Hello all! I've decided to post this chapter sooner than I originally planned. Hopefully it'll help me motivate myself to finish the second half of this fic.

Focus on my studies? What a terrible idea. What idiotic reason did I give myself that I thought it would go smoothly? What have we even covered in today's lectures?

They are lucky. They only have to worry about midterms, preparatory exams for universities, and what they're going to have for dinner. They do not have the weight of the world on their shoulders.

It was a cliché that used to make me chuckle when… Haru would lightheartedly chastise me for being so serious all the time. It made me feel better. Knowing that my problems were only as cumbersome as I permitted them to be. That they only affected me as much as I let them.

It's no longer an abstract idea. A supposed killer remains at large on this campus. I understand how things work at the top. My father made certain that I was aware of the upper world and the rules that govern it.

If not me, then who? Jack?

It was a relief that the lectures passed quickly. The professors largely respected my desire to avoid being an example, and left me alone in the back of the class. I was not expected to provide answers to questions or hypotheticals, as was my usual responsibility, and it was a type of isolation in and of itself. It was a hassle to write in my notebook, but bringing my recently smashed laptop would surely have brought even more attention to my return.

I wasn't sure that I enjoyed it. I was all too eager to leave the room and escape into the hallway.

Bringing lunch back to my seat in the classroom had been a different challenge, particularly as we all had to go as one large group. I was unable to travel anywhere else on the campus while we moved as a class, as the teacher had us move as one large pod. She had a clipboard in her hands and printed out photos of each of us from our class roster, and she constantly verified that she still had each student.

As I stood in line at the cafeteria, another crowd gathered around me. I managed to placate them by saying that I was busy with my investigation and needed to use my time in line here to focus and think.

More lies.

My stomach twisted. It was the combination of knowing that I was lying to the other students and to Haru's memory that made it worse.

I knew the killer. I knew what he did. I saw the remains of the scene with my own two eyes. I saw her crushed head, cracked and bloody, as it sat in the grass. It was all that was left of her. Her severed head was the only part the stupid wolf refused to consume.

Was it because he was disgusted with himself and he couldn't face the face of his victim, or was he saving it for later like some kind of dessert? Which is worse? Was it that he was too much of a coward in that moment to follow through with his actions or was he so much of a sadist that he was going to enjoy her final remains as his own edible trophy?

My stomach churned even more as I thought about what Legoshi had become that night. I saw only a fraction of it the next day in the rehearsal building, but it was more than enough to know that the wolf was a dangerous carnivore who had more natural killing strength than I could comprehend. And far more than I could contend with, if that kind of situation came to pass.

How could any herbivore delve into the mind of a carnivore? How would I ever understand the reasoning behind the innate desire for living flesh? What is the character of an individual in this world in the context of instincts? How much of instinctual desire is warranted in his judgment?

I saw the wolf every time my eyes closed. His red eyes, his bloodlust, and his sharp claws greeted me each and every time I did. Her face, her beady eyes, and her blood joined him in their circular dance inside my mind as I sank further into this dark spiral that punished me every moment I drew a breath.

There would never be a reprieve. I had not earned that. In my callousness, I pushed her away and I failed to protect her. Her suffering was short and had long since passed and his repercussions were hidden by his coma and my failure to report him to the authorities. That left only the dog and myself in the fallout.

Speaking of the dog.

I spotted Jack waiting for me at the door. He indeed had been serious and was where we agreed to meet. I had half considered that he would change his mind and not show up. He didn't wave to me as his right arm was in a sling and his left was full of books, but he did acknowledge my presence with a small smile.

"So, you were serious about coming." I crossed my arms.

"Of course," he said as his smile fell into a frown. "Can you help me put these books in my bag and then we'll go?"

I grabbed the three books tucked into the crook of his arm and unzipped his bookbag. Curiosity got the better of me and I glanced through what I could see, but nothing caught my attention.

"Ready?" I asked as I zipped his bag back up.

"If you are," he replied, tone somewhere between a question and a comment. Maybe he was indeed a bit nervous?

I pushed open the door with my uninjured hand and Jack followed behind me. We followed the straight path from the main building to the Drama Club's building. I wasn't aware of many of the recent updates, and Jack filled me in on the way. I was unsurprised to learn about the impending segregation of the club, but it was interesting that the club would be allowed to continue in its segregated form. More than that, it was concerning. Many members of the club would struggle to accept such a shakeup. For the moment, everyone had the Adler performance to focus their attention, so they couldn't afford to be distracted.

