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What can happen in fifteen minutes?
Well, you could drink a cup of tea. You could make a new friend. You could take a ride on a ferris wheel. You could watch the sun set. You could get ice cream.
That’s what Susie did. She got ice cream. It took a little under fifteen minutes- Sans was far from fast when it came to churning cream. She watched him stir, stir, stir his spoon through a tub, slowly turning into a slush. When she asked him how long it would take, he just winked, and said “However long it takes.” He cracked a joke about how good things came to those who skate. Finally he gave her two cones.
What could happen in fifteen minutes? Two people could just… disappear. Without a trace, or leaving behind any clues, or even a goodbye. Just silence sans the sound of waves crashing against the shore. Just emptiness where a deer and a human should’ve been.
Susie waited on the beach for another hour. She wasn’t someone who would worry about people she knew could take care of themselves just fine. Wherever Kris and Noelle had went off to, they surely weren’t in danger. Not unless they wanted to be.
Then she went home. They’d come back when they were ready. Kris would pop into Castle town with a sharp-toothed grin, and Noelle would sit next to her in class with a gentle smile.
They didn’t come back.
Ralsei woke her up early, knocking gently on her door. Any other day, it would’ve taken much more to rouse the monster. But after a restless night, she’d been somewhat expecting him.
Whatever hope Susie had of good news was immediately dashed upon seeing Ralsei’s expression. His furrowed brow was one thing, but he seemed aghast, paler than usual.
“I’m sorry to wake you, but… Susie, you wouldn’t happen to know where Kris is, do you?” He twisted his hands together, trying to smile.
“I haven’t seem them since yesterday, at the festival… they went to meet up with Noelle,” she muttered, unable to meet Ralsei’s eyes.
Something like guilt bubbled up inside of her. Look, she knew she could trust Kris, and she really liked Noelle. But maybe she should’ve looked a little harder, waited a little longer. Maybe there was something she could’ve done?
No. There was no time to think like that. For all she knew, both of them had gone home.
(Somewhere deep down, Susie knew that wasn’t true.)
There were police cars outside the apartment.
Susie didn’t consider it to be her apartment, but legally, it was her place of residence. And her place of residence had two police cars sitting outside of it.
“Susie?” an airy voice called from one of the car windows. “Mind if we speak to you a moment?”
Susie knew she hadn’t done anything wrong, but she knew that anyone in Hometown had no reason to believe her.
It was only a few days ago that she’d made a turn for the better, coming out of her shell and finding friends. Before that, she’d been a troubled teenager and a problem child. She’d ran away from home once or twice. She’d hurt people.
Now those new friends she’d made were missing. Given her track record, well… who wouldn’t connect the dots?
“Kris and Noelle are my best friends,” she said, trying to keep calm. A surprisingly stern Napstablook stared at her across the table.
“i believe you, susie… it’s just routine questioning,” they said, but their face portrayed no warmth. “you were the last to see kris, right? what were you doing?”
Susie drummed her fingers against the table. “Well, Kris slept through most of the day, so we went to the festival right as it was ending. We managed to get on the ferris wheel, then tried to get some ice cream from Mr. Sans.” Her voice softened as she recounted the day. It had been nice hanging out with Noelle, but that didn’t change the fact that Kris was her best friend. Just thinking about time spent with them was enough to make her smile under better circumstances.
Napstablook nodded. “sounds nice. what happened after that?”
“Noelle had told me earlier that she wanted to meet Kris at the lake-“
The ghost’s eyes widened incrementally. “is that so? do you know why?”
“No, but… they’ve been acting weird lately. And Kris is always weird, but, like, bad weird. So was Noelle.”
“You were with Noelle earlier in the day, then, right?” The clock ticked loudly above her. It felt uncomfortably warm in the tiny room.
This wasn’t Susie’s first rodeo in a police station. For as much as she wanted to take her jacket off, it would only lead to more questions, questions she didn’t want to answer.
She nodded. “We… went on a date.”
“fun. so you bring kris to noelle. did you stick around for their conversation?”
“No, I went to get ice cream for us. It took, like, fifteen minutes. When I came back, I couldn’t… find either of them. I waited a little while, then left.”
“where did you go?”
“Back home.” It wasn’t really a lie.
“do you have anyone who can… corroborate that? we tried to speak to your parents, but-“
“They weren’t home. Yeah, uh, they’re busy. Have been out for a little bit,” she said, maybe just a little too quickly.
One of Napstablook’s eyebrows quirked (she hadn’t noticed their eyebrows before), but they said nothing. They just jotted something down.
“you said both of them were acting strange. susie…” they looked at their notes, “do you have any reason to believe that they might’ve been using any substances to change-“
“No. Definitely not.”
“did either of them ever confide anything about their mental health to you?”
“Uh… no.”
