DORM: LOUNGE

Immediately after class, Earl and Ashley convened an emergency meeting back at the dorm. Morgan... or whoever that actually was... just sat in his seat in the back row as we filed out, watching us with a grin. We rounded up JP and Nicole, though Barrett and Rocky were still nowhere to be found, and met in the lounge.

The lounge was a cacophony as soon as we settled in, with everyone frantically talking over one another. Earl stood on a table and bellowed, "Friends! Friends!" until everyone finally settled down and paid attention to him.

"We must discuss today's events reasonably and with clear heads!" he announced.

"Hey, why should we listen to anything you say?" Nicole asked. "You might be the mastermind."

"All decisions are made among the entire group," Earl argued. "And if any leadership is required, Coelho and I both have accepted that position! I am no mastermind; I do not sneak in the dark like a vole. However, if I was, she serves as a check on me, and vice versa!"

"The bear never said the mastermind didn't have allies," Nicole grunted. "How do you know we can trust either of you?"

"I... don't think that's a helpful line of thinking," Katy said. "We should be careful, but we can't do that if we think everyone is out to get us."

Therion stared at Nicole. "Possible everyone is ally to mastermind except you," he said. "Very difficult to survive. Doesn't really matter what you do."

Nicole blinked. "That supposed to calm me down?"

I jumped in. "I think what Therion means is, the way we'll get through this is by working together. It's more dangerous to go crazy with distrust, even if it means we risk trusting the wrong person."

Ashley stepped forcefully to the center of the room. "She's right. Think about what we know of the mastermind. Monokuma holds us in contempt. Because of our age, he calls us spoiled and lazy and oversensitive." She cast her gaze around the room. "I happen to think he's entirely correct about our generation, in general. But what would prove him right, more than anything, is if we grew cynical and paranoid. If we threw away the one real advantage we have: our numbers." Her shrill voice lost its piercing quality and became almost a song. "There's only one reason the mastermind would live among us. To keep us from trusting one another? Maybe, but there's lots of ways to do that. No, the real reason is, they want to see their handiwork up close. To see us fall apart. I say, let's refuse them the satisfaction. Let's make them watch us hang together, powerless to intervene, as we fight to escape."

The room was eerily silent as she stopped talking. I legitimately felt like applauding. "Ashley," Juliet said eventually, "that was... that was so inspiring."

"Of course it was, I'm the ultimate goddamn debater!" Ashley snapped.

"We are in agreement!" Earl announced happily. "Now, we must discuss the second issue: our friend the painter!"

"That was such a frightening sight," Emily said, shivering. "He changed so completely. Could he have a multiple personality?"

"Come now, a scientist should have higher standards for their suggestions," Jane grunted. "That doesn't exist. It's merely when suggestible people come to truly believe they have different personalities."

"Um, I'm not sure there's a meaningful difference between those two things..." Emily replied timidly.

"I wrote a novel about multiple personalities once," Katy mused. "This woman had a secret admirer, and it turns out, it was herself! Then, she tried to have herself cut in half, but she died on the operating table."

"That sounds like a delightfully thrilling love story!" Earl bellowed. "But the more pressing concern is whether we can trust him!"

"Dude seems nuts," JP said. "But gotta say, what he did to that bear was pretty sweet."

"Indeed," Rodrigo said, nodding. "He showed true courage. I believe he is an ally and friend."

There was vague nodding throughout the room. I did not contribute to it. A... multiple personality... would explain Morgan's ignorance about making the message in the quad. But it wouldn't explain why Monokuma feigned ignorance about who wrote it. There was something more going on.

Giuseppe poked his hand into the air. "Wait," he said. "We're not talking about the most important thing. The class."

Nicole looked at him quizzically. "What about the class?"

"It's been two days, and there's already been a mental breakdown," Giuseppe replied. "I don't think we can risk attending anymore."

"But we must attend!" Rodrigo argued. "How else are we to know how to escape?"

"That's the trap," Therion said. "Been stupid about the class. Playing right into the bear's plans."

"That's asinine," Jane snapped. "I presume most of us don't think we have multiple personalities, right? We all know our own deepest, big bad secrets."

