A/N:
Welcome everyone to the first Act of Chapter 2. It has been a bit of a pain to get this chapter to work, going through various rewrites before finally getting to this. The entire beginning was changed because in the words of my girlfriend, "This sucks Ass, You can do better". It truly did suck ass, so I let her write it and well...it's better.
Alongside this chapter, I will be updating my Deviant art page with the map of the 2nd Floor. I didn't bother drawing maps of the rooms since I'm going to let the characters explain it. Not only that, I redrew the 3rd Floor Plaza several times, so I ran out of white drawing paper and couldn't draw any other layouts. So I'll have to let the story do the work for me. The only maps I have are the Second Floor Plaza and the Pool Hall, originally I wanted to have the Home Economics Room, the Art Room, the Library and the Physics Lab, but again I have no paper. Alas, I am inept when it comes to drawing, so I was ill prepared. No matter.
I do hope you like this chapter. I have been working on something else, as well as planning another poll. More details on that later, it will be up with Act 2 but I'm not going to say anything more. See you all when I see ya! Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving. Now all that's left is Christmas and New Years! High Ho Silver, Away!
Morning Hope Academy's
New Semester of Killing
Chapter 2 Act 1
A Whole New World
(Daily Life: Day Ten)
"Gabriella, are you sure about this?"
The brown haired young woman glared at the one who asked the question. She was a girl of thirteen, not much older than Gabriella herself. She was dressed in a loose fitting white blouse, with the sleeves rolled up, a matching pair of skinny jeans and leather boots. She had long black hair, which was tied back with a blue bandanna, which bore little skulls on it. Gabriella grit her teeth, looking away from the girl.
"First, I must ask why ye ain't callin' me Captain?"
"Ah...sorry Captain, I'm still getting used to all this." the girl replied sheepishly. Gabriella rolled her eyes.
"Ah, don't worry yer pretty little head. Learning to talk like the men of old takes time. However, I must ask that you refer to me as such. I suppose speaking normally is fine for now."
"A-aye."
"Anyway...to answer your question, yes. Look at that beautiful ship...it's exactly what we need." Gabriella said, her eyes lighting up as she looked at the wooden frigate before them.
The boat before them was a 17th Century three mast ship. The wooden hull was painted a deep navy blue, with white lines being visible, along with white stars. Various flags could be seen attached to lines that spanned the entire mast of the ship, flapping lightly in the wind. There were small American flags atop each of the masts, with one large flag decorating the Stern Flagpole. Around the sides of the ships, what looked like canons could be seen. This ship was one of the most famous ships in the United States, the last remaining wooden vessel commissioned by General George Washington, then President of the United States. The ship known all around the world as "Old Ironsides" this was of course, the USS Constitution, currently moored in Charleston, North Carolina.
"This is as close as a pirate ship as we're going to get my dear. A beautiful 44 gun frigate, with a tonnage of 1,576 pounds, a displacement 2,220 tons. 304 feet from bowsprit to spanker, 207 feet from billet head to taffrail! With the three masts, aptly named, the foremast, mainmast and mizzenmast, we can sail at 13 knots at full canvas! This is the fastest battleship ever built!" she said cheerfully.
"Um...wasn't the USS New Jersey the fastest battleship ever built?"
"Honestly Hannah, you are starting to piss me off. The USS New Jersey is an Iowa-Class Fast Battleship. This...this is the real deal, real solid oak." Gabriella said firmly. Hannah sighed, shaking her head. She heard a buzzing in her ear, her hand immediately flying to it.
"This is Eagle 2, come in."
"Ugh...code names...really?"
"Hey listen Rob, I'm the one who's the first mate, not you. When you get named first mate, then you can decide what you want. What do you need?" Hannah asked firmly.
"No need to shout...sheesh. I just wanted to let you know that the crew made it aboard safely. These idiots have no security measures...we were able to engage the rudder chain. Thing is, it's gonna be hard to leave port."
"No shit...which is why we're getting a tow. Just get the mooring lines away. Eagle 2 out, Fox 4 are you in position?" the black haired girl asked, her eyes shifting to another direction.
"Fox 4 to Eagle 2, we are in position. We have disabled every vessel around the port, and we're currently rigging the towing lines. Are you ready?"
"Captain, Kylie wants to know if we're ready?" Hannah asked. Gabriella stood up, looking around the area.
The forefront of the port was a bit dark. The USS Constitution was normally barred from the water. However, it had just returned from maintenance in Boston, so it was currently sitting in Pier 2 rather than its usual berth in Pier 1. Gabriella had timed this perfectly, so that she could actually manage this. They already had another ship out in the open ocean, which would resupply them with food, drink and munitions. It had taken awhile to get real canon balls and barrels of gunpowder to use them. She gave Hannah a toothy grin.
"Come you scurvy dogs! Time to set sail, we've spent our time on land far too long! We are not returning to the brig, let us head to open sea!" she cried out.
"Hang on...translating Pirate to English...yeah, Fox 4 we're all set. Eagle 3 how's surveillance looking?" Hannah asked, her eyes drifting to the Crows Nest.
"All clear Eagle 2. Proceed to the gangplank, we've got you covered!"
"Captain, time for us to go." the ravenette said. Gabriella nodded, and started following her first mate. It didn't take long for them to reach the Constitution. They raced onto the boat deck, where a few of their crew were waiting. One boy raced to the captain, holding out an M1911 and several magazines to her. Gabriella gave him a silent thanks, slipping the magazines into her boots, her gun being tucked into her sash.
"Captain, we're all ready to go!"
"Aye sailor, let us head to the helm. Tell the tug boat to start moving, fore someone takes notice." she said.
"Aye aye Captain!"
Gabriella and Hannah started walking up the stairs, both taking in the rich history of the ship. It was a beautiful vessel, one that needed to set sail once again. She kept her eyes trained over the side of the boat, the lights of cars could be seen. How the United States Navy had missed 22 teenagers and kids sneaking onto the naval yard was beyond them. Hannah took the wheel, turning it slightly, feeling the rudder turning.
"Anchor's Aweigh! Time for us to get on with our destiny!" Gabriella cried out, a maniacal grin on her face.
"Weigh anchor!" another crewman called out. Several young men inserted the wooden rods into the Anchor Wheel, spinning around and lifting the 3 ton anchor out of the water. It wasn't long before the ship started moving, the gangplank still attached to it snapped in half, the wood and metal creaking as it feel into the water.
"Um, Captain...not to rain on your parade but...it seems they noticed." Hannah said, pointing over the starboard railing. Loud alarms started ringing, along with the sirens of incoming police cars.
"Well...it took them a lot longer this time...fancy that." the brunette said, a look of surprise on her face. She shook her head, turning back to her crew, all scattered on the deck.
"All hands to stations! Load the long nines with everything we've got! I want our sails at half canvas! We need to put some distance between us and them!" she cried, causing everyone to scatter.
Gabriella watched in excitement as the boys started climbing the ropes up to the mainmast, pulling the ropes that held the sails in place. Her grin grew as she saw the sails slowly dropping.
"Just like I taught them! Those two years in Prison truly did make a difference!"
"Captain, they're opening fire!" one girl cried, the sound of gunfire filling their ears. Several Naval Officers could be seen, scrambling toward the nearby boats, only to realize they had been disabled. Gabriella's face became firm as she faced the girl.
"Show them no fear! We must press on, what's the status on those guns?"
"Primed and Ready Captain!"
"Fire All!" she replied, her crazed look returning. All at once, the Canons were slid into place, each wooden hatch pulled open. The loud booms of canon fire filled the air, drowning the gunfire in droves. She reached for her own pistol, flicking the safety on. She started firing back, knowing she couldn't hit anyone. She just needed to do something. Hannah slowly turned the wheel, matching the direction of the tug boat which was currently pulling them away from port.
"Captain, our wind speed is increasing! We'll be at top speed if we take advantage of the draft."
