Chapter 29: It's going down
…
(Ness)
…
After Tuesday passes by, reduced to a mere blemish in our dull routine, Wednesday rises up like a fearsome predator. We're empty of food - empty of water too. My powers are nearly recharged, but not quite. Not quite. And everyone is thirsty.
I can't even remember what day it was when we escaped the carriages. All of that has disappeared now, the sole focus shifting to mere survival. And griping. Everyone is griping, complaining to one another about everything. Everyone who tries to lead us is terrible, every move we make is terrible, and wrong, according to this unjust crowd.
I sigh.
I take fistful of courage, and I speak out. "We should be nearly there. Nearly at Onett."
"We still don't know what we'll do when we get there," Elmore complains.
"Well, we could decide, then," Reggie complains back at her. It's unusual for him to take my side, so I'm surprised, but I'm certainly not going to start anything over it.
"What do you suggest, Reggie?" Tessie asks steadily.
He replies fast."I suggest that we find an empty house - a house in which all the owners have gone to fight for Onett in the war. We can take that as a kind of safe-house, we can make money by selling anything valuable in the house, and then we'll be able to buy food.
"And then what?" Elmore demands. "I refuse to be housed with low-lifes like Duster for any amount of time."
"Well, we form our identities, we can get jobs, and eventually move out."
Elmore folds her arms. "In case you haven't noticed, women can't get jobs, and all of the men probably will legally have to go to war."
"Except for key workers," Reggie points out. "Onett is a coal mining city. They wouldn't send all the miners to war, and wrong as it is, they wouldn't send women down the mines. Therefore, the men can work in the mines."
"The pay for miners is horrible!" Pusher complains, "And I'm a mayor. You cannot demote me to a miner."
"Father," Ollie mumbles. "Reggie is right. It's the best hope we have."
"Don't talk back to me, son!"
Ollie hangs his head. "Sorry."
Secretly, I don't think we'll even make it that far. Porky's plan will be too far ahead by then. The slim chance that Onett has… it could well be gone by that point. And anything could happen to us before we even reach Onett - wild animals, Porky, dying of starvation… it's bleak. But thinking negatively never got anyone anywhere.
I speak. "So, that's our plan for the long term, what about the short term?" I ask. "What do we need right now?"
Everyone starts crying out:
"Shelter!"
"Food!"
"Water!"
"Somewhere to sleep!"
"Hope!"
"Weapons!"
I hold up a hand to silence everyone. "Well, what's most important currently?"
"Food," Reggie rationalises. "Your - your water-whatever powers will be back soon, and that will cover that shortage. But food - we haven't eaten a good meal in forever."
"And how do we get food?" I prompt.
"We'll have to hunt," Ollie decides grimly.
"Oh sure, let's get all muddy and covered in blood!" Elmore snaps.
"Mother-"
She rolls her eyes. "Shut up, Ollie."
Ollie hangs his head again. "I'm sorry."
Caroline suddenly steps forwards towards Elmore. "Sebastian was right. You should be nicer to your son!"
Elmore stops, walking right over to Caroline. "Don't tell me how to be a parent!"
"I bloody well will tell you how to be a parent if you're going to treat your son like that!"
"And how did being nice to Angie help her at all? Look at her - what's she good for?"
Angie turns her head away quickly, and Ollie tries to comfort her.
Caroline gasps with outrage. "Don't you DARE say that about my daughter!"
"What are you going to do about it?"
"Stop!" Ollie and Angie command, a touch of fear in their voices.
"What are you doing!?" Angie adds.
"Everyone, stop fighting!" Roy speaks, for once. "We need to hunt for food. Arguing will scare any animal in a 50 mile radius off!"
"Not like we have any way to hunt," Pusher grumbles.
"We can easily fashion spears with sticks and a sharp stone," I point out.
Roy raises a hand again. "I know how to survive the wilderness. Back at school, there was a wilderness survival week, where we would be placed in a forest, this forest, with nothing, and told to survive."
"Is that what Onett schools are like? That sounds inhumane!" Tessie expresses concernedly.
"It was actually really helpful," Roy continues, "but my point is, we can hunt if you just follow my lead."
"What happened to you being all dopey?" Elmore asks rudely.
"I was disoriented because of the chip that Porky put on my neck," Roy explains. "So, come on. Let's stop fighting, and let's try hunting, hm?"