“okay,” they sighed, before continuing. “i’d like to circle back to the lake. they were there when you left, and completely gone when you returned. correct?”
“Yes.”
“interesting. how long did you wait for them?”
“An hour.”
“and you didn’t see anyone at all on the way back?”
“Nope.”
“did you try texting or calling either of them?”
“I don’t have a phone.”
“…and you didn’t tell anyone that you couldn’t find them?”
Susie crossed her arms defensively. She could feel the tide of the conversation turning. “I didn’t think I had any reason to be worried.”
Napstablook made a face, but then shook their head. “alright. that’ll be all for now, but we might have some follow up questions in the coming days. keep an ear out, and if you find… or know… anything else, let us know.”
At the implication of her hiding something, Susie resisted the urge to roll her eyes. It would only make things worse.
Which seemed pretty hard, considering her friends were missing. It hadn’t sunken in until then, as she realized that things were already about as bad as they could get. Her lip trembled, so she bit down, hard enough to draw blood.
“Thanks.” Susie left as quickly as she could.
She bought two bouquets of flowers from Asgore- well, actually, he let her have them. When Susie asked how much they’d cost, he just smiled sadly at her, and said it didn’t matter. Not one little bit. She gave him a hug.
Susie brought one bouquet to the Holiday gate. That was as close as she got- they’d been locked shut for about a week now. No one came in or out. The other was for Toriel, poor Toriel, who’d left her porch light on every night, just in case Kris came home.
The kids in class gave her odd looks.
Now, she was no stranger to being feared. Had Susie been hoping the tide was finally turning? Yes. But that wasn’t realistic, especially considering the circumstances.
Catti glared daggers into her skull. Jockington couldn’t meet her eye. Monster Kid and Snowy seemed repulsed if she got too close. Even Alphys, who was always wary of her, would stop before her name on the roll sheet, disdain leaking into her voice as she spoke.
God forbid anyone mention Kris or Noelle, or suddenly all eyes found Susie, each pair unique but united in the presumption that she was a murderer. You did this, Susie.
The only reason she still went to class was partially from Ralsei’s recommendation and partially so that she could take notes. In her chicken-scratch handwriting, she’d write what she understood and even what she didn’t.
That way, when her friends came back, they wouldn’t be too far behind.
Susie went to visit Toriel after another unsuccessful search party.
Well, actually, it was an independent search party. The actual one being run by the police… didn’t seem to want her involved.
She knocked on the older woman’s door tentatively, wringing her hands awkwardly.
Toriel didn’t look great. Her fur was matted, a couple patches turning gray. Glasses sat askew across her nose. She smelled vaguely like wine.
But when she saw Susie, she gave her a warm hug. Had Susie been any weaker, she might’ve sniffled into the woman’s dress. However, she had to be strong now. This was Kris’s mom. She was going through enough as it was.
She made the two of them dinner. Toriel tried to make light conversation as they ate spaghetti.
“Alphys says you pay attention in class. That’s very good.”
“I’ve been going to Church almost every day. I find that it brings me comfort.”
“Asriel wanted to come home, but I told him to finish out the semester. It… wouldn’t do him much good to come back right now.”
Susie pushed her meatballs around the plate. Normally she’d be jumping at the prospect of warm, fresh food, but there was something stopping her. Being around Toriel made her feel unbearably guilty.
Drumming her claws against the table, Susie spoke quietly. “I… don’t really know what to do without them.”
Toriel’s eyes welled up with tears. “…We don’t have to know, not yet.”
Ralsei was despondent.
Bags grew under his eyes, darkening with each passing day. He’d stare off into space, head resting on one band, unblinking, ice cold. He’d only speak when spoken to.
One afternoon, she was sat across from him, smearing butter onto a Lancer cookie (to make cookie butter). He wasn’t looking at anything in particular.
“Yo, Rals… am I doing this right?” She held up the cookie. He seemed to snap out of whatever trance he’d been in, and gave him that patient smile he tended to use.
“I… don’t see why not.” And then he was gone again, somewhere else entirely.
Something was boiling in Susie’s chest, something very frustrated and very upset. God, she felt like a child, thirty seconds from a tantrum.
“Ralsei, I know that everything sucks right now and it’s really hard to be positive, but… you’re the only friend I have left!” She pinched the bridge of her snout, voice shaking with emotion. “I can’t lose you too.”
For a moment, the goat boy seemed to process what she was saying. He folded his hands into his lap, and sighed.
“I’m not… going anywhere. That much I promise. But, Susie…” He bit his lip. There was something he wasn’t telling her.
“It’s… I don’t mean to worry you, but… I don’t think you understand how dire our circumstances are.”
Susie clasped her head into her hands, even more frustrated. “Dude, I know you’re still getting all this feeling stuff down, but please don’t talk about this like it’s the prophecy. Like it’s set in stone.”
