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Susie hated gym class.
Sure, she enjoyed getting out of the classroom, but there was a big downside.
The people.
And Hometown’s school wasn’t like most of the ones she’d gone to. Ones that were large enough for you to avoid people you didn’t like, or the ones that didn’t like you.
She had nine people in her class. And unfortunately, most of them seemed to have it out for her.
It was another summer day, and the school's weedy oval provided no shelter from the heat. The plastic seats in the bleachers were pale from years of exposure, and red paint was flaking from the dividers.
They were playing soccer. Well a variation of soccer, given there were 4 players per team. Kris had sat the lesson out, as per usual. They were picking at the grass a little ways away from the field. Ms Alphys didn’t even bother asking them to participate anymore
Ms Alphys had tried (and failed) to balance the teams. One side had Noelle, Snowy, Monster Kid and Temmie. Noelle was lean and athletic, and the one person in the class who actually participated in sports. Snowy and Monster Kid were both competent, even if Monster Kid could be prone to falling over. Temmie would do whatever Temmie would do, but she wouldn’t be an active hindrance to the team.
The other side had Susie, Berdly, Catti and Jockington. Berdly did try, but he did more harm than good most of the time. Catti was utterly uninterested and Jockington was… Jockington.
So, because it’s hard to have a game where one side doesn’t participate, it was on Susie’s shoulders to make the moves.
Joy.
Berdly hadn’t stopped complaining.
“Ms Alphys, did you really have to put me with this… brute? Surely she should sit out on principle!” He scoffed. “We don’t play games with animals.” Susie huffed.
“O-Ok Class, we’re going to start the game now!” She did her best to project her voice, but she still had to blow her whistle to get the class's attention. Even the whistle sounded weak.
“Class! Get ready!” The people on the field dispersed from their groups. Noelle took the centre on the other side of the field. The other players positioned themselves in a loose formation around her. Susie’s team turned towards the opposing side.
The game started with the blow of Ms Alphys’ whistle, and she dropped the ball in the centre of the field. Noelle took the initiative, taking and passing the ball to Monster Kid, who was a little ways behind her. Her team had taken the advantage, but Susie took the ball after a botched pass to Snowy. Unfortunately, she couldn’t capitalize on the advantage, as her team was far behind her. Snowy took the ball back with ease, leaving Susie to trail behind. Berdly attempted to intercept another pass, but he managed to kick the ball in the wrong direction, sending it right back to Noelle. She guided the ball into the goal easily, and Alphys blew the whistle again, marking one point to team 1.
The game continued in a similar fashion for the next few minutes. Susie trying to play the game, Berdly trying and failing to play the game and Catti standing on the side of the field looking at her phone. She didn’t even know where Jockington had gone.
She made her mistake after the third point to the other team. She dashed forward to try and intercept a pass to Snowy, but misjudged her footing. She came crashing down, her head knocking painfully against the ground. Distantly, she heard Alphys blow a whistle.
After a moment, she felt a sharp pain from inside her mouth.
She sat up, feeling the something crunch painfully as she worked her jaw. One of her teeth must have come loose. Of course.
Alphys was by her side.
“Oh my g-goodness Susie! Are you ok?” Monster Kid and Snowy were snickering and whispering to each other. Noelle was looking at her with worry on her face. Even Kris had looked up from the grass.
She mumbled something about needing to go to the bathroom and got to her feet, darting away as fast as she could.
No one followed her.
There was a long grass stain on her white shirt. She shrugged off her jacket, leaving it to rest on one of the benches. She was in the girl’s bathroom, nearest to the field.
She touched a finger to the spot on her jaw, wincing. Then, she opened her mouth, trying to get a good look at the broken tooth. It wasn’t unusual for her to lose teeth, but they were always painful. At least they grew back.
She opened her jaw wider, trying to fit her right hand in cleanly. It took a bit of maneuvering, but after a moment she wrapped her fingers around the tooth, ready to pull.
