Chapter 1: Fall Down Despairs [F]

Unsure of how to proceed, Candace asked Jaiden for some time to herself. After a moment of hesitation, Jaiden reluctantly left her friend alone. Once she was out of earshot, Candace sighed. As much as she wanted someone to confide in, Candace knew that it could never work. She grabbed her cracked Monophone off the cafeteria table and turned it on. Nothing seemed different about it. She swiped to view the rules of the killing game.

Rule 1: Nobody is allowed to leave the school until the killing game concludes.

Even if she did escape, there was nowhere to go. This universe wasn’t hers. Whose was it? Monokuma’s? It didn’t matter. Candace’s only outside chance of freedom was her brothers. But even if they were freed from captivity, she didn’t have much hope. As crazy as their lives had been, this situation was unlike any they’d experienced before. They weren’t coming to save her. Candace was on her own. Playing by the rules was the only option she had left. 

Rule 2: If you are the first to commit murder, you earn the title of blackened.

Earn. As if it was a reward. Candace didn’t want to be the blackened. She didn’t want any of this.

Rule 3: Some time after a body is found, a class trial will be held, in which you must participate.

She couldn’t fake an injury or illness. Going to trial was unavoidable. At its end, everyone would vote for whomever they believed to be the culprit. There were still many uncertainties about the procedure, but Candace had no way of getting more information about the trial in her current position. 

Rule 4: If the blackened receives the most votes at the end of the trial, they alone will be executed.

Candace had two choices: framing someone else for the crime, or maintaining her innocence so well that the votes land elsewhere. Given the limited suspect pool, Candace decided that the former was a more reasonable option. She was isolated with the rest of the suspects, so influencing them would be easy. That isolation also came with a heavy drawback: being stuck in the cafeteria meant that there was no way to tamper with the crime scene. Perhaps she’d be forced to go against her own judgment and take a passive approach.

Rule 5: If the blackened does not receive the most votes, everyone else will be executed instead.

Candace gulped. Winning the trial also came with drawbacks. She would have to live with the guilt of allowing everyone else to be executed. There were some bad apples in the bunch, but so many kind and virtuous individuals would die, too. Could Candace really let it happen? What would her mom think? Her dad? Her brothers? Her friends? 

…

Candace could feel her breath shaking, so she decided to temporarily push that thought away.

Rule 6: If it’s a tie for first, victory goes to the blackened.

If I can force a tie, then I’ll still win. Is there a scenario where that could happen?

There’s fifteen of us left, so the vote can’t be divided in half evenly. Thirds? That would require a coordinated effort. They wouldn’t want to split the vote three ways. They’ve probably read the rules a hundred times by now. They know what would happen. No chance.

…

If everyone votes for themselves… A fifteen-way tie. Could it happen? Maybe I can rile up a movement. “We won’t play your game, Monokuma!” Something like that?  

…

That’s ridiculous. It’s only been three days. The bonds between us are too thin to pull that off. I’ll need to try something else.

Rule 7: If the blackened dies, the title is transferred to the next living murderer, if one exists.

Unless I die, I can’t pass the title of blackened to someone else.

…

Would it be to someone’s advantage to kill me right now? Anyone could steal the title of blackened for themself.

…To do that, they would have to know for certain I’m the blackened. At that point, wouldn’t they rather go to trial and expose me there? I think I’m safe for the time being.  

Rule 8: An individual may only commit a maximum of two murders.

…

Should… Should I kill again? It’s within the rules of the game…

…

…Right now, I’m stuck in this cafeteria with the other suspects. Killing one of them would only narrow the suspect pool even further.  

Still, if I could frame one of them really well, then…

…

…They’re all grouped together right now. If the opportunity presents itself, maybe I’ll consider it.  

Rule 9: After the blackened is executed, the dead are erased, and the killing game is restarted.

…

…

…

…I could die. 

I might actually take my last breath in this building.

Do I deserve to die? A crime should be punished, right?

…

My entire life, I’ve chased the dream of busting my brothers. Catching them in the act. Proving to Mom that they’ve been breaking her trust behind her back every summer day.

But what would happen next? They’d be reprimanded? Grounded? Shipped off to some special camp upstate? I don’t want that. I’ve never wanted any of that.

…

I might understand how they feel now. They weren’t trying to cause mayhem or aggravate me. They never were. They were just acting on instinct. Doing whatever felt right in the moment, without thinking about any of the potential consequences… 

…Aren’t I just as guilty?

…

Looking back, this is the closest I’ve ever been to death. This feeling… is it dread? My life could be over before the end of the day. My entire existence… could completely vanish. And everybody else here would go on like it was nothing. I’d be a side note in all of their stories.  

…

Candace shook her head violently. Worrying about that wouldn’t change anything. Her feelings didn’t matter. She needed to take action. Candace looked at the other girls. They were having a conversation. She turned away. They wouldn’t notice if she was gone for a while. Candace discreetly slipped into the large pantry. Its shelves, lined with bags and boxes of food, would mitigate echoing. It was the perfect environment for a rehearsal. She approached the back corner of the pantry and loudly cleared her throat.

