For any of you who haven't read one of my other fanfics called His Story, I made a deal with my readers there that if I fail to post a new chapter within a month since a previous one, I will have to write a short story about Jerry. Well, I did manage to fail the deadline about halfway through the fanfic, and now I'm keeping my promise with this. :D

Left Behind (Part 1/3)

For the first few months of the monsters' freedom, education was a bit of a problem. The humans who understandably weren't ready for their arrival insisted that until the beginning of next school year, monsters should have their own separate school. Aside from assimilating purposes, it was quite reasonable because the human and monster education systems were pretty different. As a result, the children were offered a brief introduction to the subjects that were taught on the surface, and were expected to take comparative exams by the end of Spring to see if they were ready to enter human schools next school year.

„It's so stupid!" Snowdrake complained. „Why do we have to learn everything about human history? It's so much!"

„Come on, it's not so bad," Monster Kid consoled him. „Just take the mevi... medev... me-di-e-val times, for example. Humans used to fight constantly! With swords and pikes and bows and arrows! And castles! How cool is that?"

"Yeah, one time they even attacked us, remember?" said Ice Cap. "I still can't believe how lucky we are that they don't want to kill everyone that they meet anymore."

Snowy, Kid and Ice were sitting under a tree on the outskirt of the monsters' temporary camp outside the human city. Before the monster integration would begin to bring some results, they had to either live in tents, or back inside the mountain -and noone wanted to return there.

Much to everybody's surprise, the humans weren't as much afraid of them as they were curious. Aside from government officials, some bystanders could occasionally be seen standing around watching whatever was going on in the camp. By the looks of it, they were mostly surprised that monsters were very much like them except obviously for their appearance. A few human children have already overcome their constraint and started to make some new friends among the monster younglings.

The three of them, however, intended to stay away from them for today because their history exam was right around the corner. Miss Toriel who took the responsibility for human subjects told them that if they were going to become a part of the human world, they should know how it became what it was. Their brief introduction to this subject emphasised the time period between the monsters' imprionment and freedom so that they could understand how much the humans and their world have changed since then.

"It's strange, isn't it?" asked Ice while closing one of the few books that they had lying around them. "Humans have always only been looking for differences that they could then eradicate. Continents, states, wealth, religion, race. Seems like human history is actually the history of war."

"I know, it's awesome, right?" Kid said excitedly. "Constant action, explosions and knights in shiny armor! That's rad!"

"Have you heard of the atomic bombs?" Ice cap asked darkly and opened the book again. He shuffled a few pages before he found what he was looking for, and then read out loud: "'On August 6 and August 9, the two bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The bombings and subsequent radiation caused the death of more than 200,000 civilians.' Two hundred thousand, just like that." Ice snapped his fingers. "Does that sound rad to you?"

Monster Kid's expression changed as he realised the impact of what his friend just told him. "Are humans really that cruel?"

"No, no," Ice soothed him when he saw that Kid was scared. "I mean, they kinda... had to do it back then. To make the other guys surrender, to prevent even more people from dying. That's what I've read, anyway," he sighed.

"Wow, Ice," Drake joined the discussion. "When have you become so dark?"

"I'm not dark, I'm just... thinking." The monster looked up at the sky. "After I met the human that freed us, I started to think more about us monsters. I realised that each and every one of us is as different as it can get, and yet we're all united and act like one gigantic family. And now with all that's in these books, I find it strange that humans were always looking for reasons to hate each other, rather than realising everything that connects them."

Kid sniffed. "Aren't you afraid they're just gonna destroy us again?"

"Not really," Ice answered and smiled decisively. "The humans we've met so far aren't the same as those seventy years ago. They're doing everything they can to give us a warm welcome."

His friend took a deep breath and smiled back. "Okay."

"And hey, here's another great thing about us being free," said Snowy. "I get to celebrate my 14th birthday on the surface!"

"Yo, that's great! When?" Kid asked.

"Next Monday. I'm thinking party for our entire class, what do you say?"

"Heck yeah, dude!"

"I'm in!" Ice agreed. "All eleven of us, that's gonna be awesome!"

"Ten," Drake corrected him.

"Eleven, dude. There's always been eleven of us."

"Really? I'm pretty sure there's only ten of us in class."

"Okay, let's just count everyone. There's us, that's three..."

"The Temmie sisters and Bob..."

"That's seven, then there's Chilldrake..."

"Sammy and Sally, and then, hmmm... We're missing someone else..."

"Jerry," said Monster Kid.

"Oh yeah, Jerry!" Ice cheered, but frowned quickly at Snowdrake. "Are you gonna invite him, too?"

"I mean, I kinda have to. I don't want him to feel left out," he answered, but didn't seem happy about it.

