Leo woke up the next morning to the morning alarms ringing throughout the island. Exhausted, he stood up and opened his closet, hanging up his old outfit on an empty hanger he found on the floor in the closet.

There was a small group of people standing near the fountain, talking with each other.

Angel spotted him coming over first, waving at him. "Good morning!"

Leo smiled as he waved back and joined in. "What are you guys doing here?"

Yumi scoffed under her breath as she sat down at the edge of the fountain. "I guess you're usually up late so you don't know this. Usually the people who wake up early wait for each other and then we head down to the restaurant together."

"Oh...I see."

There were rapidly approaching footsteps as Leo glanced over and spotted Elson, running over with his shirt still half on. "I overslept! I spent all night playing around with a model train that I ended up going to bed really late."

"Model train?" Leo asked.

Elson smiled proudly. "Yup! I'm building it with the help of Phoenix. It's going to loop around the entire island and we're going to put a camera on it for surveillance."

"That's a lot of work!"

The Ultimate Conductor shrugged. "I want people to be safe."

Yumi tilted her head slightly. "I don't think Dagger would like that very much. How are you hiding it?"

Angel raised her hand. "I know, I know! You can put models of us in the train, and then put cameras in there."

Elson's eyes lightened up. "That's a good idea! Ah, but...I only have enough room for 15 people on there. Where would I put the last person?"

"Hmmm..." the Ultimate Guard pondered. "Maybe the top of it? Whoever goes there can be a main camera from the top?"

"That's good enough then, I'll get to it!"

Yumi glanced over as she spotted the rest of the crowd showing up. "Ah, there's the rest of the early-goers. Let's go."

Leo followed behind her quietly along with the rest of the people who tagged along. They entered the restaurant, some people sitting down at the booths.

"Who else are we waiting for now?" Cornelia asked, yawning as she fixed herself a plate of breakfast.

"The usual," Brody mumbled as he closed his eyes.

"Nova, Gin, Cassini, Legend, Eve, Raymond, and Phoenix," Aspen pointed out quietly.

"Phoenix was up really late last night building the stage, I saw her," Brody said. "Let's let her sleep."

"I wonder what's up with Eve, though," Alice mentioned before taking a small bite of toast. "She likes to stick around to people so wouldn't she be early?"

Brody bit his lip nervously. "Maybe we should check up on her then?"

Elson stood from his spot, swallowing the bite of eggs that he had taken before he looked at everyone with steely determination. "We should. Leo and Cornelia, come with me please."

"Eh? Me? Why me?" Leo asked in surprise.

"We need someone who has some muscles just in case."

Leo sighed as he stood. "Fine, fine."

The three of them walked out of the restaurant quickly, making their way back to the cottages urgently.

Elson swallowed nervously, his heartbeat visible through the vein on his neck as he stepped up and knocked on Eve's door. "Hello, Eve? Are you in there?"

There was a silence before a voice quietly resonated from the other side of the door. "G-go away!"

Leo sighed in relief as he relaxed. "She's okay, thank God."

Cornelia pressed her ear up to the door. "Why don't you join us for breakfast? Everyone's waiting for you."

"I don't want to," the girl responded.

Cornelia frowned slightly. "Will you let me in if it's only me? I'll help you out."

There was a pause before the door quickly opened and Eve's thin, pale hand reached out. "You can come in then," she mumbled. Cornelia agreed, carefully entering in before closing the door behind her. "You two wait out here. I'll be back."

Leo waited nervously, tapping his foot as he tried to listen in on what they were saying. "What do you think happened?"

Elson sighed and shrugged as he kicked a rock on the ground. "Dunno, man. She's always been a little too shy."

"I hope she's fine, at the very least."

"I'm sure she is. She can talk to the dead. That's got to take some level of guts, right?"

The door slowly opened as Eve stepped out shyly, ears bright red as Cornelia followed suit. "Let's go to breakfast, shall we?"

"R-right," Leo nodded as he started to walk back down the road, catching sight of Raymond and Legend ambling their way to the restaurant. "I guess that's everyone we need, right? I don't think Gin or Cassini will be there, and Phoenix is sleeping still."

