Within the Staff Meeting Room was a round table, similar to the one found in the Courtroom. Sixteen chairs and placards, each representing one of us.
But this...
This was so much worse.
Around the table, strapped to chairs, was every student who had died in our sick game. Every... last... one of them.
Just as bad, those of us who still survived... our own placards were in this room, too. Even... my own. With my face, my red hair and blue eyes. Even my smile.
"... ok, Bera?" I heard someone ask.
I gazed to the side, from where I had just vomited.
"Ummmm... I... I don't know," I admitted.
Kaito looked up and started walking towards me, then stopped when he saw where I had thrown up.
"Ugh! Dude! What the hell?!" Kaito was looking at me as if I had grown breasts before him.
I couldn't answer him; I was too nauseous. I just pointed into the room. Kaito glanced into the room, then turned pale.
"Wh-what? What kind of messed-up crap is this? Our friends, stuck in here like trophies?" Kaito shouted in disbelief.
I hear the metallic pitter-patter of feet, and before long, Monorakun is standing before us.
"Now, see why this door was locked, shitbags?" Monorakun admonished our little group as he closed the door. "You asked for it, you got it. No complaining!"
Monorakun then glanced over at me, before noticing the pile of vomit on the ground near me.
"Seriously, Bera? Are you fucking kidding me?" Monorakun chided me. "You're supposed to bleed on the ground, not puke on it! Now, where's the damn janitor, we gotta get this cleaned up."
Monorakun takes about 4 or 5 steps away, then stops. "Wait a minute. I AM the janitor. Dammit!"
Monorakun scurried off down the stairs, leaving me, Kaito, and Chihiro outside the door to the Staff Meeting Room.
Chihiro still looked like he had seen a ghost. I was still nauseated, the sight of our dead students, sitting at that round table, all staring blankly at one another. The straps holding their wrists and heads to the chair...
I shook off another wave of vomit rising up, and Kaito helped the both of us back downstairs. He was talking, but I missed most of what he said; I was too stunned by what I had just witnessed.
I spent the rest of the morning in my room, just... staring at the wall. I couldn't speak, I couldn't eat, I couldn't think. I just... couldn't.
Were they up there all this time? Would we all end up in that room, eventually, staring at one another with our own dead eyes? And seeing my own placard, like the others that died... would the others be staring at that, instead of seeing me in that horrid Courtroom?
The next thing I realized, it was 5:30pm, and my stomach was rumbling. I decided I would eat, then do my laundry to kill some time.
However, when I got to the Dining Hall, an argument had broken out between Kaito, Kenchikka, and Theo.
"Stupid idea. Sneak in after hours, then what?" Kenchikka asked.
Theo responded, "Well, dear lass, the food has to get into here from somewhere. That means, if the food can get in, then we should be able to get out the same way."
Kaito shook his head. "Dude, normally I'd be all for this, but this is insane. What if they come in armed? Your little night vision goggles won't save you from bullets!"
Kenchikka added, "Plus, if seen, won't be happy to see you. Rules state Dining Hall, Pool closed, locked at 10pm."
Theo countered, "But the rules make no mention of the kitchen area, which is separated from the Dining Hall. A potential loophole, from my observations."
"More like death trap," Kenchikka countered.
Kaito continued. "A better idea is to disengage that electromagnetic lock at the front of the building. If we can find a way to break the electric current going to that door, it should open right up for us all!"
Theo shook his head. "Good sir, you don't think I hadn't considered that already? You're welcome to waste time upon that door, but with all due respect, we are not cutting power to the door and getting out that way. Simply impossible."
Chihiro walked in behind me, and hearing the shouting, leaned in closer to me as he spoke up.
"Please! Don't fight, ok?"
Kenchikka glanced over at Chihiro. "Not fighting. Preventing stupid death."
Theo interjected. "It's not a stupid death if it works. Besides, with all due respect, young lass, all I've heard from you is that we need a plan. Well, I've got one."
"What if Monorakun hears about it?" Kaito asked, to which Theo shrugged.
"So long as I refrain from violating the rules as stated in the Rules section of our E-Handbooks, Monorakun has no grounds to interfere. The rules state the Dining Hall and Pool are locked at 10pm, and reopened at 7am. The rules make no mention of the Kitchen area. Thus, per the rules given to us, I am in the clear."
Theo agreed to drop it for now, and we went into the Kitchen to make ourselves some dinner. We decided to work together on a traditional Japanese dinner, to get a taste of home.
Chihiro and Chiaki worked on steaming the rice. Theo worked on the grilled fish. Kaito worked on the miso soup. Kenchikka and I talked the side dishes; I steamed the broccoli and carrots, while Kenchikka worked on a salad.
After everyone finished making our dinner together, Chihiro got plates and silverware for everyone, while Theo dished out the portions for everyone, and we all sat down to eat together. Kenchikka got drinks for everyone; I opted for a root beer.
We ate together, with the topic of conversation focusing on how good the food was, and how fun it was to make a meal together, even if it was just the six of us now. The grilled fish was amazing, the steamed broccoli and carrots were just right, and the salad was a nice touch. The miso soup really brought me back, as well. To better times, better days...
After dinner, I went to my room, gathered my laundry, and headed to the Laundry Room. I spent the next hour and a half washing and drying my clothes, while listening to some pop-punk music on my E-Handbook.
After my laundry was finally finished, I loaded up my clothes and headed to my dorm room, where I hung up my outfits and put my socks and underwear away before deciding to turn in for the night, before the 10pm alert went off. The image of my former friends, strapped in those chairs, still burned in my mind, but mercifully, I did not have any dreams because of it.
"Wake up, everyone! It's 7am, and Nighttime is now over! Time to enjoy another fun-filled day at The Ultimate Talent Enhancement Center!"
I got out of bed, deciding to take a shower before I headed to breakfast. I turned on some Good Charlotte and 311 that was on my E-Handbook, deciding against my usual depressing music for once.
After I got out of the shower and brushed my hair to one side, I got dressed. As I put my boots on, an alert played overhead.
"Alright, shitbags, we've got 3 sets of eyes on a dead body!"
As the message continued to play, my hand shot up to my mouth instinctively, a habit I've tried to break from my time as... her.
Oh, no. No, no no.
Please, not this again!