Chapter Text
“... Larry.”
“Yes..?” A small but reassuring smile formed on his brother’s face.
“Do you think we’ll get out of here? Be free? To… go back to patrolling the park?” He questioned,
…
“Look around us! There are already four people dead—two people who’ve fallen victim to the ones who were convinced by deceit. There used to be 15 of us; now there are 11 people. What good are we if we fail to do the only thing we’re good at?” His eyes shifted from his brother to the ground in front of them. The air softly brushed against their metal which gave Lawrie a somewhat reassuring feeling.
“How much longer until you and I die..? How much time do we have left in this world?” The older brother wrapped his arms around his legs, pulling them closer to his body as he rested his head on his knees. His focus was on seemingly nothing.
Larry placed his hand on his brother’s shoulder gently and left it there for a moment, “A ton of time left in this world. I will make sure that you, me, and Meeple. We will get out together! We will go back to patrolling Starr Park and continue playing board games with our partner!”
Lawrie let his hands rest at his sides; his gaze remained on the floor. Then, he met Larry’s eyes with his own heavy pair. They maintained eye contact while Larry put his hands under Lawrie’s, gently holding his older brother’s hands. “No matter what.. We will get out of here. No one else will get hurt. Everybody will go back to being happy.”
Lawrie broke physical contact with Larry, letting his arms go back to be wrapped around his legs. “But.. How do you know that’s guaranteed? I.. don’t know how to process this.. I.. don’t even know what words I can use to describe the situation inside me..”
“God, I sound like I have that damned disease,” he muttered under his breath.
“You are letting the situation take over your thoughts. Maybe we can try to get it out of our heads? Well, right now at least. You.. want to take some deep breaths?” Larry’s smile only made Lawrie feel a little better.
“I guess we can try,” he answered.
“Great! Come on, follow my breathing,” he instructed. Slowly, he breathed in. After a moment, he let go, letting out the air inside of him. They then stopped after a couple more deep breaths.
“Are you alright now?”
“... Yeah.”
…
“I love you, Larry.”
“I love you, too.”
A Thin String Between Love and Death
…
What time is it..?
I look to my side, the alarm clock on the nightstand saying “8:23 AM.” This early, yet, I was so tired. As my hands slid down to the bed I grabbed my beanie. My hands went to my sides as I sat up and I began to think about yesterday.
Yesterday was… draining.
Nobody deserved to die yesterday. We just met each other too! 2 days in, someone had already planned a murder. Getting things wrong just seemed so embarrassing too. Even though it’s okay to make mistakes, it just feels worse when your life depends on it.
And Bassie… she loved..
I take a deep breath, closing my eyes as I did.
My eyes felt heavy as I looked up. So much had happened the day before. Would anyone even believe me when I get out of here? I took the blanket off as I stood up and head towards the bathroom to make myself look more presentable.
…
“AAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!”
I was met with a girly-sounding scream as soon as I opened the bathroom door. My eyes slowly observed the area to see where the source of the sound was. Oh hey it's Blam. Wait.. Blam made that sound???
“Oh, it’s you,” he quickly calmed down. He stood up and dusted himself as he did.
“... Why you got the lights off..?” I questioned him. I brought my hands to my now closed eyes, rubbing them after I spoke.
“I kinda’ see better in the dark, but I just didn’t bother to turn them on,” he answered.
“Can you get out..?” I quickly realized that sounded mean as I spoke, “Not.. in a rude way.. I’m just gonna check myself out.”
“Alright, I was aboutta’ head out anyway,” He shrugged. “I guess I’ll wait for you.” As he walked out of the bathroom, he turned the lights on and shut the door behind him.
…
Damn, I look like shit.
I turned the faucet so the water would be cold, letting it sit there and get colder before rolling up my sleeves. I put my hands together so I could collect the water. I stared at my hands full of the cold water, before I splashed it onto myself. The ice cold water felt like it refreshed my mind, cleansing it of the sins it had thought of.
I looked up at the mirror once more.
Hey, I don’t look too bad now. A smile began to form on my face. I don’t think another murder could happen so soon. Everyone is still recovering from what happened yesterday; at least there will be time to relax.
Today is going to be a great day.
Today will be a great day.
I left my bathroom to grab my beanie. Afterwards, I stood in front of the mirror. Slowly, I put the beanie on. The holes I cut out for my eyes and mouth still fit me. Honestly, I’m just worried about when I grow out of this thing.
Exiting the bathroom, I see Blam checking the nightstand’s drawer for something. I walk up to him, curious to see what he is looking for.
“Watchu’ looking for?” Blam flinched, his eyes widening as he turned around. That’s been the most expressive I’ve seen him to be.
“Oh, I— nothing actually. Nothing,” His voice lowered in the last sentence. He sounds.. Anxious; it was like he thought I was someone else. I won’t push him about it though.
“Aight then, you wanna go now? To the diner..?” I offered, pointing at the door with my thumb.
“Sure.” The two of us walked to the door. When my hand twisted the doorknob a thought occurred to me:
How long until another death occurs?
The thought made me stop in my tracks and make my hand let go of the doorknob.
“Ollie?”
“Huh? H.. sorry, I was just spacing out.”
That won’t happen. Not again. Not so soon. I got this. I could feel my mouth curve into a smile. Yeah.. I got this. I can stop a death. I can stop this forsaken game and set everyone free. My hand twisted the doorknob and opened it.
I walked beside him and as we did an awkward silence filled the air.
…
THIS IS KILLING ME!! I need something to talk about! SOMETHING!! THINK, OLLIE, THINK!!!--
“... You doin’ good, Ollie?” Blam spoke up, surprising me in the process.
