Chapter Text
There was no Hometown baseball team anymore.
In fact, there never really was. The Hometown Heroes’s most dedicated player had gone missing two years before, and before long, every other player quit. The field that had previously held games which every citizen would go to was now abandoned and overgrown. Only one girl ever went there.
Her name was Noelle Holiday, the younger sister of Hometown Baseball's MVP. There were missing posters taped around the town, but by now, the case was cold. There was no trace of the esteemed December Holiday.
Noelle did notice that Dess wasn't really herself in the days before her disappearance. But admittedly, she couldn't count on it, as she was busy with studying. And a little daydreaming too. Mostly daydreaming. Her head had been in the clouds way too often, even before Dess went missing, making her grades go down drastically. All the work kept piling up, and it was too much to just go to the library and do, especially not with a sort-of-dumb best friend/study partner.
As Noelle sat on the empty bleachers, she found herself thinking about the strange dream she'd had a couple of days ago when she fell asleep in the library. Her crush was there, like almost every dream she had, but this one felt real. She blushed giddily when she remembered the part where Susie apparently had a tail that wagged when she was happy. That was cute. But that wasn’t the important part. The important part was… it was…
What was it?
Whatever it was, it was better than her real life, that’s for sure. Being the mayor’s daughter sucked. Actually, being her mother’s daughter sucked. Well… not really, but sometimes. Her mom was a lot. One moment she’d be the best mom a girl could ask for, and the next, she’d be blaming you for all the problems the family ever had. But then the next, she’d break down crying and hug you, saying she was so sorry for what she said… then doing it again some other time.
Noelle stood up and brushed the leaves off her shirt. She sighed. Better get going before she freaks out , she thought. She walked over to the gate, pushed it open, and headed towards the town hall.
***
It’s dark. I can feel the presence of someone. Someone familiar. Yet, I have no control. I’m being dragged further and further away from them and there’s nothing I can do.
***
When Noelle arrived at the Town Hall, it seemed like her mom didn’t even notice she was there. She was typing away on her laptop, holding her phone against her ear with her shoulder as she called someone.
“No, Toriel, I have not seen your child. And yes, I’m looking into it. Are you sure they aren’t at a friend’s house?”
Noelle peered at her curiously. “What’s h–”
Mayor Holiday stuck a finger up in a “stop talking!” manner as she listened intently on the phone. “Okay, okay, ma’am. You’ve talked to the police about it, correct? Okay. They will get it under control. No problem, bye now.” She hung up. “Noelle, sweetie, will you step out for a moment? I’m taking care of important business right now.”
Noelle nodded and left the room, wanting to protest but feeling too nervous. She could only assume what had happened, and she was probably right: Kris had gone missing, hadn’t they?
She wanted to stick around and eavesdrop, but she decided against it and took out her phone. There was always a chance she could be misjudging the whole situation, so she dialed Kris’s number and waited for an answer. The ringback tone went on for around ten seconds, then switched to voicemail. Noelle sighed and recorded a message anyway.
“Hey Kris, I wanted to make sure you were okay. Nobody’s seen you in a while. Get back as soon as possible, okay? Thanks in advance.”
Noelle knew the message wouldn’t do anything, but it probably was worth a shot.