Ok.

We've been through it.

What, you want to hear what happened those weeks?

Go read chapters 7 through 23.

The only difference was...people were more suspicious of my...witnessings?  Nope, underlined in red.  Not stories, cuz that sounds fictional.  They just found it hard to believe me thanks to MonoKirby.

Anyways, today was the day I made the trip to the 4th floor.  Yes, the trip Rayn said I shouldn't take.  I felt like I should do it anyway.

Mitch said he would wait outside the door for about 15 minutes before coming in to check.

I gave him a quick peck on the lips before going into the parkour room.

I looked up at the parkour and sighed.  "Here we go again."

I grabbed some bottles of resistance and drank one, pocketing the others.

I went through the parkour without falling once.  At least that carried with me into this life.

Geez, I'm making it sound like I've been reincarnated or something.  Maybe I was.  I don't know.

Anyways, I put the bottle into my pocket (it was in my hand because I was running low on time from the previous) and crept towards the door.

It was cracked open.

I slowly peeked in through the door and froze.

Ross was up here.

But...he wasn't alone.

Seto was here!

"---oss.  You are not leaving this room with anything but your own being if you want to stay alive."  Seto warned.

I saw purple light flare up from where he was standing.

Why is Seto up here?!

"Heh.  You think you can stop me, Seto?  Science can trump magic easily."

"Pfft.  Magic outdoes science all the time."

Oh, great.  Not this kind of conversation again!

"I'm walking out of here with what I want, Seto.  If you kill me, you die."

Seto was silent before speaking in a tone that scared me.  "I'd rather have 2 casualties than 9."

"This'll end in one, Seto.  And it'll be yours!"

The sound of something flying through the air was faint but recognizable.

At the same time, I heard a crackling sound.

I heard glass shatter nearer the door.  Seto was near the door.  Ross had thrown a potion.

But at the same time, I heard Ross shriek for a second before falling to the ground, silent.

I shoved open the door, and Seto turned around.

His whole front was wet with the liquid from the bottle.

He then collapsed to the ground.

I fell down next to him and lifted him up, careful not to touch the liquid.

"I was told to come here on this day, told that someone was planning to kill everyone.  cough cough I remember the last life.  I had to remember.  I knew I was cough saving you."

His breathing was getting slower.

"Take care, Jerome.  Oh, and cough beat the **** out of the mastermind when cough cough cough you find them...."

He closed his eyes, but I saw the light leave them.

I laid him back down on the ground and stood up, backing up.

Oh, God...they're both dead!

I looked at Ross to see steam rising off his front side.  He was burned on his entire front side.

Seto was just lying there.  Maybe Ross had thrown a potion of withering.

But that wasn't my problem.

The problem was that TWO PEOPLE who had been alive a few minutes ago WERE DEAD.  I'M STANDING ALIVE IN A ROOM WITH TWO, FRESH-DEAD BODIES.

Yeah.  THAT'S my problem.

What was I supposed to do?!

Tell them I walked in on Seto and Ross as they murdered each other at the sameish time in the secret 4th floor murderer's paradise?

Yeah, no.

But what am I supposed to tell them?

Quentin was already super suspicious of me and never trusted me.

Maybe Mitch could help?

I pulled the bottle from my pocket and drank.

I felt the resistance working and ran out the door, jumping off to the ground below.

I had been up there for about 7 minutes, the parkour taking about 4 minutes, so Mitch wasn't in here yet.

I had a second to think.

Ok...ok...calm...breath, Jerome....  Ok, how do I convince them it wasn't me who killed them?  I don't know how to do potions, but...the potions could have been pre-made up there.  I don't know any magic, but they could write it off as me burning him.  What do I do...?

Mitch walked in and froze when he saw me just standing about.

He ran up to me and grabbed my shoulders.  "Fluffy?"

I blinked and looked at him.  Something...felt different about the way he looked.  I think I was just traumatized right now.  It's probably nothing.

"T-They're dead, Mitch!"

"Jerome, deep breaths.  Who's dead?"

"S-Seto and Ross!  I...I went up there and the door was cracked.  I heard Seto talking to Ross about not killing everyone.  They kinda bickered back and forth before Ross threw something at Seto.  At the same time, Seto shot Ross with some kind of lightning or fire spell or something.  Ross was dead and Seto was dying.  He told me that he remembered the last life and that he was asked to save me.  He then died.  Mitch, I'm terrified!  What if they blame me!?"

