ever known, perfectly organised with every parameter I could want, searching for the most recent thing. There it is. The looming structure of Hope's Peak Academy, the most famous school in all of Japan. Maybe even the entire world. Only the most elite high-schoolers can attend. Of course, I have been personally scouted and invited to study there. I am Izumi Mizushima, I have been given the title of the Ultimate Memory. When it comes to remembering things, no one beats me. So, why can't I, of all people, remember what happened and where I am?
I walked into Hope's Peak for the first time… and now I'm in this horrifically tiny room. That does not add up. There is nothing in between the two incidents. What happened when I stepped into the entrance hall? Did I faint? Was I knocked out by force? Or something more subtle? This is not Hope's Peak. I saw the pictures. I committed them to memory. This is not a dorm room. And I certainly can't imagine this is the nurse's office.
As the name might suggest, Hope's Peak Academy is a paragon of hope. It inspires such hope in almost everyone. The school is for the best of the best and those who graduate are supposedly set for life and guaranteed success in all endeavours. It sounds so ridiculous and elitist, but people can't stop themselves from believing. The youth of Japan is energised by the school's very existence, aspiring to be good enough at what they do to get invited. I will admit that I wasn't as determined as those people. I never realised that I was good at anything or, rather, that remembering things was something that one could be good at. But that influence on the outside world is only the beginning of the hope that Hope's Peak focuses on.
Nothing about the situation I find myself in can inspire hope. It's dull, morale crushing, claustrophobic, isolating… This can't be Hope's Peak Academy. It's impossible. So, where am I?
I spin around on one foot and grab the door handle. To my surprise, and somewhat relief, the door slides open instead of opening into the already cramped room. I step out and let the door slide shut behind me. The claustrophobia is really starting to set in now. I am in a narrow corridor that shares the same dull and grey interior as the room I woke up in. There are more metal plates bolted to the wall. Much like in the previous room, they seem to be where windows should be… This is getting stranger by the minute.
I decide to investigate further. There are more doors. Each one has a device on the wall next to it. Some kind of electronic lock, perhaps? There is another door at the end of the corridor. It is unlike the others, there is no device next to it, nor is there a handle. A small button sits where the handle should be. My curiosity overwhelms me and I push the button. The door opens with a hiss. As does another door just beyond it at the other end of a small tunnel that is no bigger than the doors.
I walk through the doors and everything becomes clear. Well, most of it. Actually, not much. It simply reveals that I am on a train. I have stepped into a typical carriage. A long and narrow room with an aisle running down the middle. Rows of seats are either side of the aisle and there are a handful of tables amongst the seats. The only difference to a normal train being those metal sheets covering all of the windows. That would make where I've just come from a sleeping car. What sort of train is this? Why am I even on a train in the first place?
I then notice that I'm not the only person on this train.
Author's Notes: Now irrelevant but preserved for whatever reason:
I am such a hypocrite, criticising people for short prologues and then thinking I could get away with nine hundred words. Anyway, as something, presumably the summary, suggests, this is a SYOC story. I will be accepting fifteen characters for this despair-inducing train journey. One per person unless submissions are low or you can convince me otherwise. I'm picky, so don't count on it. Characters must be sent in via PM, I will not be accepting characters through reviews. I don't care if you don't have an account, sort that out. I would like reviews to be left clear for, surprise surprise, actual reviews, comments and criticisms. I deal out enough of them, it's time you came at me with some. I don't work on first come, first serve. I'd rather wait for you to come up with something good than accept any old rubbish. The character form is below and will also be on my profile due to this copy and pasting business.
Name: (Also include any nicknames, self-proclaimed or given by other people and how they feel about those names.) (Japanese names only. There may be room for a foreign name, but there must be sufficient explanation as to what they're doing in Japan. Foreign exchange student will not be accepted as a valid reason, too much of a cop out.)
Age: (14-18. Other ages may be accepted if sufficient reasoning provided.)
Gender: (Go nuts. Though I would prefer if there were very few to none non-binary genders. I understand we live in a diverse society but I would rather reflect the ratios more accurately than an entire class of gender fluid pansexuals.)
Sexuality: (Optional and same as above. We're tolerant here but not crazy. Romance isn't planned but might crop up or be hinted at if it works.)
Ultimate/SHSL: (No canon talents or anything I'd consider too close to one. I'm open to a Lucky Student if the character is good enough, but, otherwise, not necessary or disallowed. The sheer number of SYOCs makes originality difficult for talents, but do try or at least come up with something interesting.)
Physical Appearance: (Include hair colour and style, eyes (nothing out of the ordinary), facial features, height, body type, etc.)
Clothing: (Typical outfit, any style preferences and accessories.)
Health: (Overweight, underweight, fine, any disabilities or mental health issues?)
Personality: (Just who is your character?)
Speech and Mannerisms: (How does your character talk and act? Do they have any habits, be it things they do or words they use far too often? You may provide quotes if you think it will help.)
Social Interaction: (How does your character interact with people? Life of the party, hiding in the corner hoping no one notices them, alright in small groups? Do they get on with people easily or make enemies out of everyone?)
Backstory: (What made your character who they are today? Where are they from? Remember, not everyone's childhood is a tragic sob story, but if you insist on it try to make it believable, interesting and unique.)
Family and Friends: (Who are the important people in your character's life?)
Treasured Possession: (Is there an object that your character has with them that they have a significant attachment to? An old family photo, gift from a lover, good luck charm, favourite underwear?)
Hobbies and Interests: (What does your character like doing in their spare time?)
Grievances: (What does your character not like, find annoying or even fear?)
Dark Side: (Everyone has one. This could be a dark secret, bad habit or anything really. Believable and realistic though, not everyone murdered their parents. Some people did though, I'm not ruling anything out until I see it. Doesn't have to be sinister, could be bed wetting.)
Ultimate Goal: (What does your character aspire to achieve in life? What motivates them?)
Thoughts on Murder: (Is murder the most unforgiveable thing or just something that happens all the time on TV? How might your character react to finding a real dead body?)
Role in Investigation and Trial: (What is your character's approach to investigating a murder? How are they going to act in trial? How might their natural approach change if they were the killer or had an attachment to the victim?)
Possible Motives: (Is there anything that could trigger something in your character leading them into despair?)
Other: (Anything else that I haven't asked for that you feel is important.)