Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon!
YAYAYAY! I finally finished Episode 25! Sorry for the wait, but it's okay because this is the longest episode yet!
:does happy dance:
I hope you enjoy it :)
Tales of the Village People
Episode 25--- Shocking Truth
It was cold in the Clinic as Elli shivered watching Jack read his letter, he sat there motionless staring aimlessly down at the piece of paper in his hands. Elli hugged her stomach as she watched him desperately waiting for something to happen. She glanced at Doctor who was also watching Jack with a concerned look across his face. Elli looked down at her hands trying to keep still, the silence in the room felt heavy and she wished someone one would say something. She jumped suddenly when she heard Doctor cough and looked towards him. He gave her a nod in Jack's direction. She turned her head slowly to look at Jack again, his head was down hiding all his thoughts and emotions from everyone in the room. She looked down at his hands that were sill tightly holding the letter and twitched slightly. Something just didn't feel right. Doctor coughed again and Elli held her stomach as she tried to get up enough nerve to say something to the boy who sat across from her.
"Jack..." She surprised herself when she felt the ability to talk come over her. "Jack... what does the letter say?" His head quickly shot up from the letter with the sound of her voice and his eyes reached her gaze. He looked terrified.
"Uhh..." Jack's mind raced for what to say, May was right. It's very important that no one else reads this letter. He could feel Doctor's eyes burning through him from his other side and quickly looked back down at the letter,
Maybe I read it wrong...
With another quick glance over it he started to feel a mix of emotions come over him. He didn't read it wrong. He shifted his weight in his chair trying to calm himself down, it didn't work. He felt angry as he finally started to slowly piece together what he never understood. All his questions of what happened over the last year were slowly being answered...
"Jack?" He gave a irritable look towards the little brunette in front of him. He was not about to let her know what the letter said... she wouldn't understand.. He shot her another look.
"What?" Elli looked taken aback from the tone of his voice and looked away feeling hurt. Jack let out an aggravated groan at this and annoyingly collapsed farther down in his chair. "Why do you have to be like that?" He said glaring at her.
"Jack, what's wrong with you? She just asked about the letter." Doctor looked disappointed in Jack's behavior and started to walk over to him. "Let me see the letter Jack." Jack's expression quickly changed as he watched Doctor inching his way towards him. He quickly looked down at the letter and back towards Elli, Doctor was almost by his side. His eyes burned as he quickly re-read it one last time. He felt disgusted with it as he read it with his mind racing with thoughts.
How could this be true...?
Jack blinked again trying to make the burning sensation go away as he quickly started to tear the letter to shreds. He didn't know you could tear one piece of paper into that many pieces as he watched them all fall to the floor. He looked back up to Elli who had her hand over her mouth with wide eyes staring at the scattered pieces of paper all over the floor.
"Jack! Why did you do that?" He turned to see Doctor shaking his head at him.
"Jack what's wrong? Is everything alright?" He heard Elli's soft whispered voice sounding muffled from her hand still in front of her mouth. Jack shook his head in frustration. Everything was not alright.
"Jack? I think we should talk, from what I heard from Gray-" Jack didn't let him finish though, he stood up and went towards the door knocking into Doctor on his way.
"Jack! Where are you going?" He turned quickly to face Elli and Doctor who both looked shocked at his behavior. They've never seen him act this way. Jack cursed and looked at the floor.
"Why can't all of you just leave me alone! If it's not you two, it's Gray, if it's not Gray it's someone else! I'm sick of everyone trying to help me and I'm sick of everyone interfering with my life! I can take care of myself okay?" Elli was holding her stomach looking towards the floor looking sick.
"Don't talk to us like that Jack! You aren't well and you know it. You need help before you do something you'll regret. You can't take things back you know." Jack stared at the doctor he once truly respected and shook his head.
"You don't understand. I know I'm screwed up. Face it. You don't know how to help me. Yeah you helped me temporarily and for awhile we all thought everything would be okay but now it's even worse then it was before! I almost killed Popuri this morning! Do you think I'm happy about that? Something bigger is at work here and I know exactly what I have to do.. or at least I know who I have to talk too..." Jack's voice trailed off as he shook his head in frustration about what was going on, Doctor looked as though he was still trying to process what Jack had just told him.