Perhaps that is why the school board will allow the performance to continue as scheduled. It gives the entire student body something to look forward to and a distraction from the devourings.

The building was in view now and a small crowd was gathered in front. No doubt that it was the club members. I felt sweat forming again under my armpits. My ears twitched.

"It'll be okay," Jack whispered as we got closer.

"Louis! It's so great to see you!" The cheers of the club members were overwhelming. They surrounded me, herbivores and carnivores alike.

"We've been practicing every day and we'll all be ready for Adler!" Sanu, the president of the club and basically in charge whenever I was gone, was practically beaming when he told me.

"Louis! You're not going to let them segregate the club, are you? They can't do that!" shrieked Kibi, glancing towards Tao next to him, who nodded in affirmation of the statement.

"Are you really going to find the killer? You're just amazing, Louis! We were all so worried because you weren't here, and Legoshi's now in the hospital, and we're just struggling to keep it all together to be honest!" Els stared at me with those pleading eyes that made everything she said all the more uncomfortable.

Legoshi…

I hadn't forgotten about him. I never would be able to, but it had slipped my mind in the walk here.

I felt sick.

"Okay everyone, let's give Louis some space to breathe!" Large paws clapped together and everyone stopped. Riz smiled at me.

The crowd that was gathered around me took a step back. It didn't help the nausea.

"Hey Jack, it's good to see you again. Seems you were successful in finding Louis." Riz walked behind me and the crowd towards Jack. His ears flicked, as did his tail nub. "I think we all owe you for what you've done, especially with the way this club has had to band together after Legoshi. I'm glad we don't have to say goodbye to another member of this family." He clasped his hand on Jack's uninjured shoulder.

Jack flinched slightly.

"So! Louis!" My attention snapped back to the other members. "Tell us what's going on! Have you spoken to Headmaster Gon yet? You're not going to let him separate us, right? Did you hear that they moved the play up to tomorrow? How are we going to be ready to perform by then? Have you gone to see Legoshi? Is he okay?" They were speaking over each other now.

Their eyes pleaded, each and every pair. My brain shut down. Whatever speech I had planned was gone and I couldn't pull any of it back.

Tomorrow? The play is tomorrow?

A paw, large and strong, rested on my shoulder. I looked to see Riz over my shoulder. He squeezed tightly, to the point where it was starting to hurt.

"Come on, guys! We can't all speak over him if we want to know what he's going to say." He released his grip.

I rubbed my shoulder with my uninjured hand. "Yes, thank you, Riz. Everyone, I assure you that I am working as hard as I can to save this club. All I can ask of you all is to continue practicing and working to make this year's performance of Adler the best that our school has ever seen. I understand that now we have had our rehearsal time cut down to just tonight and tomorrow afternoon, but this is why we have been practicing for months. We will convince the school board and Headmaster Gon and hopefully show the entire city that Adler represents more…" I lost my voice. I didn't know how to finish my thought.

Lack of certainty. "Hopefully?"

"That's right. Just from the short time I was here earlier, I know that everyone is putting in so much work for the show. I am so excited to see it and I know that Tem and Legoshi would be so proud of your effort."

As Jack walked next to me, I noticed a tear in the corner of his eye. His words were nice, but it mostly seemed like he was copying me. Well, piggybacking off of what I said and then he added in the part about Tem and Legoshi. Which, upon looking at the sudden change in the mood, only confirmed that he had thoroughly ruined whatever upward swell there had been in the group.

Good job, mutt.

"Ah, forget that mopey loner! We'll put on a great performance because that's who we are! We're the Drama Club and we're the best that this school has to offer! Right, Louis?" Bill all but shoved Jack out of the way to stand next to me and wrap his arm around my shoulder.

Almost was a good statement from that meathead.

"Uh, correct, Bill."

"See, you heard the man! Now, let's stop dicking around and get a few reps in of this final fight scene with Adler. Louis, you're feeling up to rehearsing, right? I know you've got the lines memorized no problem, but we want to just go over the motions before tomorrow." Bill pulled me to the side as everyone else, minus Jack and Riz, headed inside the building.