"Hmm...you're right about that. Aye, full canvas lads! Let's put some distance between us and head out to open sea!" she cried, earning cries of agreement from the others.
The sails started coming down, all of them being fully drawn out, the wind finally pushing the ship forward. She pushed Hannah away from the helm, taking the wheel herself as she looked on ahead. The gunfire was growing distant, but the sounds of boats could be heard behind them. She narrowed her eyes as she glanced over her shoulder, seeing a speedboat heading toward them.
"Take care of that."
"Aye." Hannah said, reaching down to a nearby crate.
She pulled out an RPG, loading a rocket into the front of it. She quickly moved toward the side of the ship, taking aim at the speedboat. She licked her lower lip, pulling the trigger hard, being thrown onto her back. The rocket sailed forward, impacting the water before the boat, the explosion was enough to send it veering off course, the men inside being thrown into the water.
"Robbing the Navy was definitely a good idea...even with our little armament, we'll be able to manage." a pale silver haired boy said.
"Good to see you top side Greg, how are our munitions?"
"Not so good...since we've gone for an older ship, we don't have the advanced tech some of the other ships have. However we also cannot be detected via radar, so we'll be able to avoid detection for awhile." Greg replied.
"It matters not, we prepared the Radar deflectors before hand, all of them have been installed. Are the boosters online?" Gabriella asked.
"As of now, no. Installing those boosters will slow us down, however I have calculated an increase in speed, 22 knots, which is better than our current 13."
"Captain, more enemy vessels incoming!" Hannah cried out. Gabriella growled, seeing several more boats coming at them.
"Cease what you are doing, turn yourselves in this instant!"
"Shit...they called the Coast Guard."
"You two, remain calm. We have the will, and we will defeat them. It will take them awhile for choppers to get to us. I anticipated this and sent some rogues to the base. We've got this!" Gabriella said.
"Wow...I wasn't expecting you to be so into this Pirate thing."
"Aye lass...nothing makes me grin more than feeling that salty breeze on my face. I'm a reborn pirate after all, the soul of Captain Kidd lies within me! Now come on, let's fight those scurvy landlubbers! No man shall set their feet upon my ship!" she cried out.
"Aye Captain!"
It was a long and grueling fight, but eventually, the Coast Guard had been pushed back. Each of their boats had been heavily damaged by the counter-attacks. They weren't expecting the Constitution to be used against them in such a manner. While slow, Gabriella's crew made full use of it. Since they would try to out speed them, they used the ship to their advantage, the wooden hull easily took hits, as they weren't aiming at them with canon balls of yore. A single rocket was all it took to damage the Coast Guard boats, and since the ship was a national monument, they didn't want to risk damaging it. She had made an excellent call.
Several hours had passed, everyone partying and cheering as they defeated the United States Coast Guard. With Radars being blocked, they had no way of tracking them, without doing aerial searches. Gabriella cracked open a bottle of rum, pouring it onto the deck.
"Ladies, Gents...I christen this ship, our ship as the Black Iron Bride! Once we make it to Bermuda, we will be doing our own repairs on our vessel. These white sails need to go, and a new paint job is in store. For now, drink hearty! You earned it!" she said cheerfully.
"Captain...we figured...it was time." a nine year old girl said, holding out a rolled up flag in her hands. The captain looked it oddly, eyes widening a bit when she realized what it was. She glanced over the horizon, surprised that the sun was rising already. It hadn't been that long...or had it? Had they been having so much fun they lost track of time? She shook her head, taking a hold of the flag, unrolling it and walking toward the flagpole at the back of the ship.
"Respect that banner lads...America is still our home." she said, earning nods from the two young men, who slowly folded the American flag. She slipped the new one onto the flag pole, turning to her youngest crewmen.
"Aye lassie...would ye like to do the honors?"
"Would I ever!" she replied, a look of sheer excitement on her face. Gabriella lifted her up, telling her which ropes to pull. The crew started humming a song as the girl tugged on the ropes, slowly bringing the flag into place. It was their jolly roger, the flag of the pirates. A Skull and Crossbones, only the crossbones were actually Cutlasses, crossing under the skull.
"We're rascals, scoundrels, villans, and knaves
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho
We're devils and black sheep, really bad eggs
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho!"
xxx
"Eh...what?"
"Oh...you're finally awake...how are you feeling?"
Gabriella clutched her head as she forced herself to sit up. Her vision was a bit blurry, but she could still make out who was talking to her.
"Ugh...me head, Setsuko...what happened?"
"A lot of shit happened, but you are safe. You...ended up losing your hand though." Setsuko replied. Gabriella's vision cleared, and she looked at her right hand, eyes widening when she only saw a stump. She held it up, seeing the top was covered with pink blood, a sign that the bandages needed to be changed.
"Ay no jodas!" she cried, eyes widened in shock.
"Listen...I know it might be hard to take in but...we're going to help you. Vicky has been changing your bandages, so I'll just go and get her."
"What are you talking about? I can finally get my hook!" the pirate said happily, forgoing her usual speech pattern. Setsuko blinked a few times in confusion.
"Huh?"
"Yeah! All of the great pirates had hooks for hands! I was looking for an excuse to chop the sucker off. But goddamn, I finally did it! This is the greatest day of my life!" the Ultimate Pirate cried.
"Vhat is going on here?" the Ultimate General asked, entering the Nurse's Office. She was dressed in her Prussian Uniform, which had been cleaned since the previous day. However, she had taken off her hat, leaving her normally braided blonde hair to fall freely down her back.
"It seems Gabriella here is excited at the prospect of missing a hand. She wants to replace it with a hook." the Media Critic said, snagging the coffee mug the general had brought her.
"Gabby...I don't vish to question your sanity but...are you alright?" Victoria asked, earning a vigorous nod from the girl.
"I'm perfectly fine! So uh...what happened? I only remember getting drunk." she replied. Setsuko and Victoria shared a look, a frown decorating their faces. Gabriella swallowed hard, brushing her hair over her shoulder.
"It...happened again didn't it?"
"Yeah, it did...it was bad Gabby." the Media Critic said, sitting down on a nearby stool. Victoria made her way to the back of the room, grabbing some medical supplies.
"How bad?" she asked curiously.
"Before we begin, I must ask...did you fill any Gatorade bottles with Antifreeze?" Victoria asked, turning to face the pirate. She furrowed her brows, confusion on her face.
"Antifreeze? Where would I even get that?"
"Well...Himiko was drinking bottles of Gatorade which contained Ethylene Glycol in them. It's a chemical found in Antifreeze, we concluded that it was you who refilled those bottles. In an attempt to poison Dan for getting rid of all of the rum." Setsuko said. Gabriella's jaw dropped, disbelief written on her face. She growled angrily, her left hand grabbing a hold of her replica flintlock.
"How dare you insult Captain Gabriella Vertran?! I would never fall down to poisoning my target. If I wanted to kill that landlubber I would drive my cutlass through his guts. You actually believe I would do that?" she cried back adamantly.
"It is just a theory...no need to get vorked up. You aren't the only suspect, Anastasia and Maki are also blamed for the deaths of Lee and Kirumi. They set traps around the school, in hopes of killing each other. Turns out, one is an assassin and the other is a mercenary."
"Dios Mio, Padre Santo." (Oh my god, holy father) the brunette whispered, bowing her head slightly.
"Gabby...be serious with us...did you fill those bottles or not?" Setsuko asked. Gabriella shook her head.
"No...it wasn't me. Where would I even find Antifreeze in this place? I've been trying to keep calm, keep the pirate act up. But I don't know how much longer I can take being in here. I'm a free spirit...I need to go to the sea." she said, a longing in her voice.
"Vait...if it vasen't you...then who vas it that refilled those bottles?" Victoria asked, earning a shrug from Setsuko. She blinked a few times, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.
"A more interesting question is...if you held out so long, why touch yourself?" she asked, glancing at Gabriella.
