Chapter 1:
'Just another apple for lunch today..' Picking the apple up from the cafeteria, seventeen-year old Jack Evans looks around the hall to find a spot to sit in. Eventually, he walks over to one of the tables located in the far corner of the cafeteria and takes a seat, wanting to eat in peace but that hope diminishes as a girl walks over to him.
" E-excuse me.. But can I sit here? I-I have no where else to sit." She begged him, and giving a sigh, he moved over to give her some space to sit. " T-thank you!"
The girl sat down and she pulled out a small bag of chips along with a bottle of water out of her backpack. She started to grab a piece when she suddenly gave a small gasp, which almost caused Jack to drop his apple.
" I-I'm sorry.. My name is Lily Michell." She extended a hand towards him, and he hesitantly took it.
" Jack Evans.." Turning back to his apple, he tried to eat it as quickly as he could.
He wasn't really the type to 'hang out' with others, preferring to stay by himself as much as he could. But whenever situations such as this one were presented to him, he always tried to find the fastest though considerate way to get out of them. 'Just keep eating..' He thought as he continued to munch on the apple like as though he hadn't eaten in over a year.'I'll be able to slip away without anymore conversat-'
" Oops!" Bringing him out of his thoughts, Jack looked down to see that a flyer had fallen right on his feet.
" S-sorry, I was trying to grab something but it accidentally slipped out of my backpack." She explained as she slumped her shoulders. " C-could..you give it back?"
Reaching down, he picked it up from the ground and started to examine what it was about. Noticing that it was for some club, he pulled it closer to his face as he read:
Come on down and visit the Literature club!
Located in the east hall, members are able to practice on their reading and writing skills with one another. Or if they prefer, they can simply go to read in peace. Whatever you want!
Meetings are held every day after school.
We hope to see you there!
" Here." Handing it back to her, he finished what was left of his apple and got up from his seat. Before he was about to leave, he felt someone tug on the back of his jacket.
" Y-You're leaving?" She asked him as she looked up at him, and he was a bit puzzled to see that she seemed to be on the verge of tears.
' Are you really going to cry if I leave?'
Fixing his hoodie, he looked back at her and put on a fake smile. " Yeah, I have to go see someone before we go back to class." Giving her a wave, Jack walked away without even hearing her response.
Walking along the corridor, he plugged in his earphones and pulled his hoodie over his head to cover his curls. He passed through a group of people, and when he had reached his classroom, he leaned against the wall as he waited for the bell to ring, informing that classes were to resume.
' She chose to sit with me...I didn't have to stay there. Even though I had to lie about meeting someone, I felt like I didn't make her feel bad. It's nothing personal, It's just that… I prefer to be alone.'
Soon, the bells rang, and when the teacher returned to open the door to his room, Jack walked inside to sit in the seat which had been assigned to him.
Later that day….
School was boring as usual. Jack had learned nothing new today besides that the body is filled with vessels to keep the blood moving throughout the body. As soon as the final bell rang, he had been the first one to leave, mostly because everyone else was still talking with one another about the lesson.
Reaching his house, Jack pulled the door open to find his parents arguing once again. 'Again?' He thought as he tried to sneak past them to go into his room, but his plan was soon thwarted by the sound of one of the floor tiles creaking as he stepped on it. 'Crap!'
" Jack!" His father shouted. " Get over here!"
Doing what he was told to do, he walked over to the kitchen and took a seat in one of the three chairs placed beside the table. He was used to this already: Usually when he got home, his parents would be fighting over who knows what before suddenly they would both lash out on him. As he took a seat at the table though, he realized what was going on, staring at a piece of paper with his name on it and he didn't need another glance to know what it was.
" Would you like to explain this?" His mother asked as she picked it up and practically shoved it right in his face. " All D's! In Every. Single. Class!"
Taking the paper from her hand, Jack looked to see that she was indeed telling the truth. He had been given a failing grade in each class. " I..uhm.. I can explain. You see, I -"
"Shut up!" Interrupted by the sound of his father slamming his hand onto the table, Jack closed his mouth as he glared at him. " I don't want to hear any of your damn excuses. You're supposed to be graduating this year, but now...now you're going to flunk the 12th grade!"
" Jack. Look at all we've given you." His mother started. " A home, food, clothes..and this is how you repay us!?"
Clenching his fists, Jack started to feel himself get angry at what his mother had just said to him, and he couldn't help himself as he looked at the both of them with disbelief. " Give me? Do you know what you gave me? Pain! I suffered everyday because of you two!"
" If that's how you felt, then how about to do us a favor and leave!"
Now standing up, he crumbled the piece of paper that was in his hand and threw it across the room. " Maybe I will!"