"Guys," Kid spoke up again. "I don't think I've seen Jerry since we left the underground."

His friends thought for a second. "Me neither," said Ice.

"I think that's why I thought there were only ten of us in class," Drake shook his head. "But he was with us back there, wasn't he?"

"Like you need to remind us," Ice cap grunted. "That guy was everywhere. He always had to stick his nose into everything."

"But what's up with him now?" Kid asked. "Is he sick? I think we should visit him, see how he's doing."

"Maybe we should. Do any of you know where he lives?" said Snowy, and they all went silent, looking at each other.

"Come to think of it, I don't even know where he lived in Snowdin," Ice said eventually. "Did you?"

"No."

"Nope."

"We should ask some adults, then," he suggested. "This is beginning to be a little strange."

Not even did none of the adults know where Jerry was; most of them didn't even know who he was. The three kids waited long to admit it, but they realised that they were seriously worried about the lost monster.

"So get this," said Kid in the evening; "I went to mister Gerson, told him we're missing a friend, and described him as best I could. He told me he didn't see him when we left the underground. He says he's old and his memory isn't what it used to be, but..." He gulped. "I know him, he never forgets a face. If he says he didn't see Jerry leave with us, then... He didn't leave with us."

Ice and Drake looked at each other.

"So you're suggesting Jerry might have stayed behind?" Ice asked.

"I think so. I mean, none of you told him we were leaving, right?"

"No, I... forgot," Snowy mumbled and his face turned red.

"We all did, I suppose," his friend continued. "Guys, we gotta come back for him."

"What!" Kid exclaimed.

"Are you serious?" said Drake. "We just got out of that... place... and you wanna go back?"

"All the way to Snowdin Forest if we have to."

"Ice, I know Jerry doesn't deserve to be left behind, but... I really don't wanna go there again!" Snowy whined.

"Hey, don't be a baby! We've been there all our lives, we can handle coming back for a few hours again. Besides, I'm not telling my parents that we've abandoned a kid in the underground."

"Right, you're... you're right. We have to do this." Drake turned towards Monster Kid. "You with us, dude?"

"W-well, I don't like this, but..." Kid jumped up. "It's what Undyne would do, right? She'd never let someone down like that, she'd run down there as fast as she can and bring Jerry back before you know it!"

"Uh, sure, that's one way to look at it." Ice looked at his friends and continued in a conspirational tone. "Alright, you know our parents won't let us just wander off into the mountain like that. That means we gotta leave in secret. At night."

"How long before we get back? Can we make it in time?" Snowdrake asked.

"I think so," Ice assured him quickly to cover up the fact that he actually had no idea. "We'll meet at the entrance at ten thirty, does that work for you?"

"Hey," a fourth voice suddenly spoke up nearby, causing the three friends to flinch and turn their heads towards the intruder. "I don't mean to be rude, but you guys should really keep an eye out for any adults when you're making plans like that."

"Oh, it's you," Ice Cap breathed out and smiled. "You scared the heck outta me."

"Woah, were you eavesdropping on us?" said Snowy. "Speaking of being rude..."

Frisk came closer and stood above them. "Oh no, I was just walking around and I saw you and thought I'd stop by to see what you guys are up to. I only heard, like, the last four sentences. Why do you wanna go back?"

"Oh, we think our friend might have stayed behind so we want to bring him back," Monster Kid answered enthusiastically before his two friends could say anything.

"Dude!" Drake hissed.

"What? We can trust Frisk, right, Frisk?"

The human girl's expression shifted. "Are you serious? There's a kid in the underground and nobody noticed yet? How's this possible?"

"Well..." said Ice hesitantly; "he was -he is kind of a... jerk. I don't... I don't think anyone has... missed him."

Frisk frowned. "That's horrible."

"Alright, save it, we feel bad already," said Snowdrake. "We'll just go down there and come back with him before anyone notices we're even gone and everything will be f-"

"No, you won't," she interrupted him.

"Excuse us?" he said back in surprise. "What're you gonna do, tell the adults?"

"You wouldn't do that, right?" Kid asked and made puppy eyes at Frisk.

She smiled. "You don't understand. It's not the leaving part that I'm questioning, it's the part where you manage to come back before your parents find out you're gone. There's no way you can walk through the whole underground and back in one night."

"Oh, shoot." Ice scratched his head worriedly. "Well, we don't really have a choice, do we? We have to try."

"But," Frisk said in a mysterious voice and sat down with the three monsters, "there might be enough time if you only go one direction."

"Er, what? We're not gonna stay there, if that's what you're thinking," Snowy replied.

"No, dude," she proceeded. "What I'm trying to say is, you're lucky that I happen to know a shortcut."

To be continued.