Chapter Text
Noelle knew there were no Hometown Heroes anymore, yet she was still drawn to the abandoned baseball field that used to hold games that the whole town would go to. Despite the size of the field, it stood untouched, weeds growing everywhere. Untouched by everyone but Noelle, she supposed.
She liked to imagine that maybe, just maybe, she’d run into Dess in the field, practicing her swinging like nothing ever happened. But she knew that would never happen. Dess had gone missing years ago, and there was no trace of her ever since.
Something strange that Noelle noticed before Dess disappeared was that she didn’t act like herself in the days before. She said things she’d never say, did things she’d never done before, and was just… distant. It confused Noelle. It’s like Dess was a shell of who she really was, being controlled by some other force.
As she sat on the empty bleachers, she found herself staring into the distance, tears forming in her eyes. Dess would be in college now. Noelle remembered her telling her that she had been wanting to play baseball professionally, maybe start a rap career, and get famous. She played back the memory, smiling bittersweetly.
“Hey, Elly,” said Dess, striding into Noelle’s room. The then twelve-year-old Noelle Holiday clutched her tablet to her chest protectively. She’d been drawing, but she didn’t want anyone to judge her.
“Relax,” Dess said, noticing Noelle’s tenseness. “I ain’t gonna bite. Whatcha doin’?”
“Drawing,” Noelle said shyly.
“Can I see?” she asked. Noelle nodded and turned her tablet around.
“It’s my favorite ship. From Dragon Blazers…” Noelle said, averting her gaze. The art was of two strong-looking, blushing women holding hands.
“Oh, type shit? That’s my favorite ship too!” Dess said excitedly. “You know, you’ve got an excellent taste in ladies. Strong and protective, but big ol’ softies on the inside. Gotta respect that, Ells.”
Noelle met her eyes and laughed, blushing slightly. “Y-yeah….”
“You’ve got a future in art, I tell ya. I couldn’t draw for shit at your age, still can’t. But ya know… college is comin’ up real soon for me. I mean, junior year, that’s when shit gets serious. You wanna know what I’m planning?”
“What, Dess?” Noelle asked.
“I’m gonna be famous,” Dess boasted. “I’ma play baseball, like, in the big leagues. And if I can, I’ll be a rapper too. I can see it already. Wanna hear my rapper name?”
Noelle giggled and nodded.
“Alright. Lemme know what you think…” She drummed her hands on the bedframe. “D-E-Double-Dollar! Y’know, spelled like Dess, but with dollar signs instead of the S. That sound cool?”
Noelle laughed. “Yeah! It really gives off your personality.”
“Ha! Yes! I knew you’d like it,” said Dess. “Well, Azzy’s been dying to hop on Minecrap with me, and I’d best not keep him waiting. See ya, bud.”
“See you.”
Noelle wished she could have those times back. She just wanted to see Dess again. She wanted to see her become successful, but it seemed like that would never be.
After crying for a while, Noelle stood up and brushed the leaves off her shirt. She sighed. Better get going before Mom freaks out, she thought. She walked over to the gate, pushed it open, and headed towards the town hall.
When Noelle arrived at her mother’s office in the Town Hall, Carol didn’t look at her. Her eyes were fixed on the screen of her laptop, and she was holding her phone against her ear with her shoulder. Noelle knew what that meant: it’s serious, don’t interrupt.
“No, Toriel, I haven’t seen your child. Yes, I’m looking into it,” Carol said through gritted teeth, her voice strained with stress. “Are you sure they aren’t at a friend’s house?”
Noelle peered at her curiously. “What’s h-”
Carol stuck a finger up, silently saying “stop talking!” as she listened intently on the phone. “Okay. You’ll need to talk to the police, not me. You already did? Well, give them a minute. They’ll have it under control. You’re welcome. Bye.” She hung up.
“Noelle, could you step out for a moment? I’m trying to handle serious business here,” Carol said.
Noelle nodded and left the room, wanting to protest but knowing better than to do so. Her words on the phone left a pit in her stomach, and she suddenly felt nauseous. Was Kris… missing?
Now that she thought about it, Kris had been acting very strange lately… almost the way Dess had acted before she went missing. No, no, it had to be a coincidence. Maybe they were just out late with Susie and forgot to tell Toriel and she freaked out. She decided to call Kris, hoping to clear up any misjudgement she may have had. She held her breath as the ringback tone went on and on for what felt like an eternity, then switched to voicemail. They hadn’t changed the recording in years, so she was met with a younger Kris saying, “Hey. Kris Dreemurr here, leave a message, and if you don’t, well, just don’t look under your bed tonight!” That used to scare her when she was a kid, but it was nothing compared to the fear she felt now. She remembered her last day with Dess, how… forced it felt, and how similar she realized her last day with Kris was, too.
Noelle was seated at the kitchen table, eating dinner with her family as she did every day. But something was different this evening: instead of the usual lively family chatter, everyone was silent, the only sounds being the quiet ticking of a clock and the scrape of a fork against a plate. Noelle looked over at Dess. She looked tired, and she was pushing a carrot around her plate. Her gaze flickered up to Noelle, then came back down. Noelle swallowed hard; despite her closeness to her sister, she found herself being too shy to say anything.
Her father, Rudy, broke the silence. “Dess, bud, I thought you liked carrots. What’s got you looking so disgusted?”
Dess looked up at him. “Oh, I’m not disgusted,” she said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Just… tired. Don’t worry.”
Noelle thought this was strange. Dess never talked like that, and her smile was unnerving. She knew her sister’s smile-- an infectious, playful grin that could make someone laugh just by seeing it. This was… a grimace. Someone else’s face. They stayed silent for the rest of the meal, and Dess excused herself to her room, saying she wanted to go to sleep early.
Noelle never saw her again after that.