“Oh— uhm.. Yeah, doin’.. Fine. I just hope a murder doesn’t happen again,” I answered, looking to the side. I don’t want to talk about this right now.. I don’t wanna annoy Blam somehow by asking to change the topic, though.
“I’m doing fine as well.. Just glad that you’re alive, honestly,” He commented.
“W.. What?” I tilted my head.
“S-Sorry, am I getting too comfortable?”
“Like.. You’re the only person I’ve gotten to know. Yeah, we haven’t even spoken much, but it feels like people are avoiding me.” His right hand held onto his left arm’s forearm, looking to the side as he spoke.
“Well, man..” I mumbled. “We are just startin’ to meet each other, I think everyone’s just tryna’ go with people they’re familiar with, ya’ know? Do you have anyone here that you’re familiar with?”
“No..” He answered.
“Oh. Uhm.. Well, that’s fine! Even if ya’ don’t got anyone wit’ ya’, I’ll be here with you!” I gently held his hands and gave him a light smile as we walked. We held eye contact for a moment, but he looked away. His eyes shifted to the floor. He shook my hands off of his and stayed silent for a moment.
“... Thanks.” He muttered.
There went the awkward silence again.
We continued walking in silence until we eventually reached the diner. After I entered the building so did Blam. Then we finally got to the main part of the diner which was upstairs.
The room was mostly quiet. Other than the talk of a couple of people, no one else was speaking. “There you are,” Someone said behind me, scaring the hell outta’ me. I flinched when that person spoke. Slowly, I turned around to see who it was:
It was Shedletsky! I guess he’s the leader of us all?
“Now that Ollie and Blam are here, we can get to discussing yesterday’s events!” He announced, gently pushing me to Larry, Lawrie, and Meeple’s table. Before I could even sit down at the free chair left for me, he picked me up and placed me there. I am NOT that short, c’mon.
“Are you doing good, Ollie?” Larry asked me.
“Y.. Yeah, I’m good. No need to worry ‘bout me,” I tried to reassure Larry. Though I could tell he wasn’t buying it. Despite that, he simply nodded.
“Great to hear that, glad you are.. Handling the situation well,” He looked to the side, his optimistic tone dying at the end of his sentence.
I can’t blame him, two of us just died. Two innocent people didn’t deserve to die. They still had a future, a bright and beautiful one. Larry tapped my shoulder, taking me out of my thoughts.
“Let us grab food, hm?” He asked, giving me a soft smile.
I looked at him for a moment before answering. “Sure.”
Larry and I got out of our chairs and invited Lawrie to come with us but he denied the offer. He said that he wanted to talk to Meeple about something which caught Meeple off guard.
Hm.. Not any of my business, though. I shouldn’t be noisy. Larry brought me to some of the tables that had food on them and asked me which ones I wanted.
All of them looked good! Heck, even appetizing! Whoever cooked this gotta’ get appreciated. My eyes gazed at the food choices. I can’t choose which plate to get, just looking at the food was starting to make my mouth water.. I closed my eyes and waved my pointing finger around. Listen, I got my ways to choose things. It’s like doing eeny, meeny, miny, moe!
After a moment, I stopped waving my finger around and opened my eyes, looking at what my finger was pointing at.. Ooh, not complaining. I picked up the plate and looked up at Larry.
“That one?” He questioned, I nodded in response.
“Yup,” I replied, the two of us starting to walk back to our table.
“You sure? It seemed like you were having a tough time deciding what to eat,” He teased me. Instinctively, I lightly punched his side.
“I’m sure! Don’t worry ‘bout me,” I quickly added.
“Whatever you say, Ollie,” Larry chuckled and placed his hand on my shoulder.
Once we returned to the table, I noticed that Meeple and Lawrie were silent. That’s a lil strange? They would usually be talking to each other. Did something happen while Larry and I were gone? I raised a brow at the thought before letting that aside, sitting down on my chair as Larry sat on his.
“Everybody!” Shedletsky exclaimed and got everyone’s attention.
“So.. as of yesterday, two of our friends have unfortunately passed..” He started, looking to the side before continuing to speak. “But, I assure you that now, everyone will be safe! Under the eyes of mine and the cop twins, we will make sure that people are protected. This means that there’ll be no more murders! That way there won’t be any more horrible trials we have to go through.”
Really? We’re safe now…? I mean Shedletsky used to be really good at sword fighting. I would trust him to protect us.
“Now, although we will be protecting you all. We do have some rules and procedures to set! I’ll let the twins handle this,” he sat down on a nearby chair. Larry and Lawrie both stood up, showcasing themselves to the others.
“As of today, Lawrie and I will be doing daily check ups on our maps, and you guys too! Your health is important to us, and should be important to yourself as well. We will have two check ups per day. Our first check up is in the morning once everyone is awake: 9:30 AM! Our second is at night at 10 PM!” Larry enthusiastically spoke. His brother took a step forward, clearing his throat.
“Failure to cooperate with us is not advised. Trust me, you wouldn’t want to deal with the consequences,” Lawrie added, his hand instinctively reaching for the taser on his belt.. Which wasn’t there.
His gaze was sharp, almost piercing actually. Just that stare alone looked like it could pop Looey!
Lawrie stepped back, allowing his brother to speak. “Other than that.. we will be establishing a few rules! Now do not be afraid, these are simple rules.”
“Rule one: Under no circumstances are you allowed to engage violence against Lawrie, Shedletsky, or me,” Larry stated as he placed both of his arms behind his back.
“Rule two..” He paused for a moment, “Please do not try to cause commotion or any sort of trouble around any of us. This sort of action can lead to a potential murder—something that is unwanted.”
