Chapter Text
Part One: The Beginning
Favorite food: Salt
Favorite blood type: AB
Favorite color: Red
Gift: Ambition
Creator’s Feelings: Hope Disgust
Vessel’s Name: [Redacted]
Creator’s Name: [Redacted]
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. YOUR ANSWERS. YOUR WONDERFUL CREATION.
…
“This will not work. It has failed. The hu… vessel—”
…
Will now be discarded.
No one can choose who they are in this world.
Your
Name
Is
.
.
.
.
“KRIS!!”
A large grin split across Goner’s face when her mother shouted her brother’s name.
“And, with that, good morning, Mom!” Goner announced, seated on the bed across from where the blanket covered lump called Kris slept. Their mother, Toriel, had barged straight into the room without even knocking on the door.
Every morning began the same in the Dreemurr residence: with someone screaming Kris’ name at the top of their lungs. So loud, the neighbors had once joked they used the shouts as their alarm clock. Well, the neighbors could poke fun about it as much as they wanted, but the reasons behind the wakeup call were usually anything but amusing. Either Kris had set up some stupid prank again, pulled some other non-prank related crap (like, eat all the pie), or refused to wake up. Lately, he’d been doing a lot of the latter, as was the case for today.
Still, Goner had to admit, it was pretty funny when she was removed from the situation. That, or the pleasant warmth settling in her chest was because of the familiarity of this scene. No matter how much changed, for better or worse, she knew she could count on some quirks always staying the same. It was a comfort after everything that had happened.
Goner kicked her legs back and forth, and her gaze settled on her hands folded in her lap. The strange grayness of her skin jumped out at her. Her smile faded, and her attention flitted back to Toriel and Kris while she moved to sit on her hands. Trying to be discreet about it, trying to fool herself into believing the unnatural skin tone didn’t bother her.
“Kris, please! If you refuse to wake up, we will be late for school!” Toriel’s plea went unanswered. The lump didn’t so much as twitch underneath his stormy gray blanket.
“It’s impressive how deeply he can sleep. You’ve got to give him that,” Goner mused. But she knew her brother wasn’t sleeping. The moment Mom gave up and left, Kris would throw the covers aside with a triumphant grin on his face.
Or he would have. Before Goner had turned into… whatever she was. Now, she couldn’t be sure what he would do.
“You were supposed to wake up thirty minutes ago. Did you not use the alarm clock like I suggested?” Mom asked.
From the corner of her eye, Goner spotted the alarm clock in question on the bedside table next to her. Far out of reach from her brother and untouched, if the layer of dust served as any indication. “You know, I don’t think he did.” The screen was blank; he hadn’t even plugged it in. “I can’t blame him. I don’t like waking to the alarm clock. Always feels like I’m about to have a heart attack.”
“Oh, Kris… I know mornings are not your favorite, but—” Cutting herself off with a sigh, Mom resorted to other measures. She flung open the curtains. Light streamed into the previously dark room.
Goner rubbed her eyes while they adjusted to the sudden brightness. “You’d think that wouldn’t bother me, for as little as everything else does now.”
“You need to wake up and get ready. I will be waiting for you outside, alright?” Toriel leaned towards Kris, and she seemed to debate for a moment whether or not to rip the blanket off him, but she backed away to the door. “Please be outside in a few minutes.”
She waited with her hand on the door handle for any response from Kris. None was given. She shook her head in despair, but Goner saw her smile fondly at her son before she left the room, leaving the door left open a crack.
As Goner had predicted, the second Mom’s footsteps faded, Kris shoved aside his blanket, but a mischievous grin did not light up his face. He rubbed his forehead and brushed strands of his messy hair away. His olive-colored eyes, as Goner and Kris had liked to call them, squinted when he looked towards the window. Goner heard him groan. A sound which told her he wanted nothing more than to stay in bed all day. Then… he buried his face in the pillow.
Oh, yeah, he really did not want to wake up and face the day.
“Kris…” Goner slipped away from the bed. Her soft steps on the carpeted floor sounded painfully loud to her. Only to her. Kris kept his face hidden in the pillow. She could scream right in his ear, and he still wouldn’t flinch. She'd tried. “Hiding your face in the pillow isn’t going to make your problems go away. Trust me, if it did, I would join you… Not that I can judge you for trying to hide.”
Goner had a lot of problem she tried to hide from, though she never stuffed her face in her pillow. She just… refused to acknowledge those problems. Even when said problems glared in her face every second of the day.
