Chapter Text
dogie
/ˈdōɡē/
Noun North American English
noun: dogie; plural noun: dogies
- a motherless or neglected calf.
Chara will never forget the day their life started over.
It was like everything in their past suddenly became worlds away, the memories clear yet unreachable. The entire universe had shifted.
Except it really hadn’t. The world kept spinning; the sun still rose in the east and set in the west. Chara had followed that sun to the demise of their old life, and they were guided by it in their new life. They picked a direction and walked in it, until some other force stopped them, until life began again. This new life, this new world, couldn’t be more different from anything they had known.
For as long as they could remember, their home had been with the Dreemurr family on their quaint homestead. Whatever human family they previously belonged to didn't matter, they weren’t there when Chara needed them.
Their earliest childhood memory was of being alone. Chara must have been around 3 years old wandering through the woods. At first they cried out for their mama, but soon they called for anyone at all. The world was empty. Eventually as night fell, they wandered out of the woods and into the plains. As if the emptiness wasn’t uncanny before, it became even lonelier. When you’re in the plains there’s nothing for miles. No roads, no buildings, just you and the endless stars. The sky was just so vast… Chara thought they’d be alone forever.
“Are you an angel?” had been the first words Chara spoke to the monster woman who would become his mother. She had appeared in the distance, white fur illuminated in the moonlight. Her presence brought such relief in the expanse Chara had been trapped in. She wiped their tears, asked them questions of where they came from in a soft voice, wrapping them in soft cloth, soft arms, cradling them as they cried.
So Chara became a human living among monsters. The Dreemurrs taught them all about love, life and peace. Waking up meant a day full of hearty meals, warm fluffy hugs, and endless fun. After they finished their farmyard chores with Asriel, Chara and their brother would run barefoot through the dirt, explore nature or play games so fun time would fly by.
Chara and Asriel would fantasize about being saviors of humans and monsters, torn apart by war. After all, if the two could be brothers, surely humans and monsters could reunite one day.
How naive a thought. How could they have been so wrong? How could Chara have been so stupid to convince Asriel they could show them all? How could Chara do that to Asriel? How could they lead him to his death like that?
It had happened too fast: the death of Chara’s old life, the life where they were happy. The human town wasn’t far away… it was where Chara had come from. The pair thought nothing when they crossed the border into human territory holding hands. They didn’t get far. There were human lumberjacks there… and when they saw a monster…
Chara remembers thinking ‘This can’t be real.’ Suddenly Asriel was a mere fine powder, shimmering in the clutches of Chara’s hands.
Then something overwhelmed them. Maybe it was fear, maybe it was hate, maybe it was the primal urge to survive at any cost. But soon there was the metallic smell of blood in the air, clogging their lungs as if it were thick smoke. The sticky and hot viscous liquid clung to their hands, clung to their shirt, streamed down their cheek after the crack of an axe. Chara was barely aware they had started attacking the humans until a wave of pain crashed upon them and they realized the humans were attacking back. How could Chara be so threatening? They were only 11… they didn’t understand. But the pain didn't last forever.
Soon it was just dark and cold.
It was so cold.
When they woke up they were a new person with a new life. When Chara saw their reflection in a clear stream, this became apparent to them. The baby blue that was once the color of sweet eyes, full of hope, was now a deep blood red color. A singular mistake, one moment in time created by childish foolishness, had tainted them forever, shifting the course of history – though that fact wouldn't reveal itself to them for at least another decade.
Chara couldn’t accept it. They tried to return to their old life, to Mama and Papa. Their parents had seen those red eyes, but not their child, and suddenly the Dreemurrs were no longer Chara’s family.
They returned to the human village like a moth is drawn to a flame. Maybe they could pretend that moment in time hadn’t happened. Maybe if they just hid the red eyes that made them a curse to both human and monster civilization, they could find a place for themselves in the world.
If there even was such a place.
Frontiersville - Late Summer of 1870
Market square was always full of humans. It served as both a destination and place of crossing in the daily lives of all the townsfolk. Chara liked it in the center of everything like this. They were less likely to be noticed, the red of their eyes looked brown in the sunlight and for once they didn’t need to worry about it being seen. They weren’t exactly unremarkable looking, however, considering their shoulder-length brown loose curls were tangled in an erratic hairdo.
They were a scrawny kid: dirty, looking like a mess all the time. Washed out jeans too big for them had to be held up with a rope as a belt, with the bottoms all bunched up around their boots. They were always finding dirt and mud spots on their clothes that they didn’t remember getting. It was the same thing with scrapes and bruises. Those would disappear quickly as they came though, stains on their clothes wouldn’t. Their tan shirt was supposed to be short sleeves, but the sleeves went down to their elbows anyways. Their favorite piece of clothing however was their patterned red bandana.
Chara weaved through the morning rush, a white hen in their arms, full bag on their back. The chicken wouldn’t stop squabbling, almost as if she knew Chara was doing something they're not supposed to do. Chara shushed the hen softly hoping to calm her. They couldn’t afford to have attention on them, but stuffing the chicken in their backpack would be much too cruel.
Things just never go their way though. Seemed like the farmer they just robbed of a chicken noticed. It was an older man with pink sunburned skin and patchy hair: farmer Carrol… one of Chara’s self proclaimed nemeses. The angry man lunged towards them, practically spitting as he pointed and yelled.
“Thief! That's my hen right there that kids got his grubby hands all over her!”
Farmer Carrol had it out for Chara from the very start. He caught them squatting in his barn one time and made it his personal mission to make Chara’s life miserable, sending the kid to the worst place in town: the orphanage. So Chara made revenge their personal mission. First it was breaking in and opening the windows of the farmers house on summer nights to let bugs in, then it was releasing his bull, and now it was stealing one of his chickens.
The crowd gasped at the callout, and Chara knew they had to be done trying to blend in. They took off running, dodging the hands in the crowd that reached out to grab them. The crowd wasn’t the issue as much as the cop that was now pursuing a chase.
