The day the earth shook three years ago, was the day the modern world changed for humanity. At least in the small woodland community in Oregon. A small town, small neighbor hoods on all four corners, and large forests that surround the settlement. Everyone knew everyone. The city wasn't far away. Just a mile drive to the bigger buildings such as malls, theaters, fancy restaurants, and more.

Now, another neighborhood was created. Though it was more like a completely separate district. It had its own stores and entertainment spots.

This was all information the girl gathered when the district was built. Her little ranch house in the small clearing didn't feel as isolated anymore. Not much land separated her from that town. She was closer to the monsters than the humans now.

The girl got up from her couch where she was reading the morning paper from yesterday. She needed to go buy today's issue. So, with a heavy sigh, she bundled up in a dark red coat and pulled on a pair of soft boots. Her sandy brown hair gets flattened to her head by a green beanie with yellow stripes and a blue scarf wraps around her neck. She wore a black choker necklace around her through with a yellow flower in the center of it. It was her lucky charm. She never took it off.

She wasn't exactly the most coordinated dresser. Not when it comes to comfort. It's fall and the weather outside is beautiful in a dreary cloudy way. Her flower garden was still blooming, yet to hibernate like the singing birds who no longer fly in this area. They all migrated. Except for the resident geese and owls.

Walking down the dirt path, she listens closely to the sounds of nature. A rabbit ruffling the bushes, an owl hoots in its hollow, wind blowing the red tinted leafs. She loved this. It was one good thing about living in isolation. That may be an exaggeration. She can leave and go into town at any time she wants. It's only her location that is isolated.

When the dirt gave way to sidewalk, she began the track towards the market square. She slips on her black headphones to block out the noise of the world. Music fills her mind, setting her at ease. The girl walks across the street and hurries to turn the corner but finds herself tripping over something. She falls forward, squeezing her eyes shut, expecting the hard ground to collide with her face.

But it never came.

A thick arm was under her torso, stopping her from moving. She blinks and looked up and saw blue skin. No, scales. Blue scaled skin with dark spots here and there like freckles. Her brown eyes roam up to meet a yellow wee with green slit irises. The other eye was covered by long crimson red hair.

It was a female fish monster. She could tell from the gills on her neck and the finned ears. She had muscle, that was obvious. The girl stood up straight and smiled nervously, adjusting her scarf. "S-sorry. I m-must have tripped over your f-foot or… something else." She stuttered. This was the first time meeting a monster up close.

The fish woman eyed her curiously before grinning, displaying a handsome amount of razor sharp points. "Don't WORRY about it! Just watch it next time, punk!" Her voice was loud and made her flinch. This seemed to have been caught by the monster and her grin became a sneer. "What? You gonna be another paranoid human?!" Her words were low growls now.

Quickly, she shook her head. "No, no. That's not it. I-I'm sorry…. I just wasn't expecting a loud voice is all. I promise I didn't mean anything by it." Her nose was stinging, announcing the arrival of tears.

"Hey! Don't cry, geez! Look, I'm sorry too. Barely any humans have been kind." The monster pats her back, the force of it making her cough. "The names Undyne. What's yours punk?" Grateful that she was keeping her voice at a calmer tone now, the girl smiled.

"Krystal. But you can call me Krista if you want. Well….I need to go. It was nice meeting you and… sorry about nearly falling on you."

"Don't worry about it PUNK!" She waves a webbed hand and walks/storms off. There was only one thing she could say about her. Passionate.

Krissa smiled to herself and turned the corner to get her newspaper. She had been trying to put her headphones back on, but that's when she heard them. Taunts from the local bullies. She was twenty-one now, she'd think that bullies would leave her alone after graduation. Nope.

The man in front of a group of three stepped forward. Jordan. He still had his boyish appearance with only a few scruffy hairs on his chin. His ginger hair was dark from more than a few days without showering. His cologne was way too strong, probably covering up his stench. When he smiles, she could see his yellow, crooked, and chipped teeth. He was tall and has some muscle but no fat. He was like a thin tree. With his hair, he could match the trees around their town.

