Morning Hope Academy's
New Semester of Killing
Prologue to Despair
New Semester (Part 2)
"Because they took our love and they filled it up!
Filled it up with Novocaine and now I'm just Numb!
Now I'm just Numb!
D-D-Don't mind me, I'm just a sun of a gun!
So don't stop! Don't stop! Till your heart goes numb!
You're heart goes numb!
I don't feel a thing for you!"
"Cut! For fucksakes Jon, that's the third time you messed up the line!" a voice snapped, causing the young man to stop. The music coming through his headset cut off, leaving him in a silent booth, staring at the two way glass in front of him.
He was a young man of seventeen, standing at five feet, ten inches in height. He had pale, lightly tanned skin and soft blue eyes. He had a boyish face, slowly chiseling into his adult features. He had a firm look on his face, his lips pressed into a thin line. He had smooth black hair, that reached down to his shoulders, two cowlicks stuck out from the middle of his head, making it look like he had antennae growing out of his scalp. The young man had a lean build, looking a bit lanky.
He was wearing a black tee shirt, with a white hoodie over it. He was wearing a pair black and white pants. The left leg was a solid black color, while the right one was white. It was a monochrome style that he was trying out, and so far he seemed to like it a lot. To go with his style, he was wearing a black converse sneaker on his left leg and a white converse sneaker on his right.
Though young, he was known in his home of Redmond, Virginia for his voice. He had been singing since he was young, having been in a choir when he was growing up. Of course, he preferred to write songs instead of singing them. But when one is a songwriter, they have to know how to sing too. He had written various songs in the past, some that shot people to stardom and became one hit wonders. He was currently working on recording demo songs for a new album, that one of his favorite bands had requested from him. However, the one who was helping him record said demo was currently annoying the hell out of him. He pulled the headphones down from his neck, crossing his arms.
"Excuse me, I think I know what I'm singing. I wrote the damn thing, if that's how I said it, it's because that's how I wrote it." the boy said firmly, earning a sigh from his friend.
"Jon...seriously, you're being a dick again. We gotta get eleven tracks set to go before the end of the week. Yet here you are bitching and complaining. You know I got shit to do." the man said firmly. The boy rolled his eyes, pulling off his headphones, hanging them from the microphone. He walked out of the booth, leaning against the door frame.
"I know you got stuff to do okay? You don't think I'm stressed out? I gotta finish this shit before Friday because I'll be gone on Monday."
"Oh right...you got accepted into the fancy pants school in California. You know, you really are one lucky bastard you know that?" his friend asked, causing the boy to frown.
"I don't think so...it's just a school bro. That isn't gonna change who I am, besides I think I could share my talent with the world. They've all heard my music before, might as well become a professional songwriter at this point." he said, a small smile on his face.
"Jonathan Hyles, the Ultimate Songwriter...has a nice ring to it...anyway, we just about hit our mark. We're gonna have to continue this another time." the man said, as he started shutting down the systems. Jon frowned, walking over to the couch, where his backpack had been resting.
"Same time tomorrow?"
"Ah...I can't, I'll be in D.C. For the next two days...I'll be back on Thursday though. So we gotta get that shit down pat by then, we got five songs to record afterwards." he said. Jon nodded, reaching into his pocket for his cellphone.
"Guess I'll be heading out then, send the finished files to my email so I can hear them. I'll tweak them at home."
"Will do, catch ya later man."
Jon gave his friend a handshake before leaving the building. It wasn't long before he stepped into the brisk air of Redmond, Virginia. It was early fall, and while normally it would be hot, the season had been abnormally cold. He blamed global warming for that, along with a few dumb asses who claimed global warming was fake and didn't exist. Just taking a look at pictures of the poles was enough for it to be confirmed. He glanced around the city he had grown up in, noticing the trees were starting to change color. There were people making their way downtown, walking fast, faces passing as he was homebound. He greeted a few people that recognized him, though he wasn't in the choir anymore, he did often sing new stuff at the local cafe's open mic night. It was but one way of getting his music out there.