"I suppose so," Cornelia nodded as she opened the door to the restaurant.

Brody looked up, his expression brightening. "Eve is here!"

"That means we have everyone then, right? Nova came a little earlier." Yumi said. "Let's get started with the quick meeting."

Raven took a sip of coffee as she stood. "Let's see. The last time I checked, Phoenix was almost finished with the stage. She just has to fix the curtains and then it is completed. How many people do you need to see today, Legend?"

Legend smiled arrogantly. "You dare underestimate my abilities to make clothing? Ha! I, Legend Rowe, am the only one capable of such a feat. Why, I only need three more people today! I have already passed the message around, but let me reiterate one more time." He pointed at Aspen. "You will see me right after this. Miss Yumi will see me at noon, and Leo will be the last person that I consult with in the afternoon. The pickup time for your clothes will be from 5:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. After that, I need those remaining hours to bathe until 10:00, so anyone one after that will unfortunately have to pick it up tomorrow."

"What about the food?" Raymond asked from the other end of the table, a piece of bacon hanging from the corner of his mouth like a cigar.

"Gin grudgingly accepted to cook with us, so I think we're going to be doing the prepwork for the dishes today," Aspen murmured.

"Alright. That's all then." Raven finished her drink. "You guys are free to go."

Leo sighed as he finished his food before a pair of hands clapped him on the shoulders. "Leo!"

Startled, Leo jumped up in his seat, knocking over a napkin dispenser. "Ah!"

Alice laughed as she stepped back. "Got you!"

Leo frowned as he put the dispenser back up on the table. "You're so mean."

The Ultimate Pop Star smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, sorry. I didn't think you would be surprised that easily. Anyway, do you want to move to a booth now? There's a whole stash of teas in the kitchen and cookies, so I can go get them."

He nodded slowly before standing. "I'll help you make the tea, though, so let's go to the kitchen first."

Alice nodded as they both went into the kitchen, pushing open the double doors.

Leo looked in awe at the amount of equipment in the kitchen. "That's amazing. There's so many things here."

She nodded, reaching up into the cabinet and pulling out a container of tea as well as a tea set. "Can you start boiling water please?"

Leo picked up the teapot, filling it with water before he set it on the stove. "What tea are you planning?"

"Hmm...I think something like chamomile will be nice. It's soothing for the body and it'll relax us before the big day tomorrow. Ah, but what kind of cookies do you like? I don't want to pick something that you don't enjoy."

Leo watched the flames on the stove as they licked up the sides of the teapot. "I'm not huge on sweets, but I guess macarons are pretty good."

Alice examined the boxes of cookies sitting on a shelf before she picked them out. "Macarons, huh? You had a box of chocolate chip cookies in your room, so I thought you were like Phoenix."

Leo laughed and shook his head. "No, I don't like them that much. She wanted to thank me for helping her out with some stuff so I just left it in my room." The teapot began to steam and squeal before he turned the heat off. "The water's ready so go ahead and put the tea leaves in the other teapot. I'll pour it in and we can brew it for a bit."

Alice nodded as she carefully took out the chamomile flowers and put a handful into the smaller porcelain teapot next to Leo, who poured in the hot water and closed the lid.

"If you take the teapot over to a booth then I'll come out with the cookies and the teacups," Alice offered as she went to pick up the tray of cookies.

"Right...I'll meet you at a booth, then."

Leo set the teapot on a tray before he made his way back into the dining area of the restaurant. He sat down at a booth next to window, setting the tray down before sitting in the seats and waiting.

Alice came over a few moments later, setting the tower of pastries down along with two teacups, a small cup of cream, and a jar full of sugar cubes. "Here!" She sat down across from him and pushed a teacup over to him.

Leo picked up the teapot carefully, pouring out the tea into the cups before he looked out the window. "So...did you have anything particular you wanted to talk about? Or was it going to be like the philosophical stuff we talk about?"

"Hmm...well, I didn't really come planned, to be honest. Anything you want to talk about?" Alice picked up her cup and carefully took a sip.

"In that case, could I ask you questions about you?"

"Fire away."

"How did you become the Ultimate Pop Star?"