"Fine," Elmore grumbles. Good.
Maybe we're finally getting somewhere.
(Ness)
Morning finally comes, after last night's sequence of chaos. To my surprise, we're not killed in our sleep, and everything's okay when I wake. Lucas wakes at a similar time, and I'm suddenly hyper-aware that we're sharing a bed, even though we've done this many, many times before-
But sunshine dapples the floor, small beams of light illuminating the tumbling dust, which brightens my frenzied mood a little bit.
"Hey," I mumble.
"Hey," Lucas mumbles back. I'm unsure how to tread. I know he's probably still not feeling good about himself - but I don't know what the right thing to say is.
"You feeling okay?"
"No," Lucas answers honestly.
"Better than last night, though?"
"...Yeah."
Silently I hug him. It's almost ritualistic. He hugs back. Hugs still feel just as good as when I first hugged him, so long ago. He'd been very surprised, I recall - but he'd eventually let me hug him. Nowadays, he hugs back, which I much prefer.
"Should we get up and go to breakfast?" I ask tentatively.
"...In a bit," Lucas nods, staring up at the ceiling. "In a little bit."
"That's okay."
I know he's hurting still. I know it. I knew it last night, and I know it again. All he's been through. It's not fair! Not fair at all!
We lie in silence for a little while longer. I find my eyes following the path of a spider, as it crawls effortlessly across the ceiling. I'd love to be a spider. Everything would be so relaxed, and peaceful. Or maybe a sheep - I could stay with my flock, be looked after by a farmer, I wouldn't have any worries at all…
"I'm ready now," Lucas decides, bringing me back down to earth. "C'mon. Let's face the day."
I smile. "That's the spirit."
But he covers his face. "You're the injured one, ngh… I'm supposed to be looking after you."
I stare down at the floor. "Mental and physical hurt are both important."
"I don't wanna drag you down," Lucas mutters heavily, as he clambers out of bed. "It's not your fault that, all of a sudden, I feel terrible."
I decide what he needs is something to properly cheer him up. "Lucas…"
"I keep thinking about it," he mumbles. "I keep thinking about last night - about how everything is about to get even worse - and about, about the streets. Ever since mentioning the streets to you… I keep… remembering… it hurts to remember."
I look down morosely, putting on socks. "That sucks."
"Maybe - maybe HeadMaster Hand's announcement will bring good news," Lucas suggests.
"Maybe," I shrug, but I'm not sure. That announcement could bring anything.
Lucas collapses into my arms. "Wish we could just… take the day off."
"So do I… but I think the professors would throw a fit."
"Yeah… Ness, tell me a joke. Your corny jokes always make me laugh."
I pout. "They're not that bad."
"I strongly disagree."
I reach a conclusion. "Alright then. Today's mission: make you laugh as much as possible."
"Good luck with that," Lucas laughs, before clapping a hand over his mouth.
I point dramatically. "1-0 to me!"
Lucas elbows me softly. "You're a real goof, sometimes."
"All the time," I declare proudly.
Lucas smiles. "All the time."
I rub his back. "Seriously though, you'll get through this. It'll be okay."
"I know. Thank you, Ness."
We finish getting dressed and head down the stairs - our eyes meeting the strangely altered graffiti in the main corridor. Another thing I don't understand. Why would anyone change it to Villager's name? But speak of the devil - Villager himself comes down the stairs, unaccompanied.
"Good morning-" he sees what we're staring at, and his face displays multiple emotions at once. "Oh-"
"It's weird," I grimace. "It appeared last night."
"Last night?"
Lucas speaks up. "After… seeing that figure in our room, Ryu took us to the Headmaster to tell him everything about Future Humans. We walked past it then."
Villager nods. "Oh - fair enough."
Someone walks past, and noticing the altered graffiti, they prod him, laughing.
He sighs heavily. "...I think that's gonna keep happening, isn't it?"
I nod, saddened. "Is there anyone with a grudge against you or something?"
But I'm interrupted, because Toon Link appears, trailed by Pit. There are dark circles around their eyes - I wonder vaguely they slept for even a minute, last night. Perhaps they were talking. But one thing's for certain; they're not looking too fresh.
Toon Link's eyes make contact with the graffiti, and his eyebrows furrow. "...Huh?"
"We're not sure who changed it, but someone did," Villager explains lightly.
