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Sonia awoke in a cold sweat, the silk of her nightgown uncomfortably clinging to her skin and her heart pounding violently against her ribcage.
She cautiously pried her eyelids open, half afraid that her nightmare had followed her into reality, but thankfully her gaze was only met with the ceiling of her cottage, dimly illuminated by the moonlight. She sat up against the pillows, releasing a shaky breath and blinking drowsily at the blanket folded on her lap. The final moment of her dream was seared into her brain - Chiaki's corpse, sprawled like a ragdoll on the concrete of a dingy hallway, littered with countless fresh wounds...
She flung herself out of bed and scrambled across the cabin, desperate to rid her mind of the disgusting image. She slid the bathroom door open, her palm clammy against the glass, then fumbled to turn on the faucet, cupping the water and splashing it onto her face in an attempt to calm herself.
It didn't work. The dripping sensation only haunted her further, reminding her of Chiaki's blood, oozing from her body and staining the tattered remains of her school uniform.
Sonia yanked the towel from the rack and hurriedly scrubbed her skin dry, only for it to soon be rewetted with tears, the coarse fabric muffling her feeble sobs. Nightmares didn't usually frighten her this much. She'd normally feel alright within a few moments of waking, almost laughing at how ridiculous the made up scenarios were, but that night was the polar opposite. If anything, her dream somehow felt closer to reality than the actual reality surrounding her, Chiaki's morbid outline much crisper than her own as she set the towel on the edge of the sink and peeked up at the mirror.
She cleared her throat and straightened her posture, making eye contact with her reflection and trying to think logically. Chiaki was a sweetheart, no rational person would ever want to hurt her, and Chiaki certainly wouldn't murder anyone herself, so there was no risk of her being executed either. She wouldn't die, she'd survive with the rest of them and escape from this wretched island any day now, there was no practical reason for Sonia to be so scared of her nightmare.
Regardless of practicalities, she was still petrified. She cared too deeply for Chiaki to simply let it go and fall back asleep. What if she really was in danger, and the dream was a warning of some kind?
With a quiet sniffle, she turned and made her way out of the bathroom, deciding that the only way to soothe her nerves would be to check on Chiaki. If she was okay, Sonia could relax, hold her in her arms and forget the stupid nightmare, and if she wasn't... at least Sonia could be with her during her final moments, and hopefully catch the killer red handed.
She slipped out of her cottage into the eerily warm night air, not bothering to grab a pair of shoes or lock the door behind her. She padded down the path, the wooden planks creaking slightly beneath her weight, and before she knew it she'd reached Chiaki's cabin and was pressing a trembling finger to the doorbell.
She glanced down at Chiaki's pixelated nameplate as she waited for a response, only for her imagination to morph the icon's blank expression into a mocking sneer. Her eyes flitted away anxiously, urgent to focus on something less unsettling, and out of the corner of her vision she noticed one of the boy's lights were on.
Nagito. Her breath hitched in her throat. If anyone was planning on hurting Chiaki or had already done so, it would be him - he was extremely unstable. Despite how much kindness Chiaki had shown him, he'd already proved how dangerous he could be, so what if he'd snapped and turned against her? What if he'd approached her in the middle of the night when he thought nobody was watching, what if he'd snuck into her cabin and-
"Sonia?"
Chiaki was standing in her doorway, head cocked to one side like a confused puppy and fingers fidgeting with the strings of her pajama shorts. Sonia flung her arms around Chiaki in an instant, holding her tightly against her chest then pulling back and clutching her by the shoulders.
"I-I'm so relieved to see you," she stammered, "May I come in?"
Chiaki nodded, wriggling free from Sonia's grasp and stepping backwards into her cottage, holding the door open for the princess as she entered. She shuffled over to the small nest of bed sheets and cushions in the middle of the floor and sat down, crossing her legs and patting the space on her left as a signal for Sonia to join her.
The girls remained silent for a while, Chiaki immediately resuming the game Sonia assumed she'd previously been playing, and Sonia studying her as she did so, worried that if she spoke she'd jinx the situation and somehow hurt her friend. Chiaki's features seemed so soft and delicate under the glow of the TV in front of her, the only noises being the faint music trickling from its speakers and the tapping of her thumbs working tirelessly on the buttons and joystick of her controller.
"I had a nightmare," Sonia eventually murmured, lifting a pillow from behind her and cradling it like a teddy bear. "You were... dead. W-well, dying at the start, and dead when I woke up."
