T grumbled as he shifted around in his designated bed, uncomfortable with the fact it was smaller than his one at school. He twisted and turned, clutching on to the quilt as his dream took over.
T was stood in a wooded area, surrounded by his friends. As he looked around, he shuddered as Rick and Bluebell where kicked to the floor by the many blank-faced students stood around him and his classmates. He looked around to see Sir stood back-to-back with him, his back straight and his arms by his side.
T turned around, only to be pulled by one of the students with no faces. He cried out, realising that the only two people that were fighting over him were also pushed to the floor, held to the ground.
T woke up in a cold sweat, panting and shivering. He let out a sigh as he looked around his darkened room, no blank-faced people in sight. He heard creaking on the floorboards outside of his room, only for them to stop and startle him.
He was debating on wether to slowly lie back and pretend he was asleep or wether to stay sitting upright. He had no time to choose when his door was flung open by a concerned Chloe. She waddled in, phone in hand and blanket wrapped around her cozily. T gulped, relieved his friend had come in.
"T, did you not hear a bang? It sounded like a firework of some sort. Whatever it was, I didn't like the sound of it, I was just making sure you were awake... you are awake aren't you?" Chloe strained out her words, fed up with socialising and the outside world.
"I'll check it out with you. Make sure to look out for anything suspicious." He replied, rubbing his eyes and grabbing his glasses from the side table. With a puff of air, he slipped his fluffy bunny slippers on his feet, shuffling slowly down the corridors as Chloe walked alongside him.
A sudden stampede of flat footsteps slapped on the floor, heading their direction. The first person to be seen was Harrison, who was flustered and upset. The next person was a surprisingly shocked Carmen, a blubbering Robyn and a concerned Chad.
T gulped as the group stopped in front of them. They looked over at them, eyeing them suspiciously. Chloe looked over at them, confused. T's face resembled hers, a confused and questioning look.
"You guys didn't happen to know there was a dead body, did you?" Asked Adan slowly, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, that would explain the bang-" Chloe started, being interrupted by Mortimer.
"Okay there tough nuts, it's time to look at the hard evidence and the speculation, then we have a trial, and then we have a conviction. I hope you guys are ready." Mortimer bounced his short hair, his earring jangling as his locks knocked it.
+++
Everyone stood there looking at each other. Everyone was confused and shaky. No one wanted the "Spotlight of Blame" pointed their way. Not today.
The body had a large, circular wound, a pool of blood beneath them and a few muddy footprints. Nothing was as hard as the last trials, although since this murder was that of a talentless student, the other students had no experience since theirs was on murder cases of themselves. Their own friends and family.
"I'm sure we would all agree that it was a double murder and the two suspects are T and Chloe. I mean it's kinda obvious if you think about it. They were shuffling down the halls together while we ran away from the crime scene, probably to cover up tracks or get back to their rooms." Klara stated matter of factly. She skimmed her fingers through her hair, a smirk on her face.
Someone slammed their hands down on their stand in rage. Everyone turned around, only to see Marvin, his nostrils flared and his eyes narrowed.
"Peasants. Do you even have any proof? You saw it yourself, the wound was circular, large and deep. It couldn't have been T unless he managed to throw a pencil which was bullet-shaped." Marvin snorted.
Vincent nodded along with the words. Everyone looked at each other and back to T, surveying faces.
"Right, let's look at the evidence. It wouldn't have been me or Chloe since we were in pyjamas and slippers, our slippers having no rubber soles that look like the ones from the crime scene. It can only be one of the people who ran from the scene. If you look at how the wound was inflicted it went from front to back, and the wound was large and circular. The only thing I can think of from the top of my head is it's a bullet wound." T suggested, keeping his predictions and facts in the open air for someone to contradict or add to.
"Wait, there's only one person who has a gun on them all the time. It's Chad, it has to be." Rosie piped up, saying her part. Chad only gave a scoff and a airy 'hah'.
