Prologue (Part 2)

The room before me was not exactly a room, but rather a large hallway. The lighting in the hallway was dark, making it all the creepier, and the walls were covered in pieces of paper with designs of some sort of blueprint on them. Some of the wall was left uncovered, revealing a shiny, reflective surface where I could observe myself.

Well, at least no one messed with my appearance...My wavy dark brown hair looked rather shiny in the lighting of the hallway. My dark red eyes looked tired as usual, with subtle bags underneath them due to late-night filming sessions. The unsightly scar on my nose I earned from my first fight looked prominent as ever against my tan skin, and I, unfortunately, didn't have anything to cover it with here...

My clothes also looked to be intact. I wore a short-sleeved black button-up shirt, with the crest of my school (that I never attended), a bee wearing a crown on a silver shield, on the left breast. I left the top button undone, and wore a pair of black jeans. On top of my shirt, I wore an unbuttoned navy blue varsity jacket. For shoes, I just wore white sneakers.

"What the actual hell..." I muttered. Now that I was finally out of that room, whatever was going on started to feel very real. Considering I was more than likely kidnapped, I had to find a way out before my kidnapper caught me.

Suddenly, the phone in my pocket buzzed once more. I frowned, a little suspicious, but ultimately my curiosity got the best of me and I pulled it out to see a message displayed on the screen.

"Hello, Crimson!

I know you are quite proud of your accomplishments, and especially your iconic name, but I ask of you to please keep it (i.e. your name) to yourself!

You must keep your identity a secret at all times. Failure to do so will, unfortunately, result in a punishment via your ankle monitor!

To help you communicate better with your fellow passengers, we've given you the codename of CRIMSON (a shade of red). Please use this codename at all times rather than your real name, or as aforementioned, you'll be punished. This codename will be used in place of your real name on your student profile (only to other students).

You may share your Ultimate Talent with your fellow passengers (who by the way, are also Ultimates) and are in fact encouraged to do so. If you do, other passengers will be able to view it from your student profile on their e-Handbooks.

Have a good day!"

What the fuck? Keep my name to myself? Use a codename? Communicate with my fellow passengers? What the hell is going on here?!

Sure enough, I realized that something was on my ankle, and upon touching it, it definitely was some sort of ankle monitor. How or when it got there, I have no clue.

I shoved the phone back into my pocket and sighed. I guess I wasn't alone here judging by the message about communicating with other people. But what does it mean by passengers? And fellow ultimate...So we were all accepted into Hope's Peak, and then kidnapped and taken to this place? Not to sound like the Ultimate Conspiracy Theorist, but could Hope's Peak have something to do with this?

Clearly, I wasn't going to find answers by standing around in this hallway, so I knelt down into the shadows, and slowly crept towards a light at the end of the hallway. As I moved along, I noticed there were several open doors next to the one I came out of. I wondered what was inside each of them, but didn't stop to look.

SWOOSH!

I stopped. A sound of a door opening behind me caught my attention and I was sure footsteps were soon to follow.

Sure enough, I was right.

I held my breath and closed my eyes, desperately hoping that whoever it was would continue walking past me.

The footsteps were getting closer, and my heart beat faster and faster. Was this the end? Would my kidnapper notice me and put me right back in the room, maybe this time in the incinerator, burning me to death? I normally wasn't this paranoid, but come on, this whole situation is creepy as fuck!

The footsteps were right behind me now, and I remained as still as possible. Well, until I felt myself being knocked down.

"Woah!" The person yelled, as they also fell.

As I toppled over I realize that I may have hidden myself a little too well, and the person must've tripped over me.

But now was my chance! I quickly rolled over and pinned the person to the ground.

"Ah-ha! Got you, asshole!" I smirked triumphantly. This was way too easy!

"Huh? Got you?" The person asked. "Why have you gotten me, I didn't do anything wrong..." They nervously laughed.

"Yeah right..." I rolled my eyes. "You're the douchebag who put me in here!"

"Uh, no..." The person, whose voice I realized was a male. "I'm in the same boat as you."

"Huh?" I was surprised, but it would make sense. The message from before did mention other people, so I guess this guy was one of them.