“But your problems are different from mine, so I guess I can judge you a little.”
Kris could work towards making her problems go away if he really wanted to. He could go to bed a little earlier, plug the alarm clock in, wake up on time. Goner didn’t fully understand her problems to know how to fix them. She didn’t understand what had happened for her to wake up one day with gray skin and invisibility she couldn’t turn off. She didn’t know how she’d been seemingly erased from existence, or why she couldn’t remember certain aspects of her life, like her real name. Mostly, she didn’t understand how her family--her twin--could have forgotten about her.
“Come on, Kris.” Goner wanted to reach out and touch her brother. She wanted to bat his hair from his face to wake him up like she used to, but she kept her hands to herself. “Get up. You’re going to regret it if you make Mom late to school again.”
Kris couldn’t have heard her, but he finally sat up and set his feet on the ground. Almost as if a part of him had heard her, but she wasn’t foolish enough to believe that was true. He didn’t need her telling him to get his sorry self out of bed. He knew he had to get up sooner than later. Mom was a scary monster when angry.
Goner looked Kris up and down. “You’re a wreck.” His clothes hung on him with wrinkles, socks were bunched up in his toes, and one pant leg was folded up higher than the other. He made no move to change into a new outfit either. It really wasn’t hard to change into pajamas. She didn’t know why he had stayed in his day clothes. Unless it was to give himself a few extra minutes to sleep. She wouldn’t put that past him.
Kris stuffed his feet into the shoes placed under his bed. His hair fell into his face worse than she remembered.
“Is this what you’ve succumbed to now that I’m gone, brother? Can’t hear my nagging anymore, so you decide to fall apart?”
Unbothered by his ragged appearance, Kris stumbled to his door and nudged it open with the toe of his shoe. Goner’s feet lifted off the ground, and she soared after him into the hallway. The flight superpower she'd gotten was one of the very few traits that was actually cool about this whole situation. Was flight worth being erased from the world? No, absolutely not, but it was cool.
He plodded down the stairs with his head hung and his fingers stretched out to brush against the wall.
“Did you sleep at all last night? What gives?”
Kris stepped into the bathroom, and Goner sat on the foot of the stairs while she waited.
The loud crash of the toilet sounded, followed by the trickling of the sink faucet.
“Hey, you remember that time when you kept flushing the toilet? At first, Mom was worried about you, but, by the sixth time, she thought you had done something. She got so annoyed with you. She threatened to make you pay for the plumbing bill.” Goner laughed at the memory. “What exactly were you doing in there anyway? You never told me. Just something to annoy Mom? Or did you really drop a bath bomb in the toilet?”
The bathroom door swung inward. Strands of wet hair stuck to Kris’ forehead. She saw the glimmer of water on his face still. “You cleaned yourself up. You look a little better now, but it would have been nice if you had time to brush your hair.”
Kris walked past her to the kitchen. He searched through the contents of the refrigerator before grabbing an apple and turning to leave.
“Wait, you should eat more than an apple,” Goner said, flying past him to the microwave. “Mom baked some fresh bread last night.” Next to the microwave rested a plate of bread, and Goner swiped her hand at the corner of the kitchen towel that covered the plate. The towel swayed just slightly.
The movement caught Kris’ eye. He lifted the towel and wasted no time getting two slices of bread.
A somewhat better breakfast in grasp, he crossed the living room, and Kris and Goner stepped outside where the chirp of birds and rustling of the leaves greeted them.
Goner tilted her face towards the sun peeking through the red and orange trees. “It’s always beautiful during this time of year,” she said. “Could be a little warmer." By a little warmer, she meant about 30 degrees warmer. "But it’s still nice weather, and I guess it’s not like the cold can bother me anymore anyway.”
“Kris!” Mom waved through the open car window. “We are going to be a little late, but we might still be able to make it before the children can do anything too crazy.”
Kris hopped into the car and took bites of his apple and bread, acting unbothered about whether they made it to school on time or not. Goner slipped into the car after him right before he closed the door.
As they backed down their driveway, Toriel changed the subject to the weather, but neither of her children listened.
“Buckle your seatbelt,” Goner whispered to Kris. “It’s the law.”
Kris kept his seatbelt unbuckled. The car surged forward on the road.
Toriel glanced back at him from the rearview mirror. “Kris, buckle your seatbelt. Even in a small town like this, there is always the chance for a wild driver.”
