Chapter Text
Eva Tsunaka could no longer feel the blades piercing through the palms of her hands, nor the loss of the blood she had smeared across the knees of her stockings from when she pulled herself, pulled, practically dragged herself higher and higher– even when her body was screaming at her to stop. She could no longer feel the ground underneath her, and for a moment, she felt like she was rising. Ascending. But that was wishful thinking. Vision blurred, she saw nothing but a foggy image of the ceiling and her two bleeding hands in front of her. Ears ringing, she heard nothing but the whistling of air– not even her own screams. She knew she was screaming, though, because she felt it ripping from her throat, shredding her vocal chords apart. The last sensation she would ever feel was one of heat overpowering her, of flames biting at her, of a fiery inferno consuming her whole.
That inferno didn’t care if she was alive, if she was human. In fact, as far as Eva was concerned, in her last moments, she was no longer human. Instead, in the place of one was a feral beast motivated by nothing beyond survival. With tears burning her eyelids, she wondered hopelessly if that’s all she is, all the others will know her as from now on, all she has ever been. Was she ever truly seen as a human being?
Please, God, why? Why…
“Why me? Why ME?!”
Her ear-bleeding shriek cut through the stillness of night, covering the sound of rustling sheets as Eva shot up. She hugged her knees and screamed into them instead of the air, as if trying to curl herself into a tight ball, as small as can be. She failed to notice her knees were clean of scrapes, her palms free of punctures, her neck bare of metal. She did notice, however, the temperature– the cool air hit her cracked lips and burned. Instinctively, she licked them– as if that would somehow heal it– before she noticed the breeze of what must’ve been air conditioning lingering against the rest of her exposed skin.
Cold. I’m cold. I’m… cold?
Surrounded by pitch blackness, Eva touched the ground she was sitting on and found it quite soft and spongy. Cushiony, yet firm. She pressed down again and again, noting the slight lumpiness of the surface as she stroked along it. This was nothing like that… what was it, a conveyor belt? A treadmill? Where there was once prickly, unforgiving rubber now laid a smooth satin supporting her weight. Resting under her pelvis was another cushion of some kind– Eva wondered if it was a literal one as she squeezed the side of the object and found it just as firmly soft. She swallowed thickly, not allowing herself the reprieve of losing her guard. She was being executed, and this was clearly to lure her into some kind of comfortable lie. How cruel are these people?
As she looked around for some kind of light, felt around for some kind of escape route, it washed onto her. Light– that is– but only a crack of it illuminating her surroundings. The suspicions lingering in the back of her mind were confirmed, she was indeed on a bed, but what surprised her was how familiar the bed looked. Strawberry pink sheets with cerulean accents sat crumpled at her feet, bunched up disproportionally on one side of the bed: the side that Eva was currently sitting on. She turned her head to glance at the large empty space left by the sheets, had someone just been in the bed with her? She knew this wasn’t her room, and there’s only one other person it could’ve belonged to.
“Miss Venicia, are you certain you’re alright?”
A voice all too familiar caught Eva’s attention, but she dared not to turn her head, keeping deathly still. Her hands trembled at the thought of looking up, fearing the ghost she would see in the doorway– or maybe fearing he would see her. Nonetheless, curiosity and confusion ate at her, so she kept her eyes glued to the sheets yet her ears open.
“Yes! Yes– yeah, I’m– y-yeah. I’m sorry about that,” a softer voice chuckled, nervousness dripping from her words. Eva recognized it too, of course– despite their short time together, she could easily pick out Diana’s voice from a mile away. “I just woke up from a nightmare, is all, so… false alarm, haha. Um, I’m sorry to worry you guys, really.” You guys? More than just him? Eva strained her ears but could only vaguely make out the clamor of a crowd that must’ve been behind Wolfgang. She couldn’t tell how many students were in the hallway, but she heard murmurings that gave her an idea of why they were at the door.
“(You think Eva seriously tried something?)”