It was still a bit odd for him to think about everything. He was a normal high schooler, going through his sophomore year. There were a few talented people in his high school, but out of all of them he had been picked. Apparently, the Ultimate Scout had been looking for a fresh young talent. And when she heard him singing in one of the stairwells, she had fallen in love with his voice. She had taken him to local diner, had him sing some original songs, and took note of how the crowds seemed to gravitate toward him. He honestly did it for the free food, but the people did show their appreciation. She had asked him what his name was, and had left just as fast as she had shown up, a week later he had gotten a letter that had changed his life, he still remembered the words written on the paper.
"Jonathan David Hyles,
I would like to personally congratulate you. You have been selected to join the Alumni of the Prestigious Morning Hope Academy. The students that come to this academy are said to be the brightest minds in the world. We are a sister school to Japan's Hope's Peak Academy. Our specialty is to nurture the special talents of young individuals. I have heard a lengthy demo containing various songs that you have written and performed personally. The tone of your voice, and the sincerity of those words has us all quite amazed. We believe this talent needs to be nurtured, so it can bloom into a true shining talent.
I have read your school records, and have seen your exploits. Especially those of the school choir you were once a part of. Though I do not understand why you decided to leave them, our school also has a choir. Perhaps you'd be interested in joining them?
If you'd like to accept this offer, then you must be present at the Academy on October 5th 2014. I understand that you currently live in San Francisco. Transport will be arranged to bring you here to Anaheim so you can begin your studies. Be prepared to spend the next four years here. You will be allowed to leave during breaks, but are required to stay in the dorms here. Once again, I'd like to welcome you to our school. Inside, you'll find a map of the campus, your class schedule and the location for your orientation.
Morning Hope Academy accepts you to its 24th Class. I will be present during opening ceremonies. If you have any questions, you'll be able to reach me or the Administration using the numbers below. See you there."
"I really wanna meet Dean Winters...he sounds like a wonderful person. Anyone who appreciates music is good in my book...though it feels to me like they're just interested in my skills and not me." he mumbled, as he continued walking down the street.
It didn't take him long to reach his home. His parents were both working in D.C. And would most likely be back by the time he was asleep, if at all. They had taken some government jobs recently, with his mother running for Senator of Virginia for some reason or another. She had mentioned something about Bigotry and Sexism, but he wasn't paying attention. Politics just weren't his forte. His President was black and his father's Lambo was blue, that's all that mattered to him. He tossed his bag onto the couch, walking into the kitchen. He grabbed a hot pocket from the freezer, tossing it into the microwave as a quick snack.
"Ugh...what a stressful day. I wish Greg wasn't such a douche...I'm pretty sure I didn't mess up the line." he mumbled, leaning back against the counter.
His thoughts had gone back to Morning Hope Academy. When he had told his parents about it, they had been ecstatic. They had encouraged him to go, and had even paid for his trip ahead of time. They had bought him new clothes, suitcases, bedsheets and everything else he might need. He loved his parents dearly, but at times he felt very smothered by them. It was times like these when he was alone that he appreciated the peace and quiet. He could sing as long as he wanted and no one would complain. While some people wanted to share their voice with the world, Jon was content with singing by himself. He heard the beep of the microwave, and pulled the door open, pulling out his hot pocket from within. He bit into it, ignoring the fact it was boiling hot.
"Well...I might as well enjoy myself. My parents have a day off tomorrow and we're going out to dinner. Then it's back to business on Thursday. I'm at least happy my old high school gave me the week off to get ready. Still...entering school in October is a bit odd." he thought, slowly chewing his food. He felt a twinge of pain course through his head, causing him to drop his snack. He looked at his hand, seeing everything swirling and blurring together. It wasn't long before everything had gone black...
xxx
Date: Unknown
Location: Unknown
Time: Unknown
Jonathan's eyes snapped open, his body jolting a bit as he regained consciousness. He almost let out a scream when he did, but took a deep breath, calming himself down a bit. He glanced around, noticing he was in a very tiny room. He saw three thin slits in front of his face, a bit of light pouring in. He glanced down, seeing himself dressed in his white hoodie, monochrome pants and shoes. He could feel his backpack attached to his back, the things within pressing against him. Looking around, he realized exactly where he was. He was inside a metal locker. He sighed, a frown on his face.