“Um… Susie?” It was a meek voice, just outside the bathroom. She quickly retracted her hand from her mouth, wiping the saliva on her ratty jeans in an effort to make herself presentable. The voice rounded the corner. It was Noelle, still in her gym clothes.
“Oh. H-hi Susie. Um… Ms Alphys wanted to know if y-you were ok.” Susie’s demeanor softened. She turned back to the mirror.
“I’m ok.”
“Ok? Are you going to come back to class?”
“Nah.”
“O-Oh.” There was a moment of silence. Susie was the first to break it.
“Are you gonna go?”
“Um. Maybe. I’m n-not sure.”
“Can you?”
“Oh.” Her tone fell.
“No- It’s just.” Susie sighed. “You’re not gonna wanna see this. Nothing personal. Sorry.”
“Um. See what?” Susie flared her nostrils in slight annoyance.
“Look, just go back and tell Alphys I’m ok, and I’ll be coming back to class soon.” Another moment of silence.
“Ok.” Noelle turned and headed out the door, then paused.
“Kris wanted to know if you were ok too.” Susie grunted in response, and she left.
She waited a few seconds to be sure, then took the tooth in her fingers again. She yanked it out in one swift motion, a small trail of thick blood following it. It stained her shirt. For a moment, her gum felt like it was on fire, but the pain subsided to a dull ache quickly. A droplet of blood was running down her chin, but she wiped it away quickly with a hand, leaving a bright red stain.
She was not going back to class.
The whole room was spinning violently. Susie weaved through another volley of the fast-moving projectiles, narrowly avoiding a ring of spinning hearts. This guy was tough. Way tougher than any of the other enemies they had faced yet. She struck again with her axe, but the Jester just laughed maniacally. By the time she had recovered, the next attack was already upon them. Kris bobbed and weaved through the spinning scythes with practiced grace, carefully avoiding them before retaliating with a precise counter-attack. Ralsei had managed to avoid the barrage as well, but Susie wasn’t so lucky. She was caught off balance after darting out of the way, and a scythe caught her square in the chest. It knocked the wind out of her, but she got up as quickly as she could, striking again when she was back on her feet.
“Angel above, Kris, why the hell did you let this guy out again?” They didn’t reply.
It had been a long fight, and they were all getting near the point of exhaustion. They were running low on items, too.
The next attack came, but the Jester had lost some of their manic energy.
“ENOUGH!! YOU KIDS TIRED ME UP!” Slow moving spades floated towards them lazily. They were easy to avoid. Susie looked at Kris expectantly. They met her gaze, shaking their head subtly. There was another moment of pause, before the Jester’s energy returned.
“KIDDING!! HERE’S MY FINAL CHAOS!” The surrounding room seemed to darken subtly, and a volley of scythes came again, this time faster and deadlier than before. She avoided the first few, but more kept coming. She stumbled through another volley, before she lost her footing.
She came down hard on the carousel floor, and one of the scythes managed to catch her on the way down. It sliced a hole in her shirtsleeve and cut a nasty gash in her arm. She cried out in pain.
Ralsei didn’t seem to have fared much better. Another scythe came from the side, catching him off guard. He kept his footing, but was clearly injured. Kris fared the best, but was still caught by a projectile at the last moment. Above them, a massive scythe loomed, and her vision was enveloped with a white light.
When the light faded, it revealed a battered, but still standing Kris. They made another strike at the Jester. Ralsei acted quickly, casting a pacify spell on the Jester, a soft blue mist enveloping the enemy for a few seconds before dissipating.
“WHAT FUN!!! I’M EXHAUSTED!!! YOU KIDS REALLY TIRED ME UP!!”
“NOW I WILL SLEEP FOR THE OTHER 100 YEARS.”
Ralsei lowered his hands.
“UNFOURTUNATLEY, YOU KIDS CANNOT HAVE SUCH A PLEASANT DREAM.”
“FROM NOW, A NIGHTMARE WILL AWAKEN IN YOUR HEARTS.”