“(There’s no way– that’d be the most obvious murder ever! I mean, we’d all know it was her, so why would she even bother?)”
“(So it really was only a nightmare? Well… that’s better than the alternative, at least, but man… harsh way to wake up.)”
“(Is Diana okay? Ah, Diana, hey, are you okay?)”
Eva’s brow furrowed in confusion. What the hell was happening? Was this some kind of flashback, like her life flashing before her eyes? But she had no memory of this happening, no memory of hearing any of this. Was she hallucinating? She couldn’t say, not for sure, but she… felt real, at least.
Wolfgang’s long silence was eventually broken by a low, perhaps unsatisfied hum. “That scream of yours… pardon me if I’m, ah, overstepping, but it sounded rather… intense. Almost as if you were–” Wolfgang cut himself off, and Eva imagined the way he’d snap out of his own thoughts and wave a reassuring hand in dismissal of them. “Nevermind. Miss Venicia, a nightmare is understandable, given the situation. Perhaps we could discuss it further in the morning?”
“Yes, I’d… I’d like that. In the morning,” she agreed. Despite her better judgement, that voice– the pitiful way it wavered in slight uncertainty– drove Eva to lift her head. There was a beam of light shining from the crack in the doorway, obscured by the form of Diana Venicia, back turned on her. Eva could see the light from the hallway glowing on the edges of her hair, almost like a halo, if it were backwards. The rest of her, cast in shadow, reflected the lighting in the rest of the room. In the doorway, Wolfgang stood tall. Eva couldn’t make out much of his face, but she could tell from there that he and those behind him were completely illuminated by the bright yellow hallway lights. From there, he and the others looked something like angels. Eva wondered if any of the hall’s light was hitting her, but she didn’t think to look down and check. Instead, her pupils shifted to the crowd, trying to get an estimate on how many people were standing outside of the room right now. She saw a pair of bunny ears sticking up to the lawyer’s left, an unmistakable pair of exposed, tanned pecs to his right, a paper fan obscuring the face of a figure atop another’s back, and a–
…A blonde head of hair trying to crane his neck past Wolfgang.
Eva ripped her eyes away, her nails uncontrollably digging into her thighs. She felt like screaming again, but didn’t dare make a noise, instead forcing herself to focus her attention onto the back of Diana’s head, pretending she never saw him. The conversation wormed her way back into her ears, and she realized she hadn’t been listening. “...get some rest now, you know? Besides, I have Eva to… to comfort me, just in case I need someone!”
“Her?” Eva caught Wolfgang pursing his lips into a thin line, but he nodded politely. “...Very well. Take care, Miss Venicia.” As his words briefly lingered in the air, he turned, presumably to break up the inquisitive crowd that formed behind him. With a light goodbye and a click! followed by a prompt sigh, the room was suddenly drenched in shadow yet again. Eva squinted, and could make out a blurry silhouette of Diana leaning against the door, as if she were exhausted by the conversation. Neither of the girls moved, one perhaps waiting for the other to signal something first, one perhaps still grappling with the reality she found herself in. But regardless, they sat in shadow and silence, leaving Eva alone with her thoughts.
And what was she thinking about?
Flame. Blood. Bleeding. Tripping. Stabbing. Crawling. Living. Living, surviving– falling, falling –
Flick!
“Eva?”
Startled, the girl nearly jumped out of the bed, gripping onto the sheet and instinctively hiding herself away from the stark change in lighting. She couldn’t help the hiss that escaped her lips, but slowly relaxed (as much as she could, at least). She swallowed thickly, her throat dry, and called out a response. “Di…ana?” Her voice croaked.
Diana smiled. Eva could see that stupid expression of hers even without her glasses, and turned away with a suppressed groan. The pitter-patter of socked feet, growing louder and louder, not only signaled that Diana was moving closer to her, but also brought back… an unsavory memory. “Eva,” she began, pausing for a moment next to the bed. Diana leaned over her, and despite herself, Eva glanced up to meet her face. Up close, her smile was a lot sadder than she anticipated… almost pitiful. “Eva, hey, you… you don’t have to worry, okay?”