Toon Link's eyes flare. "They - they better change it back, whoever it was! Nobody gets to mess with my friends!"
"At least you're in the clear, Toonie," I shrug.
"Who cares about me! I don't want Villager dragged into a load of rumours! It ain't fair on him."
Villager shrugs. "Well, I'll be fine. Don't worry about it. I'm pretty sure most people don't even know who I am."
Toon Link grumbles. "Well, if anyone teases you, you let me know, and I'll show them who to mess with, okay?"
"Okay," Villager laughs, "if you say so."
Toon Link walks away to the canteen, and Villager brings his violet hands out of his pockets.
Wait-
Oh.
"Villager?" I ask cautiously.
"Hm?"
"...Was it you who changed the graffiti?"
Villager quickly looks away. "What? No! No, it was not me, definitely not me!"
He's a terrible liar. "Your hands are covered in paint."
Villager checks them and curses. "Okay, fine. Yeah, it was me."
"But why?"
A pink tinge appears on his cheeks. "I dunno - I just saw how bad Toon Link was feeling about it, so I… decided to change it to my name instead. To save him the hassle. Don't tell him though-"
I cock my head. "Villager?"
"Yeah?"
"That's a really nice thing to do for him."
He blushes. "Oh - thanks, heh. I dunno why, even. I just felt like doing it."
"You didn't happen to see anything weird happening though, while you were doing it, did you?" Lucas asks out of nowhere.
Villager frowns. "Well, Bowser was snooping around… and there was a lot of noise going around, but… nothing much else."
Lucas and I exchange a hasty glance.
Villager eyes us. "What?"
"Nothing," I say quickly.
"No, what? What is it? Did something happen?"
"Last night… we found Bowser unconscious with a big rock nearby," Lucas admits.
Villager whistles. "Wow. Was he okay?"
"Not sure, we were sent to bed," I shrug.
"Eurgh - great. Why does that always happen?"
"At breakfast," I add, "HeadMaster Hand is supposed to be telling us about some new measures he's putting in."
"Then we'd better get to breakfast quick! We've been standing around for ages!"
He's right - we hurry past the strange sketch of the school burning that had appeared on the wall, and we dash into the canteen hall. I get a hasty bowl of cornflakes, before sitting down next to Lucas, on our usual table.
"What kept you?" Toon Link whispers.
"Sh-" I whisper back, as I notice HeadMaster Hand standing up at the Professor's table. We turn, and Lucas takes my hand surreptitiously.
"Students," HeadMaster Hand enunciates loudly.
There's a mass of people turning around and muttering.
"Settle down please - I have some information to tell you all."
There's more muttering, but it eventually subsides.
"This may come as a shock to many of you, but people are going missing."
There's a collective gasp, and the noise breaks out again, but HeadMaster clears his throat, and there's silence.
"Ordinarily, we would immediately close school, and send everyone home, but due to the virus in Onett - we are not allowed to."
Clamour breaks out.
"Please, settle down."
"Have you appealed to the Onett government?" A politics student calls out.
"I have, thank you," HeadMaster Hand says. "Now, we believe that there is somebody - or something behind these disappearances. So, new measures are being put in place…"
I grip Lucas's hand tighter, and he winces, so I grip it less again. Toon Link, Villager, Pit and Red watch the headmaster with bated breath.
"These measures include:
Everyone must be in dorms by 8pm. No exceptions. As you know, each dorm corridor has a professor's bedroom in it already, to keep you safe. But Professors will start a patrol rota - meaning there will always be a professor present or nearby your dorm corridor to ensure no harm comes to any of you. Nobody is to leave the building at any point. Nobody is to ever be unaccompanied. If you are found to be on your own, detentions will be issued."
Complaining and muttering comes from a lot of the students, but I, for one, think this is rational. Considering what's at stake.
"Finally," HeadMaster Hand finishes, "I would like to reassure you that the professors and I are doing the best we can to understand what's going on. Please, do not worry - if you have any worries about the situation, Professor Rosalina has very kindly volunteered to offer advice to anyone who needs it. And one more thing - the Talent Show on Friday is still going ahead. Please, if you would like to participate, come to me by the end of the week. Thank you, and enjoy your day."
HeadMaster Hand sits back down, and we all turn to face each other,
"No mention of those creatures," Toon Link grumbles. "Makes you wonder what other information he missed out."