“Don't let him get away! That's my best egg layer!!” Farmer Carrol’s shout was so obnoxious Chara resisted the urge to turn around and show him their middle finger. The police officer was hot on Chara’s trail so that wouldn’t have been the smartest plan anyway.
Chara had gotten good at quick thinking over these years on their own. Their eyes darted around, trying to formulate an escape plan. This cop was no doubt faster and stronger than them. The only thing that’s kept Chara ahead was their ability to move more dexterously through the crowd. They spotted an alleyway and cut through it. It’s there they saw it. Bingo. Their escape solution.
It was no master plan, it was actually just a fire escape. Chara impressed themselves by being able to hoist themselves up there while holding a chicken. The rest of the stairs on the way up were nothing to them.
And here’s where Chara could be considered as… well… not the most sharp tool in the shed. Sometimes they shocked themselves with their own recklessness. After reaching the top of the fire escape, all it took was a running start and a great big leap off the balcony. They looked down at the cop watching still on the ground. Chara smirked with satisfaction at his expression. They didn’t know the name of this cop like they did with some of the others, but he’s seen that expression before. It’s the face those small town cops make when Chara does something they don’t get paid enough to deal with. They probably picked their career out of an egotistical savior complex and weren’t expecting most of their dealings to be with a fourteen year old kid who does dumb things.
Chara took in the freedom of jumping, airborne, several stories up. It was like the sky felt reachable. They didn’t try to touch it though, their arms were still full of a screeching chicken. Their feet touched down on the roof of another building soon after. Chara just knew that parkour looked cool as hell, and that’s all they cared about at the moment.
‘So long!’ And then they were off. They started running again, jumping from roof to balcony to roof, leaving the cop behind in the dust.
They ended up feeling a little too cocky though, and an angled roof was their downfall. A single trip sent Chara falling headfirst off the building, chicken slipping out of their grasp.
They crash landed in a conveniently placed wheelbarrow of straw sitting in the alleyway. Wow. Lucky! Except now the damn chicken was free and it took considerable effort and some scraped knees to catch.
After that mishap it was finally time for some well deserved catching-of-breath.
“Best egg layer huh? Maybe I won't eat you then. You are pretty cute,” Chara huffed as they smiled, the chicken now well secured in their arms. They oughta give the hen a name after they put her through all this trouble. Maybe something like Eggo.
Eggo squawked in response, sounding peeved by Chara. But she didn’t seem to struggle against their hold anymore. Eggo seemed to have gotten used to being held in their arms by now. It didn’t take long for animals to agree with Chara.
The Dreemurrs had a magical touch with animals, and it seemed that magic had left something of a residue on Chara.
The streets they ended up on were much quieter than the market square. It was a residential area. They strolled past the bright townhouses to the stone fencing that separated buildings from farmland, swinging their backpack on the wall to rest. They took a seat, still trying to catch their breath.
Frontiersville was a small town, the most secluded in all of Acadia: at least out of all the human settlements. It was the only human settlement that lay to the east of the Rocky Cliffs mountain range, sitting right next to monster territory, or what humans sometimes call “The Great Unknown.” Though Chara knew there were very few monsters that even lived close to the border. Most humans would go their entire life without ever even seeing a monster in person, even those that live out on the frontier like this. Chara supposed they themselves were a rare exception.
The only way to get from the frontier to the rest of human territory was the westward train. It takes you to the old world… the place where humans and monsters used to coexist together. Chara remembered Toriel taught them the unfiltered truth of monster-human history. She had said that it was important not to downplay the ugly atrocities committed by both sides. Monsters had once ruled over humans. There was subjugation, then a revolution, then a violent beatdown of monsters. The royal families were all exterminated except for Toriel and Asgore, and then monsterkind was exiled to the uninhabited eastern side of the continent. The wilderness there was harsh, and the monster population dwindled even further.
Chara's little parkour adventure ended here on the outskirts of the town area. Past the fence was miles of farm land, and then after that, miles of rolling hills and bluffs of dense forest. They pulled out their silver heart locket and stared at it, a familiar ache of guilt and despair in their chest. That’s where they ran into those lumberjacks… where Asriel was…
A commotion pulled them out of their musings. Three boys around the same age as Chara were laughing and attempting to throw rocks at the windows of a nearby building. Keyword: attempting.
Chara swung their pack over their shoulder, deciding to check out what was happening. One kid threw a rock and missed. Another one missed, then another. It was starting to drive Chara crazy how these boys were struggling so badly. It’s really not that hard to throw a damn rock accurately.
“Okay, no, no, you’re doing it wrong, okay.” The three boys looked at Chara with confusion when they showed up announcing their presence.
Chara picked up a good sized rock of their own, still holding Eggo in one arm. “You have to throw it like this…” They moved their arm slowly while doing a mock demo of a more proper throwing technique. “You’re trying to throw it underhand which is making it hard for you to aim properly.”
All three stared at Chara for a minute until what looks to be the oldest finally spoke up. “Huh??? Who even are you? What’s with the chicken?”
“I stole her. Ain’t she cute? I’ve been calling her Eggo in my head. m’ names Chara though”
“Chara what?”
“Just Chara.”
The shortest kid piped up. “He’s that stray kid, see, he’s got that scar. ”
Chara frowned at the way they were identified.
The last boy, Blondie, finally spoke. “Yeah.” He turned to face Chara “My mother told me to stay away from you.”
Chara raised a brow. “Did your mother say you were allowed to throw rocks at windows?”
There was a beat of silence
“Anyways, this is how you throw a rock, here one second, hold my chicken…”
After handing a protesting Eggo off, Chara chucked his rock straight at the window they were all aiming for. Their throw was spot on and the window shattered. The three boys looked really impressed. It made Chara’s ego real happy to see.
“That was so cool! My name’s Daniel! Is it true you’ve escaped the orphanage six times?” The oldest, most talkative one spoke, his voice full of excitement
Chara shrugged, and held up five fingers. “Only five times. What’s got you guys out breaking windows?”
