It had started with just some simple chills. Lance (Boy #25) had felt the chills before, when it had been too long since his last fix – they were his body's way of telling him that it was time to refuel, that he was getting close to crashing. And the last thing the boy wanted to do was hit his low. Not at that moment, not when his imminent doom was staring at him so blatantly in the face.

He took a deep breath and allowed his legs to give out from beneath him. The sun beat down on him, and the sweat that trickled down his body told him that he was warm – probably overheating – but the cold chills swept through his body, and he shivered. The road circling the village had been good at keeping the boy occupied, at least for a little while, but his cravings were getting stronger, and desperation had begun to sink in.

If he still had his personal belongings, things would be different. He'd use up the rest of his heroin and leave the playing field in the pure bliss that swam through his consciousness when he was high. The boy sighed, recalling the utter contentment that he was lacking, the happy escape that had become routine – a necessary practice to help him survive the day.

A wave of nausea rolled over Lance and he turned to the side, throwing up the little contents that remained in his stomach. The bile tasted sour, and he could feel the stomach acid stinging inside his nostrils. He knew that he should try to replenish his system, but the nausea prevented the boy from putting any nutrients inside his body.

His head swam as a gentle breeze wafted by his figure. To anyone else, the soft caress of wind would have been welcome, but to Lance it triggered the chills to commence once again. He could see the village in the distance, not too far away. He was resting in the high grass between the road and the town, somewhere on the western side of the village. Or maybe he was on the eastern side? Lance wasn't exactly sure. All he knew was that he needed some Dust, and that he had none.

Raymond (Boy #11) owed Lance some drugs, didn't he? If he could find Raymond, Lance would take some from him.

No, Raymond's not using anymore. He stopped…a month or two before he starting seeing that FLA girl, right?

Lance pushed himself to his feet. He swayed for a moment, goosebumps rising all over his skin from the ice that raced through his veins. The urge to vomit returned, but there wasn't anything for Lance to remove from his system, and so the impulse passed, unsatisfied. His messy hair was matted down against the back of his neck, as well as pasted to his acne-laden forehead. Lance brought up his shirt and wiped the moisture away, hoping that removing the sweat from his face would allow the boy to warm up and chase away the chills.

If Raymond's not using anymore, then I'm sure he won't mind giving me what is left of his stash.

The thought of having Raymond's supply made Lance smile drunkenly to himself. Raymond always knew how to get the best stuff, and he never minded sharing it either. The guy didn't like to use by himself – called himself a "social junkie". That always made Lance laugh, that Raymond wanted to escape from reality only when there was someone else around. He liked to have company when he traveled in his drug haze – when he was, ultimately, alone.

But somewhere inside Lance's brain, a vague memory appeared of Raymond handing over to Lance the box that contained his stash. Lance nodded to himself, sensing the nausea threatening to return with such intense head movement.

"That's right," he said softly to himself, "Raymond already gave me his stuff when he decided to quit."

The boy swayed dangerously on his feet and his stomach did flip-flops inside his gut. The world spun as the Lance's eyes rolled upwards into his head for just a moment before they focused once again on the village. He unzipped his bag and pulled out the two ends of his weapon. They screwed into each other – creating a long, sharp pointed object.

"Lance's designated weapon is a lance," the boy said, chuckling to himself. In reality, the object was a javelin, and both ends had been sharpened to a razor-point. However the boy had decided to use the weapon in a more useful manner, and he took a few steps forward, the javelin making a fine walking stick. Whenever the boy felt his balance waver, the stick kept him on his feet. Such a long object wouldn't have fit in his duffel bag if it hadn't been halved first. Lance wasn't sure if his weapon was good or bad compared to the others, and that question had been lost as more important ones had arisen – which direction should he go? Was he going to die? Where were his drugs? Where were Raymond and Spencer (Boy #8)?

That's right! Spencer is here too.

Spencer was usually not so keen on sharing his supply, but the boy managed to smuggle something wherever he went. If anyone in the playing field still had some drugs, it would be Spencer. He was the person Lance needed to find. He'd grab some heroin from Spencer, get his mind working the way it was supposed to, and then he'd deal with The Program. But not until he had refueled.