Alice picked up a macaron from the tray of pastries, taking a bite. "Let's see. I was known in my school for my singing abilities, and so there was a lot of coverage about me where I lived because I lived in such a sleepy town. An agency company noticed me first and enrolled me into courses where I could become an idol, and I accepted. I made my debut two years ago and that's how I became famous."

Leo whistled. "That's impressive. I remember that you appeared out of nowhere and gained a lot of attention."

"You're right. Both of my parents were small-scale photographers, so I didn't have much of an affluent background to go off of. I became an idol to help them out since they didn't have much of an income."

"Is that...who you saw in the video?"

Alice became quiet as she stared down at the cup of tea in her hands. Immediately, Leo mentally cursed at himself for bringing up a sensitive topic. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to sour the mood! It slipped out of my mouth, don't be upset. You don't need to answer it."

Alice smiled as she shook her head and took a sip of tea. "No, don't worry about it. I think it'll be better if I open up to someone about it instead of keeping it in. You're right, though. They were in my video. I hope they're okay."

Leo sighed as he picked up a macaron and ate it whole. "I'm really sorry for bringing that up."

She shook her head again. "Please don't worry about it. If anything, thank you. I was really scared to bring it up to anyone, but perhaps you're helping me open up a little more. Anyway! I thought up of a good conversation," she leaned in to whisper, "we could be like normal people and gossip about the others."

He smiled nervously. "Gossip? Isn't that a bad thing?"

"Oh, please! We all need a healthy dose of gossip once in a while. And besides, I don't know much about them anyway. So, so," Alice leaned in and smiled childishly. "I saw you and Raven hanging out yesterday while I was helping out Aspen fetch ingredients. What were you two doing?"

Leo blinked in surprise. "Oh, she invited me to play blackjack with her while I was just walking around."

Alice pouted slightly. "That's no fun! You know, you're supposed to blush and then be all bashful and then say 'Nothing, nothing at all,' and then look away. But, never mind that. I wanna know how you think of everyone else, and I think you do too."

"Can't deny that."

"Let's start, then! We'll go easy first. Raymond?"

Leo shrugged. "I don't know him that well but he seems reliable. A little lazy, but smart."

"Yup, I talked with him yesterday. He's really good at gaming, did you know that? We played video games together!"

"Ah...that's cool. He's a good strategist, then."

"Mhm! Let's go onto the next person. Eve."

"Really insecure but she's nice."

"Brody?"

"Same as Eve but a little less insecure."

Alice giggled as she leaned forward. "I think they're crushing on each other. We should play Cupid sometime. Anyway, how about Phoenix?"

"She has a very loud personality, but I think she's fine."

"Cornelia?"

"She's like an older sister to everyone, isn't she?"

"Aspen."

"He seems exotic, I guess. I don't know him very well."

"Yumi?"

"I think she's elitist, but she wants to work with everyone a lot."

"Angel?"

"She seems like she's a joker card, you know? She's small, but very smart, and very strong despite her size."

Alice hummed as she ate another cookie. "I never thought about it that way, but I guess you're right. What about Nova?"

"Kind of a bitch but she's tolerable when she's not angry at the world."

Alice laughed. "I'm curious to know about Gin then."

"I think he's hiding a lot of things from us. He's cynical, but he's offered to help us."

"Really? I thought he was enjoying this. That's right, you didn't see it but," she leaned in once again, voice dropping lower, "I caught sight of him at the park when I finished my video game tournament with Raymond. He was grinning so evilly, and he was just staring up at the statue in the park. Just...looking."

Leo felt a chill run down his spine. "Did you tell people about it?"

Alice nodded. "I told everyone I could and they're all on guard."

There was a somber silence before Alice clapped her hands. "We haven't finished yet! How about Cassini?"

"He's also just really elitist, I guess."

"Raven?"

"Out of her era, I guess? She's a great leader though. I guess that's to be expected of the Ultimate Knight."

"Elson?"

Leo couldn't help but smile. "He's a good guy. Funny, easy to talk to. Charismatic. He's like a dog."

Alice laughed. "A dog?"

"You know, optimistic, loyal, all of those. I'm glad he's here to diffuse the tensions though."

