I woke up to an announcement, in the shrieking voice of one Monokuma. "Good morning, everyone! It's 7 AM and time to get a move on! It's another beautiful day!" I groaned and flipped over. Sunlight bled through the window. I wasn't surprised to find that I felt absolutely exhausted. I'd seen someone die yesterday. Something about that reality messed with my head. I got up - still in my clothes from yesterday - and stepped into the bathroom to take a shower before heading downstairs.

I found myself one of the first few down, along with Chester, Cheryl and Russel. I sat down at a table by myself after getting myself a small breakfast. Everyone else seemed wrapped up in their own business. Chester sat by himself with a cup of coffee and a book. Cheryl and Russel sat together, seemingly in the middle of some kind of passionate debate. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but they were talking rather loudly.

Cheryl waved her arm excitedly. "And then! And then! The guy just leaves her there! Can you believe it? I can't believe it!"

Russel chuckled. "That certainly doesn't sound very gentlemanly. What happened after that? I simply must know."

"So then the girl was just standing there crying her eyes out, poor thing, but then! Then!" She bobbed in her seat. "Then! She chases after him! And she grabs onto the back of his coat! And he stops! And-"

I stopped listening. I think I knew exactly what they were talking about. I didn't take Russel for the type to be interested in cheesy romance stories. I didn't understand how they could have so much energy after yesterday. But it could just be their way of dealing with everything, and I wasn't one to judge. The others filed down shortly, and the room quickly became crowded. The air buzzed with quiet conversations. I finished my breakfast and had just stood up to go to the library when someone cleared their throat.

"Hello, kiddies! Get a good night's sleep? Getting a good breakfast? Maybe you all should hit the gym after you eat! Keep in top physical condition!" Monokuma stood on top of the mantel, his hands on his hips as he looked out over all of us.

Bo looked up blankly at him. "...Why are you here?" She asked softly.

"Why am I here? You kids! You never listen, do you? First Miss Swinger, now you, too? Geeze! Didn't I say I'd be back tomorrow with something fun for you all?"

"Well? Waddya want, then?" Dennis spoke up, his arm held out at an awkward angle as Horace climbed up it. "Out with it!"

"I'm getting there," Monokuma snapped. "Now settle down and shut up! I'm here to tell you why you're going to murder."

"N-Not this a-again," Millie whimpered.

Avery looked anxious. "I'm sure there's nothing to worry about," he reassured her.

"Yes this again! Yes something to worry about!" The bear cackled. "But don't worry! I'm starting you all off easy! Easy peasy! I think you all should check your student profiles right about… now!" As he said the word, I felt my tablet buzz, and heard everyone else's do the same. I slipped it out of my pocket and scrolled through my profile in confusion. I stopped. There was a new addition.

DARKEST SECRET: Jocelyn Repetto had a twin sister. Key word: HAD! She's dead, because Jocelyn gave her peanut butter when she knew her twin had a life-threatening nut allergy!

I felt my hands tighten around the screen. I hadn't thought about Janice in a long time. I looked up at Monokuma. "How do you know this?" I demanded.

He giggled and did a little twirl. "Like I said, girlie, I have my connections." Everyone else started to look scared or angry in varying degrees.

Vanessa clutched her tablet to her chest and let out a nervous giggle. "So what the hot fudge sundae are we supposed to do with this?"

"What are you supposed to do with it? Well, you're supposed to kill to protect it! That's your darkest secret, right there. Trust me! I know!" He fixed us all with a menacing stare. "So unless you want me to tell everyone, you might want to get working on those plans! I'm feeling generous today, so I'll give you… hmm… let's say one week!" Monokuma pulled out a giant countdown clock and set it next to him on the mantel. "One week! Starting… now!" The display started to… count down. "Well, kiddos, I'll see you around! Happy death causing! And good luck!"

There was considerable uproar after Monokuma disappeared.

"Th-Th-This can't be h-happening," Millie stammered, looking awfully pale.

"Get a grip. There's no use denying it," Chester said, looking irritated. He shoved his tablet back into his pocket. He rounded on Roxanne. "What did I say? I told you he would resort to dirty tricks again."

Roxanne just pressed her lips together and shook her head. She didn't respond.

Lucile shook, with rage or fear I couldn't tell. "This isn't the time to be all 'told you so', jackass," she snapped. "Just shut the fuck up!" She stormed out, her hand still clamped around her tablet.

"And here I thought you had an ounce of sense," he shouted after her. He grumbled something to himself and stomped back upstairs.

Caden fidgeted with his scarf. "I'm… I'm going to go, too," he said before slipping out the door. Most of the others mumbled excuses before parting ways as well, leaving me, Cliff, and Avery alone with the clock. Avery went over to him, looking troubled and talked to him in a low voice. I decided to leave them be for the time being, and headed out as well to clear my head a bit.

I headed to the library, like I had planned earlier. Russel was looking at a shelf of books, up and down, peering at the titles carefully. I slid up next to him. "What are you looking for?"

He jumped a bit, his eyes going wide for a moment before he regained his composure. "Ah, Jocelyn. Hello. Please forgive me, I did not hear you enter." He shook his head and gave a quiet laugh. "I am simply looking for a book a dear friend of mine was so kind to recommend. It's called 'Ink and Lies', and it's by S. L. Jennings. Would you be so kind as to help me find it?"