More sweat dripped down his face, and chills made his muscles tense up. His breaths came in quicker gasps, but still the boy pushed onward. The village loomed in front of him, but Lance felt that somewhere, in one of the many shacks that stuck out of the dirt like awkward gravestones, sat his friend Spencer, who was most likely the only person that possessed the heroin Lance's body craved. Even the idea of a potential drug source lifted the boy's spirits, and with the help of his javelin, Lance made his way into the town.

Step by step.

-B-A-T-T-L-E-

Don't even think about him.

She stopped, taking a moment to breathe.

The air was thick, and only seemed to be getting heavier. Her breaths came in deeper and deeper pulls, like the simple act of inhaling had become a chore that Tonya (Girl #7) would eventually give up on. And perhaps there was more truth to that statement than the girl was prepared to consider.

The foliage surrounded her like a giant green cocoon, and if she had been prone to claustrophobia, Tonya imagined that breathing would have been even more difficult. However, if there was one thing that the girl was proficient in, it was the act of selective attention. She could ignore the trees and bushes if she really wanted to, could deafen her ears to the numerous sounds that echoed in the distance. When engrossed in a book, the rest of the world ceased to exist to Tonya, and she could shut people out of her life no other.

It was her control over her emotions that allowed the girl to act with such force. It hadn't been an easy process, and perhaps her nature wasn't as emotional as other females of the species. But she still felt them, and they were eventually wrangled into obedience. It came with the territory, she supposed. Being the daughter of a foreign diplomat had its perks, but also it drawbacks. Gigantic mansions, more servants than she could imagine, more money than she knew what to do with. But she was always on display, ever in the spotlight, and it was absolutely necessary that she react in the correct manner, regardless of the circumstances. Maybe it wouldn't be so important for her to constantly maintain composure if her father had been the ambassador to a minor country like Paraguay or Egypt.

But that had been the whole cause of her argument with Micah (Boy #7), hadn't it? That boy, so eager to despise anything to do with the government, so ready to bash anything and anyone involved. He hadn't even given her a chance to…

She took another deep breath.

Tonya couldn't lose her head over this. She didn't know why Micah hadn't waited for her outside the school (We were released one right after another for God's sake!) but there were other potential reasons beyond their fight. It could have been that Micah had been chased off by some threat, or that he was simply unaware that Tonya was the next contestant to enter the playing field. And despite Micah's tendency to be a little petty, Tonya didn't truly believe that he'd leave her to die alone.

Thinking about Micah brought a rush of emotion into the girl's chest, and she fought it all back with everything she could muster. Emotions would only manage to distract her, and if she planned to protect herself, the girl needed to be fluid, like water. She needed to float, move with the planet and her surroundings, and take one step at a time. Thinking about Micah would only force her to drown amongst the trees – suffocating on her fear, choking on her anxiety.

She would deal with Micah when she found him, provided that they both lived that long. But assuming that both continued to breathe, it was likely that they would run into one another at some point. After all, Tonya had already encountered three other boys – there was no reason to doubt that she would no longer be able to locate other players.

A gentle breeze wafted by, causing some locks of brown hair to fly into Tonya's field of vision. She tucked the tresses behind her ear and felt the wind caress her cheeks, her neck. There were small comforts available if one knew where to look. Other contestants would be, perhaps, distracted by the sound of the breeze rushing through the leaves to appreciate the small relief. But Tonya knew that every tiny detail had some importance, and if she refused to allow herself the slight comfort of a refreshing breeze, than all hope was already lost.

She could already feel her mind drifting back to Micah, and to divert attention away, the girl focuses on the three other contestants she had come across. Noah (Boy #18) had been first, and the fear present in those intense green eyes of his had been almost palpable. The way he clutched the fork with both hands and held it in front of him – it was a little pathetic. He'd said that he didn't want to fight, and that had been enough, although Tonya wondered if that sentiment of his would still have been true if he had possessed a better weapon.