Kris bit down on his apple to keep it in his mouth while he bucked his seatbelt.
“And how did you find the bread?”
Goner snorted. “It wasn’t all that cleverly hidden, Mom.”
Kris shrugged. He stuffed the rest of the bread into his mouth.
“As I was saying, do you think Asriel will enjoy coming home to this little town? Even after the excitement of college?”
Kris shrugged again and leaned the back of his head against the leather seat. His eyes closed, and Goner knew Mom would not be able to pry any thoughts from his head.
“I think he will,” Goner replied for Kris. She moved to stare out the window.
The people outside heading to work or taking care of their gardens stopped to wave at the passing car with enthusiasm. None of them could see her in the backseat. In a panicked frenzy, she had already tried and failed to find someone in town who could help her. She waved back despite this.
“This is his home. It doesn’t matter if he doesn’t find this place exciting anymore. Everyone he loves is still here, and that’s what matters. He’ll be happy to see them all. We… or you have nothing to worry about… And neither do you, Kris. Asriel’s going to be happy to see you, so stop being worried.”
Mom pulled into a school parking spot reserved for teachers. She was out of the car with keys in hands within seconds, but Kris sunk further into his seat. His fingers curled around his seatbelt.
“Kris… Are you alright?” Toriel asked.
A few moments of silence passed, and then Kris opened his eyes and forced his fingers to uncurl from their tight grip. He reached past Goner and opened the door closest to where Toriel stood, holding her hand out for him.
He ducked his head, somehow finding a way to hide his face behind even more shadow and hair, but Goner caught the red tint color his cheeks, and she laughed.
“Maybe if you didn’t get into so much trouble, Mom wouldn’t feel the need to walk you to school.” Goner didn’t really believe that. Even if he magically became the perfect person, their mom would still hold his hand. She had held Asriel’s hand for the longest time, while holding Kris’ in her other and directing Kris to hold Goner’s hand. Every school day, the four of them had walked through those doors in a chain, until Asriel had grown too cool for it and brave enough to voice it.
Goner missed those days sometimes.
The school halls were quiet when they stepped inside. No students bustled around to get to their lockers or classroom. Goner didn’t even see any stragglers rushing to their class before they got into big trouble.
“We’re very late,” she announced. “Mom, I’m sorry to tell you, but your students probably have made a mess of the room by now.”
Very late or not, Toriel took the time to wrap her arms around Kris. He did not return her hug, but he leaned into her embrace slightly. “Have a good day at school, my child.”
Goner adverted her gaze without meaning to. She still remembered the sense of safety she’d felt when their mother hugged her. How Toriel had once always been there to comfort her when she’d been sad or scared.
“You too, Mom,” Goner whispered, watching as Toriel and Kris parted ways. Her voice was too soft, but, with a deep inhale and forced smile, she regained her energy. “You’ll have to tell me about all the crazy antics the littles get into today! I’ll tell you how much Kris acts up, promise.”
Goner dashed to catch up with her brother. “Okay, pick up the speed, Kris. We’re already late as it is. Run! It’s not like the janitor is going to yell at you right now.”
Kris walked at a normal pace to their classroom. Then he wasted his time standing outside.
“Just think about all the interesting stuff we’re going to learn today. I bet that’ll get you moving.”
A sigh, and, finally, he pushed open the door, interrupting whatever lesson had been in progress.
“Alright, everyone has a—” The teacher, Ms. Alphys, and all the students turned to look at Kris. His poker face had been perfected years ago, but Goner caught his nervousness without much effort. His fingers had begun to twitch.
“O-oh, K-Kris! We… That is, I thought you weren’t coming today. It’s…” Ms. Alphys glanced up at the wall clock beside the door. “L-later than usual today.”
“It’s okay, Ms. Alphys. For a minute there, I thought he wasn’t coming today too.”
“W-well, now t-that you’re here… Would anyone like to tell Kris what we’re working on?”
The only creature that spoke was the annoying cricket hiding somewhere in the room.
“A-anyone…? T-that’s okay. We’re doing group projects this month, Kris.”
“Uh oh…” Goner glanced over at Kris just as his fingers clenched into fists. “It’ll be alright, Kris.”
Ms. Alphys turned back to her other students. “D-does anyone else still need a partner?”
This question went unanswered as well, which might have seemed like an answer in itself. Though it could very well be because no one was paying attention rather than everyone already having a partner, and Alphys knew this.
