STUDENT UNION: CAFETERIA

"So, wait," Katy said. "He showed up around 4:00, right? And he said it was going to be 'tomorrow night.' So... was he counting that as today, or yesterday?"

Lucina scratched out a note, He did the same thing for me, and I asked him to clarify. He meant he was going to do it tonight.

"I'm relieved you thought to do that," I said. "I was too surprised to do anything until he was gone."

Lucina sighed. Communicating like this helps me be a little more removed. He seemed pretty annoyed that I interrupted his dramatic moment, actually.

Bepi rolled his eye. "Of course he was. That's what this shit is all really about for him. I've known lots of guys like him, just wanting to know he's having an impact."

"I don't know about that," I said hesitantly. "He seems to really believe all the stuff he says about politics."

"Oh, they always do." Bepi poked irritatedly at his eggs and sausage. "Earl's the same way. Of course he thinks he's doing the right thing. But the real reward is the power."

All four of us sat in silence for a moment. "Is that why you wouldn't join either of the groups, even though they invited you?" I asked. "You thought everyone just wanted power?"

He shrugged. "Not really. I just know it's stupid to ever think you're doing the right thing, so I don't really care who has power."

"You sure acted like you knew what the right thing to do was when you stopped Barrett from hitting Ashley," I pointed out.

He took another bite of his eggs. "Never said I wasn't stupid." He laughed; I'm not really sure why. "Deep down, everyone probably just wants power, like Barrett and Earl and the others." He paused for a moment. "Do you know what conclusion this makes me draw?"

I squinted at him. "Uh. No."

"To Earl is human."

It physically hurt. He stood up. "Okay, I'm not topping that. I think I'm going to go find somewhere to hide for the entire rest of the day. Hope you'll all do the same." He strolled off, totally casual.

Katy sighed. "So, Ashley told me she wanted, uh, 'our side' to have a meeting today. Do you want me to tell you what happens?"

I nodded. "They must know we're all keeping each other informed about all this. Why are they even trying to have secrets?"

Lucina scowled and jotted out a message, Earl said it himself. It helps them "rule through fear." We all know something is coming, and we can't stop it without doing something drastic.

"I don't... think that's all of it," Katy said timidly. "Maybe Giuseppi's right, but I think Earl really hates splitting the group up like this. Ever since this whole thing started, he's seemed really conflicted. Which is not a word I thought I'd ever associate with him."

We paused, silent and shivering. "So... this is it, I guess," Katy said. "We just wait around for tonight. Maybe Earl gets away. Maybe Barrett destroys Monokuma. Or maybe..." She fell silent for a moment, not wanting to say it. Finally: "...we just let them kill each other."

None of us could think of anything to respond to that.

MAIN QUAD

Lucina and I spent the rest of the morning together. Katy found us later to tell us that the meeting was indeed about Earl's plans to escape in the tank tonight. "I suspect your classmates already know," Ashley had apparently said. "And I'm certain the mastermind knows. We're not asking you to fight in some civil war; we're just asking you to stay alert. Some tasks must be accomplished before we can enact our plan, and we'll need to know if anyone intends to interfere."

Lucina and I sat on the sidewalk, leaning back against the cool wall of the dorm. She hugged her long legs against her chest, her forehead resting on her knees. She looked like she was trying to make herself smaller.

"Are you scared?" I asked.

She nodded.

"Me too." I tilted over and rested my head on her shoulder. "This is so dumb. Those four... the leaders... they're acting like it's some big political difference. Like, do you want weapons anyone can use, or do you want to let one person have all the power? But we don't have any real choice! What can we even do? We can't stop anyone. All we can do is trust, and..." I sighed. "I sound like Bepi."

She pulled away for a moment to scribble out a message, leaning back in after she handed it over. This is sick, but the one I trust is Monokuma. I don't think he'd let his killing game turn into a free-for-all.

"God." I chuckled humorlessly. "Maybe we should be on Ashley's side after all, if we're relying on that."

We sat in anxious silence for little while. That was when I felt something touching my leg. I looked down. There was a hand with long, delicate fingers resting on my thigh.

I looked back up. Lucina's face was... close. She was slightly above me, her eyes half-lidded but still staring questioningly into mine. Her lips were parted, her breath hot enough to feel. She looked so vulnerable but also so welcoming. I felt this energy just pervading everywhere that I'd never come close to feeling before.

"She wants me," I thought. "She wants to be there for me. She wants me to trust her."

I felt my body stiffen, fear beginning to fill my chest. She noticed my reaction and pulled back, looking surprised... but somehow not surprised, too.

"No..." I tried to say. "Please don't... It's okay." I had to look away from her, so I just cast my gaze down to my lap (which no longer had her hand in it). "It's okay, I promise. I just..."

I had no idea what I even meant to say next, so I felt relieved when the door to the dorm opened a few feet away. Rodrigo stepped out, looking absolutely helpless.

Lucina and I tacitly agreed to let our little situation go for now and focus on him. At least, I hope we did. I stood up and walked over to him. "Um. Hi. Are you all right?"

He shook his head. "I am not. I allowed myself to have hope that a time of silent prayer would lend clarity, but I am more confused than ever. I know not how to protect everyone."

I frowned, glancing back at Lucina. "Maybe... maybe trying to protect everyone isn't the right thing to do. I know you're a paladin, but you can't be expected to protect us from technology that's brand new to you."