The same could be said of another boy she had happened upon – Adonis (Boy #5) was his name if she was correct. He, too, had a poor weapon designation – a boomerang. Essentially useless, but his size and athletic ability surely made up for it. If he had wanted to attack her, Tonya doubted an inferior weapon would have prevented him from doing so. But the girl couldn't allow herself to draw conclusions about people she didn't know anything about.

Tonya didn't know many of the other students on a personal level – her proclivity of turning her attention away from peers and onto schoolwork didn't invite many friendships her way. Although some did exist, they were small in number. She couldn't afford too many friends, or else her parents would have imposed themselves to judge which of her associates were appropriate and those that she immediately cut ties with. It was just easier to pretend that she had no acquaintances at all, and to keep quiet about the few that were real. Thankfully, not one of her friends was present with Tonya in the playing field. She found some relief in that. But, instead, Micah had been chosen…

She shook her head – she was doing it again; thinking of Micah when she knew she shouldn't. Tonya turned her attention to the final remaining person she had encountered. It took her a moment to remember his name, but it finally clicked into place.

Phil…that's his name.

Phil (Boy #23) had had two weapons. He'd said that he'd stolen one from Riley (Boy #6), but Tonya supposed he could have lied. Still, he'd had the opportunity to shoot her, and he didn't take it. She could take his claim at face value then, that he was intent on gathering the weapons from those who would play to win. It sounded noble…and utterly futile. Once that boy was killed, all the weaponry he had stocked would be at the hands of his murderer, and that person would become exceptionally dangerous. Still, Tonya didn't regret her decision about leaving the boy alone. He wasn't threatening her, and therefore, was of no consequence. Tonya had decided to only fight those who wanted to kill her, and she saw no reason to change from her stance. Why fight someone who only wanted to be left alone? She'd turn a blind eye to them, like she was so apt at doing, and only dwell on those who were focused on her in return.

She pushed some limbs out of the way and her eyes settled on a rather large tree stretching out of the ground and up into the sky. Tonya gazed up, but the top of the tree was beyond her sight, hidden by the canopy that was a perpetual ceiling in the forest area. The foliage obscured the sun, and in the shade it was several degrees cooler. Despite a lack of large gusts, the air didn't feel stagnant and overbearing.

In short, it seemed like a nice place to stop and rest.

The girl did a quick survey of the area, making sure there weren't any surprises lurking behind the trunks of nearby trees, and once she determined herself to be completely alone, she sat with her back against the massive tree, allowing her body to relax.

A wave of fatigue washed over Tonya. She hadn't managed to get very much sleep the previous night, although she had tried. And while she didn't feel tired while she was moving around, all the exhaustion had managed to catch up with her at last, and Tonya felt the urge to rest her head…and let herself….slowly…drift…off…

A soft rustling that sounded more like an explosion hit her eardrums, and the girl's eyes snapped open. A figure noisily pushed branches and limbs from its face as it appeared from the green that surrounded the area. He stopped for a moment, to take a breath, unaware of Tonya's presence. The adrenaline hit her system, and the girl was on her feet, the katana clutched tightly in her right hand. Her eyes took in the switchblade clutched in one and, and the metal shield grasped in the other. And finally, Tonya noticed the trail of blood leading down from his temple, the source of which was hidden beneath a shirt wrapped clumsily around the head.

Her mind instinctively wanted to ask questions, wanted to verify what Phil had told her against what the intruder would say. But there were more important queries that held precedence over whether or not Phil could be trusted in the future.

"My name is Tonya," she said.

"Holy shit!" Riley said, suddenly aware of the girl's existence, bringing his shield to just below his eye level and hiding the bulk of his body behind the metal barrier.

"Do you want to fight me?" Tonya said.

Riley raised an eyebrow, before glancing around at his surroundings. The girl watched, stone-faced, as the boy took in the scene. His eyes danced around the small clearing before once again settling on the girl before him.

"Sure," he said with a grin, "Why not?"

-R-O-Y-A-L-E-

Hello readers!

