Zena groaned as she was rocked awake, holding her head in pain as she sat up, unaware of her surroundings. Looking around the room, the young girl started to panic, not sure where she was. It seemed like a small cabin with a single bed that had a small end table beside it, a lamp sitting on it. The windows were small and circular, like the ones on a ship. As she stood up, Zena had to place her hand on the wall to steady herself, feeling light-headed and weak in the knees.
"W-where in the world am I?" Zena asked aloud, her voice hoarse and her throat dry.
After regaining some stability, Zena straightened her white ponytail, dusted off her brown jeans and pulled her white bolero jacket snuggly over her pink undershirt, touching her small snowflake necklace to ease herself as she made her way to the door and slowly pushed it open. The door opened into a small hallway. A large number of other doors lined the hallway, most likely leading to other bedrooms.
Turning to the left and slowly making her way down the hallway, Zena noticed a dim light and came to a large pair of double doors, both painted a deep red. Wrapped around the large brass handles was a heavy-looking chain, a very peculiar bear head-shaped lock keeping it in place. Giving it a few tugs just to make sure, only to find that the door would not move at all, Zena sighed and turned around, hoping that she would have better luck going right, but as she made her way back up, one of the other doors rattled and opened, a young man stepping out with a yawn.
"Jeez. Feels like I slept for days," the boy said, letting out another yawn.
Not having anywhere to go or a place to hide, Zena stood there like a statue, hoping that he wouldn't notice her and that, if the young man did, he would be nice. The boy had thick curly brown hair that was a little unkempt. His face was a bit round, and his eyes were a deep hazel. He wore a light blue V-neck over a white shirt, and a loose black tie. He also wore a pair of dark red slacks, which led down to some black trainers. Turning, the boy spotted Zena and smiled softly, which helped the young girl relax a bit.
"Oh, hello there. Can you tell me where I am, miss?" the boy said politely, sticking out his hand for a shake.
"Zena Nariso, the Ultimate Ice Skater," Zena said, shaking the boy's hand, and internally cursing that she had used her title-like introduction.
"Well, it's good to know there are other Ultimate's here. My name is Junichi Yanagihara, the Ultimate Volunteer," the boy said, flashing his warm smile again.
Junichi Yanagihara
Ultimate Volunteer
A bit shocked, but also somewhat relieved that she didn't make a complete fool of herself, Zena smiled at the other Ultimate. Knowing that someone like her was in the same position helped her relax somewhat, but then she started to worry that they were stuck in this strange place. A bit lost in thought, Zena didn't notice Junichi head down the hall she had just come from, and she called out to him.
"That way is a dead end. Just a locked door," Zena called out, catching his attention.
"So, I guess the only way is right, then," Junichi said, walking back to the girl.
Walking down the hallway again, this time going right, Zena noticed that all the doors had numbers, with even numbers on the left and odd numbers on the right. Counting out the ones that she had seen going right, it made sixteen in total, if her math was correct. Not realizing it, Zena had moved closer to Junichi, being only a few inches apart, and when the young man put his hand on her, she let out an, "Eep!" in surprise, moving away slightly.
"Hehe. Don't worry. I'm sure everything will be fine. I promise," Junichi said, his warm smile relaxing the girl.
"Y-yeah. You're right. Though, I am starting to worry that we are the only two on this ship," Zena said, twisting her hair a little.
The pair walked in silence the rest of the way until they came to a large double door, much like the other one, but this time painted green, and with no chain around it. Gulping once, Zena looked at Junichi, giving him a small nod, then opened the doors. Inside the room was a large circle, laid out like a dining room, with circular dining tables and large chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, but the most interesting thing was the eight other teenagers milling about, all of them stopping to look at the two new arrivals.
"Well, I guess that answers my question," Zena muttered under her breath.
An older girl came walking over with a smile, her light brown twin curls bouncing with every step she took. The girl was wearing a light green shirt over a white blouse, her darker green skirt swishing from side to side, and white strap heels clicking on the hardwood floor. When she got to the pair she gave them a look up and down before turning to Zena and smiled coyly.
"What cute little snowflake, and your necklace is charming, too," the girl said, moving closer to Zena and lifting the necklace of off her chest with two fingers.
"T-thank you, ma'am," Zena stammered, backing up a little.
"Oh, where are my manners? My name is Sumireko Mitzushima, the Ultimate Sculptor," the girl said, holding out her hands as if waiting for applause.
Sumireko Mitzushima
Ultimate Sculptor
"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Sumireko. I'm Junichi Yanagihara, the Ultimate Volunteer," Junichi said, smiling softly.
"I'm Zena Nariso, the Ultimate Ice Skater," Zena spoke up, still a bit flustered.
"Nice to meet you both, and Zena, you can call me Sumi, so why don't you come with me to my room and be my model? I promise to get every cu- OW!" Sumireko said, moving close to the ice skater again before she was pulled back by her ear.
Zena blinked and shook her head. She hadn't noticed the other girl come up from behind the girl, but was a bit relieved that she had shown up. The new girl had short combed black hair and a lean, but well-built, body, giving her an almost masculine look. She was dressed in a dark grey suit with a white shirt underneath, and black dress shoes. Scowling a little, the girl tugged on Sumireko's ear again, making her wince a bit.
"Mitzushima, what did I say about addressing others in that manner?" the girl asked gruffly, letting go of the sculptor's ear.
"There's a time and a place for everything," Sumireko mumbled as she rubbed her red ear.