How could she say that? How could she possibly say that, when she knows full well that I’m going to–
…Going to… wait, am I still going to…?
A brief flash of hesitance was quickly replaced with a scowl, shot up at the cosmetologist before Eva flopped down and buried her face in the pillow. “Shut up.” Muffled, yet more than audible, she wanted to make her feelings clear as day: she refused to talk to Diana, no matter what. Even if Diana seemed worried, even if Diana was trying to look like she was looking out for her, Eva knew the truth about–
“But I cared. Eva… I cared about you.”
…It didn’t matter. Not anymore.
“E–Eva?” A small gasp of surprise, a light shake of the shoulder, before another awkwardly long silence. Eva expected her to just stop and leave her alone, ignore her for the foreseeable future, however long it would be. That’s what Eva would do, in her shoes. But, of course, because God and the entire rest of the world hates her, Diana did not do that. In fact, she did what Eva would argue was the exact opposite: she heard a chuckle– Diana actually chuckled at her– and felt the mattress dip beside her feet. Shit. Shit. No. Go away. Now. “Eva… it’s okay. You don’t have to be embarrassed. You know that, right?” ‘Embarrassed’? What the fuck is wrong with you?! Eva shot up, probably to deliver a nasty, sharp retort, but was stopped in place by Diana’s hand… specifically, stroking her cheek.
“Wh… ah? Stop, w-what’re you–?”
“It’s scary. Really scary, especially for you right now, after the… whole… talent thing,” Diana said, dotingly wiping away some of Eva’s tears with her thumb– tears she didn’t even realize were there. “I know you’re upset about being made fun of, and I know that Tozu and his stupid game aren’t helping. So… don’t feel ashamed for having a nightmare, okay?”
Eva furrowed her brows, trying feebly to steady her breathing as she studied Diana’s expression. It took admittedly longer than she’d like to piece together what Diana was getting at, but when it clicked, Eva realized that something was terribly wrong. “You… I– you’re saying I… I had a– a…?”
Diana tilted her head as Eva trailed off, supplementing the end of the sentence soon after. “A nightmare? Well, you… woke up screaming, so, I’d assume, aha. But– but, really, it’s okay! It’s nothing to be–!”
“Am I still having it?”
“...What?”
“Am I… still dreaming?”
“Aha… no, silly! Here, look, I’ll prove it,” Diana said, smiling as she reached down towards Eva’s forearm. Before she could react, a small yet sharp pain spiked from it, pushing a high-pitched yelp from Eva as she flinched far harsher than was necessary. “Ehehe, see? You felt it, right?”
Ugh. Give me a warning next time, Eva thought to herself, glaring as she yanked her arm away. “I… guess, but…” She paused, trailing off as the skin of her temple creased even further. But I definitely felt the pain back then, too. There’s no way in hell I’m forgetting that. And besides, I remember everything that happened up until then in… unfortunately vivid detail. That wouldn’t happen with a dream. So, then, how could I have experienced my execution but also be experiencing this right now?
“...Eva–?”
“I’m thinking,” she interrupted, gritting her teeth.
“Ah?” Diana blinked, taken aback. “Um, thinking about…?” Eva didn’t plan on dignifying her with a response, but it didn’t matter. Diana supplied herself with one anyway. “Oh, are you afraid they’ll be mad at you for waking them up? You don’t have to worry about that.”
No, I wasn’t thinking about that at all, actually. That’s my least possible priority right now. But after Diana brought it up, Eva couldn’t help but wonder… if she had really been the one to wake up screaming, why was Diana claiming responsibility for it during her conversation with Wolfgang? Eva could only think of one possible explanation… one that made her irrationally angry. “...You told them you had the nightmare.”
“Oh, so– so you did hear us! That’s good, I was afraid you were still… aha, you know. But I’m happy I could calm you down, at least!”