"Yeah, so...do you think you could please get off of me?" They chuckled.

I slowly stood up off of him, waiting for him to also get up. Once he did, I was able to observe his appearance better.

The boy is on the shorter side of things, with a thin build. He has tan skin and burgundy eyes (with his left eyes looking strangely paler than the other one), framed by black glasses. He ties his curly black hair in a ponytail.

He wears a black hoodie with a design of a siren on the left breast, dark grey sweatpants, and white socks. It was then that I noticed he didn't have any shoes...

"Er, sorry for jumping to conclusions..." I apologized. "I just have no idea what's going on. Andddd, I do have a habit of being a bit impulsive..."

"No worries." He smiled. "I'm glad I'm not here by myself. What's your name?" He held out a hand.

"S-" I stopped myself, remembering the message about keeping my identity a secret. I could feel the ankle monitor wrapped around my ankle. I didn't know what it meant by punishment, but I kinda didn't want to find out...

"Oh, I'm sorry!" The boy quickly apologized. "I'm not trying to get you killed or anything! You must've gotten the same message too, right?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "I don't really want to test whoever kidnapped us, so maybe we should use the codenames they gave us?"

"Agreed." The boy also nodded. "So, what's your codename?"

"It's Crimson, which I guess is a shade of red." I rolled my eyes at the strange codename but I also couldn't help but laugh. "And I guess it's worth noting that I'm the Ultimate Actor."

"Oh cool, a movie star!" The boy smiled. "I'll have to look up you up once we get out of here. Well, I mean, your real name."

"What's your codename?"

"Er, it's Azure, a shade of blue." He said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. Blue? I don't know why, but it kind of made sense for him. "I was accepted into Hope's Peak under the title of Ultimate Cryptid Enthusiast."

Name: ?

Codename: Azure

Ultimate Talent: Cryptid Enthusiast

"Azure, pretty cool." I nodded. "And, cryptid? I think I've heard about that before...Like Big Foot and stuff, right?" I asked.

"Exactly." 'Azure' beamed. "The Jersey Devil, the Yeti, the Loch Ness monster, and all the rest! I'm positive that they exist, and I'll be the one to find them!"

"I look forward to seeing it. Their existence would sure as hell make life a whole lot more interesting." I joked.

"Right?" Azure smiled. "I actually have discovered a handful of small cryptids already. My first discovery even made it on the news! Have you heard of it?"

I thought about it, but I couldn't recall hearing anything but a new animal being discovered by a teenage boy. "Sorry, I don't really watch the news all that much," I admitted. "I'm sure my parents have heard of you though, they're obsessed with science stuff like that."

"Well, then you'll have to introduce me to them sometime." Azure joked.

"You want to meet the parents already?" I laughed. "You may be a star in the science world, but my parents are pretty protective of me."

Azure chuckled. "Well, I guess I'll have to prove myself. Maybe if I discover the Yeti they'll start to like me? After all, that 9 PM curfew your dad gave me is wayyyyy too early."

I could already tell that I was going to get along with Azure. For however long we were here for, his presence might keep me from wanting to blow my brains out. "Maybe. But, before you can discover the Yeti, why don't we find a way out of this place?"

"Right," Azure nodded. "I was just heading to that light at the end of the hallway before I tripped over you."

"Yeah, same." I replied.

It was definitely better to have someone rather than being alone, so at least I have Azure, or whatever the hell his real name is. C'mon, what the hell is up with this codename crap? It's clearly based on colors for whatever reason. Why can't we just tell each other our real names?!

We walked together towards the light. Once we reached it, we realized it was coming from a metal door with a window in front of it. The window was made of glass that made it hard to see what lay beyond, however. Best case scenario: it was to the outside.

"This better work..." I sighed, eyeing the doorknob. I grasped it and turned.

It opened.

"Yes!" Azure cheered. "We're almost out of here, Crimson."

"Hopefully you're right." I sighed in relief. "Alright, let's see what's behind this door..."

I opened it more, quickly realizing that it unfortunately just led to another room. But, trying to stay optimistic here: maybe the next room after this one leads to the outside?