More than a little crude, even for a tiger like him.

Once they were all out of earshot, Bill got in my face. "Hey, you feeling alright, dude? And where the Hell have you really been? Two club members were dead, at least we thought so, and then you were gone, and then all the news about cancelled classes, and then class segregation, and now the club is going to be fucked up! And then, not that it is like the most important thing right now, but you haven't been here to rehearse Adler, or to lead the rest of us, or anything! And just this afternoon, we found out that we have to perform tomorrow! The Arts Department is going to have to rush to build the stage and not to mention the costumes!" His growls had turned into snarls and his claws were exposed as he yelled at me.

I know. You don't have to rub it in my face. I already…

"Bill, you have to calm down." Riz stepped in between us. "Everyone has been through a lot recently and we don't want to rock the boat any further. It's important that we all stay calm and just try to move on. We don't want anyone to do something they might regret. Especially with so many eyes that will be on us tomorrow."

It seemed to work. Bill's shoulders relaxed and his fur settled.

"Fine, but I'm still pissed that he comes back and acts like it's all normal and that we're not on a sinking ship. As if just saying some motivational words and slapping a bandaid on it will fix everything." He stepped around the bear so he could look me in the eyes before he turned to head inside.

Riz looked at me. "Don't worry so much about them. I don't think they'll cause you any more problems. They're just worried and frustrated at the situation. Once everyone gets warmed up and starts rehearsing, they'll go back to normal and we can put all of this behind us and move on. As we should have done all along." He mused the last sentence to himself as he turned and walked towards the building.

I was left alone with Jack. He didn't immediately walk over to me, but I could feel that energy radiating from his body. The dog wanted nothing more than to come over to me and continue doing this stupid act where he would pretend to be overly friendly, and helpful, and comforting, and understanding and…

"Are you alright, Louis?"

And ask me the same questions over and over.

"I'm fine, Jack. I knew they'd have strong emotions," I began. "I just didn't think they'd be so… right." I whispered it more to myself than to him, but his ears drooped, so he must have heard me.

Why did I have the arrogance to think they wouldn't be mad? That they wouldn't be able to easily call me out for my mistakes?

"Yeah, and I suppose I didn't help all that much, either."

I snorted. "That's an understatement." I looked at him, a sudden question coming to mind. "Did you really come here looking for me?"

"Well, yeah. I was trying to find you, and you weren't attending classes and I couldn't get into your dorm area to find your room. So, I came here because I couldn't imagine that you wouldn't be leading the Drama Club through all this. I never expected that you'd be hiding in that shed."

Again with these words of leadership and being in charge. It didn't used to be so difficult to hear them or to be a leader. To know that cowardice…

He must have seen my expression darken.

"Ah, I messed up again, didn't I? Sorry."

Guess Legoshi got his social skills from Jack.

I shook my head. "You know, you're pretty awful at comforting others. It's no wonder everything Legoshi said was weird and he sulked around like a depressed hunchback if he was hanging around you."

It was Jack's turn to display a negative expression and my turn to realize I had put my foot in my mouth.

"Ah… sorry." I looked down as I mumbled.

"It's… fine. You can just go inside now. I'll hang around out here until you're done. See if there's anything weird that happens out here."

I looked at him. He had soaked streaks on his cheeks. "Are you sure? It'll be a while. We probably won't be done until dusk, or even later."

Seeing his posture deteriorating reminded me of the hunchback comment that I made earlier.

Seems I'm just as good with my words as he is.

"That's fine. I need to be alone for a little bit. I'll be here when you're done and then maybe we can go look at Tem's memorial and the abandoned room." He wiped his face and continued to avoid looking at me.

"Let's go, Louis! Everyone's in place!" Bill's voice broke the silence that had been growing around us. He didn't wait for my response and shut the door with a slam.

"… Sure, Jack." I turned to walk away from him and felt the ache in my stomach that only came from one feeling: shame.

And that's all for this chapter. They made it to the Drama Club, and drama is certainly an apt word to use to describe it. If I could ask all of you, what are some of your predictions of what you think is going to happen in this fic and also in the conclusion of the story? I'd like to gauge how I am setting up the plot points and if I need to adjust certain aspects of future chapters to make things clearer. Thanks!

As always, comments and constructive feedback are always welcomed and appreciated. Until next time!