"You almost killed Popuri? Jack, please stay. I can help you, you don't know what you're saying right now."
"Oh but I do." He glanced down at the floor seeing the the torn up pieces of May's letter. How much that letter helped him understand... "I have to go Doctor.. you have to trust me."
"Jack.. please don't go.. I don't want to see you get hurt.." Jack turned his gaze towards Elli to see tears forming in her big beautiful eyes. He felt emotionless as he watched her. Seeing someone cry just didn't effect him much anymore.. He felt his anger run through his veins as he thought of the reason why his life was so messed up. He cursed again kicking a chair that was near the door.
"Jack!" He turned without looking back at the angry doctor or the depressed brunette sitting in her chair, he stalked out the lobby of the clinic slamming the front door on his way out. His mind raced. He knew exactly where he needed to go.
"You're a filthy whore Popuri!" Popuri gasped when she realized she was kissing Dan and turned her head to see Cliff in the doorway of the cafe. She froze. Dan was laughing idiotically and put his head on the table as Cliff slowly started to walk up to the drunk couple.
"How are, Why... Cliff?" Popuri put her hand to head as she tried to process what was going on. How was Cliff standing in front of her? She felt sick as she quickly grabbed her stomach in pain.
"Elli told me you came to see Jack." His words sliced the air like a knife. "I walked all over the village trying to find his farm! I decided to walk in here to ask if anyone could point me in the right direction but instead I find my girlfriend kissing... who is he?" He groaned as he looked down at Dan who was still laughing with his head on the table. "He's..." she rubbed her head. What was his name?
"I'm Dan..." He grinned as he looked up at Cliff who rolled his eyes in disgust.
"You're a filthy whore." He stared at Popuri who had begun twirling her finger around her hair uncontrollably. "I don't even know why I came here! Elli was crying so I figured it was something bad... I thought you could use some help and..." He shot her a fierce look. "Wait.. Didn't you used to go out with Jack?" Popuri's head hurt. Why was he talking so much?
"Uhh..." She was having a hard time processing any type of thought.
"You spent the night at his house last night didn't you?" Suddenly Popuri remembered everything that had happened that morning. Her mind raced with images of Jack and crows as she started to feel her eyes water up. She looked up at Cliff with a frightened expression across her face.
"Did you sleep with him?..."
"Cliff he tried to kill me!" She started crying as the knot in her chest started to hurt making her cry harder.
"He what?..." He sat down in the chair next to her and she buried herself into his shoulder.
"Cliff, he was so scary!" Her body ached from crying so hard as he put a hand on her back trying to comfort her.
"Popuri... tell me what happened..." Popuri started rambling about everything that happened in the last couple of hours. He was silent the whole time she talked as she cried into his shirt. He didn't know what to do...
"So," He finally started to talk as she finished her story about how he found her in the cafe with Dan. "You still have feelings for Jack...?" Popuri looked up at him in disbelief.
"He tried to kill me and all you care about is if I still have feelings for him or not?" He stared at her puffy red eyes and felt annoyed.
"Well what do you want me to do? Find him and kill him?" She shrunk back against her chair and held her head.
"What's wrong with you Cliff? No I don't want.. he... you..." She shook her head trying to carefully figure out what she was going to say.
"Wait.. so... I thought you liked me Popuri." Cliff and Popuri turned their heads toward Dan, they had almost forgotten he was there.
"Oh Dan.. I" Dan's expression turned cold as he just shook his head.
"No it's okay.. I seemed to get dumped by girls before I even go out with them all the time." He winced as he thought of Eve and Basil. Was she with him now? He looked down at the table before staring blankly back at Popuri and Cliff. "I think I'm going to go lie down.." He got up balancing himself on the table and staggered toward the counter that Carl sat behind reading his cooking book. "Eve in her room?" Carl looked at him sympathetically and shook his head.
"You can lay down in her room though.. I don't think she'll mind.." Carl watched as his friend slumped past him towards Eve's room.