"You're right. How about Legend?"

"He's...ah...interesting? He's arrogant but well-meaning."

Alice recounted on her fingers. "I guess that's everyone, right? Besides us two."

Leo nodded as he looked back at the clock, finishing his tea. "Oh, I have to leave soon for my consultation with Legend. He won't be too happy with me if I'm late."

Alice smiled and nodded as she started to clean up. "Let's talk another time, okay? It's really easy to converse with you."

Leo smiled and nodded as he stood.

"Leave these to me. You have to get going, right? I'll see you later."

"Thanks, Alice," Leo waved at her before he headed off, leaving her in the restaurant.

"Let's talk later!"

~

Leo walked up to the steps of Legend's cottage, ringing the doorbell before he stepped back.

Legend opened the door, eyes brightening as he saw him. "Oh, you're here! Come in," he stepped aside to let him in.

Leo obliged, walking in before he looked around in awe at the decorations. "Wow. Are all of your walls...closets?"

"Of course. Where else would I store my godlike creations?" Legend took out a measuring tape from his drawer. "Sit on the stool to your right please."

Leo took a seat carefully. "What now?"

"Take off your shirt, please."

"Wait, what?!"

Legend tilted his head slightly. "I need your measurements. Those awful clothes of yours won't let me get proper measurements. I let it slide for the girls, but...you don't have a choice. Take it off."

Leo sighed in exasperation before he did so, tossing his shirt to the side. "Make it quick."

"Oh, please. You can't rush perfection," Legend boasted before he began to wrap the tape measure around him to take measurements.

"Did you always do this with your fancy clients?"

"It's important to establish a close relationship with them. That's what I always did first before designing clothes. This is part of appearance, after all. You have to truly know someone before you can decide what they should look like."

"That was...oddly philosophical for you."

Legend finished measuring him before handing his shirt back. "Now that I have the numbers done, let's talk now. You should be honored, I'm giving you a whole hour to have a conversation. I would normally never spend that much time on someone!"

"Thank you, I guess?"

"You're welcome. Anyway, let's start off with some questions, shall we? For starters, what do you like to wear the most?"

"Whatever I can find in my closet? I guess I like comfortable clothes. I really like maroon colors, too."

Legend hummed to himself as he started to write furiously in a notebook. "And what are you the most insecure about with your body?"

That's a little too personal, isn't it? Leo thought to himself before he answered. "I don't really pay that much attention to myself, but my left wrist is pretty bad."

"Well, that's not much of an appearance problem, so it'll be easy for me then. You should've seen the list that Eve gave me, it hurt my hands so much."

Leo cracked a smile. "As expected."

Legend set down the notebook before standing. "Shall we have you pick out a material then?"

Leo nodded as he watched Legend open one of his many closets. "So...how did you become the Ultimate Fashionista?"

The man gasped in hurt. "You don't know the story of the greatest man of the world? Is that what you're saying?"

"Er, yes?"

"How rude!" Legend puffed up his chest and turned his nose up. "Fine. I'll let you hear it out of my own mouth. My mother was a fashion designer and my father was in charge of the modeling agency so I was able to practice at a young age."

"That explains a lot."

Legend smiled proudly as he handed him different samples of cloth. "Pick one or two."

Leo blinked before he stared at the fabrics in his hand, slowly setting two aside. "These two are soft, so I'll take it."

The Ultimate Fashionista grabbed a pen and wrote it down in his notebook, finally setting everything aside. "That went a lot faster than I expected, but that means I'll have more time to make your clothes. Be grateful."

"Thank you."

"Bah, you should be kneeling before me when you see how good my clothing is! It's only fit for a king, of course. Do you remember the pickup time?"

"5:00 to 8:00, right?"

"At least your memory is of high quality."

"Gee, I feel loved."

"Well, you should be! I'm doing this out of the kindness of my humbled heart."

Leo laughed. "Sure, sure. I'll pick it up at night then," he shook Legend's hand before putting his shirt back on and excusing himself.

He took a deep breath before getting off the porch, walking away from the cottages and towards the beach that held the large stage which would soon become an unforgettable memory.