"Where the hell am I? And why the hell am I already in a locker?" Jon mentally asked, looking around. He noticed the latch near the center of the door, and grabbed it, rattling it a bit. With a grunt, he managed to open it, pushing the door open with a bang, which echoed throughout the room.
He looked around, finding himself in what looked like a locker room. It was a rectangular shaped room, each wall lined with black colored lockers. There were two long benches in the center of the room, the floor being tile, and cleaned to a glimmering shine. The area above the lockers was covered in black and white ceramic tiles, giving it a classic checkerboard design, that the boy very much appreciated. The ceiling had fluorescent bulbs, providing the room with bright white light. He hummed to himself, glancing back at the locker he had just been in, brows furrowing.
"Man...if I went to a party last night, I must have smoked some dank kush." he mumbled. The locker was empty, save for himself who was previously inside it. He shrugged off his backpack, setting it down on the bench, pulling it open.
"Hmm...my laptop is gone...but I have all of my music books. I got sheet music, my song book is in here. Hell, I even got my Headset and my portable recorder. My phone's gone, but at least I got my wallet...where the hell am I?" he thought to himself, zipping his bag closed. He heard a rattling beside him, causing him to gasp in surprise. One of the doors was rattling loudly, confirming the presence of someone inside.
"What the fuck? Another person is stuck in there?"
"Oi, if you don't let me out of here right now, I swear I'm going to crack your nuts under my heel! God dammit, let me out!"
Jonathan didn't recognize the voice, but at least he did recognize the accent. He could tell the girl trapped within the locker was from the United Kingdom, her English Accent being very clear to understand. He felt a little nervous, but couldn't leave her stuck in there. So he walked over to the locker and grabbed a hold of the latch, pulling it open. The door swung out, hitting him square in the face, causing him to fall to the ground.
"Ah...dammit! Why the fuck did you swing it out?" he cried, clutching his nose in his hand.
"Oh, don't get your knickers in a twist you ninny, I didn't swing that hard." the girl replied firmly. He frowned, letting go of his nose as he glanced up at the girl, peering down at him with a firm look on her expression.
To say she was beautiful was an understatement. She was a bit shorter than him, being about five feet, three inches in height. She had very pale skin, her complexion being accented with some rose colored blush, around the cheeks. Her bright silver blue eyes popped out at him, surrounded by black mascara. She was wearing light red lipstick on her lips, making her look quite alluring. Her outfit consisted of a sleeveless white dress with small hearts printed on it. She wore a thin black belt around her waist, the bottom of the dress reaching her knees. She wore pale pink leggings on her legs, along with a pair of black Mary-Jane shoes. She was wearing a furry mink parka, which she had left unbuttoned, her curly brown hair fell down to her mid back. She wore a small tiara on her head, the center piece being shaped like a peanut with what looked like chocolate diamonds. She placed her hands at her hips, pursing her lips a bit.
"Are you finished staring? Would you like me to serve you some tea and scones?"
"Sorry...you just look familiar that's all." the boy replied, pushing himself to his feet, feeling a bit lightheaded from the hit to the head. The girl sighed, crossing her arms she peered at the lockers.
"You Americans certainly know how to make a girl feel at home. Might I inquire as to who's responsible for my locker nap?"
"Hell if I know, I woke up just now...do you happen to know where we are?" Jonathan asked, causing the young woman to shake her head.
"I myself have a hard time remembering...I boarded my plane in Boston. After that...I do recall falling asleep, then I woke up here. I was heading to Morning Hope Academy." she replied.
"Morning Hope Academy? Ugh...now that I think about it, I think the same applies to me. Though I remember eating a hot pocket and...shit, I didn't finish it!" the boy said, glancing back at his locker, hoping the sandwich was still with him.
"Are you actually looking for it? That's disgusting!"
"Hey, I paid good money for that...anyway, I guess introductions are in order. My name is Jonathan Hyles, I'm the Ultimate Songwriter...what's your name miss?" he asked, holding his hand out. She looked at his hand for a moment, standing straight as she grasped it with her own.
"I happen to be known as the Ultimate Nut Specialist. My name is Veruca LeGume, pleasure to meet you." she said.
"Whoa...firm grip...though her talent is a bit odd." he thought, once he had let go of her hand.
