Chapter 14

This is a special chapter, different from all the ones that came before. It has a time span (in the story) of one hour and a half.

"Hello, princesses!"

The female voice possessed an artificial, childish and annoying tone, like the way a high school beauty queen would talk to her friends.

"Hello, princesses!"

Now the same voice reached an even higher tone, clearly falsetto. It was so loud that it could be heard from several rooms away. However, its speaker was the only one hearing it. She was alone in the middle of a studio dancing room, large and clean, with several mirrors to reflect the tall and curvy figure of the school's nurse and Program's coordinator, Mrs. Suzuki.

The woman shook her head. "No. It's not good enough."

She always wanted to be an actress, and, of course, a rich and famous one. When she was little, Mrs. Suzuki always talked to her mom about her dream, daily. After hearing her daughter's ambitions, the older woman constantly shook her head and told her that it was impossible. Born in a poor family with divorced parents and little opportunities, Mrs. Suzuki always seemed to be fated for a life of obscurity and mediocrity.

But still, she tried. On her last year of elementary school, the girl signed up for acting classes. It wasn't a very good class, as the teacher was an old man who was constantly drunk, and many of the girls were complete bitches who enjoyed bullying their socially unadjusted peers. Mrs. Suzuki never suffered from bullying. Not because she was popular or talkative, but because she was so shy and quiet that nobody else noticed that she existed.

In middle school, the main role of the "Cinderella" play was given to a snobbish and pretty girl whom Mrs. Suzuki absolutely despised. And the girl who was poor and not beautiful enough to be Cinderella got the role of one of the evil stepsisters, a whole that made her heart break into many smaller pieces and caused her tears to freely flow during the entire way back to her home.

Some people say that having talent is enough to make you become a great actor. Others, that luck is more important. Unlucky people, according to them, will never get a good job, find the right person to date, or have a decent life overall. Mrs. Suzuki believed that she was one of the unlucky ones during her entire life, and everything she would do was destined to fail. But she didn't want to accept it. And that was why, even after she graduated, Mrs. Suzuki still kept trying to find a way to act.

"Don't be that pessimistic. I found a better and easier way of chasing my dreams now. I might suck, but it doesn't mean that I'll never make it." – Seconds later, she laughed while facing the dance room's ceiling. Was that what she wanted since the beginning? To act in a show were young girls had to kill each other? It wasn't exactly the best job option in the world. But it had to do. She had been unemployed for a long time since the economical crisis shook the country, and working in The Program was her own boyfriend's recommendation.

However, it did not mean that Mrs. Suzuki liked her job. Not in the slightest bit. Which type of monster would actually enjoy in a show like that? However, it was almost impossible to find a good job in the decadent country of Japan, and working in The Program was better than selling your body to sex-starved men on the streets. Because she couldn't explain the rules of the game naturally, all of her dialogue to the students, since the moment she came into the classroom until the last announcement would be made, was scripted. Her cruelty towards the students of 3rd year A was not something natural: she was just acting another role. Otherwise, she would get fired, or worse.

"Honey, come here!" – Hiro, Mrs. Suzuki's boyfriend for two years, yelled from the control room next to the dance studio. "You need to know this before the time for the next announcement comes! Another student fell down! Girl #17 is dead! Don't forget to annotate it! The time of death is 3:34 pm!"

The man of her life's voice removed the bad actress from her fantasy world and sent her back to reality in a matter of seconds. Completely putting her dreams and aspirations aside, Mrs. Suzuki opened the wooden door on her left and ran towards the control room.

Hiro was there, looking even more handsome than usual with his soldier uniform and an AK-47 rifle tucked under his shoulder. His tanned and shaved face always seemed to be shining, and his narrow but nicely shaped eyes stared at the cameras like a hawk. The control room could be considered a beautiful and futuristic place if it's contents were not so terrifying. Around Mrs. Suzuki, her boyfriend, and some other soldiers standing on the walls, there were more than 300 cameras, each one activated on a different part of Saitama. Because the game was taking place in an urban area this time, they were all very easy to install, but took their time. It was worthy, though; it was now impossible for the soldiers not to notice if one of the girls managed to remove her collar. Every single building and street on that place had a camera, which also allowed people from all over the country to watch the game on pay-per-view.