"Hanging out with your own kind demon girl?" Jordan throws a rock at her and it cuts her cheek. She couldn't have dodged. He was the top pitcher in their school. He missed her face on purpose. Her cheek warmed at the feeling of blood. Tears prick at her eyes once more. The eyes that caused her pain. They were unnatural after all. Very few liked them. Her friend had called her Ruby as a nickname.

She looked at the shop window behind her and saw the watering orbs staring back. Red. Not a vibrant red like Undyne's hair. Her eyes were actually brown with a more than average reddish tint. It was back in middle school where it began.

A kid had pushed her off a swing one day and she glared. That was normal. But he saw red in her eyes and shouted 'demon' for the whole class to hear. "Hey! Bitch! Don't ignore me!" She is turned around by the shoulder and doesn't blink as a fist comes towards her face. Suddenly that fist was stopped by a familiar blue hand. The grip must have been tight because Jordan howled in pain. His 'friends' are long gone.

"Watcha think you're doing huh?

Krissa grips her bicep and shakes her head. "Leave him alone. He isn't worth it." Undyne growls and lets him go and watches as he scurries off. The girl sighs and picks turns to a newspaper dispenser, pushing in a few coins and grabs the roll dropped down the box. Her eyes look up at the monster. "You… didn't have to help. He would have stopped after he had his fun."

She gives the human a look. "You just let them BEAT on you?!" The girl nods meekly. And pulls the scarf up more on her face. Undyne growls again and looks at the cut. "Geez. Humans are sick…. No offense. HURTING each other is not normal."

"You'd be surprised…. Thank you again Undyne. Maybe I'll see you around."

"Really?!"

She jumps at the shout. "W-what?"

"You would actually WANT to do that?"

Krissa shrugs her shoulders lightly and begins walking home. "Perhaps. We are only acquaintances after all." She smiles lightly when Undyne was out of view. She was happy to have met someone new today. Seeing the same faces glaring at her was getting old. How did the monster woman know she needed help though? Shaking off the thought, she reached her clearing and smiled. Home.

She walked inside and grabbed one of her many first aid kits to stick a medium square patch onto the cut. Krissa sets down her newspaper before heading outside. She walks the opposite way of the town, into the forest. Her feet move automatically, destination in mind.

Her clearing was one thing. She had her garden and a pond to enjoy, but nothing can compare to the beauty of wild flowers. There, in a separate clearing far from her home, were yellow buttercups. There were so many that the green grass was barely visible. She flopped down on the soft, gold bedding of nature. Reddish brown eyes stare up at the clouds passing over. Krystal laid there for who knows how long until she heard something. A gasp?

She sits up and turns her head to the right. A flower, yellow but bigger and taller than the buttercups, was watching her. Yes. Watching. The flower had a face. It shakes its head and eyes the girl with caution. "What are you doing here human?"

Krystal shrugs. "This is my favorite place." She answered honestly. The flower looked down at the smaller lookalikes of itself.

"You like these flowers?"

"Mhm."

The two remain silent. Her eyes slide closed as she falls onto her back again. She drifts off into sleep despite being in the company of a stranger. She pulled her striped beanie over her eyes and folded the blue scarf into a pillow. The coat she wore was enough to keep her warm as a substitute blanket.

The flower didn't bother her as she napped away. Once again time passes quickly. Faster than normal despite nothing changing. Time was the some yet her perception of it was different. Time only slows when she was actually doing something. Voices drifted into her subconscious. Then there was shaking. He didn't like that much and tried to ignore it. That didn't work so she threw whatever she could grab nearby. In this case, her beanie. There was only a sound of flattening grass as it lands.

"HUMAN? ARE YOU ALRIGHT? ARE YOU ILL?" That was a loud voice. She opens her eyes to see a skeleton looming over her. A monster. All monsters were larger than humans, she observed, at least the ones she met. Undyne had been nearly a head taller than Jordan. This skeleton was even taller than her by a head and a half.

She took a moment to look around. There was a shorter skeleton standing off to the side with a human kid beside him. The kid was like a young middle schooled age. Too young to show gender signs. They had a similar hairstyle to hers except that the kid had a messy yet adorable curling fringe thing going on. The kid wore a blue sweater with violet striped on the torso and sleeves. Their shorts were a darker blue.