The other two kids didn’t bother telling Chara their names. “Summer's almost over and we're bored. Wanted to do something fun before we have to go back to school. I bet you don't get forced to go.” Chara supposed they’ll just have to call this kid the short one for the rest of forever.
Then it was the blond one’s turn to add his two cents. “Yeah! My Ma and Pa make me go, while all the neighbor kid's parents don't. It’s so unfair.”
Daniel decided to argue back. “Speak for yourself. School is fun — we get to learn about monsters and stuff!”
Chara felt their smile hollow out slightly at the mention of monsters. Their heart ached at memories that must remain locked away tightly, from both themselves and society.
They had tried to go school before… a human school. After about a month Chara had determined that it was an absolute waste of time. Not only was all the information about monsters wrong, but they learned quickly that they were not welcome in the class.
Chara frankly didn’t understand what they did wrong. That was before they became infamous in the town as a thief, and even then people treated them like they were untrustworthy. It was hard enough to try and adjust to living in the god forsaken orphanage after coming from the lovely Dreemurr household, and then they learned that people will automatically treat you terribly because you’re from the orphanage… a dogie. Chara thought it was stupid term.
It hadn’t just been the students in class that treated them badly, but the teachers as well. Chara would constantly get singled out and harassed for thinking they belonged and even had the right to learn… which it’s not like the school wasn’t free… it’s not like anyone ever said a ‘dogie’ couldn’t go to the schoolhouse. So that was honestly some cruel and biased bullshit.
Chara didn’t even get the chance to pretend they were a normal kid cause apparently all the other kids could smell the orphan on them. Literally. They could smell it.
That damn rat infestation.
Regardless of that though, for some reason being a kid raised in the local orphanage was the worst thing you can be.
Chara’s attention was drawn by the unmistakable sound of glass shattering. When they looked up they saw Daniel had taken their throwing advice and used it to succeed. His little band of supporters cheered.
”Hey, good job man,” Chara gave a friendly smile and held out a hand for Danny to high-five. Thankfully, Daniel actually high fived them so they didn’t look stupid. Danny seems alright…
Chara sat back and watched the other kids have some more shots while they continued their debate about if school was fun or not.
“School is boring though. All they say about monsters is ‘ooohhhhh noooo, they have glowing eyes and they’ll eat you!’ I’m too old for those dumb stories” Shortie gave more of his two cents on the topic.
Blondie decided to speak again on some things he clearly didn’t understand. “But they are real though. Remember the two that killed a bunch of people some years ago? Those lumberjacks say they were attacked by one small baby monster and it killed four of them! The town guard even found their bodies all cut up to hell.”
Daniel shrugged. “Or they just lied about a monster to cover up a murder… that’s what everyone but the sheriff said. Besides, how come there was no monster body found then?”
Yeah, humans really didn’t know squat about monsters. Chara fights the urge to say ‘cause monsters turn to dust, dumbass, there is no body’ but there’s nothing worse than remembering how that silky smooth powder wafted through the air and clogged their lungs-
Blondie piped up again. “Well didn’t they say they buried the one-“
“Do you guys ever think that maybe the monsters have better things to do than mess around with us humans? They probably don’t wanna bother us as much as we wanna bother them.” Chara only spoke to shut them up.
Daniel’s brows lowered as he turned to Chara. “How would you know? Orphan kids can’t read.”
Okay damn. So Daniel was not actually chill.
“I went to school for only one month and I can still read. Besides, there are a lot of things school won't teach you.” Chara put on a bragging tone: anything to change the subject.
“Like what?”
Chara smirked. “Aim.”
They threw another rock and more glass shattered. This got the boys to laugh gleefully. Eventually Eggo put up a fight and got handed back to Chara’s arms. She found that to be an acceptable solution.
Suddenly a noise from down the road made Chara’s ears perk up: footsteps… Dammit all. Quick thinking allowed them to hastily dash into a nearby blind alley, the three boys staring with confusion. The cue that was obvious to Chara was lost on them. Unfortunately Chara was now trapped in hiding instead of running away. They ducked behind a large trash bin, peeking around it ever so slightly.
A frazzled elderly woman came around the corner next to the cop that had been chasing Chara not long ago… and another cop. Officer Chuck… that jerk… Chara’s least favorite cop in all of Frontiersville. They didn’t risk peeking around the corner anymore. Chuck was not to be messed around with. The old woman began speaking in an incredibly distressed tone and Chara couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt. “The shattering noise sounded like it came from-”
“What is going on here? Which one of you rascals broke this woman's window?” Chuck spoke up, immediately interrogating the boys who were caught on the scene.
Chara couldn’t see those three boys, but they imagined they were all shaking in silence while Chuck and the other officer played good cop bad cop.
Another voice, the other cop, spoke up. “If you boys don’t tell me who did it, I’ll see to it that all three of you get punished.” He had a certain nice politeness and professionalism to his tone that Chara knew not to trust.
Chara was just praying Eggo stayed quiet.
The next voice belonged to Shortie. “Wasn't us sir, we swear.”
Then Daniel. “Y-yeah, it was this other kid! A dogie!”
Oh screw all three of them. Chara was stupid for thinking they maybe wanted to be friends.The damn chicken was better at not snitching than them.
Chara could hear (yes, literally hear) Chuck raising an eyebrow just by the tone of his voice. “Really now? Where is he then?”
There was another pause and Chara couldn’t help but peek again just to see Danny pointing to their exact location.
“He-he’s also got a stolen chicken!”
Daniel didn’t know when to shut up it seemed.
“Snitch!!” Chara jolted out of their hiding place to try and start running away, but Chuck already had them cornered in the dead-end alley. Chara zipped their head to look around frantically, trying to think of a way out of this on the fly. With a defeated huff, they stop in their tracks and shoot a glare towards his three new enemies. The boys looked jittery and embarrassed, and quickly fled the scene.
