Rain poured down hard on me as I rushed back into my house, hunching myself over the wet pile of envelopes to protect them from further damage at the hands of the torrents of rain drops.

Grabbing my house keys, I quickly opened the door to my small house near the beach and ran inside, soaking wet. Water dripped from the mail, and I fell onto the floor. However, I was more concerned with getting the mail inside and protecting it than maintaining my floors.

I'd been hoping to go out to the beach near my house today, but as it turns out, life complicates things. I'd already gotten ready to go out, so I figured I'd at least go out to get my mail.

That may have been a mistake, even if all that mail had been piling up since I'd left for that competition; I had to go to Hawaii last week. I'd forgotten how much I hate rain, even if I am in the water often.

Rain and the ocean are two different things.

Even so, I wasn't going to let being soaking wet keep me down for too long. Taking a towel that I kept on my coat rack just for these sorts of occasions, I wrapped it around myself and went into my living room. I plopped all my letters down on the coffee table and, unwrapping myself, I placed the towel on the couch to protect it from my soaked clothing.

I took one piece of mail and inspected it.

Junk mail.

I threw it onto the seat next to me, away from the rest of the mail. I anticipated that the pile would grow rather quickly. Mostly people trying to get information on me or those who just want me to endorse something. It got to be too much sometimes. Occasionally I'd have fan mail, which is always a pleasure, but it can get intense.

Let's just say I've never been a big fan of crowds.

As I pushed through the pile of envelopes, the junk pile grew more and more, with two smaller piles consisting of things from fans and things from my sponsors. I was planning on handling those later in the break, before I had to go on another surfing trip.

When only a few letters were left in the pile, it finally caught my eye.

An envelope with a red seal laid on the table, the Hope's Peak logo pressed firmly into the seal. "Namika Kiritani" was written cleanly on the back of the envelope alongside my new address. It was almost certainly a letter from Hope's Peak Academy.

I always opened those; they were usually just asking for donations from alumni, but I always appreciated hearing about what the school had been up to. I couldn't help but enjoy seeing what the new students at my old school were doing. It made me kind of jealous, actually, seeing all of those new students getting the chance to really focus on their talents and passions, without having to worry about anything else.

Hope's Peak was good for that. It was the best school I ever attended, although I'll admit I didn't take it that seriously.

I learned a lot about myself there.

Impatiently, I tore open the top of the envelope, not even bothering to undo the wax seal. Forcing my fingers into the torn up envelope, I pulled out a letter, laminated and decorated with an intricate patterned border. The letter was fully typed.

Dear Namika Kiritani,

We hereby invite you, Namika Kiritani, Ultimate Surfer and Hope's Peak graduate, to the First Class Reunion of the Sixty-Seventh Class of Hope's Peak Academy. We have sent invitations to all members of the class.

The class reunion will be taking place at Hope's Peak Academy on June 15, 2013 at the gym of Hope's Peak Academy, starting at 6:00 PM.

Each member of the class is invited to bring a single guest, but please notify us who you will bringing ahead of time.

This year, the costs for our class reunion have been covered by a special endowment, so the normal 2000¥ attendance fee has been waived! To attend, all you need to do is RSVP!

Our plans for the night include appetizers, dinner, dancing, and a special guest performance to end the night!

Please RSVP by May 15, 2013 so we can fully prepare for your arrival. You can RSVP by calling the Hope's Peak Academy Office of Special Events. They will notify us of your plans to attend.

We are also looking for volunteers to help us prepare for this event. If you're interested, please contact us through the Office of Special Events.

Best wishes,
The Former Student Government Members of the Sixty-Seventh Class

I clutched the invitation in my hand, only contemplating what I wanted to do for a moment. It only needed that much. It was definitely a template letter from the way it was typed, but it bore good news. I hadn't seen most of my classmates for a long, long time.

If I can get that chance, I'd like to go back to those times, if only for one night.

Just one thing I need to take care of before I do anything else.