"Um...I don't remember...I do recall one thing though." the Ultimate Pirate said, closing her eyes as she recounted her tale.
xxx(Flashback)xxx
"The King and his men
stole the Queen from her bed
and bound her in her bones
the seas be ours and by the powers
where we will we'll roam
Yo ho, all hands
Hoist the colors high
Heave ho, thieves and beggars
Never shall we die
Now some have died
and some are alive
and others sail on sea
with the keys to the cage
and the Devil to pay
we lay to Fiddler's Green.
Yo ho, haul together
Hoist the colours high
Heave ho, thieves and beggars
Never shall we die!"
"Nee-hee-hee...well look at the pirate...singing away in her little corner. What's wrong Gabe...can't find anything to drink?" Kokichi asked, causing the Ultimate Pirate to look up. She growled at him, throwing the empty bottle in her hand at him, though he was able to dodge it. It hit the side of the wall with a thud, falling to the ground without breaking, as it was plastic.
"Away with you, you mongrel pup!" she spat. The boy held his arms up in mock defense.
"Don't hurt me...I just came here to see what was up." he said, feigning fear. She glanced away from him, crossing her legs tightly.
"What does it look like cabron? I'm sitting here writhing in pain...this itch is terrible."
"Which is why I'm here to tell you the news. I've been sitting around thinking about things. Have you ever wondered how it's possible to drug all of us into thinking we're horny?"
"Eh? What are you talking about?" the Pirate asked, clearly confused. Kokichi gave her a small smile.
"It's simple...all of this is a huge lie. This entire motive is a lie...none of us are under the effects of an aphrodisiac. These bracelets...they don't contain any medicine in them. There's no bomb either...you can rub one out."
"You're just trying to trick me." she asked, looking away.
"Am I?" Kokichi asked, rolling back his sleeve. Her eyes widened a bit when she saw his bracelet was gone. She stood up, looking the boy over.
"Como...como te lo quitaste?" (How...how did you take it off?)
"It wasn't so hard...I know how to pick things apart...this was easy. I looked inside it, there's no bomb and there's nothing in here. So go ahead...rub one out. No one is gonna judge you." the boy said smugly.
"Are you absolutely sure?"
"Mhmm...I gotta go...I have to spread the message to the others. See you later!" he said happily as he left.
xxx(Flashback Ends)xxx
"Kokichi managed to take his off?" Setsuko asked.
"That's right...I didn't see it on him. He made believe it was okay...and it had been four days...I needed some relief." Gabriella said, a sheepish look on her face.
"Hmm...at least ve have an answer...ve also concluded that everyone vas under the placebo effect. None of vhat ve experienced vas real. It vas all in our heads." Victoria added, as she finished changing Gabriella's bandages.
"In our head...you mean...we weren't horny? We just thought we were?" the pirate asked, earning a nod from Setsuko.
"Yeah...that's what happened. It's all thanks to Cara, she was the one who put the aphrodisiac in our food. However, that one only heightened our senses, our rage and frustration. The pheromones and the bracelets...they didn't do jack shit."
"I see...wait...what about Maki and Anastasia? You said they were responsible for killing two people...what are we gonna do about them?" she asked curiously. Victoria and Setsuko shared a look, both of them frowning.
"We...don't know."
xxx(Mei-Ling's POV)xxx
"Day Ten: Hello again journal...it's been two days since I wrote in you. I guess this is an update of sorts...it's the only thing that can keep me sane right now.
A lot of things have happened...we lost four more people. Himiko and Kiibo, who were close friends of mine are both dead. Kirumi as well...that's three more friends down the drain. I can't exactly call Lee a friend, but he didn't deserve to die. I'm not exactly sure what to think about this anymore. First it was Kevin, then Gonta and Shuichi...now it was Himiko, Kirumi, Kiibo and Lee. Six people are dead...but according to Monokuma, it doesn't exactly matter.
Though we lost 6 people, there was a total of 8 that were missing from our original group. We recovered Celestia, who had been locked in the Weight Room the entire time. Then there's Sofia, the girl we've been keeping in touch with, though the past four days have been hectic. Jonathan has tried communicating with her, but she hasn't responded. Monokuma promised he would open the gate to the Second Floor, but he hasn't kept up with that promise yet. Not everyone is in the cafeteria at the moment, but what remains of our group is. I want to believe everything will be better but...
We aren't...(sigh)...we aren't doing well...mentally I think. I'm not exactly sure I know what to feel. My mind is still wrapping around everything that's been happening. Ten days and 6 souls are lost to the throws of death and despair. And for who? For what? Why are they doing this? What do they win? These were just more questions I would have to answer.
I must admit...I'm thinking a bit more clearly than usual. Something that I've been thinking a lot about is...well I'm actually very fluent in English. I don't know how fluent I was, but I feel like I've studied the language far longer than two years. Even my writing is very neat and orderly, as if I had been practicing that too. I wanna say it was muscle memory but...everything is up in the air. Not to mention we still don't remember how we got here...all we remember is the same thing. Getting dizzy as we arrived in Morning Hope Academy. That didn't stop me from going full Asian on people and reverting back to Chinese. Only when Chris truly annoyed me.
With the advent of the second floor comes another thing...now that all of this has happened, what are we going to do with...well what will become of Maki and Anastasia?
I feel almost betrayed. As if things couldn't get worse, the school brought in people with two dangerous talents. They lied to us about it, kept it to ourselves. I knew Maki was hiding something, but I felt even more betrayed by Anastasia, who knew about Maki and said nothing. I was angry that she set up that trap that got Kirumi killed. All because she wanted to get back at Maki. Now we have to deal with them, not to mention Gabriella is a suspect in poisoning those Gatorade bottles. Of course I have an inkling she'll lie herself out of it. Because of that poison, someone like Himiko is dead...and I'm so fucking mad.
Wǒ tài shēngqìle!
Uh...translation for whoever finds this...I'm fucking mad.
There's one thing I have left to address...the video.
Yes...I've been getting a video sent to my Student ID. At first, I thought it was going to be something odd. Turns out, it was worse than odd. At first, it was a picture of me and Jonathan, with me sitting on his shoulders, flashing a peace sign to the camera. Gonta and Shuichi were in it, but no one else was. Now, Himiko, Kirumi, Kiibo and Lee were in it. The ending of it was the same, me and Jon holding two sunflowers, now six petals falling off of it, signaling the 6 we had lost. I counted the remaining petals, only to find 42 left on the flower, with the added six, we got the 48 total, the number of seats in the Class Trial Court Room matched the flower.
These petals were our lives, the lives of our friends...it's as if the Mastermind was telling us. The lives of our friends were in our hands...our hands. As in mine and Jonathan's. I don't know what that is...but it felt soul crushing when it hit me. It was as if they were taunting us...here are the lives of your friends, six of them are dead, you only have 42 left before it's just you two. It made me sick and in that moment, I actually threw up. Then there was that word that stuck out...
Zetsubou...the Japanese word for Despair...that song was meant to tell me something. But what that was...I don't know...without the other lyrics, I wouldn't know. This was something I would have to discuss with Jon...but I doubt he would even know what to say. He'd probably look at me weird.
On a lighter note...I am happy that he and Veruca got together. They look so cute together. It's rather weird but...whenever I looked at them, I could see a lot of things standing out. It's as if they've...been together far longer than a couple days...as if they've been together for years. It's just a feeling in my heart.
Wǒ jiāng jìxù xiàng qián màijìn, jíshǐ wǒ bùdé bù miàn duì wǒ de juéwàng...
Sorry...what I meant to write was...I will continue moving forward, even if I have to face my despair. Goodbye for now journal."
I finished writing in my journal, capping the fountain pen I had grabbed from the School Store. This journal was a leather bound book, one that had the emblem of Morning Hope Academy. It was one that I had grabbed on the first day, and had been writing in. Since I had left it back in my room, I hadn't written anything, so I had to summarize several days into two long entrees. It was my way of keeping my friends alive. I just wanted to keep them in my memory and in my book. We didn't even have their bodies anymore, we had nothing to mourn...no place for us to pray to them too. It was quite sad really.