~

Later that day, Leo went to fetch his outfit from Legend, who had scoffed at the fact that he had arrived at precisely 8:00 P.M.

"Don't be late to the show," the fashionista warned. "You should go to bed earlier tonight since we're planning on starting at 5:00 A.M., when it's still pitch black."

"Wait, what? That's insane!"

"Well, Phoenix's lights aren't just for show, you know!"

Leo groaned as he nodded and went back to his cottage, trying on the intricate garments that Legend had designed for him. Not surprisingly, it fit perfectly and didn't feel like a weight on him.

He spent the rest of the time before 10:00 wandering around the island, helping various people finish their preparations for the next day.

Leo yawned, exhausted as soon as he heard the nighttime announcements come on. For once, he was grateful to hear Dagger's voice remind everyone to go to bed.

"Leo!" Alice called out as she stood outside of her cottage. "Let's chat again!"

"Sure," he replied as he leaned against the balcony on the porch. "Anything you wanted to talk about?"

"Before that, I want to show you something that I'm bringing to the show." Alice went into her cottage before coming back with a plastic bag in her hands. "Ta-da!"

Leo looked closely. "Fireworks? How'd you get those?"

"They were in the supermarket, I figured that we could spice up the show with some light displays!"

"Won't they run out fast, though?"

Alice hummed and shrugged. "Isn't that just a metaphor for everything, though? I don't think there's anything that doesn't run out eventually."

"You're right, you're right. But fireworks are really beautiful before they run out."

She held up a bag of sparklers. "We could also use these to make those messages in photos. You know, the one that cheesy families do?"

"That sounds fun," Leo smiled. "So what did Legend design for you?"

"I wanted to change it up a little so I asked him to make me an outfit fit for a laborer! So, there's overalls, plaid, a straw hat, and boots."

"Interesting choice," he commented.

Alice smiled happily before she yawned, rubbing her eyes. "It's not even that late."

"Well, if you're tired then let's go to sleep. We have to wake up early anyway."

She nodded tiredly, picking up the bag of fireworks. "If you say so...then I'll go to bed. Goodnight, Leo, sorry about the short conversation we had."

Leo shook his head as he headed into his cottage. "Don't worry about it. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Leo!"

As he closed his doors, he looked over at the outfit hanging neatly off the back of his chair. Leo glanced one last time at Alice's cottage out of his window before he got into bed, closing his eyes.

Beautiful before they run out.

There's no moon tonight.

It was 10:21 P.M. when he fell asleep.

~

There was a knock on his door at 5:00 A.M. Leo groaned as he sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Who is it?"

"It's me, Elson! You should get dressed and hurry over to the show!"

Leo sighed as he picked up his outfit and carefully got dressed into it, opening the door. "Fine, fine. Let's go."

Elson beamed, dressed fully in what seemed to look more like a costume.

"Elson. What are you wearing?"

The Ultimate Conductor turned shy as he smiled nervously. "Well, I thought that we needed a little bit more pizazz in the show, so I told Legend to make me a bear costume."

"I'm more surprised that he agreed to it."

"Anyway, we should go!" Elson cheerily said as he took Leo's wrist and led him down to the beach, where the lights were set up already.

Leo looked at the stage in awe. The wood had been polished, the lights were fixated on top of the stage, and the curtains had been fashionably arranged so that part of it was rolled up with the outer halves draping over the sides. There was a red carpet rolled out into a runwalk, the edges laced with gold trim. Next to the stage, there were several tables filled with different kinds of breakfast foods.

Leo took his eyes off of the stage, looking around at the people gathered. Some were chatting, while others tiredly stood off to the side. He frowned slightly before looking around. "Where's Legend? Isn't he managing who goes on?"

Elson looked over, his face stuffed with half of a bagel. "Raymond said that he didn't answer his door when we went to wake him up, so we assumed that he was gathering up the last of his things before we started."

There was a clap from nearby as Raven gathered everyone's attention. She was wearing a long, flowing dress, hair tucked neatly into a multitude of braids. "Legend told me to take charge just in case because he said he wasn't feeling well from yesterday. Let's get started! Eve, you're up first, so please go up there!"

