Chapter Text
They have ice cream in the freezer. It’s a pint, covered in frost, and is caramel flavored. A human brand, but you have some of that powder to imbue the treat with magic. When was the last time you had something like this? In all honesty, you can’t remember. Maybe it was when you were just a babybones, crying for sweets until one of your guardians gave you a cone. You certainly didn’t get any as a moody teenager. No, you simply brooded in whatever private space you could find. No guardian would reward your rude behavior.
You like to think if your parents were around you wouldn’t be in the situation you’re in. A couple that would teach you things like morality, how to get a job, or properly socialize. As a young adult, you are supposed to be in college, earning some degree that’ll give you a decent chance of a normal life. You’re supposed to have fun with friends, go to parties, maybe even find some love. Or maybe you’ve always been broken. No use dwelling on the possibilities, though. It’s not like you’ll ever get a chance to find out.
But no. Whether it was fate or the results of your poor choices, you are now standing in front of a stranger’s freezer, staring down a pint of ice cream. The owner is not due back for another hour or so, judging by your previous observations. You have the time to admire, to savor this moment. It’s a terrible idea, you know this, but you can’t help it. You’re totally going to eat this pint of ice cream.
It doesn’t take long to find a spoon, and once the lid is pried open you spill the powder from your pouch, letting the magic set in. Then you sit at the kitchen table, bag full of stolen goodies at your feet, and begin eating. Between spoonfuls of the frozen treat, you are practically moaning. The taste is so much better than the trash at the soup kitchen, and you can’t even imagine going back from this.
“H-hey! What the fuck do you think you’re doing?!” A loud, angry voice surprises you out of your seat. You spin around and spot a large, balding man running towards you. The homeowner. And he is very angry. Your SOUL begins beating fast, like you can only imagine a human’s would if they were frightened.
Without thinking, you throw the almost empty container at him. It splatters against his red face, temporarily stopping his pursuit in order to wipe the mess from his eyes. Using this distraction to your advantage, you grab your bag and sprint towards the open kitchen window. It overlooks the backyard, and if you time it just right, you can vault yourself over the fence and escape before the man can even make it to his front door.
You jump through that window, landing with practiced ease onto the grass. You can hear his rage fueled sputtering behind you as your legs carry you towards the fence. The bag is thrown over first, followed by you. Crouching on the sidewalk, you grab the bag and heave it over your shoulder before standing up again. A quick glance around you confirms that no one has seen your stunt, so you run away from that house, hoping the guy didn’t get a good look at your face.
You see, that’s the problem with being a monster. Most are way too unique to be mistaken for anyone but who they are. But at least cat monsters, for example, are common enough that they can get away with burgling if their coats are simple enough. It’s worse for you- skeleton monsters already have a bad reputation, and they are uncommon enough that everyone is a suspect once one of your kind commits a crime. Sometimes you wish you were a human. It would be so much easier to blend into a crowd.
It’s a pain in the ass to pull these stunts of yours off. Targets have to live far away from your usual territory in the city, but not too far that you can’t make it back quick enough. Your magic has to be constantly used (sometimes for that ‘telekinesis’ you use to pick locks, other times you give your clothing some ‘padding’ to make yourself look bigger than the small frame you actually have). At the end of the day you’re just plain exhausted.
The few acquaintances you have tend to suggest getting a job instead of robbing people. But just the sound of it has you even more exhausted. And, well, what kind of job can you get without even a high school diploma? Hell, even trying to get a GED is off the table when you only steal enough to keep food in your mouth.
You briefly recall the one time you tried to get government assistance. After all the paperwork you filled in, the one thing that stumped you was the demand to know how much your parents made. It’s like orphans don’t exist in their little fantasy world. You didn’t even both turning the papers in, opting to just throw everything in the trash and leave.
Before you know it you’re back in the city. Your SOUL finally begins to calm itself from the frantic beating earlier and you rub your sternum in appreciation. Slowing your pace down to a stroll, you wander by a local café, smiling when you spot the various Halloween decorations that have been popping up all over town.