"That's what he's counting on," Bepi said. "He expects someone to kill to keep their secret from being exposed."

"Well, what do you suggest?" Jane asked him snidely.

"Could all stay away, except one person," Therion said, a blankly thoughtful expression on his face. "One representative. Minimize risk, still learn escape routes."

"Uh, whoever that is would just be signing up for 'getting murdered duty,' right?" JP pointed out. "They'd be the only one who knows all the secrets."

"Yeah, and what if the secrets aren't just embarrassing?" Emily said. "What if they're things that could be used to make someone lower their guard or be distracted?"

Earl rubbed his chin in thought. "Yes. We must continue to attend class, I fear! There is safety in numbers."

"Still stupid," Therion muttered darkly. "Never do what your opponent expects you to do. It's dangerous to go to class."

"Yeah," Nicole agreed. "The bear is messing with us. Fuck that."

"If that is your choice, then we will respect it!" Earl declared. "But we must allow people to attend if they wish!"

"And don't be so worried," Katy admonished unconvincingly. "There's not going to be a murder. We aren't those kinds of people. Okay? We're safe."

No one knew what to say to that. I think I know what everyone wanted to say, but thankfully no one said it.

DORM: ENTRANCE LOBBY

As the meeting convened and we all walked back out into the lobby, I was surprised to see Rocky there, pacing around anxiously. When he saw us, he ran closer. "Hey," he said breathlessly. "There you guys are. Uh hey, I don't know what's going on, but just a heads up: Do not go outside right now."

"Why? Ashley asked. She was answered by a deep rumbling and then a loud boom echoing from the quad.

"Ah, fuck," Rocky said, scratching his head. "They did it."

Rodrigo heedlessly ran to the door, threw it open, and dashed outside. The rest of us followed more cautiously.

MAIN QUAD

It wasn't as bad as I'd feared, but it was still pretty nuts. Through the black smoke, I could see a crater in the ground near the gym. Morgan(?) and Barrett stood nearby, the former laughing and the latter inspecting the hole critically. Monokuma scurried around, sputtering in rage.

Morgan(?) turned to us and waved (I think he might have been waving directly at me). He was dressed in a large, black, baggy sweatshirt, the hood pulled over his head and covering most of his features. Ignoring the teddy bear's protests, he picked up a nearby can of red paint and began pouring it into the crater.

"What madness is this?!" Rodrigo yelled, running close.

"Art!" answered the man in the sweatshirt.

"Fuck off with that art shit," Barrett grunted. "I'm just testing my new cocktail."

"It's an outrage!" Monokuma yelled. "It's unacceptable! The rules..."

"Oi, you can stuff your rules," Barrett interrupted. "And I didn't break 'em anyway, did I? Rules never say I can't blow a hole in the fucking ground."

"They will as soon as I sit down and make a rule about it!" Monokuma snapped, and he disappeared.

Barrett gave a smile, which I had never seen before. "Cheers, mate," he said to the man in the hoodie. "I ain't never had a mind for art, but I like your swagger. Come see me later, eh?" He casually walked off into the student union.

Morgan(?) tossed the paint can away. He took a step back and admired his handiwork. No one said anything for a moment.

Finally, Jane spoke up. "...But what does it mean?"

The man in the hoodie glared at her. "It's art. It doesn't have to mean anything." He sighed and looked back at the crater. "But look at the way the red seeps into the ground. There's an important lesson there, if you're smart enough to get it." And then he just left.

DORM: ENTRANCE LOBBY

Once I got back inside, Rocky pulled me aside. "Yo," he said. "What's going on?"

"We think Morgan has an alternate personality," I answered, feeling stupid just saying it out loud. "Monokuma told us he wasn't really the Ultimate Painter, and he... changed."

"No shit." Rocky rubbed the back of his head in bewilderment. "Was that one of the secrets he was gonna be revealing? I didn't think it was all going to be so heavy when I heard about that. I'd hate to have him do that to me."

I gave him a sideways look. "Is that why you don't go to class? You don't want to hear him say a secret?"

He laughed. "Oh, come on, do I look like the kind of guy who studies and listens to lectures?"