Don’t change subjects. “Why would you lie like that, Diana?” As soon as the question left her mouth, Eva mentally kicked herself. Why was she getting caught up on this? Wasn’t there a more pressing matter at hand? “...No, forget it, I–”
“Ah– lie? No, no, it’s– that makes it sound bad!” Diana whined. “The truth is, I… I just didn’t want them to find another reason to get mad at you. That’s all.”
“…”
Eva squeezed her eyes shut, fighting tears as she flopped backwards onto the pillow. She ignored Diana’s gasp and exclamation of worry, promptly deciding to tune her out as the cosmetologist shook her shoulder again. Drained and confused, she opened one eye to stare up at the ceiling of the canopy. This was definitely where she spent most of her nights back then, she remembered both the sight and the smell of the room. She definitely wasn’t hallucinating as a coping mechanism– surely, she would’ve died in her execution by now. And she absolutely remembered the execution happening, how would her mind even make up something as terrifyingly cruel as that? She also remembered everything leading up to the execution: solving the poster, taking the traitor perk on a stupid whim, receiving the console, planning her murder, writing the notes, and–
Wait.
If all of that really did happen, and she somehow miraculously survived her execution, had her wounds tended to, came out with no scarring whatsoever, and on top of all that, Diana was inexplicably not traumatized and Wolfgang was very much alive, then…
Accidentally spooking Diana in the process, Eva shoved herself up, whipping around and reaching for a nearby drawer. Yanking it open, she leaned towards it to peek inside, then unceremoniously dug through its contents. Ignoring Diana’s nervous yelp and questioning, Eva slammed the drawer shut, moving on to the next. I never put it anywhere else. I always kept it either in my blazer or in the nightstand, and I’m not wearing my blazer, so that can only leave…
A trembling hand rose to Eva’s lips as she stared down in complete and utter awe, processing the miscellaneous objects scattered about in the bottom drawer. Or, rather, processing the one object that wasn’t.
“I never got the console,” she whispered.
“E– Eva!” She didn’t see Diana coming from behind to slip off of the bed and crouch down, gently sliding the drawer shut. “Eva, I think you’re just a little on edge right now. Maybe you should get some sleep?” The liar didn’t acknowledge her, not verbally, at least, but spared a feeble nod as she swayed lightly in the air. Her thoughts weighed heavy as she grappled with all the information that had been thrust onto her so suddenly. If she didn’t have the console– which she would definitely need to double check in the morning– then she never took the traitor perk. That means that she doesn’t have access to the cameras anymore, but she also wasn’t on a time limit, so she had more time to–
…Time to… what, exactly?
A predictable answer quickly popped into her head, and Eva groaned, burying her face away in the palms of her hands. Was she really going to risk execution again? But what other choice did she have? She’s still isolated from the rest of the group, her chances of survival are still slim, if anyone else was going to commit murder– and if someone got the perk before she did– she was as good as dead. At the same time, though…
“It’s over, Eva. We know the truth.”
The way he looked at her… the way all of them looked at her… was she really willing to–?
Her thoughts were cut off as she found her head abruptly buried in the pillow yet again. She blinked, her eyes wide, and her gaze flickered up at a pouting Diana hunched above her. “You– listen to me, okay? It’s time for bed now!” Oddly assertive coming from her, but at least it brought her back to reality. Eva groaned, turning over as Diana went to go flick off the lights. “Don’t worry about nightmares again, I’ll be right there beside you. What’re friends for?” That left a sour taste in Eva’s mouth, but Diana sounded just too cheerful to argue against. Besides, she didn’t have the energy left… not for arguing, anyway.
Soon, Eva found herself in complete darkness once again. The only movement she could feel was the rhythmic rise and fall of Diana’s chest, the only sound was that of her breathing, and yet… she felt as if she were something else entirely. Her biggest questions still went unanswered, mainly how and why, but she couldn’t keep thinking about it forever. As exhaustion took over Eva’s body and lulled her to sleep, she saw a pair of narrowed, green eyes flash in her mind's eye, striking nothing but terror within her.