I don't know for how long I had been in the cafeteria on my own. But I steadily noticed what remained of our group gathering around me. Chris sat silently across from me, with a Styrofoam tray in her hands. Hot pockets...not a bad breakfast choice. It was quick, and they tasted well enough, not to mention it put less of a strain on Jules, who wasn't exactly doing well. Speaking of, the Ultimate Bartender was off on her own table, she had been the first one here when I showed up. She offered to make breakfast for me, but I decided to make something for her. She had taken scrambled eggs and bacon with a glass of whiskey. She had been drinking since then, looked pretty plastered too...I didn't blame her.
Celestia arrived next, holding a metal tray that contained one of the various tea kettles. It was steaming hot, filled with freshly prepared tea, Green tea, if I had to judge from the smell. I also noticed the cups she had chosen, small white cups with no handles, and golden decorations on them. Chinese tea cups, that made me smile a bit. She wordlessly poured some out for me and Chris, and we both gave her a nod, no words needed to be exchanged. Tenko arrived soon after, looking like she hadn't slept a wink the night before. Her hair was down, no ribbons decorating it, not even the green ribbon she was usually wearing. She just wordlessly sat down, politely declining Celestia's offer for tea. The Twins came next, sitting across from each other. It wasn't soon after that Kaito and Kaede arrived, followed by Carla who looked completely deflated from normal. Without Veruca and Jonathan, this was what was left of our group.
"So...how's life?" Chris asked, after swallowing a bite of his Hot Pocket.
"How the fuck do you think retard?" Tsubaki replied angrily, shoving her hair brush into her purse. I cringed, that was the first time I had heard Tsubaki snap like that, it was clear she was cranky, most likely from lack of sleep. Though I don't blame her, who could sleep after what we went through last night?
"No need to bite my head off. What was I supposed to ask?"
"Maybe you could keep your goddamn mouth closed. You already know the answer to your pointless question. We're all feeling like shit because of what fucking happened." Kaikane replied, almost as angry as his sister. Twins were scary, when one was angry, the other was angry, and Angry Twins are nothing to scoff at.
"Let us not devolve to petty insults. Chris was merely asking a question, in his own unique way. Might I inquire as to where Carla, Jonathan and Veruca are?"
"With any luck, Jon is balls deep in one of them." the Lepidopterologist said, biting into his Hot Pocket, I could feel my cheeks becoming hot.
"Hate to break that disgusting illusion, but that isn't what's happening." a familiar accented voice replied.
The Ultimate Nut Specialist appeared next to the Mexican boy, a look of annoyance on her face. She looked...different. Her usual hair style had been changed, now her hair was straight, rather than in soft curls. It was an odd look for her, more natural. Her hair was rather lengthy, dare I say longer than even mine. Her face, once caked in make up, looked soft and more natural. She had slight hints of blush on her cheeks, her eyes being lined in black pencil marks, lashes coated in black mascara. She was wearing a black polka-dotted romper, with a pair of black leggings underneath and brown cowgirl boots. She was also wearing one of Jonathan's light jackets, instead of her mink parka. This was a rather normal look, not like the rich girl look she had for the past week.
"Wow...you look really good." Kaikane asked, earning a soft chuckle from the Brit.
"Of course I do, I'm drop dead gorgeous."
"Please don't...we don't need another Chloe." I said, taking a sip from my tea cup.
"I'm right here you know." the blonde Queen Bee snapped, from two tables across from us. She still looked as prissy as normal, wearing another set of her favorite outfit, not a hair out of place. That however didn't serve to hide the obvious fact she hadn't slept, the copious amount of foundation was enough for me to tell.
"Sorry Chloe, I didn't mean to say that."
"It's fine, you aren't wrong. I am drop dead gorgeous, I suppose the princess is above a 2 on the scale."
"Above a two? The fuck? Dude, Veruca is at least a 9, she reminds me of this porn star, Kaylee Heart...goddamn was that girl fine." Chris said.
"I would appreciate it if you didn't compare my girlfriend to a porn star." Jonathan said, sounding tired as he sat down next to Veruca. Carla sat down next to the boy, placing her head on the table. She was wearing a black wife beater, with a bright yellow Pikachu lightning bolt across it. It was a bit loose on her, as it didn't belong to her. She was wearing a pair of jean shorts and her black and white stockings, her feet being adorned with black and white galoshes. She was also wearing Veruca's parka, much to her dismay.
"Did any of you sleep last night?" I asked, looking at Jonathan and Carla with concern.
"Oh no, I slept fine." Carla mumbled, gratefully accepting the Green Tea that Celestia handed her. Celestia handed Jon and Veruca some Black Tea instead, as she knew the two hated Green Tea.
"I didn't...I just...can't get them out of my head you know?" Jonathan said softly, rubbing his eyes. Veruca slapped his hand, giving him a glare.
"It took me twenty minutes to apply that foundation, don't rub your eyes."
"Okay sheesh." he mumbled, taking a long sip from his tea.
"LEEROY JENKINS!" a loud accented voice cried. Everyone turned to the cafeteria doors, seeing Lucy zoom into the room at mach speeds, with Kokichi hanging on behind her, a grin on his face.
"Faster big sis! Faster!" he cried.
"I can't go any faster, we might hit something!" Lucy cried, slowly coming to a stop. The Ultimate Supreme Leader grinned, giving the girl a pat on the head.
"Thanks for the ride sis, that was so much fun!"
"Hehe...no problem!"
"Must you two make asses of yourselves this early in the day?" Veruca asked firmly, glaring at the two. Lucy frowned a bit, brushing some hair out of her face.
"My mistake Veruca, I just wanted to cheer Kokichi up a bit. I'm...trying to forget last night. We lost so many party members, I just...don't know how to cope." Lucy said softly.
"Hey now, don't be sad. Veruca didn't mean to make you upset, right?" Kaede asked, glaring at the Nut Princess. She gave her a nod, turning back to her tea cup.
"So...now that almost everyone is here...let's address the elephant in the room, or rather the elephants that aren't in the room." Kokichi said, gaining everyone's attention.
"What are you talking about man?" Nick asked, looking rather annoyed. The boy turned to him, giving him a grin, eyes on Cara who hadn't said a single thing since entering the room. I grew a bit worried.
"I mean...what are we gonna do with the traitors? Maki and Anastasia inadvertently killed two people. But it was due to the anger that potion caused, the potion that our dear teacher poured in our food." he said, giving the woman a grin.
"I must agree with what Kokichi is saying. There must be some form of punishment that we can dish out. Had she not poured that potion into our food, we could have lived through the week. We wouldn't have been locked within this death trap. As Bertrand Russel once said, The only thing that can redeem mankind is cooperation. I think we can all appreciate the relevance of that now." Kamron said, having stood up from his seat.
"Oh, so are we gonna band together as one force and imprison her? Do you know how messed up you are making that sound?" Tsubaki asked firmly.
"I must agree...imprisoning her for her actions solves nothing." Anaji added, his smooth voice cutting through everyone like a knife. Kokichi turned around, that evil smirk on his face.
"Speaking of which, you are a murderer right? You a blackened student, got away with murder. So why aren't you vamoosing out the door? Perhaps it's because Monokuma failed to keep his word? If that's the case, then I think Cara and Anaji will make excellent cell mates!"
"You fucking lay a hand on my wife and I will kill you." Nick said firmly, standing up in the defense of his wife.
"Settle down children, we must behave ourselves or else tragedy will befall us." Celestia said, calmly sipping in her tea.
"Shut up bitch, you have no say in this matter."
"Oh, on the contrary, I do have a say in this matter. You see I am also a participant in this little "Death Match" that we've been put into. I'm certain you all wish to do away with the ones responsible. However you must realize the hold the mastermind has on all of us. We all have family, we all have secrets, we all have weaknesses. Weaknesses that they will employ to get at us. It's as Kamron has said, we must cooperate in order to defeat this ludicrous individual." she replied calmly, her crimson eyes meeting those of everyone else.