Eve looked startled as she tripped her way up to the stage before she stood shyly in the middle of the stage. "Uh...I've never done this before. What am I supposed to do?"

Alice smiled as she called out. "Walk down the runway and let everyone see what you look like!"

Following her words, the Ultimate Medium slowly walked up to the edge of the runway, doing a quick twirl. She was wearing a dark purple dress, with light pink bows in the back and shoulders providing contrast to the color.

"Say cheese!" Cornelia called out as she took a photo, laughing as Eve squealed in embarrassment and tried to cover her face.

Alice smiled as she began to hand everyone sparklers. "Everyone, let's wave these to light up the place even more!"

Leo looked at the glow of the sparks as Eve stepped off, trading her place with Gin. He was dressed fashionably in a simple suit, a rose hanging off the lapel of his jacket.

"Y'know, if he wasn't such an asshole I think I would've had a crush on him, too," Elson grumbled.

Gin smirked slightly as he struck a quick pose before leaning down over the stage to talk. "What was that, Serafino? You had a crush on me? Well, I'll be damned."

Elson looked shocked before he scowled. "I-I didn't say anything, damn you! It's no fair, you and Aspen look like gods while the rest of us lay below you like potatoes under the dirt!"

The Ultimate Butler laughed as he sat down at the edge of the stage before getting off. "That's cute, that's cute. Well, I'm not interested in anyone, so you're out of luck," he leaned forward towards Elson, eyes glinting. "But hit me up for any service. That's my duty as a butler. I'll even kill someone for you."

Elson took in a sharp breath. "You're scary."

"I've been told that," Gin stood straight again before waving back at him.

The Ultimate Conductor scowled as soon as he was out of sight, kicking at the sand. "That asshole."

Leo patted his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. "He's just like that. Look, Raven's up. I think I'm next."

Elson smiled as he turned back to the stage. "She's always scary but she looks nice in that dress. It's very...feminine for someone like her, I would say."

Leo looked around. "I'm getting a little worried for Legend...shouldn't he be back by now?"

Alice bit her lip as she set her sparklers down. "You're right, we should go try to find him."

Elson nodded. "Leo's up for his turn on the stage, right? I'll go alone. Come get me if he shows up."

With that, Elson left, running down the street as he called out for Legend.

Leo took a deep breath as he turned to the stage, hearing Raven call his name as he got on. He walked slowly to the middle of the stage, smiling down at the faces that cheered and waved at him.

"Walk down the runway, Leo!" Cornelia called.

As soon as Leo took a step, however, the lights to the stage suddenly flickered out, plunging everyone into darkness except for a few dimming sparklers in the crowd.

"Wait...how? I wired these to perfection!" Phoenix cried out as he heard footsteps running in the sand.

"Guys...did anyone bring a light?" Angel asked fearfully.

"Ow, don't step on me!" Nova yelled as there was an oomph from someone.

"Everyone, hold your sparklers closer to Phoenix so she can see under the stage!" Alice said as the fireworks started to move under the stage.

Leo suddenly felt the drip of something cold onto his hands. He stepped back in surprise. "Did someone put water above the stage?"

"Hang on, Leo! How is it down there, Phoenix?" Raymond called.

"Someone turned the generator off down here!" the Ultimate Mechanic responded. "I'm about to turn it back on!"

There was a sudden jolting sound of the machines starting up again as the lights came back on.

Leo looked down at his hands to see what had dripped down, breath stopping as he noticed it was pink. In front of him, where he had once stood, was a puddle slowly forming at his feet and staining his shoes.

Paling, Leo forced himself to look up as he saw the folded curtain slowly unravel, a mass dropping down onto the stage. Time seemed to stop as his eyes followed the mass down before he finally realized what is was as soon as he made eye contact with a pair of dead, green eyes.

The body landed with a loud thump! as blood spattered from the body on impact, much of it covering Leo from chest down. He felt some of it land on his face, still paralyzed from the seemingly surreal moment that was unfolding in front of him.

There was a stony silence as everyone stared in shock.

All of a sudden, someone let out a piercing scream.

Leo looked down at the body at his feet before finally comprehending what had happened.

He could do nothing but stare at the white, haunting expression of death that belonged to Legend Rowe.