We briskly walked back up the road, heading back to the campfire pit. I didn't know where we should explore next, and I doubt Reia knew either, but she led us forward regardless. As she rushed down the path, I looked back at all the trees and the machine guns that hung from them. A shiver ran down my spine. I guess it really wasn't all that hard to believe that this was a death camp. And I wouldn't doubt that the fence really was just as deadly as the bear had made it out to be either. But there had to be a way to escape. If someone had let us into the camp, there had to be someone that could get us out. There had to be a control panel for the fence. Or maybe some power supply we could cut off in order to shut the fence down. There wasn't a single doubt in my mind. We'd get out somehow. We had to.

Soon we reached the fork in the road, breaking me from my thoughts. I looked around, trying to decide which path would be the most beneficial to my search for a means of escape. I looked over at the little building in front of the left path. Upon closer inspection, the Information sign wasn't the only haphazard thing about the building. The roof was sloppily bordered up in some places, and even the windows panes didn't appear to quite fit into the frames properly. Duct tape and boards seemed to be the only things that were keeping some parts of the building intact.

I pulled Reia over toward the building, and when I turned the doorknob, I found that even that even the door was carelessly put in. The door didn't quite fit the frame correctly, and so it took a good strong shove to be able to properly open it.

The little building seemed a little bigger than I had expected. There was a desk on one side, but it was pretty sparse. There was just a little pamphlet rack and a box of tissues on it. Then there were two doors, marked "Men's" and "Women's" respectively. Then on the other side of the room, there were a few rows of shelves stuffed with cheap looking souvenirs and bags of junk food. There was another sloppy, lopsided sign hanging from one of the shelves that read "Camp Store."

However, the most interesting things in the room were the people that were already there. There was one girl standing at the counter, reading one of the pamphlets. She had dark reddish-brown hair that was partially tied up by a small, leaf-shaped, gold and green hair piece. She wore a half-sleeved knitted jumper over a black t-shirt, with long skinny jeans. The jumper was mostly forest green, but half of each sleeve was black. Rounding out the look she had on black ankle boots. When she heard us come in, she turned her head, her hazel eyes sparkling in the dim light.

"Hello." She smiled kindly, walking over to us.

Reia reflected the girl's bright smile back and stuck out her hand. "Hi. My name's Reia. What's yours?"

"Kasumi. It's a pleasure to meet you Reia." Her voice was warm and crisp, and her smooth British accent gave her an air of refinement.

Once the handshake was over, I gave Kasumi my hand as well. "Soledad Castro."

She nodded in greeting. "Well I'm glad to meet both of you."

I nodded back. "So what have you found?"

She shook her head and let out an exasperated sigh. "Not much I'm afraid. The only 'information' I found in here was what we've already been told. However, it's all been put in these." She handed us the pamphlet in her hand, and I took it without hesitation.

The pamphlet was made out of cheap copy paper that someone hastily scribbled on in crayon. The few words said "Camp Morning Star is a very special camp. Its creators put in super hard work and filled every building with their extra special love in order to create this unique experience! Now it's your home for the rest of your life! Aren't you lucky!"

Kasumi shook her head in disgust. "All of them are like that. There's nothing even remotely useful."

I resisted the urge to rip the pamphlet to shreds. "Well maybe if we keep it, we can match the handwriting to someone's and figure out who put us here."

"That's a really good idea!" Reia said excitedly. "Why don't you hang on to it, since it was your idea?"

I gave a small shrug. "Sure, but there are other copies. Maybe you could take one too so we can cover more ground."

She shook her head. "Naw. If I need one later, I'll just come back and grab one. I don't trust myself not to lose it." She giggled, her ever-present smile unyielding.

"Alright then, I will." I folded up the little pamphlet and put it in the inside pocket of my gray blazer. "So what about the camp store? Is there anything useful in there?"

Kasumi shrugged. "I honestly don't know. I asked Mimi and Fausto to check it out." She gestured over to the other two people in the building.