"Cliff.." He looked down at Popuri to see her eyes watering up again. "I want to go home..." She leaned on his shoulder and closed her eyes.
"All the way back to Mineral Town?" She didn't say anything and he rested his head on top of hers his face tangled in her hair.
"I don't feel good Cliff..."
"You've had a long day.." His voice was muffled from her hair. "Popuri?"
"Hm?" She sleepily answered as she felt herself falling asleep.
"Do you... Do you love...?" He shook his head. "Never mind... come on, I'll take you home..."
Maria stared down at May's locket inquisitively as she sat at the edge of her bed. She had picked it up without Gray noticing before she left him and Blue at Jack's house.
"It just doesn't make any sense!" She threw the locket down on the floor and watched it slide across the room. She sighed and picked up the baby picture that she had taken out of the frame she found on her father's dresser, it was the exact replica of the picture in May's locket.
"Why would my dad have May's baby picture..?" She let out an aggravated groan. "I thought this picture was of me all these years! Why would he let me think that? Why would he have it there in the first place?... Why did he even have it there as if she was someone important..." She tossed the picture out in front of her feeling annoyed as it slowly floated down to the floor. She laid back and grabbed her pillow to put it over her face and screamed into it. Soon she felt like she was losing the ability to breathe underneath the pillow and threw it off of her while taking in deep breaths of air. She jumped off the bed and walked over to her desk, sitting in her chair and going through the side drawer. She pulled out a photo album and started searching through all the pictures.
"Nothing! She isn't in any of these..." She stared blankly down at the page she had the book opened to and gave the picture a faint smile. Ray smiled back up at her. She laughed as she saw the lopsided teddy bear in his hands that he had made for her to celebrate their six month anniversary. "I really messed that up didn't I?" She gasped as a thought came to her. She replayed the day they broke up through her mind remembering how she had come across his mom's diary, the last thing Ray had left of her. When he was twelve his mom had left him and his dad. They were left to live on their own without her. His dad had become depressed and he had been getting drunk every night and hardly ever paid any attention to his son. It wasn't long before he took his life leaving Ray all alone in the world... he just couldn't live without his wife. She shook her head remembering how sad Ray had been when he told her the story of his parents and started to feel guilty remembering how he caught her in his house reading his mom's diary. She pushed the guilt away as she tried to remember what his mother had written in it towards the end. She was having an affair with one of the men in town and had started feeling really sick. She couldn't live with the guilt of not being faithful with her husband and had become depressed. She was also scared to bring shame on to her family and decided she had to leave, she didn't want to hurt Ray or his father.
"What year was that?..." Marie rubbed her temples trying to remember the date in the diary but nothing came to her. "Well.. if Ray was twelve when she left... and... Oh. My. Goddess..." Her thoughts raced to the conversation she had with Gray earlier that day and tried to process all the information from him and the diary.
May's mom left her with her grandpa when she was a baby saying she couldn't take care of her... May was what?.. About seven when she died? That fits doesn't it? Ray's mom could've left... then... nine months later had a baby... she was having an affair... so someone in the village could be May's father... and Ray is the right age for... yeah.. it all fits... and my dad has her picture on his dresser... could she have sent it to him? Why?... Would that mean... Maria put her hand to her mouth as she let out a gasp.
My father... had the affair with May's mother! Which means... May is my little sister! Ray's her older brother... and .. wait.. Ray and I went out.. we wouldn't be related then would we? No.. it's close though...
"Maria I'm home! Sorry I'm so late, did you eat already?" She heard her father close the front door as his footsteps went in the direction of the kitchen. Her grip tightened around the photo album before she slammed it shut. How could he have had an affair? Didn't he love Mom? Maria got up and went out her bedroom door towards the kitchen and sat down at the table.
"No I haven't eaten.. I'm not hungry though." Her father laughed.
