"Anyone who was in the quad during the fire should be pretty identifiable. Right, Jane?" I tilted my head at her.

She took a step back. "Why are you asking me, darling?"

"Because you pointed it out."

"Ugh," she grunted, wrinkling her nose. "You all smell like ashtrays. Is the bear going to clean up before we have to go outside? I don't want to die of smoke inhalation on my way to the trial."

"You didn't smell like smoke, because you were inside the science center. But anyone who was outside in the east quad before the fans turned on should smell like smoke." I then looked right at the killer. "Unless they were wearing the hazmat suit."

The killer looked back at me coolly. She gave nothing away, even then.

I blinked uncomfortably. She was very close; I could smell that beautiful, flowery scent she'd been wearing, and her perfect hair and make-up seemed to mockingly fill my whole vision.

She didn't say anything.

"She didn't smell like smoke, but she should have, according to her own story."

She grinned, then tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I came over from the main quad, I dunno, a couple of minutes ago, but shit was all crazy outside, so once I saw the tank was still there, I came in here." She shrugged. "I was hoping to run into Earl and Ashley, actually. Not my night, I guess."

She took a deep breath.

"Do you have anything to say, Nicole?" I asked.

But Barrett replied. "You're full of shit," he grumbled.

"I was only in the quad for a little bit," she said, finally. "That wasn't enough..."

"No," I interrupted. "It didn't take much, even before the whole quad was filled."

Katy looked back at me, er grin very odd and manic. "Hey, could I ask you something real quick? It's about the thing we talked about before... the private thing."

I raised an eyebrow, but allowed her to lead me a few feet away. She looked haggard but generally fine. Her clothes and hair smelled like charcoal, even though she'd only spent a couple of minutes in the east quad when the smoke wasn't even too bad yet, but her eyes were bright and focused.

"It fits Nicole, doesn't it?" Katy said, sounding horrified. "Crazy-smart, complicated idea, but she sees him and just... takes the shot, even though it wrecked her plan."

"It's all a lie," Nicole insisted.

"There's something else," I said.

"Oh, of course there is," she snapped. "There always fucking is, right?" She sneered at me. "Fuckin' Judge Saya, huh? Special Agent Saya? You were The Man all along, and The Man always wins."

"Fuck that!" Barrett screeched. "Saya doesn't know shit! She..."

"Oh, shut up," Nicole muttered, and he actually did. "Let the story end the way the story's gotta end. Not everything's about you, fuckboy." She looked back at me. "Go. Say your shit."

I coughed slightly, then recentered. "Okay. Nicole, when we talked to you, you said something kind of weird. You made an assumption that stuck out to me."

She noticed the bottle in Lucina's hand. "Oh fuck, is that..." She ran over, grabbed the bottle, and smelled it. "Spice. Where'd you find that?"

Lucina pointed at Jane's coat. Nicole rubbed the back of her head thoughtfully. "Well, damn it. If someone's been playing with those chemicals, no wonder there was an explosion." She glanced around at the three of us. "You all know what to smell for, so keep alert. It'd be real easy to set a trap with those."

Rocky scratched the back of his head in confusion. "Uh... what? What assumption did she make there?"

"She said all three of us know what Barrett's chemicals smelled like," I explained. "And that not only wasn't correct, it was a really strange thing to think was correct. Who would tell Juliet about how to identify the dangerous chemicals?"

"I would misuse that knowledge very horribly," Juliet confirmed.

"I don't get it," Rocky said. "Why's that mean Nicole is the killer?"

"Because I was trying to think of why she'd get such a weird impression," I answered. "And... well, I have a pretty good memory. I think I know what happened."

I looked at Lucina seriously. "You know the other two smells, right?" She nodded. "I don't think Juliet does, though."

Lucina wrote out a response, Me neither, but Ashley knew.

"What?! How did she find out?!"

Jane told that whole "group." I heard Ashley talking about it yesterday.

I sighed. "Okay, that might change a lot. Thanks for telling me."

"I knew Juliet didn't know what the chemicals smelled like. But someone who was overhearing would get a different impression. They'd think Lucina told me otherwise. I can't think of any other reason someone who think Juliet knew."

Nicole's mouth was a thin line, but then she just sighed. "This is so fucked up. You hear me, Saya? I trust you and you narc me out."