“IN THE SHADOW OF THE KNIGHT’S HAND…”
Susie struggled back to her feet, using her axe to support herself. Kris kept their guard up.
“LIGHTNERS, CAN YOU STOP IT?”
“UEE HEE HEE!”
“EITHER WAY, A MISCHIEF-MISCHIEF, A CHAOS-CHAOS…!”
“LIGHTNERS! FROM INSIDE YOUR LITTLE CELL!!”
“TAKE THIS AND DO YOUR STRONGEST–!” Then, the Jester disappeared in a flurry of white sparks. When the cloud had cleared, a small, pointed tail lay on the ground in their place.
Kris stood a moment, then sheathed their sword, wiping their brow with their left hand. Ralsei took a few moments to compose himself, shaking his head gently. Susie pushed herself up, leaning on her axe for support.
“Geez.” She said to no-one in particular.
The carousel had disappeared, and the room transformed back into an empty, dank dungeon. There was water dripping somewhere. Kris walked over to the small tail on the ground, Susie following close behind them.
“Hm. Gonna put it on?” They shrugged, picking it up and examining it carefully. Then, they beckoned Ralsei over, tying it around his waist. Ralsei giggled.
“I’m a good demon, okay?” Susie smirked. At least he still had his sense of humour. The party paused for a moment.
“That was kinda crazy. I mean, I guess it worked out alright, but can we like… Not do that? In future? Y’know? Letting that guy out?” She gestured vaguely to the room with her left arm. Ralsei furrowed his brow.
“Well, we got a useful item out of it, and nobody got seriously hurt. Maybe we should just forget about it?”
“Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling a little bit ‘seriously hurt’ right now.” She winced as she flexed her arm, feeling the cut shift uncomfortably. Ralsei looked over at her in alarm, examining her for the first time since the fight had ended.
“Oh! Susie! Why didn’t you tell me!” He rushed over, grabbing her arm. She flinched at the touch.
“Woah man, just-” But he was already in the spell, whispering words she couldn’t decipher under his breath. A subtle gold aura surrounded him, and small pinpricks of light were casting star-like patterns on the grey walls. After a moment, the cut on her arm seemed to close by itself. The dried blood around it faded, and even her shirtsleeve managed to sew itself back together.
“Wow. I uh… Didn’t know you could do that.”
“Really? I’ve done it for Kris before.”
“Maybe I just wasn’t paying attention?”
“I’m not sure. I mean, it’s just a simple healing spell. Lightners can do it as well.“
“Well, where I come from, healing magic doesn’t really exist.” Ralsei looked puzzled, scratching one arm with the hand of the other.
“How do you heal your wounds then?”
“Uh… Time, I guess? We just kinda… Let it sit, and heal on its own. ‘Sides, we don’t usually go around getting into scraps with crazy clowns, so… Not much use for it.”
“Strange…” He brightened, smiling at her from under his wide hat. “Well, I can do it any time you like, Susie!”
“Uh… Thanks man.” After a beat, Kris turned on their heels suddenly, leading the other two out of the room and back into the castle.
Susie wished wounds in her world could be healed with a spell, too.
Heavy rain drummed against the closed window over the sink. It was dark, and the Holiday family property was far from town, so the streetlights were dim and distant. Beside her, Noelle was chopping up some lettuce.
It had become a sort of tradition between them. I started as an act of rebellion, fuelled by Noelle’s Mom’s hatred of Susie. Then, it became routine. Comfortable. Every Thursday night, Susie would go to Noelle’s house. Sometimes they would watch movies or play videogames, sometimes they would just talk, and on some nights - like tonight - they would cook together.
It made sense. Noelle was a good cook, and Susie was always hungry and eager to learn. Plus, it was a free meal, and Susie wasn’t about to pass that up.
Tonight it was simple. Just a quick salad prepared in between installments of the Blood Crushers franchise. Susie had been put in charge of the croutons. It was a simple job, cut slices of bread into cubes, add some olive oil and salt, then set aside on the baking tray.