A scowl tugged the corner of Chuck’s lips down deeply. “Should've known it was you again. Drop the chicken.”
With their eyes kept on Chuck, Chara begrudgingly set Eggo down. She immediately took off running, leaving Good Cop to scramble to try and catch her.
“Every time there’s an alarm in this town it’s always because of you. Fourteen years old and you’re the most active criminal around.”
“...Hey thanks. I do it just for you, Chuck.”
Chara’s joke was not laughed at. It wasn’t even granted a sympathetic chuckle. “Not funny, kid, that’s nothing to be proud of. Now, are you gonna cooperate with me or not?”
They glared at the ground, eyebrows all scrunched up and everything. With a sigh they held their hands out straight in front of them while Chuck looked all smug with himself. He swung a pair of handcuffs around two of his fingers like a windmill.
Just as he approached close enough to Chara, however, the kid juked him at a speed so fast it even scared Chara, but they weren’t about to pass up this opportunity. They began bolting away like it was the devil who was nipping at their heels.
They were too distracted to pay attention to their running trajectory though, and their short lived victory was ended by Good Cop catching them by the wrist, a strong grip around both Chara and Eggo.
“Not so fast, boy!” He yanked them back.
Chara could only groan and grumble to themselves now. “Come onnnn, I was so close to having eggs every day.”
Chuck shook his head “Face it, kid, you’ve got no home to keep that chicken anyways. And where’s your partner in crime? Don't you two normally get into trouble together?’
How dare Chuck bring that up. Chara felt a swell of anger before correcting themself. “His name is Micheal… he’s… back at the orphanage…”
“So he’s where you should be then.”
“Shut up. You don’t know anything.”
Sheriff's Office
Sheriff Reginald was an uptight and responsible man, humble too, and hated sitting in his office all the time. He preferred to be out working and doing things himself. Most of his summer was spent chasing Chara down in the hot sun with the rest of his men. He didn’t complain like the others though.
His collar was always buttoned up all the way. Black coiled hair was sharply trimmed close to his scalp and his mustache never had a hair out of place. Neatness defined him, like he always had something to prove, even as a boss. Whenever he saw Chara causing trouble he’d have a look more suited to a disappointed father than a top cop. To Chara, he was like some uptight librarian: strict yet softspoken. The reading glasses he was currently wearing only proved that more.
Chuck had shoved the handcuffed Chara into his office, interrupting the sheriff's paperwork time. Reginald’s mouth tightened into a slight grimace as his posture straightened out. He sighed deeply as he folded up his reading glasses and gently set them on the neatly organized desk. Chara gave him a cheeky smile as their eyes met, but the sheriff’s stern expression didn’t even budge, and their smile fell as soon as they’d forced it to come.
“Look who was stealing chickens and breaking windows this morning.” Chuck spoke in his agitating voice. “I’ll leave him to you, Redge.” Chara was incredibly relieved to see Chuck shut the door behind him.
There was a moment of awkward silence and they tried to keep themselves from fearing the worst. The sheriff looked at them, disappointment written all over his face.
“Sit down, Chara.”
Chara pulled out a chair as gracefully as they could with their hands still handcuffed behind them and sat down sheepishly. The Sheriff didn’t meet their eyes, straightening out his papers instead. Chara watched him do so, figuring he was gathering up thoughts to lecture them with.
“Chara, it’s been, what? 3 years since you came here? And you just never learn…” The older man started. Yep, there’s the lecture right on schedule.
Chara gave an unbothered shrug.
“So you broke, what, three windows and stole an animal today and have no shame? I’ve done nothing but try to help you, the least you could do is cease the troublemaking,” He leans back in his chair and surveys the kid who’s currently rolling their eyes.
“First things first, sir, I only broke two of those windows. I do things for a reason. I’m hungry, so I steal a chicken. I have no shame for that. You say you want to help me but you just drop me off back at that orphanage every damn time.” Chara had to take a second to reign in the spite that seeped into their voice, before adding on in a much quieter volume, “Do you even know what it's like?”
The sheriff narrowed his eyes at Chara, but his lips twitched slightly, a different emotion kept locked up in his stupid formal expression. It was now Chara’s turn to avoid his gaze.
“I know exactly what it’s like, Chara.”
And then they finally met each other’s stares as a beat of silence passed. Chara knew they shared something at that moment. It wasn’t quite mutual understanding though, but it's the closest any adult had ever gotten.
Chara ended the eye contact first. The dark eyes of the sheriff were always searching for something, and Chara wasn’t about to let him find it. Wordlessly, they gave their head a light shake so their bangs would fall into place more securely over their eyes. If the Sheriff noticed that their “brown” eyes had a red tinge, it would all be over for Chara.
Finally the awkward silence ended. “…Anyhow, I’m all ears to hearing the dire reason of how your survival depends on breaking those windows.” Oh shit, the sheriff even crossed his arms.
“Well you see sir, they just kept missing!” Chara didn’t miss a beat in response, however that should probably be an indication that they ought to think about their words before they speak. No taking it back now though.
The sheriff raised his brows. “Don’t get smart with me boy. Say what happened without trying to be funny.”
“I dunno, some kids were throwing rocks at the windows, but they just kept missing. It was annoying me so bad! I just- I had to show ‘em how to do it.”
There was a moment of silence before the sheriff buried his face in his hands.
“Show ‘em how to do it,’ huh?” Oh the sheriff sounded mad now. “Why don’t you tell that to the elderly woman who lives there?”
“Calm down I didn’t even know someone lived there-”
“This crossed the line Chara, don’t act so nonchalant! I know you mean no malice on others, at least that’s what I want to believe, but your actions do have effects. You know what the townspeople are gonna think? People notice everything in a small town like this. Yesterday a girl from the orphanage ran away and hasn’t been seen since. Who do you think inspired her to do that?”
Chara could only scoff in response. “Good for her.”
“So you accept responsibility for a young girl becoming homeless? Going missing? What do you think will happen to her when winter rolls around? She’ll starve or freeze.”