We walked through the door and were met with an oddly futuristic sight.

Everything in the room was white. White walls, white floor, and more than a dozen white chairs surrounding a giant white table. The ceiling was glass and revealed a starry night sky. Basically, the room looked like something out of a very modern mental asylum meeting room.

In the corner of the room, there was a girl fiddling with some sort of tablet.

She has black hair in a ponytail with a pink bow, and light blue eyes. Her skin is light, and similarly to Azure, she has a rather small build.

She wears a sleeveless dress, with the top being white with black stripes, and the skirt bearing a chess-board pattern. She wears pink stockings, pink shoes, and a blue denim jacket over her dress.

"Hey!" I called out to the girl. "Friend or foe?"

"Eek!" the girl shrieked, almost dropping the tablet and quickly turning to us. Woops, guess I startled her.

"Don't worry, we come in peace." Azure reassured.

"T-that's a relief." The girl smiled, regaining her composure. "Um, s-so you guys were kidnapped too? You must be the fellow passengers that message was talking about..."

I nodded. I still don't know what the message meant by passengers, but yeah, I guess we're what the message is referring to.

We introduced ourselves, using our codenames of course, and mentioning our talents.

"M-my codename is Rose, a shade of pink, and I'm the Ultimate Prodigy. It's nice to meet you." She revealed.

Name: ?

Codename: Rose

Ultimate Talent: Prodigy

"Figures yours would be a shade of pink." I chuckled. A lot of her clothing items were pink, after all. "Prodigy? So you must be pretty smart, huh?" I questioned.

Rose blushed. "W-well, yes, you can say that. I did, um, manage to skip a few grades..."

"Oh really? So you must be a bit younger than me." I surmised.

"I may be 14, but I'm not a child." Rose said sternly, looking a bit peeved. I guess she doesn't like being reminded of her young age by someone older than her.

"Of course not," I agreed. I knew what it was like to not be taken seriously by people older than you, simply because of your age. "Anyways, what's that tablet in your hand?" I asked, changing the subject.

Rose handed it to me. "I'm actually not sure. It was on the table when I entered this room. It can only be unlocked by some sort of 4-digit passcode..."

The tablet's screen displayed exactly what Rose described. A 4-digit passcode...Well, I got nothing to lose.

I entered; 1-2-3-4.

To absolutely no one's surprise, it didn't work.

"No dice." I sighed, handing it back to Rose.

"Yes, I've been guessing anything that comes to mind, but it remains locked." She walked towards the table and set the tablet in the center.

"It must not be that important if our kidnapper just left in the middle of a table." I shrugged. I could live with not knowing what was on the tablet, I just wanted to get the hell out of here. Oh, and this ankle monitor off...OH, and the ability to use my real name instead of some ugly shade of red.

"Hey, just out of curiosity, has anyone else passed through here?" Azure asked Rose.

"No, not since I've been here." Rose shook her head. "I believe if there is anyone else, they're already ahead of us."

"What makes you say that?" I questioned.

"I was in the last room in the hallway and as I walked through, I noticed only two doors closed from the 16 left. I assume you two were the occupants of those two rooms." Rose clarified.

"Oh yeah, you're right." I nodded. "Every other door in the hallway was closed."

"16 open doors, huh..." Azure repeated. "So there's 18 of us."

"Maybe one of them has already found a way out." Rose suggested, smiling.

"True, that is a possibility." I nodded. "We should keep moving."

The three of us were in agreement, and we left the room. The way out of the room was via yet another long hallway. This time, however, the hallway was lit with painfully bright white lights, and lined with silver rails on the sides. The hallway was lined with glass on either side, teasing us by showing the outside. Unfortunately, the only thing visible was the night sky.

"We must be pretty high up." Rose surmised. "You can't see anything else but the sky..."

"Which means that push comes to shove, this isn't a suitable escape route." Azure sighed. "Wouldn't want to fall to our deaths."

Unfortunately Azure was probably right. If we really were high up in whatever building we're in, even if it was the third floor, we probably couldn't survive a fall. Freedom, the outside, was so close, yet so very far...