“U-uh… Maybe you should w-walk around and ask, Kris.”
Kris shuffled forward, heading to MK first.
“Yo, Kris.”
“Hey, MK!” Goner greeted. “How are you—”
“C’mon, man! You gotta come earlier next time!” MK scolded. “What's up with being late all the time now? Your mom even teaches here!” MK's tail slashed the air. “I had to partner with Snowy because you were late."
MK complained like partnering up was a thing the two of them always did, but Goner could remember only one time they'd teamed up. And Kris had whined about it for hours afterwards. She didn't think she'd ever heard Kris talk so much.
"And now he won’t stop turning to me and saying, ‘howdy, partner,’ like a cowboy.”
At this, Goner, Kris, and MK turned to Snowy.
“Partn’er? I hardly know ‘er.” The snow monster hit his wing against his desk. “Whaddya think of that one? It’s funny, right?”
Goner scrunched her nose. “I don’t even get it,” she said. “C for effort, I guess? What do you think, Kris?”
Kris had already looked away.
“Haha…” MK leaned closer to Kris. “See what I mean? Do I even look like a cowboy?” The two of them glanced down at MK's orange poncho. “This doesn’t look like something a cowboy would wear, right…? Why didn’t you come earlier, dude?”
Kris shrugged, his response for just about anything these days. Although, shrugs had been his response for a lot back when Goner was around too.
“Whatever, maybe next time. I don’t think Temmie has a—”
Temmie shifted in her seat to glare at Kris and MK. “Eg!”
“Uh… Egg, right, never mind.” MK flashed Kris a quick bemused glance, which went unnoticed by Temmie who patted her egg and turned back around. “Um… Good luck finding a partner, Kris!”
“So… Even eggs are preferred over you as a partner for some people… That’s…” Goner didn’t know how to feel about that. “Who are we going to ask next?”
Kris scanned the crowd of monsters until his gaze landed on Noelle.
“Noelle! Yeah, good choice.” Goner noticed Kris’ fingers had gone white from how tightly he was clenching them. “Noelle is a good choice, right?”
Kris shook his head and walked around the desks to make his way towards her.
“Kris. Late again, I see,” a nasally and incredibly annoying voice called out.
Kris halted in front of Berdly’s desk.
“Not this guy,” Goner groaned. “Why did you stop? Keep walking.”
“I bet you’re here because you need a partner, right?” Berdly continued.
Kris stared straight ahead outside the window, and Goner knew he wanted to disappear. “Kris does need a partner, but we’d never ask you, birdbrain,” Goner hissed. “Let’s go, Kris. Noelle will be infinity time better than—”
“Unfortunately for you, Kris, I have already partnered with the second smartest student in class. As it should be because I actually came on time.”
Goner’s hands clenched just like her brother’s.
“Though…” Berdly tapped his wing against his beak. “Now that I think about it, Kris. I suppose you do have a unique skillset that could potentially help a lot on this assignment.”
Kris and Goner frowned. Berdly had gained her brother’s attention now.
“Sike! I’d actually like to get an A.”
If Goner hadn’t been turned into whatever she was now, her face would have heated and turned an impressive shade of red. She banged her hands on his desk. “Listen here, you dolt! Sure, Kris has been slipping lately, but you know he got better grades than you... Usually. I think.” Goner barely noticed when Kris moved on to speak with Noelle. He had the amazing skill of ignoring people when they spoke and shrugging off whatever they said. A skill Goner didn’t have but often wished she did. “Kris and Noelle are ten times smarter than you could ever dream to be.”
She hated the smug expression on his face. Without thinking, she pulled her fist back and aimed straight for his face, but her hand went through him. Not a single feather twitched in disturbance.
Goner growled to let out some of her frustration. Someone needed to step up and teach this bird a lesson since she was gone. Somehow, he had managed to become even more annoying and bigheaded. “I know I need to calm down, and this is going to be petty, but…” She flicked Berdly’s pencils off his desk.
Berdly’s eyes widened. “What?” He bent over to reach the pencil nearest to him, and Goner kicked it away. “How did…?
“Ms. Alphys!”
Before Berdly could ponder the mystery of his moving pencil for long, Noelle grabbed the attention of everyone in class.
“Um, I was wondering if we could have a group of three?” Noelle gestured to Kris.