You're probably wondering why we've left the action and you're hearing from me, Riter544, the author of this work. Perhaps some of you saw this coming and thought it is overdue, and hopefully very few of you are angry. But I've decided to discontinue this fanfic.

My reasons are simple enough: I don't have the time or energy to finish such an intense undertaking. When I started this work, I thought I'd be able to do it, but truthfully, I've lost the flow of the story. I had a rhythm and I let it get away from me. I apologize for not finding the time to get back into this story, but as it is, it's unfair to you, the readers, who look for updates and are trying to be the audience and critics that I ask you to be.

Perhaps some day in the future, I will return to this story, but for now, I must set it aside. I hate to leave things unfinished, but I have to be willing to accept my limitations. Hopefully, it's not too much to ask the same from you.

However, it would be wrong and mean-spirited of me not to divulge all the information I have regarding the outcome of this story. I had planned a good deal of it out, and so I hope this shortened version will do my ideas justice, and will give the rest of you out there some closure.

I intend to write this in regards to each character. And since I left you all on the edge of the cliff, let's start with those characters:

Tonya/Micah/Ahmed: Immediately following her confrontation with Riley, there is a flashback of Tonya's life with her father, the US ambassador to Japan. She has lived there for a few years and under her father's advice, attempted to assimilate into Japanese culture by taking up a traditional Japanese activity. She chooses to study the art of the sword. Back in the game, Tonya fights fiercely, and after he is almost impaled, Riley runs off. Tonya eventually joins the Gathering, and is a silent presence until her boyfriend Micah also joins the Gathering.

It is revealed through flashback that Micah and Ahmed were once good friends, playing volleyball on an intramural team after school. However, Micah is a self-proclaimed anarchist, and hates anything to do with government (due to things like the Program). Ahmed, who has undergone some prejudice and hate crimes because of his Muslim faith (a little September 11th note is tossed in to explain why Muslims are discriminated against), attempts to distinguish himself from Muslim radicals by proclaiming his great love of America and all its forms (including government). This disagreement is what causes a falling out between the boys.

In the playing field, Ahmed (who has a revolver and has been shooting at everyone he sees in an effort to prove, once again, his love of country) comes across Micah. There is a confrontation, and due to Ahmed fumbling with the heavy revolver, Micah overtakes him, and Micah shoots Ahmed, killing him.

While dealing with the guilt of his actions, Micah joins the Gathering, and reunites with Tonya, who sheds her tough, bitchy, aggressive exterior at the sight of her boyfriend. It is learned that the argument the two had revolved around the discovery by Micah of Tonya's father being a government official. The two stay with the Gathering until it dissolves (read further for why it dissolves) and then venture out into the playing field. Both of them eventually die, most likely by Hank, although I hadn't figured that out yet.

Riley: Frustrated with consistent losses at every turn, Riley loses himself to rage. There is a flashback where we see Riley as a young child at a bank being robbed. His older brother is brought into a back room and raped. His mother, a devout woman, praises God for keeping both of her sons alive. In turn, Riley blames God for putting his family in harm's way, and so begins his hatred of all religion.

As to his future in the Program, Riley was running on fumes. I considered having him team up with Zeke, only to be killed by Zeke soon after. Another thought, and most likely the one I was going to use, was to have him encounter Tobias and Wyatt. Despite his superior fighting experience and adrenaline rush, two against one would determine the outcome. Tobias would end up killing Riley and keeping the weapons for himself, not giving one to Wyatt.

Tobias/Wyatt/Adonis: Adonis has only been hinted at up to this point, but the large, muscular Greek is the next boy that Tobias and Wyatt come across. Still reeling from Riley's murder and hesitant to attack a fellow member of the football team, Wyatt doesn't immediately leap into battle like Tobias does. There is a flashback to a College Crowd rave where the Crowd-ers discuss a schoolmate that is present who will be playing an important game the next day. The Crowd has tried to coerce this boy, to bribe him, to threaten him to lose on purpose so that they make a killing on bets. When nothing works, Tobias shoots the boy in the leg, much to horror of the other Crowd-ers.

