Day 20

*Ding Dong Bing Bong*

My eyes felt light blaze through my eyelids which made me cringe, effectively waking me up. I sat up and shook my head as I saw I was still in the Nurse's office but no longer hooked up to the IV with a band-aid now covering the spot it was inserted in. I pulled my sleeve back down my arm and that's when a sudden aroma filled the air and my eyes darted to the entrance. Once again, Luca stood there with a tray filled with food.

"Good morning, Kai! Time to get some much-needed energy for today with a full belly," Luca called out happily as he walked up with the food to me. I smiled at him as he set it down in my lap. "And to ensure you're raring to go…" He then pulled out an energy drink. But not just any energy drink as my eyes widened and snatched it away from him immediately!

"Dude! No way!" I screamed out in glee.

"Hahaha! Glad to see your voice is back!" Luca let out a guffaw at my over

excitement.

"A Body Armor energy drink! And it's in my favorite flavor; strawberry banana! I used to drink this all the time with Terry to help give me energy for my practices and performances!" I hollered.

Luca smiled at me. "I know."

I looked at him confused. "What do you mean you know?"

Luca seemed to blush as he scratched the back of his head, nervously. "Brenda claimed she was your biggest fan but I'm not so sure about that."

I giggled. "Looks like it. You may have all the fanboys and girls beat if you keep this up!" I couldn't help but laugh out as did he.

Soon my breakfast was eaten and my energy drink downed in a heartbeat. Luca moved the tray aside as he offered me his hand. I took it as I slowly maneuvered myself to stand up from the bed. Luckily I was able to stand up with no troubles and walking forward wasn't a challenge either but I still appreciated Luca for being next to me just in case something happened.

Luca grinned from ear to ear. "I'd say you recovered from that very exceptionally. Doctor Archer declares you are free!"

I gave him a gentlemanly bow, speaking in a British accent. "Why thank you, Doctor Archer. I shall not act like a plastered pillock and go arse over tit again."

We both laughed as I grabbed my backpack and left the room with Luca beside me. We made our way up to the fifth floor as Ollie was there, waiting patiently at the top of the stairs. "About time. I was about to get bored."

"Sorry for the wait. Needed to ensure Kai won't be sharing the same fate as Jack does when he broke his crown," Luca shrugged at her only to get slugged in his shoulder by me.

"Watch yourself. I may have been incarcerated for a day but that energy drink gave me more than enough power to beat your ass to a pulp," I warned him.

"Wanna bet on it?" Luca replied with a crack of his knuckles.

Ollie rolled her eyes and looked her arm into Luca's and pulled him away. "We get it, macho madness. You boys can take your enraged testosterone and battle them against each other when Luca isn't with me."

Luca chuckled as he looked back and waved his goodbye to me as he and Ollie disappeared into a hallway. I waved back and let out a breath of air. 'Alright then. Time to check out this floor myself.' I thought to myself before briskly walking into the floor's interior.

The first room I found was the research lab and sure enough, it looked like any other ordinary science lab in any school but then you look at the opposing walls and see the morgue that was installed with eighteen doors on each side. The left wall had eleven fridges with a light inside illuminating the covered bodies through the glass door while nine were off and empty. I approached them and saw the one that Ollie looked into and I confirmed what she saw. The body laid toward me with their feet closest to the door but there was only one foot and one that was clearly prosthetic. "Who are you?" I found myself whispering before I looked to the right wall behind me and approached it.

Here I saw the exact opposite number of fridges in use and not with nine on and eleven off. I approached one and again I saw exactly what Ollie saw. This one had a small body covered up but the pigtails that hung out from underneath told me exactly who was in this fridge. "Sienna…" I then began looking in the other ones as I saw all the bodies inside each one as I began identifying every corpse from the top row, left to right, to bottom row right to left. "Helen… Evelyn… Brenda… Marcel… Tommy… Damian… Mikayla… Sienna… Jayden..." They were all there. And I saw they were placed in accordance with the order that they died going from left to right and from top to bottom.

Seeing them hurt but then I looked down at the last two empty slots and whispered, "Why are there eighteen slots if there are only sixteen of us?" I then looked back to the other wall and then said, "And where did these poor souls come from?"

