Even though it wasn't the real Hope's Peak Academy, the building was still gorgeous, and was hilariously still reffered to as Hope's Peak. In fact, it looked like it beat Hope's Peak in size! Maybe it was really luckier to be going here. In my acceptance letter, It read that the original Hope's Peak was being renovated, and therefore, we were being sent to this place. The academy's founder also owned the place, and it was like an academy for the reserve course students that were accepted. Of course, no one in my selected class was reserve course, according to the letter. We were all hand-picked by Hope's Peak.
Somewhat of a shame, really. I wanted to meet new people, not people who's names' I've heard all over the news. Though, I guess it couldn't be helped. At least I'd get to make new friends, anyway. I wonder what their talents were, and how'd they compare to me, the Ultimate Author? I hoped to meet a new array of colorful faces, and hopefully, I'd get a bit more publicity.
Hope's Peak Academy selects a number of students to attend their schools every year, and each of them hold the title of 'Ultimate'. That is, they are the absolute best at what they do, and they're all still in highschool! Many different kids had been listed by their talents in my acceptance letter, but I had no idea what they were really like. I spent my time too engrossed in books and writing to listen to the media- something I was regretting right now.
I pulled my heavy luggage case closer to me, watching the giant building with uncertainty. Something just gave me a bad feeling about this place... Though I couldn't imagine what. After all, this was supposed to be the most coveted school in the world! I shook off my worries, and clomped into the building, pushing the doors wide open.
Opening Ceremonies were supposed to be at 8:00, in the Auditorium, and it the clock on the wall read 7:50. I grimaced lightly, and propped up my large suitcase again. If I didn't hurry, I'd be late. I just had to find the dorms, drop off my suitcase, and run as fast as I could to the Auditorium.
I rummaged through my jacket pocket, trying to find the map that came with my acceptance letter. A sense of queasiness ran through my stomach, but I eventually found it. To my surprise, the worry never vanished. My brown eyes scanned over the map carefully, and I spotted the dorms, and the Auditorium. They didn't seem too far, and the layout of the building seemed pretty self-explanatory.
The map got shoved back into my pocket, and I started down the hallway. The odd feeling grew stronger, and it made my feet stop. The halls lacked people. No one else walked, rushing to get to the Opening Ceremonies. Certainly I wasn't the only one on the verge of being late? The feeling in my stomach lurched, and I felt even sicker. Weird, I didn't really get too nervous about new people. Actually, I never got nervous when meeting new people. So why did I feel so sick? My head was starting to hurt, too, really bad...
"Will I get in trouble for missing Opening Ceremonies?" I wondered out loud to myself, and the sound of my voice echoed off the walls. I felt sicker, and a dizzying sensation worked its way into my head. This was all so odd. Why did I feel so strange? My eyes traveled back to the door and I saw some one standing there. A tall woman, carrying something small in her hands. When I went to speak, I felt woozy and before I knew it, I hit the ground. The last thing I remember was her rushing towards me in concern, and then I blacked out.
If I would have known what awaited me within those walls, I wouldn't have even showed up.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
I woke up in a cramped, dusty classroom, and the woman nor my suitcase sat anywhere to be found. The surroundings felt like I might be killed by my allergies if I stayed here too long. Besides, It felt like a train wrecked into my head, and a steam hammer slammed into my chest. A surge of panic slid through me. My laptop, headphones, and cellphone were in that case!
I pushed up my black glasses, and looked around frantically for a clock. How long had I been out? Why was I out? Better yet, why did I end up here? I remembered the woman that I saw enter the school after me. She must've carried me here. Did she take my things to my dorm? Why didn't she take me there? Too many questions swam through my mind. I groaned and shook my head.
The chalkboard brightly advertised the Opening Ceremonies- moved to 8:30. I wonder why they had to change it? Heh, and how adorable. An odd looking cartoon bear was drawn at the bottom, waving. My brown eyes searched up to the clock- 8:10. I guess I would have to worry about my stuff later, and get to the Auditorium now.