"It doesn't necessarily have to be me. How do you know someone didn't pick pocket one of my guns? I have an idea on who it could be. It's only based on a grudge though." Chad stated, crossing his arms loosely.
"I think it was Adan. I mean he's cunning, could easily charm someone and steal something out of someone's pocket." Chad added.
Adan rolled his eyes and raised an eyebrow.
"Seriously? Is it because me and your brother have a thing for each other? Come on! You can't be jealous, surely. You have your little Morty to keep you company!" Adan snapped back, about to walk over to Chad.
"Hey! Look, I can vouch for Adan and the others! Don't you notice how I wasn't there?" Bunny pressed, "I was further down the hall near Adan, T, Chloe and the others that didn't run out with you guys. So it has to be one of the people who ran from the crime scene, they could have hid until someone found the body and pretended to be shocked. Who could that be?"
Carmen pressed her knife to the corner of her mouth, looking over at Chad. She then looked over at Harrison for confirmation of her guess. After all, Harrison was the first person to find the body. Harrison looked over at Chad.
"C'mon guys! I was genuinely shocked ok? I didn't know anything like that damn gun would make a loud noise. I walked by and got shocked, I heard Harrison run over and I ran over ok? So it's someone else." Chad said, blatantly ignoring everyone's stares of suspicion.
A cackle came from Sir's chair. There was something different about him though. His eyes seemed perfectly fine and his cheeks weren't pale. Sir's eyes usually went cross eyed when he was tired as he usually was during a trial and he usually stays indoors. This imposter had bright, sparkling eyes and rosy cheeks. This was a bad sign.
"I would say who it is, but telling only stops the fun." Tom replied, flicking hair out of his face.
"Look, won't you admit it? Whatever you're hiding, I know you're the murderer, no matter what you've been through." T blurted out, his voice becoming lower in tone, the whole aura about the place becoming frightening. Even Tom shuddered.
Micheal snuck in, standing next to the chair he usually sits in, frowning at his older, identical twin brother. He looked over to T, making the aura go back to normal in a split second. Chad shook himself off.
"Look, the gun made a loud noise, I panicked and ran ok." Chad blurted out, only realising what he said after he said it.
"Well, that's our culprit!" Micheal shouted out, clapping his hands with excitement.
In an instant Chad was dragged away, along with a talentless student. The student was confined in a cage, enclosing them tightly into a horrifying, unfamiliar place. They sat down, curling up into a ball, waiting for the worst to happen.
Sudden screams were played, making the person get up and slam on the cages bars as hard as they could until their knuckles bled. The screaming carried on, the person curling back up into a ball, sobbing their heart out. After a while the person began to go mad, slamming their head into the bars of the cage until they stopped moving, slowly but surely dying.
++++++
It was lunch, everyone sat down at the dining table. Robyn was shivering, snuggling up to Adan as he snivelled and whimpered. He couldn't take the fact his brother had harmed another person. He didn't understand why.
A groan from the hallway startled T, snapping him out of his thoughts. Chad shuffled towards the table, holding his ribs with care, groaning and plonking himself down onto his chair. Mortimer closed his eyes, inhaling and gulping, then exhaling very shakily.
"Why did you do it?" Mortimer questioned, a visibly upset look in his eyes. Chad looked over at him, his face suddenly turning stone cold.
"What do you expect me to do when someone who thinks they know it all starts interrupting you and trying to start arguments with you? He bullied my little brother and you think I'm gonna let him get away with it? If he thinks he can start running his mouth after laughing at him for his conditions which hurt him, he's quite mistaken." Mortimer's face grew shocked, Robyn lifting his head up from his shoulder perch and starting to sob.
Chad got up, embracing his brother and holding onto him tightly. Adan sat there, looking down at his feet. Him, like most of the others, suspected he was influenced by someone or did it for fun, not considering the consequences. In actual fact, he murdered to stop a bully from trying to mentally abuse him and his brother, taking in full consideration what the consequences would be.
Nobody expected his answer. And T wasn't about to judge his actions.