Tom Locke

Tom Locke is Jenny's longtime boyfriend. He is described as "devilishly" handsome, with brown hair and hazel eyes. He had met Jenny in second-grade, the two sharing their first kiss behind a bush, and had been together ever since. However, over the years, due to Jenny's love for him, Tom had become somewhat "sure" of her, often taking advantage of her kindness towards him; he is the one who prompts Jenny into also participating into the game, though personally she has no desire to participate, only doing so for Tom's sake. Once inside the paper house, he reacts with anger, which Jenny interprets as guilt for what has happened. Correctly deducing Julian's intentions towards Jenny, Tom tries to fight the Shadow Man, but Julian unleashes Tom's own personal nightmare - rats - on him. When the game begins, Tom is taken by Julian and imprisoned at the top of the house, receiving Julian's "special attention". His torture under Julian and witnessing of the others struggle through their nightmares chastises Tom, who develops a new appreciation for Jenny.

In The Chase, humbled by his experience, he keeps away from Jenny, intimidated by Julian's attractiveness and sorrowful for his past treatment of Jenny, unaware of how his behavior hurts her, though he aids her and the others against Julian in the new game, Lambs and Monsters. Though the couple reconciles at the end of the book, in an attempt to go back for Zach, both he and Jenny's cousin are captured once again by Julian and taken to the Shadow World, prompting Jenny to enter the realm herself and save them in The Kill.