I shrugged. "Maybe. Do you know what he'd reveal?"

He stopped laughing. "No. And I don't want to think about it, either. I told you before, dude, thinking too much messes me up. There's nothing. I don't know anything."

"But what if everyone else hears it? You won't..."

"Dude!" He suddenly took a step closer to me, his gaze hard. "There's nothing. Won't happen. Can't happen. Can't. Okay?"

I nodded, and he took a deep breath and relaxed. "Fuck, you got me all uptight," he said. "I need some of your Miami style." He pulled his headphones over his ears. "See you around, buddy." I watched him go.

DORM: UPSTAIRS HALLWAY

I needed to find two people, and I honestly wasn't sure which would be the more difficult interaction. But after going back to my room, combing my hair to make my bob look halfway decent, and changing my jumper to something a little nicer, I found myself drawn in the direction of a particular door. I was too nervous to do anything but this, at the moment.

I knocked. An agonizingly long moment later, the door slowly opened and Lucina looked out at me. She smiled.

"Hi," I said. "You... said we could talk, if I wanted to. Is that still okay?"

She nodded serenely and stepped back. I walked in.

DORM: LUCINA'S ROOM

Lucina's suite had slightly different decoration from mine; it felt a bit warmer and cozier. She led me to a soft chair and perched at a desk nearby, wad of paper and pen in hand. She quickly jotted down and showed me: How are you doing today?

I took a deep breath. "All right. You know... considering everything."

She wrote something, oddly hesitant about it. Eventually she held up: I'm gay, and I was outed without my permission. I'm so furious it happened to you.

I had quite a large number of emotional reactions to that. "Thank you," I said eventually. "Was it hard for you?"

Yes. But I can make a new start here. When we get out of here, I'm not going back home.

She looked so sad showing me that note, I couldn't help myself. I stood and sat down in the chair next to her, placing my hand on top of hers. "I'll stay with you, no matter what," I said, not even realizing how ridiculous that sounded until a second later. We sat in silence for a moment.

I pulled my hand back awkwardly. "Hey, um, tell me about conducting, okay? How did you get into it?"

Lucina had a wistful, sad smile as she wrote her response. I always loved music. I wanted to play every instrument, to sing, everything. But I had no talent.

"Oh, I can't believe that," I said.

You have no idea how ugly sounds can be until you've heard me try to play the violin.

I giggled.

But I still kept trying, because I loved music so much. But I was so bad, it actually hurt everyone around me. Every noise I made was hideous and painful. That's when I decided I had to stop making noise as much as I could. She touched her throat softly. I stopped speaking. Eventually, I stopped being able to.

I scrunched my forehead at her. "How could sound be that ugly? Who told you it was so painful?"

She was already writing, so her next message didn't respond to my question. But I still loved music, so I wanted to contribute somehow. So I started conducting, and I learned I had a talent for it. I understand music, I just can't produce it.

I wasn't sure what to say to that. But she continued: And I get to be the unifier. I get to be the reason everyone is together. I like that.

"I see how you're good at it," I said. She blushed. I'm sure I was blushing, too.

DORM: UPSTAIRS HALLWAY

After a few deep breaths in a dark room, I was ready for my next encounter. I was dreading this one; there was no ambivalence here. But I had to do it.

I knocked, and there was a loud shuffling on the other side of the door. It flung open, and Morgan... or whoever it was in Morgan's body... stood there. He was not wearing his hoodie; in fact, he wasn't wearing a shirt at all. Although this was not why I chose it, I became grateful I as wearing my nice jumper.

"Ehe," he tittered. "C'mon in."

DORM: MORGAN'S ROOM

As I stepped in, I noticed the room was quite messy, art supplies littering the whole space. I turned and fixed my gaze on him, as coldly as I could. "Should I call you Morgan?"

"Nope."

"What should I call you then?"

"Anything but Morgan." He sneered. "Loser doesn't deserve to be addressed. I'm the Ultimate Vandal. Everything he hates."