“That’s the thing, Susie. I don’t know where Kris is. I’m supposed to know… almost everything. Everything important. Anything relevant to the prophecy. And that usually means I can sense what’s happening in the Light World,” Ralsei paused. “Kris and Noelle… I don’t feel their presence at all. It’s like they’re somewhere else entirely.”
She didn’t know how to respond. The cookie was coated in the sweat from her palm.
“It’s not as though I’m not worried about Kris. I hope they are okay, wherever they are. But this isn’t just about them. Kris was the only one with the ability to seal the dark fountains. Without Kris…”
Her heart sank into her stomach as she completed the thought. “We can’t stop the Knight. We… can’t stop the Roaring.”
Ralsei nodded, a sad smile creeping onto his face. “It’s over. We’ve lost. It’s just a matter of time.”
The police couldn’t seem to wrap their head around why Susie wouldn’t tell anybody about Noelle and Kris vanishing post-festival.
What, as though anyone would instantly run to the police, screaming and crying that their best friends were dead?
They weren’t dead. No. Susie refused to let her thoughts even cross the subject.
Anyhow. Per the police. They’d also made some shoestring connection between Officer Undyne’s disappearance and the aforementioned teenagers. Which, conveniently, had a Susie-shaped common denominator. One had been at the Dreemurr’s, where she’d been sleeping over, and the other at the lake.
That lake. It was much murkier than she’d ever noticed. Susie had been spending a lot of time there, just watching as it moved. The water was almost gray with dirt and sand. As the tide rolled in and out, it swirled and looped in on itself. She wondered if her friends were somewhere beneath those crashing waves, just beyond its depths.
Rudy Holiday passed away.
They held a funeral in the church, open-casket. Everyone in town stood by and grieved such a treasured member of the community.
When Susie arrived, Father Alvin shook his head.
“Sorry, but… I don’t think you should be here right now.”
Carol Holiday came to see her.
It was the last thing Susie had expected, considering the woman seemed to hate her guts. But that was before, and this was now. She’d been standing just outside the school with a few officers and called her over.
Susie walked over nervously. Perhaps they’d found something to link her to Kris and Noelle’s disappearance. As she approached, she was surprised by how much softer the mayor looked. Maybe soft wasn’t right. Still sharp and jaded, sure, but her stare wasn’t as harsh.
Surprisingly, she motioned the officers away. Now it was just the two of them.
“I know you had nothing to do with their disappearance.”
That was one way to start a conversation. Straightforward, yet unbelievably confusing. Susie furrowed her brows. “What?”
“Whatever happened to my daughter and Kris Dreemurr… was something else. Not you. I spoke to Officer Napstablook. The police shouldn’t give you any more trouble,” she said slowly. “The court of public opinion, I can’t guarantee.”
She stared at the deer as though she’d grown a second head.
“Why…? Why are you vouching for me? I don’t… understand. How do you even know-“
“I’ve lost enough already.” Carol’s words were clipped. “Noelle cared for you. It’s my favor to her. Don’t mistake this as me wanting any sort of relationship with you, though. I’d much rather you never speak to me again.”
For a moment, Susie was absolutely silent. Part of her wanted to punch the woman in front of her. Yet, a smaller part was grateful.
If nothing else, it was one less thing to worry about. Susie doubted she would have any issue staying away from Ms. Holiday, anyhow.
Deep down, any dreams she had of ever being part of Noelle’s family shattered.
The police investigation died down. While Susie would still put up missing posters, the town seemed to be moving on. Or maybe just accepting that they might never truly know what happened to the two teenagers.
The leading theory among the townspeople was still SUSIE DID IT, as Mayor Holiday had warned. Why wouldn’t she have? She must’ve lured them both out to the lakes and drowned them. Maybe she ate them whole, with those sharp teeth of hers. Susie was becoming an urban legend in real time, the town’s boogieman.
As if she would’ve hurt her two favorite people, the only people who had ever made her feel welcomed, the only people who had ever made her think that she could be more than what she’d been.
Susie refused to believe they were dead. If they died, something- anything- would’ve been found. Kris’s shirt. A lock of Noelle’s hair. Blood in the water.
It was comforting to know that they were somewhere out there. They must’ve run away. Finally flown out of Hometown.
For as odd as it was to say, she was… jealous. Wherever the two of them had gone, they’d gone together. Why hadn’t Susie been allowed to come? Why had they left her behind?
Time dragged on, kicking its feet as Fall turned to Winter. All the leaves fell from the trees, Susie found herself spending more and more time in Castle Town.
The world hadn’t ended. The Knight hadn’t opened a million dark fountains and caused the Roaring. Rather, the Prophecy seemed to have just…. stopped, dead in its tracks, like a car running out of gas.
