Chapter Text
Noelle lays in her bed. She can't stop thinking about her dream at the library. A different world! A dark world.
The way she stood up for herself. Even though the dream wasn't real it still filled her with hope. Maybe she could do the same with her own mom. Maybe she could actually hang out with Susie! Or Kris. The Kris in her dream seemed a bit... different. Not in the bad way though. After thinking about Kris too much she gets a headache and realises she won't be able to fall asleep like this. She could go to the kitchen but her mom might hear...
She decides it's worth the risk and the worst that could happen was a lecture. Noelle has heard tons of those anyways. She goes to the kitchen, opens the fridge, looking for something to ease her headache. The darkness around no longer scares her the same way it did when she was a kid. She wishes for a moment that she wasn't so afraid. So, so afraid. She takes the chocolate milk, places it on the counter and takes out a glass. While pouring herself some of the liquid, she gets reminded of Kris. They used to consume all of the milk in her fridge, coming back to the living room with milk mustaches. She missed them, despite everything. She sips on the milk, leaning against the counter and staring into the darkness.
Maybe in another life all that didn't happen. In another world, Dess is still here and when Asriel visits in a few days they'd all be together again. She knew that wouldn't happen in this life. Not this world. The thoughts bring her to tear up. Nobody else around to comfort her except her cold mother, she sniffled alone in the cold kitchen. Noelle finished off the chocolate milk and opens the fridge again. The light glowing from the fridge lightens up her surroundings...
She hears odd steps, steps that are unlike her mother's. Her mother's hooves clink and clank and echo around the whole house, reminding Noelle how empty it really is. But these steps, quiet and hushed, stop the moment Noelle turns around. She swallows when two small eyes peak at her in the dark and a flashy smile with teeth so white they almost... shone in the dark.
...
NOELLE
Noelle squeaks loudly at the sound of her name and jumps back, the fridge still open as she grabs for the counter.
WHAT DO YOU DESIRE ?
Noelle's breathing quickens as she stares straight at it. In dark she could barely tell apart the parts of the creature. It came closer to her and made an imitation of her earlier sniffles. Eyes so close to her she could almost touch them. Pink and yellow. The smile widens. She holds her breath and keeps staring right at it. The light illuminating from the fridge shows the creature's multiple legs sprawled across the floor, moving towards her. After she notes all of this in her mind she realises this isn't the first time they've met, she just can't remember it's name. Why did she talk to it the first time? ... When did she talk to it the first time?
DO YOU WANT HER BACK ? DO YOU WANT
CONTROL ?
Noelle finally exhales after a while and stares straight at the moving thing. She did want control. She did want her sister Dess back. But what happened? Why couldn't she remember what the hell happened?-
ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS LISTEN , NOELLE
She nods her head slowly, unable to make any sort of noise. The thing moves as close to her ear as possible and begins to whisper. Some of the words don't make sense. It fills her with a sense of impending doom as if the apocalypse is coming in a few seconds and she can do nothing to stop it. The voice, terrifying, tells her to do things. Things she doesn't understand. It tells her to stab the floor and open up the world, make it darker than dark, look for Dess through the dark- The dark world? Fear fills her every cell and everything in her body screams at her to move but the voice sure doesn't stop and the eyes continue glowing in the dark. The creature finally pulls away. Noelle hears a faint laugh as it goes away slightly and looks around, waiting for her to do something.
What if she did listen? Maybe this was all a prank? She couldn't understand what was going on.
ITS NOT A PRANK.
She breathes in and out, terror telling her to run, to get away from all this. To run as far as she can, farther than the bunker, farther than the other side of the lake. At first, she couldn't. Then, she felt it. Her legs started moving before her brain but she sprinted straight for the door, taking the key for the gate from the floor.
She ran as fast as she could, not daring to look back. She could feel the darkness close.
YOU CAN'T RUN , NOELLE
She kept running, despite the voice. She ran and ran and ran and reached the only place she knew. Kris's house. As she struggles to breathe in she reaches their house, enters through the open window in the bathroom and slumps onto the floor.
Right infront of her stands Kris, expression monotone as always. Noelle jumps up quick and shuts the window as quickly as possible. She pants for a minute or two and Kris stares, waiting for her to say something. "K-Kris!" She finally whispers between her huffing. For the first time in years Noelle notices a slight concern on their face. "Kris! Gosh! You won't- You won't believe what just happened to me-" Something bangs against the window, the same face looks at her. IT looks at her. Kris sighs as if aggravated and opens the window. The creature seems to ignore Noelle's presence, which brought her immense relief.
Kris says the longest sentence she's heard them say in a long while. "...told you not to bother Noelle..." The creature seems to step away. "...you know I can stop this...anytime..." Their voice isn't the same as in the dark world today. It's Kris's mumbly voice, not afraid of anything and standing up for Noelle instead of her. She was glad. Really glad.
The creature fades away into the darkness. Kris gets real close to her. "Noelle. You can go back. It won't bother you anymore." She smells their apple-scented shampoo and their butterscotch pie breath. It smells like home. Noelle collapses straight into Kris's hands. She hears a groan coming from their mouth as they lower her onto the floor.
Kris doesn't actually know what to do. They would've followed the plan. Stabbed the floor in the living room. But as the tap keeps running and the red soul lays in the cabinet. They wonder just what they would do to Noelle if they were to let them take control again. They couldn't bare the thought of it. They stare at Noelle for a second and sigh. She can't wake up for a few minutes, right? Kris could stab the floor and come back?
The plan wouldn't work so Kris sighed and laid down next to Noelle on the filthy bathroom floor. She smells of candy canes and chocolate milk. Kris felt exhausted. They felt so glad the red soul didn't do anything to Noelle today. Kris knew the soul had a chance to do something terrible that would ruin the sweet little Holiday girl.
Kris hated FRIEND. And they hated the red soul. Their life, so empty felt the same and they had a strong feeling that nothing would change even when their plan reaches it's end. Maybe Kris just had to give up and let the world get swallowed in darkness by the knight. Noelle shifted and woke up, staring right at Kris.
"Kris... What happened?" She whispers as the tap keeps running, muffling her voice only slightly. Kris really hoped Toriel and Susie were too busy with making pie and so on to notice the girl in the bathroom. "...you need to go home." Kris whisperedd harshly. Noelle's eyes filled with terror. "No- Kris- I ca-" Noelle stops because of the noise in the living room. "Is that Susie-?!" Kris clears their throat. "Yes. It's Susie. That's why you need to go home and go to sleep. Forget any of this ever happened." Still talking in hushed tones, Kris hoped she would listen to them. Although knowing her curious nature, they knew she wouldn't just forget.
"Kris- You need to tell me what that was! You can't just leave me hanging- Tell me to leave- Tell me to go home-" Kris shushed her again and groaned, annoyed with all the things they had to do in their stupid life. "Look. I'll come by when they both fall asleep. Then I'll meet you outside and tell you." Noelle doesn't seem satisfied. "Tell me what?" Kris looks away, struggling to come up with an answer."
"You'll see."