“Rule three: Any and all weapons are to be reported to Lawrie, Shedletsky, and I.” Larry continued.
“Our fourth and last rule–since we do not want to force you to remember more rules than needed–is to follow the rules in your monopad! Monokuma has stated that if one of us were to break one of his rules then that rule breaker would face punishment! We’ve already seen what he’s done to Gigi, so we aren’t fond of the idea of breaking Monokuma’s rules!” He looked at Lawrie expectantly.
“Failure to cooperate with us will result in dire consequences. You wouldn’t want to deal with that from a police officer or a former swordsman,” The older brother hissed.
“Hey, I’m still a swordsman!” Shedletsky interjected.
“Any sort of discovery you think is important shall be reported to us three, does everybody understand?” His voice was the same assertive tone he would always use when catching criminals.
Everyone nodded with a few saying yes–which included me. “Glad that there is no confusion,” Lawrie nodded. “That will be all for now, everyone may continue to dine.”
The three went back to their seats as my hand went to my spoon. I leaned back against my chair and took a bite out of my food. I raised a brow, something felt off. Someone was… missing.
“Where’s Blam?” My eyes switch between Larry, Lawrie, and Meeple. I turned around, my gaze observing the room.
“Blam..? That’s the kid with the party hat, right?” Meeple rested their head on their hand.
“Yeah! He’s shorter than me and usually got a blank expression,” I explained. I took another bite out of my food, turning back around to face the three robots.
“I’m pretty sure I saw him leave when you and Larry were getting food,” They answered and pointed towards the door to the stairs.
I took a spoonful of my food, brought it to my mouth and ate it. “Actually..” Meeple stood up, backing their chair away. “Ollie.. Let’s go somewhere else for a second.” They walked past me, picking me up by the collar of my shirt.
“Alright? But can ya’ put me down?”
“No.”
Meeple brought me downstairs, dropping me to my feet as we stood in a corner. The downstairs was just another dining room, the only reason we eat on the second floor is because the kitchen is there.
“So, why’d ya’ bring me here?” I raised a brow, looking up at them. I could feel my palms start to sweat. Is this something bad?
They looked to the side for a moment. “You think that Blam is suspicious right, Ollie?”
“What? No, I think he’s a pretty chill dude!” I reacted. “You just gotta get to know him better.”
Meeple’s mouth turned to a heavy frown. They crossed their arms as they looked away from me. They whispered something under their breath before returning their attention to me.
“He.. gives off bad vibes, even Larry and Lawrie agree with that!” They placed their hands on my shoulders.
“So.. we’re just going to leave him?” I asked, taking their hands off my shoulders. I don’t even know why I’m getting defensive like this, it just doesn’t make sense to me. Why would they want to exclude Blam from our group solely because he “gives off bad vibes?”
“Not leave him but..” Meeple’s eyes locked onto mine for a second. I could tell they were worried.
“He.. He’s hiding something dangerous from us, and we can’t have people like him around us..” They explained, their voice lacking the usual nerdy tone.
The room went silent for a moment–at least between us it did.
“Let’s just go back,” They spoke through closed teeth. Why were they acting like this? It isn’t normal, what happened while Larry and I were away? They turned their body around, yet their hand reached out to me. Did they expect me to just hold their hand and forget this conversation?
“Meeple.. is somethin’ wrong?” I ignored their hand, walking beside them. “L-listen, I know I’m just a teen n’ all, but I’m yo’ friend. Friends listen to other friends, don’t they?”
I laid my eyes on theirs, yet theirs didn’t meet mine. They simply looked at the floor with almost a blank stare, as if they were zoning out about something. They placed their hand on my head, ruffling my hair through my beanie. We both kept silent for who knows how long.
“I.. want you to be safe, Ollie,” Meeple’s hand stopped, returning to their side. “You.. You still have your whole life ahead of you.” Their voice dropped uncharacteristically low. A bothered look replaced their signature pride.
They placed their hand against my mouth, restricting me from talking even though I wasn’t even going to. “Let’s just go. Larry and Lawrie are waiting for us.”
They walked up the stairs, not bothering to bring me beside them. What.. What was that? After a moment of standing, I went up the stairs, meeting Meeple, Larry, and Lawrie at the table.
The table was dead silent now. The only chatter in the room was from other groups. Alright, Ollie. Things seem a little awkward.. So.. Why don’t I try to start up a conversation or something? My spoon that was full of my food went straight to my mouth. I looked at the three robots in front of me. I slowly pushed my plate away from me and pushed my chair away from the table.
“How about we explore the areas, y’all?” I suggest, pointing towards the stairs. They didn’t respond for a second.
“Sure,” Lawrie answered. “After all, we will have to thoroughly inspect the areas around us to ensure that there are no secret areas or objects that could be of harm to us and the others. We will have to confiscate those items or block the passageway to that area if we do find it.” He crossed his arms,
We stood up and headed to the stairs again. Before I could take one step on the stairs, I saw something move from the corner of my eye. I quickly snapped my head to where the figure moved. What was that??? There was nothing there.. My shoulders dropped, letting them rest. I followed my friends down the stairs.
Lawrie gently elbowed me, “Are you doing good?” He whispered.
“I’m good!” I smiled at him. It felt like his eyes were trying to see if I really was.
He continued to observe me for another moment before walking ahead of the group. “Let’s go,” he commanded us.
We followed after him, walking side by side. “Where should we go first?” I asked, looking at the various buildings ahead of us.
“The pharmacy would be a good place to start! After all, it might hide more things on the shelves that we are not aware of!” Larry suggested, “It also is not far from us too!”
