Monokuma suddenly popped up! "Wow! Two for two! You kids sure are lucky! Yes indeed you got it right again for the second time in a row! The blackened who killed Sienna Donnelly, the Ultimate Figure Skater, was none other than Brenda Bates!" He roared out happily.
But no one else erupted in cheers like that monster. Everyone's attention was solely focused on Brenda as she shamefully averted making eye contact with any of us.
"So then it's really true? Brenda... killed poor Sienna?" Willie asked quietly, trying to make full sense of this which wasn't surprising. I still couldn't believe it.
'Someone as bubbly and happy-go-lucky as her... resorted to murder? How can that be?' I tried to make sense of this in my head but it was all too bizarre for me to comprehend.
Soon Brenda, defeated, slowly removed the giant, pink bracelet from her wrist and revealed the bandage that was in fact hidden underneath. The bracelet lightly fell from her loosely open hand as Mikayla looked to her. "So you're the one who took advantage of us. And I helped you kill her. I helped you murder Sienna."
"Mikayla..." Luca tried to calm her but she shot her head at him.
"NO! Don't try to make this better! Nothing you say will make this better!" Mikayla then looked back to Brenda. "I trusted you... I believed you would help me protect Sienna with the others and you took advantage of us! If I didn't give you that EpiPen then Sienna would still be here! To think I gave the killer the murder weapon will haunt me forever! So why?! WHY!?"
Brenda didn't respond. I stepped up, cupped her chin, and made her look at me. "Was it the motive I chose?"
Brenda's eyes darted to the side as my heart shattered. I continued talking. "It was. Y-You said that no one would kill for that money. You promised we all would make it out together but that was all part of your act, wasn't it?"
After another silent exchange she finally spoke. "Yeah, it was. My only goal was to get you to let your guards down and make you all believe I was also a victim in this. I... I planned everything out. From giving you false confidence with my shitty inspirational speech and cheesy punchline to planning on how I'd get you all to discover Sienna's body."
Marcel looked at her confused. "But how would discovering the body convince us you were a victim?"
Paul looked to Monokuma. "Hey! Explain to us how the body discovery announcement works!"
Monokuma looked surprised. "What isn't it obvious? Then again I don't recall explaining how it does work to all of you, so better late than never! When three or more people discover a body for the first time that is when the announcement is played!"
"Wait you said all of us... did you already explain this rule to someone?" Damian asked warily.
"It was me. I... asked Monokuma last night when I separated from the others." Brenda admitted.
Melinda huffed. "Figures. You took advantage of the announcement to make you seem like you were innocent. By having three people alongside you when you directed them to the body that announcement would play when they found it, ensuring they'd believe it played since you all found it."
"That's not all. You chose three people in particular to help sell that. Mikayla since she was closest to Sienna, myself because of the motive, and Marcel because..." I trailed off. I knew he was too stupid for his own good but I didn't want to say it.
That didn't stop Mikayla however. "Because he's a brainless moron that should have died! Not her!"
"W-What?" The color seeped from Marcel's face as he stuttered a bit at her.
"Was that money truly too enticing for you? Are you so greedy that you'd kill for money?" Mikayla asked her as her fists shook.
Melinda sighed in disappointment at Mikayla. "Well she is the Ultimate Collector. She lives off making random and dumb collections out of anything else in the world. Collectors need to collect and how do they do so? By buying shit off eBay and Amazon. How to do that? Have money. One million dollars would definitely benefit a collector to successfully win any bet and complete any collection with ease."
"You're right about that." Brenda agreed with Melinda. "I am greedy. I'm so selfish and picky about my collections that I strive to make them perfect. In most cases I would take what was necessary to make sure my collections are completed. But that wasn't my intent! I wasn't going to use that money to buy shit! I wanted it to repay my financial debt!"
My eyes widened in shock. "Your debt?"
Brenda slowly nodded. "The debt I am in with my family. I did have a part-time job at my local movie theatre, shelling popcorn and cotton candy to people just so I could make money to spend on my collections. But soon my expectations rose too high for my own good and I bought things I couldn't afford. I had to resort asking for help. My parents were skeptical at first but I promised them I would pay them back. Soon I was caught in a loop. Buying too expensive items, begging for money with a promise to repay my family that would never be fulfilled, and then it would rinse and repeat. Over and over and over. I was addicted. It was so bad I even stole money from my parent's wallets or from my siblings' allowances without their knowing when they refused me. But somehow they kept track of all the money I owed them and I would never get them paid back with the shit job I had. Then one day my dad approached me and told me I had to get them paid back somehow and it needed to happen fast. I tried to promise him I would avoid buying anything and give him every paycheck I received until my debt was paid but he wasn't convinced. Despite their initial support in my hobby by building me my collection hut they soon felt it was a mistake. So he gave me two options. I had to either pay them back by the end of the year which working that one job would never do or they would take as much out of my collections and sell them to get them their money back. I couldn't let that happen so I worked my ass off as soon as I got out of school and begged to stay as late as I could at work. I lost my weekends to work off my debt but it wouldn't be enough."