“Hey! What? No!” Down on his bird knees, Berdly made another attempt to reach for his pencil. “You did not run this by me. Abort!” Goner kicked his pencil again. “What is wrong with this pencil?!”
Goner cackled.
“B-but Kris needs—”
“Berdly, what are you doing?” Ms. Alphys asked, interrupting Noelle.
“I’m trying to grab my pencil! It won’t stop moving away!”
“What are you talking about?” MK asked.
With everyone’s attention on Berdly now, Goner decided to quit the pencil kicking. She’d rather not scare everyone into believing the classroom was haunted. She placed herself back at Kris’ side, sticking her tongue out at the birdbrain.
“O-oh? U-um… Okay?” Ms. Alphys forced herself to look away from Berdly. “Uh… Noelle, w-what were you trying to ask me?”
“She was saying we’re fine being a team of two!” Berdly lunged for his pencil. “Ahah! Got you!” He held the pencil over his head in victory.
“I-I was…” Noelle mumbled something no one caught.
“Noelle, please, you need to speak up!” Ms. Aphys raised her voice at the last three words. “Like this!”
Goner sighed in sympathy for her friend. “Really, Ms. Alphys—”
The classroom door swung open and hit the wall with a loud bang, causing everyone to jump. A purple monster stood in the doorway. Her dark hair covered her face even worse than Kris’.
Ms. Alphys mumbled something no one caught.
In any other situation, Goner might have whispered a joke to Kris about Ms. Alphys doing as she taught, but not this time. Her priorities went elsewhere. “Kris? Now would be a perfect time to sit down.”
Kris stood frozen in place.
Several ticks of the clock passed; everyone stared at the new arrival. Until she took a step forward.
A flurry of movement then arose through the classroom. Everyone tried to find something to occupy themselves other than staring at the class bully. Berdly reorganized his desk. Temmie continued to fawn over her egg. MK turned to Snowy and started whispering to him only for an agonized and regretful expression to appear on their face seconds later.
“… Am I late?” Susie asked.
“Oh! N-no!” Ms. Alphys leaned back against her chalkboard like she was ready to pass out. “You’re j-just on time actually!”
Gazes shot up towards the clock.
“W-well, you’re a-a little l-late, but w-we weren’t doing anything important. J-just, uh, ch-choosing partners for the group project, and…” Ms. Alphys gaze darted to Kris.
“Oh, no, Ms. Alphys, please don’t—”
“Susie, you’re with Kris.” Ms. Alphys words came out in a rush.
Susie turned her head towards Kris. His neutral expression never changed, but his fingers twitched worse than before.
“N-now that we have that sorted, let’s start the lesson! B-before something else happens.”
“Sorry, Kris,” Goner said. “If I were still normal, I could have been your partner.” She and her brother had almost always partnered up for group projects, aside from when she knew Kris and Noelle had wanted to team up together. The easiest partner choice for them had been each other, and they worked well together. Goner had thought they could get through anything in life as long as they had each other.
“Uh, Kris?” Noelle whispered. Kris still stood in front of her desk. The shock of being partnered with Susie had frozen him like a cube of ice. “Are you okay?”
He shrugged.
“You should sit down,” Goner whispered.
“Uh…” Ms. Alphys tapped her fingers against the chalkboard. “D-does anyone see the c-chalk? It’s not where I usually put it.”
The students shared knowing looks.
“I… I can’t start class without i-it, and it’s-it’s gone missing too many times f-for m-me to think it’s a-an accident.” Ms. Alphys wiped at her sweaty face with her sleeve. “T-this is the t-third time this month, so… w-where is it?”
Goner scrutinized each student’s faces for guilt. All of them had wide, innocent eyes, and she had trouble imagining any of them stealing the chalk. Noelle was too kind. Berdly liked school. Catti never looked away from her phone when school was in session, and Jockington considered himself too “cool” to stoop to that level. MK, Snowy, and Temmie weren’t the type to steal chalk. It was something Kris would do, but she was with him all the time. The only monster left was Susie, the exact kind of monster who would steal chalk, and Goner couldn’t get a good look at her face to find any guilt because of the hair.
It didn’t matter. Probably everyone thought it was her, but no one was brave enough to voice it. Not even the teacher.
“O-okay… If… If no one decides to speak up… Then everyone will get in trouble!”
Goner quirked an eyebrow. “False threat.”
Ms. Alphys did not have the guts to punish everyone. Which was clear to all the students. No one spoke up, but she heard Jockington mutter about them not being kindergarteners.