NAME: N/A (ThatOneFireEmblemFan)
TALENT: Ultimate Vandal

:::::::

Q: If your life was a story, what genre would it be?
UV: What's your favorite genre?
Q: This interview isn't about me.
UV: You're wrong. It's your story. I'm not writing it. I'm just commentary.
Q: Please sit down.
UV: Your story. Your...
Q: Please...
[loud crash]

The Ultimate Vandal glided across the room to a can of blue paint. He dipped his hand into it and smeared the paint across his bare chest and stomach. "Do you like my art?" he asked.

I did not find myself able to reply, especially when he suddenly slammed his body into the wall, leaving behind a smear of blue. He leered at me, grabbing a paint can and spraying pink onto his body, then smearing a handful of white acrylic. "You don't even know what this place is," he grunted.

I did my best to stay firm. "What do you mean? What have you been trying to tell us?"

He flung himself against another wall, staining it. "This place is full of lies. Lies and lies and lies." He flopped his body down onto the bed and rolled onto the floor, leaving smeared colors behind. "It pretends to be a college and it isn't, but you know that. But it isn't what it pretends to be, either."

"Are you trying to frighten me?" I asked.

"Living is art," he answered. "Living is entropy. Entropy is chaos. Therefore. Art is chaos." He slapped his arm against the wall, leaving behind a spatter of blue and white.

The bizarreness of his behavior was starting to lose its power, and I felt myself mostly irritated by him. "If you know something important, why won't you tell us?"

"I wasn't trusted with special knowledge only to blurt it out. Pay attention to my art. You'll figure it out."

"This is pointless." I rolled my eyes and walked to the door. "Morgan, if you're in there, we could use your help. Whoever else is in there, either be useful or stop expecting us to pay attention to you." I opened the door and walked out, trying my best to ignore the laughter that rang out of his room even into the hallway.

STUDENT UNION: CAFETERIA

Dinner was a dour and tense time. Barrett came and actually stayed; he sat alone, eating his hamburger and glaring at everyone.

I sat with Lucina, Emily, and Katy; to my surprise, Juliet joined us after a moment.

"It's good to see you," I said, "but don't you usually eat with Earl and JP?"

"Oh, I try to spend time with everybody," Juliet replied cheerfully. "And sometimes I want something different. You know, spend time with the girls!"

"Indeed," Katy replied, smiling languidly, "I will happily encourage you to spend time with the girls, my dear."

Juliet tittered, bapping Katy lightly on the arm. "Oh, you!" she chirped. Katy turned scarlet.

Juliet quickly blinked, her face shifting to confusion and concern. "Dear, oh dear," she said, looking behind me.

I turned to see The Ultimate Vandal striding into the cafeteria. He was wearing his black hoodie, his features mostly obscured by the hood. He stopped in the entrance, looking around, clearly savoring the attention.

"Ugh," I said, rolling my eyes.

"At least he showed up," Katy pointed out. "I was worried someone would have to go out looking for him."

The Vandal got some food and sat across from Therion, who gave him a terse nod.

"We don't need this," I said. "Rocky and Therion are loners, and Barrett's... unpleasant. But before Morgan changed, no one created this kind of tension."

Katy shuddered. "At least you guys don't have to do guard duty anymore, right?"

I scratched my chin. "I'm not sure." I looked up at the ceiling. "Monokuma?"

A speaker near our table came to life. "Yes, you still have guard duty. And you're welcome! You think that quad there would be easy to mow all torn up like it is?"

Emily sighed. "Well, I suppose I should go buy some snacks. The sun should come down in about an hour, I think."

Juliet jumped to her feet. "I'll go with you! I want to hear about space!"

We watched them walk to the exit, but my attention was captured by something else. The Ultimate Vandal was sitting perfectly normally. I couldn't see his face under his black hood. But I couldn't shake the feeling that he was staring right at me.

I stood up quickly. "Um, I think I'm going to go take a nap," I announced, and I left Katy and Lucina staring after me quizzically.

DORM: SAYA'S ROOM

I felt uncomfortable the whole walk to my room, and even once I arrived, it took a little while to calm down. Was it really only the day before that I had been outed? I had been so, so worried about that for so long, and now it just felt like it was the strangest, silliest thing to be concerned about. (I briefly imagined telling mom, and that brought a burst of oddly nostalgic anxiety.)