"Ultimate...Nut Specialist?" he asked curiously.
"Indeed, I happen to be the heiress to my father's company. We provide a wide array of Nuts to the entire world. Our family has been able to procure various kinds from all over the world. From a young age, I was able to tell a peanut plant was bad before it had even blossomed. Just by tapping a walnut with a spoon, I can tell if its bad or not. I can also crack a nut open without much effort." she admitted, tugging on her parka a bit, a look of pride on her face.
"Oh...so that's why you mentioned nut cracking earlier." he said, shuddering a bit.
"You have nothing to fear, I only crack the nuts of people who annoy me. I say we find ourselves in quite the situation. I don't suppose you've seen any staff members around?" the girl asked, causing the boy to shake his head.
"Aside from you, I haven't seen anyone. Perhaps we should take a gander beyond those doors." he said, pointing toward the doors that lead out of the locker room. She nodded, deciding to take the lead.
"Come then, I'm sure nothing will come of standing about here." she said.
The two teenagers walked out into what looked to be a large plaza. Beside the Locker Room was the entrance to the Ladies Room, the door being painted a bright pink. It also had a sign on it, the golden letters spelling Ladies Room being bolted to it. Down the hall, two metal signs stuck out from the top of the doors, Classrooms 9-A and 9-B. There was a large glass sign with the words, Weight Room and an arrow pointing right bolted to the wall. Right in front of them was the entrance to the Audio Visual Room. The large area they found themselves in looked to be a plaza. Tucked to the corner near the School Store was a small lounge area, suede couches being placed against the wall. There was a small round rug on the floor and on top of it was a large glass table. In the very center of the plaza was a medium sized tree, which was fenced off, granite benches lining the area around the tree. It was odd seeing a tree indoors, but Jon had grown used to it, as the Mall of America had various potted trees inside.
If Veruca was nervous, she didn't show it. She just continued walking, her footsteps echoing through the empty plaza. The doors to the School Store were closed, large brown castle style doors, which were locked tightly. He glanced at the tree, seeing the leaves were lush green, despite it looking like a medium sized Maple Tree, judging by the leaves at least. He shook his head, turning down the hall, following his new acquaintance toward the glass doors barring them from the entrance hall. Veruca pulled the door open, eyes widening a bit at what she saw.
"What...what in the hell is this?" she cried, taking the boy by surprise. He gave her a light push forward, both of them entering the hall at the same time.
"The doors are...what?" the boy mumbled softly.
Rather than an exit, the two teenagers were greeted by a large circular door. It looked to be made out of thick steel. There were large lights around the circumference of the door, blinking at odd intervals. The entire front entrance looked to have been made entirely out of impenetrable metal. However what caught the two by surprise was the two mounted machine guns, currently aimed at the door. The two offices at the left and right of the entrance hall were barred shut, steel plates having covered both windows. The doors had been entirely replaced, with large plates that barred the entrance entirely. Aside from that, Jonathan noticed the two surveillance cameras currently pivoting around the room, along with the odd looking monitor that was mounted to the wall.
"Blast proof doors? What in the bloody hell could have driven someone to put these here?" the British Lass asked out loud. Jonathan ignored her question, approaching the doors, noticing the cameras were following his movements. He tapped the door with his fist, noticing the guns had also trained to his position.
"Hmm...I'm very confused as to what purpose these serve. But I'm willing to bet whoever brought us here, intends to for us to stay here." he said firmly.
"But where is here?" Veruca cried, causing the boy to point to the left, where a bulletin board had been mounted. Her eyes drifted over to it, seeing the golden letters painted on the wall above it.
"Welcome...to Morning Hope Academy...what? We're at the school?"
"I would assume so. Though I have no recollection of actually getting here. It would seem someone brought us here for some purpose. We should check somewhere else, maybe there are more people here." Jonathan said, earning a huff from the girl.
"Are you suggesting I search this unknown place, risk my life, to look for more people?"
"Hey, we could find a teacher somewhere. I noticed some classrooms nearby, let's head back to the Plaza and check." he said, this time taking the lead.