One of them, a tall guy with messy flame red hair, seemed to perk up at the sound of his name. He immediately came over to us, his long white coat billowing behind him. "Salutations my friend, I am the Famous Tarot Card Reader Fausto Abbandonato," He proclaimed in a thick Italian accent before bowing deeply. He then looked up while giving a pleasant smile, his strange golden eyes glinting with childishness from underneath his long crimson bangs.

I gave him my hand. "Soledad Castro. It's good to meet you."

He took it, grinning mischievously. "I don't know why, but I like you. You have a certain something… special about you that I just can't put into words. Oh, what a joy it would be to know what you will do in this game! If you need my fortunes, just give me a holler. I'm excited to see your future, Soledad."

I raised my eyebrow. "Okay then…" I cleared my throat. "Thanks for the offer Fausto."

He nodded. "Of course. Feel free to take me up on it anytime." He then turned to Reia. "And it seems you also have a certain something about you. Can I ask your name?"

Reia was completely unfazed by the guy's strange behavior. "I'm Reia Martel. It's good to meet you Fausto. Would you mind reading my fortune sometime?" She asked, her eyes seeming to glitter with excitement at the prospect.

Fausto gave a small bow of his head. "Your wish is my command. I'm actually rather interested in your future as well, Reia. But when you come, make sure to bring Soledad here with you."

She shook her head up and down vigorously. "Of course I will!"

"Well then, I will look forward to seeing the two of you again." He gave one final bow before returning to rifle through the shelves, winking up at me as he did so.

I then turned my attention to the other girl browsing the shelves, trying to forget about the events that just transpired. She was pale and small, with wispy blonde hair with black tips. She simply wore jeans and a black button up covered by a dark yellow jacket. I realized quickly that she had been the one hiding behind the log when Monokuma was making his announcements. She didn't look much better now, as she stood there, her zombie-like gaze fixed on a shelf filled with colorful sugary snacks that she kept repeatedly poking.

I was debating whether approaching the terrified girl would be a good idea or not when Reia walked over to her. "Hey there. What's your name?" She said kindly.

The girl jumped with a start, sending a few of the candy bags on display hurtling toward the ground. "Oh! I'm so sorry!" The girl said, quickly bending down to pick up the snacks.

Reia followed her down and began helping her. "Oh no, it's my fault. Sorry I startled you so bad." She picked up the last bag of candy and stood up, reaching out with her one free hand. "I'm Reia. And who might you be?"

The girl hesitated a second before taking her hand. "I'm Mimi. Aloha, Reia."

"Are you from Hawaii?" Mimi nodded, and Reia lit up like a christmas tree. "Oh I've always wanted to go there! There are so many interesting tropical plants that I'd love to learn about!"

Mimi was still a little shaken, but she replied "You like plants?"

Reia nodded enthusiastically. "Yep! My gardening skills are actually how I got into Hope's Peak in the first place." Her pride made her smile bigger than I had ever seen it. "Oh, that reminds me, what exactly is your talent?"

Mimi gave a small sigh. "I don't really think that I'm all that talented really, but supposedly I'm the 'ultimate seamstress.'"

Reia gave a small giggle. "Oh, I'm sure you're just being modest. Hope's Peak only chooses the best, so I'm sure you're great! Maybe sometime you could show me some of the clothes you sew. Do you design them yourself?"

Mimi nodded slightly. "Yeah, but they're nothing that original. I mean, I make my own patterns, but I mostly just copy things that other people wear…"

"You even make your own patterns? I can barely sew up the little rips that rose thorns tear into my clothes!"

"It's really not all that impressive…"

"Well it is to me Mimi!" Suddenly Reia turned back to me. "What do you think Soledad?"

Why did she have to drag me into this? "Well I don't know how to make my own patterns either, but I honestly don't know that much about sew— "

"See Mimi, Soledad thinks it's impressive too. You have just as much right to be here as the rest of us."

"I-I guess so…" Mimi stuttered back, just as bewildered as I was.

Reia nodded proudly, putting both her hands on her hips. "Good. And don't you forget it!" Mimi definitely didn't seem like she had really believed a word Reia was saying, but before she could say anything else, Reia turned back to me and Kasumi. "And what about you Kasumi, what's your talent?"

Kasumi shrugged. "Well, it's really not as exciting as a tarot card reader or gardener or seamstress, but I'm the ultimate house sitter."