"But then I had a breakthrough. Despite the fact my collections were hanging by a thin thread, people still loved to come and see them. I was even charging an entrance fee by that point as my family overlooked that since I was always working. Then a few months ago one man entered hearing all the commotion about some girl's outstanding collections and he asked my dad about the collections and who was the one behind them. He explained to the man about my addiction and how him allowing me to continue on it has put me under major financial debt with my entire family. I came home late that night to find the Japanese man sitting in my living room with my family as they were waiting for me. It was soon explained that he was a scouter for the new Hope's Peak being built in Los Angeles. He said that there was so much potential for an inspiring, dedicated, young collector as myself and invited me to attend Hope's Peak for the next school year. My family was weary about it thinking that it would make things worse for me but he told them that all we need to do is focus on developing our talents and we could graduate. He even said that the Ultimate Collector would learn how to bid, budget, and be smarter about buying things. When I heard that I begged them to let me go. I pleaded and promised I would work hard to learn how to be a true collector who's smart about their money and would get them paid back after I graduate. After discussing it far into the night, my parents agreed this would be my final chance since I did give up so much free time to try and work off a debt that would never be paid by their original due date."
"Oh Brenda..." Tommy whispered sadly with his hands over his chest, looking heart-felt.
Brenda began trembling. "I thought I'd finally have a chance to truly perfect my talent so that I could be smarter about collecting and repay my debt to my family. But then... I found myself trapped in the school and in a killing game! All that preparation and working I was gonna do during my time here was blown out the window when our lives were put on the line! I knew that if I did manage to survive that I would be right back where I started but my parents would likely sell everything I spent my entire life building just to get their money back! I knew I'd lost as soon as I stepped into this hellhole! But then Kai was ordered to choose a motive and what he chose was perfect. It was my one chance to ensure my family got their money and my collections would be safe. I just had to take it! I couldn't afford someone else taking advantage of the motive first so I struck! And I chose to kill Sienna because she was the weakest person here! She was the only one I knew I would be able to kill when it came down to it. Marcel is dumb but he's still strong enough to over power me." By this point she was in tears again.
Marcel sighed. "Well at least someone had something nice to say about me."
"But I underestimated her strength however. She had drive to live and the adrenaline she must have felt was strong enough for her to hurt me when I struck her with the EpiPen. And... she knew of my killing intent when I approached her." Brenda suddenly told us.
Mikayla looked most jarred by that. "S-She knew?"
Monokuma began laughing manically. "BWAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHA! That sounds like my cue! I am very happy to present another thrilling installment of "The Victim's Final Moments"! Watch this!"
The big monitor that had displayed the voting time tally appeared as security footage began playing like before when Jayden had killed himself from Evelyn's hypnotic suggestion. However this time Brenda was seen casually waiting outside the door of the fitness room and on the side where the door opens up. If she wanted to ambush Sienna, she'd be on the other side so that the door would block her from Sienna's sight and up against the wall as extra precaution to ensure she wouldn't be spotted. Soon the fitness door opened as Sienna walked out wiping her forehead with the hand towel I found in her trash can. I also noticed her jacket was slung over her shoulder as she walked out and jumped a little when she quickly noticed Brenda there.
"Gah! Oh. B-Brenda, don't scare me like that." Sienna breathed out holding her free hand to her chest.
Brenda chuckled lightly. "Sorry Sienna. I didn't mean to. I was just asked by Mikayla to watch out for you."
Sienna looked at her with a confused look in her eyes. Her voice emanated that same confusion. "T-This late?"
"Well yeah. She's worried that something will happen after what transpired down in the cafeteria so she wanted to make sure you'd be okay. I'd be more than happy to escort you get back to your room if you'd like. Come on." Brenda smiled her usual bubbly smile but knowing that was just her mask was hard to look at but I kept watching.
Sienna looked down, not moving as I noticed her hand tightly grip her hand towel. Brenda noticed Sienna hadn't moved when her head looked back. "Sienna? Are you alright?"
"Y-You're lying." Sienna suddenly called her out.
Brenda looked stunned. "What? Sienna, why would you say that?"
When Sienna's head raised up her eyes glared at Brenda accusingly which instantly made Brenda's smile deteriorate. "If Big Sis Kayla was worried she'd be here to watch out for me, not you. Or at least she'd be with you. You being here by yourself proves what you said was a lie."
Silence between the two would probably confirm her suspicion as she continued. "Y-You're here to kill me... aren't you?"
"..."
"I knew it..." She whispered before she shook and began screaming. "I-I knew it!"
"Sienna! Please let me explain!" Brenda begged but Sienna threw her jacket and towel at her.
"No! I don't want to hear it! I don't want you to tell me why! I know wh-why! It's because I'm weak! You want to take advantage of me because I haven't been able to defend myself. I always rely on others when things get too tough for me. Mommy has, Kayla has, even Daniel has tried to protect me!"
"Daniel?" I whispered to myself before my mind flashed back to the picture. 'That boy in her photo must be this Daniel she mentioned.' I was quickly pulled out of my thoughts as Sienna continued yelling.
"But I am thr-through being the weakling everyone think they can push around! You w-wanna kill me? F-Fine! Then you're gonna have to f-fight for it!" Before I realized it I saw Sienna lunge herself far from where she stood in one bound, directly at the equally surprised Ultimate Collector.