He remained silent as he walked back into the First Floor Plaza. Taking a right, he passed by the Men's Room, along with the Laundry Room, confirming the one they woke up in to be a plain old Locker Room. Classroom 9-C was next to the Locker Room, and he stopped in front of it. He grabbed a hold of the door handle, pausing slightly as he looked around the empty hall.
"You uh...notice the lights are blue?" he asked curiously. Veruca looked around, noticing the florescent bulbs above were blue in color. Not just that, the light fixtures mounted to the calls and columns were also blue in color. The ceiling above the Plaza had two large ceiling fans, bearing a glittering light fixture which was also glittering blue. She gave him a nod, pursing her lips a bit.
"Morning Hope certainly has an interesting sense of décor." she noted. He remained silent as he walked into the classroom, taking a look around.
Sixteen wooden desks had been placed inside the room, all in neat rows of four. The teacher's desk was separated from the student desks by a wooden railing, a Podium being placed on a small raised platform. The blackboard was holographic, small lines being visible moving across the screen. Jonathan noticed the cubbies at the back of the room, along with several stacks of text books, all of them being placed in the very back of the room. He noticed there was a monitor mounted on the wall, as well as a security camera. But what stunned him the most was the iron plates that blocked the windows. He said nothing as he walked toward them, slamming his fist against them. Several dull bangs filled the room, the boy shaking his hand in pain.
"Iron plates...they barred the windows with iron plates? Have they gone mad?" Veruca cried, her hand slipping off one of the large nuts on the wall. She hissed a bit, one of her fingers having been sliced open by the metal.
"Careful, I didn't spot a nurse's office anywhere." he said softly. He reached into his backpack for a small pack of tissues, taking a hold of her hand. He dabbed it with the tissue, drying up the blood.
"I can take care of myself you twit!" the brunette snapped, taking the tissue from his hand. She turned away from him, cheeks glowing red in embarrassment.
"Hmm...there's a camera here too...why the hell would they block the windows? The doors are blocked too...they really must be planning something with all of this." he said.
"Perhaps we're being held hostage?"
"I doubt it...my parents aren't rich or anything. My mother is running for Senator of Virginia, and my father is in the FBI. I doubt they'd try to kidnap the son of an FBI agent." Jonathan said, leaning back against the wall.
"Well...I'm loathed to admit it, but the LeGume Corporation is quite large, and I am the only heiress. Perhaps I was kidnapped and they plan to extort my daddy for ransom. If that's the case, I shall find the ones responsible and break their nuts!"
"Mental Note to Self, never ever piss off Veruca. My nuts are on the line." he thought. He heard the sound of a door close, causing him to push away from the wall. He shared a look with the Ultimate Nut Specialist, both heading toward the door. As soon as they walked into the hall, they noticed a red blur racing up the hallway.
"Another person?"
"Perhaps it's a teacher, let's go!" the brunette cried, running down the hall, past Classroom 9-D, the last classroom on that floor. Jonathan followed along, taking a look at his surroundings.
In front of the two classrooms was a theater, currently closed. He didn't know if it was a Movie Theater or just a regular Theater. He did see pictures inside the pamphlet showing an old style theater. He turned the corner, missing the iron grate barring the stairs to the second floor. He glanced to his right, seeing the doors to the Nurse's office as he and Veruca reached the Gymnasium Doors. They both shared a look, the young woman grasping the handles tightly. She threw the doors open, both students stepping into the room.
The Gymnasium was huge, a lot bigger than Jonathan had been expecting. The floor was completely made of wood, which had been glossed to a beautiful shine, reflecting the large lights that hung above them. The building itself was in the shape of a dome, the rafters being visible from where they stood the bleachers to the sides of the room followed a curved shape, to go with the design of the building itself. There were large windows above the bleachers letting in the bright sunlight from the outside world. Though Jonathan did notice the windows on the edges of the building were covered in thick steel plating, much like the windows of the classroom he had just been in. there were wooden benches at the foot of the bleachers, the very back wall showed a scoreboard, with Morning Hope Academy's crest on it. The lines that made up the basket ball court were crimson red in color, the very center of the floor also bearing Morning Hope Academy's crest, the eagle clutching the olive branches, that he had grown accustomed to seeing.
