Chapter 3: Island Paradise? (Part 2 - Disturbance in Paradise)

(Coyler's note: So I've been getting swamped with loads of work,and I mean LOADS of school work. With my Leaving Cert coming up next year I've gotta study hard and get stuff done,but I don't wanna forget about my writing. I've noticed my last upload and this were a lot shorter than my recent posts clocking in at around 4k words over the usual 5k or 6k. Hopefully that ain't an issue,I just wanna make sure I can get stuff out. Sure a few uploads may be a tad on the shorter side,but that should be all well and good,right? Fingers crossed it is,haven't gotten any questions in the reviews and DM's so I guess everyone wants to read the series blind which is jolly good to be fair,I hate spoilers just as much as the next guy. But still,if you ever got questions or gripes,feel free to add them and I'd be glad to answer. I leave you now with a quote from a very smart man,

"Sometimes my genius is...well it's almost frightening"

- Jeremy Clarkson

Coyler,out!)

All was quiet that morning as everyone slept. While the girls were in there cabins (Brick with one of them) and Shawn was in his,the rest of the guys were still sound asleep in Harold's. Some were on the bed,some on the ground,Lightning was somehow sleeping in the shower while standing up. Despite this,one person had stirred awake and was sitting in the hotel eating breakfast early. Alone she sat,Bridgette was slumped in her chair and rubbing her eyes. A long night of partying from the guys had kept her awake,even worse was that Harold's place was directly across to her left. Add the fact they didn't have real windows and it all equated to one whole night of no sleep but a full of routine of Biggie Cheese jokes,in fact things got even worse when the guys had found a stock of Adam Sandler films. Bridgette bit into her toast and marmalade as the hot air wafted into the room. "Man oh man,those guys sure know how to pull an all nighter" she sighed to herself, "Maybe I should just kick back for the day". Standing up with her coffee,she walked out onto the balcony and took a deep breath of the salty yet tropical sea air as waves battered the coastline and spraying droplets of water onto the railings of the balcony. As she looked out onto the horizon,she began to ponder something. "Hmm,I wonder if it could work" she thought to herself. Eventually she made up her mind and nodded, "Alright,I'll do it! They did it to me,let's see how they like it when we do it to them" she said confidently as she finished her breakfast and began walking off. She arrived on the 2nd Island and made her way to the beach house on the other side of the mountain tunnel. Upon entering she saw it was very dark,as the light switch seemingly wouldn't work. "Hmph,odd. Bulb must've blown" she said to herself,as a mysterious figure appeared behind her holding something. She squinted and looked at the wall at the other side of the pitch black room. "Hey,is tha-" she began. *THWACK*

In Ella's cabin she had woken up a little,unsure of why she felt so warm. Looking to her left she noticed she was being held in Brick's burly arms. She sighed happily and cuddled up to him again as he held her close.

As for the guys,they were finally starting to wake up. Lightning was the first up after he staggered while asleep and fell on the ground sending a toilet plunger up his ass. He gave a loud,high pitched scream which woke the others up. "Heh heh,nice one spaz" Scott giggled woozily as he tried to pull out the plunger. "Aw! OW! Stop!" Lightning cried, "You hurting the sha-Lightning!". "Just hold still and we'll get it out,GOSH!" Harold rasped,as he held Lightning's arms. With a great heave,Scott yoinked the blunger out of the athlete's butt,it being much more dirty than it was before entry. "Aw gross! Somebody toss that would ya?" Topher grumbled as he slowly awoke. "On it" Alejandro yawned,grabbing the clean part and chucking it out the window. "Good god my back hurts" Alejandro moaned,rubbing his spine, "I must say,these floors are quite uncomfortable". "Sorry dude,if I had built it the quality would have been much higher" said Harold. Topher agreed, "With enough good materials we could probably turn at least one of these things around. Could make a great episode of Motel Madness" he mused. Standing and doing some stretches for about 20 minutes,they all filed out to return to their own cabins in order to clean up and get ready to start the day.