Upon this memory, Wyatt finally joins the fight, teaming up with Adonis instead of Tobias. Together, the two football players murder Tobias. The two spend some time together in the playing field, before both are eventually taken out.

Scott/Barbara/Adrienne/Claudia/Logan/Kiki: As of yet, these characters are cannon fodder. I have no notes as to their personalities, habits, alliances, or descriptions. There is a chance that one or more could have developed into something more, but most likely, each was simply a one or two scene filler before they were killed. The only exception is Kiki, who possessed, as one of her two designated weapons (she is Girl #25, and so received Nina's bag in the classroom), a book detailing previous Battle Royale seasons. This is only relevant for re-introducing the Girl Number 25 Paradigm, which becomes important later in the story.

Dawn: Dawn continues to mentally deteriorate. With each new scene, Oliver continues to decay, and his accusations become more and more outlandish. He torments her with his disgusting appearance, and slowly Dawn begins to break down. He demands that she prove that his murder was an accident by having sex with another contestant without killing them. Dawn consistently attempts to point out the flaws in this logic, but as she loses her mind, she simply agrees. After a few instances of wordlessly prostrating herself in front of other contestants, she is finally taken advantage of by Zeke, who decides to leave her to her own demise than to waste his own time killing her. Thinking that she has done what Oliver asks, Dawn is horrified to see that he is not satisfied. In an effort to rid herself of him once and for all, Dawn throws herself from the cliffs.

Yvonne/Layla/Kyle: Yvonne, a Crowd-er, is walking through the woods when she is attacked by Kyle. He uses her designated weapon, to choke her. He apologizes over and over as he squeezes tighter and tighter. Yvonne is saved by Layla, a FLA, when she shoots Kyle with her shotgun.

Layla and Yvonne, despite their group differences, are both part of a Writers Group that meets after school. Other members of this group are Ahmed, Neil, Delilah, and Phil, but Layla and Yvonne discover a connection through similar writing styles and demeanors. They continue a secret friendship and help each other improve their writing.

After the two girls leave, Kyle rises, unharmed. His Kevlar vest has protected him from the shotgun blast. It is learned that Kyle is a soon-to-be father, and due to some issues with his own absent father, the boy intends to do whatever it takes to return to his pregnant girlfriend and be the father he never had. The boy continues to play, perhaps killing a few other contestants, but is eventually murdered by a more capable contender.

Layla and Yvonne join the Gathering for a time, but when they feel that friends from their respective groups are trying to force them apart, the girls leave. Despite their superior firepower (the shotgun) the girls are eventually killed.

Joy: After the death of her brother, Joy has taken his gun and is walking around the field in a daze. She slowly comes to terms with the boy's murder, and resolves to win the Program, if only to get revenge on Miss Smith. However, she finds it difficult to justify playing to win, and instead decides to think about it a bit longer.

She stumbles across the Gathering, and attempts to join. One of the security questions is to name all weapons currently possessed, but Joy decides it would be difficult to explain how she came across her brother's gun, and not wanting to trying describing it, as well as her malfunctioning collar, she lies about having the gun, instead thinking to explain herself once she's been accepted.

The people of the Gathering have already seen the gun, however, and since Joy lies about it, when they open the door, Joy stares down the barrel of Layla's shotgun. Jacob is the one to pull the trigger, eliminating Joy. Joy's gun is brought into the Gathering, and only Bridget finds it strange that the model type has been given to no contestants.

Tabitha/Sabrina/Felicia/Paige/Neil: After the hockey girls and Neil have settled into the lighthouse, Sabrina starts to get a little stir crazy. When Spencer stumbles upon the group, Felicia has a break down, accusing him of forcing himself upon her. Spencer runs off, clearly afraid of the untrue allegations tossed his way. It is revealed that Felicia was raped, and it is the cause of her sudden neediness, her broken arm, and her rapid weight gain (an attempt to make herself less attractive to avoid getting raped again).

Amidst the confusion, Sabrina steals the Uzi and runs off, deciding the best way to protect herself and her teammates is to play. It is agreed that Paige and Neil will go to retrieve Sabrina and the gun, while Tabitha stays to care for Felicia, who is still dealing with her past traumas.