I didn't think Sienna would be able to make such a leap until I recalled she was the Ultimate Figure Skater. You'd need impressive muscle power in your legs to pull off the balance, leaps, jumps, and tricks to perform. Thinking about it like that and it wasn't a shocker how she'd pull that off. I soon realized that I was missing what was happening as I saw Brenda struggle to pry Sienna off her as Sienna held her wrists and began pushing on her. Brenda seemed to actually have a hard time getting her off but soon enough Sienna's weak arms gave out before Brenda's could. She took her chance and shoved Sienna away against the wall. She reached into the back pocket of her shorts and charged ahead. Sienna stood up to recover but was firmly pinned against the wall as Brenda slammed the EpiPen into Sienna's neck, causing the small girl to scream out in pain. Brenda quickly injected the soy into Sienna's body as she saw what Brenda had and it left her looking completely shocked thst she had one of her EpiPens. She grabbed it and tried pulling it out but Brenda pushed back and soon a small crack resonated, confirming it did crack from the pressure both had applied on the EpiPen. Then it became rather clear to her what was happening when she made light gasping sounds as we could see her face begin to swell up like a balloon. She tried to attempt a scream but Brenda threw the EpiPen to the side and then took hold of Sienna's throat and squeezed her air pipe shut. Sienna choked not only on the soy sauce but by Brenda's hands at the same time. Sienna gripped tightly onto Brenda's right wrist, desperately trying to peel it off as her upper body continued to swell. We soon heard Brenda stifle a painful cry as blood was drawn from her wrist by Sienna's nails which was the injury the killer had suffered like I deducted.
After a small moment of struggling, Sienna's movements grew smaller and weaker as her attempts to escape faded with her life. Suddenly a teary-eyed Brenda leaned forward and began whispering in her ear. The camera suddenly zoomed in which I guess turned up the volume because we heard her whisper like it was spoken clear as day in our faces. "Shh. It's gonna be alright Sienna. You'll soon be reunited. I promise. Please don't fight it. Rest now and be with her."
'W-What did she say?' I wondered as Sienna's body went completely limp as Brenda released her throat and her body fell like a ragdoll with a thud to the ground. The screen went blank as we all felt like we watched something unbelievable, which we had! That was...
"Unbelievable." Shana trembled her face filled with despair. "Did that really happen? Sienna attacked Brenda first and Brenda said that to her as she was dying?"
"That can't be true! There's... no way. There's no way I'd believe a video that monster shows us!" Mikayla shouted as her eyes spilled out its contents over her cheeks and down to the floor.
Monokuma giggled. "Puhuhuhu~ But it is true! You don't need me to tell you that though. Why don't you ask one of the stars of that segment?"
We all looked back to Brenda who simply responded with, "It is true. Sienna tried to defend herself by attacking me first and I said that to her. I only said that because she didn't give me a chance to explain it to her. I wanted to explain myself but she never gave me the chance!"
"Why would she give you a chance to explain why you were gonna kill her? I'm a person who believes that dreams are our most powerful tools for inspiration. I've dreamed about helping all animals in the world and making sure we all survive this fucking game. Sienna had too many dreams that she wanted to come true as well. She wanted to become an Olympic champion that her father could be proud of, she wanted to have her father love her, and during our time together she wanted to get out and find her mom! Of course she wouldn't listen to you! She fought for something important! That's why she ignored you! YOU CAN'T EXPLAIN TO HER ANYMORE SO EXPLAIN IT TO US DAMMIT!" Mikayla demanded of her.
"IT'S BECAUSE I WAS SHOWN HER MOTIVE VIDEO!" Brenda shouted out in tears. She held herself as she was sobbing uncontrollably.
I felt my blood turn ice cold at that. There was only one thing she could be talking about. "Are you referring to the first motive given to us?"
"The same type video that pushed Evelyn so far to kill Helen and Jayden? You saw the same video Sienna got and her video pushed you to kill her more than your own?" Ollie asked confused more than shocked.
Mikayla's eyes widened as she very slowly shook her head in absolute denial at that bombshell. "No. That's not possible. Sienna... wouldn't share her motive video. I was the closest person with her and even she couldn't share it with me! There's no way you saw her motive video!"
"But I did! Monokuma was the one who left it inside my room on the other side of the door last night." Brenda told us.
When Monokuma heard his name he perked up like he was now paying attention. "Wazzat?"
"D-Don't play dumb! I had my dorm room locked all day the motive was presented! No one could have gotten that disc to me besides you!" Brenda shouted at the bear.
"Wait when did you see Sienna's motive video? I don't recall that happening." Monokuma replied thoughtfully with his head tilted curiously to the side.
"STOP LYING!" Brenda yelled at him.
Monokuma's face grew red with anger as he threw his arms up. "How many times must I say this? Bears do not lie! Humans lie! I will say this once and once only! It was not me who gave you her video!"
"Then how in the hell did her video end up in my room?" Brenda growled.
Monokuma suddenly was calm again as he shrugged. "I dunno but since you obviously know about its contents then might as well share it with you all! After all its original recipient is no longer here to be motivated by it so there's no harm."
The monitor soon lit up again as a familiar tune began playing. It was the same as when I had watched my motive video. I tried to prepare myself for the worse but no amount of preparation would ever have me ready for what I was about to witness.
