Apparently Jabberwock Park is on the central island. As I cross the bridge with Caim, Flauros, and Marzy, I start to understand how massive this place is. There's at least four other islands besides the island we were just on and the central island. Jeez, they really went all out for us. I'm flattered, honestly.

At the center of the central island is a large statue of a tiger, snake, a horse, a bird, and a gladiator of sorts. Pretty neat- maybe I'll come back here and draw it later. To the left is some sort of Mount Rushmore-ahh statue with four heads of some weird dragon creature. I don't know, but props to the person that carved it because it's pretty funny.

Positioned in front of the statue is a large monitor on a stand. And next to it is a new guy I haven't seen yet. Right off the bat, I realize that I'm not much of a fan of this guy, with their formal outfit and posture. But they get points back for the cool dyed hair. However, they do look like they're judging me with those light yellow eyes. Guess I have to be the nice one, then.

"Hi, I'm Sophie," I say as I approach with a smile. "I'm the sixteenth student. Ultimate Digital Artist."

Those yellow eyes pierce my soul for what feels like ages until they finally blink and reply, "En Underson."

It takes me a minute to process what they say about their Ultimate.

"...What kind of dealer?" I ask.

En narrows their eyes before gesturing to their waistcoat. Now that I look at it, the gold buttons and brooches are shaped like the different suits of a card.

"Right," I say, giving them an apologetic look. "Card dealing. Cool!"

I have no idea why Ultimate Dealer is a thing. What do you get out of it?

"It's more useful than you assume it to be," En suddenly says, as if able to read my thoughts. At my confused look, they add, "You're not the first one to think that."

My face turns red from humiliation. "How did you know?"

"I am the Ultimate Dealer, it is often helpful to be able to read expressions during casino games. And to answer your questions, my abilities ensure that I never lose. So long as my hands touch the cards, my victory is ensured."

"Wow." Okay, so maybe Ultimate Dealer is pretty neat. "Does that luck help you when you're actually playing?"

"Not nearly as much, but my sleight of hand is unmatched by even the best players," En explains, inspecting a black-gloved hand as they speak.

"Great! You guys met!" Caim breaks into the conversation, probably to prevent me from screwing up a third time. I have a strong feeling that if I were to mess up again, En would probably punch me.

As everyone else finishes arriving, the monitor in front of the statue crackles to life.

"Can everyone hear me? Hello?"

Displayed on the screen is a strange creature with angel wings, fluffy bangs that cover one of its red horns, and a halo that bounces above its head. An arrowhead tail flicks behind it as it seems to struggle with adjusting the camera. Finally, it stops fussing with the technology and waves.

"Hi!" it says. "I'm Moranity, your teacher! I apologize for the sudden switch-up and confusion, but we're on a field trip! I really do hope you're enjoying the island so far."

"What the hell are you?" Tristan demands, his loud tone making it seem like he's breathing up my back rather than several feet away.

Moranity- ohh, like the corral name, that makes sense- smiles. "I'm your teacher! That's all there is to it. Anyways, welcome to the welcome ceremony! I'm so happy to see you all here! Such a wide range of talent and personality, which is exactly what the world is about! You all represent the world! And with it, all of its hope. Now, with that being said, I need to go over a couple rules to ensure we have a fun, safe time here on Jabberwock Island! First-"

The monitor begins to glitch out. Moranity's voice can be heard mumbling, "Uh oh, hang on, there seems to be a glitch-"

But whatever "glitch" it is suddenly stops, and Moranity is no longer visible on the screen. Instead, it's a black-and-white dragon-creature, with one glowing red eye, a singular red horn, and two red wings. Its mouth is wide in a twisted, sharp-toothed grin as it stares at us.

"What the f*ck?" Will speaks up.

"Do be mindful of swearing in front of your headmaster, Willson Jones!" the dragon tells him.

I don't know which is more shocking, the weird dragon or the fact that Will's full name is Willson. Neither of which I saw coming, so it's hard to tell.

"Anywho~!" it giggles. "My apologies for the interruption, but you are all MY students as well! I'm your headmaster, Monokumace, but please feel free to call me Ace. I'll go over the rules of the island with you. Rule number one, extreme violence is strictly prohibited! Please live peaceful and relaxing lives with your fellow students."

"Lives?" Dana repeats, furrowing her brow. "Aren't we here for, like, a class trip?"

"Oh, no no no no! You WILL be here for the rest of your lives!" Ace says.

