"Oh, god," Mario whispered. "He's dead. He's dead!"

"Mario-" Peach started, but was quickly interrupted.

"I just watched my brother die! Oh my god! What kind of brother am I?"

"Mario-"

"I need- I need to be alone."

Without another word, Mario took off, leaving Peach there alone.

<><><>

"Why didn't you do it?"

Kaira and Saiko were sitting down in the cafeteria, waiting for everyone to come for breakfast. Kaira looked over at Saiko, who was looking down. Her blue hair had fallen in her face.

"What do you mean why didn't I do it?" Kaira mused, crossing her arms. "Why would I kill you?"

"So you could go free," Saiko said softly. "Saiko thought she made it obvious that she doesn't have anything waiting for her. Kaira does. There's no reason you shouldn't."

"Who said I have anything waiting for me?" Kaira scoffed, placing her hand on her katana instinctively. "Besides, I wouldn't ever kill you."

"Kaira..."

"You're not the only one who isn't wanted back in the real world," Kaira moved Saiko's hair behind her ear stiffly, causing Saiko to look up at the redhead. "Bad shit happens to all of us."

"What happened to you?" Saiko questioned softly, her blue eyes staring innocently into Kaira's red ones. Immediately, Kaira stiffened, taking her hand away from Saiko and placing her hand back on her katana. Frantically, Saiko tried to backpedal. "I-I mean-"

"Forget it," Kaira closed her eyes, running her left hand through her long red hair. "I don't want to talk about it."

That was it. A moment of her walls coming down, only to be instantly put back up again. Saiko wondered what was so heinous about her past that she wouldn't talk about it...

<><><>

"So... how are things?" Rubi questioned awkwardly, hanging out with Pauline, Rosalina, Daisy, and Krystal.

"They're as great as they can be," Daisy sighed. "You know, with everyone dying around us..."

"Well, that's fun," Rosalina replied sarcastically. "Way to bring the mood down."

An awkward silence ensued, followed by a quick word from both Rubi and Pauline.

"Sorry-"

"Oh, you go first," Rubi clutched her badminton racket as a way to calm herself. "After you."

"I was just gonna apologize because I don't know what to say," Pauline shrugged. "It's been awhile since I've been a bitch that I don't really know how to converse. All I really want to do is gossip."

"That's funny," Rubi chuckled softly. "That's along the lines of what I was going to say. Without being mean... I don't even know how to make a conversation. How dumb is that?"

"It's not dumb," Rosalina told them. "It would've been dumb if you guys continued to be mean, but instead, we're here. The fact that you're trying to converse with us means a lot."

"I guess so," Pauline looked away. "It's just... hard."

"Of course it is!" Daisy smiled. "Nothing comes easy. I've learned that the hard way. To be honest, badminton is one of my strongest sports now, but it used to be my worst. I couldn't figure it out. I kept complaining about how hard it was, without really working for it. Then, my coach told me to really just 'give it my best try, even if I failed.' So, I did. Voila! I didn't become amazing, but when I focused, I hit the birdie. Years of practice, and here I am. You'll get it!"

"You... you play badminton?" Rubi's eyes lit up. "It's so fun, I actually love it! Y'know, I love tournaments, and playing, and-"

"Oh! That's right, that's your whole thing," Daisy facepalmed. "I'm so happy!"

"I can't play tournaments anymore, though," Rubi sighed softly. "Why do I have to be so damn short..."

"Well, if you want, we could play sometime?" Daisy offered. "You're probably way better than I am, but..."

"Yes, please," Rubi smiled shyly.

"See? You're doing just fine!" Rosalina smiled.

"Maybe.. maybe I am."

<><><>

"I have friends. They don't hate me. Yet. They're friendly. They don't hate me. I think. They might try to kill me. Oh... shit, this isn't helping."

Krystal Rachel stood in front of the mirror, running her hands through her blonde hair.
She'd tried to come up with a list to calm her nerves, but instead, it had ended up... horribly.

"Oh god, my friends might try to kill me," Krystal realized, talking to her own reflection in the mirror. "I can't be friendly with anyone. They could turn on me at any second... I'll just bury myself in my books. My gems, I can learn more about them..."

The girl shook her head, as if she was having an existential crisis.

"No, no, no, I have to remember what happened the last time I pushed everyone away..."

What happened the last time I pushed everyone away.

"You left them," Krystal whispered, running a hand down her cheek. "So in return, they bullied you... fuck. I don't have time to feel sorry for myself, I abandoned them. This is what I deserve.."

Looking away from the mirror, Krystal realized that whether she became friends with people or she didn't, the outcome was never going to be good.

So why not make some friends while she could?

<><><>

Follow the rules, follow the rules, follow the rules.

Sarah repeated the mantra in her head over and over again, closing her hazel eyes.

She laughed slightly to herself. It was almost like she was back in school, where her friends would go off and smoke, while she would stay behind and leave. She didn't want any part of that- just to live happily and obey the rules.

Rules, rules, rules. Rules defined her life. Some chose to break those rules, while others lived by it. They both worked- Sarah just preferred the latter. What was so wrong about that? She was content with her life.

She opened her mouth, and began singing.

Judge me all you want, but rules are what's going to keep me safe.

Hey everyone!

I stayed up till 5:30 am last night to pump out chapters for ya'll, I'm so tired

I also just wanted to say that some murders/murderers have already been chosen, so.. yeah

What OC do you want to see more of? (If you say your own, I will shoot myself)

Also, if your OC dies or is the killer, don't come at me telling me why they didn't deserve it, because I've got a simple solution for that, and it's called removing your character completely. Thanks.

Originally during the Saiko/Kaira part, it was supposed to end differently... if you're interested in knowing, it's down below.

Kaira was supposed to start telling Saiko, but then get interrupted by everyone else trickling into the cafeteria. I figured the other version fit Kaira way better.

Thanks for reading!