"Whew,that was refereshing" Topher said to himself as he left his room. As he began walking towards the hotel he noticed Brick leaving Ella's place with a spring in his step. "Shit,Brick doesn't know I saw what happened last night. Probably best I keep it to myself" he thought. Brick realised Topher had seen him,his face turning a little red as he started to sweat. "Ah Topher! I have been meaning to talk to you about something of the upmost importance" he said,marching in Topher's direction. "What's up?" Topher asked. Brick got close enough,grabbing Topher by the collar of his shirt and pulling him close, "I know what you saw last night" the cadet whispered. Topher looked shocked but Brick gave him a look, "What? You don't think I wouldn't hear someone sitting right outside the window? They don't call me the Ultimate Soldier for nothing" he grinned, "I know men will be men,but keep this whole me and Ella thing on the down-low would ya?" he asked. Topher was embarrased that Brick knew he had witnessed his sexual act,but agreed. "Thanks Topher,I'm glad I can trust you" he said. The two shared a powerful handshake,a loud clap sounding off as their hands joined together. "Brick really seems like a neat guy. Very by the books,clearly has his needs. At the end of the day he probably just wanted some love which makes sense. Military guys don't get much woman love from the interviews I've done. Hearing Brick say he can trust makes me feel an odd warmth,not in the gay way obviously,but in a way that makes me feel like he's a friend" Topher thought to himself,smiling as they held their handshake, "I think Brick and I grew a little closer today".

Heading inside the restaurant most of the remaining students were now awake. The girls were all chatting away excitedly,which caught the curiosity of Topher and Brick. "What's up with them?" Brick asked,pointing at the girls. "Apparently they wanna have a loud beach party to get back at us for keeping them up last night" said Harold,sipping his tea and looking a magazine he had gotten from the Rocket Punch Market. "Seriously?" asked Topher, "Heh,talk about petty". Scott gave an agreeing frown/smile, "Your goddamn right" he said, "You hear that ladies! We were having some guy fun,you ladies aren't in the right" he called over his shoulder. "Ugh,go eat some dirt Farm Boy" Amy spat. "For real,I know guys will be guys but did you have to stay up causing such a racket?" asked Scarlett. Lightning rolled his eyes, "Sha-please. As if a bunch of dumb chicks could ever understand the teamwork and partnership of a group of hard hitting,rock solid,touch-down slamming sha-dudes" he laughed. "Pfft,whatever" muttered Amy. Topher rolled his eyes. Eventually Amy caved,kicking Scott in the shin as the girls all left to go and get changed. The guys also returned back to their cabins. All but two. As Topher began to stand up,he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Hey man,got a little proposition for ya" said Scott, "Wanna hear? GREAT! Here goes: WE 'accidentally' bump into the girls at the diner. Once we're basically they it ain't like they can kick us out or make us leave" he explained, "Whaddaya say?". Topher was unsure of how to respond with Scott's plan,wanting nothing more than to go to bed. But on one hand this was the first time Scott had asked to hang out and he seemed pretty hyped about doing this. "Well...I guess it wouldn't hurt to try and pull this off" Topher thought. "Aw what the hell,let's do it" he smirked. Scott punched the air, "NICE! I knew we'd see eye to eye on this. Let's grab our gear and make a move". They left the building and grabbed their required gear needed to complete this goal. Once stocked up,they headed to the 2nd Island and hid inside the diner.

"This is fucking boring!" Scott whined,as he lay down on one of the chairs inside the diner. "This was your idea dude" said Topher, "Besides,we've only been here for 10 minutes". Scott slapped his forehand and dragged his hand down his face, "It feels so much longer". "Got no concept of time?" Topher asked. Scott shook his head, "Not really. Back on the farm my Papi is the only one who can tell time. For the rest of us we just look at where the sun is in the sky,when it rises and when it sets" he explained. "How goes it?" asked Topher, "The work I mean". Scott scratched the hairs on the back of his neck, "It is what it is,I've grown used to the hard labour. Lifting animals,ploughing the fields by pulling the plough with my bare hands and cutting up bales of hay. Guess that's why Hope's Peak called me the Ultimate Farmer" he chuckled, "It's hot and heavy work,being out in the sun all day really puts colour into your face. But nothing beats my favourite part of the day - sitting in my chair with a mug of tea watching the TV. Yep,makes me feel like a King in a castle". Topher was impressed, "That sounds like a whole lot of work. Don't you wish you could do something else?". Scott thought about this,folding his arms and looking at the floor, "Sometimes the idea of moving to America and being a stock car driver has came to mind,it's something I've probably always wanted to do" he said, "But I'm the blood and sweat of my family,without me my family's business might go bust,y'know?" he said,sounding somewhat sad. "So what you mean is,you wanna drive cars but can't bring yourself to ditch your family?" Topher asked. Scott nodded, "Ayup,that's about it. I would if I could,trust me. Maybe if someone similar or better than me stood up then my racing dreams could really happen. But right now as it stands,that ain't happening for a long time" he explained,sighing. "Sounds like he's had it rough his entire life,I sure as hell couldn't single handedly run a farm all by myself like he can. Maybe one day he can achieve his dream of becoming a race car driver. If only we can escape" Topher though to himself, "I think Scott and I grew a little closer today".

