DAY ONE: good morning, kids

[nekomata_nee]

DAY ONE, 2:01 AM
AUDITORIUM

"They're coming to get you, Barbara," the man's face on the screen taunted, stretched gruesomely out of proportion by the ancient movie projector. His features hissed with the physical static of the black and white film's age, shadowed and speckled by the dust motes caught in the projector's beam. The woman screamed,

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[adorkable_dhole]

Kasai awoke slowly, and to a headache. He groaned, scrubbing his hands against his eyes in an effort to push down the throbbing pain and wake himself up---some crazy bitch was screaming one of those tinny, so-fake screams that lodged splinters of pain in his skull. He gritted his teeth, wincing and straightening up in order to look around

[fieryambition]

Sounds invaded Viola's head, but not the sounds she was used to. There was no beautiful cello music or the sounds of metal hitting metal or even the score from Rent. The pins from her hair were jabbing her in the skull, which jarred her back to reality. Luckily it wasn't the pointy end, though her body was twisted at an odd angle, but from what she could tell nothing was broken. Apparently, she had fallen asleep somewhere because it seemed like there was a warm pillow beneath her head, cradling her.

We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto, she thought blearily, opening one green eye at her pillow.

Wait.

Pillows don't breath. Or poke cheeks

"YOU MOLESTER!" she screamed and tried to scramble away from Kasai, tripping over the wooden staff and the pieces of paper. "What are you trying to do??"

[adorkable_dhole]

"Molester?" Kasai yelped, bringing up one knee to slide the girl off of potentially perky parts. "Hey Ginger---you were there when I woke up. You're snugglin' my manbits, not the other way around---not that you've got manbits, but---uh, hey, look, presents~!"

Ignoring the girl---she was a ginger, anyway---he slid out of his chair, plucking up something small and white and curiously heavy for its size. It had dislodged from its original position between his thigh and the side of the theater seat, falling to the concrete ground with a muted thump. Blinking curiously, he picked it back up and ripped off the paper. A simple rock gleamed at him like a doleful orange eye, catching the silvery gleam from the projector. Kasai frowned at it, and at the note woven into the twine: good boy.

"Hey, look," Kasai said, turning on a toothy and clearly winning smile. "I got a rock! What'd you get?"

He decided, amber eyes flicking up to take in his surroundings again, that he would name his rock petto rokku. He'd keep it on his desk at home, next to

[fieryambition]

What... what was a ginger? Was it a reference to Ginger Rogers? Or her hair color? This guy was seriously a weirdo. Who got excited over a stupid rock? An ugly rock, at that. Viola picked up the staff, feeling its weight in her hand. It was heavier than she thought it would be and... were those papers? Something strange was going on.

"Mon dieu!" Viola exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air dramatically, nearly knocking herself out with the bo. "Don't ever talk about your 'manbits' again to me, n'est pas?"

So low class. So weird. Virgin eyes and virgin hands?

How do they KNOW?

[volable]

The only light in the long expanse of darkness in Xiao-mei's mind was the red, barely-there throbbing of pain in her neck. There was a very distinct sense of being somewhere she should not be, but the girl could barely pull herself from unconsciousness to realize what that place was. All she knew was that someone was screaming, screaming, screaming, and oh God, it sounded just as Yu's voice must have sounded when her stepmother had wrapped that bloody, bloody towel around her throat and pulled----

No. That wasn't right. That wasn't truth.

Xiao-mei gasped as if she'd just pulled herself out of too many feet of water, her heart thudding erratically in her chest cavity. It hurt, and there it was, going to burst out again. Burst and fall and die and--she coughed and gasped again, eyes finally opening as her head snapped forward painfully, neck muscles crying out.

Teng ma? A voice that sounded like her sister's whispered softly in Xiao-mei's ear. She could hear it more clearly than the screaming, distorted woman on the screen

[jagged_effigy]

Scared, she looked, Aiai noted sadly. Like she was drowning in a lake. She could use a pair of butterfly wings, but she had gotten a little doll. A pretend-person couldn't swim, much less pull you out. Hopeless.

Aiai saw a sister, but she was a pretend-person, too. She knew how people reacted when she told them about the pretend people surrounding them like a thick miasma of life, or lack thereof. Best not bring it up. Best not make a bad impression. Mother wasn't here, but no reason to not make her proud.

Coming up behind her, Aiai pressed one of the cold blades against the girl's cheek. Cold could initiate a spark as much as heat, sometimes. "HI, ZOW-ME I'M AIAI."

[volable]

There was something stone cold pressing against her cheek.

The blade was cold and smooth, Xiao-mei wanted to rub against it like a cat rubs against the leg of a chair. She liked blades, preferred them, but they could cut so easily. An image flashed before her eyes, too dark blood on too white skin--one thin line that grew and grew and grew. Then the flop of a body, heavy on wood. Fingernails, fingernails, fingernails. SCRATCH SCRATCH SCRATCH.

"Hello." Xiao-mei responded, one finger drawing across the flat side of the blade as her heart slammed against her rib cage. Calm down little one, it's only a real girl. "Aiai."

Slowly, she turned her head away from the blade, and faced the girl. "...be careful not to cut yourself..." Her eyes traveled along the blade, a small curl of lips.

One hand stroked the doll's hair.

[jagged_effigy]

Aiai liked her. She was smiley, even if she still played with dolls. Her mother had always tried to make her interested in dolls, but those little effigies had never been of any interest to Aislin. She was more of a hangman kinda girl.