"So, in which camera did the last death happen? I need to see the cause so that I can include it in my script." – asked Mrs. Suzuki.

"That one, over there." – Hiro pointed at the camera with his extremely muscular arm. It was localized in the control room's northwestern wall. Although the camera did not have enough proximity for them to notice the details, the scene depicted in it was very grotesque and sent chills down on Mrs. Suzuki's spine. It depicted Girl #17, Rena Kuroda, lying in a pool of her own blood and several glass shards from a shattered glass door. Given the state of her uniform, she seemed to have been shot to death. In front of her, Girl #2, Kumiko Noma, stared at her body in such a way that she seemed to completely ignore the outside world. Her face was a mix of pleasure, fascination and pure cruelty. Definitely a strong contestant for the winner of that year's Program.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" – Flirtatiously commented Hiro before his girlfriend angrily stared at him. "I mean, not as beautiful as you, honey. But it would be a pity for such an angel to die in this terrible place."

"Well, she doesn't look that pretty anymore, does she?" – Ironically answered Mrs. Suzuki. "Look at that cut on her face. I don't think you would have looked at me twice if I had that."

"Well, darling, you would call my attention even if you were in the Middle East and had to wear a burka." After finishing his sentence, Hiro kissed his girlfriend in the lips so deeply that his colleagues had to tell him to focus back on his work again. He was the type of guy who separated work from relationships, but usually lost control when his girlfriend was around him.

Hiro and Mrs. Suzuki quickly stopped, aware of the place where they were. They still had the entire day to make out.

"I'm sorry guys." – said the woman, trying to sound innocent. She would actually kiss Hiro until the next day, if she was given the chance. He wasn't just a boyfriend; no, he was much more than that. If it wasn't for him, Mrs. Suzuki would be taking Prozac everyday and still be unemployed.

She met Hiro in a bar two years ago, out of pure coincidence and luck. Like most cases of true love, it began with an accident, when Mrs. Suzuki accidentally spilled her drink all over his shirt. He looked at her in the eye, and she did the same. The two slept together on that same night, and soon became so inseparable that now Mrs. Suzuki was planning to marry him the next year.

This thought made her laugh on the inside. It had been many years, but what would that bitch that played Cinderella think or say if she saw Mrs. Suzuki with Hiro? "She must be selling her ass for some crack right now. She's probably poor and single, thinking that her beauty would give her everything easily. Serves her right."- thought the wannabe actress with a devious smile.

A great love life didn't make her a better actress, for sure. She still had trouble with expressing the creepy, psycho-like vibes her superiors asked her to do. According to the Program rules, all of the teachers should behave like complete psychos, and were allowed to shoot and kill students if it was necessary. Why? Because it would make the class more nervous and nervous people kill others more easily.

Mrs. Suzuki's thoughts were interrupted by her lover's comments about the girl on the screen. "Her name is Kumiko Noma. So far, she's the one who has killed the most, and also the one who has the biggest chances of winning. Look at her weapons, honey. I already bet a lot of money on her for this edition's win."

Mrs. Suzuki didn't really like what she saw in those cameras, but had no other choice but to keep looking at them. Besides the one where Kumiko was now walking away after killing Rena, another camera showed the body of Girl #16, Miki Nakayoshi, clearly stabbed in the neck near a fountain. Another contained the pitiful remains of Girl #4 Tomoko Kobi and Girl #22 Tsukiko Amano, who were sliced by a chainsaw and shot to death inside a house. Above that camera, there was the one of the same house's bathroom, showing the body of Girl #18 Sato Mizunoe, who shot herself in the head. And finally, another camera on the right side of the room showed the dead Girl #6, Kageri Shouzaku, bludgeoned to death by a brick.

Those images made Mrs. Suzuki want to vomit. But she would get fired for incompetency if she did.

"What are the other good candidates?"- asked her to her boyfriend.

"The second favorite after Kumiko is Girl #11, Misa Fujiwara. She has killed only one person so far, but showed impressive fighting skills. Besides, she's strong and smart, has good reflexes and it doesn't help that she is as or even more beautiful than Kumiko."