You’re half tempted to go in and spend what little money you have on an overpriced coffee, but a familiar figure catches your eyes and you groan. They perk up at this and you draw the hood of your jacket over your head, hoping she doesn’t spot you as your try to slink off. Of course. Lady Luck is not on your side today.
“Oooh Sugar!” An overenthusiastic voice shrieks into your ear canals and you cringe. A surprisingly strong hand grips your shoulder and turns you around. Standing before you is a small, beautiful butterfly monster. Her wings flutter behind her as she excitedly squeals and throws her tiny arms around your neck. And then squeezes. HARD. If you needed air to breath you’d be gasping for it right now.
“Hi, Gigi.” You croak out, blinking away tears as her perfume wafts up into your nasal cavity.
“Come! Have lunch with me! My treat!” She insists and who are you to refuse free food? You follow her into the café and she leads you to a small booth.
“So what do you want now?” You ask as a waitress places a drink that smells strongly of pumpkin spice in front of you. Taking a small sip, you shrug. It isn’t that bad.
“I just want to see if you reconsidered my offer.” She flutters her eyelashes at you.
“Do I look like someone who changes their mind that easily?” You reply, drumming your fingers against the table. The sensation of wood against your fingertips is soothing.
“I don’t see why you wouldn’t reconsider!” She huffs, “Everyone in this town knows your situation, and so far everyone has been very considerate, but Honey! Charity doesn’t last long. Sign up with me, and as your agent, I can make you very comfortable.”
“You think letting me sleep on a park bench every night is charitable?” You raise a brow, “And, well, c’mon Gigi! Me? Modeling? You do realize I’m a literal skeleton, right?”
“Skeletons are in, Sugar.” Gigi insists, and reaches forward to rub her thumbs against your cheekbones. “And your facial features are just perfect for the camera! And those freckles- very handsome! The perfect ‘boy next door’ look! Everyone will want a piece of you!”
You pull away from her grip, purple blush staining your cheeks. “H-hey, watch the bubble!”
“Please, stop selling yourself short.” Gigi says, looking solemn all of a sudden. You shoot her a confused look and her features visibly soften. She pats your arm. “You have this! Sign up with me for a year, tops, and you’ll earn enough to do whatever you want after!”
Oh so tempting. But your heels are already dug in, and you’re not that desperate for cash to try a career in modeling. Robbing a house? Sure. But posing for pictures. Nuh-uh, no way.
….
You’ll question your priorities later.
Gigi’s perkiness fades once she realizes you’re not about to give in, but she gets you a sandwich anyway. You’re glad she’s a woman of her word. The two of you part on good terms.
As you exit the café, you spy a familiar trio of kids walking by, followed by another child you don’t recognize. They’re walking home from school, you think, as most of them were still wearing their backpacks. Good kids, you remember. They like hearing stories about growing up on the streets and all the wacky but heartwarming adventures you go on.
“Hey, look! It’s Bones! He’ll tell you!” One of them, a human child, points at you. You give the group a wave and all of a sudden they’re swarming you.
“Can you tell the new kid about-“
“They don’t believe us! But we know it’s true!”
“The mountain! The mountain!”
They’re all speaking at once, except for the new kid. Instead, they are looking up at you with a question in their eyes. You self consciously rub the back of your neck and shrug. “Okay, guys, simmer down. What do you want me to talk about?”
“Tell them about the time you went hiking up Mr. Ebott!” Another child demands.
You chuckle. “Really? That old story?” They all nod at once, and In unison grab your arms to drag you towards a table. “Okay, okay!” You sit down, dropping your bag on the floor. “So, what did you tell them so far?”
“That you went up the mountain, but saw something scary!”
“And that a wild Monster lives up there and eats kids!”
You shakes your head and look down at the new kid, who looks really troubled. “It’s just an old legend.” You explain, “A myth, really, about the mountain. Back when Monsters and Humans didn’t get along so well.”
