Everything was going alright, Angie felt. Standing by the side of the ballroom, she had a pretty good view of the growing crowd as well as their local friendly artificial intelligence. Looking at the dark-haired girl now, she thought that the initial judgments she had towards Ai might have been a little too harsh – that holographic girl seemed to be doing nothing but treat them like good friends. It was only fair if she tried to reciprocate Ai's friendly nature. But still, Angie had her doubts about the girl clad in white and blue. She wouldn't put it past an organization like HPA to experiment on transferring people's minds into dead machines.



Indulging herself in the art of cynicism, a small scuffle between Calhoun and the student council president caught her attention. Watching from where she stood, Angie chose not to interfere. Her red-haired acquaintance could more than handle herself. As Calhoun pulled her arm away from Haruka's grasp, Angie thought about the two acquaintances of hers from back in the library. She wondered about the other people too, and how many unseen clash of egos there were. You put two people in a room, they'll start picking sides and starting fights. She could hardly bear to imagine the chaos that would be twenty-three.



And then, things started to go wrong. Ai's sentence ended abruptly, as quick and sudden as the downswing of an axe lopped a off head the chopping block. Her vision came and went to the tempo of flickering lights, and her ears were besieged by frenzied yelling from engineering. What in the world was happening? Amidst the chaos, she felt naked without the familiarity of a pistol or the handle of a blade. Taking careful steps, she hugged her back against the wall. There was no time to be spent thinking about the reason behind this mess; she started bolting to the exit, deciding that her first priority was to get out of this monochrome room.



Little did she know just how far reaching were the skeletal arms of despair. It mattered not even if she had made it out. Their tickets to nowhere were stamped when they first entered this hellhole, and now they were boarded onto a melancholic evening train. Sullen rays of gold shone in through the windows; the setting sun was saying its final goodbye. This was the look of the end of their lives, and the train wasn't stopping until the shroud of despair had swallowed them all. It couldn't stop even if it wanted to.



Angie woke up with her head not on the cold floor but on the surface of her left arm. It had cushioned her fall, but paid for its heroic deeds by attaining a small bruise. Blinking away her grogginess, the ballroom's exit slowly came into focus. A rush of memories came flashing back, bringing along with it her animalistic desire for escape. She pushed herself up but her left arm gave way (it had fallen asleep, her head had cut off its circulation of blood), bringing her chin harshly back down. It rattled her teeth and she bit her lip, drawing a small amount of blood. But it wasn't all bad - the sharp burst of pain had cleared her mind, calming her down considerably. Clambering to stand up, a sense that something was wrong assaulted her senses. Looking around, a chill ran down her spine. All of her peers, their attention was directed to one singular spot. There was an elephant in the room, except that in this case it was a detestable looking bear.



Theories for her sudden unconsciousness bounced around in the back of her mind, but all fell silent when the monochrome bear started to speak. The first words out of its mouth were as horrid as how it looked, and she was taken aback by the absurdity of its voice. But the bitter icing on the cake was taken by what he said last – that they would be staying here for the rest of their lives. It went on to spout glorified deeds of cutting off their internet, cell-phone service and anything that connected them to the outside world. The thought of never heading out again pissed her off, but it wasn't like she had a say in the matter. If what it was saying is true, they were facing an adversity with unbelievable strength. And the question still remains – why was it doing all this? How on earth were they able to justify the resources used in this wicked plan?



Staring at it with a look of wary and distrust, she brushed away the blood that trickled from her lips. Her muscles tensed and her jaw clenched as it talked about guidelines and rules, a stark contrast to the freedom they were earlier granted. If there was a personification for evil, this would be it. This thing right here pissed her off more than innocent folk getting attacked or the death of a child. She detested it, much more than her hatred at the person who was responsible for her hometown going to shit. But despite this anger, her ears still perked up when it hinted at a chance for escape. And even though she found it hard to believe that escape was possible, she still yearned for that knowledge. Passing by her peers with hardly a glance, she brought herself forwards. Her duties as a medical practitioner and friend come second to the loyalty she had for herself, sparing drastic exceptions. And this right here? This was no exception.



But somebody got to the bear before it gave them the prized gem of information. Haruka started running, sprinting with all her rage. Angie stopped in her tracks, wary about the unfolding scene. She really wouldn't outright attack it like that, but Haruka's outburst of rage receded her own. Whatever the bear was made of, it made a sturdy sound as it struck the floor. She watched as Haruka stamped her foot down, questioning her decision to do so. 'You probably don't want to hit your foot against it that hard.' thought Angie, watching the student council president's dramatic outrage. 'It's gonna leave a nasty bruise.'



Then, the beeping started. Taking a few steps back, the explosion that followed made her heart skip a beat. Her body wanted desperately to scamper away. All the years that she had thrived on fight or flight made it hard for her to go against it, but she shut her eyes and took deep breaths. Loud sounds and things akin to that was something she never reacted favorably to. Gunshots were worse, but what were the chances of a gun being found in a place like this? Her heart eventually slowed, returning to a calm rhythmic beating. Opening her eyes, the smug look on the bear ticked her off. Clicking her teeth, her hands balled up into fists.



“Stupid fucking bear.”



Ignoring the pleads for medical attention, she decided that more important matters lay in wait. Any injured would be dealt with later, and that included even the esteemed student council president. Listening as the bear continued his rant, her eyebrows raised at the mention of a 'game'. And when the game was revealed to be the delightful act of homicide, the corners of her lips turned just slightly up. A spiteful smirk revealed itself. Of course it would be murder, wouldn't it? It seemed that people killing one another stalked her wherever she went, and she chuckled at how much she was adored by bloodshed. Maybe she should embrace it this time as well, huh? Perhaps she should just accept it and watch the walls stain red with blood.



Unlike the more hopeful people amongst her peers, Angie was someone who had experience with inner, lurking demons. The fact that only a little push was needed to paint their host's hands scarlet can't be more true. With the different talents they had at their disposal, she begun making a list of possible killers and victims. Some of her peers were more suited for one or the other, but you never know what could end up happening. Through a stroke up luck or otherwise, sometimes it's the person you least expect who end up triumphant over fallen corpses.



'And I guess the list of probable killers includes me as well.'



Not bothering to hide the anger or hatred in her eyes, she spoke up to ask it a question. Purely out of spite, she didn't use the name it gave itself. She's gonna take back that victory, at least. “Oi, bear. What exactly does 'getting caught' mean? It can't be as simple as murdering someone in their dorm where nobody else bore witness.” Honestly, anybody willing to off another person with the pitiful amount of explanation they have were probably stupid enough to deserve death. No, if a murder were to happen, she would want to know every single letter of any unspoken 'rules' the bear had. “Spit it out, bear. What are you not telling us?”



Still, it's about time she dealt with any injured. Calling out to the butler, she told him to bring Haruka back to her dorm. That girl probably broke her damn foot doing what she just did, bashing it against metal like that. “Remember, don't put pressure on her heel. Carry her like a bride or something, I'll join you later.” Turning to address the other twenty students, she shouted out her orders. “If anybody else is injured, either meet me in the hallway or drag yourself to my room. Limp there if you need to, but don't come for simple bruises or cuts. If your symptoms start to worsen, that's when you need my attention.”