"What about Girl #10, Yoriko Shibasaki? She already killed one of her classmates too."- For Mr. Suzuki, Yoriko was an interesting person to root for. She was kind natured but also knew how to defend herself, and her exaggerated care for her friend, Girl #3 Chitose Higurashi, was big enough to make her kill anyone who tried to hurt her. However, it could also be considered an act of foolishness.

"No way. The murder she committed was clearly accidental, and I don't think she is smart enough to survive much longer. So it means that the only one who's actively playing to win in this year's Program is Kumiko. There are no threats to her power so far." – Hiro left out a soft, sad sigh. He usually enjoyed watching that game; it was fun to see some kids killing each other. But not this time. Who would want to see beautiful girls like those getting killed? Maybe that was the reason why, compared to the previous editions, that game was having relatively low audience levels on TV, so far.

"Exactly the opposite of what we thought, right?" – asked his girlfriend, just as realistic as him.

"Yeah… it seems it's going to be a very weak season." – The real reason for the realization of an all girls Program wasn't that the country was being controlled by a woman. The former dictator's wife had little to no real power, as the oligarchs from industrial and agricultural branches were behind all of her decisions and commands. The idea came because, after analyzing the previous Programs, the officials noticed that many prominent female killers arose at the beginning of all editions. However, they tended to die soon afterwards, killed by the stronger men who were playing with them. An all-girls edition was a try to make all the potential female winners rise to prominence. The girls had potential, they only needed more opportunities.

"Well, I don't think we should give up our hopes so early in the game." – said Mrs. Suzuki, trying to comfort her lover. "I mean, many girls have not started killing yet, but they are planning to do so. Look at Girl #14, Kagura Soga. She's talking to herself all the time now, saying that she wants to see her friends dead."

"We don't need people like her. She's just insane." – replied Hiro. "What we need are girls who actually know what they are doing and will do it without hesitation of remorse. Girls who can fight, and girls who can murder someone without getting affected afterwards. Girls who are determined enough to focus on their objective: winning the game. This is the type of people this country needs, if we want to get the upper hand over America one day."

"Talking about psycho bitches…" – a soldier standing behind Hiro spoke for the first time. "I've gathered some very interesting information about Kumiko, our favorite player. Even though she's fifteen, she lives a very different life compared to the other girls from her class and age."

"Really? Now I'm interested. What kind of problematic life a killer like her would have?" – What surprised Mrs. Suzuki was the fact that someone so beautiful, with porcelain skin and hazel eyes, could also be so merciless and cruel. Usually, the main killers in the Program tended to be the ugly ones, who were constantly bullied at school and wanted revenge.

"First of all, she does not have a father or a mother. Her legal guardian is her uncle, who is a painter and takes care of her since she was seven."- continued the soldier.

"I don't see anything strange with that." – answered the female teacher. Adopted kids were nothing new to The Program. The traitor who managed to escape five years ago, for example, was an orphan. After he managed to leave to America, the orphanage where he grew up in was burned down by the government in retaliation. Even some children were killed, because they tried to attack the soldiers with rocks and everything else they could find.

"Her secrets are on the details, sir. When I talked to her uncle, he did not seem be sad over her departure and possible death. He was happy and joyful." – He paused for a moment and then resumed his talk. "Also, according to him, Kumiko only does two things while she's not at school: painting in her bedroom, completely locked away from everything, or going with her friends to places only God knows where. She never talks to him."

"And what is your conclusion?" – asked the handsome Hiro. For him, there was nothing abnormal or out of the usual with girls who don't talk to their parents or guardians. He knew that nowadays most school girls are promiscuous and vain, neglecting their older relatives and behaving selfishly. It was one of the reasons why the Program was created.

"When we went to her bedroom…" – sweat started to drip from the soldier's skin. He was scared of something, and seemed to have been traumatized. "We saw three paintings that she made all by herself. They said a lot about her character, so we decided to bring them here to show them to the nation in case she wins. If that happens, these paintings will go to the national Battle Royale museum, built last year in honor of our beloved annual tradition." – It was hard for him to speak, and he seemed to drown in his own words, paralyzed by fear. "Her uncle agreed with our plan. According to him, he didn't want to see such monstrosities anymore."

"And where are they?" – Mrs. Suzuki was extremely curious. Even though she sensed that it wasn't something good, she still felt curious.