“W-wait! Then you didn’t go up the mountain?” When you shake your head again, they all groan.
“Do you still want me to tell the story or not?” You ask, and they all frantically nod. “Well, okay then! A thousand years ago, there lived Humans and Monsters. They lived in peace, but one day a war broke out. No one really remembers why, as all records have been destroyed by time. But we do know how the humans won.
“You see, Monster Kings and Queens back then fought in wars alongside their armies. And the Monster King was the fiercest fighter of them all! But one day, he and his Queen were captured right by the base of Mt. Ebott. Later that night they were both executed.
“Once news reached the remainder of the Monster army, they all fled. The skeletons to the desert, the furry ones to the harsh north, and anywhere else humans can not normally reach. Until a few centuries ago, Monsters chose to remain hidden from Humanity.
“Now, after the execution, the Human soldiers celebrated for three days. But at the end of the third day, something happened, and they were forced to flee their camp. One by one, soldiers were picked off from the group until only about a third were left by the time they reached one of the nearby villages.
“The villagers would later go up the mountain, but found no evidence of anything that happened. Nothing remained of the fallen soldiers. And certainly no evidence of a beast! But why would their soldiers lie to them? So the villagers forbade anyone from climbing up that mountain again, for fear of something terrible happening to them.
Over the years, it became a rumor that the lost SOUL of the Monster King still lingers in the mountain. Enraged by his death, he was the one to slay those soldiers. And if anybody else approaches the area, their own SOUL will be swallowed by him. Once he has taken enough souls, he can rise again and re-enter the realm of the living to take vengeance on those who wronged him.”
All of the kids were raptly listening, hanging on your every word as you finish the tale. Only the new child still looked troubled. There is a glint in their eyes that can only spell danger for anyone involved. You look away from them and focus on the sky instead. The sun is slowly setting.
“Jeremy, what are you doing here?! You should be home by now!” Came a furious voice, and one of the kids groan as a woman stomps up to the table.
“I was just hearing a story from Bones-“ He starts and the woman shakes her head.
“No excuses, young man! The rest of you too- leave Bones alone!” And with that the group scatters. The woman gives you an apologetic look but you shrug it off. It’s not like the kids were actually bothering you. Where was she when Gigi was here? “I’m sorry that the boys keep bothering you- they seem to really like your stories. They talk about you all the time.” You look at her in surprise and she looks away.
“They’re no bother.” You smile, “They’re good kids.”
“Well, that’s, uh. Good. Yeah.” She tugs at a loose strand of her air. “I- I was wondering. Is Bones really your name? It’s just, kind of weird? Okay, I’ll shut up now-”
You laugh. “It’s about as real as any other name.” You assure her. You do have a ‘real’ name though. It’s not something you’re comfortable sharing with strangers though.
“Oh! Okay! I, uh, guess I’ll see you around, then!” She waves and backs away. You watch her go, slightly unnerved. It’s kind of strange for someone to approach you like that. It gives you a warm feeling in your SOUL, though. You wouldn’t mind talking to her again.
Alone now, you stand right back up and gather your things. It’s going to get really dark soon and you don’t want to be seen wandering around at night. Lately, there have been violent crimes against Monsters in the city. It only happens at night so far, so an unofficial curfew has been established for everyone’s safety.
There is a safe spot just outside the city, near the forest. A small cottage stands there, abandoned long ago by its original owners. It has a bedroom, living room, and kitchenette along with an unfinished basement. With a little work you managed to make the place comfortable and secure- especially when you rigged up a few magical traps around the area.
It takes forty minutes to walk there, so you get started. Taking a few shortcuts through empty alleyways is risky, but you manage to get through fine. A homeless group of humans approach you for some handouts, so you share the carton of cigarettes you snatched from the house earlier. You all shoot the breeze for a bit, talking gossip about various things before you’re on your way again.
