(Just a note before the story begins. This takes place in the New Leaf period, however, for creative purposes, there are a few differences than what is present in the game. Enjoy!)


Prologue

Dear Diary,

It's been a year since I became mayor of Aquaria, and everything seems to be going well. Being the only human in town certainly presented challenges at first, but I feel that the villagers really appreciate all that I've done for Aquaria, I'm glad that I can make each and every one of them happy. Yesterday was the grand opening of Club LOL, it seems to be a real hit with everyone, K.K. Slider certainly knows how to entertain the masses doesn't he?

My semi-annual mayoral speech is today. I'm surprised the citizens pay so much attention to politics, besides a new building or a new ordinance every now and then, nothing big really happens at City Hall. Mainly paperwork, thank goodness Isabelle is there, I'd have a nervous breakdown if it were just me in that office! At least all that work is paying off, everyone seems pleased with the town and its current state.

And yet, I feel as though this is all wrong. It almost seems too perfect around these parts lately, as if there was something looming in the air. My mother used to call it "calm before the storm", if my memory serves me correctly. Maybe I'm just too superstitious.

Oh well, I can't dwell on those negative thoughts, I've got to keep working to make Aquaria the best town it can be. Here's to a bright future!

Stacy


Stacy closed her diary and shut her eyes for a moment, she had a ritual of taking a moment to reflect after writing an entry. With a sigh she found herself in deep thought,

"This speech is going to be pretty boring, there's not that much to talk about really, the club is open and everyone's as happy as can be. But still, I can't seem to shake this bad feeling. I don't know why I'm being so stupid, nothing bad could ever happen here."

Stacy shook her head, slightly frustrated that she was letting her mind wander on such senseless, negative thoughts. She had a town to govern, there was no time for uneasiness. Regaining her focus, Stacy peered over to her clock and saw that it was time to head out. She quickly gathered some papers, grabbed her purse and left for the town plaza, ready to address the citizens and put these idiotic superstitions to rest for good. However, Stacy will soon realize that these thoughts were not idiotic superstitions. She will soon realize that Aquaria, the perfect town she prided herself on, with it's happy villagers and bustling Main Street, was about to venture into a journey of evil, a journey of betrayal, a journey of death. Stacy had no idea that the dark days were about to arrive.

This is really good! Flagged~

Very good start! Hope to read more soon!

Chapter 1

Stacy hurriedly made her way to the town plaza, she was set to begin speaking in 10 minutes. Mentally preparing herself for what was to come, she began to feel nervousness set in. She quickly thought to herself,

"Calm down Stacy. You've done this before, problems have never presented themselves then, they won't start now. Take a deep breath and relax, you'll be fine."

Stacy soon began to approach the plaza. She could see that the usual crowd of villagers had arrived, and were mingling among each other as usual. Stacy was grateful that her fellow townspeople got along so well, she could only imagine all the extra work she'd have to do, well, the work Isabelle would have to do if there were nonstop animosity between them. As Stacy drew closer to the plaza, she could make out the large size of the crowd, and not surprisingly it seemed the entire village was present. With a giggle Stacy muttered to herself,

"I'll never get why they like politics so much."

Stacy made her way past the crowd, said hello to a few nearby villagers, and took her place at the podium, which was set up in its usual spot, right in front of the tree Stacy planted her first day as mayor. The villagers all made their way to their seats, and it was then Stacy noticed something peculiar. She hadn't been able to fully scope out who was present before, but with everyone sitting she could see a chair was empty. With a quick scan of the crowd, she determined that Cube was missing. Stacy thought to herself,

"Strange, nobody's ever missed a mayoral speech before......."

Before Stacy could fully react to Cube's absence, she heard Isabelle behind her ask,

"Is something wrong Mayor?"

Stacy realized she still had a speech to give, so she quickly responded,

"No, everything's fine, my mind just wandered for a moment. Thank you Isabelle."

Isabelle smiled and gave a comforting nod, and writing off Cube's absence as a fluke, Stacy began her speech.

"Citizens of Aquaria, I am pleased to see you all here today. As you know, I have been mayor of Aquaria for a year now, and I think we have made some amazing progress as a community since then! We've built numerous new businesses in town and on Main Street, and our local economy is currently at record high levels. Our local wildlife is flourishing, as well as our local cultural spots, like the museum where Mr. Blathers has begun work on a second floor addition. However the situation about our deteriorating grass is the next project I plan to tackle. My plan for this is very simple, and with your cooperation............"

The citizens of Aquaria diligently listened to their mayor, but they too had taken notice of Cube's unexplained absence. It was particularly unnerving for Margie, she was sitting right next to the empty chair Cube should have been in. She asked Rowan, who was sitting on her other side,

"Where do you suppose Cube is? It's not normal for a villager to miss a speech by Stacy."

