"But enough of my chit-chat." The man up at the from desk had raised his voice again.

"This beauty of a video should tell you everything you need to know." And with that he popped Oneesan's video into the player.

As it played, Oneesan's words were the last breath of normality for the students. This was the legendary video they showed to all victims of the BR act. Now they were seeing it, and all their life up to this point boiled down to the few survival skills gained. Most of them watched it in quiet, digesting Oneesan's words. On the other hand, Kohaku seemed to be getting worse. His small frame was doubled over while grasping his knees, and was making a pitiful sound remindant of a wounded and cornered animal. The video seemed to be making it worse and he was starting to resemble a victim of psychological tourture that was brought before the school to show the children what could happen if you disobeyed the government. The video was almost halfway done and...

"Enough! Turn that stupid thing off! Can't you unfeeling pieces of shit see what the hell you're doing!" Elleanor had gotten out of her seat and ran over to Kohaku, who was next to her. She held his head against her chest and cradled him as he cried and whimpered. Her eyes were full of hatred aimed at the man standing at the head of the class. He smiled with cruel amusement and turned of the TV with a flick of his remote.

"You need to learn your place here girl, and not to talk while your big sister is talking. Did you know that in eighty-five percent of Battle Royales, one or more students were killed by the teacher before the game began just because they pissed him off? If your profile didn't indicate that you were such an amusing character I'd make that eighty-six right now, so hold your tounge!"

The two of them exchanged sharp glances in a few seconds were the only noises were Kohaku's stifled sobs. Elleanor gently ruffled his hair and set him down in his seat. He cried alone for a few more seconds while Elleanor seated herself, all the time keeping an eye on her friend. An awkward silence existed for a few more moments before Takashi, boy number 19, raised his hand.

"Excuse me sir, but could you tell me what happened to my big sister?"

"Takashi Natsuno, is it? Thanks to your strange friend here, the rest of her message cannot be seen. All you need to know that hasn't been said yet is that Big Sister will be giving you each a random weapon which you will use in your battles."

"No, not her, I meant Natsuno Izumi, our teacher and my actual blood sister. I haven't seen her since I fell asleep on the bus."

"Well, that most certainly is a good question, the joy of meeting such a wonderful class for this year almost put her out of my mind. You see, while all of you were napping, the two of us were having a good time. Your sister didn't want her class, and most importantly her little brother, to become involved. Forty-five percent of teachers are as outspoken as her, and I was hoping she'd be one of that crowd. You see, if they object too strongly, we get to do whatever we wish to them. Of course your sister would have no desire to go at it with an utter monster like me, so she needed some persuasion which I highly enjoyed. You don't have much choice when you are tied so tightly that the binds cut into your skin and your lover is cutting you with a beautiful knife. Bring her out boys!"

As Takashi gripped the table with his knuckles turning white, two armed guards wheeled out a stretcher. A body was lying on it, covered in a white sheet. With a smile, the man grabbed the pure white cloth and yanked it off, revealing the mutilated body of the class' teacher and Takashi's sister. Her hair was askew, her clothes were ripped, and she was leaking blood everywhere. She was dead, and it looked like a painful death. Both Takashi and his girlfriend Minako stood up, rage on their faces.

"You… I'll kill you for this!"

"Takashi, wait! We're going to fight him together, together we will make this monster pay!"

The two lovebirds turned back at the class one last time and gave them a friendly look, as if saying goodbye. Then they dashed off towards the monster standing at the edge of the room with their fists held high. Neither of them had been much of warriors before. Minako was the motherly type, always looking out for the weaker girls in the class while Takashi was just a joker filled with youth. They were now the first to change from 3-C because of the BR act, but chances were that they wouldn't be the last.

"It's going to come... the beeping's gonna come.."

"Huh?" Elleanor was paying too much attention to the unfolding scene that she didn't notice her friend's muttering.

"The beeping's gonna come now, and they're gonna die..."

"What are you saying Kohaku?"

But before either of them could say a word, an ominous beeping noise came from Minako's and Takashi's collars. The two stopped in their tracks and, seeming to have a faint premonition, smiled at eachother. They pulled eachother together for one last kiss, Takashi flipped off the man at the head of the class, and then their collars exploded. Most of the class screamed as blood spurted from the holes in Minako's and Takashi's throats. Both Minako's beautiful, dark and long hair and Takashi's short, spiked and dyed blonde were matted with the splashes of their blood, their ebony eyes frozen in an unreadable expression. Still, they were holding hands in a loving grip.

"Kohaku! How did you..." Elleanor stared in wonder at the small boy, how could his prediction have come true to the letter? What would her timid friend know about the Program?

"Now then! Hopefully you are all wiser to what will happen if you become too rebellious. You are here to fight in the Program, not to try and destroy it! So far, every participant who has tried to bring the Program down has died a most painful death, so let this be your warning!" The man's cruel voice had cut into Elleanor's question.

"Now we will send you off, but I forgot to introduce myself! Just call me Nanashi." Half the class already had in mind something far less decent to call the man. "Now then, we will start with girl one, Hikari! Grab your things and off you go!"

40 students remain

---End