I looked over at her, confused. "How exactly can you be talented at house sitting?"

"Well, when I was young I visited my uncle a lot, and he had a neighbor that was often away on business trips. My uncle was in charge of feeding her cat, and he'd take me with him. Eventually I just went on my own, and eventually his neighbor started asking me to do various other things, like dust and water the plants. Soon some of his other neighbors heard about it, and they asked me to watch their houses while they were away as well. Eventually I just became the go-to house sitter in the area, and all sorts of people asked me to look after their places in the meantime. That's it."

I guess I could see it being a talent. "So you're like a really good maid for when people are out of town?"

"I guess you could put it like that. And what about you? What's your ultimate ability?"

"I'm the ultimate cryptographer." I told her. From her puzzled expression, I knew I'd have to explain further. "Basically I'm the ultimate puzzle solver slash hacker." I smiled as she got the little "aha" face people always got. The only benefit to having to explain my title to everyone was the satisfaction I felt when I saw that face. I've always loved knowing things other people didn't.

Before Kasumi could say anything else though, Reia pulled me aside. "Well, if you guys find out anything else, make sure to let us know!" She said, grabbing onto my right arm. "We'll see if we can find anything else around the rest of camp."

"Good idea. Good luck you two! I promise we'll give this place a thorough search."

Reia pulled me out the door before I could say anything else.

Once outside, Reia turned to me. "So where to next?"

I looked around. There was the thin, suspicious trail to the right, and then there was a wide, much more inviting trail to the left. Further down the trail there were even a few cabins. "How about we go left?"

"Alright. Lead the way."

I headed down toward the cabins, Reia following close behind. The trees continued to thin, and as the tree line receded, I got my first good look at the camp. There were about three rows of cabins on each side of the road, and in the center of all the cabins there was a park. There were benches, small flowerbeds, and even a fountain spewing crystal clear water in the center. It would be beautiful, if Monokuma's head wasn't topping the fountain.

There was already someone standing there, staring at the fountain in disgust. It was the Japanese boy that Monokuma had mocked back at the fire pit. As soon as she saw him, Reia walked up to him.

"Hi! Ataru, right?"

He looked up at her, still a bit annoyed, but he smiled anyway. "Yeah, that's right." He gave her his hand, which she happily accepted. "My name's Ataru Ikurumi. And even though I don't really get it, I'm the ultimate hair stylist."

Reia chuckled. "Well I'm Reia Martel, and I was accepted into Hope's Peak as the ultimate gardener."

I walked up behind her. "And I'm Soledad Castro." I shook his hand before realizing that since the other two had already declared their talents, I should do the same. "My cryptography skills got me here."

He gave me a small smile. "I have to admit I'm not really sure what cryptography is. Does it have something to do with computers?"

I nodded. "Yeah, it does include computers. And puzzles." I smiled. "But enough about that. How can you not get your own talent?"

He smiled. "Well, the way I see it, I just get paid for ruining other people's hair, and it's 'fashion.'"

I laughed. "So you don't actually care about your talent?"

"Not really." He shrugged. "Why, do you need a haircut?" He smiled mischievously.

"No, thank you." I was quite fine with my standard hairstyle: A bun on either side of my head with twintails hanging down. I liked keeping my hair long because it was versatile, and by keeping it in the buns I could keep it out of my face while working. The twintails were just for style, and I had really grown to like my hair like that.

"Well if you ever change your mind, you'll know where to find me." He pointed to one of the nearby cabins.

"What do you mean?" Reia asked.

"Oh, you didn't realize?" We both shook our heads. "Well, each of these cabins has a nameplate with one of our names on it. That one's mine." He again pointed to a nearby cabin, which I now noticed had a small picture resembling Ataru on the door. "You should really go find yours."

Reia nodded enthusiastically. "We will! Thanks for the intel! It was so good meeting you!" She yelled and pulled on my arm.

She pulled me around the cabins, checking each one for my name. "Milow Yebrazsk… Odile Jacques… Finnian Hoang—Wait, Finn's full name is Finnian?" I chuckled slightly to myself. Somehow I got the feeling that "Finnian" would not appreciate me knowing that piece of information.