Chara couldn’t deal with this— couldn’t stand talking about it. They just wanted to scream at the sheriff to shut up, and couldn’t stop picturing his best friend Micheal laying in that orphanage cot too weak to even lift his head up to look Chara in the eyes as they talked. They couldn’t believe everyone thought the orphanage was a better place to live than the streets.
“So you think she’s better off in that shithole?! Where she will get sick and be sent to The Hospital? Do you accept responsibility for that?” They were so upset they stood up to shout. Maybe if they said it loud enough they would finally be listened to.
Seemed that actually struck a nerve with the sheriff, cause his jaw was clenched and he didn’t immediately shout back.
“Chara. Sit down.” It was barely visible, but Chara picked up a slight falter in the sheriff's expression.
Did Sheriff Reginald accept responsibility for all the kids who died in the orphanage? They vanished, they never saw them die, but they all knew it deep down. He hadn’t done anything about it, despite having grown up there himself.
Chara plopped back into the chair. They made a point of slouching and glaring so the sheriff can see just how pissed off they are.”You're missing the point.”
Redge proceeded to take a sigh deeper than Chara had ever seen him take before. When he spoke again his voice was annoyingly calm. Redge was like that. Chara knew how they felt about most other adults, because they’d be demeaned, screamed at, or chastised. Redge was in an odd grey area where Chara wanted to dislike him, but he couldn't quite manage to. “No, you’re missing the point, Chara. Look at my paperwork of complaints that have been filed this month. A significant portion of them are about you. Farmers don’t want you stealing their crops; their animals now apparently aren’t safe either. Parents don’t want their children out breaking windows to be ‘rebellious’ like you are. Do you remember last summer?”
Chara couldn't help but chuckle a little. “How could I forget? That was so much fun.”
Redge just shook his head. “Yeah, and your little gang of orphans have dissipated, probably sick of you getting them into trouble. Even Micheal has been off the streets. Either way, you don't just get to beat up every bully who insults you. Those bullies have families and you don't, so no matter what it ends up worse for you and your friends. My men should be focusing on the threat of another monster attack anyways, not a bunch of children on the streets causing mayhem.”
Chara looked down quickly.
Monster attack
Bad memories, pain, bubbled up from where it was buried within. For a brief moment it felt as if Chara's lungs were laced with dust.
Sheriff Redge stopped his lecture upon seeing that Chara wasn’t going to stubbornly argue back anymore. “Whatever. Let me just get this sorted out. You’re lucky we don’t have a jail for little boys.” He began writing on a pen pad. “When’s your birth date?”
“I’m fourteen.”
“I know that. I need a date.”
“Why are you askin’?”
“Paperwork. Does everything gotta be a fight with you?”
Chara frowned. This was a sore subject. “I don’t know, okay. I don’t remember. And I ain't lying. I just know 1856. You’re the lying one. You don’t actually need to fill out any paperwork for this, do you? You always delegate small incidents to other staff ‘cause you hate paperwork. You’re just being nosy as usual”
The Sheriff actually cracked a smile. He always did that at the most unpredictable times and Chara couldn't tell if it was because he found them endearing or if it was out of condescension.
Chara narrowed their eyes at him. “Stop chuckling, I didn’t even make a joke. You’re absolutely stone-faced when I actually try to be funny, now this is just insulting.”
Sheriff Redge just started making that infuriating face adults make when they're amused at childish immaturity. “You know no one else talks to a sheriff like this. Don’t you think you’re pushing your luck with me? I’m a cop, you know.”
“I ain’t scared of you– not like I used to be.”
“I don’t want you to fear me. My job is to help the people in this town.”
Chara smiles humorlessly. “Yeah except for dogies-”
“Don’t use that word,” The sheriff interrupts them. “Don’t call people that. Don't call yourself that either.”
“Why? That's what everyone calls us.”
“It’s insulting. And it is my job to help the children in the orphanages, that includes you.”
Chara didn’t have a witty reply, so they just sat back in their chair and waited for him to finish.
“You remind me of myself when I was your age… you know I’ve given you food and clothes in the past. I thought I already proved to you that I care. What are you gonna do when winter rolls around and you’re stuck out in the cold again?!”
“Figure it out. If all else fails go to your place,” Chara shrugged. They tried not to let on how much winter scared them. It snowed heavily in Frontiersville, and the shelters they made in the woods were never enough. It was either hope to not get kicked out of a random farmers barn and sent back to the orphanage, or freeze outside. Even Micheal, Chara’s best friend, opted to willingly return to the group home. Chara couldn’t… they were too stubborn. They tried not to go to the sheriff's doorstep, begging for help, but it was hard not to when he offered it so unconditionally. Usually Chara could talk him out of arresting them and returning them to that wretched place.
“Kiddo, you know you always have a place at my house if you’re in an emergency situation. Don't act like I can’t understand your point of view. But… you need to go back to the orphanage. It’s not a desirable option, I would know. But at least you’ll have something to eat and a place to stay. Surely it’s better than… this.”
Chara sighed. “You always say you can understand me, and for a moment I almost believe you, then you go say something ridiculous right after.”
Redge crossed his arms. Great, more lectures. “Well I hope you at least understand that I can’t keep letting you off easy anymore. So here’s the deal. You broke physical property this time. I need to dish out some kind of punishment. Perhaps shoveling horse manure will teach you a lesson. Show you what you might end up doing for the rest of your life should you continue your foolish crimes.”
“Do I have a choice?” Chara's brow raised.
“Nope!”
Queue groaning.
“Unless you want to live in the holding cell, I suggest you shape up.” Redge stood up and walked towards Chara, his gaze softening. “It’s okay to not trust me, but I just want to help set you straight… and you have to pay for those windows somehow. Don’t take this to heart son.” He ruffled Chara’s hair with a gentle hand. Most hands that reached for Chara were always full of malice, but never Redge’s.
He always liked to call Chara son though, and that just dredged up more painful feelings.