But as you cross the empty highway, about to enter the forest, the sound of sirens make you freeze. Your first instinct is to run into the forest, but you know they spotted you. Running makes things worse, especially since you’re not sure if they know about your earlier transgression. So you stand still, waiting as a cruiser pulls up alongside you and the cop rolls down his window.
He’s a cat monster, tawny brown with a white patch over his left eye. Looking you over he gives a wry grin, “You must be Bones!”
You snort. “Shit, does everybody know who I am?”
“You’re a popular guy.” He shrugs and looks over your shoulder, expression troubled, “Hey, I didn’t want to disturb you or anything, but I just got a report about a missing child.”
“Aw man. Who’s the kid?” You ask.
“Calls themself ‘Frisk’. Last seen wearing a blue sweater with purple stripes. A woman said she and you last saw them at that cafe down on main street.” The officer taps a claw against his steering wheel, “If you have any other info, I’d be mighty glad to hear it.”
“He was with the woman’s son and his friends from school.” You remember, “They were asking me about that old legend of the Mountain King. Getting into the Halloween spirit, you know?”
“Oh, yeah. I know all about that.” He rolls his eyes, “We already have reports about pumpkins getting smashed against buildings and evil clowns scaring the elderly.”
“I’ll keep an eye socket out for them.” You promise.
“All right. Have a safe night.” He drives off.
The rest of your journey is done in peace. You enter the domicile and lock the door behind you, throwing your bag onto the table. With an exhausted sigh you go through it. A couple hundred in cash, a few watches, an outdated cellphone… But the most valuable item is not something you’ll be selling. A smile lights up your face when your fingers brush the cover of a small, leatherbound book.
It’s a simple collection of Grimm’s Fairytales. Childish, maybe. But you loved reading them as a child, and still love them as an adult. You place it in your jacket, along with the cash. You’ll be selling the watches later in the week. The phone will have to be wiped tomorrow. For now, you can rest.
Slowly, you make your way to the bedroom. An old queen sized bed greets you. Its sheets are crumpled and in need of a wash, but right now it looks fit for royalty. With a relieved sigh you collapse facedown onto it, the mattress loudly creaking in protest. Curling up in a little ball, you drowse off.
“Oh little skeleton!” A low voice calls out in amusement. With a start, you sit up, taking in your surroundings. Darkness is all around you. You must have been asleep for a while. Unable to see a thing, you remain still, ears straining. Everything seems normal though- the only sounds you hear now are the chirping of crickets and the low hoots of that owl that lives in the tree by the cottage. But you know you heard something.
“Where are you hiding? I know you’re in there.” The voice calls out again, “Perhaps you are in the bedroom? I can’t see you, but that can be fixed in a moment.” They giggle, like they’re playing some kind of game. But this isn’t a game, you realize with a sickening lurch. Oh no, this person is one of them. The people that have been attacking monsters.
“I see right through those traps of yours.” They taunt.
The phone you stole. It’s still in the living room. As quietly as you can, you roll off the bed and crawl onto the floor. From there, you army crawl towards the table. You hear movement coming from outside, but you ignore it. The traps give you time, even if they do know how to disable them.
With a shaky hand you grab that phone and switch it on. The light is dim and the battery is low. You curse but try dialing the police anyway. Crap. No signal.
“What’s that I see? A light in the darkness!” You shut the phone off. That’s when the banging starts. You jump, eyes moving towards the front door. They’re just pounding on it, again and again, cackling with mirth. You hope the door doesn’t give away.
You don’t know how long you sit there, listening to the person on the other side as they cackle and pound at your door. But they eventually stop and say, almost in surprise, “Now who is this? What are you doing here, little one? Come to pay the skeleton a visit?” A low chuckle reaches your ears. “Well, we aren’t supposed to hurt Humans, but there’s always an exception for little ones like you!” There’s a muffled sound, then a sharp scream.
Before you can even think about it, you’re up and the door is unlocked. Magic blares from your eye sockets, lighting up the area around you in a purple mist. And there, on the porch, is a tall figure holding a baseball bat and a cowering child wearing an oversized sweater.