"Wow...you're so calm and collected. I'm jealous." I muttered, only for her to hear. She gave me a small smile, continuing to enjoy her tea. It made me remember my own, which I immediately took a sip from.
"Well...I know I speak for the majority of us here. Criminals need to be punished, so I vote we take the five traitors and lock them up somewhere. Dan too, just cuz."
"What...me? What did I do?" Dan cried out, fear and annoyance laced in his voice.
"You left Gonta to die, that's what you did...oh right, let's throw the happy go fuck me couple in there too, make sure Harry has plenty of scissors too."
"Atua isn't pleased with what you are doing Kokichi. If you anger him he might just smite you." Angie said ominously, glaring at the boy.
"Smite me oh mighty smiter!" Carla cried, making everyone look in her direction. She just smiled, returning her gaze to the table top.
"Do you honestly find this amusing? Weren't you close friends with two of the people who perished last night?" Harrison asked firmly. His lower lip was slightly swollen from where Jon punched him, and he had a bit of a bruise on his cheek.
"What's it to you? Yes, Himiko and Kirumi are my friends...but I'm just trying to find a way to cope. You know what makes me cope? Smiles and right now none of you are smiling. So excuse me for trying to lighten the mood a bit."
"This isn't funny." Miu said firmly. Carla growled as she stood up, her heterochromatic eyes burning brightly.
"No it fucking isn't...but I'm sick and tired of all of this death. So excuse me for wanting to have a quick laugh. It's better than what you do, what do any of you do? Bitch and moan all fucking day. You gotta live life to the fullest, even if it looks like shit! Despite everything that happened, I still had a great time here, I'm making friends and that's what matters. So let's stop acting like kids and just...work together."
"I'm having a hard time believing you are having fun. I didn't think getting laid was that interesting." Tsumugi said smugly, setting her cup down.
"Better than what you were doing." the Lucky Student mumbled to herself.
"Well...it's good to see that argument fizzled out before it began. So let's put it to vote, since the mastermind loves voting so much. Should we lock up the five traitors and the blood crazed freak? Those that agree say Aye!" Kokichi said cheerfully. I finally had enough. I stood up from my seat, and despite my short stature, I was sure I towered over the boy, even if only it was in my mind. He turned to face me, his smile shifting into a frown, as if he hadn't been expecting me to even get up.
"I do not think putting this to a vote is a good idea."
"Why not? The United States of America is a democracy right? So why shouldn't we vote? Ah...I get it, it's because you are a Communist right?" Kokichi asked slyly.
"What does that have to do with our situation? It has nothing to do with what is going on here and now. Right now, we have to figure out what we are going to do. Cara gave us an aphrodisiac, so what? She isn't the issue here. The issue here is Maki and Anastasia. Their history lead to the death of two innocents, if anything we should focus on them two!" I cried back.
"So you wanna imprison them? What about Anaji? He killed Gonta, so he should be imprisoned too. What about Harrison? What about what he did?" the Supreme Leader asked.
"What did I do?" Harrison asked, rubbing his chin in thought.
"You know what you did asshole! You let Shuichi die when he was innocent! You could have used the First Blood Perk on him and saved his life! If anyone deserves to be imprisoned, it's definitely you." Kaede shouted.
"Oh right...him, he was so insignificant, I forgot!" he replied.
"Hey now, that's uncalled for!" Kaito cried out, holding Kaede back from what would have been assault with a deadly weapon.
"We already discussed this! In order for Atua's heavenly light to protect us, we needed a blood sacrifice to be made. It is a shame that Shuichi had to die, but we all are under his light now!"
"Oh would you shut up about Atua? He doesn't exist, he's a fake, a fraud! He's just like every other God that supposedly exists, a fabrication created by humankind to answer the questions science can't answer. So stop trying to shove your religion and your ideals down our fucking throats, because I am sick of it!" Veruca shouted back, earning a gasp from the Ultimate Artist.
"How dare you insinuate Atua is a fraud? How can you be so blasphemous?!"
"Why don't you shut up you goddamn heretic. This place doesn't need ideals, we don't need petty lies to keep us going. We gotta buck up and face the fuckin music." Jill replied, clutching her head a bit as she stood up. I was instantly at her side, grabbing a hold of her hand so she wouldn't fall.
"Jules, you have to stop drinking so much." I said softly.
"Nah...I'm fine, I'm fine...just, a little angry with everyone in this fuckin room." she slurred, brushing some loose strands of raven hair out of her face. She glared at everyone, though it was largely unfocused.
"You all piss me off...sitting there and bitching and moaning. Yeah, people died, but we as survivors have to move on. We have to live for them, so that we don't become victims. It's sad, but at least it's better them than me."
"Julianne, you can't be serious!" I cried out in shock. She looked at me, surprised at hearing her own full name. It had been awhile since anyone had even said it. She shook her head, rubbing her eyes.
"I don't know what to say anymore...I really don't. The alcohol is speaking for me, but I do mean it. I don't want to die here, but I'm not going to imprison people too. It's deplorable, you all do what you want, but leave me out of it." she said, grabbing a hold of her bottle of Jack, walking off toward the kitchen to drink in solitude. Everyone remained silent for a little bit, at least until Dan had to say something.
"I should seriously pour all of that alcohol down the drain."
"Is that all you can ever think of? Ruining our only ways to cope? Are you gonna get rid of the pills in the Nurse's Office too?" Jonathan quipped, for the first time since he had sat down.
"My duty as a teacher is too..."
"No no no...let me stop you right there. When the fuck did I ever agree to you being my teacher? Hmm? When did I agree that I would listen to what you are saying hmm? I'm my own person, I'm an adult as well. Why the fuck should I trust you? A man who let one of his students die? Someone who is a coward, someone who is making us suffer even more. Listen, I am trying to be a good person, I really am...but I cannot fucking stand you. You are so...goddamn arrogant and cowardly. You think that you can do the things you do, because it's for the good of everyone...they fucking aren't!"
"Um...Jonathan...maybe you shouldn't."
"Alice, I am not done talking am I?" the boy said firmly, causing the blonde scout to zip her lip. He took a deep breath to calm himself, glaring at the Dancer who was also standing up at this point.
"A teacher is supposed to make his students feel comfortable. A teacher is supposed to earn the trust of their students. Right now, you have done neither of those. Because of you getting rid of the rum, Gabriella poisoned those bottles that lead to Himiko's death. Because of you, Gonta fucking died, when you could have stopped Harrison, Anaji and Angie. So why in the seven circles of hell should I put my faith in you?" Jonathan asked firmly.
"Because I am an adult, and I know what's best for each and every one of you." Dan said firmly.
"Oh...is that so? You think because you are my senior that I should listen to you? You could very well be in cahoots with the mastermind. In fact I would believe it...I for one don't think Alice and Cara are evil at heart, in fact Alice is the sweetest woman I have ever met, practically a mom to me at this point. However there is one glaring issue in all of this, the fact that 3 students are missing, and were replaced by Faculty. Care to answer where those 3 students are?"
"How the hell should I know that? I already told you, I don't have access to the Student Files. Those are up in the Faculty Office on the 4thFloor." he cried back.
"What about the Faculty ID's?"
"What about them?" Dan asked, suddenly getting defensive.
"I have reason to believe you have one on you. Correct me if I'm wrong but...how would one access the Chandelier Room in the Theater?" he asked curiously.
"Anyone with a brain would know that only Faculty are able to open that door. It has a scanner there for a reason...that door is always closed." he said firmly.
"Cara, did you open that door yourself or was it already open?" Jonathan asked curiously. The Former-Ultimate Marine Biologist looked up for the first time, sniffling as she put her glasses back on her face.
"No...it was already open. Now that you mention it, when I investigated those areas with Alice, the doors were closed." she said.