We kept moving and came to a flight of stairs. We climbed them, and came to a landing with double doors at the end. I immediately opened it and we were hit with a blast of cold air.

The room we now were in appeared to be some sort of a restaurant-style, modern kitchen. There were countless numbers of industrial ovens and stovetops, and pieces of equipment I had no idea how to use. There was a door at the end of the kitchen, probably leading to some sort of dining room.

Most importantly in the room, however, was a girl going through one of the multiple refrigerators. She is a girl of average height, with a slim hourglass figure (and a pretty sizable chest & hips). Her skin is pale, her eyes blue, and her wavy hair is a reddish blonde color, tied into a loose bun with a very interesting hamburger themed bow. I noticed a small mole under her right eye.

She wears a black and white striped long sleeve shirt, with a black suspender skirt with strawberry buttons. Her white socks reach her thighs, and are decorated with many fast food patterns. Lastly, she wears light grey sneakers with those same strawberry buttons from her skirt on the sides.

"Hey," I called.

The girl quickly turned her attention away from the fridge and towards us. She smiled and quickly made her way over to us.

"Hi there! You must be the last three." The girl said. Her voice was pleasant and energetic, befitting of her quirky appearance.

We introduced ourselves to her.

"It's nice to meet you!" She smiled. "My code name is Cherry, a shade of red."

Name: ?

Codename: Cherry

Ultimate Talent: Food Critic

"Cherry?" I chuckled. "So we have Crimson, Azure, Rose, and Cherry. These codenames sure are creative..."

Cherry giggled. "Well it may be a bit strange, but it does fit my title as Ultimate Food Critic quite well!"

"Food critic?" I nodded. "Sounds cool. How's our food situation looking here?"

"Well," Cherry sighed, crossing her arms. "There's no five-star dishes or ingredients in here, but I believe someone could possibly whip up a decent dish."

"As long as it's nothing bitter, I don't mind." Azure chuckled.

"Same here!" Cherry beamed. "I put up with bitter food in order to critique them, but I'd honestly rather not have to eat them." She admitted, blushing.

"Sweets are definitely the way to go." I agreed. "Anyways, we should probably keep going and looking for the way out. Don't want to waste any time, right?" I suggested.

"Oh, hang on, lemme get Frost. He's in the freezer." Cherry quickly walked over to a large walk-in freezer across from us.

"Frost?" I repeated. Geez, guess these codenames really can be anything...

A second passed and Cherry walked back out, this time with a boy following her.

He's a little bit on the taller side (at least 2 inches taller than me) and has a decent build. His russet brown hair is cut in a crew cut, which compliments his periwinkle eyes. His skin is a warm beige.

He wears a pink apron over his cyan blue shirt. In the corner is a design of a steaming hot cup of coffee (which I could totally use right now). His pants are black, and his shoes are dark blue sneakers.

"Ugh, the coffee beans here are trash quality," He sounded rather disappointed, like he was planning on making a cup of coffee with them. "And some genius decided to put them in the freezer..."

Cherry giggled. "Oh Frost, you are definitely the Ultimate Barista."

"Barista?!" I exclaimed. Everyone looked at me with a rather weird expression on their faces, but I didn't care. "Man, I've been dying for a cup of coffee!"

"Oh really?" The boy, presumably known as 'Frost' looked at me. "I could fix you up a cup later if we have the time."

"I think I'll take you up on that offer." I smiled. "I'm Crimson, the Ultimate Actor."

Azure and Rose also introduced themselves.

Frost nodded. "It's nice to meet you all, considering our circumstances. As I'm sure you've heard from Cherry, my codename, regrettably, is Frost, a shade of white. I'm known as the Ultimate Barista."

Name: ?

Codename: Frost

Ultimate Talent: Barista

"Y'know, me and Frost were discussing it, and it's quite weird that we don't know each other." Cherry frowned. "He's the Ultimate Barista, and I'm the Ultimate Food Critic, who's reviewed more restaurants and cafe's than I can count! And yet, our paths haven't crossed..."

"Huh, now that you mention it..." Azure looked me up and down. "You don't look all that familiar, Crimson...but aren't you supposed to be the Ultimate Actor?"