In front of the next cabin we saw another girl. Her hair was golden blonde, and her skin exceptionally pale. She was facing a cabin and rattling the door.

"Hey, you need some help?" I called.

She spun on her heal, jumping two feet in the air. "What!" She screeched in a strong French accent.

"I just asked if you wanted some help with your door there." I pointed to the door she was so desperately rattling earlier.

She looked over her shoulder before giving an awkward chuckle. "Oh th-that…" She gave a tiny little smile. "Oh no… I've g-got it…" She blushed as she reached behind herself and grabbed the knob. The door slowly swung open, its long drawn-out creak only adding to the awkward tension of the moment.

I raised an eyebrow. "If you say so…" I looked over at Reia, who shrugged. Apparently she was just as clueless as I was. "Well my name's Soledad. What's yours?"

She hesitated. "My name's Joselynn…" She said, her soft voice difficult to hear.

"And my name's Reia. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Joselynn nodded. "Yeah, y-you too." She muttered.

Reia smiled. "So, what are you here for?"

Joselynn tensed slightly. "W-what do you mean?"

"I mean, what's your talent? We were all supposed to be students at Hope's Peak before this, so why were you recruited by them?"

The girl took in a small sigh of relief. "Oh, that. I'm really n-nothing sp-special." She gave a small smile. "I'm just lucky…"

I raised an eyebrow. "There's got to be more to it than that."

She put her hands up defensively and shook her head. "N-nope. S-seriously. That's it."

"How can you be accepted just on the basis of luck?" Reia asked, dumbfounded.

Joselynn gave a weak smile. "There w-was a l-lottery…They put all the n-names high school s-students across v-various countries... they p-pooled those names together and p-picked one. I guess I w-was chosen." She fidgeted with her hair a bit nervously.

"So you were chosen out of every high school student in the world to attend Hope's Peak?" Reia whistled. "You really must be lucky. Or unlucky, considering our current circumstances."

She chuckled again. "I guess so."

"So, make sure you explore your cabin extra thoroughly. Maybe you'll be lucky and find a clue about who brought us here and how we can get out." Reia said, before pulling me farther down the path. "Just make sure you tell us if you do."

We then walked on down the path, reading the rest of the names on the doors. Finally, we reached the end of the row, and I saw my name printed on the door.

"Well, I guess this is where I'll be staying." I said, looking up at the small building. It was just a simple log cabin, and it looked identical to everyone else's. There was a small, newly-planted tree out front, and a few shrubs lining the sides. There was a little path through the tiny lawn leading to some steps. There was a deck chair atop the patio, which was covered by the by a gabled roof. "Looks nice enough I suppose, for a prison."

That's when it really sunk in. Despite how nice the cabin, the lawns, and the quiet of the woods seemed, there was no denying that this was a prison. A nice coat of paint and a few trees wouldn't change the fact we were trapped here. There had to be a way out. There had to be a way for me to return back to my cozy room with my computer and all the drives I stored data in. There had to be something I could do...

Reia must have seen the dour look on my face, because she put her hand on my shoulder. "Sol, are you okay?"

Sol. My mom would call me that when she comforted me. How had Reia known my nickname? I hadn't told anyone, and the few people I would occasionally hang out with never tried to give me a nickname. To everyone else, I was just Soledad, or maybe Miss Castro, as some of my teachers preferred. Hearing someone else call me Sol… it honestly felt kind of nice.

I took a deep breath. I wouldn't let this camp break me. I couldn't afford it, not just for my sake, but the sake of all my compatriots as well.

I looked over at her and let myself relax. "Sorry. Just lost myself in thought for a moment there."

She nodded. "Good. There are more cabins over there. Let's go see if we can find mine."

She then turned and walked off, gesturing for me to follow. I smiled. We'd find a way out. We had to.

A/N Hey everyone! Sorry I took such a long hiatus. My life got in the way of everything for the past few months. I'm hoping to get out more consistent updates from now on, but we'll see how everything plays out. I just wanted you all to know that I haven't given up though! I hope you like the new chapter, and thank you all for your continued support.