As the two continued to sit and look out for the girls,Scott noticed something outside. "Hey check it out" he said,pointing outside. "What's up?" Topher asked,sauntering over. Once he looked out he was met with quite a peculiar sight. There was Bridgette quickly running down the road past all the buildings with a distressed expression on her face and what looked to be a red substance on her clothes. She ran towards the bridge that went to the Centre Island and vanished across the horizon. Topher and Scott glanced at each other. "That was weird" Scott mumbled before letting out a large belch. "Yeah,weird" said Topher, "Wonder what that was about?" he thought to himself. Things got even stranger when Shawn walked into the diner and was caught off guard by Topher and Scott's presence. "WOA-h-hey! IT'S YOU GUYS!" he yelled awkwardly. "Um,yup. It's us" said Scott. "Dude where the fuck did you go last night? You just vanished outta nowhere after doodling for the whole night" said Topher in a slightly annoyed tone. Shawn's face went red, "S-sorry guys,I was writing a note to someone". Scott quirked his eyebrow, "Oh yeah? Who was it for then?". Shawn bit his lip, "I-i...I don't wanna say. It's...embarrassing to talk about". Topher and Scott glanced at each other. "You buying this?" Scott asked. Topher shook his head, "An embarrassing letter that kept you from talking with the guys and having a great night? This is bad comedy". "Hmph,shut up! If you guys are gonna be like that then I'll just go eat somewhere else" Shawn pouted as he turned around. As he spun round,some red patches could be seen on the inside of Shawn's sleeves,as well as on the back of his toque. Shawn walked out as Topher and Scott shared a mischievous fist bump.

Soon it was starting to get dark,but the waiting paid off as the girls finally arrived. Scott rubbed his hands together, "Finally! About time they showed up". "It's night time" said Topher,pointing outside. The girls walked into the diner and were disgusted to see the two boys. "Seriously? You two are here?" Amy groaned. "Happy to see me?" Scott smirked. "Oh my gag,you wish" Amy coughed. "You know this was a girls only evening,what's the deal?" Heather pouted, "My guess is that you just wanna perv on us". Topher shooked his head,"Meh,he probaby does" he said while pointing at Scott, "I just want a bit of a laugh". "Shut up man!" Scott hissed,punching Topher in the stomach. Scarlett rolled her eyes, "Go back to the hotel guys,we don't want here". Topher rolled his eyes too, "Oh well,sucks to be you gals that it isn't the first World War so you can't conscientiously object. We apologise for keeping you all awake,but even if you don't want us here there's nothing you can really do" he grinned. Heather and Amy were seething with anger and rage,but Scarlett had a contempt yet annoyed face. "Look,what is it that you want? We might be able to cut a deal" Scarlett muttered. "What?" Heather exclaimed. "You can't be real!" Amy scowled. Scott and Topher looked at each other. "Can you give us a second?" Scott asked. The girls nodded. The two turned around and began whispering and muttering to each other in a way that the girls couldn't understand. Soon they finished and turned around with arms folded and pointing their noses in the air. "We request to join you in your escapade to consume beverages and have a fine good time" said Topher in a British accent. "That's all you want?" Scarlett asked. The boys both nodded,maintaining their posh stances. Scarlett glanced at Heather and Amy,who were frowning and shaking their heads. Scarlett massaged her temples and took a long sigh, "Fine fine. 3 drinks each,then you go back to your cabins and leave us alone". "Make it 5 drinks" said Scott. "4" said Scarlett sternly. "Deal" Topher and Scott said simultaneously as they shook her hands. "Alright already,let's just go and get this over with" Amy grumbled. "Aren't you gonna eat first?" Heather asked. Amy shook her head, "I've lost my appetite" she grumbled,stomping off. The others shrugged it off and headed off to the cove to get changed into their swimsuits. Little did they know their night was about to come crashing down.