“Back. Off.” You growl and the intruder turns their head to look at you. Their grin is sick and twisted, mad with delight and rage.
“Oh, how nice it is to have some light! Such a pretty little color too!” He coos, “Now, who should we hurt first?”
In the surrounding forest, more figures appear. You curse to yourself, realizing that you fell for a trap. Of course this guy isn’t the only one here. It’s easy to fight off one human, but a whole group? Especially for a monster like you, who is more used to fleeing than fighting. Going back inside the cottage is just trapping yourself, and with the child (Frisk is their name, you recall)? How can you protect the both of you?
“Now, be a good little skeleton and take your beating.” You grit your teeth as he circles you. You end up copying his movements, making sure you never turn your back on him or his bat. This ends up with you standing right by Frisk, who is shivering. With fright or from the cold, you aren’t sure. There isn’t much of an expression on their face. It’s kind of creepy… “Hey! Are you even listening to me?” Oops. He sounds kind of annoyed now. You refocus on him.
“Leave us alone!” You say, and he laughs.
“Can’t do that.” He grips his bat and swings at you. Your magic flares and expands, meeting the object halfway. The weapon breaks in half.
There’s a moment in time where everyone just stands there, shocked. Then Frisk is grabbing your hand and the two of you are running into the woods. You stumble after them, clumsy and awkward compared to the kid’s graceful movements.
Vaguely, you hear curses and shouts behind you. The group must’ve gave chase. Frisk makes a sharp turn and you almost fall. They somehow catch you before you do, letting you lean on their shoulder for a bit before you right yourself. Their pace remains fast and sure and you have no idea why you’re letting them take charge of this.
But if you were in charge what would you have done? Stay and try to fight off a violent group of humans? Barricade yourself in the cottage? Blindly run away? All could result in disaster and frankly you’re kind of glad you’re not getting a say in all of this.
You can’t help but notice that the child is leading you away from the city though. “F-frisk, where are we going?” You hiss at them, “We can’t get help out here!” They shake their head and continue pulling you. You continue to go along, noting that your pursuers are still trying to catch up.
Forest gives way to rock soon enough. You must be near the mountain. Panic grips you. “Frisk, we can’t climb in the dark. It’s too dangerous, we’ll fall!” You grab their wrist and tug. They hesitate and look back at you, shrinking away when their eyes lock on yours. Right. Your magic must still be lighting the way. “We’re going to have to find another way.” You insist, dimming your magic a bit.
“No.” They hoarsely whisper, looking pained, “We have to be here.”
“Why?” You desperately ask.
“You’ll see.” They answer, and you let them take the lead again. Somehow they lead you down an unwoven path, obviously remembering every twist and turn there is to take to their destination. You can’t make any sense of it, but know you have to trust. Your SOUL is thumping against your sternum, and all of this exertion has you gasping for air you don’t really need. When they finally stop you collapse on your ass, head spinning.
“Did we… did we lose them?” You whisper, and Frisk shakes their head just as you hear another shout from the group. The child grips your shoulders and stare into your eyes.
“Don’t be scared.” They say, then turn and point. You gasp when you see a large hole in the ground, not even three feet in front of you.
“What in the world…?” You whisper, but Frisk doesn’t answer this time. Instead, they walk towards the hole. “Frisk, don’t!” You protest.
“It’s okay.” They say, then fall backwards. With a start you lunge forward, desperately wrapping your phalanges around their arms.
The ground disappears underneath you.
“No.” You whisper, then clutch Frisk to yourself. They wrap their arms around your neck, tucking their head underneath your chin. You look up as the two of you descend, catching the startled look of the man that was so intent on hurting the two of you.
At least he doesn’t get that satisfaction.
Without conscious thought, your magic expands once again, enveloping the two of you and slowing everything down until you feel like you are in some kind of Alice in Wonderland cartoon. All you need is some some furniture and creepy faces falling down with you.
Soon you can’t even see the stars above, so you dare to look down. And what greets you…
Is a patch of golden flowers.