Chapter 1

Frisk didn't want to hate anyone, but it was getting harder and harder to use that strong word. Hate. Every day they go through the same spiel. "He's so… Weird." "I know, right? You can't just have no gender!" "What a f*g…" "Such a weirdo like that should go live with the monsters." "Fuck that! He should slit his wrists and DIE!"

Then they would laugh. Anytime Frisk was brought up, they would all laugh. Something about having no gender was so odd to them that they laughed at it.

One night, Frisk stormed into their room, tears in their eyes. Their mom was yelling... No, screaming at them as they swung the door open with a force so strong, it looked like it was enough to tear it off the hinge. "YOU STUPID LITTLE BRAT! GET IN HERE AND RESPECT YOUR MOTHER!" Frisk had enough. "YOU AREN'T MY MOTHER!" They slammed the door behind them and curled up against the wall.

They sat for what felt like hours, just crying and crying while their mom banged on the door. But suddenly, a very smooth, energetic voice said, "Hey, there!" Frisk's head shot up, the tears staining their tan face. They looked around their bland room. Bland, white walls; bland, gray carpet; bland… Smiling kid? They screamed as they saw a transparent figure sitting in front of them. They had the widest grin, rosy pink cheeks, a backpack that matched the color of their cheeks, a striped sweater, and to top it all off, a bright red scarf draped around their neck. "What's wrong? Did I scaaaaare you?" They said in a sarcastic tone. The smile didn't fade one bit.

Frisk had to stare for a bit. There was a child, about their age, looking at them with a big grin. "..A little…" They whispered, careful not to let their mom hear. The kid's grin seemed to get even bigger as they started cackling. "That's great!" They didn't know what to think. They brushed some of their long, brown hair out of their eyes and spoke. "Who are you?" The transparent kid looked into their soul with their piercing, red eyes. "I'm Chara! I can be your best friend… If you let me." Frisk sat in silence for a bit, before they stood up and cracked the door a bit. They could see their mom passed out on the couch. 'She must have been drinking…' They thought.

They shut the door and turned to Chara. "What do you mean by 'Best friend'?" They said, with a nearly menacing tone. Not on purpose, of course. However, Chara was nowhere in sight. They looked around for them, only to find them hanging from the ceiling fan. "..." "I'm only hanging around, kiddo." They facepalmed. Chara dropped from the ceiling fan, making a loud thud. Frisk winced, peeking out to see if their mom had stirred any. Nope.

"Anyway, sorry about all that." They said.

"Please, just explain yourself…"

"Pushy."

They looked at them with an 'oh come on now' look.

"Okay! Okay. Jeez." The ghostly child sat on the floor. "I could be your best friend, because we're in the same boat!" Frisk gave a look to indicate that they didn't understand. Chara's face faded from it's energetic demeanor and became a very cold-looking and dark one. "...Bullies."

"Huh?"

"Those bullies… Always screaming in our faces. 'Oh look at her! There goes the class freak!' 'Do I have to work with her?' 'Ugh. Stupid f*ggot!'"

Frisk hung their head. Those quotes sounded all too familiar. "...same boat, huh..?"

That million dollar smile came back to their face. "Yep! Now grab your stuff. Let's GO!"

"What?! Go where?!"

"Oh, poo. I got ahead of myself, didn't I?"

"A bit…"

"My apologies! Aaanyway, I know a place where it all gets better!"

"What?"

"We just gotta climb that mountain everyone always talks about."

"...Mt. Ebbot?"

"Yep! That one!"

"Doesn't that place have...You know…"

"Pssh, yeah. That doesn't matter, though! Those guys have so much prejudice for no reason. Anyway, enough chat! Get your stuff and let's go!"

Frisk looked around the room at the little possessions they had. Their mom wouldn't let them get a phone, and all of the belongings they were allowed to have were old and broken. "I don't have too much to take…" "You gotta bring at least something." They looked around the bland, white room, then walked over to their closet. "What about a wire hanger?" Chara started laughing. That's a no, then. They kept rummaging. "Is the mountain going to be cold...?"

"You betcha."

They took out their favorite sweater; It was baby blue with light purple stripes. In between the stripes, there was a big, red heart. The soft texture of the fabric made them happy, especially since it reminded them of their dad... "I'll take this, then." Chara smiled. "I like it. Suits ya, kid." They pulled it over their white uniform shirt that they had to wear every day of their life. It made them upset to look at it, remembering all of the torment they were put through daily. They'd probably burn that piece of cloth, eventually...

They fastened a white hairclip in their hair to keep it out of their eyes. It didn't matter what the others thought at this point. They'd probably never see them again. "I'm ready to go…" Chara smiled that smile once again. "Sweet!" Suddenly, Chara began to shrink. They became a small, almost figurine-like version of the original kid. They floated over to their shoulder and said, "I can follow you this way. And no one can see me! And I can carry your stuff! Win-win, am I right? Hehehe.."