As they walked out of the tunnel they tried to walk inside through the back door but couldn't get it open. "No biggie just walk around" said Topher. The students walked around the beach house,although they noticed there was no light coming from inside but they just assumed it was just a move to save power. Walking inside,Scott switched on the light which came on immediately. However it might've been better if it had stayed off. Something quite noticeable caught they eyes of everyone.

-Spread across the floor was a river of blood,which lead across the floor to the head of Jasmine Jones,the Ultimate Hunter. Her body was leaning up against the back entrance and forcing it shut,a bloodied baseball bat lay on the ground next to her-

"Oh c'mon! Another death?!" Scott exclaimed angrily. The girls went pale (or paler in Heather's case) while Topher was in nothing but shock. Soon Monokuma's announcement could be heard: "A BODY HAS BEEN DISCOVERED! AFTER A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME THE THIRD CLASS TRIAL WILL BE HELD! REMEMBER,IT'S ALL ON THE LINE SO GET TO INVESTIGATING!" he chortled. Topher looked gutted, "I can't believe it's happened again. After everything we did last night someone's been murdered". Scott looked confident, "And I think I know who did it" he said. Scarlett looked him dead in the eyes, "You know the culprit?". Scott nodded, "Yep,I pretty certain. No way I'm saying yet,I wanna do some investigating first". But before Scott could walk off to conduct his own research,Monokuma appeared in the doorway of the beach house. "Ello ello ello,wot's all dis den?" he said in a British accent. "One of those losers got killed,nothing much" said Amy,jerking her thumb at Jasmine's corpse. "Ay don't call her that" said Topher,shoving the cheerleader. Amy stepped back glaring at him, "You beg my pardon?". Topher pointed at Amy, "She wasn't a loser,she was our friend. If you don't care then just get outta here". Amy looked disgusted, "Pfft,you better watch your mouth" she pouted, "C'mon Heather,we don't need these idiots". Heather was taken aback,looking between Topher,Amy and Jasmine. "Um...y-yeah,sure" she said calmly, "I'll see you morons at the trial" she said,snootily walking away as Amy grinned and sauntered away. Monokuma couldn't help but laugh as he watched Amy and Heather leave,as Scott,Topher and Scarlett were left in the beach house. "Well well,since they obviously don't wanna partake in the super fun investigation,they won't get to look at this" he said,brandishing some ipads, "It's the MONOKUMA FILE!" he giggled,throwing them at the three standing there.

As Monokuma left laughing and chortling to himself,the three looked around the room and then at each other. "Guess it's just us taking the investigation then" said Topher. "We should be fine. With my brain,Scott's hunch and your previous work in trials we should be just fine" agreed Scarlett. "Make that four people!" came a voice. Standing in the doorway,Alejandro walked into the room at first looking cheery but then horrified at the crime scene that had appeared before her. "Good gracious,that's a much more disturbing death compared to what I was told" he shuddered. "Where'd you hear about the kill?" Scott asked. "Amy and Heather informed me on the incident. Originally I was coming here to enjoy a few ice cold beers,but wanted to make sure no one was here so I could bask in peace quiet. Although now I'm relieved this discovery wasn't my own" Alejandro explained. Topher gave a partially relieved sigh, "Sure Scott isn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed,but he means well. As for Scarlett and Alejandro those two are really smart so there's no doubt they can't uncover something of worth" he thought to himself. "Okay,enough waiting around" said Scarlett as she pushed up her glasses like a Discord Moderator, "Let's get to investigating".

Topher monologue: The victim is Ms Jasmine Jones,the Ultimate Hunter. Time of death was around 11am this morning. Cause of death was from blunt force trauma by a metal baseball bat to the skull. She most likely died instantly from the damage as her skull was cracked really badly. We searched around the inside of the beach house and found some interesting clues. The lock to the shower room was broken off,meaning someone entered despite it being off limits. The shower hadn't been turned on,but the window was open. From how high it was the culprit probably didn't escape out the window. But how on earth could they have escaped without going through the back door or going through the window? Confusing to say the least. For some reason there was a surfboard lying in the shower itself. Maybe it was used to open the window?