Sabrina does well with the Uzi, but is eventually killed by another player. Paige and Neil, likewise, meet the same fate while out searching for Sabrina. The square containing the lighthouse is about to go danger zone, and Tabitha is having trouble moving Felicia from the building. Finally deciding that the girl won't move, Tabitha flees, leaving Felicia to die once the zone becomes active.

Tabitha joins the Gathering for a while, mourning the loss of her friends, but once the Gathering disbands, is back out in the playing field, and is eventually eliminated by another contestant.

Lance: Lance continues his withdrawal symptoms from heroin. He hallucinates, shivers, sweats, and screams. He is eventually found by another player and killed.

Chase: Chase, who hasn't been introduced yet, is a man-whore. Usually used by the College Crowd to seduce both men and women into compromising situations, the boy plans to try something similar in order to not be easy prey in the Program. Suffering from poor self esteem and a deeply confusing sexual orientation, Chase looks to sexual gratification to ease his loneliness and his intense self-loathing.

Not finding too many takers to his sexual advances and with a poor designated weapon (a box of tacks), Chase eventually is removed from the competition.

Delilah: Raised by a singe, bipolar mother, Delilah has always looked for some form of stability. She's acted out with piercings, tattoos, and strange hair dyes, but they are always overlooked by her mother, who is too wrapped up in her depression or wild in her manic state. Delilah uses writing to air out her frustrations and has found a camaraderie with Neil, but the two don't meet in the playing field.

Despite her lack of friends, an aggressive nature, and a decent weapon (a gravedigger's shovel), Delilah has decided early in the game not to play. There is a flashback where it is learned that Delilah's mother decided to have a child, and so found as many guys to sleep with her as she could to increase her odds of getting pregnant. Delilah's mother has no idea who Delilah's father is, but she prayed to a different god each night for a child and says that she found out she was pregnant on the night she prayed to Satan. She called Delilah her "little Anti-Christ".

Delilah, clearly disturbed by this information, worries that somewhere, deep down, her true nature is that of evil. In an effort to counteract what she fears to be true, Delilah believes that choices determine who people are and what they can become. She says that even evil people can do good things, and for that reason, refuses to play. She joins the Gathering for a time, but escapes when the group disbands. She is eventually taken out by another contestant.

Noah: After meeting up with Kristy, Noah wanders around the playing field for a time, until he comes across Jillian. Hesitant due to Kristy's warning, the greeting between the two is awkward, but Jillian wins Noah over and the two team up for a while. However, once Jillian realizes that Noah isn't aiding her in any way, she kills him.

Selene: Still unable to come to terms with Mike R's death, Selene wanders around the playing field in a daze. She comes across several threats, but is able to chase them off with her nail gun. She joins the Gathering for a while, and runs off when it dissolves. After a time, dealing with the paranoia and the loss of Mike R, Selene can't find the strength to defend herself against a threat and is killed.

Evan: Evan has spent most of his time in the playing field mastering the slingshot that was his designated weapon. Seeming to improve, he ventures out into the woods, searching for Heather, his girlfriend, unaware that she knows about his cheating ways with Jillian. He discovers the Gathering, but Heather refuses to allow him access, and the others respect her wishes, telling Evan to leave or he will be killed.

Feeling guilty and alone, Evan ventures off, where he eventually dies at the hands of another contestant.

Phil: Phil continues to do his best, stripping weapons from other contestants who are playing to win. While coming across other students, there are flashbacks of Phil's relationship with Melissa – dates that they've had, as well as their marriage in her hospital room. Melissa is the source of Phil's faith, and the only way he can justify her early death from cancer is through his religion.

Phil is successful is taking weapons from dangerous contestants, but his unwillingness to kill gets the better of him, and he is removed from the game by Lucy, who claims his arsenal of weapons.

Jacob/David/Bridget/Heather: The starting members of the Gathering amass a considerable collection of people during the game, one of which is Hank. They are skeptical when he comes to the door, but they agree that it is safer to have him inside and handcuffed than to have him wandering around their sanctuary.