“Please don’t call me that. I’ll go do the chore or whatever. No problem. Just don’t expect me to go back to that orphanage after. They’re going to straight up kill me for escaping again. I know they are. They hate me.”
Redge looked uncertain, a tinge of pity washing over his features. Chara could only plead.
“Alright kid,” he sighed, finally defeated. “If you prefer the temporary holding cell you can sleep at the station tonight.”
Despite all his trouble, Chara felt thankful to him. They knew full well they were never anything more than an inconvenience to the sheriff. “I do. Can I get these stupid handcuffs off now?”
“Of course.” Redge didn't hesitate to nod and unlock Chara’s hands. He was quiet for a minute before speaking again. “Anyways… where has Micheal been? Normally you two are getting in trouble together.”
Chara swallowed down a sense of dread and stared down at the floor. “He’s… sick.”
Redge froze. He knew what that meant.
Police station
Later that day Chuck approached Redge while he was taking a smoke break. Redge was glad he was considered approachable by his officers, but he really wasn’t in the mood to speak with Chuck. They were standing right outside the station, looking on watching the human traffic around the local shops.
“So how’d it go with the kid?” Chuck pulled out a cigarette of his own and flicked at his lighter.
Redge didn’t respond right away, not really looking at Chuck. The officer was often unnecessarily cruel to Chara and Micheal, which Redge didn’t appreciate. “I put him with the street clean up crew. I think it will be better for him.”
“But he is going back to the orphanage afterwards, right?”
Redge’s lack of answer was enough.
Chuck frowned. It’s clear he had something to say but was trying to think of a wording that would be appropriate to use with a superior officer. “You’re a real nice guy, Redge– one of the best, really, but you can't let those orphan boys walk all over you like that. They're manipulative. And with all due respect, sir, is that not breaking the law? The orphanage directors are the legal guardians of the boy. ”
“I know what the law says. That same law lets legal guardians beat their children within an inch of their life. Our duty goes to protecting people before it goes to the law.” Redge doesn’t know why he bothered justifying himself. Chuck would never understand.
Chuck smiled with a short, humorless laugh consisting of a single puff of air out his nose. “Come on Redge. Everyone gets whooped as a kid. That one especially. He really has it all coming with how much he misbehaves. If you care so much about what the law is, instead of just enforcing it, you should’ve become a legislator or something. It’s not like they’re killing the kids in the orphanages.”
“That’s exactly what they're doing.”
“Redge, Redge, you’re really too paranoid. You and your conspiracies about the orphanage and the monsters-” Chuck joked, trying to come off with the tone of a friend.
The sheriff blew out a long puff of smoke and inhaled, closing his eyes. Pictures of his youth flash behind his lids: whispers of a time he’d rather forget, images of deep injustices he’s tried to pretend are gone just because they no longer affect him. He can’t do that anymore. “I grew up in that place, Chuck. You keep your head down and don't talk back and you can avoid most beatings, yes, but that’s not what gets you. It’s the sickness. You wake up in your bed and your sick friend disappeared over the night. They say they were taken to The Hospital, but they never return.”
If Chuck really listened and internalized what Redge said, he didn’t show it. Like most people, he doesn’t give a shit about the unwanted children of the world. “How come you’re all up in a twist about this?”
“Because Micheal’s sick…”
“Micheal is the, uh, the other one right? The other town orphan troublemaker. Don’t tell me you’re attached to these kids.” Chuck has an infuriating tone about him. It’s clear he sees himself as some voice of reason to Redge’s supposed madness.
“I’ve just been thinking about what I oughta do about it.” Redge extinguished his cigarette as he spoke.
“Nothing,” Chuck shrugged. “What is there to do? They're troublemakers now. Imagine what they’ll be like as adults. Criminals, murderers… they ain't worth it Redge. They're just dogies.”
Redge finally looked over at his fellow officer. He felt the urge to yell at him, to demote him, to use his superior rank against him, but that rank really meant nothing. It didn’t matter if Redge had power in position because he was still bound by where he came from. He worked hard to earn the people's respect; he was incredibly lucky to have an opportunity to have a position of power. So he didn’t lose his cool. He barely even reacted to Chuck's derogatory statement. If he reacted with anger he’d only prove the negative stereotypes right.
“No offense to you, of course,” Chuck quickly corrected himself. “Clearly you’re one of the good ones.”
Redge could only sigh and toss away the cigarette butt. He had other things to worry about than Chuck and his offending nature.
Town Streets
Spending a perfectly good summer day shoveling horse manure off the street with a bunch of random adults was really not in the list of Chara’s plans. Though they supposed it was better than the alternative. Chara could feel their pale skin was burning in the midday sun, but they never much cared about that.
A few years ago their mother would have cupped their tiny face in her large paws and healed the sunburn with comforting green magic. After that they could go right back to playing. Those days are over.
The burn was nothing to worry about anyways. Whatever force that kept Chara alive, that gave them the red eyes, would heal any injury at remarkable speed. The sunburn would be gone by the time they woke up the next day.
The adults didn’t pay much attention to Chara. They were there to work their job and get paid. Chara was here to prove to the sheriff they had some semblance of responsibility. Two men did take interest in them though: an odd, scrappy, pair named Dave and Walt.
Dave was long and thin, and definitely looked older than he actually was. “I can't say I’ve ever seen a kid wind up here. What did you do, kill someone?”
“Yeah I did, actually.”
“Don't even joke, lad.”
Chara chuckled a bit “I broke a few windows and stole a chicken.” They continued working as they chatted, constantly scrunching up their face at the rancid smell.
“Really? That seems like normal juvenile things, heh.”
“Welcome to the real world buddy, don’t go running away..” Walt spoke up finally. He just looked mean. His resting face had that certain scowl and arch of the brows.
Chara could match that energy. “Can't do that, I gotta eat something other than bugs, you know.”
“Or just walk yourself right on down to the orphanage, that’s the smart thing to do.”