30 minutes later
Finding a bench in the park, Jack took a seat as he placed his backpack to the side of him. Looking up at the sky, he thought to himself as he planned on what his next step should be.
'Man.. I kinda didn't put too much thought into this. I mean sure, I'm glad that I'm finally out of that house, but how am I going to keep living? First off, I'm going to need to keep going to school. Not because I want to, but because at least I'll be under some sort of roof during the day.' Reaching for his backpack, he pulled out a small envelope, and inside were hundreds of dollars stored away. ' Luckily, I was smart enough to save my money from every birthday that I could remember. I can easily raise my grades to at least C by the time the school year is over, so I could use this to afford some college out of state.'
He put the envelope back inside, and he watched as he saw those pass by him. ' The park is usually empty at around nine, so I guess I could sleep here every night. I just wish that I didn't have to leave school at around three'o'clock… I'll have to just sit here for almost 7 hours. If only I could stay for long-'
Like a slap to the face, a memory hit him as he started to remember the flyer that he had read during lunch time. A small smile grew on his face as he knew what he had to do…
The Next Day…
Five minutes before the final class would be over, and Jack stared intensely at the clock on the wall. He was tired from last night, his back aching a bit from sleeping on a bench. His stomach was hurting a bit from the hunger, but it wasn't like he hadn't experienced it before, so he was able to manage with just a bottle of water.
After hearing the bell ring, he hastily grabbed all his things before leaving the room. He had remembered that the club was located somewhere near that east hall, but it didn't mention what room it would be. Nor had he ever been near that area of the school before, so he had to walk to the front office to get directions. After getting a sense of where to go, Jack finally started to make his way towards the east hall.
As Jack reached the top of the stairs to the spot, he was surprised to see that it was dead empty: He had seen no other students as he was walking there, and he felt as though the janitor had never even heard of such a corridor existing. Pieces of papers filled with notes were scattered across the floor, and he noticed how rusty the windows were.
'Am I even in the right place? Is there even a literature club?'
Thinking about just leaving, he stopped when he heard a sound coming from the farthest room of the hallway, and as he slowly walked towards the noise, he could make out some voices.
" Ema! Y-You can't do that!"
" Why not? Is there a rule that says I can't put my feet on top of the desks?"
" N-no.. but-"
" So it's fine! Sheesh Lily, you have to get a boyfriend already."
'That name.. It's the girl from yesterday. So I am in the right place.' He thought, not realizing that he was now standing in front of the closed door. 'Here we go..' Taking a deep breath, he pulled the door open, and he walked in to see two girls talking to one another. The one with her hair pulled all the way down he had recognized as the girl he had already met, but he had no clue who the girl with the ponytail was.
" W-what do you mean, 'I need a boyfriend'? That's so not true." She complained as the two of them continued to chat, unaware of the boy who was watching them.
'I don't think they know I'm here…'
Clearing his throat, he started to speak in a mannerly fashion. "Hello. My name is Jack Evans, and I wish to join this club."
" It's true Lily. Face it." Ignoring him completely, the girl whose name seemed to be Ema smirked as he could see Lily's face growing a bit red.
" S-Shut up." She murmured. Jack stood there dumbfounded as the girls then started to talk about some homework assignment he couldn't care less about. Clearing his throat once more, he walked up to the pair of them.
" Excuse me, but I'm hoping to join the-"
" Lily… who's the weirdo?" Putting her feet off the table, Ema sat up straight as she squinted her eyes at Jack, examining him as though he was hiding a gun somewhere on him. Lily turned around and she jolted back a bit, surprising both Jack and Ema.
" J-Jack?", she quietly asked.
" Lily, right?" He responded, ignoring Ema's comments about how Lily knew who he was, and he laid his backpack on his desk. He looked through his bag until he pulled out a pencil. " I remembered that the literature club was being held here, and I was kinda hoping to join."
After grabbing a piece of paper as well, he slid a desk over to where the two girls were sitting, but before he could take a seat the desk was being pushed away by Ema.
" Hey! What are you doing?" he asked as she had placed it back in its original spot.
" We don't need another member. So please take your stuff and leave." She said in a curt manner with a smirk.
'This girl… who does she think she is?'
" Ema... " Lily started but was soon interrupted by the sound of the door creaking open. Everyone turned to see who had walked in, and Jack saw someone he didn't recognize. She had long brown hair which was tied up into a ponytail by a white bow…
" Now, now.." she said as she walked up to the three of them. " Everyone is welcome here at the literature club."
" But Monika! He's a boy!" Ema protested as she started to pout. She ignored her and turned to Jack. " So are you interested in joining?"
"Y-yes. I am".
