DanganRonpa: Prepare for Despair

"You can't throw anything at me that's going to get me any worked up than I've already been today, Bear." Alicia opened the envelope and looked at the pictures, her expression didn't change from the first to the second. "These don't matter anymore, you can keep them." She tossed her envelope on the table in front of Monokuma.

"Mm..." Leit's brow furrowed. He stepped over to the table and sat down next to Devin, gingerly putting a hand on his shoulder. "Do not worry." His voice didn't convey tone anymore, so he had to express with his eyes that much more, he quickly realized. It was natural to him to be expressive with his eyes, anyway, so it didn't matter much.

"The thought is enough, thanks." She muttered, before standing up and grabbing the pictures, "I think I'll go to my room for awhile." she didn't make eye contact with anyone, "Any objections?"

"Going to bed on an empty stomach won't do," Liam added, turning away to face the table. "Go if you like, but I suggest eating something first."

Devin raised an eyebrow at Leit. "How could I not? The bear gave you something. For free."

"Uh," Leit looked briefly from Julie to Devin, feeling a little stuck between them. He addressed Devin, "I do not see how that is a cause for concern..." He put an elbow on the table, and leaned his chin in his hand, discreetly turning down his volume. "You do not quite understand yet. I will explain. Shh. Wait for him to leave." His glance flicked over to Monokuma. He'd regained his composure, but there was a hopeful, eager little glint in his eye.

Heather was relieved at the first picture and was actually smiling. That soon changed to a look of shock as she switched to the second picture. Painful memories flooded back as she instinctively grabbed her left arm, accidentally dropping the photos onto the floor. She thought she had come to terms with her past but that picture proved otherwise. Heather could do nothing at that moment bust fall on her knees and cry.

Monokuma took Alicia's photos from her before shrugging and throwing them on the nearest table. The first picture showed a very comfortable brick building with a black awning hanging from it that read, "Alicia's Place," in elegant lettering. Through the large windows you could make out a fireplace, with many happy guests dining in front of it. The place looked full, a few guests standing outside of the building, waiting for a spot where they could eat.

The second photo showed the inside of the kitchen, the light of the fireplace showing from the other side of the kitchen doors. In the picture stood Alicia, pouring cooking oil on the oven. In front of her, a fire, one almost large enough to touch the ceiling. She stared at it with a look of disinterest, while another person stood beside her, with their back to the camera. There wasn't much to say about the figure. Just someone in a black shirt with neon green hair.

The bear left the room, seeing that his job was done.

After Heather's outburst, Julie clenched her jaw, "Sh...shut up, Heather." she muttered, barely audible to the rest of the kids. After the crying persisted she slammed her hands on the table, "Didn't you hear me? I said to fucking shut up!"

"Julie, calm down," Felix said. "Heather, relax and try to calm down." Felix stood up and picked up Heather's photos, shoving them in the envelope without looking at them, and put them on the table. He picked Heather up and sat her on his chair. "Alicia, could you, I dunno, help, maybe, or like make some tea or something, something to calm her down."

Julie sat back down and buried her face in her hands. She began muttering to herself, not loud enough to be heard by the others.

"Leave her alone, Julie. She's been through enough today." Alicia started walking towards the kitchen, almost automatically, to make that cup of tea, dinner sat on the cart to be forgotten about.

"Youre acting like the rest of us haven't." Julie replied.

"Just let her be will you? You're not in charge anyway." She sounded tired and absent.

"Arguing isn't going to help any of us. The pair of you, quit it," Felix said. He brushed Heather's hair away from her face and began smoothing it back, trying to calm her.

"SPEAKING of which." She looked up, her face red, "Felix, Alicia said that you spent the night in her room last night. So to confirm it, could you tell me what about her room is different from yours?" She looked at Felix, anxiously awaiting an answer.

"I'd say it's pretty important if one or both of you were willing to throw everyone's lives away. Answer the question."

"If it was just about me I wouldn't bother to ask. I think everyone has the right to know about how you two are willing to lie, even if it meant the deaths of the rest of us."

Julie straightened up and looked around, waiting for someone else to speak up. After a minute, she continued. "Un-fucking-believable." she brought her hands to her forehead. "Do all of you want to die? Why am I the only one standing up to these two?" she slammed her hands down on the table, "Youre okay with this? With the lies? If I would have tried to argue with them and caught them in their lie, we would have had a reason to vote for him, wouldn't we?" she began shaking, "Why? Why am I the only one who's fighting for this here?" tears began building in her eyes, "When are you all going to take this seriously? To take me seriously?" she looked around the room, "What the hell is it going to take to survive with you fucking idiots?!"

"Julie... Please, do not be so upset. I... I have good news. I wanted to tell everyone. It is more than good, though, it is-- it is-- Oh, I cannot think of a word!" He abruptly stopped himself, recognizing he was going into a revelry. He hadn't done that since they first got there, and he felt like a great weight had been lifted off of him that he felt free enough to do so. "Look. When I woke up, there was a woman next to me. She gave me this!" He pointed to the device on his throat, "She could not tell me who is operating Monokuma, because he is limiting her memory somehow. But she said that she had friends who were coming to get us. Coming to get us! She said just to wait a few more days!" He didn't realize it, but in his excitement, he'd stood up at some point in all of that, leaning over the table, his hands pressed down on it. "But Monokuma tried to play it off as a hallucination, that I am messed up in the head! I am not, though, there could be no way I got this without her giving it to me, right? He did not because when he came in the room after she left, he had no idea what it was!"

Julie wrung her hands, "And you would believe her?" her voice was filled with anger and skepticism, "If we were to believe you, there was a mysterious woman who we know nothing about trying to save us. Then why didn't she tell you how she got in? Why wouldn't she tell you about a way out?" she slammed her fists down once again before pointing a finger accusingly at Leit, "Think for yourself! What reason would someone from the outside have to help us? And how would they even get in?"

She frowned at Felix, "...Being cautious is what keeps you alive. Question everything and everyone." She shuddered, more tears welled in her eyes and she tried to blink them away, "The only person who's going to keep me alive anymore is me. There's nothing else to it. This pretend savior is just that. She's either the one controlling the bear or a pawn that he is controlling."