TW: General horror, cannibalism, murder, mentions of bugs, major character death, angst
They trudge through the mirror to Savanaclaw- a dorm described by their friends to be one of pure violence. Fights breaking out every second, turf wars beyond what Yuu can understand. Apparently the dorm is home to mostly a species referred only as beastmen- people with both animal and human traits. According to Ace, there used to be students of other species- other humans, mer...
They wonder why Ace never told them what became of those other students.
Yuu gasps as the dry air of the Savannah seems to suck all the moisture out of their mouth, insects buzzing around them incessantly. The constant buzzing is nearly enough to drive them mad. They feel a pang hit their stomach when they see the giant elephant skull that sits outside the dorm, as if as a warning.
They stare into it's empty eye sockets, watching small animals and bugs crawl around it, feeling a stab of pity for the creature. For a moment they're brought back to the night before, the sound of their friends' heads rolling towards them echoing in their mind as screams resonate from within the dorm next to them. They hear shouting followed by chanting, and some deep laughter mixed in with taunts.
They turn to the dorm, stomach sinking as their mind races, wondering if it would be best to turn back now. They keep a vice grip on the paperwork in their hands, taking deep breaths to soothe their breathing as they wipe frightened tears off their face with the sleeve of their- of Deuce's- worn blazer.
Yuu remembers the night he gave it to them when they said they had no uniform of their own, the boy's kind smile burned into their brain as they try to remember him as just that. As they try to remember Deuce as the kind boy who loves his mother, the boy who tries his very best to make her proud. The goofy boy who sometimes is a little dumb, the trait only serving to make him more lovable in the Prefect's eyes. They try to remember Ace as the boy who would tease them mercilessly, the boy with the most infectious laugh they know, the boy who would stay up late teaching them little card tricks and magic tricks to stop them from feeling homesick. Who would do anything, take as much time out of his day just to get them to smile.
Yuu wonders if they were doing that for their own sake, in awe at their boys' bravery and compassion. Despite going through hell at their own dorm, they did everything possible to make Twisted Wonderland bearable...
They could only hope that the boys weren't used to paint the roses.
Or as a new ingredient in one of Trey's cakes.
Taking a shaky breath, they walk through the gates of the dorm, the cool stone and the shade providing a temperature drop that sends a shiver up their spine. A bead of sweat forms on their temple as they walk past piles upon piles of bones, some of them turned into morbid statues, others with things carved into them, little messages, warnings, even.
The strong, metallic scent of blood and rotting flesh hits their nose the second they walk into the common room, making them gag and cover the bottom half of their face with their hand, holding their breath as they choke back the bile that threatens to spill out of their mouth. Growls and snarls bounce off the walls around them, despite not being able to see any of these beastmen.
"Find Leona..." They whisper, voice catching as they feel as if they were being watched. "Find Leona."
They hear a growl and are thrown onto their front, a stab of pain coursing through their body as they land on their arm awkwardly, hearing a sick crack as they scramble to get away from the person on top of them, claws digging onto the flesh of their neck and hip- where they were being pinned down.
"Please-" They choke out as the person puts more pressure on their neck. "P-please...!" They thrash until they feel the weight being lifted suddenly, dragged back a bit by the claws still embedded in them before they can scramble back to their feet, blood seeping through their clothes and soaking their collar from the wound on their neck. Their arm throbs as they sob quietly, running as quickly as their wobbly knees would allow them.