"He wouldn't want to cause a mass panic," I reason.
Pit looks faint. "What creatures do you mean?"
"Future Humans," Lucas replies.
"Oh."
I look around at my friends's worried faces - their scared faces. I'm not sure I'd quite noticed it before, but… they're actually really scared. Sunken eyes - slight tremors, lack of sleep, paleness… It's taking a toll. A real toll. I shiver, coming to a realisation. I move my forehead so it rests just slightly on Lucas's, and I speak into his mind.
'We need to tell them everything.'
His voice sounds back in my head. 'Everything?'
'Everything.'
I hear Lucas gulp. 'You're right.'
I clear my throat. "I, uh, actually have something to say. I think you guys all deserve to be on the same page as Lucas and I. No holds barred. We've been trying to solve this ourselves, but it's not working out - and, well, I think we've realised that we can't face all this without our friends."
Toon Link breathes out a sigh of relief. "You have no idea how long I've been hoping you'll say that."
"Same," Villager nods.
I look down at my cereal. "Sorry."
"It's okay."
"We've got Sport next," I offer. "We can bunk off and we, well, we can tell you everything."
"That would indeed be good," Red confirms.
And so, when breakfast ends, the 6 of us, instead of heading to sport, make our way to the lounge we discovered on the third floor. In all honesty, I'm a little scared to tell them everything - what if they don't believe us?!
No. They will. Surely.
We reach the lounge, and Pit, Red, Villager and Toon Link sit, while Lucas and I stand. I breathe in. Lucas breathes in.
"Whenever you're ready," Toon Link smiles kindly. "Tell us that we're all doomed."
Lucas glances at me. "Should we go from the beginning?"
I nod.
"Yeah."
...
What feels like decades later, my vocal cords are strained, and my throat is dry, but we've told them everything about the mystery. The others don't even interrupt us once, as we talk about the golden egg - the books - the magic - the grave - all of it. The only thing we leave out is the fact that Dark Pit's been converted - that knowledge wouldn't help anyone. I shiver, just thinking about it. I sit down, suddenly craving a drink of water, and Lucas sits besides me.
"That's a lot of stuff," Villager notes, after a while. "A lot."
I nod. "Yeah."
"Look - I don't pretend to understand any of this or how it's possible," Toon Link begins cautiously, "but I'd like to say that we're a group. Us 6-"
"Us 6?" Pit questions. "Wait, you - you mean I'm officially a part of your group now?"
"Yeah, why are you so surprised? 'Course you are. But anyway, we stick together, we'll help you find out whoever is behind this."
"We think it's Wario," Lucas reveals, and the others nod quickly in agreement.
"Definitely."
"That slimy, sneaking git!"
"It can't logically be anyone else-"
"But," I interrupt, "we got a lot of things we need to sort out before doing anything."
All of the sudden, the door swings open, and HeadMaster Hand steps in, but he instantly breathes a sigh of relief. "Oh, there you all are! Wii Fit Trainer said that none of you turned up to Sport - I assumed the worst, and, well, Ness, Lucas, we need you, for uh, you know-"
"We know about the magic, and the disappearances, and the Future Humans," Villager says quickly.
"Oh - good," HeadMaster Hand replies. "That saves a lot of explaining, especially because I don't understand much of, well, anything, myself-"
I step forward. "Since we're trying to figure out who did this, I have to ask you something, HeadMaster."
He frowns. "Huh?"
"I gotta ask - I know, I know you said to the others not to tell me, but what were you doing in the forest, last Wednesday night?"
HeadMaster Hand thinks. "Oh yeah - that. Ugh, Professor Wario gave me a tip off that he'd seen a missing student heading into the forest. I was searching - but of course, there was no-one there."
"Well, we think Wario is the villain," I declare.
HeadMaster Hand sighs. "...I was beginning to reach that conclusion myself."
We all start talking at once, and HeadMaster Hand has to silence us. "I'm going to have to ask him questions, and put him on probation."
We look around at each other excitedly.
"But until anything is concrete, please don't spread it around. There's every chance of it being somebody else."
Red nods. "Of course, Headmaster."
"Oh - and, please, do not skip lessons. I'll let you off for just this once, but it's dangerous."
"Thank you, HeadMaster," I say, as he turns and leaves.
There's a small pause.