I lay down in bed and tried to sleep. I thought I wasn't able to, but a sudden knock on my door startled me. I glanced at the clock, and it was past 8:30... well into the first guard shift.

I blearily went to the door. "Who is it?" I called.

The answer was simple and straightforward. "Therion."

I opened the door. Therion, indeed, stood there, his big laundry cart next to him. "I need your sheets," he said.

I blinked. "Uh."

"Sheets. On bed. Bed sheets."

"No no, I get it." I pinched the ridge between my eyes. "Sorry, you woke me up. Sheets. Okay."

I started to turn to get them, but Therion just strode in and began pulling the sheets off my bed. I decided it was best not to comment. "You really have to change everyone's sheets?" I asked.

"Landry chore sucks," he answered. "Should hope you don't get it next week."

I nodded as he gathered up the white sheets in his arms, wrapped them into a bundle, and dropped them among the others in his cart. He reached in and pulled out a vacuum-packed package of new sheets, which he dropped on the floor just inside my room. "Enjoy."

"Wait." I walked closer as he raised his eyebrow at me. "Do you really think it's a bad idea to keep going to class?"

"Don't know," he replied. "Some sort of trap, but can't see it yet. Safest to avoid it." His gaze was steely but also a bit compassionate. "In my nature to try to break games. Doing what frustrates the bear is probably good."

I frowned. "I'm think it's safest to stick together, whatever we do."

He positioned himself behind the cart and shrugged. "Both wrong, probably. Nothing close to safe here." He waved. "Good night." He strained against the cart, lurching it forward down the hall. I watched him go, my unease returning, before stepping back into my room and closing the door behind me.

After opening up the package of sheets and halfheartedly putting them on the bed, I lay back down. But, not half an hour later, I got another knock on the door. Feeling cranky, I got up and walked over to the entrance. "Who is it?"

"DJ Rocky K, repping NYC!"

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Rocky kept to himself, but he was usually nice. I felt it was important to be as warm as I could towards him. I opened the door.

He stood there, headphones around his neck, the battered vacuum next to him. "Yo, gotta do your room!" he announced.

"Hey. Um, listen, I was just lying down for a nap. Does it have to be now?"

He squinted thoughtfully. "Guess not? I gotta come back anyway, because not everyone's in their rooms. It's really annoying to have to catch everyone at home to get in."

I sighed. "Yeah. Okay, this is easiest, c'mon in."

Grinning he stepped in, then pulled his headphones over his ears and plugged the vacuum cleaner into the wall. He quickly cleaned the floor of my bedroom and of the chess room (very sloppily, I noted). I sat there trying to be as polite as possible. I did have to admit, it was kind of endearing how he bopped around to the music as he worked.

He pulled off his headphones and unplugged the vacuum. "Hey dude," he said as he wound up the cord. "Wanted to say sorry about earlier. I toldja, I get all mad sometimes."

"It's okay. I'm just... worried about what'll happen with these secrets."

"What, murder?" He laughed, heading to the door. "No one's dumb enough to murder anyone. I know because I'm the dumbest guy here, and I wouldn't do it."

"Oh, you're not the dumbest guy here," I said habitually.

"No, I am," he insisted jovially. "But it's cool! Being dumb helps sometimes." He pulled open the door and strode out into the hall, waving goodbye as the door closed behind him.

DORM: UPSTAIRS HALLWAY

I managed to get a little more sleep before it was time for my shift. I was surprised to find JP approaching me, waving. "Hey," he said. "I'm your partner tonight. Nicole wanted to switch, so you gotta deal with me."

I frowned. "Did she say why?"

"Nope! Figured she was just tired. Hey, you think I got a chance?"

I blinked. "Uh, with Nicole? I don't know, she's pretty hard to figure out."

"Dude, I'm into that!" JP held his hand up, and I realized after a moment he wanted me to give him a high five. I complied, and his face lit up with joy. "You'll help me out with the girls around here, right? I figure you can give me some tips."

I could not help but let a small smile slip out. "I don't know what I can do, but sure."

