Looking around the room at everyone standing behind their podiums, my heart sinks to my stomach as I realize that only half of the class remains.  The rest have been replaced with portraits crossed out in a bright pink.  I notice the patterns the crosses make vary- from crossed swords on Stolas's to the paintbrush and pencil on the portrait where Sophie used to stand.  

"So we all know the basics of the case," Dana starts. "Sophie died about two hours ago of something that severely mutilated her body, and was hidden in the haunted house.  Now, I dunno about you guys, but I'm getting the feeling that she was killed inside the haunted house.  I mean, there weren't any smear tracks or anything."

"We don't know that for sure, though," Will comments. "I mean, her body could've been carried inside or something."

This seems like the right time to talk about the note.  But before I can jump in-

"What on earth could've been the murder weapon?" Zeben points out. "I mean, Will, you said it couldn't have been a chainsaw, but it doesn't look like she was stabbed or anything, either.  She looked completely destroyed, like an explosion or something."

"If there was an explosion, we would've heard it," Caim tells him.

"Perhaps the killer called upon the hellhounds of the Underworld to maul her," Flauros murmurs.

"Oi, Dorothy, we're not in Oz," Will calls to him from across the courtroom. "This is an actual murder case."

Flauros frowns but doesn't make a move to respond.

"So no known murder weapon and we're unsure of the location where she was killed," Dana corrects. "Alright, then-"

"I think I have an idea," I interrupt before I lose the chance to share my news. 

Dana raises an eyebrow. "Okay?"

I fish through my pocket and pull out the letter. "I found this while going through Sophie's bag in hopes that there might be something giving us a clue as to what happened.  It's a note- from her killer, I think."

I hand it to Iris, who gives it a quick read before passing it around the circle.  Or at least tries to, because everyone's incredibly distanced apart by now due to the amount of... absent... students.  

"Okay, so the killer wanted her to meet them by the rollercoaster," Will summarizes after he finishes reading the letter. "That means they killed her there?"

"Well, not necessarily.  They could've always taken her into the haunted house after meeting up," Evangeline says.

"Then why not ask to meet up at the haunted house?" Caim points out.

"Hang on, hang on, hang on, who's to say this is even a real letter?  Not something junior Shakespeare over here could've planted?" Will gestures to me as he speaks. "I mean, he's the only one that saw the letter, so can we really take his word for it?  For all we know, he could've ran out of time to plant it and is just pretending that he found it on the body!"

I open my mouth to argue, but a certain barista is already speaking up for me.

"Hold on, you're jumping to conclusions pretty quickly," Dana says, quickly jumping on the accusation. "If there's anyone here who would try hiding a body by disguising it on a set, it would probably be the literal director.  Especially one who likes horror so much."

"H-hey!  I was just making a point!" the videographer says defensively.

"I truly don't believe that we'll be getting anywhere until we figure out what could've killed Sophie," Evangeline announces.

From behind Caim, Monokumace giggles ominously as they spin a tied-up Mononity.  I pry my eyes away and try to think.  What could've killed her?  Judging by the wounds, it would've had to have been something big...

"What if Will used his video camera to bludgeon her to death?" Zeben tries. "I mean, I love Will and all, but his camera's pretty big and a wound like that could probably result from enough blunt force."

He's right.  Now that I think about it, Will's camera could have done it, but that doesn't explain why the culprit would've wanted to meet up by the rollercoaster...

Oh.

"The weapon wasn't Will's camera!" I exclaim, and the court room falls silent.

"What?" Will asks, then quickly adds, "I mean, yeah, it wasn't my camera!"

"Then what was it?" Evangeline questions.

"Think about it," I say. "Why would the killer want to have met up at the rollercoaster of all places?  Nobody would commit a murder there, unless the location itself was the murder weapon!"

"So... she fell off the rollercoaster?" Caim guesses.

I shake my head. "Not quite.  That wouldn't have given her those injuries."

"You are supposing the rollercoaster cart itself killed her?" Flauros finishes.

"Yep.  Sophie got run over by the rollercoaster car," I announce.

"Hold on a minute, we can all agree Azrael's still suspicious, right?" Will asks. "I mean, nothing against you, Azz, but the wording of the letter kinda sounds like something you'd write.  And the weird bird signoff, I'm not a poetry guy, but isn't there a famous poem about feathers?"

"...yes," I admit. "'Hope' is the Thing With Feathers.  Emily Dickinson."

"See?" the videographer presses. "I'm not throwing blind accusations!"