"Just like your mother.. she hardly ate too." How could he have had an affair with Ray's mom? He's the mayor of the village! What does that say to everyone who lives here? Wasn't he scared of ruining everyone's reputation? She crossed her arms as she tried her best not to glare at her father. She didn't want him to know she was angry.. it wasn't the right time to yell at him. Her father sat down next to her taking a bite out of a sandwich. "Have you seen that Gray kid around the village? I saw Saibara earlier this week, Gray's his grandson you know. Not the brightest kid according to Saibara. Says that might be why Jack's so messed up. Having friends like Gray don't help." He laughed again before taking another bite of his sandwich. Maria looked at her father and tilted her head.
"So you don't like Gray?" He put his food down and stared at his daughter.
"I didn't say that. I'm just repeating what his grandfather said to me. He doesn't speak to highly of him though.. honestly I've never met him.. according to what I hear I probably wouldn't get along with him that well anyway." He laughed at the face Maria gave him. "What? I'm just glad I don't have to worry about you hanging around him. He's not too good when it comes to girls apparently." He smiled as he thought about his conversation with Saibara. "I could tell you some stories.. Good thing I don't have to worry about you being with him." He took another bite of his sandwich not noticing the glare Maria was giving him. Now she was mad. First about this whole affair and now this! Who does this man think he is? She groaned at the sight of her father scarfing down his food. "What's wrong honey?" She scoffed at his statement. Why does he always think calling me honey makes everything better?
"Dad, what would you say if I told you I kissed Gray today?" Mayor Theodore's face turned cold.
"What did you say?" His eye twitched.
"I said I kissed Gray. I like him." She tilted her head to the side to stare at her father. "What? Is something wrong?" Suddenly he laughed again.
"Very funny Maria. I know you haven't had a boyfriend since Ray, you don't need to lie about Gray. What if it got back to him?" What!... Why did he say that? What does that even have to do with anything?
"Dad, listen to me. I kissed Gray and he kissed me back. Who knows how far we would've gone if Blue didn't walk in on us." Her father's smile faded.
"Maria! You aren't some whore about to give yourself to some guy you don't even know! I've heard about this kid and I don't want you hanging around him." He stood up trying to show that the conversation was over but Maria couldn't keep everything in anymore and he had no idea how far this conversation was from being over.
"I'm an adult Dad. Did you forget? I'll give myself to anyone I feel like. As for calling me a whore. Don't you think that's a little drastic since... you know.. I wasn't the one who had an affair with a married woman and had a baby! Kept the picture on the dresser and for years let his so called only daughter believe it was her!" Her dad took a step backwards falling back into the chair. He tensed up as he looked down at the table.
"I don' t know what you're talking about." He said in a quiet voice. Maria stood up. She couldn't believe how he was acting.
"Don't act stupid! Jack had May's locket with the exact same baby picture in it! It wasn't that hard to figure out that the picture wasn't me! You tore Ray's family apart! You had a baby with his Mom which means I have a sister! I didn't even know about her!" Tears were streaming down Maria's face. "Did you know she's dead? I'll never get to meet her now! How could you have an affair? Didn't you love mom? Why would you do this? You're the mayor of the village Dad! Doesn't that mean anything to you?" She sat back down trying to wipe the tears from her eyes.
"Maria, I'm sorry okay? I.. I don't know what was wrong with me!" He put his face in his hands as they sat in silence. You could only hear the soft cries coming from Maria who kept wiping away the tears that fell down her face. "I know she died.. I felt terrible not going to her funeral.." Maria stared feeling disgusted at her father.. she couldn't believe it, for once she had hoped her gossip wasn't true... it was sickening thinking how it was. She thought of Jack.
"Jack's been trying to find her mom, May wanted her to have the locket.. he doesn't even know her mom's name though or where she is... do you know anything?" He looked up from his hands.
"Her name was Joanna... I don't know where she is..." Maria stood up.
"I'm going to see Gray." She turned to walk out the front door.
"You mean you were serious about him?" Maria turned back and glared.
"Yes Dad, do you have a problem with that?" He gave her a rude look.
"I don't want you hanging around that boy. You're staying here." Maria laughed.
"You think you have the right to tell me what to do after all that?" She scoffed and went out the door slamming it behind her. She stalked down the path to Jack's house, "I'll do whatever I want with Gray."
End of Episode 25--- Shocking Truth