“Hmm.. Yes, the pharmacy would be a great place to start from. Buttttt…” Meeple pulled out what looked to be some sort of e-handbook from seemingly nowhere. They opened it, accessing the rules section in the e-handbook.
“According to Rule 5: Any damage done to any of the property will result in a punishment,” They closed the e-handbook, a soft smirk on their face. “Everypony- Everybody understands that, hmm?”
“It’s a simple rule, Meeple! You don’t gotta’ enforce it,” I replied, looking up at them.
“Just making sure that everyone knows! Who knows what Monokuma means by punishing us.. Especially after what happened yesterday,” They responded.
The walk to the pharmacy was surprisingly not quiet most of the time. We talked about our interests, dislikes, and many other things. Once we entered the pharmacy, there were multiple things we noticed.
“W.. where’s Chance’s body?” I pointed at where Chance’s body was yesterday, not even a single stain or piece of evidence was there.
“The tripwire is gone as well,” Lawrie added, crossing his arms.
“That’s weird..” Meeple mumbled and walked up to where the body used to be. They kneeled down and slid their hand on the floor. They got back up on their feet, “Whoever cleaned it did a good job. The floor doesn’t have any stains and it doesn’t feel slimy or sticky either!”
“Right! I have usually only seen something like this after a forensic crime case–which is very rare,” Larry walked beside Meeple. His eyes moved to Meeple’s. His usual smile formed into a slight grin. “I am kind of impressed you know about something like that! How did you learn?”
“Well..” They softly chuckled, “Let’s just say I have my own ways!” They joked yet their eyes moved away from Larry’s. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if they got that knowledge from Reddit. Especially with the types of people that are lurk there.
“Anyways, let’s search around the area,” Lawrie interrupted the two. “Let’s make sure we confiscate anything dangerous, and, if needed, take notes on anything that you find strange. It might be useful in future class trials.”
“Or if there are even any more class trials!” Lawrie’s brother added, now standing beside his twin.
“Everybody understand?” The bad cop asked. I nodded and responded with a “yes” as well.
We quickly got to work, I looked at shelves with various medicines and drugs. None of them were anything dangerous? I don’t know, all of the names seemed difficult to pronounce. My hand reached out to one of the boxes, my eyes focusing on the contents of the medicine.
What is this..?
Methadone hydrochloride..
Water.. Citric acid.. Dye, glycerin, artificial flavoring.. Other stuff
I don’t think that’s too dangerous, right?
I put the medicine back on the shelf, continuing to observe the shelves. I walked out of the aisle, I was now looking at the place behind the check out counter. No one else was there, so why don’t I check that place?
I went behind the counter, my focus diverting to multiple things. I walked over to the trash can.. For some reason. Well, it’s just a trash can, ain’t it? I do have the responsibility of thoroughly checking things though.. I guess I gotta check the trash as well. There was almost nothing inside, not even a trash bag. The only thing that filled the can was just a few prescription bottles alongside one white tablet for something. Whatever it is, I’m not letting my curiosity take over me.
Nothing else really. It seems like this part of the pharmacy is clear. I leaned against one of the walls, staring at absolutely nothing. Why? I don’t got any of my devices nor my skateboard with me, what can I do? Before I could process it, I felt my back hit the cold, tiled floor.
“O-ow! Dude..” I slowly sat up, damn did my back hurt like hell! I placed my hand on my back, trying to soothe the pain. I looked in front of me, noticing the others standing in front of me.
“You okay?” Larry asked me, reaching a hand out for me to grab.
I held it, putting myself back on my feet. “Yeah.. I’m good.”
“Whatever you did, you opened up some secret passageway,” Meeple added. They took a few steps into an unfamiliar hallway, was that always there? The hallway had the same textiles of the pharmacy–wait did I just open a hidden part of the pharmacy!? At the same time though, the place gave me the creeps. The only light sources were poorly attached to the ceiling with just a wire.
“That wasn’t there earlier!” It snapped to me like a magnet, “I.. have no clue what I did. All I did was lean against the wall and next thing I knew that I was on the ground.”
“Your body weight must’ve triggered a response in the building’s structure,” Lawrie remarked. He placed a finger on the hallway’s wall, “The wall feels new.. Like this part of the pharmacy wasn’t always here.”
“Then whatever it is, we have to explore it, don't we?” Meeple took a few steps in front of the group, their hands on their hips now. However, it was obvious they were hella’ scared the way their body was shaking. I ain’t flaming them though! Who knows what’s past this hallway? “I think I’ll be taking the initiative! You people are clearly frightened from this mildly-creepy hallway.”
They set off, walking into the barely-lit hallway. It seems like they’re expecting us to just follow them. I forced myself to my feet, letting my arms rest at my sides. “I’ll follow ‘em,” I announced, already walking before my mind fully set on tailing Meeple.
Eventually, the others walked down the hallway as well. As we explored the new area, the lighting began to get better. The room at the end of the hallway seemed to be some sort of hospital-looking room. What was it called again..? It started with an I.. But anyway, there were two medical beds separated by a light blue curtain on one side of the room. On the other side was medical equipment like a heart monitor, those blood pressure monitors, and cabinets I assume are filled with medical supplies.
“Oh.. it’s just an infirmary,” Meeple commented; a hint of disappointment in their voice. I swear they sounded a little relieved too.
“Why would an infirmary be hidden though?” The bad cop questioned as he raised a brow. He crossed his arms while he walked into the room, inspecting the objects in the room.
“Yeah, that’s weird..” I added. “Why would a place where injured people be treated be kept secret? Whoever made this place like this, their building layout is really tacky.”