"The big question I have," Pit begins. "Well, uh," his voice takes a more pleading tone. "You don't think Dark Pit has been converted into one of these - whatever you call them - Future Humans - do you?"
I catch Lucas's uneasy glance, and I clear my throat. "I… hope not."
"He probably has though, hasn't he?!"
I hang my head. "I'm sorry. It's… likely."
Pit's eyes grow wide. "I- I-!" He dashes out of the room.
Toon Link stands. "I'll-" he leaves quickly.
There's an awkward pause. Red fiddles nervously with his shirt, while Villager alters his shorts. I'm not sure what to say. Neither is Lucas, apparently, as he curls up against my shoulder. Poor guy.
"Nice weather," Red offers. I glance out of the window. It's tipping it down with rain.
I smile weakly. "Uh, yeah, it's lovely."
Villager leans back. "Poor Pit… I hope Dark Pit hasn't been converted…"
"He has, we saw him," I admit hastily. "But don't tell Pit."
"Why not?"
"It'll only upset him."
There's another nervous pause.
Villager tilts his head to look at Lucas. "Is he okay?"
"Rough night," Lucas mumbles, and I wrap my arms around him.
"Did you ever find out what it was, last night in your bedroom?" Villager asks.
"I think it was the villain."
"Wario then," Red states bluntly.
"Probably."
"But what were they doing there?"
I frown. I hadn't really thought about that. What reason could they have for being in our room? I sit up. "Lucas?"
"Mm?"
"Was the figure carrying anything, when you saw them?"
"I didn't see.."
"Oh." I turn back to Villager. "I'm not sure - but we did find out how they got in."
He frowns. "How?"
"The base of our wardrobe apparently is a trapdoor leading into the passages."
"Ah yes... obviously."
I remember our plan. "Can I ask a favour?"
Villager turns. "Yeah - what is it?"
"Could you bolt down the trapdoor? So nobody can get in? I know you do that sort of thing in your Trades lessons."
"Oh, 'course! No worries." Villager smiles. "I gotcha covered."
"Thanks, bud."
"No problem."
The clock chimes for the next lesson. I suppose we'll have to go to this one. It's weird, how something as mundane as lessons can still remain. And - ugh - I've got science, meaning I won't be with Lucas for the next hour. Worry starts prickling at me again - what if something happens during his lesson?! I shouldn't think like that. I know I shouldn't think like that. Yet still, I do.
I hug Lucas tight before he leaves. "Promise me you'll be okay, yeah?"
"It's just a lesson, Ness," Lucas assures me, and he waves goodbye.
Rosalina greets Red, Villager and I as we're ushered into the classroom. I resolve to sit at the back and brood - my head is still pounding, so I'm not sure quite how much information I'll actually be able to take in. I realise faintly that this is my first lesson since waking up from my coma.
It feels like the first lesson since forever.
"Good Morning class," Rosalina greets breezily, though the strain on her voice shines through. "Today, we have to do some exam practice-"
There's a collective groan.
Rosalina soldiers on. "I know things are suddenly a bit different, but exams are still happening."
I lose focus, as Rosalina begins handing out sheets of exam questions. We've been doing plant biology so far this term, so I don't really understand any of it.
"And I'll be coming around to collect your homework," Rosalina continues, and I internally die. Homework? I don't remember any homework? I can't bear another detention - another letter home to Father - I can't afford to disappoint him even further… my gaze trails Rosalina as she makes her way around the room, agonisingly slowly, dreading the moment that she reaches me.
Suddenly she's standing right before my eyes. "Ness?"
"I- I-" I stammer, but Rosalina's expression softens.
"I forgot - sorry, you were, well, unconscious. And… for future reference, until this chaos is all over, don't worry about the homework, Ness."
I breathe deeply, relieved. "Thanks, Professor."
She takes the front of the class. "Alright, so there are multiple types of questions that will come up in your exa- yes, Diddy Kong?"
Diddy Kong - a student I don't really recognise - snickers. "Professor, what's the science behind homosexuals, you know, like Villager over there."
There's laughter, and Villager covers his face.
"Well," Rosalina explains. "Science doesn't really understand that yet."
"My Father says it's a 'sickness of the mind,' another student calls out, and there's more laughter. Villager seems to be trying to control his breathing. I feel faintly nauseous, trying not to think about my goddamn giant crush on Lucas.
