Chapter 2: (Ab)Normal Days

Cobalt exited his room, the blood staining his attire now dark and completely dry. Despite the dark circles beneath his eyes, he put his best confident grin on his face and walked to the elevator.

Claire stepped quietly out of Jordan's room, having woken up slightly earlier. She rubbed her eyes and made her way down the hall to see what Monobear had to show them.

Miranda tugged at the new tie she made on her top, testing to see if it would hold. Under her breath, she sighed before she exited her room, shutting her door slowly and silently.

As she walked down the hall, she stopped in front of Aris' dorm, leaning against the wall.

Jason wandered out of his own room and smiled at everyone who passed him as he walked down the hall to where Monobear was supposedly standing.

Lisa gathered her loose hair in her hands, running her fingers through it before putting it back into its side ponytail.

"It's only been two days, and the morning at that..." she grumbled.

After letting out a heavy sigh she pushed open her bedroom door and slid into the hallway.

Caleb stretched his arms high above his head, still adjusting his eyes to the artificial light of his room. He was a little upset he couldn't treat himself to morning tea but he nonetheless wondered what sort of surprise Monobear had in store for everyone this time.

Aris yawned as she threw her own door open, the slam probably echoing through the halls. Her coat was thrown over her arm, revealing her grey shirt.

"Oh, hey there." she said, walking up next to Miranda, the both of them proceeding to walk to the front.

Jordan's yawn transformed into a sigh.
That was a new morning announcement, and it couldn't mean anything good.
She slowly rolled out of bed, seeing Claire quietly close the door behind her. After splashing water on her face, she was in the hallway, approaching the elevator cautiously.

Ruby adjusted her ponytail as she strutted towards the elevator. On her way, she tossed a few "Hellos" and "Good mornings" at some of the girls coming out. Having reached the elevator sooner than some other kids, she pulled out a tiny tube and carefully applied her lipstick, using the door as a mirror.

Jason quietly opened his door, slipping out through the crack before looking around warily. Everyone seemed to be coming out now. He dusted off his pants and jacket, sighing sadly while forcing himself not to take his customary glance at Caleb's door.

Timidly, he approached the elevator.

Monobear was standing at the side of the elevator, rocking back and forth. He scanned his growing crowd before speaking. "Is this everyone? Who cares, I'm starting anyway! The others will have to catch up."

The bear let out a small sigh and rubbed his paws together. "Y'know, doing these announcements really gets tiring on a poor bear. It's a pity our resident big mouth didn't last longer, she would have been perfect for doing my announcements for me. Upupupupu..." Then he perked up and took a couple steps forward, throwing his arms in the air.

"Anyway! I have a special surprise for my remaining brats! Take a look in the elevator!" He opened the door and gestured inside. "Where there used to be two options, now there are three! The second floor of our beautiful retreat is ready, just for you lot! Upupupu!"

"Now, I'll want everyone participating when exploring the new floor. This is a group project! Don't disappoint me!" Monobear stepped into the elevator and the doors closed. They opened again after a few moments, but minus one bear.

Martin caught up to everyone else, looking both half-asleep and sleepless.

"Group...project?" He mumbled, keen to inspect the new buttons, making sure they weren't bright read with "self destruct" written on them. Confident this wasn't exactly a bad thing, Martin's mood picked up.

"I've got this."

Miranda gave half an amused scoff when the doors opened again. "Looks like you'll have more places to patrol, Aris." She stated, stepping in before she could get a reply from the woman next to her. Unsurprisingly, she took her place next to the dash for the elevator, leaning against the wall and watching the door.

Cobalt entered the elevator and began to examine the panel of buttons.

"Does anything support Monobear's statement?"

"Shit, you're right." Aris growled as she stepped in, though she stood a little bit away from Miranda and Cobalt at the front panel.

She grinned, rubbing her hands at the collection of people she knew in front of her. She got something to ask when this elevator was done elevating.

Miranda looked down at Cobalt, darting her eyes at the panel for a second before looking back at him.

"If it is correct, then the button for second floor should be able to be pressed. We only had the fifth floor and main floor before. But don't push anything until everyone is in." She crossed her arms.

Jaden was one of the last to get out of bed, and definitely the last to reach the elevator. Slouching and groggy, he yawned as he reached the group of students. "Hey, what'd I miss?" he asked, taking a spot in the crowd behind Martin.

"Anything important?"

Lisa smiled when she heard Martin's voice and turned her head to look for her friends.

"Morning Martin, Jason! Ready for another fun filled day?" She gave an exaggerated and sarcastic arm swing, her brow furrowed.

Jason made his displeasure clear on his face. His eyes looked inside the elevator, but he only darted inside when he saw there was a good number of people in it. He shifted nervously in the center, but when he saw Jaden get in, he shuffled next to him, staying silent while he played with his fingers.

"Well... I think there's a new floor." he muttered, not knowing if he was going to be spoken over.

Looked down at Lisa and laughed, mimicking her gesture right back at her. "I sure am, Lisa! C'mon, I wanna know what this new floor is all about."

He walked in, assuming his friends were in following behind.

Jaden's eyes lit up. "A new floor? Hell yeah, I bet they have a full dance studio and everything! The Music Room was great, but you can't dance without mirrors to see how good you look." He looked at his timid classmate. "You dance much, Jason?"

Caleb smiled brightly at Jason Brant.

"I, for one, am excited! Perhaps Monobear will reveal some notions of our whereabouts," he chirped. "Or, at the very least, a proper library."

Martin frowned, the sarcasm part of his brain wasn't working just yet.
"Better a new floor than a new body," he held his hand up in anticipation, wanting to press the button.

"Dance?" Jason laughed slightly. "Well... only in my room when the doors are closed. I actually had a nice speaker system in there..."

He nodded. "So yeah, I guess.... by the definition of dancing I probably do..."