“Guess we should inspect this place anyways,” Meeple shrugged before going over to the beds. I walked over to the cabinets, opening the top drawer. Inside was an organized array of surprisingly-clean syringes and bandages, nothing strange for an infirmary. I closed the drawer and opened the one underneath. There were pain relievers, more bandages but bigger, and medication for allergies. I closed the drawer, but I didn’t open the other ones. Why should I check if it's just going to be medical supplies?
I turned around, looking at the others examining the room. Both of the twins were checking the other side of the cabinets and Meeple was inspecting around the beds. It seems like nothing suspicious was found which is great. Well, I should at least check another drawer to make sure there’s nothing suspicious. I opened the third drawer; in there I found wipes, thermometers, and those things nurses use to check your ears. I reached out to the insides of the drawer, gently pushing aside the tools in case there was anything dangerous. Fortunately I found nothing, so I pulled back my hand and closed the drawer. Almost as soon as I turned around, Lawrie announced something.
“It looks like the room is clear,” He crossed his arms. His gaze then shifted from everyone in the room to just me. “Ollie, did you find anything suspicious?” He raised a brow.
“Naw, nothing to be scared of,” I simply answered. “All the things in here are just stuff nurses use.”
Lawrie nodded, following it up by talking. “Then it's safe to say the pharmacy has been cleared of any possible dangerous items. I believe we can leave now.” Without another word, I followed the others as they left the hallway. When we were going to leave, my eyes couldn’t help but trail back to where Chance’s body used to be. I still find it strange how the place was covered in blood, and now it was clean; like as if nothing happened.
A smile tugged at my lips when I felt cool air against me as we left the pharmacy. Now that’s a feeling I’ll never get used to! It always feels so refreshing feeling the wind after coming out of a building. Man, I love nature.
“So, where to next?” I asked, looking at the taller robots around me.
Lawrie was about to respond to me, “We should-” Meeple suddenly cut Lawrie off before he could finish his sentence.
“ACTUALLY.. We should split up instead of being in a group,” They recommended. “If we stay together then we’ll have little progress.. But if we split up.. We’ll be able to get more work finished because we’ll all be at separate places!” They smirked; expecting praise from us.
“Hm.. That does seem like quite the smart idea, Meeple!” Larry commented, eliciting an even wider smirk from the Non-Binary.
“Though we’ll need to be together if we’d like to keep the constant updates going, and I’m not sure about letting the 14-year-old go out on his own,” the Bad Cop rebutted Meeple's idea. As he spoke, he pointed his arm to me. Hey, I can go out on my own! I’m not a child anymore either!
“W-hey! I ain’t no child anymore,” I added. I’m perfectly responsible for myself! I’m even able to live in a house by myself.. And it does get boring sometimes but that’s not related to what I’m talking about!!
“See? Have you seen his house? He can live by himself!” Meeple scowled, crossing their arms.
“Yes he can live by himself but he can’t defend himself if someone tries to attack him! Everyone else here is an adult and then there’s him!” Lawrie snarled at the Reddit nerd; narrowing his eyes as he glared at them.
“Hey, everyone!” Larry held his arms out as he walked in between Meeple and Lawrie, separating the two. “How about we don’t argue, okay? Fighting isn’t going to get us anywhere if we continue this bickering!”
Larry dropped his arms to his sides after talking, now placing them on his hips. His gaze shifted from Lawrie to Meeple, changing focus between the two.
“How about we just follow Meeple’s idea?” Larry asked his twin, going to his twin’s side. He slightly tilted his head to the side. “I mean.. They are kind of correct. Splitting up will get more progress for us, and there’ll be others with Ollie as well. Besides, it's still sunny outside so I doubt people are willing to kill when it’s still bright outside.“
He softly smiled at his brother, making his brother look away. He placed his hand on Lawrie’s shoulder in an attempt to soothe his brother’s anger, and it seems like it worked too. After a moment, Lawrie met Larry's eyes; creating eye contact between the two. His frown softened at the Good Cop’s smile before letting out a sigh.
“Right.. We’ll split up,” He spoke up. He relaxed his arms, letting them be at his sides.
“Then let’s get it started! What are we waiting for?” He walked backwards; spreading his arms out. “I wish you all good luck!”
He walked away from us with a smile on his face, that optimistic tone never leaving. Though there was now an awkward silence. I think I’ll just go–I mean there’s definitely some tension I don’t know of between Meeple and Lawrie. I also don’t want to get wrapped up in that tension after all..
“I think I’ll go next,” I slowly backed away from the two before turning around and walking normally. I let out a sigh as I escaped the silence. I think it was best to leave them alone so they could talk about things in private–well, not like they’ll actually be talking in private though. My eyes scanned the area around me as I walked; I–of course–didn’t look behind me. Not too far away was the library.
That could be a good place to start.. Maybe I could even get some information about this place we’re on. When I opened the doors, I saw there were other people there as well. Inside the library was Bassie, Cruel King, 007n7, and.. Him. Well, Meeple did tell me to stay away from him. I still don’t understand their reasons though..
Other than that, I guess I’ll talk to the people first and then skim through the books to see if I can find anything useful. I closed the doors behind me as I walked inside. My eyes wandered around the establishment–which looks really clean actually. Surprisingly though, there wasn’t even a front desk. It was just columns of shelves with books. At a corner of the library was a big space that had bean bags, chairs, and even one big couch. On the opposite side were the computers–I should check that out! Maybe it could work!
Other than the environment, Bassie and Cruel King were together talking, 007n7 and Blam were alone reading a book. I think I should talk to Bassie and Cruel King first since 007n7 is busy reading a book and I was told to stay away from Blam. I walked up to the two; who quickly noticed me walking up to them.
