Notes

Killing Harmony

Kaede's hands shook violently as she unzipped her backpack, lifting the only chance they had to escape. Nobody deserved to die, but she'd rather the monster who trapped them in this sick game go rather than any of her new friends. Invasive thoughts were clouding the blonde's dizzy head, what if it didn't work? This wasn't the most expertly crafted plan after all. Shaking her head in an attempt to clear her rapidly distorting mind, she let the ball drop to the floor with a small thud.

The pianist was on her knees now, fingers curling around the vent's shield. What if I kill the wrong person? Kaede's fear clawed at her arms, lodging its grip into the goosebumps littering her shaking limbs. Either they would all die and she would live as a disgusting murderer who had sentenced the people she would kill for to death, or... If this erratic plan failed, that's the outcome she would want. The latter option.

What am I even thinking? She questioned, clutching the vent cover against her bosom. It was so cold, her fingers started to feel numb. The girl heaved, instinctively raising her hands to cover her mouth, the metal fell to the floor with what seemed like a deafening cry. Hot tears rolled down the blonde's quivering cheeks, she stared at her fingers, now covered in bile. She rubbed them against her backpack, and grasped the shot put ball, wiping away the excess fluids shamefully dripping down her chin with a palm.

This was supposed to take a few minutes, but it had been an eternity longer. Shuichi must be anxious now, suspicion polluting his fragile mind. Kaede felt so sick from these vile words the voices in her head were spitting. All he needed was a little confidence, he was stronger than he thought.

"How dare you insult him..!" She ended up choking out, her face scrunching up in an enraged expression.

This was insane. Kaede had been rallying everyone that morning, being strong for them all. She'd do anything for those smiles, she believed in them with every thud of her breaking heart. Now she was in a dark classroom, bile gluing strands of hair to her wet face, hysterically fighting at herself. Planning to murder whoever happened to open that secret door.

Glaring at the object of desire, the blonde's tears fell from her wartorn face, causing identical streaks to trail down the sides of the ball, like sadness of its own.

Kaede placed the weapon at the edge of the vent, exhausted. I am okay with this, she reminded herself, if I don't take this chance everyone WILL die. Like ripping off a bandaid, she quickly released the ball, it swiftly rolled through the tunnel and out of sight.

Done.

The girl sniffled, wiping away anything gross from her face with a pale sleeve. She zipped up her now lighter backpack, and pulled the straps calmly around her shoulders. Kaede double-took, she had almost forgotten to set the vent's cover back as it was.

Time was up.

Shuichi threw open the door, his eyes wild.

"Ka..."

She gripped her backpack straps, blown away by the anxiety radiating off of him.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, was I really that long?"

"I'm sorry... I thought you were-"

Raising her fists to her shoulders, the blonde brandished a bold smile. "You know I'm a fighter, that'd never happen."

"Yeah, you're right." The boy weakly smiled in relief, staring at his hands.

This exchange was so strange. He trusted her so much. He didn't even mention it.

Kaede approached her shaken friend, and wrapped her fingers around his. She disregarded how nasty they probably were in favor of comforting him.

"Let's get going now."

The only words bouncing around her skull now were ones of fondness, so she left her betrayal behind and the vent uncovered.