Since I wasn't finding any answers and I was feeling terrible emotions pile up looking at my deceased friends, I quickly left the lab and then came across a blocked off staircase.

It was as Shana said, there's another staircase going up to another floor but the blueprints clearly showed us there were only five floors all together so why is there another staircase? My best guess is it's another trick Monokuma planted to try and get our hopes up.

There wasn't much I could do there so I passed it and soon saw the long hallway around the corner. It wasn't terribly far off but it wasn't exactly a few doors away either. Inside I found the art room that Luca found.

It was a beautiful room with its design. The walls and ceiling looked to be painted in a variety of splashed colors that was mesmerizing me the longer I stared into it. The supplies and canvases were bountiful and the tools for sculpting and ceramic crafting were also plentiful. Yet there wasn't a single piece of art or sculptures anywhere. Not that it was a surprise since no one started attending school here since we were the inaugural class. But then something caught my eye and I was drawn to the drawing that caught my eye.

One canvas did have something on it as I stepped forward to get a closer look. It was a geyser-like spray of water, spouting up and from it was a wolf with angel wings flying out of the water. It was a beautiful sketch that reminded me of something. Then it instantly clicked for me as I shouted out, "The botanical garden fountain!"

The door then suddenly opened up as a laughing duo came in. It was Luca and Ollie again. They stopped seeing me in there and smiled. "Oh! Hey, Kai! I hope you got to check everything out up here. We may not have a way out but it's a nice addition to what we already have. Ollie's been especially drawn to this room. No pun intended."

Ollie rolled her eyes. "You did so intend that."

Luca bellowed out, "Hahaha haha! Yeah okay, I did."

"Ollie… Did you draw this? It reminds me of the fountain in the botanical garden," I asked her.

"That's actually my inspiration for this piece. I'm hoping to make it a part of my tattoo selection. Just needs a bit of adjusting with the water placement and the wings size.

"I love it," I replied in a hushed voice as my fingers couldn't help but trace over the image of the winged wolf.

I looked back and saw Ollie eyeing me and the art with a big grin on her face. I then backed off and said, "Oh! I'm sorry! I'm in the way, aren't I?"

Luca smiled lightly. "You're fine, Kai. Ollie was gonna shower what she's been working on and draw some more tattoo concepts for me. But hey, we just came from the VR room and you need to check it out. It's beyond awesome!"

"I think I will. I'll leave you guys alone. Have fun!" I waved to them as I rushed past them as I saw Ollie watch me go before they went in and closed the door. I soon found the last area I had not seen yet and walked inside.

Sure enough, this had to be the VR room and as I entered, I was blown away! Its size outdid even the space of the botanical garden which was by far the biggest room in the school. It looked like that battle simulation room in the movie with the mutants who live in the school. Kinda makes me think of us Ultimates living in this school but I don't think Paul will turn blue and grow fur when he goes into beast mode even if that imagery isn't too far off.

Suddenly a voice reverberated throughout the hollow room, making me jump. "Hello, Participant Kai Brugger. I am UsagiKuma and I am here to serve you. How may I be of assistance to you today?"

I blinked at this, amazed by the program that was running here. It felt like this room belonged to the secret military or the president or something. I spoke up, "Um… hello there, U-UsagiKuma. I would like to know… what services do you offer here?"

"Of course. The purpose of this room is to give you an out, so to speak. If there are any places you may want to see, I am capable of replicating that location. Whether the place is real or fictional, I can make it, in a sense, a reality," UsagiKuma informed me.

"Then… in that case can you show me the outside world now?" I asked her.

I heard a bunch of digital beeping and hums before she responded, "I'm sorry but due to the programming I have been given, I am only able to produce images of printed imagery from over a year ago or places from your memory bank. I may even recreate your past memories for you if you wish."

"Wait… you can?" I asked in surprise.

She simply answered, "Yes."

"Then can you go as far back as 16 years ago?" I asked her, feeling a swell of hope seethe from my heart as its beating rapidly increased.