“Hey–uh.. Ollie, right?” Bassie questioned, slightly tilting her head to the side. She waved at me with a soft smile on her face; a stark contrast to the person right next to her.
“Yup! How ya’ doin’, Bassie? Especially after yesterday..” My eyes drifted to the side for a moment at the end of my sentence but they quickly shifted back to focus on Bassie.
“Ah.. I’m not too sure if I’m honest. I still can’t believe Gigi would do that–and to do it for.. Me?” Bassie’s arms rested at her sides before placing her right hand on her left arm’s forearm. Her eyes changed focus; from looking at me and then at the floor. Though that second was short when she started to talk again. “But.. other than that, I’m doing good.”
“Aight, that’s good to hear. How ‘bout you, Cruel King?” His eyes switched between Bassie and I before settling on me.
“As a king, I must fulfill my duty to protect my subjects and those around me. Yet I have failed to do that task. It feels as if I am the one to blame for Chance’s death,” He answered. His focus drifted onto the lightbulb–he didn’t even say anything else.
Then, for a minute, we were silent. There was nothing. Nothing to fill the silence. Nothing to quell the screaming thoughts at the back of my head. Cruel King’s gaze was now on the floor, as if he were contemplating something.
Suddenly, he spoke again. “I.. used to be a king.”
Huh..?
“Used to..? Did you get dethroned or something?” I questioned, raising a brow.
“Yeah, I’m curious about that too.. Well, if we can ask, what happened?” Bassie added on. She seemed to be just as curious as me. He turned away from us; almost like he was afraid to watch our reactions.
“I was a king known for my horrifying punishments to those who defied the rules. I was considered cold among the other monarchs as most of the time I would be so stern around them. Hence the name I was given, ‘Cruel King.’ I ruled an astounding kingdom–it was prosperous too. The people loved me, and I, too, loved them. Despite that, I kept a secret from them. The ice dagger, one out of the seven powerful swords, had secrets that had never been told. The sword infected my mind with the thoughts that soon my kingdom would come to an end. Withholding that information from my people was not easy either. Eventually, my kingdom would crumble.” He paused. His hands clutched onto his staff like he never wanted to let go.
“One fateful day came. I had heard of an intruder bypassing my knights and making their way to my throne room. An intruder wasn’t abnormal, but the intruder killing my knights was. It was that day I had realized my time would come to an end. Not just my time as a king, but my time in life. The last thing I could remember was the gray of smoke and the ringing in my ears. I can still remember the tightening pain in my chest as I coughed and wheezed. I had closed my eyes for a moment, but after I opened them, all I saw was darkness. Then a blinding light invaded my senses. When I had finally opened my eyes again, I found myself on this island,” He explained. With a deep breath, he turned around to face Bassie and I.
My eyes were wide–like WIDE, WIDE. I could even feel my jaw had dropped at least a little bit. I looked at Bassie; who, too, looked at me the same time I did. We held eye contact for a moment before our eyes shifted to Cruel King again.
“What!?” One of the other people in the library exclaimed: that person being 007n7. He came up from behind Bassie and I, walking to my side. He had a similar reaction to mine. After him was Blam who walked to Bassie’s side.
“So are you a ghost or.. Like did you get revived?” Blam questioned as he walked up to Cruel King. He began to gently poke at the monarch; which seemed to be surprised yet amused judging by Cruel King’s face change.
“I.. do not know. I can only assume that I had been brought back from the dead. Though that is only my assumption.. I apologize for my lack of answer,” He responded. As he spoke, he softly held Blam’s hand and lowered it.
“Woah.. That’s so cool! Brought back from the dead and you’re like – actually back!” Blam’s eyes(well technically pupils) turned into stars; literally. Even his voice changed, it went from being low and monotone to a higher tone and excitement. “You know.. That reminds me of my own friend!”
“Really?” The king hummed; his lips curved to create a soft smile.
“Yeah! I remember getting ripped apart and thrown to the wall! Next thing I knew was that I was suddenly back alive and wasn’t heavily hurt!” He happily replied; a very stark contrast to what he was talking about.
“My child… what..?” Cruel King’s smile then turned into a nervous one.
“Heh, you heard me! I was ripped apart and then revived!” The boy placed his hands on his hips and smirked–what’s.. There to be proud of..?
“How about we talk about that later, shall we?” The king crouched down to Blam’s height before gently placing his hand on Blam’s head.
“Alright!” The younger person replied; giving Cruel King a thumbs up. Cruel King nodded and stood back up.
What was Blam just talking about..?
Before I could try to think of any answers for my question, I felt a hand gently tap my shoulder. I flinched; turning around to see who it was.
I let out a sigh of relief, “Oh, hey.. 7n7. Need somethin’..?”
He softly nodded and gently pulled me aside from the others. He leaned against the back of one of the many pillars supporting the library. He didn’t talk for a moment, and that’s fine by me. I’m not one to rush people anyway.
His gaze was steady on the floor; though his pupils told a different story. They were smaller than usual and were shaking a bit. His eyes flickered towards the other people in the library before whispering to me.
“Blam is really strange, right?” 007n7 asked. The question caught me off guard for a moment. Strange..? Only now I’m starting to think the guy is.. Strange–especially after hearing what he just said. “Wellll.. I don’t mean that in a rude way but–like–did you just hear what he said?”
My eyes didn’t meet his for a moment. Instead, they were facing the floor. I.. like the guy; he’s a chill person. I ain’t sure how to feel anymore because of other people’s opinion on him. To be honest though, 007n7 isn’t wrong. What Blam just said was unsettling–weird.