Without stopping to think, I found myself nodding. "Yeah, sure. Jennings would be on this shelf, then, right?" We spent some time searching for his book. Somehow, I think we grew a little closer.

He collected the book with a satisfied nod. "Thank you ever so much for your help, Jocelyn, I appreciate it greatly." He looked me in the eyes and smiled

"It's no trouble." I glanced down and smoothed out my skirt. "Hey, Russel, you said you didn't have a talent. If that's true, then why do you think you're here? I don't think it quite adds up."

His smile faltered for a moment. "I can't say I know. My apologies. If we had some semblance of an idea why we were all here in the first place, I may be able to give you a more satisfying answer."

"Ah, yeah. I guess you wouldn't really know, either, would you?" I felt a little guilty. "It's alright. And if you don't mind my asking, who recommended the book?"

"Oh, yes, the book. Cheryl was of the belief that I would enjoy it. It's not as if I have much else to do, and I would enjoy being able to relate with her more. Speaking of which, I believe I shall go and read it now. I look forward to speaking to you again, Jocelyn. I take comfort in your company. Until next time." With a polite nod, he walked off towards one of the tables, leaving me somewhat flustered and a bit confused as to what had just happened. I spent a bit more time, browsing the shelves to see if anything caught my eye before heading off.

I found myself wandering back into the gym. After changing into a more appropriate workout outfit, I found Cassidy running on one of the treadmills. I hardly recognized her without her scarf and jacket, but it was her nonetheless. She stepped off to take a water break, then noticed me. She waved me over. "Yo, Jocelyn, how's it hanging? Whatcha up to?"

"Here to do some practicing, really. You're running?"

She nodded. "Yup! I've got a lot of energy to burn!" She grinned. "If you want, you can run with me. It's a good warm up, isn't it?" Cassidy and I spent some time running on the treadmills, her reaching over every now and then to up my speed good-naturedly. I was gasping for breath by the time we stopped, but Cassidy seemed less than fazed. She laughed as I gulped down some water.

"Geeze, you sure like to go fast," I gasped.

She continued to laugh as she shrugged. "What can I say? I really do. I've been getting real antsy around here, I'm glad they have somewhere for me to stretch my legs."

I stood up straight and let out a puff of air. "But wait, aren't you a hot air balloon pilot? Where's the athletics come in?"

"Oh, I always try to expend a bunch of excess energy before I go up, because sometimes flights last a really long time!" She pulled her goggles - that had been resting around her neck - up over her eyes and gave a wink and a thumbs up. "But of course, if I totally tire myself out, I won't have any energy to do anything else! You don't make that mistake more than once!"

"Ah, I see. Makes sense. So how did you get into hot air balloons? That's not exactly what you think of when you think of pilots."

"Oh, yeah, it was my mom! Her family had a hot air balloon business. Like, taking people up in balloons to watch the world go by, you know? It was great! She took me up all the time, and I was pretty much hooked from day one. It's the best feeling, you know? Just… letting the world drift by…" She sounded mellow, a distant, wistful look on her face. She shook her head, her expression being replaced by another grin. "Well, anyway, thanks for warming up with me. I won't keep you from your dancing. Good luck, Jocelyn!" She waved and jogged off. I stayed for only a little while longer, finding myself too tired out to do any dancing. I decided to go back to my room and rest up.

Or that was the plan. I didn't expect to find anyone in the dining area after the announcement earlier. However, as I glanced instinctively at the clock on the mantel, I found someone else watching it with interest. It was Gerard, staring up at it. Just watching it count down the seconds. I walked up next to him. We watched the clock tick down for a while. I think we grew a little closer?

"Uh, Gerard, what are you doing?"

He didn't look away as he responded. "My job, of course."

It was then that I noticed he had his pocketwatch in his hand. "Oh, I get it. You're the SHSL Timekeeper."

He noticed me looking at it and he shut it, putting it back in his pocket. "Yes. That I am."

"So… how did you get into that? It's kind of a strange talent."

"Because someone had to do it."

"I'm sorry, but can you go into a little more detail than that?"

He sighed in irritation. "I got tired of people being late for everything, and thought if I kept everything running smoothly, it would help. It didn't, really, but at least I've done something about it."

"So you had a problem with friends being late?"

"Not just friends. Relatives, classmates, everyone."

"Oh… I'm sorry about that, I guess."

"No need to apologize. Just try not to be late for any future meetings."

That was the friendliest thing I'd heard him say. I smiled. "Yeah, I'll be sure not to. I'll try to be early, if possible."

He nodded. "Yes, it's appreciated."

We watched the clock for a little while longer before he spoke again. "It's time to go to bed. Good night, Jocelyn." As soon as he said my name, an announcement sounded.

"It's 10 PM, and time to hit the hay! Sleep well, everyone! We've got another busy day planned tomorrow!"

Gerard walked off upstairs, and I followed as a few of the others straggled into the inn. I headed to my room and undressed for bed. I stared at my tablet on the nightstand and thought for a while before going to sleep. How did they know that? How could they possibly know that? That was so long ago… My family had kept it secret so well. So how did they know? It was impossible! I pulled the pillow over my head. I couldn't think about it, or I'd never get to sleep. With a sigh, I reached over and turned off the light. I had to wake up at seven again tomorrow. It was going to be another long day.