The first thing that appeared was a video of a very young child trying to balance in ice skates on a big sheet of ice. The small girl was no older than 4 or 5 years old and with the way she wore her hair in pigtails, I knew immediately it was Sienna when she was a child. The cameraman, or should I say camerawoman, was laughing and encouraging the child Sienna to keep her balance, which she did despite it looking like she would fall any second. That could be no one else but Sienna's mom who recorded that video.
Soon Monokuma's devilish voice overpowered the audio enough where it was still able to be heard but Monokuma would be what was intended to be heard. "Sienna Donnelly, the Ultimate Figure Skater. A prodigy student on the ice when her mommy was around but when she saw others, she'd quickly succumb to shyness and fear." As Monokuma was speaking the camera shifted up to a boy the same age with scruffy brown hair and holding a hockey stick, watching Sienna intently from the other side of where they were and when Sienna noticed him she immediately fell back and began crying in pain. Her mom put the camera down and we saw her gently kneel down hug Sienna close to her, trying to help her stop crying. "A loving mother who was always there for her and the boy who would come to consider himself her friend. These two are important people in her life. But this video is about the most important person in your life so I gotta show one of them."
The camera soon changed as it was suddenly at a hotel room. It looked like the camera was hidden in the room as I saw a woman with her face purposefully altered so we couldn't see it, sitting on the edge of the bed. But since this was Sienna's video of the most important person I knew that had to be Sienna's mom. She looked like she was nervous or cold with the way her hands were rubbing over each other. "Sienna's mommy is the most important person in her life and what happened to her after she dropped her precious daughter off at the academy?"
Suddenly a door smashed open and her mom jumped in fear. "CONNIE!" A man's voice resonated before a man was seen storming into the room and into the camera's view which had mainly the bed. Connie trembled as the man approached her.
"J-Jim! How did you..." Before she could ask, the man named Jim slapped her so hard she was knocked onto the bed. She immediately began crying as he looked to her. I could tell because of his movements since his face was also altered.
"You fucking bitch! I didn't give you permission to leave! And where the fuck is that little abortion?" Jim screamed directly in her ear.
Connie cowered but answered him immediately. "S-Sienna is at school. Hope's Peak is having her attend as the Ultimate Figure Skater. I-I was only staying here for a while to ensure she'd be able to go there without complications once I left back to Deerbourne."
"Don't lie you fucking cunt! That sack of shit has a title that only I should have? BULLSHIT!" He hit her in the back of the head.
"I-I'm not lying! I swear! She's at her school right now! H-How'd you know I was even here?" She asked him.
"I'M THE ONE ASKING QUESTIONS! NOT YOU! But once I saw you left I was tipped off about where you left to and where you were staying! You were trying to run away weren't you?" He growled lowly.
"N-No! Like I said SiennaAHHHH!" Connie was explaining before her head was yanked back by her hair and her body was pressed down by Jim's other hand.
"I SAID DO NOT LIE TO ME!" Jim screamed.
"I-I-I'M N-NOT!" Connie cried out in anguish as she was punched again.
"AND STOP SAYING THAT NAME! I DON'T WANT TO HER THAT ABOMINATION'S NAME EVER AGAIN EVEN IF IT'S SOMEONE ELSE WITH THE SAME GODDAMN NAME! AND NOW YOU WILL PAY FOR RUNNING AWAY AND TREACHERY!"
Before anyone could register what happened the scene changed again but it had simply cut out to a part further ahead. What I saw made me cover my mouth as I suddenly felt the urge to vomit. Before us was a rape scene with black censor bars over Connie's breasts and another over their connected privates as he forced himself into her quivering, bruised, and bloodied body. Connie cried and cried as her husband raped her, forcing himself in her with blood all over her crotch and throwing random hits on her at random times and places so she could never prepare herself.
"This is what you get for trying to run from me, you bitch." Jim groaned as he thrusted roughly into her. "I'm gonna breed you, whore. And once you're filled up I'll make sure you get the demon inside you aborted. I'll do this to you over and over. Hell I might even do this to that abortion and make her experience the pain you're experiencing."
That made my whole body go numb in absolute horror and disgust. I soon heard coughing and looked away to see Mikayla had fallen to her knees and was vomiting all over the floor in front of her. This made me look around to see the other disgusted, angered, and horror-filled expressions the others wore. But of course both Paul and Melinda just watched with blank expressions. I wanted to hurt them for being so calm at such a hideous scene but something Jim said drew me back as I heard him scream out as he was obviously finishing inside of her.
"Or I could give her this pain... and make sure she never has you to protect her from it." He roughly pulled out of her with two censor bars over their now separate privates as he walked out of the camera's view, leaving us with only the badly beaten and bloody Connie lying on the bed too weak to attempt to move. That's when we saw the naked, abusive husband return with a metal bat in hand. He lifted it up then slammed it down on her leg. We heard bone crack as she screamed in agony.
I couldn't take it anymore as I covered my ears but it did nothing to silence the video as I heard another swing, another bone break, and another cry resonate deep in my eardrums and head. My eye peeked open to see him raise the bat directly over her head. I could barely hear her beg him and plead him before she screamed out as the bat flew down. Just before it connected and my eyes could close again the video went blank as Monokuma popped up in the black background. "What has become of Mommy? What has become of the most important person in your life? Wanna find out?" Monokuma vanished as those same words appeared on the screen as mine did. YOU WILL FIND THE ANSWER OUTSIDE!