Despite her enthusiasm, Susie was not a talented cook. The first time she tried to help in the kitchen, she started a fire in the frying pan. She put it out quickly, but Noelle hadn’t let her near the element since. Understandably so of course, Susie still had a lot to learn. Like how to not set the oil in the pan on fire.
Knife technique had been her first lesson. She was getting better at it, but Susie was easily distracted. Still, she hadn’t cut herself yet, by some miracle.
The storm outside was getting heavier, with occasional flashes of lightning punctuated by deep rumbles of thunder.
“Not sure you’ll want to walk home in this weather.” Noelle broke the silence. Susie shrugged.
“Eh. It’s fine.” There was another crack of thunder.
“Are you sure? The rain’s getting pretty heavy out there… You could sleep here. On the couch.”
“Isn’t your mom gonna be home in the morning?” Noelle lowered her head.
“Yeah…”
“I don’t really wanna get woken up by her.”
“I could wake you up in the morning! Sneak you out a window.”
“Ha! Like you could wake me up!”
“I’ve got a couch in my bedroom! You could sleep there.” Noelle blushed. “I could hide you there until you wake up and then send you out the window!”
“Heh. Hide me under a blanket.” Then, mocking her Mother’s voice, “Noelle honey what is that shape under your blanket?” Noelle giggled. “Why is it snoring?”
“Your snores would shake the whole house! Like an earthquake!” They both laughed. Then, after a moment:
“Better be careful having me sleeping on your couch. Who Knows? Might just eat your face if I get hungry!” Susie smirked. If Noelle was blushing before, she was on fire now.
“Haha! Yeah!” There were a few moments of silence.
“Nah, S’alright. I can walk myself home. Not that far anyway.” It was far, but she wasn’t about to tell Noelle that. Noelle conceded.
“If you want to…”
Comfortable silence returned to the room, and Susie returned to her croutons. She was midway through cutting another slice when a sudden crash of thunder shook the house, startling her. The knife slipped in her grip, going straight into the side of her index finger.
“Ow!”
“Oh geez! Are you ok Susie?”
“Yeah, I’m fine just… Ow.” Noelle came rushing over, looked for a moment then registered it. A small bead of red trailing down the knife. She froze for a moment, then squealed, looking away.
“It’s just a little blood…” She sounded a little hurt.
“I’m sorry I’m sorry it just… It makes me feel sick!” She shook her head. “Phew. It’s alright, I think we still have some plasters somewhere. Left over from when Kris was a kid.” She went off, Susie trailing behind, clutching her injured finger.
Noelle was rifling through the cabinets, standing on a stool trying to dig out the old box of plasters that were kept for Kris related emergencies. Susie was standing beside her, trying not to drip blood on the white floor tiles. Noelle had stopped shaking, but she was still avoiding looking at the cut finger.
“I hope you don’t mind me asking, but why do you have… y’know…”
“Have what?”
“B-Blood. I’ve never heard of monsters who have it. Most monsters are made from dust.”
“Really?” Noelle looked at her incredulously.
“What? How did you never learn that?”
“I dunno? I knew some monsters were made of dust! Guess I never thought much about it. Grew up around humans anyway...”
“Do you know anything about your parents? Maybe they were a special type of monster?”
“Never met ‘em.” Noelle paused her search for a moment.
“Oh. That’s… Sad.” Susie waved dismissively.
“Nah. They were probably scumbags anyway…”
“What makes you say that?”
“I mean, they gave me up, didn’t they? Plus, you gotta be a little messed up to create someone like me.”
“Susie. Don’t say that about yourself.”
“I mean, it's true isn’t it?” Susie wouldn’t meet her eyes. Noelle stepped down from the stool, facing the tall girl.