"Request granted. Scanning participant… Please try not to blink during this time." Suddenly a retinal scanner popped up and began shining lights into my eyes and I did my best not to blink. Funny enough the scanner's light didn't phase me in the slightest as it beeped as retracted back into the floor. Suddenly the walls and floors began to visually warp and twist as the room took on new imagery. That's when it morphed into a scene I was familiar with.

The splattering of powerful raindrops cascading harshly onto the California beach as I was cradled in a swath of warmth and safety as someone held me close as they ran through the rain. Yet despite me feeling warm and safe, I cried knowing I was far from that. They made their way to the city and soon began frantically knocking on the door but then I was set down as I heard her voice gasp. It was Mother as she picked me up and soothed my crying. She always knew how to calm me, ever since I came into her life. But… this was wrong… why am I seeing this? I suddenly thought, 'If UsagiKuma can recreate even the memories I can't recall then why am I seeing this? Why am I not seeing…' But my thoughts were interrupted as I heard a door open and the reality suddenly evaporated away, leaving me in the same blue, sci-fi room I entered in.

"What the-!" I shouted out as I looked around in confusion. "What happened? Why did it disappear?"

"To keep the reality I create in check, the door to the room must not open. Otherwise, it breaks the illusion and therefore breaks the reality. It is recommended you lock the door so such things don't happen," UsagiKuma explained.

"Oh… sorry. Guess that was my fault." I turned around to see Willie standing at the entrance of the VR room. "Did I interrupt ya, Kai?"

I sighed. "No, it's okay. I think I was done watching that anyway."

"Well, since you're done, you don't mind if I have a turn in here, do ya?" Willie asked me.

I shook my head to him. "No, not at all. Be my guest." I started to walk to the door but he locked it.

"No, wait! I want ya to see this," Willie said to me before walking further in. "Ey! Computer lady! I heard ya can make a reality based on my memories ain't that right?"

"That is correct," UsagiKuma responded.

"Good! I wanna see my home, please!" Willie called out.

"Request granted. Please hold still while I submit the required data." Once again, the scanners came in and began scanning Willie's eyes, most likely taking the memories from his brain somehow. After they left, the room began to transform again and the reality that formed in front of me left me breathless.

It was like taking the beauty of the botanical garden and multiplying it by an infinite margin. The cotton white clouds dotting the cerulean sky, the rocky terrain the far off mountain range resonated, the miles upon miles of golden, grassy plains, and a sparkling lake in which the light reflecting off its still bed was practically inviting me to partake in its clean and prospering waters. And in the middle of all these beautiful landscapes was a massive farm that looked minuscule compared to the rest of the scenery.

Me and Willie were standing on a mountainous hillside as the fragrance of clean mountain air enveloped me and a slight strong summer breeze blew around us, making it feel like I was actually standing there. "Ain't she beautiful?" Willie asked me.

"The botanical garden doesn't compare to the beauty of this place! This is really your home, Willie?" I asked in amazement.

"Sure is, partner. This here is the proud Sadler ranch in good ole Texas! Look down there!" Willie pointed down to the fields as I looked and squinted to try and see what he saw. Soon I was able to make out a silver horse with a white streak down its muzzle, dark grey mane, and scattered gray specks along its body and a Bernese Mountain dog running in the fiends. It seemed like they were playing together.

"Whoa! That's awesome!" I spoke loudly in my excitement.

"Those animals are my pride on the ranch! My horse, Smoky, is the most dedicated stallion I could ever ask for. Then there's the family dog, Rascal. Don't let his old age fool ya, he's as feisty now as when he was a pup. Besides my folks, they've been my partners for as long as I can remember. Rascal was born in the town and the owners sold the pups. Ma brought the runt home and we named him after his rascal-like nature. Smoky, well, he was born on the ranch. My Ma's mare was pregnant and givin' birth to a new colt and I helped with the birth. After doin' so my folks allowed me to take the colt as my horse as he got bigger and stronger. I trained both Smoky and Rascal to be the best damn partners a cowboy would need to run an efficient ranch!" Willie stated, the pride resonating with every word as he spoke. Then his eyes dimmed as his smile slowly ceased.

"You miss them, don't you?" I asked, reading his thoughts from his expression.