My body was in absolute shock just as Sienna's body went into shock from the soy sauce. And NO! That was not a metaphor, not a visual play on words, or a silly over-exaggeration like a theatre performance. My body was shaking so violently I had to hold onto the closest thing I could find otherwise I would have fallen over. When I felt something I latched onto it and felt it hold me tightly too. I looked up to see it was Luca and he was trembling just as bad but somehow able to maintain enough balance to hold me as well as himself up.
Mikayla however had nothing as she tried to stand back up only to fall forward into her own vomit. She pushed herself up to her hands and knees, covered in snot, tears, and vomit juice as she tried to comprehend what she was forced to watch, bawling and wailing and heaving sporadically.
"There. Now you know why I truly chose Sienna as my target. The only person she truly loved is dead. If she left this school all she would have to go back to was that promise her sick father made to her. If she got out all that would be there was despair. So I chose to take the burden of killing her so she could avoid such a terrible fate. I don't care if you judge me or hate me for taking her life. I already hate myself! I hate how I keep taking away because of what my talent had made me and now I took the most important thing away! The life of a sweet, innocent, and way more talented girl than I ever could be! But she had no chance of survival in here or out there so I wanted her to die as peacefully as possible and by a friend and not by someone like them!" She screamed with tears streaming down her face as she pointed to Paul and Melinda, who both made no comment or reaction to Brenda's statement.
After taking in what she said I soon felt the feeling come back to my legs as I motioned to Luca I was able to stand on my own. He nodded as he then rushed to Mikayla's side and went to help her up. As I saw Luca help get her to her feet and held her up, I looked over to Brenda. "You truly felt like you had Sienna's best intentions at heart. I understand that... but that doesn't mean what you did was the only option."
Brenda looked a bit stunned. "H-Huh?"
"That video of her's showed what happened to the most important person in her life. But it did briefly mention about a boy who considered himself her friend. That friend was Daniel when she mentioned him during your confrontation and that was the same boy with the hockey stick we saw in her home video as well as the picture I saw in her room that had the same boy but much older than in the video. Did you consider that maybe he might be out there to help Sienna from her father? And what about us? We all would be there to protect her! We would have all been there not just for her but for each other! Did you think that maybe if you asked me I would have helped you get the money you'd need to repay your debt since your plans for the school got ruined?!" I shouted at her with tears flowing as swiftly as hers as we never broke eye contact.
Brenda remained silent as she looked down. "...No. I didn't. And because of my naivety Sienna is dead and I... I..."
"And now you'll pay the price with your life!" Monokuma finished for her.
Brenda blinked. "What?"
"Don't tell me you forgot? That would make me beary unhappy. But I'll get over it once your punishment is complete!" Monokuma cheered.
"No. Not again! Please not this again!" Shana begged.
"Too bad! Now's the time and there's nothing you can do to stop it." Monokuma snickered.
Brenda shook her head. "No. No one will stop it. I'll go through with it and pay for my crime. I can't undo the past and force myself to realize my errors so I will accept my fate and pray that Sienna will be able to forgive me as I burn in hell."
"Brenda..." I whimpered as I saw her shuffle a bit before she held out her pin vest to me.
"Here Kai. Take this back home with you. I'll want all my collections to be together one last time before my family sells them." She smiled sadly as she dropped it into my open hands.
I gripped it tightly, feeling the pins and buttons dig painfully into my skin but I didn't care. "Brenda, I will do more than just get this back with your other collections. I'll not only get them back to your family, I will repay your debt for you and buy your collections if I need to so they can be preserved forever in memory of you! I give you my word!"
Brenda looked at me in utter disbelief before a sad smile appeared. "Oh Kai... I... I knew you were my favorite actor for a reason."
"Now then I've prepared a very special punishment for Brenda Bates, the Ultimate Collector!" Monokuma hollered out, holding onto his round belly.
"Thank you Kai. And I'm sorry everyone. I'm sorry... Mikayla. I don't expect you to forgive me so... Goodbye." Brenda sniffled.
"Let's give it everything we got! IIIIt's PUNISHMENT TIIIIIIIIME!" Monokuma now squealed as the red button ascended in front of his chair. He quickly pulled out his gavel and spun it in his hand. His red eye glinted as he did a front flip and slammed the gavel down on the button as a pixel version of Brenda appeared on the little screen.
"Brenda has been found guilty." It read as the pixel Monokuma ran in and grabbed the now panicked pixel Brenda and dragged her across the screen behind him as more text appeared saying, "Time for the punishment!"
*youtube. watch?v=ba-o18U03wY Just imagine it with a more junk-sounding soundtrack like the Robots movie or Tarzan's Trashin' The Camp!*
Brenda was seen standing alone as she sweated profusely as some kind of set was suddenly being built around her. It took on a old cave like appearance with mossy rocks and spindly vines strung about all over with faded lighting above her as it ran in a narrow line to dimly light up the domed out cave and make it that much more realistic. Suddenly a stone pedestal rose up from the ground in front of Brenda with a Golden Monokuma statue resting on top of a carved out, circular base on the top of the platform.