My heart stops. What did the dragon thingy just say?

"What?! Is there any way to leave?" Rori asks, appalled.

"Ooh, there IS one, Mr. Andrade!" Ace answers. "But let's keep going through the rules. Number two, be considerate of one another and work together to maintain a healthy environment! Speaking of environment, rule three! No littering. Number four, the lead teacher cannot directly interfere with students. An exception for this rule is if a student were to violate one of the rules-"

"Answer the damn question! How do we leave?!" Tristan shouts angrily.

Ace stops. "If you'd let me finish, I was about to answer that! There is one way to leave, and that's to graduate! The teeny tiny issue is just how you graduate..."

"Don't say another word!"

The voice belongs to Moranity as he suddenly jumps out from god-knows-where and plants himself firmly in front of the monitor. And by god is he small and precious. Oh, right, the whole being-stuck-on-an-island joke. Back to that.

"Uhuhu! Two can play that game!" Ace snickers as the monitor shuts off. Seconds later, they appear out of nowhere as well, standing in a face-off against Moranity.

"I think this is a skit?" Caim guesses as we watch the teacher and headmaster- neither one over three feet, by the way- stare each other down.

Finally, Ace lunges at Moranity, and the two fall into a hissing, clawing clump on the ground. I... I don't know what's going on anymore. I'm not sure whether to be upset or relieved when Ace finally has Moranity pinned down.

"We're gonna do something about this whole look later. If you're a teacher under me, you gotta look the part," Ace sneers down at the devil-angel-creature.

Moranity glares back at them defiantly. "Don't you dare do what I think you will do."

"Aw, Moranity! You sure know how to ruin the fun of a killing school trip!"

Immediately, all buzz and surrounding ambiance seems to go completely silent. Then-

"WHAT?" Tristan yells.

"Nah, it's a prank, dude," Will explains to him. "I've seen basically all the prank vids there've ever been, this isn't any different."

"Are you suuuure?" Ace taunts. "You might want to reconsider your opinion if you ever want to get off of this island! If you want to leave so badly, then just kill one of your classmates and get through the trial without getting caught!"

"Class trial?" Evangeline repeats.

"Right! I forgot!" The headmaster laughs. "It's the best part of the whole thing! If someone gets murdered, everyone alive has to participate in a class trial! All living students will have a chance to present their arguments and try to determine who the killer is. The verdict is determined by popular vote, and if the killer is correctly identified, they will be punished and the rets of the class may continue on with their trip. However, if the killer is not identified, then everyone else will be punished and the killer will get to leave."

"Punished how?" Marzy raises an eyebrow.

Ace snickers. "Punished... by death."

Will starts laughing. "Okay, man, you got us good. You can stop the prank now."

"Nope! Not a prank," the dragon-creature responds. "To get you guys thinking, some popular methods of murder are bludgeoning, stabbing, strangling, poisoning, shooting, beating running over, burning, bombing, slashing, drowning, electrocuting, crushing, cursing... you get the point."

"Why? If this really is happening, then why?" I call out. Those freaky eyes turn to me.

"Oh, what a good question!" they chirp. "Well, Miss O'Reilly, what does the word 'despair' mean to you?"

I can't bring myself to speak. I don't know what's happening.

Satisfied, Ace turns away. "If you're all too scared of killing, then just have a good time and don't think about leaving! Easy as that. But it's your choice at the end of the day."

Dragging Moranity with them, they disappear behind the statue. Everyone is just staring, speechless after whatever the hell just happened.

"That dragon's all bark and no bite!" Tristan growls, his voice cutting through the air like a blade. "It's all a f*ckin' joke!"

"Perhaps we should just continue as if nothing has happened?" Evangeline suggests. "Tristan may very well be correct."

"We only just got here, so we might as well just get to know each other better until we have more of an understanding of what's going on!" Caim says.

Everyone mumbles their own form of agreement. It's clear that everyone is confused and worried, which makes sense. But I still doubt that it's real.

"How about we all continue to explore around the first island and then meet back at the hotel lobby later?" Rori decides. "That way, we're more familiar with our surroundings and will also have time to hang out as a group."

"I've got an idea," Dana announces. "How about tomorrow night, we have a dinner party? Like, anyone who wants to can cook their favorite meal or family recipe!"

"I suppose I can recall how to make some rather good appetizers," En muses, bringing a finger towards their lips in consideration.