Just as I was about to leave the room, I noticed something that I probably should have noticed before hand. The room had really dim lighting, and it happened to be because giant, metal plating covered the windows, tightened down with bolts. Now I felt unsettled. Why did everything give off such a menacing vibe? There wasn't anything like this over the windows when I arrived, in the entrance hall.
I approached them, and attempted to pry them off, to see if they were fake. Alas, nothing would make them come off. I swallowed hard, and tried to smooth out my frayed mess of auburn hair. Maybe this was all just a scare joke put on by the academy, like they were hazing us. After all, this was almost like a college. It wouldn't be anywhere outside that box. Having accepted that conclusion, I left the classroom.
I stood at the end of a long hallway, and in front of me, a big, red, locked door had the same face as that weird teddy bear from the class room printed on it. Was he a school mascot, or something? At the far off end of the hallway, it turned down another hall, and at the end I stood at, it did the same. I looked up at the classroom number. One. I fished around for my map, and angrily found it to be gone too. How much stuff did I lose? Oh, well. At least I could remember that was close enough to the Auditorium for me to turn left at the hallway next to me, and then go some down that hallway to find it.
I turned left down the hallway, which had the option to go up or left. Technically, there was an option to go right, too, but it was barred off by some sort of weird shutters. If I would have gone up, I would have went down a hallway that lead to someplace called 'Hotel Despair'. Whatever that was... All the windows I passed also had the same iron plates bolted to them, and I started to feel worried, despite my previous conclusion that this was just part of the Opening Ceremonies. That's why they moved the time, right? Maybe they knocked everyone out so they could do all this... No, that just sounded weird. But what could it be?
After going halfway down the hallway, I found the Auditorium, right across from the Cafeteria. I sucked in an air of breath, and placed my hands on the levers to open the doors. I hoped I'd finally get this freak show over with, and get to meet new people. I pushed it open, and a small crowd of people waited inside, standing near the front row of seats.
"T-That makes an even number of people, then." The person closest to me spoke first, with a small wave of his hand. "Are you here to start the Opening Ceremonies?" The boy stood shorter than me, probably at five foot one inch, or even shorter. He looked to be in some sort of formal dress clothing, close to a suit but not quite. His ice-colored eyes watched me with subtle caution, and his thin-lipped smile brought a bit of joy to his unusually morose face. His black colored hair was tied back into a ponytail, with a ribbon. He looked really prim and proper, and smelled of some odd flowers. He was built somewhat average. "O-Oh, my apologies. I'm Louis Brookes, the Ultimate Diener. Your name?"
"I'm Anita Wallace, the Ultimate Author. I'm not part of the staff." I smiled brightly, relief washing through my chest at the fact that I could finally meet my classmates. These were the people I'd be spending my high school life with. The Ultimate Diener stood before me, a boy that could scoff at death and do his job anyway. He certainly fit the funeral home look, but I knew even from just the title that he did more- mostly hospital work, like autopsies, cleaning the dead bodies, and the like.
"Does she look like she works for Hope's Peak, you idiot?" A snarl of a voice, rough and rude, spoke up. Louis visibly flinched at the harsh words. It came from a boy that was taller than me- and much taller than Louis. His denim-green gaze looked like it might kill me if I looked back at him. "Damian Woronoff. I'm the Hacker." An enormous unsettling grin crept across his sickly pale face, threatening to lash out at anyone that would deny him. He was very lanky looking, and not very built at all. His hair was cut short, and rather messy. In fact, he just looked like a slob. His clothes, his demeanor, everything just felt untidy and messy.
"Hey, leave Louis alone, will you? We've all had a hard passing out spell, and you aren't helping anyone." A woman yelled at him, making him roll his eyes. When I looked to see who had spoken, I saw that it was the woman that walked in when I passed out. She was gorgeous, and seemed kind. Her deep brown eyes watched me with sympathy, and her light smile seemed to lift my spirits back up after Damian's cruel spout off. She waved her hand at me. "I'm Shelby Lyons, the Ultimate Veterinarian, it's nice to meet you, Anita." Her light brown hair would have curled down to her waist, if she didn't have it pulled back with a ponytail and a few well-placed bobby pins. She was dressed rather neatly, but in simple clothing. I noticed that she had something sitting in her hand. Something small, and furry.