He hugged me tightly.  "Jerome, Fluffy, biggums...."  He said all at once.

He pulled back.  "I will tell them that you're innocent.  They have to believe me!"

Then, the one person who...disliked me the most just HAD to walk in.

"Believe what, Mitch?"  He asked, eyeing me warily.

Mitch looked at me.  I nodded.

"Quentin, how good are you at parkour?"

*ABOUT 30 MINUTES LATER CUZ QUENTIN SUCKS AT PARKOUR IN THIS UNIVERSE*

Quentin made the last jump and sighed, shoving the extra bottle into his pocket.  "Ok, geez.  What is it?"

Mitch had followed me up as well, so I walked into the room.

"I'm...one of the two who found the 4th floor.  It's here.  Ross was the other and...well...look...."

Quentin looked inside and gasped, staring at Seto's wet body and Ross's (Ross'?) burnt one.

 "HEHEHEHEHE!!!! Bodies has been discovered, boyo! Y'all have 15 minutes before the trial!"

Before Quentin could say a word, I said, "Quentin, don't say anything.  Help me drag Ross and Seto back to the ground floor to investigate better."

He sighed and grabbed Seto's body, hoisting him over his shoulder.  He walked out, drank the potion, and jumped down.

Me and Mitch each grabbed a resistance II potion and drank it.  We then picked up Ross and walked out and off the platform, landing a few seconds before the potion had worn off.

Everyone came running into the room a few minutes later.  Quentin was just staring me down, like I was going to strike.

Sky's eyes widened.  "Seto?  Ross?  What the heck happened?"

Quentin beat me to the punch.  "Jerome killed them.  It's the only explanation.  He was the only one up there, he was the last one to see them alive."

Everyone just stared at me.

"But Jeromes, why wouldz you dooz it?"  Barney asked quietly.

I felt my chest constrict.  It was scary that I was being accused and had no way of proving it but by my word.

"I DIDN'T kill them, though.  They literally killed each other!"

Mitch interrupted.  "How about instead of blaming Jerome, you find some kind of solid evidence against him?  Just because he was there doesn't mean he killed them.  He could be just a witness."

Could?

Everyone reluctantly agreed and studied the bodies or talked with each other about it.

I pulled Mitch to the side.  "Could?"

Mitch sighed.  "I was going to say would, but that would make it seem as if I was bias to your side, meaning my word would be cast aside."

I pondered for a second before asking.  "Mitch, why are you acting so different?  You don't seem as...peppy as before.  You seem almost...like a different person."

He stiffened before relaxing.  "I was hoping you wouldn't mention it, but I suppose it was going to come up at some point.  I'm just...tired of all this resetting.  All these repeated deaths that we know of and can't stop.  At first, I just brushed it off, thinking it would be all over soon.  But then you died, and we had to reset again.  KNOWING you were being tortured in that other room nearly killed me, but I just kept thinking that it would end soon.  But these deaths...it's just all getting to me.  I hate it.  Why can't the mastermind either just flipping kill us all at once so we could be free or let us out?"

I was silent, startled by Mitch's speech.

The deaths haunted me, too, but it HAD to be worse for him since I was literally being tortured a couple doors down.

He just looked down at the ground, his arms hugging himself.

I was about to say something when MonoKirby interrupted.  "DING-A-LING, DING-A-LING, BOYO!! Time's up! Head to the Grand Hall for the Castle Trial!"

The group looked at each other and at us off to the side before heading out the door.

Quentin was the last one out before we left, and if looks could kill...yeah.

We all stood silent at our podiums.

MonoKirby appeared in the center and looked around.

"Hmm...."  He hummed.

I just stared at him.  Not angrily or happily, I just stared.

"Let the Castle Trial...BEGIN, boyo!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ohhh, things are getting tense!

There are so many questions with so few answers.

What is up with Mitch?  Was he telling the truth, or was it...something else?  >:)

Will they instantly accuse Jerome and he'll end up failing his final life?

Will they listen to his story?

Who won the Super Smash Bros. in chapter 23?

Actually, not sure if anyone won, lol.

Anyways, try figuring it out!

Here's a hint.

Some of your accusations in the comments all the way from chapter 1 to here have been fairly close to the right answer.  Actually, someone, don't bother asking, not gonna tell you, practically had the right answer.  Key word practically.

Smash that vote button at hyper speeds, Hyperfans!

-Becca  <3