Where...

Maxine groaned, the throbbing of her head like an off drum beat. As she rose from the ground, she looked around to find herself somewhere completely unfamiliar. Counters of stainless steel lined the wall besides her, an oven and hefty-looking refridgerator standing next to them. The air felt oddly moist--it was as though she could feel it sticking to her skin.

...Where am I? What happened to me? She rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't dreaming. But when she pulled her hands away, surely enough, everything was still there. Was this a kitchen? Did her mother remodel overnight? Or had she somehow found herself kidnapped into a cannibal's lair?

Pointedly ignoring that last thought, Maxine sighed, looking around for anything that could jog her memory. Unfortunately, the knives, drawers, and cabinets did nothing for her, so she opted for the door instead. Just as she was about to open it, however, it flew open on its own--a girl her age with pink pigtails and a mint-colored coat stood in the doorway.

Their eyes met for a moment. Whereas Maxine's instict was to say 'hello', the other girl stepped back, suddenly brandishing a wooden ladle. "Who are you? What do you want?! Where's my brother?!"

Maxine jumped, raising her hands to try and demonstrate her innocence. "Dude, chill! I only just woke up here!"

"I don't believe you," the girl replied immediately, holding the ladle theateningly closer to Maxine's face. "What's your name? What do you want with us?!"

"M-my name's Maxine," Maxine answered after a moment, taking a careful step back. "I don't want anything to do with you, I just want to know where I am. I'm pretty sure I'm just as freaked out as you are."

The girl scowled--briefly, her eyes flickered over to the knives on the far counter. "Yeah, right. Likely story. I'll have you know I'm a lot tougher than I look, and I'm not going down without a fight."

Just as Maxine was opening her mouth to respond, the girl suddenly sprinted for the knives, trading two out for her wooden ladle and pointing both right at Maxine. Maxine shrieked--she raised her hands further up into the air, praying that this wouldn't somehow be her end.

The girl's tough expression flatered. She stared at Maxine for a long moment, taking a few steps back before slowly lowering her knives.

Maxine swallowed.

"...You really don't know what's going on?" The girl asked after a moment, licking her lips. Maxine nodded. "Fine. I'll...believe you, for now. Your name is Maxine? Can I call you Max?"

"I mean...sure, if you want." Hesitantly, Maxine began to lower her hands back to her side. "Can I ask you what your name is?"

The girl took a moment to respond. Sighing, she tucked one of the knives into her pockets and held onto the other, walking back over to the door. "I'm Cadence. I just woke up here, too."

Genevieve awoke in a large, open room. She immediately gravitated towards the stage.

Did I...have a performance? Is this rehearsal? Where are the sound engineers? How...are the acoustics?

Frightened and confused, Genevieve sang the opening verse of Ave Maria from her perch, observing how the sound echoed off the walls.

Strange...this is not a concert hall. It’s not...a rehearsal? Then where am I?

She was suddenly more terrified than ever. As she moved to step off the stage, someone began clapping--a young girl with turquoise twintails emerged from behind a shelf of basketballs, cheering. Genevieve jumped, hustling to hide behind the podium on the stage, her heart pounding.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay!” the girl called. “There’s no need to freak out. I'm lost and confused too. That sounded gorgeous, are you a pro?”

Genevieve slowly peeked her head out from behind the podium. The girl smiled warmly at her; somehow, her aura felt kind and welcoming. Swallowing, Genevieve emerged.

“My name’s Zyunko,” the girl announced, “Zyunko Hagawara. I’m supposed to be the Ultimate Caricature Artist, but honestly? I’m not even that good.”

She squinted at Genevieve for a moment, then cocked her head. “Whoa. You have beautiful eyes. Maybe once I find a pen I’ll draw you something, ‘kay?”

Genevieve blushed, slowly climbing down off the stage to approach Zyunko more easily. She drew in a deep breath, managing a nervous smile.

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I’m...very unnerved by this situation. I don’t remember...being brought to a gig, and this is not a concert hall.”

“You’re right,” Zyunko agreed. “I think it’s a gym. Do you remember your Ultimate? Or, are you a Hope’s Peak student at all?”

“Hope’s Peak? ...Yes, I do remember that.” Genevieve felt herself relax slightly--that explained the gym and what she was doing in it, but it did not explain why she couldn’t remember how she got here. “...Right. My name is Genevieve Cornelia Weiss. You can call me Gen if you like. Zyunko, was it…?”

“Yep!” Zyunko offered a thumbs up.