"That is correct. I'm sorry I haven't introduced myself. My name is Yuzuki Hashira, the Ultimate Warden," the girl said, turning back to the stunned pair.
Yuzuki Hashira
Ultimate Warden
"I guess that you must be the last two to arrive," Yuzuki said, crossing her arms.
"What do you mean 'last two'?" Junichi asked, confused.
"Well, if I am correct, there should only be sixteen people here, and the both of you make the last pair," the warden said confidently.
"Are you talking about the bedroom doors?" Zena asked, letting out a short sigh.
"Exactly, and with twelve of us here, and the other four searching, that should fill up all the rooms," Yuzuki said proudly.
"Oh. So smart and stoic. You are like a knight in gray armor," Sumireko said joyously.
"Looks like we need to talk about manners again, Mitzushima," Yuzuki sighed, grabbing the sculptor's ear again and dragging her off.
"I told you to call me Sumi, my darl- Ow, ow, ow…" Sumireko whimpered as she was dragged of.
"I guess we should introduce ourselves to everyone," Junichi said with a shrug.
Looking around the room, there were a lot of teenagers milling about, most of them in pairs. Spying a pair of boys chatting, the duo made their way over. The first boy had short light blond hair that stuck out a bit, making him look a bit like an anime character. He wore a sky blue hoodie with sleeves that were almost too long for him, and a pair of black jeans with black school shoes.
The other boy had jet black hair and navy blue eyes while his body was well-built and toned. He had a pair of dark blue jeans and a grey shirt with a black Eastern-style dragon decal on the front under a black trench coat.
"So, you think it's all some sort or reality T.V. show?" the blond-haired boy said curiously.
"Well, it's gotta be. I mean, how else do you think they got us all on this boat?" the other boy said.
"Well, I don't remember signing anything like a waiver," Junichi said, walking up to the other pair.
"Oh. The two newcomers have joined us, it seems," the boy with the dragon shirt said.
"Well, then, allow me to start us off. I am the Ultimate Information Broker, Yuuta Tsukino," the blond-haired boy said with a wink.
Yuuta Tsukino
Ultimate Information Broker
"Oh. I've heard of you. They say that if you ever need to know about someone, you're the person to talk to," Zena said, shocked.
"Well, it's true. From where someone works to their everyday lives, I can find out anything. That is, for the right price, of course," Yuuta said with a smirk.
"I still think you would have a hard time trying to find something on me," the other boy said, putting his hands behind his head.
"What makes you say that Mr.… Uh...?" Junichi looked expectantly at him.
"Oh, right. The name is Ryuu Sho, the Ultimate Adapter," the boy replied with a sheepish smile.
Ryuu Sho
Ultimate Adapter
"Adapter? What does that mean?" Zena asked, a little confused.
"Well, think of me like a chameleon. Where it changes its color to blend into the surroundings, I work in harsh, almost uninhabitable areas to find out what someone needs to do to live there," Ryuu replied with a large grin.
"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you both. I'm Junichi, Ultimate Volunteer," the young man said in response.
"My name is Zena, the Ultimate Ice Skater," Zena said with a slight blush.
"Well, aren't you a cute thing? I assume Sumireko has introduced herself," Yuuta said with a cat-like grin.
"Yes. Yes, she has," Zena said with a low groan
"Yep. That's about the reaction most girls had," Ryuu chuckled.
"I have to ask, do either of you know how we got here?" Junichi asked, worried.
Both of Ryuu and Yuuta shook their heads, sulking a bit. Sighing, the volunteer slumped his shoulders and his bright, cheery smile turned into a frown. Zena looked at the three boys and shook her head, trying to remember something—anything—that could explain what had happened, and why they were there, and then it came to her.
"I think I remember something," the skater mumbled, catching the boys' attention.
"Wait, seriously? You know why we're here?" Ryuu asked quickly.
"Well, no, but the last thing I do recall is getting an acceptance letter," Zena replied, biting the end of her thumb.
"One to Hope's Peak Academy, right?" Yuuta said, standing up.
"Wait, hold on. Hope's Peak is a school, and this clearly isn't one," Ryuu muttered.
"You're right, and maybe this doesn't have anything to do with the school at all," Junichi said, frowning.
"I'm sorry I couldn't be more help," Zena said dejectedly.
"Hey, now, it was a good idea," Yuuta said reassuringly, putting his hand on the girl's shoulder.
"Anyways, we should go see everyone else before we forget," Junichi sighed, a small smile returning to his face.
With that, the pair bid farewell to the other two and looked around the large room for others to talk to. All the while, a nagging thought plagued Zena's mind. What was going on here? Why was she, along with a lot of others, on board a ship? Where was everyone else, and what did this have to do with Hope's Peak? All of the questions started to cloud her thoughts, but she knew that everything was going to be fine. What was the worst that could happen?
A/N: All right. So, first off, let me say sorry for how long this took. I have no real excuse or reason other than procrastination. The second thing is that, I know that everyone is in the same room right now, but I thought you guys would like an update, even if it's a minor one.
OK. Now, to talk about this. Zena is our main character, and while there might seem to be better ones shown, I think Zena can be grown and kinda molded into one. I hope that everyone was shown in a good light, and you can expect that a lot more will be introduced into the next chapter, which I assure you will come out quicker.
As always, please leave a review if you liked the chapter, or if you want to keep your thoughts private, just send me a PM.
Rinjai.