Hank is a hospitable guest and makes to trouble initially, although he doesn't disclose the throwing knife he stole from the classroom at the start of the game. Eventually, Hank makes his move, escaping from the cuffs and knocking Jacob unconscious in the process. He doesn't outright kill anyone, but he warns them all that he will return in an hour's time and kill any who remain in the town ahll building. Hank runs off, and most of the students do as well.

David, thinking that Jacob is dead, races after Hank for revenge. He races after the boy, but is surprised when he discovers that he manages to find Hank easily. David realizes he doesn't stand a chance against Hank, but it is already too late, and Hank murders David.

Heather hovers over Jacob, trying to get him to regain consciousness. Over the course of the Program, the two have become exceptionally close, and have strong feelings of love and concern for each other.

Bridget sees her chance. It is revealed that Bridget, and not Tobias, is the leader of the College Crowd. That the girl actually uses the moronic Tobias as a front and pulls the strings from the shadows, so much so, that not even the other Crowd-ers were aware of her leadership. The girl is a powerful manipulator, and has managed to get insider information in every contestant in the playing field, thanks to Heather's contestant files.

Bridget has noticed the shiny, lacquered floors of the town hall, and using the contestant files and the flammable sheen on the wooden building, sets fire to the town hall with her lighter (part of her designated weapon, the other half was some marijuana). She leaves Heather and Jacob to burn alive on the second floor.

Bridget has all the information she needs inside her crafty brain, but with a small stature, poor athletics, and no truly dangerous weaponry, there's only so far she can go. Bridget makes it to the final four, but no further.

Isabelle/Spencer: It is revealed that Isabelle idolized her teacher Miss Kishimoto, because the Japanese woman treated the girl as an individual, and not simply another member of Isabelle's giant family. When Miss Kishimoto is violently murdered, Isabelle takes it very hard, and when forensics finds Spencer's sperm inside the woman, people assume he is the killer.

Spencer claims (and is telling the truth) that he and Miss Kishimoto were in a relationship, and very much in love. He admits to having sex with her on the day she was killed, but that he didn't kill her – that he is innocent, and even more, that he was deeply in love with Miss Kishimoto.

In reality, Miss Kishimoto's murderer is Maya (this is what she meant from her early scene when she admits to Hank that Spencer is innocent). Maya kills Miss Kishimoto for some obscure, unnecessary reason, but it is Spencer who has all the blame, although he isn't convicted of the crime.

In Isabelle's mind, Spencer is the obvious killer, and the next time the two stumble upon each other, Isabelle murders Spencer.

After feeling satisfied with her revenge, Isabelle begins a deep analysis of her home life, and the insecurities that plague her, coming from such a large family. She has a flashback to a night when she overhears her parents talking to some neighbors about their children. Both parents agree that they have trouble remembering Isabelle, that there isn't anything about her that stands out or is special. Remembering this sends Isabelle over the edge, and continues the mantra "Don't forget…how they made you feel…"

Driven by fury and an attempt to prove to her parents that she is special, that she can win the Program and show them how impressive she can be, Isabelle decides to play, but is eventually removed from the running by a more capable contestant.

Zeke: The Battle Royale fan makes a good showing, killing several contestants as the game continues. He is also a constant source to bring up the Girl Number 25 Paradigm, which as I stated before is important. He fights and kills and relishes in the hunt. I planned for him to team up with someone at some point in the game, but could never settle on whom and for how long.

Zeke's abilities and know-how of the game carry him to the final four, but he is killed by Hank soon after.

Hank: Hank is one of the main antagonists of the story, but despite his bloodthirsty nature, I attempted to humanize him to a certain degree. This was mostly done through flashback to significant times in his childhood as he was raised by Silas. We learn that even assassins have a code of conduct, and that Hank sees the Program just like he sees any other assignment – as just a job.

Hank always asks his victims if they have anything to confess before they die, and this method allows for some intense moments that I could portray before a character met his or her end. Hank makes it to the final two, but is fatally wounded by Lucy and eventually dies due to his wounds. However, before his death, Hank himself is asked if he has anything to confess, and his confession is that he is afraid to die. He is cradled and sung to as the boy passes away.