“I’m the…” Genevieve trailed off, holding back a wince. She really couldn’t stand the spotlight, but Zyunko would find out her talent eventually...besides, she’d already heard Genevieve sing. Hopefully, she would at least not ask her to sing again. “The Ultimate Opera Singer.”

Zyunko’s big blue eyes lit up. “Whoooa...that’s a way cooler talent than mine! Say, so that means you can act, right? I’ve seen a few operas and lemme tell ya...lemme tell ya...you ladies are some talented women. Explains how you hit those notes so well!”

“Ave Maria is a beginner’s piece,” Genevieve mumbled, embarrassed. “I usually just use it to warm up before a show.”

“Well, I couldn’t do it, that’s for sure,” Zyunko said with a laugh. “Hey. What do you say we go look for more classmates? Unless you’d rather stay in here near the stage. Maybe practice some more?”

Performing more was the last thing Genevieve wanted to do. Shaking her head briskly, she headed for the doors of the gym instead, waiting for Zyunko’s feet to come clacking behind her before swinging them open.

The strange outdoor scenery caught her completely by surprise.

Where are we…?

Maxine followed Cadence out into the more open area, looking around--at first glance, it looked like a cafeteria. Several tables were laid out all over the floor, with benches attached and vending machines crammed over in the far corner. Figuring she could buy a snack for herself, Maxine reached into her pocket for a coin, but found there was nothing.

Frowning, she went on to check all of her pockets--still nothing. "Hey, Cadence, right? Are you missing all of your stuff, too?"

She glanced back at Maxine, looking similarly concerned. "Yeah. ...Say, you don't happen to be a Hope's Peak student by any chance, do you?"

Hope's Peak? Now that she thought about, going to Hope's Peak was the last thing Maxine could remember before waking up here. Could this be it? It did look like they were in a cafeteria, after all. "Yeah. I'm the Ultimate Drummer, what about you?"

"I'm the Ultimate Candy Shoppe Owner," Cadence replied, licking her lips once more. She continued toward the cafeteria door. "Do you remember how we got here?"

Maxine shook her head, following. "Nope. Pretty sure I know about as much as you, which is nothing. If we run into anyone else, though, not pointing knives at them is probably a good idea."

Cadence scoffed, no doubt about to bite back with a snippy response before she opened the door to a truly confusing sight. Trees towering higher than buildings, exotic plantlife, and long green vines were wherever you looked, and the air smelled of damp earth and humidity.

Maxine stepped back, suddenly terrified. How in the world did she end up in a place like this and not know it?

The same terror showed on Cadence's face for a moment--but after a moment, it was replaced by something else as she took a deep breath and took a few steps out into the jungle. She glanced back at Maxine as if waiting for her to follow.

Swallowing, Maxine did. The two walked for a bit, moving their way through the overcrowded brush. Through the trees and palm-like leaves, Maxine could eventually make out the shape of a building in the distance. At the sight of it, she wasn't sure whether to be worried or relieved.

"There. Let's go," Cadence ordered, leading the way to the construct.

Upon coming closer, Maxine spotted the word "BOYS' DORMS" on a plaque above the door. Reaching forward and twisting the handle, she realized it was unlocked--shrugging, she looked over to Cadence. "Should we go inside? Probably better than staying out here."

Cadence hesitated, then nodded. "You're probably right. There may be snakes or something out here."

That said, they stepped inside, making sure to close the door behind them. The inside was pretty standard for a dormitory--wood floors and walls, several doors down a row, each with different names and faces assigned to them. However, most interesting of all, a pair of people stood at the very end of the hallway, talking amongst each other.

"Who are you?" Cadence suddenly prompted, her hand reaching for the knife still tucked into her coat pocket. "What do you know? Are you Hope's Peak students too?"

One of the students whirled on them, holding his hands up in a karate stance. "Two more challengers?! State your purposes at once or be cut down by my Tetris-fu!"

"We're not your enemies," Maxine assured him, putting some good distance between herself and Cadence's knives. "I'm Max, and that's Cadence. We're really lost and need help, do you know where we are?"

The boy scowled, still holding his stance. "I may or I may not. ...I am also a Hope's Peak student, and I'll have you know I am the one and only Ultimate Tetris Master! YES, THAT'S RIGHT, MORTALS! IT IS I, TAKASHI ONISHI! AND I CURRENTLY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IS HAPPENING NOR WHERE I AM!"

"Great," Cadence muttered, hand relaxing somewhat. "And what about your friend there? Do you know anything?"