Alejandro monologue: While Topher and Scarlett checked out the beach house,I decided to investigate where the supposed weapon had came from. One thing I noticed when walking to the beach house was an odd single footprint in the sand. It looks like someone walked through while only leaving one print. Anyway,I arrived at the Rocket Punch Market and saw that on the wall of sports equipment there was indeed a single baseball bat missing which I noticed by the space on the wall. After that I went to the hotel,there was something I noticed last night that I need to assure myself with.

Scarlett monologue: I took the job of checking out the body and equipment closet. One peculiar detail I noticed was that there was some strange blotches in the blood on the floor. One in a triangle shape,one that looked like shorts and one that looked like a sandal. I next moved to the equipment closet and didn't find too much. There was however a surfboard case that was open with some strands of blonde hair in. Perhaps the killer tried to hide for a bit before giving up and returning to their cabin. There was also a surfboard missing,but I doubt it had anything to do with the murder.

Scott monologue: I already knew who the culprit was so my search wasn't that long. Though between me and this voice in my head,I did lose track of time watching her shower through the shutters. Heh heh,what can I say? A man has needs that can't be fulfilled anywhere else.

Time had finally ran out,but luckily everyone had finished their investigation in time. Monokuma spoke over the loud speakers: MIC TEST,MIC TEST...1,2,3. CAN EVERYONE HEAR ME? YOU'D BETTER HOPE SO! ALL STUDENTS REPORT TO MOUNT MONOKUMAMORE ON THE CENTRE ISLAND PRONTO,IT'S TIME FOR MY FAVOURITE PART - TRIAL TIME! PUHUHUHUHUHU!. "Looks like it's finally time" said Topher to Scarlett. She nodded, "Seems like it. Let's get a move on,chances are we might get punished like Izzy did". The two looked at Jasmine's lifeless corpse and sighed. "Don't worry Jasmine" said Topher, "We'll find your killer or die". They left the beach house and strolled to the Centre Island in silence. Eventually they reached the meeting place. It was very fitting of it's name,as it appeared to be a giant mountain of Monokuma heads,carved out of stone in a similar way to Mount Rushmore. The other eleven students were stood outside,listening to Alejandro and Scott who had finished explaining the basic jist of the case. "Just awful" said Brick. Lightning agreed, "Yeah,her stance must've been all kinds of sha-weak when she lost in a fight despite being the sha-biggest". Heather interjected, "He means it's awful that she died numbskull". Lightning blinked as the gears turned in his head before he realised what they both meant. "Oh,of course! Lightning knew that,I'm a smart sha-guy" he championed. "HEY HEY KIDDOS! QUIT THE CHATTING AND LET'S GET TO THE DEBATING!" Monokuma yelled through a loud speaker, "GET YOUR REAR ENDS ON THE ESCALATOR AND DESCEND IN THE ELEVATOR!". They all looked around,but couldn't see an escalator anywhere. "What kinda malfunction are you having sir? There's no escalator anywhere" snapped Brick,his unibrow furrowed. A growl could be heard from the loudspeaker, "WATCH YOUR TONE YOUNG MAN,OR ELSE YOU'LL RECIEVE A SPECIAL PUNISHMENT MUCH LONGER AND PAINFUL-ER THAN IZZY'S" he grumbled, "YOUR ESCALATOR IS COMING...A-RIGHT NOW!". Brick winced as the ground began to rumble. The middle Monokuma rock head opened it's mouth,causing a large escalator to emerge and slam into the sand. With slight hesitation,everyone stepped on one by one and rode up to the top. Once there,they stepped into the elevator and began their descent into deep darkness.

"And so we began plumeting into the seemingly endless abyss. If not for the light of the elevator our ride would've been in both silence and darkness" Topher thought in his mind, "Darkness covers more than light,but light can shine brighter and overcome the darkness. Jasmine Jones the Ultimate Hunter,we didn't speak to her much,but she was a kind girl who wouldn't have used her skills for evil. But someone has taken her life and shrouded us in darkness. We can't let darkness win,we must find her killer and defeat their logic to take away their darkness and bring them into the light! We'll do it here and we'll do it now,no punches or arguments held back. It's time for the third class trial!".

-TO BE CONTINUED-

(Coyler's note: well this was an interesting part to write but I think it came out pretty well all things considered. Jasmine died,and while I wish I could've done more I just wasn't entirely sure on what to do exactly. So rather than butcher her with words,I had someone kill her off with a baseball bat to the skull. Who was that culprit you may ask? You'll just have to follow and favourite to find out next time,on Total Despair Academy! Coyler,out!)