"Bleeding Christ this place is huge!" Veruca exclaimed, eyes wide in surprise. Jonathan cringed a bit at her expression, but he did have to agree with her. This had been the biggest gymnasium he had ever seen. His old school's gym could fit in this one, maybe even twice. He looked around the walls, seeing the banners displaying the school's achievements, in Basketball, Tennis, Gymnastics, Swimming, Baseball, and various other sports. He even spotted an Olympic Flag hanging down, next to the American Flag and the Flag of the School. He was honestly impressed by what he was seeing.
"Um excuse me...are you students too?" a voice said, causing the two teenagers to look down, meeting eyes with a young woman, who was dressed in red. Veruca looked at her outfit with a curious gaze, while Jonathan took the unhindered approach.
"Wow, you're tiny." he said. The girl huffed, puffing her cheeks a bit.
"Maybe you shouldn't point out my height!" she cried. The boy flushed a bit, he found her accent rather cute, but he was going to keep that one to himself.
"Hmm...judging by your outfit, I'd wager on you being the Ultimate Folklore Researcher, Fa Mei-Ling." Veruca said, causing the girl to tilt her head.
"Shi, that is correct. My name is Fa Mei-Ling...but you can call me Mei-Ling, or just Mei for short. It's nice to meet you." she said, giving the two a wave.
"Well...if we're introducing ourselves, then I guess I can go first. My name is Jonathan Hyles, I'm the Ultimate Songwriter." the boy said politely. He gave the girl a bow, much to her surprise.
"Oh my, Jonathan there is no need to bow to me." the girl said with a flush.
"No no, it's the polite thing to do. I'm actually happy to meet a Chinese girl, China has very beautiful folk songs. Chinese is such a beautiful language, and I would love the chance to be able to write a song in your language, if you'd help me that is." the boy said.
"Oh of course, it would be an honor." she said happily.
"Not that this chat isn't interesting, but where are the others?" Veruca asked.
"What do you mean miss?" Mei-Ling asked, brows furrowing a bit.
"She means others...students, faculty, adults in general? Her name is Veruca LeGume by the way, she's the Ultimate Nut Specialist." Jonathan said, introducing his acquaintance to the small girl.
"Ultimate...Nut Specialist?"
"I can tell a good nut from a bad nut, I'll also crack someone's nuts if they don't start answering some questions!"
"Someone missed their morning tea." the boy joked, earning a glare from the brunette. It was a cross between a glare, a scowl and a pout, that made her look very pissed off, and evil. He shuddered a bit, quickly looking away.
"Jesus, it's as if she was staring right into my soul!"
"Well...I'm not sure if there are people here...I just woke up in a classroom not to long ago. There was another boy named Christopher with me. He and I were on the same bus, but he ended up disappearing on me." she said, a look of worry on her face. The three suddenly heard the door open, all of them turning toward it, weary looks on their faces.
They had been expecting a teacher, but what instead walked in was another teenager, causing them to deflate a bit. He had a rather firm look on his face as he walked in, most likely lost in thought. He was a bit shorter than Jonathan, but only by a few inches. He had a mop of dark brown hair atop his head, his skin being lightly tanned in color. He was wearing a bright azure jacket, which also had a hood. He kept the jacket open, revealing a plain black shirt. Stitched to the left breast pocket was a symbol, the Kanji representing the word for Wisdom. He wore a red scarf around his neck, trailing behind him as he walked. Long khaki pants covered his legs, his feet bearing black converse shoes. He wore a pair of framed glasses, that were black in color. Jonathan also noticed the fingerless glove he was wearing on his right hand, a familiar looking symbol being printed on the back. He suddenly looked up, meeting the gaze of the three students that had been in the gymnasium.
"Is orientation over?" he asked curiously. His voice was calm and firm, showing no hints of nervousness whatsoever.
"Orientation? There was an orientation?" Veruca asked, earning a shrug from Jonathan.
"I dunno...I woke up in a locker remember?"
"Wait a moment...you two woke up in lockers? I woke up in a classroom." Mei-Ling said, looking very confused. The brown haired boy frowned as he adjusted his glasses a bit.
"I see...I happened to wake up within the Ladies Room. I wasn't aware of the time, so I made haste toward the gym. I found this in my jacket pocket." he said, holding out a folded sheet of paper to them. Jonathan took a hold of the pamphlet, reading it out loud.