"Oh, that's Rufus. He's my rabbit." She smiled brightly, her face lighting up when I saw the small creature. I heard Rufus snuffle around and squeak, so she stroked his ears with a light giggle. She was tall like Damian, but slightly chubby. It fit to her figure well. I also noticed a pretty, white rose flower crown on top of her head.
"Why are you all squabbling, anyway? I'm trying to work, so shut up." An irritated snarl came from the boy that sat somewhat away from everyone. He looked up from his book and I instantly got a menacing vibe from him when his hazel eyes dug into my skin. The entire vibe around him felt off, like he might hex you any moment he chose. I couldn't tell his height for sure because he was sitting, but he looked tall and lanky. His hair looked hurricane-blown, and was an almost white blonde. It laid shaggily around his ears. Like Damian, he also looked sick, as if he never went outside. He clutched a notebook in his hands, filled with weird words of another language and intricate diagrams.
"Maybe we want to talk, Rory." A small, short girl that seemed shorter than Louis. Her appearance gave the look of prim and proper, like a doll, but a feeling in my gut told me her attitude was probably sour. "He's the Ultimate Ritualist, Rory Jackson." The girl told me. "I'm Rosalie Gales." A misleading, sickly sweet smile slunk across her face. Her bright blue eyes drew me in, like some kind of siren. She really did look like a doll, too pretty to be real. Her golden hair was wavy, and rolled down to the top of her back. A big bow sat on top of her head, bright pink and glittery.
"And she's the Ultimate Thief." Rory hissed, and the small girl dropped her sweet look to stare daggers at the ritualist. They didn't seem to really care for each other at all.
"It's not good to be rude to each other, you two. After all, we've all just met." A boy about my height called from the side of the group. "Though both of you need to clean yourselves up." He was clad in white, and the absolute opposite of Rory's vibe washed over him. However, even though he seemed like a pure person, he still gave off a really intimidating vibe. I felt like he was persecuting me, and judging my every flaw. "It's nice to meet your acquaintance, Miss Wallace. I'm Robert Faulkner, the Ultimate Minister." Oh, yeah, those three would constantly get into fights, I could feel it. His auburn hair was cut into a buzz cut, and his bright brown eyes watched the area around everyone.
"They're fine the way they are, Robert. Just give them a bit of encouragement! We're here to be friends." A girl in clothes that resembled the mock-up of a cheer leading uniform smiled brightly, and turned towards me. "I'm Charlotte Block, the Ultimate Cheerleader! It's nice to meet you!" Charlotte had black curly wavy hair, that cascaded down her back, and the under layer and tips were a bottle-blonde. Her kind black-brown eyes left me to look at the next person that spoke up.
"Are you sure? I don't know what to think about most of you." A girl said quietly, stepping forward. "I'm Melissa Atkins, the Ultimate Actor." She frowned, as if I were below her in terms other than just height. Her deep navy blue eyes scanned me, and she flipped her perfect bright hair back behind her back, and smiled intimidatingly. I didn't really need her introduction, I could have recognized her from a mile away. After all, she starred in so many movies today it was hard to keep track. I had no idea her attitude was so mean, though.
"And I'm Kate Swallien, the Ultimate Pottery Maker." A very small girl said quietly, and she looked anxious that it was finally her turn to speak up. Her dyed blue hair was very short around her ears, and looked like she often cut it herself. Her bright blue eyes seemed kind despite her timid nature, and she waved slightly. I waved kindly back, and this seemed to make her very happy. She grinned, and I couldn't help but grin back too. Most of the people here did seem nice, including Kate.
"Guess that means I should speak up too, hello!" A seemingly cheerful man called from the back, squirming to the front of the group. "Micheal Johnson, the Ultimate Cosmetologist. Nice to meet you." He had fluffy ginger hair that laid perfectly around his chin, and bright green eyes. The bridge of his nose, and under his eyes were swamped by freckles. He really did look like a cheerful guy, and seemed to be around my height.