Giving him a smile, and turned around and made her way towards the front of the class. On the whiteboard, he could see that there were names listed on the far right-handed corner.
Members:
Monika ( President) - 9th grade
Ema Hawkins- 10th grade
Lilian Mitchell- 11th grade
'She's the youngest and the president? Wow, she must be a pretty good student or something.'
She then started to add his name onto the board, and once she was done looked back at them.
" Jack Evans.. You are officially part of the Literature Club. Everyone, please give him a welcome cheer."
Monika and Lily smiled as they clapped their hands together while Ema clapped less enthusiastically, but he wasn't paying attention to them. Something was troubling him.
' Monika… why does she give off a weird aura? The way she talks gives me a little bit of chills, and I don't know why…' As he thought, he watched as the three girls started to talk amongst themselves, laughing and joking around about something. '... it's probably nothing. Maybe that's just who she is. I'll just have to get used to it. To all of them.'
Giving a sigh, he pulled out his earphones and sat down as he laid his head on the desk.
'The literature club. I wonder if anything memorable will happen here… I doubt it.'
7 months later…
'..Don't.. Make...a….sound..'
Hiding in behind some trees, Lily was trying her hardest to not make too much noise, for the slightest movement could reveal where she was hiding to her.
She was shivering as the wind blew past the forest, and her face was covered with marks that showed she had been crying. Her shirt had been ripped while she had been blindly running through the various bushes in the dark. Who knew that the forest would be so scary at night?
She had several cuts on her arms as well, and she tried her best to ignore the burning feeling, covering her mouth whenever she heard footsteps near where she was crouching.
After a while, she realized that she was safe for now, and Lily gave a small sigh of relief as she sat underneath one of the several trees around her.
" Why is this happening?" she said to herself as held her knees, and she started to remember what had happened earlier that day…
Walking with Jack, Lily clinged onto him as they made their way through the forest.
" Lily.. not so tight." He said as he pulled his arm over her shoulder. " I know you're afraid of the dark, but don't worry.. I'm here." Afterwards, he gave her a kiss on his forehead which made her smile. " I just don't get why Monika wanted us to meet at seven'o' clock in the middle of the woods instead of having our club's anniversary party at the school."
Yesterday, Monika had informed the group that they were going to be having their party today in the middle of the night, claiming that there was supposed to be a meteor shower which could only be seen in a place with zero light. Though Jack and Ema had argued that it would be better to simply have it at the school, Lily's pleading that she had never seen one before convinced them both. However, they had lost track of the time, so they were running a bit late.
" Why does my girlfriend have to be so cute when she asks for something?" He said as he guided her through a muddy area.
Lily never expected someone like Jack, a loner and an arrogant boy, would ever learn to open his heart to him. Ever since they met, Lily had a small crush on him, but that crush soon turned to love over time as they hung out everyday in the club. She had slowly earned his trust, learning about his situation at home, and she had told him how she was facing one similar to his: her parents were divorced and she was forced to live by herself in a small home. Well, she was alone until she invited Jack to live with her. It was like they were a married couple, and she loved every moment she spent with him.
" Jack, when we get home, can we watch that new movie that came out on demand?" She asked as they were nearing an area which was lit up by a small campfire. He gave her a nod, and she smiled as she held his arm tighter.
While she was thinking about whether to invite Ema or Monika to watch it with them, she gasped as Jack suddenly stopped walking. She looked up and saw that his face was starting to turn pale, and she started to get the feeling that something wasn't right. "W-What is it?"
" …"
"J-Jack…?"
" ...Run." he whispered as he started to pull her back with him. Confused, she finally turned her head towards the direction he was facing, and what she saw explained everything.
Next to the campfire, a figure seemed to be crouching down near a body which lay motionless on the ground. Squinting a bit, she was able to see that the body belonged to Ema Hawkins. Her face was splattered with blood, and her lifeless eyes were staring right at her. She was gone… A girl who endured abuse from her mother. A girl who had hoped to get into an art school somewhere far away from here. Her best friend.
Watching her made Lily's stomach feel funny, and she watched in horror as the figure pulled out a knife from Ema's chest. Then, the figure stood up, and though it was dark, Lily could make out the shape of a large bow placed in her hair. " M-Monika..?"
She turned around, and she gave them the creepiest smile she had ever seen. Still holding the knife, she slowly started to make her way towards the pair of them.
" Lily! Run!" Jack shouted as he pulled her towards the woods….
Lily peeked her head around the tree to see whether Monika was around. Taking the silence as a no, she quietly made her way through some more bushes, desperate to get out the woods and to call the police. There was no service where she was, so she was all alone.