She retracted the blade, running its length casually down the side of her thigh, pressing against the thick frills of her dress. Setting her lip in a soft moue, Aiai shook her head. "I did already. You should really learn to warn people before it happens, Zoo. Can I call you zoo? I like the zoo. This one time I got bit at the zoo, and no one warned me, just like this time. I always try to warn people with enough time, or else what's the point? It was worth it, though, because the tiger was pretty. It had to be put down, I think. He probably thought I did it on purpose, but I didn't. I think. And anyway, I won't cut myself again. I promise!"

[dr_mimi]

Mimi winced as the screaming in the background hammered at her temples. She slowly opened her eyes to take in the eerie and unfamiliar scene before her. As she shifted, she felt the small package in her hands.

She held the ring up in the flickering lights of the projector. As she ran her fingers over the ring, trying to puzzle out it's significance, her finger caught on the catch. Her stomach sank as the large jewel and its setting popped off to reveal the poison chamber. Maybe it was just a gothic piece of jewelery. Though judging from the bitter scent of the empty chamber, it was probably as innocent as she was. She shoved dark thoughts into the back of her mind and turned her attention to the note.

Lady's Choice? What choice? There was probably enough of whatever --cyanide salt her brain prompted-- left to at least knock someone out...if they licked the inside of the chamber. So a choice between murder and absolution? Between escape and perseverance

[istruito]

By the time Amy managed to skirt around the chairs and other people and get over to where the teacher had been standing, she'd taken off after some guy who was smoking. Amy took a few steps closer, then hesitated and stopped.

She lingered around the area, leaning against the back of a chair, looking for a moment to speak without interrupting. She fidgeted with her journal for a few seconds while waiting, before turning it around so that the cover was hidden.

[dr_mimi]

Mimi walked back to her seat, for she had left her purse in the seat. She saw a girl leaning against the back of seat, a book in her hands. Mimi gazed at the shy girl for a few moments before she called to mind the pupil's name.

"Ms. Marsden? May I help you?"

[istruito]

"Um," Amy replied. "No, just--you asked if everyone was okay, and I am."

She bit the inside of her lip slightly before adding, "Where are we?" though she doubted Mrs. Takashi knew either. Mostly because if she did know, that would be . . . very unnerving.

[papersevens]

Lying prone on an unfamiliar and filthy floor, Vii idly noted the screaming that sent reverberating peals through his head like a clapper banging the insides of a bell. He decided that whatever it was sounded dangerous--but then, this was a Halloween thing or other, so it was supposed to be scary--but just in case, he lay as still as he could, unconvincingly playing dead. After what he decided was a safe wait passed, he sat up

[fieryambition]

After narrowly escaping the molester and the other guy who had commented on how well endowed she was (how gross), Viola picked up her staff and stuck the papers in her purse, walking around and trying to figure out what exactly what was going around. Everyone looked ghostly, stuck in a world all of their own. She was miffed about the note she received, wondering exactly what it meant. Was someone just talking about her sex life (or lack thereof)? Was it wrong that she wanted to save herself for someone important? Girls these days gave it away all too easily in her opinion. Here she was, all full of morality, and someone was making fun of her! That was absolutely unforgivable

[papersevens]

Pause. Rewind. Slow motion.

Woke up. Strange screaming. Old horror movie. Package. Present from Xii. Girl with dusty note in mouth. Dena. Strange kicking feeling. Someone stumbling. "I'm sorry! I didn't see you there. Are you all right?"

...okay, now that he had it all together... Vii could react. It took him a few seconds of staring at the new girl's feet to collect his wits (which she had successfully knocked out of head to land and scatter somewhere onto the floor among the... stuff).

"I."

Blink. All right?

"Not hurt."

Blink. Nod.

"I'm not hurt. Yeah. Did I hurt you? Are you okay?"

[fieryambition]

Was she okay? Not really, she wanted to answer, I'm scared out of my mind, we're in a frightening place, and those two crazy guys that are swooning over pet rocks were even scarier. "I'm fine," she said grandly, holding herself up bravely, leaning on her new staff. "I am just perplexe." French really did make everything sound elegant.

And she was confused. Why was she hear and not at the dance? Many odd scenarios played over in Viola's mind. They had been kidnapped and would be held for ransom. Then again, who would pay ransom for those rock/kissing guys? They had fallen into a vat of nuclear waste and have super powers and were sent to this place to fight crime. Nope-- she still felt the same.

"Do you... know where we are?"

[fated_moment]

His brows creased at the busting scream that tore through the room. Fingers moving delicately over the bridge of his nose, Saigo woke to a headache that he was sure wasn't there an hour ago. Blinking to the glow that overshadowed the foreign room, he contemplated his surroundings. Where the fuck was he

[dr_mimi]

Mimi heard a click and then the vulgar smell of cigarette reached her nostrils. She couldn't believe it. She didn't care if they were stuck in some weird abandoned place, students did not smoke on her watch! Glancing around, she spotted the perpetrator. Getting out of her seat, she walked over to Saigo and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Mr. Saigo, would you like to inform me why you are committing time delayed suicide? Besides, I do not think that adding a fire hazard to our current predicament is that bright of an idea."

[fated_moment]

He looked up, his head falling back to see the dark eyes of intruder above. Feet propped up on squeaky seat in front, he chewed the nicotine stick before letting the smoke filter around from the corners of his mouth.

"Suicide is rather pointless. This," he said pulling out the cigarette and holding it between his fingers. "Is a hobby."

[dr_mimi]

"I suppose as sniffing paint thinner is a hobby. Still, it is rude of you to poison the rest of us with the foul by products of your hobby." She grabbed the cigarette from his lips and put it out under her heel. "Regardless of the circumstances, I am your teacher and your well being is my responsibility. It would be quite unfortunate if you managed to burn us all to death due to stray ash. Besides nicotine may speed you up for a moment, but in the long run your mind is more stressed and unfocused."