"Wait, are you confessing?" Barrett asked. "She doesn't have anything!"

"She's got everything," Nicole snapped. "I shouldn't have... goddamn it. I knew it. You can't ever win. People like me aren't ever gonna win."

"People like you?" Bepi asked, raising an eyebrow. "You mean murderers?"

"Desperate people," she confirmed, staring him straight in the eye. "Yes." The expression on her face was almost terrifying in its contempt. "You're the worst of 'em," she said. "You have every goddamn reason to hate the bullshit system they got us spinning in. They been tearing you up since you were a little kid. And you ain't white!" She paused. "Wait, hold on, are you white?"

"I legit don't know. I'm an orphan."

"If they can't tell you're white for sure, you ain't white," she spat. "And now they got you in here with us. And you try to just opt out, try to just sit alone off in the back, like it'll save you. You fucking coward, see where it got you? It got your friend killed. Your person got killed, because you tried to opt out."

"What about your people?" Bepi spat. "You're supposed to be helping your family, right? That's all you care about. Get rich with fashion and save them. And you throw it away with some pointless murder?!"

"Oh yeah, the great American story," she growled. "You gotta leave the hood to save the hood, and what happens when you go back to actually do it?Changing the hood doesn't look so great anymore. 'They're being irresponsible and lazy and I earned my money!' Fuck that. Fuck buying in."

"Fuck buying in!" Barrett shouted. "Ye..." He suddenly stopped, because Nicole's notebook suddenly whapped him right in the nose. He staggered back, then looked up at her with rage in his eyes and blood dripping down from both nostrils. "You bitch! Y..." Her boot came next, slamming right into his eye. He dropped to a knee, swearing.

"Oh, shut up, fuckboy," Nicole said. "If you get outta this place, then in two years you'll be demolishing poor folks' houses to make room for Amazon or whoever. This place takes weak fucks and molds 'em into soldiers defending everything unfair about the world. That's the whole point, and it's working. I see it working."

"Is that why you did it?" Katy asked. "You think we're all going to get... get turned into people who just defend the status quo? Even if it's awful?"

Nicole laughed then, bitterly bit also with genuine humor. "You say that like it's not what every college is for."

"What could some of us even do?" I asked. "I play chess. How would I even be worth all this money and trouble to brainwash?"

"True believers are always useful," she answered, spitting the words like they tasted bitter. "Smart ones? Even more. And it's not just chess, anyway. It's the ultimate chess player and the ultimate podcaster and the ultimate instagrammer and the ultimate architect and on and on. The tastemakers and intellectuals and fighters and... whoever. That's always been enough." She glared up at monokuma, who appeared to be baffled by his own paws. "This has always been the game. The poor folks and the beaten-down folks get madder and madder, but nothing changes, 'cause the ones on top keep coming up with new ways to win. Every generation, the young people say 'I'm gonna change shit,' and the old people say, 'Don't do it,' and nothing ever happens, not a thing."

She suddenly slammed a fist against her podium. "Fuck! I never had that breakthrough about the shoes. I was real close. Damn it." She sighed and looked up at me. "Saya, do your thing. Finish narcing me out."

"You murdered someone!" I defended. "You..."

"I ain't blaming you," she interrupted. "It's the right choice." She glared. "But don't you ever goddamn forget that you're killing a poor, black lady so you can stay alive. Don't you dare get comfortable with that shit."

I couldn't think of anything to say in response to that. I just began my narrative.

The planning for this murder began when the killer learned Earl was planning to drive his tank away this evening. They knew there were anti-tank rocket launchers in the armory, and they also realized that they would not be caught by Monokuma's rule if they used the weapon from inside the armory itself.

After stealing the chemicals from the lab this afternoon, they began leaving evidence around in order to direct us away from the real cause of the explosion they planned. They went to Earl's extra boots in his locker and painted the soles with Sugar. They poured Everything Nice on the ground near Earl's tank. And, they planted the bottle of Spice in Jane's trench coat.

After Barrett set the fire, the killer needed to get into the ROTC quickly. To protect themself from the flames, they coated a hazmat suit and breathing mask in the anti-fire gel, allowing them easy access to the armory. They got a rocket launcher and went to the window, ready to use it when Earl went to the tank.