“I.. don’t blame you. At first I thought he was pretty.. Cool. Now, I’m just concerned for the dude. After hearing the guy so casually talk about something graphic.. It's.. yeah,” My gaze shifted between the floor and 007n7. It feels… wrong to talk about Blam like this. I’m not one to talk behind backs but I got dragged into this one–literally. 007n7’s face was.. Surprised? His lips curved into a slight smile before letting out a soft sigh.
“I’m just glad I have someone to relate to..” He mumbled. “A-alright that was.. Just what I wanted to talk to you about.” He walked out of the area and back into the group. Though for a moment, I just stood still.
Am I really a good friend for talking behind Blam’s back..?
I clenched my fists as my shoulders tensed. I’m.. a good friend. 007n7 just wanted to talk to me about Blam. He just wanted someone to talk to–to relate to; like what he himself said! I took a deep breath.. And exhaled.
I think I’ll go look through the books. After all, I still need to do that. I walked to the aisle where other people in the library weren't. Then I realized how many books I would have to check. Well, my group wouldn’t mind if I skimmed through the books, right? I could just check the titles and see if I can find anything important.
I slowly began to walk down the aisle while reading the titles. It was nothing out of the ordinary, and it looks like the books aren’t categorized either. As I looked, something caught my eye. It seemed to be a pamphlet wedged between two books. I pulled the pamphlet out and straightened it. It’s… a pamphlet for an island.
Eh.. maybe it isn’t anything important–wait!
I opened the pamphlet and skimmed through it. The pamphlet said that the island contains a theater, a store, a library, a pharmacy.. My eyes widened as I observed the images on the pamphlet.
The images on the pamphlet are the same places on the island! This island is called… In.. sola? Insula? I’ll just get someone else to read this for me. I think it’s in Latin.
I folded the pamphlet and then placed it inside my pocket. I think I’ll continue looking if there’s anything else in this library. I continued to examine more shelves, yet there wasn’t anything else interesting.
Hmph.. I guess there really isn’t anything else to point out. Well, at least I found this pamphlet. Especially since I found the island name, maybe Larry or Meeple could identify where I am. I mean, ever since I got here, I’ve never seen any form of transportation. No boats, no airplanes, nothing! Really concerning, man.
One way or another, we’ll get found, right? After all, Larry, Lawrie, Meeple, and I are missing! We’re like.. Popular–kinda? Plus, there’s Shedletsky, too! He’s got a wife and, I think, a kid.
I opened the doors, revealing myself to the sun again as I walked out. What else I gotta’ check out? My shoulders tensed as I felt someone place their hand on my shoulder.
I squealed–a girly squeal, too. I quickly turned around to face whoever had just surprised me.
“Oh, hey, Blam..” My shoulders dropped back to normal as I spoke. I could see Blam softly chuckling.
“Hi.. Ollie,” He replied. His right hand gently held his left arm’s forearm before he spoke again. “I was wondering if youuu… wanted to check the store with.. Me?”
A soft smile tugged at my lips while Blam spoke. The way he was shy reminded me of.. Someone I used to know. I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. That’s right… Meeple did tell me to stay away from Blam. But.. Blam is my friend.
“Sure, man. Ion’ mind, I was aboutta’ go there anyway,” I answered. That’s a lie, though. I haven’t even thought about where else to go.
“Alright, uh.. Thanks?” He replied before beginning to walk. I followed beside him and looked him in the eyes–yet his eyes struggled to look back at mine.
“Ey, no problem, man.” For a moment, we made eye contact, albeit it was quickly broken. After that, there was just silence as we walked to the store. Thankfully, it wasn’t the awkward type of silence. Though I think it seemed like that to Blam.
“So uhm.. You’re the.. Ultimate skateboarder, right?” He spoke, breaking the silence.
“Oh uh.. Yeah! I am. What about it?” I slightly tilted my head.
“I’m pretty sure there’s some skateboards at the store-” My walking came to a stop as my hands instantly went to his shoulders.
“Then what are we waitin’ for!? Let’s go!” My hand held his wrist as I sprinted towards the store. Blam stumbled before picking up his pace with me. After a moment, he even started to out-run me. My legs did begin to give out on me as I lost breath. Despite that, Blam continued to run.
“B-BLAM!” I exclaimed. Shortly after, we came to a stop right in front of the store. I removed my hand from his wrist and placed my hands on my knees instead. I gasped and panted for air as I tried to get my breath back.
“Sorry..” He mumbled, scratching the area under his head, “We are here now, though.” After maybe a minute or more, I finally recovered from all of that running.
“So..” I stood up, straightening my back, “You said there were some skateboards here, right?”
“Yup! I’m pretty sure they’re at the side. This store has all sorts of things,” Blam opened the doors of the store for me, gesturing me to come in.
“Really, what does it have?” I raised a brow, I walked through the doors as Blam followed beside me.
“Other than the skateboards there are drinks, food, decorations, and accessories,” He answered.
“Oh.. Monokuma really thought about us, huh?” I commented as I followed him to where the skateboards were. He didn’t say anything else; he just kept walking. Quickly, we got to the skateboards–and damn do they got some cool-lookin’ skateboards! Unfortunately, there were only about 12 skateboards on display.
“Holy..” I could feel my body begin to shake. That shaking quickly stopped when I felt Blam place his hand on my shoulder. His eyes darted from the floor then at me.
“You good?” He raised a brow. Before I could respond, he shook his head and turned away from me, removing his hand from my shoulder in the process. “Nevermind.. You are.”
“Anyways..” He pointed at the variety of skateboards, “Yeah uh.. Here’s the skateboards.. Cool, right?”
“Hell yeah they are!!” I beamed at him. I grabbed the skateboard that was the closest to me and wrapped my arms around it; I was holding it like it was a Christmas present. After my moment of joy, my gaze went to Blam’s eyes. I opened my mouth to speak but a certain bear interrupted me.