"I recall that myself...it shouldn't be opened, only faculty members have access to places like that. If they have their Faculty ID's of course, which we don't. So how was that door open Dan?" Alice asked, facing the Ultimate Dancer with a glare on her face.
"I didn't...Monokuma most likely opened that door. Don't you remember? All areas of the 1stfloor were opened while we were trapped here. That was to compensate for the fact we couldn't leave the school building." he retorted, arms crossed. He looked rather nervous, but wasn't outwardly showing it, his eyes were a different story.
"That is a good point...but why is he acting that way? Could it be Jon is onto something?" I thought, eyes narrowed a bit as I tried to focus on the teacher.
"A likely theory I suppose...however just know one thing. You can try and act like an adult, and use the "Teacher" card on us. But I am not going to ever listen to what you have to say. I'm not risking my life or that of my friends and more importantly, my girlfriendso that you can control us. So go ahead and get rid of the booze, the pills, and anything else. Just remember, the more little things you do, the more people will get angry. Who knows? Maybe Gabriella will successfully kill you next time." he spat, voice laced with venom. It was clear that Jonathan wasn't in a peppy mood. I know I get cranky when I don't sleep, but this was truly different, it was as if I was seeing someone else. Cheery Jon was gone, and now it was replaced with this Pissed off Jon, and I honestly didn't like it.
"Upupupupu! It's clear that you are all having a wonderful morning! This is what I like to see, everyone turning on each other, but it seems two of you are missing!" the voice of Monokuma said, causing us to jump a bit. He was standing at the end of our table, looking around the entire room.
"That's probably because they know we'd roast them alive. You aren't exactly innocent either asshole. How dare you use my father-in-law against my wife? You donkey caressing sleazebag." Nick snapped angrily, crushing the can in his hand. It was unopened, causing it to literally explode, though he didn't seem to mind the sticky soda fountain that sprayed all over him.
"Is that all you got? And after everything we've been through, I come here to give you all something special. Access to the next floor, and this is how you thank me? By insulting me?"
"Get on with it!" I cried, shaking a bit in anger. I couldn't stand this animal, I wanted to destroy his little neck, rip him to shreds, but I knew what would happen if I did.
"Wow...so you truly do have a short fuse huh? Whatever, you've earned this one. As of now the 2ndFloor of Morning Hope Academy is available for exploration. However there are a few places that are barred from you."
"Let me guess, you want us to kill if we want access to those places. It isn't going to happen." Veruca asked firmly.
"Oh but it will sweetheart! All of you are bound to kill at some point, especially with the right motivation. The Home Economics Room and Art Rooms are freebies. The Home Economics Room is...well someone has been stewing in there for awhile and could really use a bath. However the Physics Room, the Pool Hall, and the Library are all off Limits! That's right, you wanna Swim, Read or Break the Laws of Physics, I need three class trials by the end of the week. Preferably the end of the week."
"As if...I doubt any one of us would kill just to take a dip in the pool." Celestia said, earning a chuckle from the bear.
"We all know you aren't going to swim, since you have issues with your bathing suit." he said, giving her a wink. Celestia's eyes widened a bit and she grumbled under her breath, looking away from the Animatronic bear.
"So that's it...3 class trials in order to get to the 3rdFloor. Interesting...however there is one thing missing. What about the 8, or I should say 6, missing students? The Class Trial Court Room totals 48, so are we going to get six new additions to our group?" Calem asked, having spoken for the first time that morning. He had been observing everyone, something that he always seemed to do.
"Oh them...well if you kill someone and unlock the Physics Room, you'll get those bodies out. You ever hear of what happened to Disney?" Monokuma asked, oddly turning to me. I shrugged, glancing away from him.
"He was an animator, died in 1961 from Lung Cancer, Disney Land isn't far from here, but we can't see it due to the dome. Why does he matter right now?" I asked.
"Oh...it's just an urban legend in the area. See, a lot of people think Disney is dead, but in fact he isn't. His body was cryogenically frozen in time. Until someone finds the cure for cancer that is, he's being kept deep under Disney Land Resort...well what's left of it." he said, brushing the statement off.
"What do you mean what's left of it?" Veruca asked, though the bear clearly ignored her.
"Anyway, since I'm a good bear, I'll let you in on a little tidbit. Well it isn't a tidbit at all...there were 8 people that were cryogenically frozen in Morning Hope Academy. They were transferred to this facility in the 90's when this school opened. See, the United States Army was conducting these...experiments, to see if people could...be alive in another era. It's interesting stuff really, two subjects died however, so only 6 remain...their currently sleeping in the Physics Room. But if you want them, you have to drop two or more people and bring me two trials! That's your reward, 2 trials for the Physics Room, 3 for the 3rdFloor. Have fun!" the bear said cheerfully, turning away from us.
"Wait a minute...what the hell do you mean cryogenically frozen? That's bloomin impossible! Do you know the amount of technology you would need for that?" Veruca cried.
"Yes, not to mention it violates various codes of ethics, not to mention it's inhumane. The machinery required for such a process is out of this world, unable to be built with our modern technology." Celestia added.
"Yeah well...if it was your average every day normie doing it. But these things were designed and built by Hope's Peak Academy alumni. They're known for a lot of pseudoscience and stuff...like experimenting on the human mind...or whatever. Eh, have fun, explore the upstairs and someone please give that blondie up there a bath. She desperately needs it! Ahahahaha!" the bear said, taking his leave. Jonathan was the first one to get up, heading out of the cafeteria, followed by Veruca. I didn't want to get left behind, so I followed after them. I suppose everyone started coming in slow packs.
"Do you think there's a way out?" I asked softly. Jonathan shook his head, frowning a bit as he walked, hands in his jacket.
"I sincerely doubt it. If anything, this will only aid to our main goal, figuring out what happened here. I gave up on finding a quick way out, instead I'm gonna focus on figuring out the mystery of this academy. What Monokuma just said, about Disney...I always thought it was fake, but there was always that nagging feeling in my mind. That maybe the Government was doing some weird shit, not just here but in the other Hope's Peak Charter Schools." he said.
"Abusing our talents...that's truly disgusting." Veruca added, clearly annoyed. Celestia quickly joined us, followed by Chris and Carla, the Twins Trailing after. It seemed as if us, along with a few others wanted to check out the second floor. Only about 16 of us decided to come, everyone else was in the cafeteria.
"Lucy wanted to come, but her legs are too weak. So she can't explore with us." Carla said, frowning a bit.
"Don't worry, I'll carry her up here myself. As long as Kaikane can bring up the chair." Tsubaki said, earning a sigh from her younger twin.
"Yeah sure, but Chris is helping me."
"Pfft...hell no, that's all you and Jon." he said. I pulled my arm back, slugging him on the bicep as hard as I could.
"Ow...Mushu!"
"You will help them bring Lucy up here, is that understood?" I asked, in the most venomous tone I could muster. He sighed, giving him a nod.
"Fine, whatever. In other news, some of the larvae I brought with me are in their second stage. Soon, our dome might be filled with some beauty and color." he said happily. We all arrived at the stairwell, the gate was still down, but ever so slowly, it started to rise.
"Oh? I wasn't aware that you brought butterflies with you." Celestia asked, genuinely interested in what he was saying. The boy smiled a bit, getting a bit closer to the Physicist.
"I did...I brought two larvae from each of the butterflies I was raising. It's odd but, I found several more in my room, along with a small enclosure. It was well made too, I don't remember ever building one or making one." he said.
"That's...odd." Tsubaki said softly.
"Considering the fact none of us remember when or how we got here, it's safe to say that's part of our missing memories. The scope of which is unknown at this moment." Veruca added, leaning back against the wall as she watched the gate slowly rising.
"Um Chris...what kind of butterflies are you raising?" I asked quietly. He looked at me, a pensive look on his face.
"I got several, the ones that are in their chrysalis right now are known as Celestrina Argioulus. Or for you normies, Holly Blues." he said, a smirk on his face. It was clear that he was smirking at our expressions when he said that scientific name of the butterfly.