"Alright, let's calm down now," Rosalina says firmly. "I-"
"My Father says that it's a curse of Satan-"
I shrivel up. That's what my Father sometimes says too. Villager appears to be shaking.
"Okay, that's quite enough," Rosalina snaps. "Exam practice. Different types of questions…"
But she's interrupted by Pit coming into the classroom. "Sorry I'm late - uh, something came up."
"Alright," Rosalina nods, "sit yourself down. Now, in the exam, there will be multiple choice questions, long answer questions, essay questions..."
I yawn. I can't bring myself to listen. I close my eyes.
...
I'm running through the darkness. Everything is pitch black around me - I don't know where I am. Flashes of images start to flash before me - destruction, violence, everything, and I gasp for air. Future Humans encircle me. The Face descends from the sky. I stumble over my gravestone, and I cling to it rigidly, eyes screwed tight-
But there's suddenly a flash - all of the horrors disappear, and I'm standing in an empty room. I frown - what's this? I look around the room, but it's just empty walls, and empty feelings.
Suddenly, to my horror - The Cloak, from the dream before-! It slithers through the wall, hand outstretched - coming towards me, and there's nothing I can do! There's nothing I can do at all-!
...
I scream - and everyone turns around in alarm. Rosalina stops talking and rushes over.
"What's going on?! Ness, are you okay!?"
"I-I-!" I panic, eyes darting around the room, expecting The Cloak to start coming through the walls - I have to remind myself that it's not real, that it was a nightmare. Just a nightmare.
"Nightmare. Sorry." I say lamely
"Gosh - Ness, you had us worried. You sure you're okay?"
"Yeah. Sorry. Yes. I'm alright."
There's some snickering as people turn back round. I curse everything.
...
The rest of the lesson melts away and I leave as fast as I can, but not without waiting for an exhausted-looking Villager.
"You okay?" He asks, concerned.
"Yeah - really was just a nightmare. How about you? That was uh, some abuse they were hurling at you.
Villager merely inclines his head. I pat him on the back. "It's okay."
"It's not."
"It is," I insist.
"No - it's not, because I know you're gay and all that abuse probably doesn't make you feel good."
"Never mind me." I frown. "Wait, you mean you aren't-?"
"If that's a joke, it's not very funny."
"No really - I didn't know. What uh - what are you, then?"
"I have no goddamn idea, Ness. I seriously don't."
I pat him on the back. "You'll figure it out."
"Thanks."
I can't help but feel it's a rather flat exchange, but regardless, we make our way to the canteen, and we're soon caught up by Red and Pit.
"I never knew people had such an interest in homosexuality," Red states blankly.
Villager sighs. "Red, they were mocking me."
"They were? It didn't sound like it."
"They all think I'm gay because of the grafitti on the wall."
Red nods. "Oh. Maybe they just wanted to know why you're gay?"
"Red, I'm not-"
"I wonder who did change the graffiti though? I know Popo did it initially, but-"
Villager breathes exasperatedly. "Red, please, it was me who changed the graffiti, so Toon Link wouldn't have to go through all this."
"But why? Toon Link-"
Villager cuts him off. "Whatever you're going to say, don't. Please. Toon Link is a good guy."
We collect our servings of cheese sandwiches, and sit down at our usual table. Toon Link's already waiting - I glance around for Lucas, but there's no sign of him yet.
"Good lesson?" Toon Link asks, and Villager groans.
"Guess."
Toon Link cracks his knuckles. "I swear, whoever changed that graffiti-"
"It was Villager," Red interrupts.
Toon Link turns curiously. "Villager?"
He sighs. "Thanks, thanks a lot, Red. Yes, yes, I changed it."
Toon Link frowns. "To your own name? Why?"
"So you wouldn't be bullied by all these people."
"...Villager-"
Villager smiles slightly. "Don't even say anything."
Toon Link shakes his head. "You're mad, you know. And you bet I'll be changing the name back to mine."
"What I don't get," Pit says through a mouthful of sandwich, "is why you didn't change the name to someone like, say, Meta Knight."
"I don't wanna be as bad as Popo," Villager shrugs.
"And why not just remove the name altogether?" I ask.
"I thought about that - but people would remember Toon Link's name was there before. However, people sorta forget that if they see someone else's name instead."
"Smart," Toon Link nods. "But, wow, you'd do that for me-?"