“Maybe they were, but for the record, I think you’re a wonderful person Susie.” Susie still wouldn’t meet her eye. Noelle leaned forward, embracing her. Susie was stiff for a moment, but seemed to soften into the contact slowly. She had to hold her bleeding hand high to avoid staining Noelle’s blonde hair. After a moment, Noelle turned around quickly, grabbing something from the cabinet.
“I found the plasters.”
The box was half empty. She took one out and realised quickly they weren’t going to fit. They would need something much bigger to cover the wound properly.
“Sorry, Susie. Maybe I could ask Kris if they have anything?”
“It’s alright...” Susie, still clutching her bleeding hand, leaned against the counter, contemplating something. Then, suddenly: “Ah what the hell.” She lifted up her shirt with her good hand, grabbed a section near the bottom in her teeth and jerked her head back. The cheap fabric tore easily. The piece was jagged, but large enough to get the job done if tied around properly.
Hey, when did Noelle get so red?
The gentle late afternoon light filtered through the blinds, casting the dining room in a subtle yellow glow. It was the end of another lazy Sunday, and of course, Toriel had invited Susie for dinner. Even though Kris wasn’t joining them, on account of being sick.
Tonight it was a soup. Warm and comforting.
“I do hope it is to your liking Susie.”
“Are you kidding me? This is fu--reaking great!” Toriel giggled.
“I am glad you like it dear, although it is really not that special.” Susie shrugged, returning her spoon to the bowl.
“Still the best thing I've had in a while.”
“Hm. Perhaps I could give you the recipe sometime. That is, if you are interested?”
“Y’know what, sure. Maybe I’ll make it someday. When I don’t suck at cooking”
“It is a good skill to have, you know. Especially when you have an appetite as big as yours!”
“Yeah. When I learn to cook I’ll be unstoppable! Plus, I can finally stop mooching off you guys.”
“Oh Susie, It is no trouble. You are always welcome here.”
“Yeah…” After a beat, Toriel changed the subject.
“How is school going dear?” Not to a great subject, mind you.
“Heh… It’s… going.” She scratched the back of her head nervously.
“Sorry, is that a sore subject?” Toriel teased. Susie sighed.
“Well. School is… School y’know. It’s fine. I’m passing some of my classes. Thanks to Noelle’s help with studying.”
“She is a sweet girl Susie. You are lucky to have her.”
“Yeah. I’ll miss her when she moves away for college next year.”
“Are you not going with her?”
“No? I’m- College isn’t really for me Y’know. I’m uh. Not the smartest.”
“Oh well. Any plans for next year then?”
“Well… I’ll probably stay in town. Pick up some odd jobs. Try to save a little. I dunno if I wanna move out just yet though. I kinda just wanna stay with Kris.”
“Kris is staying here next year I believe, so you can still be with them for a while yet.”
“That’s good. Um... Any ideas on where I can get a job here?”
“Hm. That is difficult. Perhaps Mr Sans has an opening. Otherwise you could consider going to…” she sighed heavily, “Asgore for work. He usually needs help around his shop”
“Thanks for that, I’ll uh… keep an eye open. For work.”
“Yes. And there will always be people willing to help you here. As long as I am still around that is!”
“Yeah. I hope so. Haven’t been feeling too helped recently though…”
“Oh dear, is this about Carol again? She can be cold, but she means well.”
“Are you sure about that? Because last time I saw her she told me to get out of her house and never talk to her daughter again.”
“There were… extenuating circumstances at play there. And she can be quick to judge sometimes. But she will help you if you need it.”
“Hopefully I never will then.” Toriel gave a hum in response but no comment. The rest of the dinner passed in silence.
Susie was insistent on helping with the washing up. “Don’t wanna be a burden,” She had said. It was night now, the subtle outlines of trees and distant city lights visible through the kitchen window. Toriel was washing the dishes, and Susie was drying them with a checkered hand towel. They were up to the glasses now, with the bowls and cutlery already neatly put away.
“Susie, you are a guest here. You do not need to help with the washing up next time.”
“I mean,I don’t wanna just come in here, eat your food and then ditch you to do the cleaning. That just feels rude.”