Transferring the note from my right hand to my left hand, I grabbed my cell phone from the table. Navigating through my phone to my contacts, I scrolled down the long list of numbers, mostly unused, down to "Mae Nakada", my agent.

I pressed the button and put the phone to my ear. The dial tone hummed for a bit, but I wasn't left waiting for long.

A familiar, but tired, voice spoke into my ear, "Ah, Namika. I was just thinking of calling you, actually, with everything that's coming up."

Trying to hurry Mae along, I quickly asked her, "Yeah, yeah, I know we have to take care of that. But listen, is there any way you can set aside a tiny bit of time to go to a class reunion next month? I'm hoping to meet up with some old friends. It'll be the fifteenth of June."

I felt a weight in my chest, an anxiety I couldn't shake

For once in my adult life, Mae relented. "Yeah, of course. You deserve something after all of your hard work, you know? The next few months are going to be busy, but I can make an opening. June will be packed, but I can slot that in."

Feeling the weight inside my chest lighten, I chirpily replied, "Awesome! Let me know when it's set!"

Mae replied, "I will. Just don't go missing like you did that one time."

I laughed a bit, trying not to relive that experience. "Come on, I only went to that beach in Okinawa I liked for a few hours."

Mae sighed, "I know you don't want to talk about it, but please try not to go missing. I worry about you sometimes. You've been really distant lately, you know?"

I brushed her off, saying, "I'm fine, I'm fine. I guess I've just been thinking about a lot of things lately, you know? About what I want to do after all of this is done."

The call was silent for a moment before Mae spoke, "I understand. Just try to stay focused, okay? Keep putting one foot in front of the other."

"That's not how you surf," I jabbed.

Mae actually chuckled a bit at that. "Nice. I'm going to get on making the adjustments to your schedule so you can attend. Try to rest over the next few days, Namika. It's been a busy few months and we've got even more coming up. I'll take care of things."

Feeling reassured at that, I smiled. "Sure, let me know anything comes up, alright? Otherwise, I'm just gonna kick back and relax for these next few days."

Mae calmly said, "I will. See you."

I bid her farewell. "Bye! See you soon!"

I ended the phone call there, setting my phone back on the table face down. I got up and sighed in relief, letting out my anticipation. I know a lot of people find it awkward, but this sounded like a chance to reignite friendships with a lot of people I'd lost contact with after leaving Hope's Peak.

Thinking out loud to myself, I said, "Looking forward to getting away for a while, not having to deal with all this."

I thought to myself.

It's only one night, but maybe that's all I need.

I just want to see them again. My old classmates, friends and enemies alike.

I've been keeping in touch with a few, but I haven't really seen anyone.

I've been trying not to think about it, but I really miss them.

I miss Hope's Peak. It was the one time I was able to focus solely on my talent, without any of these responsibilities hanging over my head. I was free then.

Little did I know that I would be spending far more than a single night with my old classmates.

I had sought to reunite with my past, but as it turns out, it seems like someone else in that class wanted the past to burn. And that class reunion was the start of it all.

We, the sixty-seventh class of Hope's Peak Academy, would be the participants in what many people would later call the first Killing Game.

For now, though, I would be spending the next few days rushing around my house in excitement, getting ready for that reunion that would be taking place in a few months time.

A/N: Welcome to my new SYOC, everyone! I'm Lupus. I've been considering making a SYOC based on this premise for a while now and, after talking with some people, I've decided to go through with it. This is going to be based in the Hope's Peak universe, but I'm treating this as an alternate timeline. I don't want to ramble on too long, so I'll direct you to my profile. You'll find the form for this story as well as all the rules there!

Regarding submissions, I plan to have them open for about a month, ending on October 31, 2018 at 11:59 PM EST, although I am willing to give people an extension if it comes down to it, especially if they ask ahead of time. Additionally, I'll try to keep an updated list of the current submissions on my profile, so be sure to keep an eye on that if you want to know what characters I'm receiving.

If you have any questions, be sure to check the rules and form on my profile, and if that fails, feel free to shoot me a PM. I'll try to get back to you all as soon as possible.