Pack Rat's Trap
Then Monokuma appeared next to her in an Indiana Jones explorer outfit with a sack filled with rocks as seen from its open top before Monokuma tightened it and held it out for Brenda to take. Knowing what she had to do Brenda reluctantly took it and approached the Golden Monokuma and with a quick flick of her wrist went to switch the platform's contents but an overexcited Monokuma jumped up and snatched the Golden Monokuma above his head. Brenda's eyes widened in horror as the ground began rumbling. The cheering Monokuma became panicked as he looked around before chucking the Golden Monokuma to Brenda, who dropped the sack of pebbles and caught it just before Monokuma was crushed by a giant boulder. But this wasn't a boulder of stone. Brenda's face drained of color when she saw it was a boulder entirely made up of collectible figurines, coins, cards, consoles, trophies, and millions of other random items that could be considered collectibles.
It soon began teetering forward as Brenda turned tail and immediately began running down the now suddenly steep cavern as the boulder soon began chasing after her. It was quickly gaining speed on her and she felt weighed down by the golden statue so she chucked it backwards and continued running. As the boulder spun Monokuma was seen not crushed but merely stuck to the side of the boulder as the Golden Monokuma landed right next to him now stuck as well as the boulder continued chasing Brenda down.
Her legs were tired but Brenda kept trying to run until a red fluorescent light caught her attention up ahead that came from an EXIT sign on a wall in front of her. Brenda's face smiled as she ran over and saw a button to press. Without hesitation she pressed the button and the wall suddenly shot up as Brenda was blinded by headlights! A convertible car was now racing straight at her and Brenda was trapped as the junk boulder and car came racing at her from opposite ends. The collector screamed in despair as the car and boulder collided into her with such speed the boulder smashed into its separate pieces and toppled up into a mountain of junk on top of the convertible and Brenda. After a moment, Brenda's blood was soon seen leaking profusely out from underneath the pile up. Suddenly Monokuma popped up from the wreckage with the intact Golden Monokuma in his paws. He leapt out cheering victoriously as it all faded to black.
I felt my legs turn to noodles again as I fell to my knees still hurting myself as I was now clutching Brenda's pin vest even more tightly in my grip. "Brenda!" I cried out as I heard the others also wail out in sadness and despair.
"What a terrible fate. Dunno if that was worse than the last one or not." Willie whispered, his hat tipped down to cover his eyes as I saw tear streams on his cheek.
"How many friends must we lose to this sick game?" Shana whimpered as she held herself.
Luca was still over by Mikayla holding her up as the veterinarian doubled-over as began crying out something I wasn't expecting.
"Brenda! Please come back! I forgive you! Brenda! Sienna! We spent so much time together! I don't want it to end. Please! *hic* Don't leave me!" Mikayla cried out as Luca had to hold her tightly to ensure she wouldn't fall on her face, not even caring that she was getting him covered in the snot, tears, and vomit she was covered in.
That's when I heard that barbarian begin laughing madly again. "Puhuhuhu! No matter how much you beg and cry, your tears can never bring them back! The time you spent with them means nothing now!"
"No! You're wrong!" I shot up screaming.
"Wazzat?" Monokuma asked me puzzled.
"The time we spent with them does mean something! We may not have known them for all our lives but they've had a major impact in our lives! All of them did! I'll use the time I have spent with my friends to drive me to get us out of here! I don't care about this stupid game! We're gonna find a way out for everyone's sake to make up for the time we should have spent together!" I shouted.
"Are you sure about that?" Monokuma cooed at my unfazed face. I didn't respond. I only continued my hateful glare at him as he began laughing. "What despair you all must be feeling right now! I bet you're all driven up the wall right now! There's no chance of escaping! Only way out is if you kill someone! Plain and simple! Besides things would be boring for our audience if things got all hunky dory between the lot of you."
How many times will this demon find a way to make my heart stop? "What... did you say?"
"That's right! This killing game isn't just to entertain me but it's being broadcasted to the entire viewing world! And I bet a certain Super High School Level Idol has been watching intently." Monokuma purred looking directly at me.
"What? How do you know about Manako's title?" Suddenly my thought process went into overdrive as I shook lightly. "Is... she okay? Sh-She's not stuck in a similar situation as me, is she?"
My nervousness was showing as Monokuma chuckled lightly. "Who can say? After all she's also an important person in your life. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Monokuma laughed like a madman before he disappeared.
"What did you do? WHAT HAPPENED TO MANAKO!" I screamed in pure anger before I felt a hand snatch my wrist and held me back. I expected to see Luca but he was still holding a grief-stricken Mikayla up. I was stunned to see that the one who stopped me was the Ultimate Tattoo Artist of all people.
"Stop." Ollie calmly spoke to me. "Monokuma was trying to get a reaction out of you. Don't let him win."
I didn't want to listen but I knew she was right. I may not like the thought of something happening to my only friend but there's no other reason to truly believe his words. After all it was Monokuma just wanting to see me despair. That was his role in all of this and I need to learn how to play the act so this director doesn't get the outcome he wants.