JP and I chatted for a bit, then split up and half-heartedly 'patrolled' the hallway. The 'east' elevator... the one that was closer to my room... wasn't used once that I saw. JP told me that the 'west' elevator opened up once when Bepi came up for bed after a late-night workout.

About an hour into our shift, I heard a commotion from down the hallway. I ran towards it, finding, to my surprise, JP standing there looking uncomfortable and Monokuma wagging a paw at him.

"And just what are you doing?" Monokuma snapped. "Two guards must be in the hallway at all times!"

I realized JP was standing outside his own room. "Dude, but I gotta take a piss!" he wailed. "What am I supposed to do!"

Monokuma pulled out a red, plastic beer cup and tossed it to JP. "Your kind adviser has thought of that. Aren't I generous?"

"You seriously want him to go in that?" I asked. "What's he supposed to do afterwards?"

"Your problem, not mine!" And he disappeared.

JP sighed and picked up the cup. "Whatever. It's not the first time I've used one of these." He grinned at me. "You ever played Beer-Beer-Piss?"

"That's the worst thing anyone has ever asked me," I replied dryly.

"No, it's fun! You just take some cups, and some of them you fill up with beer..."

"Yes, I can figure out the basic gist from context clues, thanks."

"It takes strategy! You gotta..." JP suddenly stopped and sniffed. "Huh. You smell that?"

I did smell something, a dark, ashy smell. Glancing at each other, we went down the hallway around the corner toward the west elevator. I was not prepared for what was there.

A metal waste basket sat directly in front of the elevator, smoke spewing out of it. Whatever was in there was on fire.

"Shit!" JP yelled. "What the hell?!" He stripped off his shirt and tossed it into the waste basket. He shrieked as his shirt caught fire. "Aaa! What do we do!?"

The door nearest to the elevator opened up and Therion stuck his head out, looking very annoyed. "What is going on out here?"

"There's a fire!" I yelped. "Fill up a pot with water and bring it back!" Grumbling, he disappeared into his room, then a minute later reappeared with a pot of water that he handed to me. I poured the water onto the fire, thankfully extinguishing it.

We coughed as the smoke plumed out. As it cleared, I picked up the waste basket and dumped it out onto the floor. Water and ash and cloth spilled out.

The door to the next room also opened, Bepi stepping into the hallway wearing his typical daytime uniform. "You having a party out here, JP?" he asked.

I squatted down to look at the remains of what was in the waste basket. "Someone set this on fire," I explained. "It's... T-shirts." Besides JP's, it looked like there were three or four in there. I pulled one out. It was charred, but Monokuma's grinning face was clearly plastered on it. "Like... university T-shirts."

Therion grunted and shut the door closed. Bepi sighed. "The vandal. More of his schtick attacking the university. I appreciate the message, but... I dunno, I don't get modern art."

"Do you sleep in your cadet uniform?" I asked. He replied with a cranky grumble and walked back into his room.

I gathered up the mess and put it back into the basket as best as I could. "I guess he must have lit it, then jumped right into the elevator," I mused. "This guy's starting to get on my nerves."

I looked up and saw JP was gone and I had been talking to nobody. "Um, hello?" I called, with no response.

I waited an awkward couple of minutes, then walked down the hallway cautiously. As I neared the east elevator, I was JP walking confidently towards me. "Oh hey," he said. "Sorry, you seemed to have that fire thing under control and I really had to take a piss."

"Oh, yeah." I blinked. "Uh, where's the cup?"

JP didn't answer.

"Um, JP? Where's the cup?"

"Dude, I didn't know what to do with it! So, I... um. I put it on the other elevator and just sent it down."

"You..." I trailed off and sighed. "There's just a cup of urine riding up and down the elevator now?"

"What was I supposed to do, leave it in the middle of the floor?" He threw his hands up in the air in exasperation. "I'll just blame it on Morgan."

"Hm. That's not a terrible idea, actually." I thought for a moment. "I don't think you have a chance with Nicole if she finds out you did this."

"See?" He grinned, all weirdness just totally gone from his expression. "This is good! Dudes need someone to tell them these things!"

"If you say so." But once again, his charm was infectious. I couldn't help smiling.