"Okay, but let's think this through more," I insist. "So the killer ran over Sophie with the rollercoaster car, cleaned up the scene, and brought her body to the haunted house, where they could disguise it as just another scary prop.  But they would've been drenched in blood after all that, right?  And none of us here look like we just committed a slaughter, so it's safe to say the killer had to have gone to change and wash the blood off of them within the last two hours."

"I'm following," Dana agrees. "Was anyone over on the first island within the last two hours?"

"I mean, I was," Zeben says. "I was chillin' at the beach when I saw someone hurrying back towards the hotel.  I didn't question it all that much, though."

"Who did you see?!" half the room exclaims.

The hydroponics specialist winces. "I... I don't know for sure who it was.  Uh... it was a distance away, but I think... I think it was Azrael."

Immediately, all eyes shoot to me.

"See?  I told you guys I was onto something!" Will huffs.

"W-wait!  It's not me!" I plead.  God, there's gotta be something to prove my innocence...

Wait.  I turn towards Iris and say, "You remember I was hanging out with you around noon, right?  If I was with you, there's no way I could've killed Sophie!"

As the words leave my mouth, I immediately realize what's wrong with my alibi.

He blinks, confused, and says, "It felt more like... ten o'clock in the morning?  Wait, maybe nine."

I forgot that the one person who can clear me has no concept of time.  God damn it.

"I dunno, Azrael.  Last time I checked, ten o'clock is two hours before noon," Will shrugs. 

Ugh.  I know with all my heart I didn't kill Sophie, but everything's stacked against me right now.  As everyone's gazes bear into me, I think long and hard.  I'm starting to wish I'd never discovered that body-

Hang on.

"How's this, then?" I challenge. "In order for a body discovery announcement to happen, two people have to find the body.  Not counting the murderer.  So if I found the body first and then grabbed Evangeline to trigger the body announcement, that means two people had found the body.  And by that logic, I can't be the killer!"

Will takes a second to process. "Oh.  You're right." He gives me an apologetic smile. "Sorry, bro, I just really wanna figure this out, y'know?  No hard feelings?"

"...yeah," I say. "But I'm still irritated that you attacked me like that."

"So then Evangeline is also innocent," Dana chimes in. "If she also counted towards the body discovery activation."

Evangeline's lips curve upwards in a small smile. "That I am.  I would never do such a terrible thing."

"Then who is it?" Caim squeaks. "If that was our only lead, then we're back at square one."

"I mean, Will is a horror geek, and strong enough to carry Sophie's body to the haunted house.  Plus, he'd know how to properly hide the body in order to make it look like it fit in," Dana suggests.

"Yes, but consider that we do not have any true evidence to condemn the overlord of screens to eternal Hell," Flauros remarks.

"Overlord of screens?" Will repeats. "Damn, I kinda like that..."

"We need to get back to the topic at hand-" Dana cuts herself off as she gives me a proper look. "Hang on, Azrael, has your hair always been...?"

"Oh my god," I grumble into my hands, my face heating up. "Why's everyone so focused on my hair?!"

When I look up, my eyes immediately wander to everyone else's hair, because I feel like insulting someone else's style to make myself feel better.  I look to Flauros, because he's basically an emo Rapunzel, and I realize his hair looks slightly longer and has slightly less volume than usual.  This makes me stop for a second.

"Flauros, is your hair wet?" I ask.

"That it is," he answers casually. "While untamed locks give a much more frightening look, I do prefer to have some class when it comes to the appearance of my mortal prison."

"Hang on, hang on, haven't you said before that you can't touch water?" Zeben reminds him. "I asked you to swim once, and you said that it melts you or something."

"Only boiling hot water, hotter than what the human body can withstand, is safe for my demonic essence," Flauros insists. "So yes, I did... shower."

"Why?  It had to have been recent," I say.

Flauros snorts. "What, you believe a simple shower can prove my guilt?  If I am the guilty party, oh prince of speech, please deliver a stronger argument.  If I have not showered and I smell bad, I will choose to shower.  That is all."

"He's right.  Let's consider some other options," Dana proceeds. "I mean, if the culprit did kill Sophie with the rollercoaster, then Sophie had to have trusted them enough to get that close."

I think this over for a minute. "And Sophie's smart too, right?  What if the culprit had done something to the rollercoaster to make it, like, go faster, or do something that she wouldn't expect?  That way, it would be easier for them to catch her off-guard."

"The only one here who'd know how to do something like that would be..." Zeben trails off, his eyes widening. "...Caim."

Caim gasps. "What?  No!  No, no, no, I wouldn't kill Sophie!  She was my friend!  I wouldn't do that to her!"