Chiaki hummed in acknowledgement, prompting Sonia to continue.
"I've had a lot of nightmares since we arrived here, as you know, but this one felt too... real, too vivid. A-and I know this might sound foolish, but I was afraid you might actually be dead, and the dream was a premonition of some kind."
Without looking away from the screen, Chiaki took Sonia's right hand in her left, then repositioned her grip on the controller, the back of Sonia's fingers pressed snugly against the cool plastic. "It's probably just the stress of Gundham's execution," she suggested, "You guys were best friends, it's pretty reasonable for your brain to fit it into your dreams."
"I am dreadfully heartbroken over his passing, of course," Sonia sighed, a new wave of misery hitting her as she recalled the events of the past few days, "Yet this was... I don't know how to describe it. I suppose it feels as if everything's the wrong way around, as if his death was a dream and yours wasn't." She paused for a couple of seconds, taking a deep breath and fighting the urge to cry. "But that's a preposterous thought, isn't it? I have to accept that he is no longer with us. I can mourn him properly once we've escaped, we can mourn all of Monokuma's victims... A-and besides, my nightmare must've been nonsense, you're still here with me, you're still alive, aren't you! I'm sure we'll get out of here together soon."
"Yeah," Chiaki replied, "I'm still here with you."
Returning the pillow in her lap to the pile behind her, Sonia laid her head on Chiaki's shoulder, letting her knees drop to the side to rest against Chiaki's thigh. She peered up at the TV, watching the bright puzzle blocks slot into place again and again, each line flashing white and disappearing shortly after being filled in.
"Would you mind if I slept here tonight? I don't think I'll be able to fall asleep again if I'm not with you," Sonia whispered, her eyes glazing over slightly at the repetitive shapes and colours. "In fact, maybe I could move in here more permanently, i-if that's alright... It wouldn't take much effort, all we'd need to do is bring my clothes and Gundham's Devas' equipment over. We could keep each other company while we sleep until we're free."
"Good idea," Chiaki said, gently squeezing Sonia's hand, "I'd like that."
Yawning a quiet 'thank you', Sonia leaned further into her, her torso pressing against the gamer's left arm.
"You can get into bed now if you're tired, I'll join you when I'm done with my game. Or I can sleep on the floor if you want, it's up to you..."
"N-no, I'd definitely prefer to share," Sonia stuttered, untangling her fingers from Chiaki's and rising to her feet, smoothing out the imaginary creases in her nightgown with her palms. She opted to take the same pillow as earlier, realising that moving the bedsheets underneath Chiaki would likely disrupt her gaming, and instead wandered over to the coat rack on the wall, retrieving Chiaki's hoodie to use as a makeshift blanket. She climbed onto the bed and perched in the centre of the mattress, propping the pillow up behind her and draping the jacket over her lap. "How long do you think it'll be until you've finished?"
"Not long," Chiaki mumbled, "My high score is about three million, and I'm just coming up to two and a half right now, so I'll probably get a game over soon."
Sonia let her lips curve into a weak smile, grateful that she wouldn't have to wait. Unfortunately, her gratitude didn't last, and after just a few wordless minutes, her mind began to drift into doubtful territories again. "Do you... do you think Nagito's up to something?"
"Hm?"
"Before I came in here, I noticed his light was on," Sonia explained, lightly tracing the hoodie's embroidery with her fingernails, "I thought he might've hurt you at first, and obviously I now know that wasn't the case, but... I don't trust him."
"It'll be okay," Chiaki answered, eyes glued to the screen, "I doubt it's anything to worry about... Maybe he had a nightmare too?"
"Oh. I... suppose that makes sense."
Despite Chiaki's reasoning, Sonia couldn't shake the uneasy feeling planting itself in her head. With a barely audible sigh, she flattened the pillow and shuffled down the bed, lying down on her side to continue facing Chiaki. "What's your score now, a-are you nearly done yet?"
"Two million, five hundred and thirty one thousand, four hundred and twenty eight."
"So that's a no then," Sonia murmured, trying not to let her disappointment show. Chiaki didn't respond, seemingly too focused on the TV, the clicking of her controller gradually growing more and more rapid as the game's difficulty progressed.
Sonia reluctantly rolled onto her back, hoping that just being in the same room was enough, and that she could still get a good night's rest despite not being able to hold Chiaki in her arms. She watched the screen's dim glow flicker across the ceiling in alternating colours until she couldn't bear it any longer, eventually letting her eyelids flutter shut and dooming herself to another horrific nightmare.