The rest of the shift proceeded uneventfully. I said hello to the early risers (Ashley, Guiseppe, Jane, and Nicole) but there was nothing particularly unusual.

When the sun came up, I surprised myself by not being particularly sleepy, so I decided to head over to the gym for a workout before breakfast.

DORM: ENTRANCE LOBBY

On my way out of the building, I was stopped by a surprising sight. The previously abandoned information desk was now occupied. Jane sat there, looking extremely bored.

"Oh, hello," she said, contempt just oozing out of her voice. "Do you need any information about the campus?"

I looked at her blankly. "...Can you provide any information about the campus?"

"Oh, well, there's a charming cup of liquid waste on the elevator. Would you like to hear all about that?"

I scratched the back of my head in confusion. "Is this your chore?" I asked.

"No, darling. I sit here every other day in the godforsaken bleak hours of the morning for my entertainment." She glowered up at me. "That was sarcasm."

"I know it was sarcasm," I snapped, annoyed. Then I instantly felt bad. "Sorry." She just grunted.

I sighed. "Jane..." I wondered if this was worth mentioning, but given the circumstances it just felt so stupid to have unnecessary conflict. "Listen, I know I'm not a scientist or whatever, but can't you try to get along with everybody?"

"Why should I?" she asked, completely unruffled. "You're already going 'round trying to be everyone's best friend. We already have a canary in our little coal mine."

I pulled back, confused. "Canary?"

"The first murder victim, of course." She picked at a piece of lint on her glove. "Why should I let myself grow close to the one person foolish enough to go off alone with anyone and everyone?"

My mouth felt dry. "Murder..." I swallowed. "You think I'm going to get murdered?"

"It's logical. Simply a matter of killing two birds, darling." Her eyes were hard and vicious. "So many people have so much opportunity to do you in. But also, cute little Saya, everyone's friend, getting killed? How demoralizing! How can we rationally investigate when our best friend is gone?" She laughed humorlessly. "Everyone knows it'll be you." She sat back and smirked. "Well, look at me, providing information after all."

I felt my eyes well up with tears of anger, and I spun and ran out the front doors, her mocking giggle echoing behind me.

STUDENT UNION: CAFETERIA

An intense workout and a furious crying session had me feeling better, but I was still pretty terrified. I caught myself looking into rooms before walking in, locking the bathroom door before showering, and choosing a treadmill facing the entrance so I could see anyone who came in. I also caught myself feeling very stupid for not doing all of that already.

When I got to breakfast, I sat alone. Usually Bepi or Rodrigo or Katy could make me feel safer, but I was still too shaken to do much but eat scrambled eggs and fret. Lucina did give me a soft smile, though. That helped.

I did not pay much attention to the rest of the group, but I could tell we were not all in attendance. Barrett had not made his usual token appearance, the Ultimate Vandal had not come in, and, most unexpectedly, Nicole was nowhere to be seen. At Earl's request, Rodrigo left to go looking for them, but he returned several minutes later, unsuccessful.

I stood, the antsy feeling beginning to gnaw at my stomach again, and left the cafeteria.

STUDENT UNION: STUDENT STORES

It did not take long for me to find what I was looking for. There was a surprisingly wide selection of stun guns, and they were much less expensive than I thought they would be. I grabbed a small, pink one and rang it up.

But I did not feel safer. That was because I remembered where Bepi had placed the machete that he'd been handling the other day. It was gone.

I tried to tell myself it was just restocked or I forgot exactly where he'd put it. It didn't work.

GENERAL EDUCATION BUILDING: AUDITORIUM

I arrived not long before class was to start. I noticed Ashley in the front, groups of students spread through the room... and The Ultimate Vandal, right there in the back row. He had his head down, the black hood of his sweatshirt resting there on the desk in front of him, but I don't think he was sleeping. His breathing was odd, hitching, and violent.

Trying to put my paranoia aside, I sat down next to Bepi, who was sitting near Emily, Katy, Rodrigo, and Lucina. I hadn't known them long, but I had been thinking of this group as my friends. Was that stupid?

Monokuma suddenly appeared before us, doing a little two-step before surveying the room. "What, was there a big basketball game last night?!" he snapped. "Where is everyone? They're going to miss the most important historical events and the juiciest secrets yet!"