"I cannot simply do nothing."

Lucina stepped forward, holding up a card. Help Rocky.

Rodrigo tilted his head. "Friend Rocky deserves protection, but no more than others."

She looked hesitant; I tried to give her an encouraging smile. I don't know how well it worked, but either way, she quickly scrawled out, He's at the end of his rope, and I don't know what to do. The rest of us can take care of ourselves, but Rocky's not able to be careful.

Rodrigo considered this in silence for a moment. "Very well," he said. "If he is vulnerable, I am bound to give him extra protection. Friend Lucina, I swear to you that I will keep him from harm!" He placed a fist over his chest and marched off.

"I'm glad you did that," I said.

She held up a note, thank you. Then she wrote another one, pausing briefly before showing me, I think I want to be alone, is that all right?

I froze. "...Are you okay? Did I make you feel..."

It's all right. I'm just tired.

I just looked at her a minute, then I nodded. "I'll see you later?"

She reached out and squeezed my hand, smiling warmly. Then she walked off into the student union.

DORM: SAYA'S ROOM

I went for a run, which didn't help my emotional state like I thought it would, and then I returned to the dorm. I felt frazzled and numb, and I decided that I would try to rest until something happened.

Well, first I went to the student stores and bought a long, rope ladder, just in case I happened to find myself on the fifth floor of a burning building. I also got my stun gun out. I refused to allow myself to be completely helpless.

I set my alarm clock for 10:30 and lay down in bed. Surprisingly, I was exhausted enough to actually fall asleep.

Murderers' Theater was the same, but there was odd static and interference, like a messed-up video stream. Therion talked smoothly about 'narrative' and 'subtext' and 'transportation,' but I couldn't make it out.

But then I looked behind Therion, at JP. There was a figure, distorted and dark, sitting next to him.

A frantic banging at my door woke me suddenly. I bolted upright, looking over at the clock. It was 10:12.

I ran over to the door. "What is it?" I barked.

"Saya." It was Bepi's voice; he sounded shaken. "Juliet is gone."

My chest turned into ice; I felt myself falling. "What?"

"Juliet. Is. Not. There. She escaped."

I opened the door. Bepi stood there with Lucina and Katy. "How?" I asked.

"I don't know; I went to ask her about the pauper thing, and the door was just open. And... I found this." He held up a silver object. I gasped when I realized what it was: a long, sharp icepick. And on the end, a dark stain that was clearly...

"What should we do?" I asked.

"We have to warn everybody," Katy said. "Even if they're going to kill each other anyway. We can't let them just not know she's out somewhere."

"But..." I trailed off, when I saw both Katy and Lucina's expressions.

Bepi sighed. "Yeah, I was already outvoted. But listen." He leaned in, his serious soldier expression carving his face into something scary and fierce. "Stay close. Pay attention to what you smell. And no matter what, do not go near the ROTC. Agreed?"

We all nodded.

MAIN QUAD

But any hope of staying organized died when we stepped outside. We hadn't been able to hear it, but at some point on our way down, an alarm had started going off. It sounded like a wounded animal's cry, and it was coming from the East Quad. "Fuck me," Bepi mumbled. We ran off towards the sound, still huddled tightly together.

EAST QUAD

The light and noise was dazzling at first, but soon I realized what was happening. Flames engulfed the ROTC, blue and white and orange. Barrett stood in the middle of the quad, holding his fists up in the air and yelling at the burning building. An alarm wailed from inside the ROTC as if the building itself was in pain.

We ran over to him (I noticed no dangerous smells except the charcoaly smoke, and I gripped my stun gun tightly). He turned and grinned at us joyfully. "Fucking see it?!" he bellowed. "Ain't it gorgeous?! Ain't it art?!"

"Barrett," I panted, "You have to be careful, okay? Juliet escaped, and..."

"Who fuckin' cares?!" he interrupted. "The bear's dying right now! We're free!"

"But..."

"Wait." Bepi's voice cut me off. "Where's Katy?"

We looked around. The smoke was beginning to billow, but I could still see Lucina, Barrett, Bepi... and that was all. "She was just with us! Where could..."

A sound interrupted me. It was barely perceivable over the fire alarm, but it was horrible and inhuman enough to startle me all the same. It was coming from the tank. It was laughter.

Juliet casually walked out from behind the tank, looking like a ghost in the smoke and firelight. Still shrieking with laughter, she pointed back behind us, at the science building.

I turned just in time to see the body falling down from the roof. It was so light and so small, there wasn't even any sound at all when it hit the pavement.

Ashley Coehlo lay there on her back, staring up at the sky.

Bepi made a strangled, wordless sound. I looked up at the roof, where she had fallen from. There was a figure there, tall and stark and staring down at us. Earl Morale grasped the railing, his mouth hanging open.

Finally, he straightened. "Comrades!" he called, strongly and loudly enough to be heard even over the roar of the fire and the alarm. "You must not let your eyes deceive you! You must trust..." He suddenly turned, looking back behind him. He took a half-step back, as if fearful. "What..."

And then he fucking exploded.

The order it went in was, I saw it, then I heard it, then I understood what I had witnessed. There was the smoke and the flash of fire and light his body suddenly transformed into. Then the pow, the dark, deep, cruel popping noise, so sudden and terrible. And then my mind caught up. He had...

And as pieces started raining down on us, Juliet's shrill laughter continued.