Chara shoots him a glare. “I’m getting tired of people telling me that.”
"Don't act like you’re too high and mighty for it, wise guy. I grew up there and didn’t cause no fuss about it. Those old hags don't beat you unless you’re a problem. Which…” Walt took a moment to look Chara up and down as the kid scooped poop. “…looks like you are.”
“And you’re right here with me shoveling shit. I got more successful people than you givin’ me their unneeded opinion on my life.”
Walt’s laugh was dripping with condensation. “You mean the sheriff? Pfft, you know my bed was right next to his. He tries to act all superior, like he’s better than the rest of us dogies. He’s only in that position out of sheer luck, meanwhile the rest of us work jobs like this.”
Chara just rolled his eyes at him. “Well thanks for the pleasant conversation, Walt.”
“You act so tough now kid but you already landed yourself here. Think about that for a bit.”
Town Hall Archives
Redge’s nose was immediately filled with heavy, musty air upon entering the local town archives from a descending staircase. Stone floors and walls created a cool air as the sounds of his footsteps bounced off of them. Most records placed in the room would be filed away and scarcely touched again. Light did not reach the basement apart from the oil lamp he carried with him. Redge certainly pitied the record keepers who had to work down here.
He held the lamp up higher to read the labels on each shelf. There was something nerve wracking about using fire for light in a room containing thousands of vital paper records containing the identities of all the townspeople. Seems like a flawed system, and that maybe they should put the records somewhere above ground where light can be let in. Or perhaps apply the new and novel concept of electricity, which hadn’t quite made its way to Frontiersville yet.
It didn’t take too long for him to find the boxes labeled 1856. Unfortunately everything was filed chronologically by date and time. Not knowing Chara’s birthday left him the fun task of searching through every single birth certificate of 1856.
“Well at least we know the year,” his internal attempt at optimism fell short. “The things I do for this damn kid.”
Redge diligently pulled out the first box anyways and began the process of sifting through each categorized file looking for the birth certificate of, the very distinctly named, Chara.
Who names their kid Chara anyways? And with such an odd spelling too, one that Chara had insisted on with much determination when they had found out Redge was putting their name down as ‘Kara” in every incident report. “The ‘h’ is silent like in ‘character!’” the troublemaker would insist. Redge would just laugh and reply with something along the lines of “Well you're quite the character that’s for sure,” while fixing the spelling error. The kid had appreciated the joke.
More questions surfaced in Redge’s mind. Like how did Chara know about silent letters if they barely went to school? Redge knew from firsthand experience that most kids in the orphanages were illiterate. Chara must have learned before they came to Frontiersville– before they came from wherever. That was an entirely different line of questioning. How does an eleven-year-old child with no family, no history, and barely even a real name just appear in the town one day claiming to be from there. Unless they’re lying about Frontiersville being their origin, which in that case Redge wouldn't even find their birth certificate, and this would all be for nothing. They could also be lying about their name too, which would also make the search a waste of time. Come to think of it, Redge was starting to think this entire venture was useless.
But Chara had never lied to him. To Chara, all sorts of troublemaking was fair game, but lying was just too far apparently. Even so, it was clear they were omitting details of their life.
Redge paused when a particular name caught his eye. Huh… that’s interesting. He plucked out the birth certificate and held it closer to the oil lamp to read it better. Thoughts rushed through his mind like a stream, wondering if this was just a coincidence or if it actually meant something.
“Jacob Finn Minot… son of Paul and Jean Minot. Born February 4th 1856.”
He had worked on a case involving that boy. He had investigated and closed it himself. Perhaps… there could be a connection. He hastily pulled out his notepad to scrawl down the information from the birth certificate.
Redge stood up and pushed the boxes back onto their place on the shelf without another thought. Maybe he was looking for an excuse to not have to finish looking in there, but his intuition was telling him something. He left the archives with a lead and a plan.
Police Station
That plan led him back to the police station. They had a whole room of filing cabinets just dedicated to documentation. The medium sized records room was historic, and fit pretty much every incident file of crime in this small, yet growing town since it was founded. Luckily Redge knew where to look this time. He remembers putting the documents away in their little file, never to be touched or looked at again until today, pulled out by the same person. He flips through the pages, cringing at how messy his handwriting used to be back then.
The disappearance of Jacob Minot, a three year old boy, almost flew under the radar. His father passed away and less than a year later his mother moved out of town. Somehow, their neighbors took note that she only purchased one train ticket for herself, and nothing for her young son, and reported it to the police. It was too late though, she had already left. They sent a notice to the police in other provinces to search for her but never heard back. They never found the boy.
Redge returned to his office, setting the papers down on his desk. He pulled out the transcript of his interview with the neighbors.
Frontiersville Police —--------------------------------------------------------------
Sr. Detective Reginald Roan’s interview with Thomas and Zara Clarence
[June 3rd,1859 - 3:46 P.M.]
Detective Roan: Thank you both for coming down today. I just wanted to ask you a few questions about the Minots, your relationship to them, what they were like [pause] really we’re um, just looking to get a snapshot of who they were so we could possibly find a motive or explanation for what happened. You got that?
[Mrs. Clarence nods]
Mr. Clarence: Yeah
Detective Roan: Alright we will begin then. So you two are reportedly close to the family. Please describe the young boy, Jacob and clarify your relationship.
Mrs. Clarence: Oh, Jacob is such a sweet little boy. Three years old. We love children, you see, and he gets along great with our kids so we babysat him frequently. Both parents worked, you see.
Detective Roan: What about his parents, Paul and Jean? Did you know them well? What are your thoughts about them?
Mr. Clarence: His father Paul was a really good man, a lumberjack, most hard working man I’ve ever met. It was a shame he met such an early end. He died on the job a little bit ago, I know that. His wife, on the other hand, is interesting. She was a party animal before she was a mother.
Mrs. Clarence: Jean is a good friend of mine. She was from a big city [pause] Um, and it was obvious she missed it.
Detective Roan: About when did they move here, would you say?