"I suppose that means I'm the last," Another boy came to the front, a soft smile on his face. "I'm Kenneth Anthony, the Ultimate Pilot." He had his brown hair cut short into a crew cut, and his eyes that stared at me were a brownish-black. He nodded, and crossed his arms, falling back to his position at the back of the group. He didn't seem rude, but he was more focused on something else. Yeah, I could see myself as friends with a lot of these people. After all, only a few of them seemed rude.
Twelve students, including me, were enrolled in this class. We were all Ultimates, something required if you were going to Hope's Peak on a scholarship. We milled about a bit, talking to those around, but were interrupted a few minutes later by a loud, cartoonish voice that boomed over the loudspeakers.
"Upupupuh!" The odd, loopy laugh ran over first, almost hurting my ears. "Mike test, mike test! Oh, whatever, I'm sure you can all here me anyway." I looked towards the clock hanging on the wall, and realized that it read 8:30, so this must've been the start of the Opening Ceremonies. "Welcome, Ultimates, to the second installment of Hope's Peak Academy!"
The students around me cheered, and I joined in. The curtain on the Auditorium stage rose quickly, revealing quite the weird site. A small, short, black-and-white bear stood there with a microphone. It didn't look like anything I had seen before, either. One half of him looked like an innocent teddy bear, all white and with a happy expression, but the other half looked like the exact opposite. The other side was black, and had the most menacing grin that literally stretched up to his ear. His eye on that side, wasn't normal, either. It looked like some sort of horizontal, red lightening bolt, right where his eye should have been.
"I am your headmaster, Monokuma! Goodmorning!" An unsteady 'goodmorning' slithered from the group of confused students. Was this really our headmaster? It seemed so unlikely, and kind of disturbing. "Before we begin explaining the school rules, I want to address something that I'm sure at least a few of you are worried about. I have confiscated your cell phones, maps, and anything of the like. The rest of your belongings have been delievered to your dorm rooms. I've decided to allow laptops, because of the lack of internet access."
"Excuse me?!" Melissa screamed, searching her jean pockets. A murmur of angry agreement from the rest of us followed. So that's what happened to all my stuff...
"Yes, sorry! Outside communication is forbidden. Now that we got that out of the way," Monokuma giggled, waving his hands at the protests that got louder, until he silenced them. "let's get this show on the road! You are the promising, young high school students who carry the hope of the world on your shoulders, and in order to care for you wonderful symbols of hope, I have decided to let you all live together within the confines of this school! That is why outside communication is forbidden."
"The police will come for us!" Robert's voice protested, and he seemed to shudder in his white suit, as if he didn't really believe it himself. "They'll let us out, and we can go home!" A series of shouts and screams followed his words in agreement.
"Scream and yell all you want. No one's going to hear you over the steel plates covering every door and window. Nobody's going to come and save you, including the police." The black and white teddy bear told us. The air felt heavy around us, and became a nauseating low.
"Can we leave and go home, then?" Questioned the tiny Rosalie, who was only a foot and a half taller than the three-foot-tall Monokuma. That was the question that started our horrible lives here, the demeaning, terrifying, bloody lives here. "I'd do anything to go home."
"Oh, you would? Alright, fine. Anyone that wishes to leave this academy, and graduate, will have to play by a certain rule." Monokuma smiled, that is, if he could stop smiling. "I don't care how you do it, but only students that have killed another person will be allowed to kill this place. That's all there is to it. Pretty simple, right? You can bludgeon, stab, beat, slash, burn, crush, strangle, or even shoot them! Oh, what an ingenious sense of exhilaration!" He scurried down from the stage, into the isles between the seats in the auditorium. The group of students backed up, and I eyed this bear with uncertainty.
"A situation full of Despair where the Hopes of the world have to kill each other... Man, what an amazing thought! From here on out, this academy is your home. It's your society. Your world. You can do absolutely anything you want besides going home, so feel free to go wild, I say!" The bear threw his head bad in a cartoonish, menacing laugh. "Now, then." He climbed back up on the stage, and turned back to us. "This ends the Entrance Ceremony. I hope you all enjoy this affluent and gloomy high school life!" And he left, closing the curtains behind him.
((For more information on the students, visit the SHSL Character Archive at the end of this story! Don't worry, there aren't any spoilers there.))