“Dear, there is never much cleanup to be done. And please, do not worry about eating our food. There is plenty to go around. I do not want you worrying about us, and I do not want you worrying about being a burden. You are always a delight to have.”
“Thanks… It just feels wrong though. Not helping.”
“Well, it feels equally wrong to me as a host to have a guest helping me to wash the dishes. Perhaps we can call it even?”
“Yeah. Maybe.” Susie took a glass from the rack, ran the towel over it and set it back in the drawer behind her. She took another, but it slipped from her hand, shattering on the floor with a loud crash.
“Shit! I’m Sorry!” Susie scrambled to the floor, apologising profusely, trying to scoop the broken pieces up in her hands. A jagged piece of glass cut a gash down the side of her hand. Some of the blood had dripped onto the carpeted floor, staining it red. Toriel was startled, but her voice was as soothing as ever.
“Dear, there is no need to apologise!” She knelt down, taking Susie’s wrist gently. Susie tensed, but didn’t move. “These things happen.” Susie stood up, holding her bleeding hand gingerly. Another droplet landed on the floor. She covered it up quickly with a boot, but not before Toriel noticed.
“Would you like some help with that dear?” Susie let out a forced laugh.
“I’m sorry. I’m bleeding all over your floor now. Geez.” Her voice was strained.
“Do not worry. I will fetch the gauze.”
“Nah, it’s ok. It usually stops in a few minutes…” She winced, trying to flex her fingers.
“I have plenty of dressings Susie. It is no trouble. Besides, having a child as… irresponsible as Kris has taught me a thing or two about dealing with injuries.” Toriel made her way to the bathroom, then emerged a few moments later with a roll of gauze and an antibacterial spray. Susie released her hand, holding it out a good distance in front of her. Toriel’s eyebrows raised upon seeing the wound.
“Well my dear, you have certainly done a ‘number’ on this! Here, this may sting.” The wound tingled at the spray, and Susie flinched. Toriel took the gauze, wrapping it a few times around her hand. When she was finished, Susie pulled away quickly, examining her hand carefully.
“There. It will heal quickly.” There was a beat of silence.
“Thanks.” Toriel brushed it away with a shake of her head, returning the roll and the spray back to their designated cabinet in the bathroom.
“It was no trouble dear.”
“Thanks for… not making it weird.” Toriel looked up at her. “I dunno. It just freaks people out sometimes. Y’know? My… Blood.”
“Susie, there is nothing to be ashamed of.” Then, with a more serious note, “Have others given you grief about this before?” Susie rubbed the back of her head.
“I mean, no, but it still just feels like… Another thing that sets me apart. Like if they found out it would just give them more cause to. Y’know. Be weird about me. And weird to me.” Toriel softened.
“Dear, the things that set us apart are what make us unique. There is no point in being ashamed of something you cannot change.”
“I know.” She laughed wryly. “I know that now, it’s just…”
“Hard to change the way you think?”
“Yeah. Really hard. Even after all this time it’s still like… My brain is just wired this way. And I can’t really change it no matter how hard I try. Like, I know it’s not weird. And It’s a dumb thing to get so hung up about, but. It’s like a. Knee-jerk reaction. Or whatever you call it. Like I can’t control it.”
“These things take time. You cannot expect yourself to change right away. The most important thing is surrounding yourself with people who can help you change your mindset. And I think you have well and truly done that.”
“Yeah. I guess so. It’s just frustrating. It’s like I’m not making any progress.”
“Often, you do not notice the progress. It is only when something happens, and you respond in a different way than before that you realise how far you have come.”
“Hm.” Susie turned to leave. The washing up was almost done anyway.
“Now, do you need to spend the night dear?” She stopped. Susie understood what she meant. A year ago, she would have denied it. Gone back to her bench or her alley or her shitty house on her own. Instead, she spoke.
“Yeah. That would be nice.”
"Excellent! I will get the bedding!"
…
“Thanks, Ms Toriel.”