Someone I don't recognise walks past, and upon noticing Villager, they shove him and laugh. Villager grits his teeth. "Somehow, I would."
I finally take a bite out of my sandwich - ugh, to my disappointment it's cheese and pickle - I have to force it down. I search the canteen for Lucas - I notice him standing, looking very worn down, standing next to Popo. He notices me, and mouths 'help me!' I laugh, and he pouts.
But Popo, meanwhile, mimes someone screaming, and waking up - I guess word spreads fast. I turn away quickly, trying to hide my embarrassment. What's everyone going to say now? And what a stupid nightmare to have, too… I shake my head.
"Eurgh, these sandwiches have pickle in," Toon Link says with his mouth full.
"Pickle is disgusting," I agree.
"Absolutely. High five, Ness." We high five.
Pit speaks. "Ness, are you sure you're okay? That must've been quite a nightmare…"
"Yeah, I'm fine," I mutter. "Dreamt of that Cloak thing."
"Oh yeah, I think you mentioned that in your big explain-y thing," Toon Link muses.
"Yes," recites Red, "The Cloak was created by the villain and it featured in Ness's dream that he was forced into when he touched the golden egg."
"Uh - yes," I say, bemused.
To my further surprise, Mega Man comes over. "Villager, can I have a word?"
Villager looks up. "Huh-? Oh, sure."
"Away from all the other people - sorry guys."
"No, no, it's okay, Mega Man," Toon Link assures him. "See you later."
As Villager leaves temporarily, Lucas comes and sits down next to me.
"Hey," I grin.
"Hey," he yawns.
"Tired still?"
"You bet."
I lower my voice. "Feeling better about everything?"
"Kinda. Missed you last lesson though."
"Missed you too."
"So!" Pit exclaims. "You gotta tell us, Toon Link, what happened yesterday? When you and Villager were outside? Alone?"
Toon Link sighs. "I knew you'd ask-"
"Yeah, tell us!" I exclaim.
"Alright, alright. So, I didn't ask him out. We just talked and chilled. That's all."
Pit looks crestfallen. "That's all?"
"That's all."
Villager returns, and Toon Link beams. "Have a good time making out with Mega Man?"
Villager blushes. "Toon Link, he's still here-"
Mega Man steps out from behind him, and Toon Link blushes profusely. "I didn't see you there-"
Mega Man laughs. "It's alright dude - hey, Lucas! I hear you've abandoned me to the mercies of Wario, in Business?"
Lucas blushes. "Oh - yeah, sorry…"
"It's okay! You don't gotta look so guilty. Anyway, see you all around," Mega Man waves, leaving Villager to sit down, and hit Toon Link on the arm.
"Ow!" Toon Link complains.
"What did Mega Man want?" Red asks bluntly.
Villager sighs. "He was asking if the rumours are true. It's getting kinda tiring at this poin-"
Someone interrupts him by walking by and slapping him in the face.
Villager closes his eyes for a few seconds. "This better blow over soon."
The clock chimes for the end of lunch - for Lucas and I, it's time for double Art, so we start making the walk to the art room.
I take Lucas's hand. "You seem really out of it."
"Huh-? Oh, sorry."
"No - no, it's okay, just, worrying, yknow?"
"Sorry for worrying you then," he replies, emptily.
I hug him tentatively. "Lucas-"
"I don't even know why I feel so awful," he sighs miserably. "All I know is it just feels bad, painful even."
"Sometimes it just feels like that," I reason. "We all have bad days."
"But it's not just a bad day - ever since our argument last night… I dunno..."
We make our way into the art classroom. Professor Shulk looks grim as we all sit down. "Good afternoon, class. As you know, things are suddenly not looking so good - but take courage, use the chaos as inspiration for your artworks. Go ahead."
Lucas and I are both ready to start new paintings - so we make our way to the table of newspaper headlines, to see what unfortunate horrors await us today.
'Onett army member shot dead by arrow!'
'On Tuesday, an Onett Knight travelled into the Forest, accompanied by two archers on horseback. However, only the archers returned, reporting that they encountered a rogue group of Tazmilians, one of whom impaled the general with an arrow. This marks the first casualty for Onett's side in the Great War.'
Lucas glances at me. "Lovely."
I look at a different headline instead.
'New law passed - it is mandatory for over 16s to fight in the war.'
