"Oh, Sayori this is a great poem."

"You really think so, Monika?"

"Of course. It's very nice, it really does capture you, doesn't it?"

"That's what MC said too!"

"Really? Well, that makes sense, you two have know each other for awhile haven't you?"

"Yep! He's my best friend!"

"Is that so? Is that really all though, Sayori?"

"Wh-What do you mean?"

"You like him a bit more than a friend, Sayori"

"N-No, I just want him to be happy."

"Oh, Sayori, you're always trying to please everybody, aren't you?"

"..."

"You want him to make friends, but you love him."

"I.."

"Shh, it's okay, Sayori. As long as he doesn't see the real you, you'll be fine. Keep those silly thoughts of yours bottled up."

"You're right.. Monika"

"Of course, we both care for the MC in our own ways. As long as you aren't selfish.. things will remain the same, just like you want. That way he can be happy."

"That's.. all I want"

"I know, I know."

"You're.. always right, Monika. This makes me want to write a poem..."

"I'm glad I could help. Remember Sayori, keep that smile on your face."

"I.. I will, Monika."

He will never love you.

I lay with my back against the matress of my bed. I needed sleep. Maybe.. that would fix things. My head still ached, and my face was burning hot. My phone was still buzzing constantly with messages. I shut my still wet eyes, and drifted off to sleep. As I dreamnt, I saw darkness. Empty space. Lines of code without meaning. It sorrounded me like a thick blanket. I saw Sayori.. her lifeless body. I tried to run towards it, but it felt like the vast space and code only grew more and more. I shouted her name. Sayori.. she wasn't dead! I saw her eyes twitch, she was choking, pleading for help. I would save her this time! Free her from her pain. My heart pounded in my chest as I tried to reach her body.

Sayori desperately clawed at the rope, trying to free herself.

"Help.. Me.."

"Sayori! I'm going to save you! I won't lose you again!"

The vast void around me only extended, and so too did Sayori. She was too far away for me to reach. Had this truly been Sayori's fate? Did she.. really suffer like this before she died? The pain of that thought was too much to bear, I wanted to scream once more, at the top of my lungs.

"Take me instead! Not her! Please.. anyone but her!"

I spoke to the darkness around me, but it had no response. I looked around.. I could hear the sound of static in my ears, distorted sounds, and soft, faded music. And then I saw something.. a girl. Not Sayori. She looked familiar, but her face was too hidden to fully make out all of her features.

"Hello? Who are you? You have to help me save her!"

"..."

"HELP! PLEASE!"

I shouted to the girl, pleading as Sayori choked.

"HELP ME SAVE HER!"

"Forget her. Think about me."

What? Who the hell did this girl think she was?

"M..M.."

Her words were glitched and distorted.

Sayori stopped struggling and fell dead. The light of the morning fell upon her. It was morning.. if I had woken her.. I could have stopped her.

"Mon.."

I jolted awake, sweat pouring down my face. What had I seen? Was it just a nightmare? Or something else? Had I truly witnessed The events leading up to Sayori's death? I felt my face burn in anger towards myself. My sweet Sayori.. I clutched my blanket in my hands. I was back to reality. I kept shutting my eyes, hoping maybe I'd open them to see Sayori lying next to me. I threw the blanket off me, and punched my bedroom wall. It left a noticable dent. I finally brought myself to turn on my phone and view the messages left for me. The first one I see is one left by Monika. Without a doubt, the club president would surely be pissed at me for not showing up.

But as I viewed the message I saw it was much more calm than I had anticipated

"Hey, you didn't show up at the festival. I know you must have a good reason for it, as you left in quite the hurry this morning, our event didn't go as well as plan, but that doesn't we're giving up hope on the club. I hope you return, and that you are okay. XO."

Of course I wasn't okay. Still, it was impressive Monika was still able to remain positive at such a wrench thrown in her plans. I dreaded telling her what happened, Sayori was her vice president, and a damn good one at that. She hadn't even asked about her.. Perhaps she had her own messages for Sayori?

I read the other messages. Natsuki.. they were as colorful as I was expecting, and I didn't blame her for being upset.

"Hey, jackass. I can't believe you can't even be bothered turning up to the festival. It was a distaster! I don't care if you ever show up to the club again, if we even have one still."

I scrolled through the rest of Nat's texts.

"Look, my message was a little harsh, I don't know what went on this morning.. so I apologize for what I said."

"We didn't get any new members.. we're at risk of the school closing us down"

"This club makes me feel safe.. I want it to last."

"Have you heard from Sayori at all? She didn't show up either, so I figured she might be with you. Is she okay?"

I put my phone down. I couldn't help but feel bad for Natsuki. I knew that as much as she tried to hide it, the club meant a lot to her. But I couldn't do it.. I couldn't go back there. Not without her. What fun would the club have if she wasn't it? Even by her first brief absence I could tell the club changes when she's not around.. when she's not there to give all her care towards her friends. Nobody could take her place. I wanted to respond, my shaking thumb was pressed to the keyboard, but I'm unable to properly respond.

I look at the messages from Yuri, they sounded like her, I could tell she was worried.

"Is everything alright? Neither you and Sayori were present at the festival. I pray we didn't do anything to upset you."

"I don't meant to text so much, but I'm very concerned."

"Please respond."

"Please."

I lean back on my bed. I could have slept forever if I wanted to. I finally brought myself to my feet, and drank a glass of water. It felt good on my sore throat, and with a loud noise of glass against wood, I placed it back on the table. How long had it been since this morning? It felt like eternity. The festival had long passed. I sat down, my hair was a mess, and my stomach still felt sick. Nothing felt right. No matter where I sat- the bed, the couch, the floor. I wanted to run. My chest felt as if it were wrapped in thorns. I looked at Sayori's house from across the street. No cars are in the driveway. How many but me know she's dead?

In fact how many besides me knew of her depression? She didn't even want me to know, so the answer to that question must be a small number, if anybody else even knew. I still couldn't believe she had hid that pain for so long. And I told her I felt betrayed. Damnit. What was I thinking? I knew she forgave me for everything I said but that doesn't make any of it right. I loved her.. so why did I ignore her? Why couldn't I have seen her depression sooner?

Now that she was gone, I felt thrusted into a new reality I didn't want. I didn't care about school now, didn't care about how I looked, and I sure as hell didn't care about satisfying the Literature Club. But then why.. why did I feel I needed to return there?

Tommorow would eventually come. The sun would still rise, but it would be a day without Sayori. I would drag myself to school, try to get through my stupid classes. All of it sounded so unappealing. Without Sayori.. the club was down to 3 members.. they needed 4 to be officially recognized.

I could feel as if Sayori was standing next to me, holding my hand.

"I can make them happy.. like you did."

I spoke to the empty room in front of me.

The future of the Literature Club now rested on me alone.