"None of you recognize me?" I asked, trying my best not to sound like a pompous asshole. Everyone shook their heads. "You guys haven't seen the live-action Sun Witch Esper Ito? It's new, but it's a pretty popular show." Not that I was offended by their lack of knowledge of me, but I was sure at least one of them might've recognized me. I mean, not to be cocky or anything, but I've been in a decent amount of shows, movies, and advertisements, after all.

"I'm not really a fan of television," Rose admitted. "Maybe that's why?"

"Sun Witch Esper Ito?" Cherry repeated. "I love that show!"

"Then you'd recognize me," I surmised. "I play Prince Kirishima."

"Hm? Prince Kirishima?" Cherry looked at me funny. "I don't think I remember him."

"Seriously?" I asked in surprise. "He's the main antagonist. He goes all the way back to episode 1. "

Cherry looked perplexed, putting a hand to her forehead. "That's so weird...I know who you're talking about, but I can't remember ever watching him...I can't even remember his voice or what he looks like..."

"I think we're all a little on edge." Rose said. "Our minds probably aren't in the best shape right now."

Cherry sighed, but nodded. "Yeah, maybe you're right. I'll probably remember later and punch myself for forgetting!" She laughed.

"Regardless of whether we know each other or not, I think all of our immediate goals right now are to escape, yes?" Frost asked.

Everyone nodded their heads.

"Definitely." I agreed. "I've been ready to get the hell out of here since the moment I woke up."

"Well then, let's not waste any more time." Frost suggested. He gestured towards the door.

We all looked at each other and nodded, making our way to the door.

I stopped as Rose opened the door, thinking to myself.

I don't know why I'm here...Is this some bizarre prank conducted by my agent, or one of my crazy co-stars? If it was, I just desperately wanted it to be over. I've never longed to sleep in my own bed this much, or to see my parents...All these people seem nice enough, but I just feel still feel so alone. I can't even use my own name here!

I sighed, knowing that whining wasn't going to get me out of this situation.

I have to find a way out of here.

A/N: Woo-hoo! The first chapter is up and officially ready to go! It's been a long time coming and I hope you all like it! Alright, lemme cover a few things:

-The codename mechanic! Something I didn't incorporate into the story until today! The codenames themselves aren't all that important, but the concept of them is. Identity is a huge part of this killing game, and there's a reason that a certain someone doesn't want the kids telling each other their real names. All will be revealed as the story goes on. And for those authors who loved the names they came up with, don't worry! Your character's real names will eventually be revealed.

-I've PMed you if your character has been accepted, and also included a cast list in Prologue (Part 1). If you've submitted a character that hasn't been accepted yet, please don't worry, I'm still going through them, and trying to see whether they'll fit into the story :)

-Gender/talent list! I didn't really that so many people would want to see the submitted talents and genders, but after an overwhelming response, I've included both lists both on my profile and on Prologue (Part 1). I will try to update often.

-Updates! I live in Florida, and Hurricane Dorian is heading my way. I'm not sure how bad he will be, but I just wanted to let you guys know in case I don't respond to your PMs.

-Remember, there is still a lot of time left before the deadline! Spread the word to your friends to get your characters in

Alright, thank you guys so much for reading! Please let me know what you think of the characters introduced so far (including Seizo/Crimson)! Do you have any favorites already? Or do you have any death predictions already? ;) Please make sure to let me know in the reviews :)\

(Also what are your favorite quotes of this chapter? Mine definitely have to be Azure's "After all, that 9 PM curfew your dad gave me is wayyyyy too early." Seizo/Crimson's "OH, and the ability to use my real name instead of some ugly shade of red.")

Old Updates (that are still important):

NEW DEADLINE!

UPDATE: August 27th

So it's been two days since the deadline has passed and I still don't have enough characters :( I waited two days to see if anyone would simply submit later, but since that appears not be the case I am extending the deadline by ONE MONTH! That means the new deadline will be September 27th.

I really want a nice, big pool of characters to choose from, and the additional month will hopefully give me enough time.

I have already accepted a few characters, and am planning on revealing them to you soon! Thank you for your patience and please remember to submit more OCs! :)