Mrs. Clarence: Hmmm well [pause] It was the summer I think… [she turns towards Mr. Clarence] honey, do you remember?
Mr. Clarence: She was already pregnant so…
Mrs. Clarence: It would have been in [pause] ‘55.
Mr. Clarence: Yeah that sounds right.
Detective Roan: Can you elaborate a bit more on Paul and Jean, how were they doing?
Mr. Clarence: I don’t think Jean was ready for a child, she’s pretty young, so that’s why we helped her out with watching Jacob. The big city girl was kind of out of her element, and deathly afraid of monsters. Her and Paul moved here for work opportunities. This is the lumber capital after all. They had a cute little family. Times did get pretty rough after Paul passed away, though.
Mrs. Clarence: We had to watch Jacob more than ever. It was just fine with us though; he was a sweetheart. I just hope from the bottom of my heart that Jean didn’t abandon him. Maybe she snuck him on board and now they’re back in the city. I’d bet they’d thrive there. They deserve it. Paul and Jean were orphans, you see. Dogies.
[Long pause]
Mrs. Clarence: No offense of course! You, Jean and Paul are some of the good ones. I simply meant that they faced a lot of hardship with many people being against dogies moving here in the frequency they have been.
Detective Roan: Yes, I’m aware. Don’t worry, I took no offense. Back to the subject at hand, you called the police after suspecting she did not buy a train ticket for Jacob. How did you come to that conclusion? Run through the events of the day she left, please.
Mr. Clarence: Well, [pause] she told us previously she was leaving mid-afternoon. We helped her clean out the apartment. She tried selling stuff but nobody wanted to buy from her. My wife went with her to meet with the landlady and ask if she could leave behind her furniture.
Mrs. Clarence: That’s right. She told me she didn’t have the funds to get it moved cross country.
Mr. Clarence: So, well, then I think she left that morning with Jacob. I can’t remember where she said she was going.
Mrs Clarence: It was so he could go to his little friend's house and say goodbye to them. That’s what she said. Then she came back early in the afternoon alone. The little tyke must have wanted to stay longer.
Detective Roan: Do you know who this friend is?
[Mr. and Mrs. Clarence both shake their heads]
Mrs. Clarence: No, [pause] I assume the boy had lots of friends ‘cause he was just so sweet. We were never told about anyone specific.
Detective Roan: I see. [pause] Well, continue with your recounting of events.
Mr. Clarence: Yes, so um [pause] basically she came back alone. I went over to see if she needed any last-minute help packing. She was pretty much done, had a big suitcase all ready before I got there. That's when I noticed there was only one train ticket sitting on the table. [pause] I didn’t think much about it, though. I just [pause] remember worrying about if she already gave it to Jacob and that he may accidentally lose it. I called my wife over and we bid our goodbyes.
Mrs. Clarence: As she walked away, I asked if we could come say goodbye to Jacob [pause] and she said there wasn’t time. An hour or so later my husband starts telling me that he only saw one ticket. I got all paranoid and that’s why we called. I just thought it was paranoia until you guys informed us that the ticket sales records confirmed our fear.
Detective Roan: Is there any possible motive you can think of as to why she might abandon her son?
Mr. Clarence: Oh stars, I don't know. She seemed like she would never do anything like that. But she was overwhelmed, struggling with money, and in a bad mental state.
Mrs. Clarence: I just- [pause] I just can't believe she would do that. Jacob wasn’t an angel child, he was, you know, [pause] just like how you'd expect someone his age to be.
Mr. Clarence: She did leave behind their framed family photo. That’s a little odd.
Detective Roan: She did? Do you think you could turn it in? We can reprint it in the papers to try and get Jacob found, if he was indeed left behind.
Mrs. Clarence: Of course. Of course. We will bring that down right after this interview.
Detective Roan: Thank you, it helps. [pause] Alright, this may be a difficult avenue to explore, but as the friends of Jean, do you think it’s possible that something more [pause] sinister happened rather than Jean simply abandoning her son at a friend's house?
[long pause]
Mrs. Clarence: What exactly do you mean, detective?
Detective Roan: Well, there’s a possibility of foul play in this case. We will search for the child. It’s a small town, and if he is indeed still at a friend's house, we will find out soon. If we don't find him though, that leaves two possibilities: she snuck him on the train, or she [pause] got rid of him in some way. Can you imagine that occurring?
Mr. Clarence: [he shakes his head] Oh dear! Oh no, oh stars no!
Mrs. Clarence: Absolutely not. Jean would never.
Detective Roan: [He nods] Alright, your opinion on the matter is noted. I do believe that is all I have to talk about with you today. Thank you so much for your cooperation. Hopefully we can verify the boy is okay and resolve this as quickly as possible. You both have a wonderful day.
Mr. Clarence: You as well.
[end transcript 4:09 P.M.]
Redge remembers that conversation. He left it feeling hopeful they’d find the boy. They found nothing. No kid, no body, no supposed friend. Everyone who knew Jean insisted there was no foul play. And so, the case went cold, and everyone assumed she had taken the boy with her. Redge hoped that was true, but the lack of confirmation made it feel like the first big failure of his career, and he knew it reflected poorly on himself.
That was the worst part about being ‘one of the good ones.’ People looked at him as the sole representation of what a dogie can achieve, and every failure he's ever made has felt catastrophic for more than just himself.
But 11 years later this case may finally be solved. He shifted through the papers more until he found it: the photograph. A small boy with curly hair and a sloped nose. The only difference was the age, and the absence of the rough scar that was currently on Chara's left cheek. And… the boy's eyes in the photo seem a bit lighter, but that could very well be chalked up to the poor photo quality. What was even more damning was how much the father, Paul, looked like Chara.
Redge was now more certain than ever that he had found the identity of the rascal that had been terrorizing the town. The only question that remained, however, was likely going to be the hardest one to answer. The only one who could know is Chara himself. If they were missing from 3 years old to 11, then where the hell were they for those 8 years?