"If we are to explore the island some more, then perhaps we should break off into different groups this time. That way, we are able to simultaneously learn more about each other while learning about our environment as well," Stolas comments.

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Will smiles. Anyone with a brain can tell it's forced. In fact, everyone's excitement is.

I wind up in a group with Flauros and Dana, and we talk as we begin our trek back towards the first island.

"How about we hit the market first? I never got a good look at it," Dana says, pulling on her tie once again. She's been doing it every so often at this point.

"Perhaps we shall," Flauros chimes in. "It is important to keep in check the necessities that stock the shelves. Who knows, they may one day be of use to us."

I think he keeps talking or something about some topic that I don't remember, but neither does Dana apparently. That's clear as day once we make eye contact. ...Oh my god, I made eye contact with her. A woman in a waistcoat and tie. It's one of the hottest things I've ever seen.

Anyways, the rest of the day is spent with the two of them up until we return to the hotel lobby and have dinner with everyone. As we all head off to our respective cottages, the environment is a lot more lively and optimistic than it was hours earlier. Getting to know each other better certainly helped us get whatever happened with Ace off of our minds. Unfortunately, said liveliness is short-lived once I find myself struggling to get to sleep. I try to help my body relax by thinking back to one of the conversations I had with Dana and Flauros.

"So, Dana, you can predict people's coffee orders, huh?" I had asked her as we looked around Rocketpunch Mart. "Are you secretly a clairvoyant?"

"Nah," she said with a laugh. "I just have that gut feeling about people."

"Perhaps the divine has bestowed some sort of telekinesis within you in the form of the requests people deliver to your of their desired caffeinated beverage?" Flauros commented.

"Maybe." Dana paused for a moment before saying, "Flauros, you're some kind of mocha."

"Nonsense, the only beverage I consume is the crimson blood of those sacrificed in my name!" he objects.

"How about water?" I had inquired. "You kind of need it to survive."

"Quite the contrary! The foul substance, if ever to touch my demonic essence, would melt me at once! It is an unfortunate weakness that I possess, and a weakness that you shall not dare attempt to use against me, is that clear?"

I nodded quickly.

I honestly have no idea if Flauros is, like, delusional or something. Does he really think that he's a demon in a human body? Should we be concerned? I find myself thinking this as I wake up. Huh, guess I managed to fall asleep. I throw on some clothes and make my way out of my cottage and towards the hotel lobby, only for a long brown braid to nearly whip me in the face.

"Sh*t, sorry!" Furfur apologizes, giving me a guilty smile. "Didn't see you there."

"All good." How could I not forgive her? ...Oh god, I'm a simp, aren't I. "You seem like you're in a rush."

"Yeah. One of my gemstone pins fell off, and I'm trying to retrace my steps." She gestures to the pins and stones hanging from her vest.

I squint for a moment. "Huh. It looks like how I saw it yesterday."

"Maybe I lost it before we first met, then?" she asks thoughtfully. "I'll go check out the corral. Wanna come with?"

It takes everything in me to not squeal or immediately say "YES YES YES YES". Instead, I give her a thumbs-up and reply, "Sure!"

Not bad, Sophie. Not great, but not horrible, either.

As we walk, Furfur explains, "It's a piece of malachite. One of my favorites. It's pretty green, so it should stand out in a pretty dull spot like the corral. If it's even there, that is."

"What's it like, being a geologist?" Honestly, the question has come to mind for everyone I've talked to, but I'm finally using the opportunity to ask it.

Furfur sighs. "I mean, at the end of the day, it's rocks and stuff. But there's some cool rocks. And I know how to make arrowheads from obsidian, which is cool. I'm working on throwing stars too."

Oh my god, she makes her own weapons. That's so freaking- ahh...

"Digital art must be super neat, though," she says as we approach the barn first upon entering the corral.

"It's a lot of fun, messing with different kinds of brushes and styles of art," I tell her. "I really-"

But as soon as the doors to the barn open, my blood runs cold. Furfur follows my gaze, and her eyes widen in shock.

In the back of the barn is a cow, blood oozing from where a hatchet is still embedded in its flank. Above it on the wall, in big dripping letters, is a message.

WILL YOU BE FIRST?

***

(2566 words)

Sorry this one was really long too- I'll try to keep them a bit shorter if I can ;0;

Anyways two things:

1. Now that everyone's been introduced, any favorites so far?

2. What's up with that blood message, hm?