Rowan pondered for a moment and replied,

"It's weird yeah, but there's probably some explanation. He could be sick, or maybe he just forgot. Cube isn't always the most punctual penguin remember."

The other villagers could overhear Margie and Rowan's whispers, and began to quietly contemplate the subject of Cube as well. Confused glances were exchanged, shrugs were given, but slowly one by one the villagers just brushed it off as nothing important to worry about.

".........and we can all work together to keep the beach cleaner in the future, which will undoubtedly help boost tourism! Well everyone, that's all that I have for you this evening. Aquaria has come so far, and I know that together, we can make its future even brighter! Thank you. And before I forget, in honor of Club LOL's recent opening, free soda and dancing on me tonight!"

The crowd let out a cheer as Stacy made her way down from the podium, where she was received by Isabelle, who smiled wide and said,

"Mayor that was an amazing speech! I can't wait to see what the new term brings to our town! You've done an amazing job, the town can't thank you enough!"

Stacy couldn't help blushing a bit, and replied,

"Thank you Isabelle, and I want you to know that I wouldn't be half as successful as I am without your help. You're an angel."

Isabelle bashfully looked down as Stacy continued,

"Are you coming to Club LOL for soda? It's going to be a great time!"

Isabelle looked back up and sighed, replying,

"I would but I have to finish up paperwork on the museum expansion. But you have fun tonight, you most certainly deserve it!"

Stacy and Isabelle exchanged a smile, Isabelle headed off for City Hall, and Stacy joined the crowd of villagers making their way to the club. Stacy laughed as she heard Pierce yell out,

"I hope K.K. plays a lot of dance songs tonight, my leg muscles need a good workout!"

Pierce had always been a devoted fitness fanatic, and Stacy certainly didn't complain, she often joined him on runs to keep in shape. After making arrangements for one the next day, Stacy made her way to Mitzi, her closest neighbor, and friend as well. With a smile Mitzi praised her,

"You really did an amazing job tonight Stacy, everyone in the village thinks you're an awesome mayor. They really appreciate that you're so close with everyone."

Stacy giggled and replied back,

"Thanks Mitzi. But remember you're my best friend here and that's never changing! I still remember when I met you, it was my first day here remember?"

"Ha-ha yeah! You tripped over my lilies and fell into the pond, good thing I had some cocoa heating up at home!"

The girls shared a long laugh, and continued to stroll down memory lane as they drew closer to the club. The music grew louder and louder, and finally they could see the neon strobe lights through the door, and quickly rushed inside to begin the fun.


After what seemed like hours, Stacy made her way from the dance floor to a table for a quick rest, Mitzi and another villager Tangy soon followed. The girls all took a sip of soda, and Tangy started the conversation,

"So what do you think happened to Cube? I've known him to be late to things before, but flat out missing your speech is unusual."

Mitzi replied,

"Well I'm sure there's some logical explanation. He might have fallen asleep, he does that a lot ha-ha."

Before Stacy could put in her opinion, she heard the club door burst open. She turned her head, and barely had time to process the situation before Copper was right next to her. By this time everyone on the dance floor had noticed him as well, and K.K. had paused the music to hear what he had to say. Between frantic breaths, Copper managed to say,

"Mayor, we have a situation, you better follow me."

Stacy worriedly looked at her friends, the whole situation was very strange, Copper had never been this frantic before. Without a moments hesitation Stacy followed him from the club, as did everyone else, a mix of eagerness and worry twirling together in their minds. Copper at this point was running, so Stacy and the villagers had to hustle in order to keep up with him. As they passed house after house, Stacy could make out the figure of Booker in the distance, and to her surprise and worry, he was standing in front of Cube's house.


Copper reached Booker first, and both exchanged glances that seemed both gloomy and business like. Copper turned to Stacy and said in a hushed tone,

"You better have a look at this."

Copper then reached for the door knob, and opened the door. With one glance inside, Stacy let out a scream, echoed by the other villagers almost immediately. Inside Cube's house, streaks of maroon were all around the walls and furniture. Scanning the room, Stacy began to cry when she finally saw Cube, lying face first in a red puddle, the handle of a knife sticking out from his back.

Just a short announcement to whomever is reading so far!

First, I hope you like the story so far! I've got the main plot thought up, I even know who the killer is hehe, you'll NEVER see that one coming!

Second, I have entered the story into Computerfan's contest! I haven't been judged in my audition yet, but they seem to do a quick job of it so it shouldn't be long! I'm excited to see if I'm accepted into the competition, and if so, to compete with other great writers here on ACC!

Also, due to my chapter ending on a cliffhanger of sorts, I'm leaving the story at this point until my judging is over, after that daily updates will be the norm, I have tons of time this summer!

Thanks for reading and wish me luck!