“I woke up at… No, that’s too specific. I woke up when Rick burst into my… Hmm… Would it be realistic to know who it was who kicked down my bedroom door? I was pretending to be asleep, after all…”

Candace checked behind her. The door was still shut, and the pantry was still empty. She turned back to the corner.

“I don’t know anything. All I remember are horrible sounds and smells. The rest was a blur.”

She paused.

“No. Too ambiguous.” 

…

“I… I don’t know what happened! When I woke up, my bedroom door was wide open, and I heard these awful screams coming from the hallway! I got dressed as fast as I could and rushed outside, but… before I could reach the stairs, Jaiden burst out of her bedroom and knocked me to the floor. I landed hard on the ground, and it stung like crazy, so I-“

“Yeah. Sorry about that.”

Her heart stopped. Jaiden was standing right there.

“Whoops. Didn’t mean to sneak up on you,” Jaiden stated, smirking upon noticing her scared reaction.

Candace didn’t move. Her entire body was frozen. She was covered in goosebumps.

Jaiden nonchalantly twisted her foot on the ground. “So… Practicing your alibi, huh?” 

Candace shook her head slowly in disbelief. “Wh… Wh- Wh… J- Jaiden… I…” 

“Don’t worry, Candace. I get it,” she gently interrupted.

Jaiden put a gentle hand on Candace’s shoulder. Her heart sank.

It was all over before it began. She had been caught. From the sound of it, Jaiden wasn’t even surprised. How long had she…?

Candace began to cry. “Y- You knew?”

Jaiden broke eye contact at the sight of her tears. She rubbed her neck. “Not really… but I understand how it feels.”

Candace wiped her eyes. “…You do?”

“Well, yeah. I mean, even with years of practice, it still takes me at least ten tries to record a decent take for a video. And that’s when I’m alone in my studio. So you can imagine how bad it gets in stressful situations when everyone’s expecting something from me. Even when I’m telling the truth, people think I’m lying just because of my mannerisms. I stutter, shake, and sweat… I’ve been grappling with the fact that I might get voted for in the trial due to my nervous behavior alone. If I let that happen, then everyone would get executed, and it would be all my fault. That’s why I was considering practicing, too. We need to do our best to make sure we don’t get in the way of the truth. For everyone’s sake,” Jaiden calmly articulated.

Candace’s entire body deflated when she realized the grave misunderstanding that had taken place. She would have laughed if she wasn’t completely emotionally burnt out. It was probably for the best, because Jaiden was one logical step away from connecting the dots and figuring out the true culprit. Candace decided to steer the conversation away from her rehearsal with extreme haste.

“Come on, Jaiden. Let’s go check back with the others.”

…

“Candace! We need your opinion. Will the election still happen today, or will the grumpy grown-ups postpone it again?”

“Oh, right. That’s why I went to the pantry,” Jaiden mumbled.

Candace scratched her head. “What, am I supposed to be the tiebreaker or something?”

“Sort of,” Unikitty replied. “Right now we have four enthusiastic yesses. We’re looking for a fifth.”

“…I mean, yeah, I guess it could still happen. It depends how long the trial takes,” Candace answered.

A thought formed in the back of her mind.

No it won’t. By the end of the trial, you’ll all be dead.

A shiver ran down her spine.

“NEIN!!”

An ear-splitting roar bellowed out, startling everyone.

“You dare insinuate zee election vill kontinue?! My partner is DEAD! Zee hole sing vas her idea in zee first place! And vaan of you fuckers killed her! Zis is no fair democracy! Zee election is fucking rigged! It vill NEFER kontinue! NEIN! NEIN! NEIN! NEIN! NEIN!…”

Hitler continued bashing his hands violently on the table as large drops of his sweat flew everywhere. The girls could only watch him, stunned. 

Cheerleader-san slowly leaned toward Unikitty. “…Did you just hear what I heard?”

“Yeah,” Unikitty whispered back.

They both leaped high into the air and cheered in unison. “We just won by default! Yaaaaay!” The pair did a coordinated victory jig and hummed a lengthy victory tune. 

“Y’know, come to think of it… Margaret Thatcher was the one who came up with the whole election idea,” Jaiden commented. “I wonder if that had to do with the murder?”

“I doubt it,” Candace replied.

I know the real motive, but if they figure it out, I’m done for.

…

Wait, shouldn’t I…?

…

“On second thought, maybe you’re onto something, Jaiden,” Candace corrected. “Everyone involved with the election is a suspect right now. Don’t you think that’s a little weird?”

“Yeah,” Jaiden whispered, leaning in close. “I’m thinking that somebody might have tried to stop today’s revote.”

“Whatcha doin’?”

Barbie’s sudden interruption made both girls jump.

Candace stared at the fashion model blankly. Then she blinked. “Sorry; I got lost in thought for a second there. We’re discussing the motive for the crime,” Candace explained.

Barbie’s face lit up with excitement. “Ooh, that’s right! You’re the Ultimate Buster! You can use your talent to totally bust the culprit!”

“I think the professionals have that covered,” Candace said, casting her mind to Team Super and Rick.