"Of course. I grew up with 'em. They're like the brothers I never had. But more than that… I miss my Ma and Pa." Willie then sank to his butt and hugged his legs close to his chest. I sat down next to him and looked over to him.

"So, I'm curious. If your dad didn't let you get an education, then why did you tell me you traveled miles to get to the school you were attending?" I questioned him.

His hand gripped his shirt tightly as he sighed out. "It's because I needed to hide the fact I don't have an education."

"Then how did you get to attend Hope's Peak Academy? The school scouted you but you need to be attending at a high school level in order to qualify for the school. I qualified because Terry was my homeroom teacher throughout my entire schooling years, so how did you get accepted?" I asked, confused.

"I honestly wasn't sure myself. But after thinkin' about it, I think I know how someone like me was able to get in. I think my Ma faked my way in the school. I heard Ma talkin' to some scout on the phone about the teenage cowboy who's accomplished outstandin' feats working the on the ranch and in the cowboy competitions he participated in. My Ma told them it was me since I did do all that. Then they asked her about my school records and she said she'd get them. I believe she gave them fake papers to ensure I could enter the school. I think she did it to help me get the education and to help me live in and understand the world outside my ranch. I think… she wanted what was best for me. And I hated her for it…" Willie growled out as his eyes began welling up.

"I thought she was ruinin' my life by takin' me away from the only thing I loved so when she dropped me off at the school… I yelled at her and told her she was the worst. Now I hate myself for sayin' that to her and now… *sniff* I-I may never get the chance to apologize to her." Willie then began sobbing into his legs and I instinctively hugged him trying to comfort him. He quickly dropped his knees and threw himself into my body as he wept into my shoulder as his hat fell off his head which bounced and settled on the ground.

I don't know how much time passed before Willie was able to compose himself as he pulled away from me. "Sorry, partner. I'm not used to relyin' on others like this since I always had my folks and best friends back on the farm. I hope I didn't push past any boundaries," sniffled Willie.

I shook my head. "No, you didn't. To be honest I haven't exactly done that for anyone either so I only did what I thought was best. I'm just glad you were okay with it."

"It helped. Thanks, Kai. I can see why people look to you for help. Your status as a celebrity gives you the chance to help raise our spirits and inspire hope. It's because of you that we've survived and I know we can rely on ya to get us through this to the end," Willie said to me with a smile.

I felt something in me falter for a second but I shook it off and smiled back. "You're right. I will be there to get the rest of us through this. I got this."

As much as both of us wanted to just stay in Willie's world, it, unfortunately, wasn't the reality we were living in and so UsagiKuma stopped the projection and brought us back to the American killing school life we were involved in. We parted ways as I made my way down from the fifth floor and made my way down to the second floor.

I spotted the gym was occupied by Shana as she was running laps around the indoor track lanes laid out around the basketball court's foul lines.

"Whatcha doin'?" I asked her, sounding a bit too cutesy to my liking.

Shana looked towards me as she ran by. "Hey there, Kai. I'm just getting in a mile run. Willie and I have been working out together each morning these last two days."

"Doesn't he wake up at 6 AM every day?" I asked for a reminder.

"Yep and before you ask, no it does not bother me. I worked early shifts in the morning before going into school. So even though I haven't been waking up personally at that time doesn't mean I am incapable of getting up that time. During our workouts, we've been talking more and I've learned we have a lot more in common than I originally thought. He likes to get dirty while working the job he loves, he's a dedicated and hard worker like me, we don't care what others think about us, we both like to think we're stronger than we really are…" she paused for a second as she stopped running before she smiled and sat down on the nearby plastic bleachers. "You know, stuff like that." She finished as she drank down some water.

I sat down next to her. "Shana… is there something you want to talk about with me?"

Shana sniffled as her smile remained. She slowly looked at me and responded, "Tommy said I've been the strongest person he's met but that is far from the truth."

"But you are strong. You just listed a few reasons why you are just a second ago," I reminded her.

But Shana shook her head as her eyes squeezed shut. "No, I'm not! If I was strong I wouldn't have done what I did when I was a kid!"

"What do you mean?" I asked in curiosity.