"Welcome to your new semester here at Morning Hope Academy. Orientation starts at 9:00AM Sharp, don't be late! Have fun, I await to see you all at the Gymnasium! It's written in crayon."
"That isn't foreboding at all." Veruca muttered dryly.
"That can't be...the pamphlet that I got said to be here at eight. It's the reason I ran all the way here." Mei-Ling said, holding out her own pamphlet. Veruca took a hold of it, her eyes tracing the colorful words.
"Hmm...it's the same, word for word. Something strange is afoot."
"So it would seem...forgive me for not introducing myself. My name is Calem Kurogane, I happen to be the Ultimate Strategist." the boy said.
"Hey...I've read about you. You're the Azure Strategist right? The guy who was able to beat professional chess players in two moves?" Mei-Ling asked, earning a nod from the boy.
"Yes, that is indeed who I am. I find strategy games to be very interesting. I happen to be very adept at coming up with many strategies. Not only am I able to best the top chess players, but there are organizations who want me to use my skills for business. I have no interest in using my talents for profit however." Calem replied calmly.
"You seem to be rather calm about all of this...what do you think? Did you notice the Iron doors at the entrance?" Veruca asked.
"Iron Doors? We can't leave?"
"Fraid not Mei, the doors at the Entrance Hall were completely sealed up. They have mini-guns trained at the doors too. Another thing that's bothering me are these cameras that are everywhere. There are four in this building alone." Jonathan said, pointing toward the nearest one.
"I noticed there was one in the locker room we woke up in as well." the Ultimate Nut Specialist noted, a frown on her face.
"Not that this isn't worrying or anything, but perhaps we should split up and search the school. Maybe there are others here like us who are trapped. I remember reading the forums, and it said there were supposed to be 16 students in my class." Jonathan said firmly.
"Class 24 correct?" Calem asked, earning nods of confirmation.
"We are in the same class then! That means we can all be friends!" Mei-Ling said, a smile on her lips.
"I barely know you, I have no idea if you could be dangerous. I apologize, but I didn't come to Morning Hope to make friends." Veruca said, earning a disappointed look from the small girl.
"Hey Veruca, don't hurt her feelings yeah? Let's just split up and search the school okay? Mei-Ling, would you and Calem check the inside of the school?"
"Sure Jonathan, I'd love too." Mei-Ling said, bouncing back from Veruca's statement.
"Very well then, helping the others would be ideal for all of us. It is currently 8:20 in the morning, and the Entrance Ceremony begins at 9. What shall you be doing then?" Calem asked.
"Well, there's a sign there that points to the Courtyard. Me and Veruca will look out there to see if some people are outside. We'll all send them to the gym, I know we're all strangers but, there's something fishy going on."
"Understatement of the century." the heiress muttered, a deep frown on her face.
"Well...let's go then. I saw some classrooms that I didn't check, Classroom 9-A and 9-B, maybe more people are there." Mei-Ling said, earning a nod from Calem, who swiftly turned on his heel, following the petite girl out of the gym.
"She's pretty cute, I like her accent." Jonathan said earning a sigh from the heiress.
"Don't tell me you came here to snog girls?"
"What? No! Of course not!"
"You aren't convincing me. Let us be off then, perhaps we can find the others at the courtyard." she said.
"Um...it's in the courtyard." Jonathan corrected, earning a glare from Veruca. He shuddered a bit, looking away from her.
"Um...call me Jonny okay?" he said. Veruca blinked a few times, giving him a curt nod.
"Do you have a nickname?"
"No."
"Can I call you Ruca then?"
"Yes, if you want me to crush your nuts." she said, giving him a toothy grin, which was enough to send shiver's down Jonathan's spine.
"Okay then...Veruca it is." the boy said, earning a small smirk from the girl. They pushed the heavy doors open, the bright light making them wince a bit.
End of Prologue 2:
Students Introduced 4
Fa Mei-Ling-Ultimate Folklore Researcher
Veruca LeGume-Ultimate Nut Specialist
Jonathan Hyles-Ultimate Songwriter
Calem Kurogane-Ultimate Strategist