I scanned the room. He was right. Barrett and Rocky were missing, as usual, but so were Jane, Nicole, and Therion.

Undeterred, Monokuma launched into a lecture on the War of the Roses. It was dreadful.

This time, it went almost the whole hour and a half before the day's secret was revealed. The tension mixed with the boredom, pretty much cancelling one another out.

But still, when it happened, it was sudden and shocking. Monokuma projected a picture of a young woman I'd never seen before, sitting in a wheelchair and looking forlorn. He tittered and announced, "Emily Voss crippled a girl."

I looked over at Emily, who was frozen in terror.

"When she was nine years old," Monouma continued, "she slammed a broken door into poor little Sally's back. Poor little Sally would never walk again. Puhuhu, how cruel of her!"

The Ultimate Vandal laughed without raising his head off the desk. It was a vicious, ugly, alien sound.

Emily's mouth fell open and tears were streaming down her face. "I didn't mean to do it!" she sputtered. "The door broke off and fell on me! I was just... just trying to get clear of it!"

Monokuma shook his head. "And by coincidence, you just happened to swing it into the bully who was making your life a nightmare? Goodness, what a lucky, lucky girl you must be!"

Emily did not reply. Earl stood up. "This is unbearable!" he shouted. "We will not stand for your cruelty!"

Monokuma giggled again. "I get it! UnBEARable! Clever student! Well, if you want to make it stop, you know how!" He glanced over at the classroom clock perfunctorally. "Goodness, look at the time, we'll have to cut the lecture off there." With a cheerful dance, he disappeared.

Emily looked around at us, horrified and sobbing. "I didn't mean it!" she bawled. "I really didn't!"

Juliet moved first, jumping to her feet and rushing over to Emily, embracing her. Bepi stood, disgusted. "Come on, let's get out of here, he grunted." We filed out of the classroom, Emily's sobs the only sound.

GENERAL EDUCATION BUILDING: ENTRANCE HALL

We stood outside the auditorium awkwardly. Juliet held Emily while she cried; Lucina, Katy, and Rodrigo stood nearby. Earl argued with Bepi and JP, off to the side.

"I don't recall what happened," Emily blubbered. "The doctor said I had a concussion. But I wouldn't! I wouldn't do that!"

"I know, dear," Juliet cooed, patting Emily's hair.

"This is not worth it," Bepi was saying. "We can't keep doing this. This is getting more and more dangerous."

"We just need to stand together!" Earl maintained.

I felt awkward, but I also didn't know what else to do. I felt so bad for poor Emily, but the terrified, sick feeling in my chest was back. I stood near the closed door leading to the auditorium, just taking in the scene. For several minutes, I didn't know what to do.

That was when I heard the thump. It came from behind me, in the auditorium, not very loud but definitely something. I thought about speaking up, but it felt cruel to interrupt Emily's care with something I could just look into myself.

I slowly, uncomfortably, turned and stepped into the auditorium.

GENERAL EDUCATION BUILDING: AUDITORIUM

As I entered the room, there was no movement, and at first I thought it was empty. But then I noticed, sitting in that same seat in the back row, was The Ultimate Vandal. He was sitting up now, the hoodie covering most of his features, his hands gripping the desk in front of him.

I didn't know why, but I felt like there were bees in my head. I gripped the stun gun I had bought and slowly walked towards him.

"What was that sound?" I asked. He did not respond. "Come on," I said, trying and failing to convince myself to be annoyed, "stop being all mysterious."

I walked up the aisle, getting closer and closer, and he still hadn't moved. "Vandal?" I said. He stared straight ahead. Furious terror whooshed in my ears.

I reached out and put my hand on his shoulder, shaking him gently. "...Morgan?"

He pitched forward onto the desk, and... something... fell out of his sweatshirt and landed in the aisle. It began rolling awkwardly down towards the front of the room.

I stared at it dumbly, somehow not able to interpret what I was looking at. Whatever it was, it had beautiful, multicolored strands of hair.

Like a magic eye picture, it came into view. A head. Morgan's staring, gruesome head.

I screamed.