However, Earl threw Ashley's body off the science center and stood on the edge of the roof. Unable to resist such an easy target, and seeing all the witness's backs turned to the ROTC, the killer shot him with the rocket launcher.

As a result of this impulsive action, the killer now needed to improvise. They sneaked through the quad, hidden by the smoke, and into the science center to plant Everything Nice somewhere Earl would have stepped. They discarded their hazmat suit halfway up the stairs and ran to the fifth floor.

They knew that we were close behind them, so they only had time to throw the bottle of Everything Nice at the bottom of the ladder before hiding themselves among the old computer modules while we investigated.

After we went back downstairs to search the locker room, the killer just followed us, claiming they had just come in from the quad. This one small lie was what ended up exposing them. Based on the evidence, the killer of Earl Morale could only be Nicole Archina, the Ultimate Fashion Designer!

Bepi looked very disturbed, but he waved his hand to get Monokuma's attention. "Is it time to vote?"

Monokuma had a tablet out, and he was poking at the screen frantically. "Uh. Yes. But!" He threw the tablet down. "You idiot kids are too attached to technology! So... so for this trial, we will vote the old-fashioned way. So, uh, you all think Nicole Archina did it, huh? Does anyone object?"

"Yes!" Barrett screeched, his crusty blood on his upper lip. "This is fuckin..."

I don't know how, but Nicole got her hands on Katy's stiletto shoe. She threw it at Barrett and it hit him right in the face. "There are no objections," she said.

No one else said anything. Monokuma sighed with relief. "All right, because I did not have a plan to deal with objections! And you're right! The killer of Earl Morale is Nicole Archina!"

Katy stared with wide eyes. "I didn't want to believe it, even though I thought it was true," she said. "Nicole... did you really do it to kill us all? Do you really think we're that dangerous?"

"Maybe? Shit, I don't know. Some of you might go right. But it's risky." She shrugged. "Truth is, gettin' the rest of you was just a bonus. I already killed the one who really needed to die."

"What?" Rocky looked like he couldn't decide whether to be horrified or unsurprised. "What do you mean?"

"He's the type to win and win and win, always thinking he's doing the right thing," Nicole said. "He would have been the worst. But... that's not all." She vaguely shuddered. "I saw him and Ashley meet up. They didn't know I was there, and they talked about the plan to meet on the roof. I think they kissed, but I couldn't see. But I looked at the end. They were facing each other, and Earl had this big smile just like always. And Ashley turned around, and... his face just changed. He had the kind of hate and cruelty and... fuck, I can't even describe it. He charmed her and then behind her back he was just filled up with murder. So no matter what, I did good getting rid of him."

Bepi's fist was clenched so tight, I was surprised his fingernails weren't drawing blood. "You did. None of the rest of us saw him for what he was."

Monokuma was poking at various buttons on a nearby control panel. "I think... the execution is ready? I mean, of course it is! I'm fine. It'll be great!"

"Hey, this isn't fair!" Katy argued. "She killed a killer! That's just the execution you were gonna do anyway!"

"I don't make the rules," Monokuma said airily. "She robbed Earl Morale of an ironic death, and that is the greatest crime of all."

Nicole sighed. I realized she looked tired and that was literally the first time I'd ever seen her look like that. "I'm real good at fashion; it's a shame none of y'all ever really saw what I could do," she replied. "But I was never gonna fix everything with fashion. I kept thinking, 'Don't be stupid, just make your cash and get your family out.' I've always aimed too high, though." She smiled genuinely. "Except with the rocket launcher. I aimed that perfect."

"We're not going to let them twist us into being on their side," Katy insisted. "We won't."

Nicole smiled sadly and a little kindly. "Maybe you really won't. I guess one day, some young generation has to finally take a stand. Maybe it's time."

"All right!" Monokuma announced. "It's execution time!" He pulled a lever next to him.

Nicole still had that soft smile. "So if that's y'all, make sure I get mentioned as a martyr for the revolution, okay? I'm..." She suddenly gasped and pointed at me. "Saya! I forgot! Your dark grey turtleneck is done! It's in my room! You're gonna look so..." and the floor opened up underneath her and she dropped into the darkness.