Pushing through some trees, she was able to spot a dirt walkway, and she felt her heart jump a little knowing that she was one step closer to getting out. Deciding to go left, Lily started to walk along the pathway, constantly turning her head back to make sure nobody was following her.
'I hope this is the right way. Jack, how do I-'
Snap.
Turning around, she nearly fainted as she saw Monika a few feet behind her. Terrified, Lily started to run the opposite direction, and she heard footsteps growing closer and closer to her. She could see that there was light ahead of her, indicating that she was about to reach the opening which led to the city, but before she could go any further she felt somebody grab her hair, pulling her down backwards.
As her head came into contact with the ground, her vision started to become blurry, and the last thing she saw before she passed out was the look of Monika standing over…
" Over here." Jack pulled Lily into one of the large bushes, and together they crouched down. He covered her mouth as footsteps could be heard coming near them. She held onto him as she closed her eyes, wishing that this was merely a nightmare, and that she would wake up to the sound of Jack telling her that breakfast was ready. Sadly that was not the case…
Then, she could hear the footsteps growing fainter, and Jack removed his hand from her face as he gave a sigh of relief. " Are you okay , Lily."
" Y-yeah." She scooted closer to him. "What's happening?"
"... I'm not sure. But she just killed..killed.." He couldn't finish his sentence as he quietly started to cry a little. Lily knew that at first Jack and Ema weren't very fond of each other, but throughout the time in the club they gradually started to lower their walls. They both had a lot in common, and although they did bicker with one another, they became good friends.
She held him as they started to cry together, but Jack suddenly became quiet as a gunshot could be heard near them. He wiped his tears as he turned to her.
" Lily…" he whispered. " Find the path we came from, and get out of here.."
" W-what are you talking about?" she asked. She was confused, and heard another gunshot which indicated that Monika was getting closer. Then, Jack gave her a passionate kiss before slowly standing up.
"... You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. I love you, Lily."
" Jack?"
Without warning, he started to run towards where the previous gunshots were heard from, leaving Lily by herself in the dark. For a moment, all was quiet. She too lifted herself from the ground, and immediately froze when she once again heard another gunshot followed by the sound of something falling hard onto the ground.
Not wanting to imagine the worst, Lily did what he asked and started to run through the darkness…
Slowly opening her eyes, Lily was still feeling lightheaded as her vision slowly came back to her. She felt something all over her body, and she saw that she had been tied up by some rope. She struggled for a moment in trying to free herself before she gave up, and realized that she was being squished by two bodies. To the right of her, she saw Ema's. And to the left she saw…
" J-Jack?"
Lily couldn't face the fact that the boy she loved so much, the boy that promised to always be there for her, was dead. She didn't want to believe it, rubbing herself against his lifeless body in an attempt to wake him up.
" C'mon, Jack… Wake up." she cried as she continued, even though knowing in her heart that he was already gone. " Wake up!"
" It's pointless Lily."
Looking away from Jack, Lily watched as Monika emerged from the shadows. As she kneeled down next to Jack, she could see that she was holding some sort of pistol.
" He always was arrogant, though surprisingly selfless." she said calmly. " Taking a bullet to the head for your girlfriend? How stupid.."
" M-Monika.. Why are you doing this? I thought we were-"
" Friends? No.." Midway through her sentence, Monika stood up and turned to her. " We're complete strangers to each other. I'm a rich girl who is popular at school, and you… abandoned by your parents. I know you're hurting, but don't worry. Just like everyone else, you'll finally be able to relax."
Pointing the gun at her, Lily could only watch as Monika pulled the trigger, and felt herself grow weak as the world around her started to become consumed by the darkness..
1 year later…
Monika sat in one of the desks placed closest to the front, taking in the silence of the empty classroom. She kept glancing at the door, and waited patiently as though she was expecting someone.
It had been a year since her members suddenly transferred, so she had to close down the club until she was able to open it again for the new year.
' They didn't even say goodbye…' she thought, and was surprised to hear a voice coming from the right of her. " Am I late?"
She turned to see a pink-haired girl peeking her head through the door. She was also wearing a bow like her, but instead it was that of the color red..
" No. In fact, you're the first one." She responded with a smile.
She saw as the girl gave a little skip as she headed towards her. Then, the girl pulled out a flyer, and handed it to Monika.
" My name is Sayori. I was hoping to join. If that's alright with you, of course." She added that last part with a little bow.
" Of course. Welcome to the literature club, Sayori. I'm sure we'll make fun memories together."
To be continued…
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of what I hope to be a full series of Doki Doki: the Series.
Bear with me... the girls you know and love will be added soon to the story, so please wait patiently as the story slowly unfolds.
Until next time!