Ralsei was baffled by this. He’d never even conceived of a world without the Prophecy, and now he was living it. Some days he seemed to take it better (deciding, “….To hell with the rules! I don’t need to be the prince of the dark! I can be anything now…!”) some days worse (“I don’t have a purpose anymore. There’s nothing left for me.”) Susie tried to offer a helping hand, a shoulder to cry on, anything the Darkner needed. Usually it was just her company.
Every night, they’d have a sleepover. Neither of them wanted to be alone in the dark.
Ralsei had set up a small pillow fort, unreasonably intricate but absolutely Ralsei, in the corner of her room. They practically lived together now.
At this moment, Ralsei was painting his nails as Susie clacked away at some video game Queen had given her. Most of the recruits had been extra-nice to her ever since Kris disappeared. This included gifts like the pillows in Ralsei’s fort and Susie’s current occupation.
“You know, Susie, you don’t have to be in the Dark World to do this,” he mused, blowing gently on one paw. “You should spend some time with…”
“What, real people?” Click. Click. Click. Boom. She blew up a spaceship, before rolling her eyes. “Ralsei, we’ve had this conversation a million times. You’re real to me. Besides… no one really likes me out there.”
“Well, Kris and Noelle did. And just like with them, you could build something like that again.”
“I don’t want something like that. I just want them back,” she put down the game as the conversation got more heavy.
Ralsei looked up at her, gently shaking his head. “You know what I mean. It’s not too late for you, Susie.”
Ha! Tell that to the residents of Hometown. She was pretty confident that the last time she was in class, Catti had been whispering curses at her. Or maybe sticking needles into a doll version of Susie. It had been a little while since then.
“I know that. It’s just that I don’t think… there’s anything left for me there. They don’t want me there. I don’t know if I’ll ever be anything other than a monster out there. But here….” a ghost of a smile crossed over her face. “I’m a goddamn hero with a bunch of cool-ass friends.”
Ralsei also smiled, placing down his nail polish. “…Selfishly, Susie, I like having you here. I used to wait all day for you and Kris to arrive. Now we can just… be. And considering the Knight seems to have… paused their goal, I almost think… we can be a little selfish.”
It was odd hearing it from Ralsei, who was usually so self-sacrificial, but not unwelcome. At the mention of the Knight, Susie considered something she hadn’t known how to bring up.
“Ralsei… don’t you think it’s kind of weird that the Knight stopped… when Kris and Noelle…?”
A quiet sigh escaped Ralsei. “…Yes. It is weird. Admittedly, I don’t fully understand it. But I think… Kris was involved in some things that we didn’t know, nor would we have understood. I’d like to think they would’ve told us at some point.”
The unspoken statement “but now we’ll never know” hung heavy in the air.
Susie didn’t think they were dead. Neither of them could be. They had just gone somewhere else, somewhere that most people couldn’t find.
She stood on the shore, watching the sun dip below the horizon. It would’ve been right around this time that she went to get the ice cream. The fifteen minutes had begun.
Gently she rolled up the bottoms of her jeans- for what purpose, Susie wasn’t certain. It wouldn’t matter. They’d get wet anyways. Then she took the first step into the water.
God, was it cold. The frosty water bit at her ankles, pushing her out. But Susie refused to let it stop her. Foot by foot, minute by minute, she walked deeper into the lake. Knee length turned to waist length, then chest, and then she was on her tip toes, trying to keep her head above water. Had Kris and Noelle really done this?
It was the only place she hadn’t checked. She had to try. And if they weren’t there, well… it wasn’t worth being in Hometown without them. Maybe it would take her wherever they went.
She plunged into the freezing depths, water immediately staking its claim. The shock made her gasp, filling her lungs with ice. To the floor she sank- but kept moving anyways.
Her ears were full of cotton, her eyes clouded. Every movement was trudging and slow as her body began to give in to nature.
Faintly, she thought she could hear music. Little stars danced across her vision, before giving way to shadows. She saw antlers and swords, apples and pens, and then-
Her head emerged through the surface, choking and hacking desperately as she clawed back to the shore. Susie wasn’t strong enough to find them.
Sobs wrenched through her body, tears indistinguishable from the droplets of the depths.
Noelle and Kris weren’t the only ones who could disappear. Not that anyone would care much about another missing person, much less for Susie.
It was a win-win situation. Hometown would sleep easier knowing the beast was off their streets, and she’d feel loved again, all the time. There wasn’t anything left binding her to those suburban streets, and there was nothing to threaten her continued existence in Castle Town. The Prophecy had stopped. No one could close the Fountains.
Endless adventures and a happy family, all at her fingertips. There’d be open arms to welcome her, warm food to fill her stomach- all Susie had ever wanted.
And if her friends ever did come back- she’d come to doubt it- they’d know exactly where to find her.
Susie slipped into the school one night, walked into the storage closet, and would never be seen again.