Sweat trailed down Ms. Alphys face. Goner felt certain a puddle of sweat had begun to form under the teacher’s feet. “N-no one?”
“Ms. Alphys, do you think there might be extra in the supply closet?” Noelle asked. “I can—”
“O-oh, right! Will anyone v-volunteer to go get some chalk. Um… Susie, s-since you came in last…”
“And since we all know this is your fault,” Goner said what was surely on Ms. Alphys mind.
“Why don’t you get it?” Ms. Alphys finished.
“…”
Silence stretched out, and Ms. Alphys filled a whole bucket of sweat while she waited for Susie’s response.
“…whatever.” Susie slammed the door behind her. The vibrations traveled through the floor. Berdly’s pencil rolled off his desk, and Goner pointed and laughed.
“And, K-Kris…”
Goner’s laughter caught in her throat. “Ms. Alphys, you are ruining his life.”
“Since you w-were late too, can you go w-with her and… Um… M-make sure she…” Ms. Alphys faltered.
“Actually gets it?” Berdly supplied.
“Y-yeah! That and… S-stays out of trouble.”
“You’re asking my brother to make sure someone stays out of trouble? Have you met Kris?” Trouble followed Kris. He attracted it, whether he wanted to or not. Everyone in town knew this, even if they didn’t know Kris personally.
Kris plodded towards the door.
“T-thank you, Kris,” Ms. Alphys called after him with more relief in her voice than necessary.
“You know there’s something wrong with this girl when even the teacher is scared of her, Goner told Kris. “Granted, this is Ms. Alphys we’re talking about.”
Kris stopped in his tracks, and Goner walked straight through him. Goosebumps raised on her arms and legs. “What happened?” She wrapped her arms around her body, hating the chill traveling through her. Walking through people was the worst, especially when it served as a crushing reminder of her situation.
A crunch interrupted the silence of the nearly empty hallway. Susie leaned against the lockers with her back turned to Kris. “Oh…” Goner and Kris inhaled in sync. “Oh… I mean, I knew she stole the chalk, but I didn’t think she ate it.”
Susie spun around. She took several steps before noticing Kris. “Kris…” His name sounded like a curse word when Susie said it in her gruff voice.
“Time to go back to the classroom, Kris. Let’s go! Move it!” Goner wished for the hundredth time since her life had turned out this way that she was capable of shoving and pulling her brother. “Come on, Kris! Move! She’s acting calm right now, but she’s about to beat you to a pulp, and I can’t protect you.”
Not that Goner thought she would have been able to do much, but she’d at least stand in front of her brother and try to protect him. Take the hits for him if all else failed.
“You didn’t see anything just now, did you?” Susie asked. She spoke low and soft.
Kris shrugged.
Goner threw her hands in the air. “What was that? You couldn’t have responded in a worse way!”
Kris realized too because he took a slow step back.
“Heheh… Can’t even say, huh?” Susie sauntered towards Kris.
“Get in the classroom, Kris! Why aren’t you moving?”
He did move, but in the wrong direction. Instead of walking towards the door, he walked backwards. Susie got closer and closer until she had him trapped.
She rested her hand on his shoulder. “I’m gonna share a secret with you.” A pleasant smile on her face, she leaned in close.
A sharp scream escaped Goner when Susie lifted Kris by his shirt and slammed him against the locker in one swift movement. The thud of Kris hitting the metal echoed in the hallway. She heard him hiss in pain, and a sympathy pain blossomed on her back.
“Quiet people piss me off.” Susie’s fingers dug into Kris’ shoulder. “Do you think you can hide what you’re thinking just because you don’t say anything? Because I can tell exactly what’s on your mind.”
Goner attempted to shove Susie away from Kris, but her hands went through the bully. “Leave him alone, Susie!”
“It’s over! I caught Susie eating all the chalk,” Susie said in a whiny and entirely incorrect impersonation of Kris, and, forgetting her choice of tone was just to be mean for a moment, Goner doubted Susie had ever even heard him speak. When he did talk, his voice sounded soft and gentle. “Susie only had one more chance. Now I can get her expelled.”
“Stop this! He’s not going to get you expelled. We can keep a secret. You let go of my brother, and he won’t tell anyone.” Goner knew her efforts were fruitless, but her brother was being hurt, and she couldn’t stand by quietly. The day she gave up was the day she accepted what she had become. And the day she accepted this was the day there was no hope for her.
