Approaching his dorm after his final class period of the day, Ivan Braginski noticed a brown box propped up against the door. It was sealed with duct tape, and his first and last name were written crudely with black marker on the front. Puzzled, the Russian student picked the package up and unlocked the door. How odd, Ivan thought, he never received anything. He peeled back the duct tape, opening the box. Inside, something was rolled up in bubble wrap. He unrolled it carelessly; and about a dozen cassette tapes fell to the ground. Cursing to himself, he knelt down to pick them all up. Each one had a number on each side, the numbers were written in the upper right corner of the tapes. 1 and 2, 3 and 4, 5 and 6, 7 and 8, 9 and 10, 11 and 12, and finally 13 and 14. Did anyone even listen to cassette tapes any more? Weren't these things practically ancient? Curiosity got the best of him, though, and he had left the dorm once more, this time heading off the school grounds and to the near-by town. It didn't take long for him to find an old second-hand shop, and from there, he began his search for a cassette player.
He rummaged through the shelves on the far-side of the decently-sized store. Half of these items were junk. Maybe Ivan was wasting his time? Old vases, faded paintings, dusty books. This place was more like a junk yard! Finding a shelf supporting mostly electronic devises, it took very little time for Ivan to find the machine he required. After paying, he returned to his dorm.
Ivan slid the first tape into the player.
Play
After several seconds of faint humming, a voice came to life.
Hello, my lucky 13!
Ivan's heart stopped. He'd know that voice anywhere. It was that of Yao Wang's - but the Asian student had died only weeks ago.
No.
He hadn't just simply died.
He had been murdered.
Murdered by his own hands.
Ivan's throat tightened as he remembered what the principal had told the students - Yao had been found on the school's roof. Mrs. Connor, one of the English teachers, had checked the roof, like always, for students before the school's doors were locked for the night. Students were often found on the roof - it was a popular spot for dates, with its flowerbeds and the greenhouse, the amazing view of the sky and the school grounds below. And this time, she had found one of the school's brightest - and, in Ivan's opinion, most attractive - students.
But it had been too late - Yao had already carried out the unforgivable deed. One arm had been maimed to such great extent, they said that if Yao had lived it would've been amputated. His other wrist had been slit numerous times, the cuts going up his arm. And he had taken pills. They didn't know exactly what he had taken. Only a day or two before, the nurse had reported that several different pills, medications, and students' prescriptions had been stolen. Which ones Yao swallowed, though, they did not know, and had never found out.
If you are listening to this tape, I am already dead.
"But you shouldn't be," Ivan's voice was no more than a mere whisper.
If you are supposed to be listening to these tapes, you have already received a map. I delivered all thirteen of them myself; I know for sure you all got your hands on them.
The map! Ivan had received a map just a week earlier; he had returned to his dorm, to find that a piece of paper had been slipped under his dorm at some point throughout the day. Unfolding it, it had shown itself to be a map of the surrounding area. Specific points on the map were labeled with a red star and a number, such as "C-4".
This map, and my voice, will serve as your guides as I lead you through my story. My thirteen reasons. The thirteen reasons you will no longer see me in your class, the thirteen reasons I recorded these tapes. And each of you are a reason.
Was Yao accusing Ivan of causing his suicide? No, Ivan never wanted Yao dead. He never even wanted to see him hurt! What did he possibly do to become one of Yao's thirteen reasons...?
I expect each and every one of you to listen to all these tapes, and then pass them on to the next person on the list. That list should be included with the tapes.
Sure enough, when Ivan peeked back into the box, a piece of paper was taped to the bottom of the box. He didn't dare read it.
What's that? You don't want to hear the tapes or pass them on?
I made sure that could not happen. There is another set of tapes, and somebody has them. Not one of you thirteen, but somebody else. Their name will not be mentioned, but you will find out who they are in time.
So Ivan had no choice. He was being forced to listen to Yao explain why he had committed suicide. The thought sickened him. He had been the only one from school who even went to the funeral! He cared about the smaller student, so much, and Yao would never know. And Ivan regretted never telling him.
Let's begin, shall we?
Yao Wang. Age: 15. Date of Birth: October 1st,1996. Place of Birth: Beijing, China. Current residence: 6 feet under ground.
That was a sick joke, Yao.
I think you all remember when I first arrived here at the World W Academy, correct? Right after Christmas break. All of you were complaining about returning to school. And I was only just beginning. My dorm was next to yours, Gilbert, remember?
Gilbert, dear...You're up first.
Gilbert Beilschmidt. He must be the first reason, Ivan thought. Ripping out a piece of paper from a near-by notebook, Ivan hurriedly scribbled the German's name down. He would keep a list of his own, a list of Yao's thirteen reasons.