"I mean, that probably makes the most sense," Will agrees hesitantly. "The only thing that isn't explained is the bird drawing."

"Wait, if Caim's an engineer, doesn't that mean he has to be decently good at drawing because of blueprints and stuff?" Zeben asks. 

"I mean, yes, but I didn't do it!" Caim protests, his eyes brimming with tears. "I didn't!  I swear!"

Dana gestures for Will to pass her the letter. "What kind of bird even is this?  It looks like a sketch of a blue jay... with, like, the build of a bluebird."

"Oh yeah, I kind of see it.  Wait, Furfur used to have a blue jay feather in her hair," Will recalls. "Furfur and Sophie were pretty tight, too."

"Are we sure it's a blue jay?  That isn't enough to prove Caim is guilty," Iris says.

"It's a finch," Flauros says suddenly.

We all fall quiet, looking towards the medium.  His expression is, as per usual, blank and emotionless.

"...how do you know it's a finch?" Will asks.

Flauros looks him dead in the eye. "Because I wrote the letter."

Before anyone can respond, he continues. "You foolish mortals are so insufferable to watch writhe about that I had to intervene.  Perhaps... I shall tell you everything.  From the beginning.  I knew when I heard the announcement that it was my time to return to the embers of Hell from whence I came.  However, my doing that would not benefit anyone because of the rules from the dragon overlord of this island.  I made a decision- lure one who I knew would have been willing to self-sacrifice in other circumstances to their demise.  I wrote the message to Sophie, lying about having committed a murder and that I needed to come clean.  She met me at the rollercoaster, which I had previously turned on, and I told her that I had hidden the body on the rollercoaster.  As it drew closer, right before it stopped at the dock, I... pushed her in front of it.  There was a great mess, and I used the large cloth from the haunted house to clean it up.  From there, I wrapped up the corpse and dragged it to the haunted house, where I hid it among the hospital scene.  Zeben, it was not Azrael you saw returning to his cottage to put on fresh clothes- that was me, whose hair and clothing are similar colors to his."

"But... you could've won the trial, Flauros," Caim says. "Everyone thought it was me."

Flauros shakes his head. "Nonsense.  Did you not here when I said that it is my time to return to the embers of Hell from whence I came?  I have grown tired of the confines this mortal body forces upon me.  Its purpose has been fulfilled.  I no longer need to remain in the Overworld- but all of you do.  As much as I may have regrets of taking the life of Sophie, I am sure she would've agreed to my plot if I told her.  She... well, she did agree once I explained to her after the deed was done."

I notice a tired glint in his red eyes the more he speaks.  For some reason, it makes him look...

"Ugh, you're no fun!  Oh well.  Cast your votes, kiddos!" Ace proclaims.

After I reluctantly cast my vote on my digital handbook, I look back over towards the medium. "Hey Flauros... how... old are you?"

He narrows his eyes. "I am eons old, older than the dawn of civilization.  I saw the world-"

"No.  Actually," I cut him off.

Flauros gives me a dirty look. "My vessel is... eight... nineteen.  Yes, it is... nineteen years of age."

"Nope, I've been around actors most of my life.  That's a lie," Will says.

The alleged demon lets out a deep sigh. "...This mortal body is fifteen years old."

"Fifteen?" Dana gapes. "You're just a kid..."

"NO!" Flauros shouts angrily, leaning forward on his podium. "I DO NOT NEED YOUR... PITY."

He spits the word out as if it were the world's most bitter food before continuing. "YOU SHALL NOT MOURN THE WICKED.  MOURN SHE WHO I HAVE MADE SUFFER.  FOR I, HE WHO IS FEARED BY MAN, AM DISGUSTED BY YOUR WEAKLING HUMAN SENTIMENTS.  BOO ME BACK TO FROM WHENCE I CAME, FOR YOU DO NOT GET TO BE THE ONES TO SHOW ME PITY."

As a poet, I can't help but analyze the meaning behind his words, and what I'm finding crushes me.  It seems like everyone else is picking up on it too.

"Well, that's it!  The blackened was a quote-unquote Flauros Thraw!" Monokumace declares. "Let's get this punishment started!"

"Flauros..." Caim squeaks hoarsely.

Flauros lets out a low, evil laugh.  It sounds forced. "Do not linger on this.  It is my time.  After all, I have sinned and my actions will drag me by the throat back down to Hell.  But if you must, remember this- I AM FLAUROS, DUKE OF HELL, AND I SHALL LIVE ON IN YOUR WILDEST HORRORS!"

***

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bruh this chapter actually made me cry