"Follow me." – The soldier left the room, followed by Hiro and his girlfriend. They passed through the long hallway after the large door on their right. It was filled with pictures of the previous Program winners, along with the classes where which one belonged to. In a way, it preserved the memory of the dead, for the future generations.

The three government officials reached the end of the hallway and turned left. They got to an intersection between two small hallways, and on the wall there was a small closet. The soldier grabbed his key and opened the locked door in instants.

Inside the closet, the shapes of the paintings were visible, but not the images. The lights were turned off, making it an extremely dark and creepy place.

"Before I turn the lights on…" – announced the soldier. He had his back completely turned away from the paintings, so that he wouldn't see them again. "I would like to warn the two of you that what you are about to see is absolutely terrifying. If you want to leave, then do it while you still can."

Hiro and Mrs. Suzuki stood there firmly. They had to know it now, it was impossible not to.

"OK then." – said the soldier before turning on the closet's light.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"- Both Hiro and Mrs. Suzuki screamed. What was that? Oh my God, it can't be this, it just can't…"

The paintings had the same effect on the couple as the opening of the box had on Pandora. They immediately regretted it and cursed their own curiosity.

The painting on the left depicted a huge black butterfly, with its wings wide open and occupying the entire painting. However, it was clear that it had landed in bright red blood. Besides, it wasn't a normal butterfly. There were a pair of yellow, cold and sharp eyes on its wings, and the insect's body was actually a demon. It had black arms with long and sharp claws, big teeth, and a pair of horns. Its body was as hairy as a rat's, and it seemed like the "butterfly" had been sent directly from hell, or it was Satan himself.

The picture in the middle was even more terrifying. It showed the face of a little girl, around seven years old, who had her neck twisted to the right in an unnatural angle. It wasn't clear if she was alive or dead. Her small white hands were covering her face as if she was screaming, and her fingernails were long, crooked and painted black. The girl's eyes were completely red, and she was crying blood all over her face. Blood was also freely flowing from her mouth. The wall behind the girl had a very strange wallpaper, with several black butterflies printed on it and some drops of blood flowing down. But nothing was scarier than the expression in her eyes, which was a mixture of pure anger and malice. She seemed to look inside the soul of everyone who looked at her.

"Who would paint something like this?"- thought the frightened Mrs. Suzuki. She wanted to destroy those paintings and run the hell away from there, but she still had to see the painting on the right first.

The painting on the right was even worse than the other two. It showed an average kitchen table, with forks, knives, a plate and a cup. Inside the cup, though, there was a strange green substance, which could be poison, mud or something even worse. But what made that painting simply nightmarish was what was about to be eaten. There was a bloodied baby on top of the plate, and he seemed to have been aborted. He was dead, his dilated pupils growing like a black hole of darkness and despair. His tiny hands seemed to be calling for help.

It was clear that Kumiko was a good painter. The images had a lot of details, with bright colors and a realistic style. However, that wasn't human. Those paintings were something only a psychopath or a real monster would make.

"Kumiko Noma…"- Mrs. Suzuki thought while her eyes opened wide. "Who, or better, what is this girl?

AUTHOR'S NOTE

First of all, it's not my responsibility if any of the readers have nightmares after reading the description of Kumiko's paintings.

This chapter turned out to be very different from what it was originally planned to be. Initially, Mrs. Suzuki was supposed to be a lesbian, who had a secret relationship with her work colleague. Kumiko's paintings would also not be mentioned, and the two women would talk about their relationship and gender roles in Japan. I realized that making Mrs. Suzuki a lesbian would not add anything to the story, and the homosexual character became Yoriko instead.

Also, I would like to thank the great writer and user Formahault for convincing me to break the "evil teacher" cliché. I decided to put on a real reason for Mr. Suzuki to do what she does, even though she does not like it. I recommend his/her fanfic, "How NOT to write a Battle Royale fanfic", because I'll help you a lot if you are planning of writing one. I confess that I regret some things of what I did in this fanfic so far, especially during my first chapters.

I would like to thank the users Percival Jones and OggytheOgre for the excellent reviews they have been giving me. Please continue your good work guys; your stories are also very good and interesting.

See you all on the next chapter!