“Isn’t that sweet! The Ultimate Skateboarder feeling soo joyous after seeing his first skateboard ever since he got here!”
Monokuma exclaimed; making me take a step back out of shock. At the side of my eyes I could see Blam was surprisingly calm.
“Hi.. Monokuma…?” I slowly waved at him. Wait, why am I even waving at him!? He’s the one who killed Gigi and Chance!
“Finally a greeting! It’s so impolite how nobody even bothered to at least say ‘good morning’ to me!”
He complained. I felt my grip on the skateboard tighten as he spoke.
“Anyways.. Why does the Ultimate Skateboarder need a flimsy skateboard like that?”
“Huh..? I’d say this is a pretty good skateboard,” I held up the skateboard, “I mean the wheels aren’t too hard and-” I swear my eyes popped out of its sockets like a cartoon as soon as I saw what Monokuma was now holding. He has my skateboard! The one I created!
Without another thought, I snatched my skateboard away from Monokuma. I squeezed it tight and held it against me. I haven’t seen my beautiful creations in DAYS!
“T-thanks, Monokuma! I-.. I don’t even know how to repay you for this!” I giggled like a little child. I didn’t even care if Blam and Monokuma were looking at me weirdly. My breathing became short and rapid. My eyes were practically dilating.
“Woah, woah! Slow your horses, kiddie!”
Huh? My breathing sorted itself out as my eyes went back to normal. Monokuma then pried my skateboard out of my hands as he waved his finger at me.
“Nuh uh, uhh! You can’t get this yet!”
“What… What I gotta’ do?” I raised a brow. Now there’s two ways this can go..
“Kill someone!”
“H-huh?” My eyes widened, but this time it wasn’t out of excitement. Of course he’d say that though. What else would he say?
“Phuhu! Justtt kidding! Even your headmaster likes to joke around!”
Wow.. you’re so funny, unc.
“What did you just call me!?”
“W-What? I didn’t call ya’ anythin’!” I must’ve said my earlier thought out loud! Oops..
“Whatever! Kids these days are always so disrespecting!”
Monokuma then gave me my skateboard back. Right after he did, he disintegrated into the floor. Cool.
I let out a sigh and turned to the person next to me. I could see Blam was very curious about my skateboard.
“Cool, right?” I smirked at the other. I made the skateboard stand up and leaned on it. “I made this thing myself! Took hours even! Had to a watch a few Youtube videos here and there. Other than that though, I made most of this myself!”
Blam softly clapped as he spoke, “Yeah it is cool. Just a question though.. What’s.. Youtube?”
“You…” My eyebrows furrowed, “You don’t know what Youtube is?”
“Yeah? What is that?” He quizzed.
“It’s a.. It’s a website online that allows you to watch videos,” I explained. He tilted his head a bit as he raised a brow. After a moment, he straightened his back and shrugged.
“Dunno what that is,” He let his arms rest at his sides, “Well.. I’ve never been on.. Online. If that makes sense.”
“You’ve never been on the internet, Blam!?” My hands went to his (non-existent) shoulders and started shaking him.
“Are yo’ parents strict or somethin’?? Like I get that but you’re like…” I squinted my eyes for a moment, “12? 13? Whateva’ boy age you are! But never? You’ve never been on the internet!?”
“N… No? Isn’t that normal?” He asked as he took a step away from me. I took a deep breath and removed my hands from his shoulders.
“Wait, wait.. You’re telling me that you’re 13 and you never been on the internet?” He slowly nodded.
“Yeah..?”
…
“Well then..” I wrapped my arm around his shoulder. “I got alotta’ things to show ya’ when we get outta’ here!”
I could see Blam’s eyes light up as he softly smiled. That gentle smile faded though as he fidgeted with his hands.
“I would love to but.. I don’t think my friend would accept you since my friend and I live in the same place,” He muttered. What. Please tell me it isn’t what I think he means.
“H.. huh??” I slowly leaned back from Blam. “What do ya’ mean.. He won’t ‘accept’ me?”
Blam profusely blushed as he realized what he said. He frantically explained himself, “I don’t mean it in that way! He’s very accepting considering race or.. Or whatever! I-I mean every person from our friend group is from a different place! Including me! I-”
“Blam,” I placed my hands on his (non-existent) shoulders again. “Chill, man.”
His blush got darker when I placed my hands on him. He held his hands behind his back as his eyes darted to the floor.
“Yeah, uh.. Ignore that,” He replied and began to walk towards the exit.
“Alright, bro,” I chuckled. I followed beside him as we left the convenience store.
“So.. where to next?” He questioned me.
My eyes drifted to the sky for a moment. It was a bright blue acquaintance with the few clouds. Sometimes I would wonder if it was even real. I shook my head and focused back on Blam.
“Ion.. know either,” I answered.
“Actually, I know some places you kids can explore!”
“Ah!” I exclaimed. My eyes widened for a moment before I quickly realized it was just Monokuma.
“After every class trial, about 3 new places will open up. I think a special person like you will LOVE one of the places!”
“Well where are they?” Blam asked; tilting his head to the side.
“Glad you asked! These new places are conviently placed nearby! You’ll see these areas to the left of the Monokuma Building!”
Blam’s hand gripped onto my wrist, “What are we waiting for? Let’s go!”
He spoke with a lot more emotion than usual. I didn’t even have time to respond before I felt my legs move on their own as Blam ran.
I didn’t say anything though. This type of energy.. It felt familiar; something I had felt before joining Starr Park.
CHAPTER 2: A Thin String of Love and Death
Part 1: END.