"I don't think I've ever seen one." Tsubaki said, earning a small grin from the boy. He reached into his pocket, pulling out what looked like a pocket book. He flipped through it for a few seconds, stopping at a small picture of a butterfly.
It wasn't very big, the wing span was about an inch or so. The wings were a light blue color, with thin white markings on the glossy wings. The top of the wings were a bold black color, with small white lines near the edges. The center of the body was a dark azure in color, slowly becoming lighter as it spread across the wings.
"This is the female, it's a bit bigger than the males. They also have these defined black markings on the top of the wings. Holly Blues are commonly found in North America, Eurasia, and even Pakistan. It's also the national butterfly of Finland." he said, holding the pocketbook out to me. I smiled a bit as I looked at the butterfly, the detail in the picture was uncanny.
"Did you take this picture?" I asked, earning a nod from him.
"I'm not the Ultimate Photographer, but I do work. It won't be long but the grassy fields will be full of Holly Blues soon. You can flip through that if you want, I don't have pictures of every species but I have at least 134 different kinds." he said absentmindedly. I decided to take up his offer, flipping to the first picture. It wasn't long before I found myself lost in this book, despite what was going on around me. These little insects were enough to make me smile for now.
xxx(Normal POV)xxx
Jonathan and Veruca were the first two to actually step on the 2nd Floor Proper. Looking around, it was just as large as the first floor. The plaza however was set up differently. Directly to their right, was a wall that jutted outward, which was white in color. It had a cork board filled with pin ups, what looked like adverts for Clubs and meetings. There were some other school events being listed as well, but they didn't stick around to look. They also noticed that this floor, unlike the 1st, had pink lights instead of violet ones, which made looking around rather annoying. Walking forward, they saw a golden sign jutting outward, a name plate. Classroom 10-A was the first room to the right. The plaza opened up a bit, revealing Classrooms 10-B and 10-C positioned in what would be the front side of the school. Security cameras had been placed at every corner of the plaza, as they were on the first floor.
The sign that pointed to the Library was also visible, and up ahead was Classroom 10-D. Rather than a tree, the center of the Plaza featured another odd room that no one was expecting. A Music Recording Room, right smack in the center of the plaza. The room itself looked to be a recent addition, as it was connected to the floor and ceiling of the building, painted white. It had a pair of glass doors facing Classroom 10-A. Walking further into the place, the entrance to the Physics Lab could be seen, the doors firmly locked. The room was round, as Morning Hope Tower was built into the rest of the building. The architecture was odd, but it wasn't something they questioned much.
The other end of the room was where the Home Economics Room lied, and next to it was the Art Room, the only room which was currently open, aside from the rather useless Classrooms and Music Recording Room. Next to the Home Economics Room was a long hall that extended forward, leading into the Pool Hall. The gates were down, so the students were barred access. After surveying the layout of the 2nd Floor Plaza, Jonathan and Veruca started heading toward the Home Economics Room. The Ultimate Songwriter paused a bit, seeing the doors were closed. Veruca placed a hand on her lap, cocking her head a bit as she looked at him.
"Something wrong?"
"Well...I mean if Sofia is in there, I wouldn't want to just barge in." he mumbled. She rolled her eyes, grabbing a hold of the door handle, pulling the door open.
The Home Economics Room was huge, to say the least. It was much larger than the kitchen on the first floor. Several cooking stations were spread out around the room, each of them having a gas powered stove in them. The walls were decked with cupboards, which most likely contained all of the cooking utensils. Every station also had cupboards attached to them. There was one large cooking station in the center of the room, along with some tables off to the very back of the room. The center station was most likely where the Cooking Teacher would demonstrate what dishes they would be working on. The back wall had several industrial sized Ovens installed. At the very back of the room, near the entrance doors, was a wall of refrigerators, which was likely used to store all of the consumables. There were three windows in this room, but they were sealed shut with iron plates and large bolts. Grease traps hung above every station, along with ventilation shafts and an automatic sprinkler system. Finally, at every station lie a small red fire extinguisher, in case a fire broke out. There were two cameras in this room, one at the back of the room and one at the front, both panning around the entirety of the Home Economics.
Though the room would have likely been clean, this room was actually a bit of a mess. Or rather the central area was a mess. Some tables had been moved, and what looked like a clothes line had been rigged, with a few articles hanging on it, including some aprons. The washing stations off to the left of the room were filled with cooking utensils, most of them being recently used. The trash cans were also overflowing, with several small bags tied and placed neatly around them. The scent of cinnamon lingered in the room, along with various other scents.
"Uh...well looks like we found the living area." Jonathan murmured, not exactly knowing what to say. They heard a crash beside them and jumped, seeing the door to the small storage room open, several pots falling out.
"För helvete!"
From the small room emerged a young woman. She was rather tall for a girl, being around 5 foot 9 inches. She had long vuluminous blonde hair, which reached down to her knees. It was slightly mattered, and tied into a pony tail with a violet ribbon. She had fair colored skin, slightly pale from lack of sunlight. She also had a rather shapely figure, long legs, a narrow waist and shapely hips. She also had rather large breasts, which were threatening to burst from the apron she was forced to wear at the moment.
It was at that moment that Jonathan realized two crucial details. The first, Sofia was rather tall for a Swedish Girl. Then again he had never met a Swede so he had no room for comparison. The second thing he noticed was that she was wearing an apron...just an apron. Well it wasn't just an apron, she was also wearing a pair of white cotton panties, but she wasn't wearing any other articles of clothing. They were all hanging at the clothesline she had rigged to dry. He also noticed a third thing, his hand was starting to hurt, because Veruca was squeezing it...it was a silent but deadly signal. Stop staring, or I'll break your nuts, and he didn't want his nuts to be broken, so he looked away, clearing his throat.
Sofia finally took noticed of them, turning to face them. Her eyes went wide as saucers. Veruca noted she had a rather beautiful face, long lashes, a small button nose, full lips and soft baby blue eyes. She also had a heart shaped face, which only made her look more adorable in her eyes. It just added to her alluring physique, making her look almost like Rapunzel, she even had the long hair to match. Veruca grew a bit jealous, despite her hair being nice and neat, she never got it to grow that long. Some had it easier than others it seemed. It made her feel a bit self conscious, especially about her own average looking body.
Sofia was holding a large pot in her hands, which she immediately dropped, letting out a scream. She had a fearful look on her face, most likely expecting the two teenagers to attack her. Perhaps they should have knocked on the door after all.
"Vem i helvete är du?" she cried in Swedish. Veruca held her hand out, hoping to calm her down.
"Keep calm, we're not here to hurt you. My name is Veruca, and this is Jonathan, we've spoken before, remember?" she asked. The girl's face contorted a bit, a pensive look on her face. She flushed a bit, giving her a nod.
"Yes, I remember now. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scream...it's just...there's a boy, and I'm not wearing a bra."
"Which is why I'm not looking at you." the boy mused.
"I...it's been so long, I've been here for weeks. I haven't had a proper bath, my hair is mattered. I would hug you for coming to my aid but, I'm a bit over ripe." she said, scrounging her nose a bit.
"That's why we came to find you. We'd like to bring you back to the dormitories, give you a proper bath. I'll give you some of my clothes to wear until then, though with that chest, I doubt you'll fit into anything I own. Come along, grab your things." Veruca said.
"Uh hey, Sofia...did you make something with cinnamon?" Jon asked curiously, his gaze shifting as she walked toward the other side of the room.
"I made some Kanelbullar earlier. It's a treat from my home, and it cheers me up. My momma used to make it for me, so I looked around and found a recipe. There are some cooling in the oven, if you'd like one." she said, pointing to the center oven.
"Would I ever! After everything that's happened, I think I need a little sugar." he said.
