Day One: (Ab)normal Days

Asher began to walk ahead. "I'll just start heading over now then, you guys can follow along whenever."
He knew some of them might need time to think, and it didn't hurt for him either.

Adda frowned a bit, "Well, hands are supposed to be felt, but it's kinda soon anyways." she smiled reassuringly and tried the door knob to the nurse's office.

Jaden got the sense that the others didn't really want to go back to the cafeteria. He had forgotten that they had been there just before he joined them, and he didn't want them to be annoyed with him for suggesting they go back. But before he could offer any alternative, he realized Asher was already heading out. "Hey, I mean, if you're sick of the place, we can head somewhere else y'know. I'm sure we could find a little classroom to hang out in or somethin'."

Asher turned his head. "Well, even if you guys do that, I have to stop by my dorm for a second, so we'll probably get there around the same time," he commented before continuing on.

A few days. Riiiight. He knows what a few days are.
"Oi, Jan aint' the strongest bl- lady, and I know 'er folks ai-" He stopped himself, tipping his hat, suddenly calm. "Long story short- Even if it's been a few days, something would've happened- could've 'appened." He shook his head. "Takes a few hours for a fire to consume a house, or a second for someone to die." A frown tugged at his lips.
He closed the folder, hiding the pictures.
"I'll read this alone." he said, his voice a little too soft and husky. And with that he picked up the folder and slowly walked towards the cafeteria. He wanted to find a place to read this alone. "See ya at night, Alibaba." He have a halfhearted wave with the back of his hand.

After leaving his folder on his bed and grabbing a medium-sized package, Asher left his room and headed towards the cafeteria.

Marci waited behind the two, standing a good space away from the door. "Well, come on now, try and open it!" she piped up.

As Herbert left the room, Laura raised an eyebrow. "Did he just... insult me? Or, what?" She had never heard a dialect quite as heavy as Herbert's and it took a lot of effort from her to figure out what he was saying most of the time. She suddenly decided she wanted to leave the kitchen. Alex and Herbert were impossible to talk to. Mostly Herbert.

She turned to the refrigerator and scanned its contents. "A turkey sandwich should do just fine," she said, pulling out the wrapped sandwich. She grabbed a tray and a bottle of water and made for the door. "I'm going to my room, talk to you later."

The doorknob wiggled, but wouldn't turn. "I don't think it's been unlocked," Adda sighed. Now she really hoped her quick fix would help Oscar.

"I guess it is dinnertime, but I think I'll take a detour too..." Eloise decided it'd be a good idea to go to her dorm as well. She had barely spent much time in there and she had even left it in a mess that morning.
She nodded to everyone curtly and made her leave quickly, without turning back.

In her dorm, Eloise fell on top of her bed. She gave herself a few moments to calm down, and hid her envelope under the nightstand. She ripped open the package of Swedish Fish, with little regard to spoiling her appetite, and downed a few. Heck, she would just stay there if that was a good idea at all. "I'll just...give it a second..."

Asher passed through the kitchen first, unwrapping the package. It was a few packages of Zoopals. He took a slip of paper and wrote Help yourselves, everyone could use a little pick-me-up. With that, he went and sat in the cafeteria. He didn't feel like eating alone, and decided to wait for more students to file in before beginning to get food.

And with that Monobear had left the kitchen, no more needing to be said.

He made his way to his last stop now.
"Aww, what a shame! The Nurse isn't here right now! I don't think she's coming back, you know..." Monobear gave a sad little glance towards the three students, gathered around the Nurse's office door. "What a shame...Good thing I have a delivery for you two!" He motioned towards the two girls.

"Oh. Well, alright then. We'll figure something else out to do." She said, sighing. "Regardless, I'm sure your fix will be fine, Adda."
She looked at the bear curiously. "Delivery? What is it?"

he and his roomate definitely had something to talk about later, or not. Something told him the discussion of Janice was off limits, like him and his partner. He was about to ask Laura about what Herbert said, but she announced she was leaving. He lowered his slightly raised palm.
Women were hard, he realized, walking off with his folder. He wanted to do some private reading to scan his own folder. he was only starting to delve into its depths, and by the feeling filling his stomach, it might get worse.
He wondered what everyone else had. Possibly something equally horrible and confusing.

Adda took a step away from the door before facing Monobear. She had a good guess as to what the little delivery was, and was nervous to receive hers after Oscar's reaction.
"Let me guess... it starts with an 'f' and ends in 'older'?" she asked.

Jaden looked around, and noticed that only David was left. Once again, he had started in a group of four and been left alone with one other boy. Was the universe trying to tell him something? "Well, as long as everyone's goin' where they wanna go, I'm heading over for some food." He started walking out the door, not even waiting for David to say anything. "Adios!"