POWER CLASHING
the execution of NICOLE ARCHINA

The television monitors were working, and they flickered to life. Nicole lay on a huge swath of fabric. She looked around with disorientation for a moment, then struggled... she was tied with thread and could not move.

Nearby, there was a huge, horrible machine chugging and thumping. At first it looked like just a misshapen monster, but I realized it was a giant sewing machine needle and motor. Slowly, inevitably, the cloth started moving, pulling her towards the terrible needle.

Then, very suddenly, the machine stopped. Nicole lay there for a moment, a very confused expression on her face. Two Monokumas ran out, both carrying paddles, and began whapping her with them. The cloth, unable to bear the weight of all three of them, tore, and Nicole fell again, and the screen went dark.

The lights came back up. Nicole was lying on a giant chess board. She stood up, groggily looking around. She was not given much time to get her bearings before a giant paintbrush descended from the sky and painted, in the air next to her, an angry-looking wolf. Impossibly, somehow, the wolf began to move. It stomped and snarled and then ran directly at Nicole, who just helplessly covered her face.

The wolf didn't get to her, because it was intercepted by a lion. A bull then slammed into the lion and ran several steps before being stung by a scorpion and falling down dead. Two fish flopped on the chess board nearby as a crab pinched the scorpion in half.

Nicole just took a step back watching this display, seeming far more confused than afraid. She didn't even look surprised when she noticed that there was a shadow over her head that was getting bigger and bigger. She looked up. I don't know if she had any time to register what was happening before it was over.

A tank had fallen from above, directly on top of her. It sat, indented into the chess board. The treads slowly came to life, pulling the tank out of the impact crater. It left behind a terrible, huge streak of blood as it rumbled away.

"Good enough!" Monokuma shouted.

I couldn't feel much but sick. This had all just become inevitable. It really did feel just like a class; the third murder was on the syllabus just like an exam would be.

Barrett stormed away; I don't know where he went, but it wasn't towards the elevator. Monokuma didn't seem to care.

"Could she have been right about Earl?" Katy asked. "Or... or did she just want to lash out at someone she hated?"

"Everyone's wrong," Bepi growled. He glared up at Katy. "Don't think about it. Don't think about the way anyone thinks. Because it's bullshit. No one thinks they're bad, and everyone is. Earl was a monster. Nicole was a monster. Don't think about it." He looked over at Ashley's empty space in the circle. "You see this shit?!" he yelled at it. "You see how the big war of ideas ends? You..." His voice hitched and he trailed off.

I took a steep towards him. "Bepi..."

"No." He just looked steadily at me, voice cold. "It's too late for you. You blew it."

I froze, feeling bizarrely cold. "What?"

"Everyone knows now." He waved his hands around at everyone. "Saya's the detective. She solves the murder. You weren't careful enough. Now anyone with half a brain knows who to target."

Before I could even emotionally react to that, I heard Juliet laughing. "Ah," she said, "I had something to say about that." She smiled charmingly at Rodrigo, who tensed up like an angry dog. "Mr. Diaz, would you be a dear and pick up that paper I gave you earlier? The one you cleaned your neck off with?"

Slowly, distrustfully, Rodrigo walked to where the crumpled paper lay on the carpet. He picked it up. "I only do this because it is a sin to litter," he said.

"I wrote something on it before the trial," Juliet said. "I think everyone should know what it was."

Rodrigo slowly uncrumpled the paper and turned it. He looked at it, then his mouth fell open.

"What is it?" Rocky asked.

Rodrigo held out the paper for everyone to see. There were two words written on it: "EARL" and then, just below it, "NICOLE."

"Killing Saya won't save you," Juliet said, emotionlessly. "I'll always know." And she walked off toward the elevator.

The rest of us stood in silence for a moment. Nicole would have broken the silence, but, of course, she didn't.

MAIN QUAD

We all slowly drifted off the elevator. I was looking for Lucina, but she somehow wandered off into the darkness. Juliet went back to the freezer: "Lock the door if you want," she said. I don't think anyone did. Rocky took Rodrigo off to wash the stab wound. And Bepi just stormed away towards the dorm.