“Haha, drop the shock, Kris. We both know it’s true. Everyone in this school is waiting for the day they can say goodbye to ‘mean’ and ‘crazy’ Susie. Well, congrats, now you can give everyone what they want.”
“Okay, Kris. It’s okay. She’s going to put you down soon. The worst is over—”
“Just… I’m gonna say one more thing… Sure seems like a waste to get expelled just for having a little snack, don’t you think? So, Kris… since I know you’re about to pull the trigger… I think it’s better if I get expelled for some real carnage.” Susie chuckled.
Goner’s heartbeat had ceased to exist after she was turned into this, but she felt a phantom ache in her chest, and she knew her heart would be beating hard if it still needed to work.
“How would you feel…” Susie grinned. A whole row of yellowing and pointed teeth gleamed in the florescent ceiling lights. “About losing your face?”
“Susie! No! Leave him alone!” She whirled to face the door. “Someone come help him! Why isn’t anyone coming? Can’t you hear what’s happening?” She turned back towards Kris. Spit splattered on his face. Susie pulled him closer to her deadly teeth, but he didn’t even try to fight back. “Kris!”
And then Susie dropped him. “Nah.”
Susie sat with his shaking shoulders hunched over, and his head drooped. Goner fell to her knees beside him. “Kris… Kris, are you okay? I—”
“You’ve got a good mother, Kris… It’d be a shame to make her bury her child.”
Kris quivered.
Goner tried to wipe away the spit droplets on his face, only to shiver and pull back from the cold that zinged up her mind. “Kris… I’m… I’m sorry, Kris.” She was so useless. She wanted to hug and comfort him, but she could only listen to and match his heavy breathing. The strong scent of cleaning disinfectant burned her nostrils with each sharp breath she took.
“Get up, wimp.”
Kris refused to look at Susie when she spoke, but Goner tore her gaze from the shiny checkered flooring to glare in her direction.
“This is how we’re going to do it. We’re going to get more chalk, mosey on back to class, and then you’ll do our project. By yourself. To throw you a little bone, I’ll let you put your name first. How’s that sound?”
Kris opened his mouth. “B—”
“Don’t bother answering. If you haven’t gotten it by now… Your choices don’t matter.” Susie shoes squeaked against the tile. “Get up before I pull you up myself.”
Kris pushed himself off the ground, and he tilted his head against the locker. Goner noticed him rest a hand over his ribs.
“Your choice does matter, Kris. Let’s get back to class. We can tell Ms. Alphys what happened, and…” And what? Make an enemy out of Susie? She’d make his life miserable if he didn’t listen to her. She’d hunt Kris down outside of school and give him a worse beating. Ms. Alphys wouldn’t be able to stop her in the classroom, forget about in the streets. “I guess Ms. Alphys can tell Mom, and she’ll be able to protect you better.”
Kris glanced towards the door, probably considering what Goner wanted him to do, but he forced himself to stand straighter and followed after Susie where she waited near the front entrance.
“You’re a big slowpoke, Kris, but I get it. Bet you’re not used to walking around without someone holding your hand.”
Kris ducked his head.
“You’re such a jerk, Susie.” Goner glared daggers at the bully. “But maybe this explains everything. You jealous? Did you not get enough of someone holding your hand?”
Susie grabbed Kris’ arm. “Come on. I actually want to get this chalk before next year, freak.”
“Don’t call my brother freak,” Goner muttered, dragging her feet forward. “And, fyi, quiet people are the best. They’re great at listening, and they’re patient, and they notice the small details. They’re pretty dang awesome at pranking, but that’s not always a good…” The doors to the closet loomed in front of her. She used to find it strange how big the closet was and how different the doors were compared to the rest of the school. What school closet needed purple double doors? “Whatever. Let’s just get the chalk so my brother can get away from you.”
Susie flung open the double doors.
Darkness flooded the hallway, chasing away the light. Goosebumps raised on Goner’s skin, despite how the sudden chill in the room shouldn’t affect her. Kris shivered beside her, letting her know she wasn’t the only one experiencing this.
She peered into the closet but inside was pitch black, and the darkness kept growing. The shadows cut deep. Almost as if the closet wanted to suck out this world’s beautiful light and fill it with nothing but the dark.
What…?
What was happening…?
Susie and Kris took huge steps away from the door. Goner looked into her brother’s face, and the amount of shock on his face reflected her own.