If I hadn’t done what I did, I’d be just like them. Piecing together the clues to solve the crime. In a weird way, that actually sounds kind of fun.

She discreetly pinched herself. “…Besides, I’m a suspect. I have no business being anywhere near the evidence.” 

The girls continued talking for what felt like several hours, though in reality was only a fraction of that time. While they talked, Hitler stood at the cafeteria doors, solemnly watching the hall through the right window. There was room for someone else to gaze through the left window, but nobody wanted to be anywhere near him. Throughout the many conversations, Candace looked for an opening to do something—anything—that might increase her chance of surviving the trial. That opening never came. Her targets were all grouped together, and her exit was blocked by a lunatic. Candace could do nothing but count the seconds ticking by as the inevitable approached.

… 

…

…

Black Widow kicked the door into Hitler’s face, knocking him out of the way as she entered the cafeteria. “Our investigation is complete. According to Monokuma, the trial’s about to start.”

Candace clenched her teeth.

Time’s up, and I didn’t even get to do anything. My chances of escaping the trial undetected are the same as they were at the start. I guess it was naïve to think I’d get a shred of good fortune in this place. God, what would Phineas and Ferb say? Would they have stood idly all morning waiting for the danger to arrive?

“…Oh yeah, that old lady died,” Barbie mused, tilting her head, poking her cheek, and gazing off into space. “Wait, B-Dubs, weren’t you acting all sad and remorseful before? Why are you acting like nothing happened?”

“Duty calls,” Black Widow said. “And don’t think your airhead shtick is gonna curry any favor.”

“Don’t worry! I cook a lot, so I already know not to mix those tastes,” the fashion model proudly replied.

Black Widow’s face twisted in confusion as she tried to understand what the hell Barbie meant by that. She quickly gave up and left the cafeteria. 

Candace was the first to follow her out, doing so in a hurry. She passed Ronald McDonald hoisting Sour Patch Kid to the top of the cafeteria doors. Candace didn’t care about what they were doing. She couldn’t get her mind off the investigation. She needed to see how it went. Rick was standing a bit further down the hall doing stretches. Candace ran up to him. “How’d it go? Do you know who the murderer is?”

“Yup,” Rick replied. “My investigation was a complete success. There’s no doubt about it. The killer is-” 

“Wait! Don’t you want to hear our testimonies first?”

Rick snickered. “Sorry, but I really don’t give a fuck,” he explained. “But thanks for stopping me. I almost ruined the big reveal. You’ll freak out when I say who did it.” He smirked down at Candace, then walked away whistling.

Candace took a long, deep breath.

He’s just trying to get a reaction out of me. There’s no way they figured it out already. I need to stay calm.

Suddenly, someone grabbed her arm. She turned. It was Jaiden, holding Candace’s cracked Monophone.

Jaiden playfully tossed the device back to its owner. “You forgot this.”

Candace caught her Monophone and turned it on.

…

*crack*

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEE!!!!!!!”

Barbie let out a high-pitched screech, freaking out with the cracked egg on her head.

Sour Patch Kid did a triple backflip off the door and high-fived Ronald as congratulations for a prank well done.

Barbie frantically shoved Candace and Jaiden out of the way as she ran crying to the bathroom near the stairs.

Jaiden brushed herself off. “What’s the big deal? I thought egg was good for your hair,” she mumbled, stifling a chuckle. “Hey, Candace, did you get a video of that?”

“No,” Candace quietly replied, watching something on her Monophone with a determined look in her eye.

Jaiden shrugged. “Oh well.”

Once Barbie finished cleaning her hair, the fifteen survivors assembled at the stairs. The whole situation felt like a family reunion: the atmosphere was tense, and there was a rotting corpse on the floor. The bright pink streamers were still wrapped around the handrails, but only one member of the group seemed in the mood to party.

Rick rubbed his hands together with a wide grin. “Finally, we’re done with the boring-ass melodrama. Time for the good shit.”

Monokuma hopped down the stairs and succinctly greeted everyone. “I hope you read the rules, ‘cuz I ain’t explainin’ squat! Good luck, idiots!”

The middle of the stairs opened up like a piston door, revealing a hidden passageway. Rick leaped over the body and raced into the darkness. One by one, the group followed him. Black Widow, Batman, Sheldon, Cheerleader-san, Maya, Barbie, Unikitty, Hobbes, Garfield, Sour Patch Kid, Ronald, Hitler, and Jaiden. Candace stopped at the entrance to the tunnel. Her heart was racing. She looked back at the body one final time, taking a moment to reflect.

The trial for the murder of Margaret Thatcher, the Ultimate Prime Minister. It all comes down to this. Everybody here will be working together toward one common goal…  

Catching me. There’s no undoing what’s already been done. I made a horrible mistake on a whim, and I can’t take it back. I have to fight to keep the truth hidden…  

One slip-up, and it’s all over. This won’t be easy. In fact, it seems downright impossible. Now’s my last chance to give up and preserve the final shred of my dignity…  

If the blackened receives the most votes, they alone will be executed. If they do not receive the most votes, everyone else will be executed instead. If I want to live, all of them have to die.  

…

…

…

I’ve already committed one murder. What’s fourteen more?