Shana peeked her eyes open as she held herself. "I told you what happened the first day I followed my dad into his mining shafts, but I didn't say what happened the next day. It went from the best day of my damn life to the worst the next day. This time I was going in alongside Dad and he warned me of an unstable area inside the mines they only pass through to get to the safe zones to mine in. I told him I knew what to look out for because I was so confident I was the best already. Then I had the gall to wander away without him noticing and I began randomly mining around one shaft and I found one area loaded with crystals and diamonds and I immediately thought Dad would be proud of me if I brought him this massive chunk of gemstones back to him. But I was mining too wildly, trying to unearth it that I didn't notice the walls were cracking. Another miner was passing by when he saw me and he immediately shouted out to me to stop which scared me as my pickaxe flung out of my hands during my backswing and collided into the roof and causing a cave-in."

"Oh, God! Were you both okay?" I asked, worried.

Shana continued, "I personally can't recall much of what happened afterward but my dad told me that someone else had witnessed us getting buried and he and his crew immediately began digging us out. Turns out the other Miner had thrown himself over me to protect me and he took a lot of hits from the collapse as we were found both unconscious and having difficulty breathing. We were rushed to the hospital and put on life support for three days."

"Three whole days?! That's insane! And you both made it out alright?" I asked again.

"Not exactly. The one who threw himself on me was just a young high school graduate, hoping to find a career with my dad. He suffered the most damage, both internal and external, and because of me, he was left unable to work due to his terrible condition. I ruined him and when my mom demanded to know what happened, Dad took the blame saying he just lost sight of me and that I wandered into the area, unaware of the danger when he knew fully it was my fault. Mom hated him from that moment on so much to the point that she divorced Dad and tried to take custody of me. But I refused and stated I wanted to stay with Dad. Then he was blamed for brainwashing me and I've never seen Mom again." By this point, Shana was in tears as she sniffled and sobbed. "It's all because of how weak I was that I hurt that boy and ruined his life and then ruined my parent's marriage and what little relationship I had left with my mom. If I was strong I wouldn't have done what I did and if I was strong I wouldn't be ruining people's lives anymore but look at what happened to Tommy! He died because he was trying to protect me! Because of me, I ruined his life just like I keep doing to everybody else around me! Tommy wasn't the unlucky one! I am!"

I was stunned as I glared at her and pulled her into a forceful hug which completely took her off guard. "That's not true. You've been carrying this guilt because you thought you were at fault for everyone else's suffering but you can't be responsible for other people's actions and decisions. The boy could have run out and left you to possibly die but he did it to ensure you survived. Your dad didn't want you to be yelled at so he took the bullet for you. And I bet anything Tommy would sacrifice himself again if it meant your safety was ensured. Sure, you didn't fully take in your dad's warning and that was your punishment for it but what's important is that you learned from it and the others gave you the chance to keep going. If they didn't care about you, then I'm not sure if I would have met such a strong and reliable friend like you. You are a diamond in the rough and it's because of the things you've persevered through that makes you stronger."

Shana sniffled a bit and wiped her sleeve across her nose as she smiled at me. "Thank you, Kai. You're amazing, you know that? It's no wonder you've been able to carry us through this killing game unaffected."

"Y-Yep, that's true. I'm not gonna let you guys down. I'll figure this out no problem," I said, reassuringly.

Shana smiled as we hugged for a quick second before we parted ways. Soon I made my way back to my room just before the nighttime announcement played. I soon got myself into bed as my mind flashed back to today.

"It's because of you that we've survived and I know we can rely on ya to get us through this to the end."

"It's no wonder you've been able to carry us through this killing game unaffected."

"A celebrity needs to help those who need hope. I need to be strong for them. Be strong, bring hope. Be strong, bring hope. Be strong, bring hope…" I kept whispering that to myself as I dozed to sleep. They need a beacon to follow and I'm the only one who can do that. This responsibility is mine and mine alone to bear. No one else should have to carry such a burden. This is for them and I have to be their hope. There is no other option.

…

...

...Right?

Another chapter down and so many more to go! What did you think of the fifth floor now that we've explored it ourselves and what about those moments with Willie and Shana? Let me know what you thought in the reviews but until next time! See you soon! Puhuhuhu~