I looked over at the bloody pool underneath the junk pile one last time before I looked away. "Goodbye Brenda. I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you either."
Soon everyone began making their way to the elevator as we were all dropped off at the library again. Most everyone went their separate ways as I looked at the clock on the wall. It was a little past 5 pm. I looked over to see not everyone had left. Paul and his group quickly approached me.
"So you're the hero again. You helped out tremendously. Now do you still wish to ignore my offer? After all now there are less of you which makes you a more likely target. Especially if you take in account your skills in the class trial. Someone who single-handedly pinned down the blackened twice in a row is an enemy to any future blackened that will arise." Paul questioned me with a stern look of disappointment. Melinda was also glaring at me. Something felt off about her gaze but then again I could just be overthinking it.
I shook my head. "I'm sorry but no. Nothing you say will convince me to join you. Why would I join a pact that is forced to stay away from the others? I won't abandon them just to ensure my own survival."
Ollie then walked next to me and wrapped her arm around mine and pressed herself into me. My face immediately flushed at the sudden contact. "I see dedication in his words and I wish to follow his example." She told Paul who glared at her.
"You really wish to leave my group? Your life will be forfeit if you do." Paul reminded her.
Ollie surprised me when she shook her head. "No. I don't want to leave. I just want to be able to do something more and Kai has more conviction than you. I wish to spend time with him. Not just him but everyone else. I want more freedom to do what I want."
"You want more freedom? Fine. You can be around them as much as you like but don't blame me if you end up as the next victim. That goes for all of you!" Paul called out looking back at Marcel and Melinda.
"H-Huh? Really? Us too?" Marcel asked in complete surprise.
"Yeah. I'll even do so by acquainting myself with Kai and the others who are worthy of my attention." Paul then turned around and began walking off. "I'll see you bright and early tomorrow after breakfast." Paul motioned to me as he walked out. Melinda gave no comment as her gaze almost never left me until she was walking out the door.
"Cool. Guess that means I can go surfing in the pool tonight. Catch you later bra!" Marcel chuckled as he ran off.
I went to move only to see Ollie hadn't released me. "Um... Ollie?"
She looked to me. "What?"
I was amazed she didn't catch on as I tried to pry myself free from her grip. "Oh sorry." She apologized as she released me.
"I-It's fine. You probably forgot you had a hold of me." I chuckled trying to lighten the mood.
"No I didn't forget." She plainly stated.
I sweat-dropped at that. 'This girl really doesn't understand people's personal space.' I thought, lightly scratching my neck nervously.
Soon I heard the elevator come up again and looked over to see Luca and Mikayla there. The two were still a complete mess in the physical sense but Mikayla was in a real mess since it looked like Luca was dragging her drooping body. I quickly ran over to them. "Hey. Why were you guys still in the trial grounds?" I asked concerned.
"I was helping get her on the elevator but Mikayla insisted she stay longer. I don't think she wanted to leave Brenda behind. But I already told her it was too late. We couldn't dig her body up so we just looked over her before I took her back when the elevator came back down." Luca explained. I nodded my understanding and looked back to Ollie and didn't see her anywhere. She must have left without me noticing.
I looked back to him. "Do you need help getting her back to her room?" I inquired Luca.
He smiled softly at me. "I'd appreciate that."
I got on the other side of Mikayla as she stood their unresponsive to everything. The poor thing. I felt terrible for her as we began hauling her over to the dormitory hallway. Once we began making our way down, I looked over to the first two doors of the girl's side and felt my heart drop. They were Brenda's and Sienna's rooms respectively since they had last names that started with letters high in the alphabet. It saddened me that I'd never see them come in or out of their rooms again as we carried Mikayla to the very end of the hall since her last name was last for all the girls.
Luca pulled out a key and opened it. He must have grabbed her key from her ahead of time so he would be ready. Once we opened the door Mikayla suddenly stood up on her own. "Thanks." That was all she said before she took her key from Luca and shakily walked into her room. The door closed so slowly it made very little sound adding to the already tense atmosphere.
I sighed in defeat. "I'm going to bed." I mumbled as I began making my way back to my room.
Luca then gently placed his hand on my shoulder. "Wait... Kai."
I slowly turned my head to gaze back at his sad face but not fully. After all I was still upset with him for...
"I'm sorry that I've been a terrible friend." He apologized out of the blue, making my head turn to him a bit more. "We always had each other's backs when this thing started and when you needed me to be there for you and stand on equal ground when it came to our motives, I rejected it. I was scared to divulge such a thing from my past but you willingly shared yours without question. Also since you defended me in the class trial, now I feel like I owe you big time. So I'd like to share my first motive's video content with you."
I soon turned around and smiled. "Actually Luca I'm not upset anymore." Luca looked stunned at me as I continued speaking. "Just hearing you apologize for your actions is all I really wanted. I can honestly go on without knowing what your first motive contained. After all... after witnessing what Sienna watched... I'd rather not take the chance." He held my arms as shivers spiked up in me thinking about Sienna's video.
"But... that's not fair to you. You did so much for me and I've hardly done anything else in return!" Luca spoke loudly to me.