As he left the main office, he noticed a few familiar faces to the right. "Hey hey hey, if it isn't my favorite nerds!" he hollered, walking towards them. His dinner could wait. "What're you guys up to?" He then noticed Monobear standing next to them. "Guh, not that again..."

Monobear held out the folders boldly to Adda and Marci. "Just messages from home and elsewhere. Quite a few of you have been greatly missed!" He grinned at Oscar's terrified-as-usual reaction.
As Jaden appeared, Monobear seemed to avert his eyes. He had seen enough of that kid for one day.

Adda took the folder and flipped it open. As she read the letter she smiled. A simple typed letter from her mom and grandpa. Until she reached the end. She trembled, pale, and looked like she had to use every ounce of her will to not tear the letter to shreds. When she saw the pictures, she couldn't help but yell.
"GET OUT OF MY ROOM!"
She knew that wouldn't do anything, but had to get it out. She turned to Monobear.
"HOW COULD THIS EVEN HAPPEN? IT'S LITERALLY IMPOSSIBLE!" She stood with shaking fists, and didn't even wait for a response. She ran off to her dorm for the second time that day.

A familiar voice hit his ears,
"Higeeagh-!" Oscar scrambled back, not in the slightest used to Monobear's sudden appearances. He instinctively held his folder like a vice. "N- N- Guys-" He struggled to warn them. Maybe he could tell them to run. Now. Before it was too late.

It was too late. The outburst sent a figurative dagger into his chest and he tried his best to flatten himself against a wall. For the hundreth time he didn't even notice Jaden. "A-" He wanted to calm her down again, maybe succeed this time, but his voice shut down.

Laura had gone to her room and shut the door, checking twice to make sure that it was closed. She put her tray of food on a nightstand and hurried to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Her eyes were bloodshot. But that wasn't particularly strange, given the circumstances. Besides that nothing about Laura seemed off. Her hair was a little longer than she remembered it being last time she checked, but it grew at the speed of light, so that wasn't unusual.

She went back into the her main room and flung herself onto her race car bed. I feel like a coward, she thought to herself. I'm just sitting here, and he could be, no, he probably is, in trouble. What's wrong with me? Alone with her thoughts, Laura didn't even touch her food. She wasn't hungry.

Marci looked at her folder curiously, with a small smile on her face, opening it curiously. She read it and smiled contentedly as she read her her letter. It was all about how her mom missed her and how she hoped that she was alright and frankly, it was heartwarming. Until the end, which was just flat out ridiculous but...her mom must have had some kind of purpose. She always did. She always meant the best.

She got to the picture and, before she could analysis it, Adda let out a blood curdling scream and she jumped, nearly dropping her precious folder. She clutched it to her chest and watched her friend go neigh berserk. "U-uh, A-Adda!?" she watched her friend run away, sighed, and looked back at her picture.

She clasped a hand over her mouth and stumbled back a step. "M-mom?"she called out to no one in particular. "T-this is impossible, s-she'd never--! N-not with--!"

She took a deep breath and looked at the bear, with a look of disgust and anger on her face.

"Where's the nearest garbage can, headmaster. I'd like to throw away this trash."

Adda didn't even make it to her room, collapsing outside the door instead. She sobbed, trying in vane to be quiet. He can't be out again... Her folder fell to the ground, the contents spilling about. One photo was in a girl's bedroom, with a man seemingly taking a selfie with a mischievous smile. The other was flipped over under the folder, out of view. She didn't bother picking them up, but instead just stayed on the floor.

Jaden stammered at Adda as she ran past him. For a moment he thought it was something wrong with him, but he had barely said a word and he was freshly showered this time so Jaden guessed there was a good chance that it wasn't him, but the contents of Adda's folder that made her run off.

"Well gently caress, I guess there was some heavy poo poo in there," he said. "I mean, I don't think there was anything bad in mine, but I only read the first letter. All just the usual "we miss you" crap, I figured. Maybe I should check it out later," he said, slightly puzzled.

"Upupupupu..." Monobear only laughed, walking back and out of sight.

"Have a nice evening!"

She sighed and glared at the bear as it ran away like a coward.

She was oddly composed, considering she had just seen a picture of her dad standing at what was apparently her quite-living mom's grave. She was almost smiling, if only because she was so sure that what she was wasn't real. It was a fantasy - it had to be!

"Mine was like that too. But then it dropped a completely ridiculous plot twist on the last line. I'd suggest reading your folder in it's entirety." she said simply, her voice wavering a bit. In comparison to her earlier breakdown of sorts, this one was nothing. It was as if nothing was wrong. On the outside, at least.