Jane, Katy, and I stood in the cool night. It truly felt like autumn now; there was a nip in the air that felt fresh and halloween-y. Katy must have noticed too, because she said, "I love fall nights like this. Isn't that weird? A second ago I could only think that so many of us were gone, but now it just feels like a normal night. Maybe I'm going crazy." She paused for a moment, chewing on that. "It'd be pretty understandable to go crazy in a situation like this, huh?"

"Only if you're a weakling," Jane said shortly. She turned to us, stone-faced. "You both did well," she said. "Thank you."

It felt very strange to hear her say such a thing, even if her tone betrayed that she hated every second of it. I found myself smiling at her.

But then I froze and my mouth hung open. I was looking her in the face, closer than she usually let anyone get. And I'd been having the feeling that something was weird, and like a thunderbolt, I realized what it was. Her large eyes were regarding me coolly, and though it was a bit hard to see in the lamplight, I could tell that the hazel, colored part around the pupil...

"Your eyes..." Katy said. "You... have Emily's swirls."

"Ah. Yes. You noticed." There might or might not have been a blush on her cheeks. "It's been my project. Give myself something of hers, so I'd be sure to never forget."

We just gaped at her.

"Oh, don't make such a big deal out of it," she grumbled. "Goodness, it's like you've never seen anyone bio-engineer their eyes before." She turned and quickly walked off. I wasn't sure what I felt, but it was something.

DORM: HALLWAY

Katy decided to walk around a bit before bed, so I hugged her goodbye. It really did feel like we were friends.

I headed up to the dorm hallway, barely holding my tiredness at bay. I felt stretched and beaten.

But then I turned the corner toward my room and I saw someone standing outside my door, and it was like I'd never been tired in my life. Lucina was there, leaning against the wall, and when she saw me, she waved shyly.

I approached, and she took my hand and pulled me in and embraced me tightly. She took several deep breaths, squeezing tighter with each one. I breathed, too.

She pulled back and looked down at me, a soft smile on her face. I felt her hand pressed on my cheek, and it was somehow both very soft and the only thing I could feel. She looked down at her feet for a moment, and then looked back at me, her eyes flashing with nervousness. She held up a message, I don't want to be alone tonight.

I stared.

She kissed me.

I don't know how long it lasted. There was just the feeling: I needed her. My body needed her. She was opening herself to me, trusting me, and I needed it so badly.

I pulled away. She blinked, looking dazzled and confused.

"I, uh." I put my hand against the side of my head. "You shouldn't. I mean..." It was like I couldn't see, like I was just a feeling. "I'm sorry." I walked past her, opened the door to my room, and ran inside, shutting the door behind me.

I sat on the floor, my back leaning against the door. I was terrified she would knock and demand an explanation, but she didn't, and that felt like someone clawing me apart on the inside. I think I was crying.

I woke up, my back still leaning against the door to my room. It was barely light outside.

Ashley was dead. Earl was dead. Nicole was dead. Bepi was angry with me. Lucina...

Zombielike, I stood and lurched back out into the hall. I needed to explain. I needed to tell her how I felt, and how terrified I was, and how sorry I was if I made her think I didn't care.

I went to her door. The hallway was quiet in the morning light, and I stood there, breathing, trying to gather courage. I just had to knock, to talk to her, to explain. I stewed, minutes passing, recentering.

But then, before I was ready, the door opened. I froze, trying to think what I would say to her... but then I somehow froze up even more.

The person standing in Lucina's doorway, staring back at me in shock, was not Lucina. This person's normally neat clothes were stretched-out and rumpled. Her hair, which was normally done up in elaborate tails, draped down over her back like blue-silver water.

This time, finally, the message got through. Katy can surprise you.

Q: Tell me about your parents, please.
NA: Oh, they're great! Taught me how to survive, how to be a good person. Never had much time, but whatever, they used the time they had, you know?
Q: Is there anything you wish they'd done differently?
NA: No. Well... they have both totally given up. You know? You know how people just give up sometimes? Like life beats them down so hard, they forget how to stand back up.
Q: Do you worry you'll give up like that, too?
NA: No! Well actually, yeah. That's why I'm always doing things! I'm always telling myself, "Chill, don't do so much!" but it's better than doing nothing, right? I'd rather do a hundred stupid things than nothing. At least then, I don't miss out.