The short skeleton, not much taller than herself though, had a stocky build he had this grin on his face, showing that he had double sharp canines on the top row of teeth. It definitely made him look more like a monster than a human skeleton. His bones were different from s human too. The top bicep bone was thicker than her own arm and his lower arm bones curved out as if to replicate a muscle. If she drew the outline, it would. The same went for the lower legs.

His and the other skeleton's skulls did not look human either. The short one wore a white shirt under a zipped up, blue, winter coat lined with white fur followed by basketball shorts, socks, and pink slippers. After looking at the outfit, she looks up at his face. The moment his eyes made contact with hers, he froze.

Thinking her eyes were changing, she looked away. Remembering the taller one's remarks as he was waking her, she shook her head. "I'm fine. Sorry to intrude on your day." Krystal murmured and moved to get up but the kid walked up to her and touched the bandage. She placed her palm over theirs, smirking. "Curious? This is nothing. Just a scratch I got from a fall." They furrowed their brows and watched her get up, slipping on her beanie and scarf.

"Bye." She begins her walk home, her feet moving quickly beneath her. When she got far enough, Krystal leaned against a tree and sighed. Four monsters in one day and three found her secret spot. Her sanctuary. She slumps onto the grass.

She won't cry. It's stupid to cry over something so trivial as this. They won't be there all day. She will just return later tonight. Pushing away from the trunk, she finishes her walk home.

…

The next day was Monday. She had to go to work again. Everything from yesterday was nearly forgotten. Krystal dragged herself out of bed and dug through her dresser for something to wear. She found a flowy dress with a halter like top with straps. The material was pastel purple with pink frill along the neckline. The skirt had a ring of elastic at the bottom, creating a bubble effect.

She slipped on some roman styled sandals and her choker before putting on the winter gear. There was quite a bit of wind today. The already cold air chilled her bare shins and ankles. The flower shop wasn't too far into town. It was on the edge so she wouldn't have to run into many people.

Krystal arrived and was immediately greeted by her friend Bailey. The caramel skinned beauty grinned and tossed her wild brown curls behind her head despite knowing they always spring back forward. She always had it pulled up during work just to get it out of the way. If she had one word to describe Bailey, it would be Gypsy. She just had that look about her.

"Hey Ruby dear! We just got a huuuuge order for flowers yesterday! And guess who the costumer is!"

"Queen of England."

"Bizzzzz! Wrong. It's the freaking king of monsters. Asgore Dreamurr! He came by in person and asked for twenty vases of yellow carnations. I got them all ready for you to deliver today."

"But…"

"Yes, you will be going into the monster village." Seeing the younger girl tense up, she grabbed her by the shoulders. "Relax. No one is going to make fun of your eyes. Monsters are by far the nicest people ever."

"How many have you met exactly."

"Err. One?"

Krystal shook her head and sighed, grabbing the van keys from the counter. "I'll go. Text me the address."

"Make new friends!"

"Sure thing mother." Was her response before she hopped into the driver's side of the van. She hated driving. She preferred to walk everywhere. Bailey waves from the doorway. Make friends? She wasn't exactly the greatest with conversations. Starting or continuing them. The address appears on the phone screen in her lap and she taps the name into her GPS.

The road took her around the town to a long dirt road entering the forest. Tree after tree passed by until finally there was an opening. A town with apartment complexes and houses was revealed. It looked peaceful. Monsters of all shapes and sizes were walking with each other. Some stopped to look at the car passing them by.

The GPS took her to the front of a large mansion. Her eyes widened at the mere extravagance of it. Well Asgore is a king after all. Steeling her nerves, Krystal got out and walked up to the large door. It was very tall and wide. She took the metal knocker in her hand and slammed it on the thick wood three times. Pull g her scarf higher up on her face as she waited in the cold.

When the massive doors creaked open, she lifted her eyes. A large monster stood above her. He wore a dark navy blue shirt and khakis. He was covered entirely in white fur like a goat, his head and horns matching that aspect but had a long tail with gold hair at the end which matched his lion-like mane. "Howdy! Is there something I can-" He stopped when he looked down at the human.

"Salutations sir…. I'm uh… From the flower shop. You ordered some carnations?"

"C-chara?"

Hello! Vix here. Anooother story. I have to many going, it's starting to become a problem but ooooh well. Whatever gets done gets done eventually. Hope you enjoy this surface story.