"What...what has been happening?" she asked. She turned away from the pair, pulling off her apron. She grabbed her white lacy bra and quickly placed it on, followed by her worn looking scrubs. Veruca frowned, not wanting to explain what had happened. But she knew she had too.
"Sofia...we lost 4 people last night."
"Vad? Frya?" (What? Four?) she cried, her eyes full of surprise.
"Yeah...some we're our close friends. Listen...I don't want to bring the mood down or anything. But once you leave this room, you'll be a part of this disgusting killing game. I just met you, but I don't want you to die...just be careful alright?" Jon asked, holding one of the pastries in his hand, looking sadly at it.
"I will...things may be bad but...we can't let despair win right?"
"That's right...just keep that upbeat attitude, you'll fit right into our rag tag room. Now come on, a lady should smell like primroses not sweat." Veruca said, taking a hold of her hand.
"Ruru, I'm gonna stick around here...I wanna take a good look around the 2ndFloor, make sure I'm not missing anything." Jonathan said. She gave him a nod, placing a delicate kiss on his cheek.
"Have fun, try not to eat all of those Kanelbullars okay? Those are my favorite too." she said, giving him a wink. He smiled, giving her a nod in return. Sofia had a flush on her cheeks, not having expected the two to be so affectionate with each other.
Once the two girls were done, Jonathan closed and locked the door from the inside. He reached into his pocket for the note he had found outside his door earlier that morning. It didn't take long for the sender to arrive.
"Hello there, enjoying the facilities?" Monokuma asked, jumping onto one of the nearby stations.
"What facilities? We got another cooking room, the interesting shit is under lock and key." Jonathan replied firmly.
"No, I gave you the art room. There's a lot of spray paint in there, I guess one of you will enjoy that. Anyway, this will be brief, I've been keeping an eye on you Jonny Jonny. You've been very naughty."
"Have I?" he asked, quirking a brow and crossing his arms.
"That's right, you have! Two others have been rather naughty too, but I'm keeping my lips sealed. It's more fun to see shit hit the fan whenever something happens." the monochrome bear said, earning a confused look from the Songwriter.
"What are you talking about?"
"Hmm? You aren't aware of what's happening around you? Eh, who am I to spoil...anyway, I wanted to give you a little reward. You found the secret key, so you should get a secret key in return." the bear said, reaching behind his back. He pulled out a card, placing it on the counter top.
"What's that?"
"It's a key, just for you." he said, pushing it forward. Jonathan took a hold of the card, looking it over. It was made out of clear see through plastic, emblazoned with the emblem of Morning Hope Academy, in bright gold. There was a thin white strip on the back of it, the magstrip, and below it, there was a name, but some of the letters were missing, so he couldn't tell who it belonged too.
"A card key...for what purpose exactly?"
"What do you mean for what purpose? You have a Faculty ID, and now you have a Card Key. Don't you remember what that idiot Dan said? You need these two things to access various areas of the school. However this one has an interesting programming. It will only work within the tower, so if you so wanted too, you could go into the Physics Lab." he said. Jonathan narrowed his eyes, looking at the card before placing it down.
"Thanks but no thanks, I smell a trap. There is no way I am accepting this card from you, knowing you will just trick me. I'm not gonna fall for it." he said, turning away from the bear.
"Oh you wound me, there is no trick behind this one kiddo. This one comes from someone rather close to you."
"Pfft...my ass. I don't know who's controlling you, or if you are an AI or something. But know this, whoever is keeping us here, they can go fuck themselves. Anyone who forces us to kill each other is my enemy, so they can choke on this card." he said, grabbing a hold of the door knob.
"Hmm...alright then...there is one more thing though...the ones inside the Cryogenic chambers. Their time is almost up...you see these were programmed to last about 50 years. 50 years has passed...or rather will pass in about two days. So unless I get two trials out of you, you won't be able to save them."
"You're just lying to me...I mean come on, Cryogenic chambers? That's so dumb...just leave me alone Monokuma. I'm gonna head back to Veruca now." Jonathan said.
"So...you wanna add to the death toll then? I see...alright then, 6 more lives down the drain. And before they even have a chance. How sad...by the way, they won't count toward the tally. So that would be 12 lives and no forward progression."
"What do you want from me? You seem to have a hard on for giving me this card. What the hell do you want me to do?" he cried back.
"Me...I'm not doing anything, you see...the boss is a bit, kooky. If I fail to deliver this, I'll get my ass beat. So...you gotta take it, it's up to you what you do with it. I'm gonna take my leave...oh before I go, if you wanna tap Sofia, you have my full permission. Make sure it's in a wide open space, I love seeing flopping titties everywhere. UPUPUPU!"
With that, the bear took his leave, leaving Jonathan to his own devices. The boy sighed, walking over to the card. He grabbed a hold of it, seeing a post it note attached to it.
"When did he put that on? I didn't even see it." he mumbled, turning the card around.
"Tell anyone about this card, and I will personally come down and slit Veruca's throat. You can only use this to access the rooms within Morning Hope Tower, have fun. Love, J."
"Love J huh?" he said, gritting his teeth in anger.
The game was about to begin again, and Monokuma was already pulling strings. He wasn't going to let anyone get hurt, especially Veruca. She meant too much to him, and he would die before he let anyone hurt or kill her.
End of Chapter 2 Act 1
Surviving Students: 32?
Surviving Faculty Members: 3
xxx(Cast)xxx
Class 24 of Morning Hope Academy + Faculty
Fa Mei-Ling
Jonathan Hyles
Anaji Hora
Lucy Cadwell
Setsuko Inoue
Victoria Louis
Tsubaki Aulani
Kaikane Aulani
Veruca LeGume
Nicholas Ladd Gardner
Cara Ladd Gardner
Anastasia Katrina Klevorick
Carla Williamson
Harrison Evans
Kamron Luca Di Carita
Alice Lois Caroll
Julianne Natalie Ray
Kevin Hicks (Deceased)
Gabriella Vertran
Dan Arche
Lee Harvey Emerson (Deceased)
Calem Kurogane
Christopher Patrick Bacon
Chloe Raincomprix
Sofia Nilsson
Celestia Ludenberg
Class 79 of Hope's Peak Academy
Kirumi Tojo (Deceased)
Kaede Akamatsu
Shuichi Saihara (Deceased)
Kaito Momota
Miu Iruma
Rantaro Amami
Korekiyo Shinguji
Himiko Yumeno (Deceased)
Tenko Chabashira
Kokichi Ouma
Gonta Gokuhara (Deceased)
Kiibo (Deceased)
Maki Harukawa
Ryoma Hoshi
Tsumugi Shirogane
Angie Yonaga
A/N: Well...this is the start of a new chapter. Who knows what is going to happen? Things are slowly going to be falling into place and even some clues are going to be interlaced here. After all, we need to discover who J is now.
As I said before, this Chapter will be mostly in Mei-Ling's Point of View. However as there will be 3 class trials in this chapter, I will be shifting the focus around a bit. The first motive for this chapter shall be issued soon as well. As I have 15 acts planned for Chapter 2, each split into 5 Act increments, so it may seem like the trials are happening fast, but there will be some intermission chapters. I'm trying to find a balance between trials and acts and so far this is what I have come up with.
I am happy to announce however that Chapter 2's Epilogue will feature the first lemon of the fic. I'll let you all guess who will be having it. Some new relationships may sprout out and you'll get to see some more OC's as well. I have one slot left actually, which I'm hoping to fill, either that or someone else will take it. It matters not...
I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving, I know I did. Though I am sad, for alas, Stephen Hillenberg, creator of Spongebob has passed away. I'm very saddened by this...especially because Spongebob was my childhood. I still have fond memories of watching those old episodes, and I still do. Hell, I quote Spongebob daily, Just a few minutes ago, I shouted, Firmly Grasp It, when my niece kept dropping the Joy-con playing Pokemon. I just...I can't...
Anyway...I hope you liked this chapter. Remember to like the chapter, comment on the chapter and follow my story if you want chapters similar to this one, see ya.