“It’s… dark…” Kris said.
“Yeah, way to state the obvious!” Even Susie’s voice contained a waver to it. “I, uh, was worried it was just me.”
The darkness began to pulse. The hallway brightened slightly, and then it darkened. “It’s like the light and dark are fighting for control,” Goner whispered. She felt like the darkness was winning.
“Kris… So, you gonna head in there or what?”
“Seriously…? You go in, since you’re so brave,” Goner told Susie.
Kris shifted his feet. Shaking his head, he placed more distance between himself and the door. His body tensing like he was about to turn and run back to the safety of the classroom. Forget this freaky door situation had ever happened. She wanted him to do it too. Bad things happened when one walked through strange doors. At least, she thought so.
“Stop being a wimp! Just run in and grab the chalk!”
“It’s a freakin’ door that leads to what looks like nowhere, and it’s pulsating freakin’ darkness! Closets aren’t supposed to do that. He’s not being a wimp, Susie! You—”
“It’s probably something wrong with the electricity, so go or… Fine! We’ll both go in at the same time!” Susie growled and showed her sharp teeth. “Get in there, Kris.”
Kris forced his feet to take him to the closet, likely preferring his chances with the dark closet more than Susie’s teeth.
“Nothing to be scared of in here, Kris. All I see is old papers.” Susie crossed her arms. “…Shouldn’t there be… shelves and stuff? Can’t find a light switch either. Maybe it’s all deeper in?”
“It should be by the door.” Goner’s hand felt the wall for a light switch to double check. “This is strange.” She turned and saw Kris and Susie had already walked further into the closet. “Hey, wait up!” She burst into a run, and a few papers rustled under her feet.
Kris and Susie whirled around. “What was that?” Susie asked. “Was that you?”
Kris moved his tight shoulders up.
“Sorry it was me.” Goner floated off the ground. Better not give her brother a heart attack. “There’s no ghost in here or anything. Don’t worry…” Her head tilted. “Unless I am a ghost…”
“It had to have been you, freak. No one else is here.” Susie continued her search.
Kris stared down at the papers.
“Kris! There’s nothing there! Unless those papers tell us where the chalk is, get over here!”
Kris caught up with Susie and walked alongside her.
“So, uh, this is a pretty long closet. Don’t you think we should have reached the end by now?”
“Didn’t know the school went this far back…” Kris mumbled.
Growing increasingly wary, Goner flew ahead and tried to find the end, but the closet seemed endless. At this point, the dim light from the hallway had become a small pinpoint in the distance. Kris and Susie were right. The school didn’t go this far back. They should have reached the end. “Something feels really wrong, Kris. You should get out of here.”
She tried to feel for the walls on the sides of her, and her dread increased. Unlike by the door, her fingers didn’t touch anything but empty air. She saw Susie try the same. First with one arm, then with both outstretched.
“Hey, Kris…” Susie spoke slowly. “I think… This closet’s broken. It doesn’t have any walls.” She smiled.
“That’s not funny.” Goner spread both her arms. “It’s not funny.”
Susie’s smile disappeared.
“Chalk isn’t worth this,” Goner said, and Susie came to the same conclusion.
“We worked hard enough. Alphys can get her own damn chalk.”
Clearly in agreement, Kris moved faster than Goner had ever seen from him. By the time he made it back to the papers, he was sprinting, and she knew how much he hated to run.
The door slammed shut before they reached it. Kris skidded to a stop. Paper flew around him.
“W-what?” Susie shoved past Kris. She banged her first against the door. “Who’s out there? Let us out! This isn’t funny! I’m going to—”
The ground shook. Papers rustled. Susie backed up.
“Is it an earthqua—” Goner shut up when she spotted the papers nearest to the door flutter into a dark abyss. The floor wasn’t just shaking. It was giving out from underneath them bit by bit!
“Kris…” She watched the papers fall until the darkness swallowed them up.
Susie moved back, forcing Kris to step back with her. Until they had nothing left to walk on.
The ground gave out underneath them.
For a split second, all Goner could do was stare in shock as the limp body of her brother and Susie, with her hand held out for someone to save them, grew smaller.
Then she panicked. “Kris!” She dropped after them, her hand outstretched for her brother. “Hold on! I’m coming!”
Although, she knew… She wouldn’t be able to do a single thing to help him.
She didn’t even exist anymore.