Jillian/Kristy/Raymond/Lucy: It is thought that Lucy is Jillian, however, this is not the case. As she says, Jillian sleepwalks when under stress, and this is the explanation to her lapses in time. The bloody bat that is close to her when Kristy discovers her, was dropped by Lucy, who then awoke as her host body, Kristy, and then returned to find Jillian waking up from a trance, the bat nearby.

Jillian is an avid player of the game, but she eventually falls to Kristy (in Lucy form) when it is revealed whom Lucy is.

Kristy is Lucy. Her anti-anxiety medication is actually medication to suppress Lucy's emergence. As a child, Kristy had an imaginary friend named Lucy, whom she blamed for her mistakes and attempted to get extra sweets ("Lucy needs a cookie too!"). However, one day, Hank shows up with Silas. Under Silas' order, Hank takes Kristy outside to spare her what will happen to the girl's mother at the hands of Silas, but Hank brings the girl back just in time to see her mother tortured and killed.

Kristy goes into shock, and Lucy is created as a defense mechanism. Through more flashbacks, Kristy enters therapy and deals with Lucy's more aggressive, amoral nature. In one scene, we realize that Kristy wakes up and three years has gone by, during which time Lucy has been in complete control, and learning various forms of martial arts, gun handling, and knife fighting. As a last resort, Kristy is placed in a hypnotic state to forget Lucy completely, as well as the traumatic memories of her mother's death, and the "anti-anxiety" medication is used to keep Kristy balanced and in control.

Raymond, Kristy's boyfriend, is the Night Watcher, who is sitting on the top of a tall tree, far removed from the Program. When he recognizes Kristy's scream, he climbs down to help and the two spend some time together. However, Lucy eventually takes control and either kills Raymond, or chases him off to be killed by some other player.

With nothing left, Kristy tries to harness Lucy's knowledge of fighting in order to protect herself from the other major contenders still present in the game. Finding a sense of wholeness, Kristy manages to do the unthinkable – defeat Hank one on one. She wounds him and he runs off, only to die moments later of the deep wounds.

Kristy is the winner of the Program.

Leslie/Lisa: Remember how I said the Girl Number 25 Paradigm was important? Miss Smith comes out of the school to greet Kristy as the victor, but there's someone else in the playing field. Miss Smith is revealed to be Lisa, the girl who followed Leslie as the second Girl #25 to win the Program. Leslie, in contrast, has been active in the playing field, trying to smuggle out contestants right before they die, or before they succumb to their wounds. It is Leslie who eases Hank's death at the end of the story. I thought playing with the names (Leslie, Lisa, Lucy) was a fun way to end this story.

Lisa has been dying her hair blonde and trying to pass herself off as Leslie. Leslie has, in turn, dyed her hair black so as not to be recognized. Remember the short scene at the end of chapter 6 – there's a black haired woman on the mountain top without a collar. The idea was that the audience was supposed to think it was Joy (who had removed her collar due to a malfunction), but it was repeatedly mentioned that Joy (and her brother) both have red hair. That black haired woman is Leslie, sneaking into the Program to save as many lives as she can.

As far as who Leslie saves, I decided to have her save Dwayne (remember, Lucy doesn't outright kill him, she leaves him to die of brain damage). She also manages to break into the town hall while it is on fire and save both Heather and Jacob. As far as other students, I was considering Leslie also saving Phil, Delilah, Bridget, Raymond, Isabelle, Selene, Tabitha, or Felicia. I wasn't planning on having her save that many people, only the few I thought I could pull off given their death scenes, and which I felt the readers would most appreciate.

Leslie and Lisa begin a brawl to settle the score between them. The match seems even until Kristy joins the fray, and helps Leslie kill Miss Smith, before the two disappear, intent on fighting the Program another day.

So, that's the end. I hope that even though this story didn't get finished, you guys at least find some closure in this information that I've been able to give you.

Thanks again.