I shook my head at him slowly. "You really don't see the things you've done? Luca, you offered me help when I was left alone, you comforted Mikayla during her time of need, you ensured I didn't crack my head open in the pool!" I paused for a second when Luca laughed at that last one. "You ran to get Tommy treated when he was hurt, and you even defended me when I was accused by Paul for being the killer. Now you apologized for your previous actions. To me that more than makes up for everything I've done for you. So now I'm in debt to you."
Saying that word instantly made me think of Brenda as I looked down at my feet. "Sorry I just ruined the mood didn't I?"
"No. Don't worry about it Kai. I don't blame you for feeling upset. We all are. We lost two great friends but we still have each other!" Luca chirped. He had a grin on him that reminded me of Brenda's. But that didn't make me sad like I thought, instead it filled me up with that bubbly sensation Brenda's true demeanor gave off in my stomach. Luca then looked a bit worried as he rubbed his upper arm. "We... are still friends, right?"
I felt a warm smile spread itself as that same warmth flowed into the rest of my body, giving me a satisfying feeling relaxation I hadn't felt since before I came here. "Yeah. I think we can still be friends." I chuckled lightly.
Luca smiled with such joy on his face when I said that. He then held his arm out with his hand held in front of his face. I recognized the gesture as a form of a high five that would keep our hands interlocked. I smiled as I threw my hand into his and they clamped tightly together. I felt a suddenly jolt shoot through me when we made contact. I kept my mouth tightly shut since it probably happened from slamming my smooth hand roughly into his calloused hand as we gripped each others hands. We stared into each other's eyes, his special turquoise mixed with my unique shade of gold as we didn't break contact with our eyes or hands for what felt like an eternity.
I felt like maintaining our connection strengthened our bond. Our friendship felt rekindled and burning hot again and I could feel like we stared into each other's souls. I wish I could see what he saw in me but what I saw in him conflicted me. I saw true happiness and joy in his sea foam eyes for this moment but there was something detestable lurking in the back. Something ugly and primal and dark. A demon floating in my new friend's eyes. It looked familiar. I was lost by it as my grip and sights found their disconnection with Luca.
His hand dropped from mine as he looked worried for me. "Kai, what's wrong?"
I quickly plastered my face and shook my head. "Sorry. Nothing's wrong. I just never had such an exchange like that before. Not even with Manako. Well I appreciate your help today. I'm just gonna go shower real quick and take a nap. I'll catch you later!" I waved to him before I turned and made my way back to my dorm. I unlocked the door and stepped in before quickly shutting it and locking it fast.
My mind began racing as I pondered over my interactions with Luca just now. 'What was happening there? What did I feel when I looked into his eyes? When we connected like that? What's going on with me?' There were so many emotions mixed in my head I couldn't even begin to contemplate them all individually. But the big one that was too obviously swirling inside my mind, heart, and soul was... despair. How fitting.
Chapter 2: Acceptance is the Best Medicine
END
Deceased Students: 5
Surviving Students: 11
*3rd Person View*
The bell rang as nighttime hours were now in affect. Things were quiet outside in the dormitory hallway. Too eerily quiet to comprehend. Maybe it was because of what transpired earlier with the second class trial and everyone was exhausted. Maybe it was because no one dared to leave in fear of them becoming a victim in this killing game. Or perhaps that what some people wanted.
Soon a creak was heard as a door opened slowly. Then out from the room the occupant's head peeked out and looked down the hallway, checking to see if the coast was clear. The student, seeing no one, made their way out of their room and over to the other side of the hall. They timidly knocked on the door of another student's dorm looking up and down the hall, nervous about what might happen if they'd be caught. A door was heard opening and at first the student jumped up panicked but was relieved to see the door they purposefully knocked on was the one opening.
The room's occupant looked surprised to see the other teenager standing in from of them. "Hey. What are you doing here so late?" The student in their dorm asked.
The student in the hallway sighed, rubbing their arm nervously. "I put a lot of thought into your proposition and I came to a decision. I... I wanna do it. I want to go through with it."
The student in the room leaned forward, closing the door partially as if it would help keep them quiet. "You're sure about this? This is me we're talking about here."
"I'm only doing it because it's you. I trust you and I know we'll be there for each other through it." The one in the hallway nodded.
A smile was seen on the face of the student as they opened their door wide in a welcoming manner. "Then let's get started, shall we."
The student in the hallway smiled as well, stepping into the other student's room as the door closed behind them.
The two students probably thought this meet up went unnoticed however a bright screen light that displayed the whole thing made the watcher hum thoughtfully.
"And what are you two planning?" The voice of the spy asked themselves as they chuckled lowly. The screen quickly shut off, coating them in total darkness.
Chapter 3: Plans are Made, Dreams are Shattered
Wow. I feel physically exhausted writing this one. And no not just because of the fact most of it was written until 2 in the morning. I felt like so much emotion was sucked out of me while writing these depressing, disgusting, gleeful, and suspenseful moments. I honestly think this might be my best chapter yet. But do you guys agree? I wanna know so please leave a review and let me know about your thoughts. Also I'd love it if you favorite and follow this story if you haven't already or if you have then please share it with someone you'd think would love this fanfic! I'm looking forward to sharing my next chapter with you guys so stay tuned for that and until next time, I hope I gave you guys a despairingly good time! See you all soon! Puhuhuhuhu~