'B.H. Pirkle has passed a new law that males over 16 must fight in the war effort against Tazmily. This excludes vital workers - such as miners, government officials and farmers. There are also calls from some government officials to lower this to over 15s-'
I look up hastily. "Lucas, have you seen this?"
He reads it and his face pales. "If it lowers - that's us! We're- we're 16- I don't want to go to war!"
I hug him tight. "As if we needed something more to worry about… Promise we stay together, yeah?"
"Yeah - definitely!"
We select our canvases and paints. I fill my palette with grey shades for now. I plan to paint something to do with the Onett army member, whilst Lucas decides to paint something based on the new law. I'm not sure how to begin - I just start by painting out the shaft of an arrow - a long line of black across the page. Hm. I notice that unsurprisingly, Nana is painting the outline of a cauliflower - I don't know what it is about her and painting fruits and vegetables.
I stare back at my page. What could I add? I suppose the tip of the arrow would be a good start, but, that'd be a pain to draw. Can I cut corners anywhere? I glance over to Lucas's painting, where he seems to be outlining an army. It's a good likeness - the paintbrush sweeps over the scene, somehow creating faces, creating personalities, creating life on the canvas...
...But soon enough, my eyes move up the paintbrush, and I find myself distracted by Lucas's pretty hand, the way it holds the brush, the way he inspects the canvas as he paints… and the lesson is suddenly over, and all I have created is a black line.
Lucas frowns as we leave. "You didn't paint much - something on your mind?"
"Artist's block," I have to lie. "Your painting was nice though."
"Thanks."
"English Literature next," I mutter darkly - and my head suddenly spins, catching me off guard.
"You ok?"
"Sorry - my head -"
Lucas glances at the door to the English classroom. "You know, we could skip the lesson."
"But HeadMaster Hand said-"
"Bowser's not exactly gonna report us missing. Plus, you're still hurt, and plus…" he yawns. "I really need to nap. There's a lot happening after school."
I nod. "A nap sounds really good.
Lucas takes my hand. "C'mon then. Let's go."
A/N
Sorry for the super short chapter, I was plagued by writer's block for most of this damn thing, it was not fun at all to write. Hopefully the next chapter can be significantly better than that, and maybe less cluttered as well.
But I'm not gonna sit here and be negative about it. I hope you enjoyed!
..
Reviews:
(For context, this was left on chapter 3)
'So far, spooky face is my fav. character. Bayo's admission about why she needs cash caught me unprepared, not gonna lie. Another good chapter, can't wait to get to the real meat of the story.
Wow, for such a prestigious school, some of these teachers are just plain awful at their job. Imagine telling your overbearing business father that your business teacher keeps giving you the business instead of instructing you on how to business? You're doing a great job at making this reader hate these jerks.
Also glad not to have lived in the 1800's. Whew.'
Glad you're still enjoying the fic! And, heh, well, as the rest of us Chapter-29 people know, Wario has a few more tricks up his sleeves.
Again, thank you everybody who took the time to read this chapter,
~ ReadyForTeddy :)
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I-'
I've-
Ḯ̶̙̒̊ͅ'̸̘̠͔̒̚v̴̘̞̏̇͋e̵͍̭̋͜ ̴͇̌̍b̵̢̛̫̓̅ë̵̥ͅͅe̶͖̟̞͊n̴̘͕̋ ̴̢̻͋s̸͖͆͑t̸̠̭͛u̴͙̟͑̅̀ĉ̷̣̝̈́́k̵̼̖͇̔…̴̝̀̿ ̶̺͈͕͂̔S̷̹̑̎̉t̸̥̯̍͆̉ù̷̪͍͖́͌c̵͈̊͠k̸͇͋̀͌ ̴͎̰̿̅i̵̛̟̫̝̓n̴̟͍̋ ̸̧̪͐̑ǎ̸̡̞ ̶̖́̚s̴͚̥̔̎̈͜t̴̳̦̀̂͠r̵̢͓̭͝ą̶͋͘ͅn̵̤̣͗̓g̵̩͉̣͐̿͝e̶̥̜̊̈́̐ ̷̝͇͑͂̚w̶̘͓̓̈́o̶͈͐ř̶̡͚̎̕l̴̟̻͍͒ď̸͖̀͝.̶̢̩̱̿ ̷̨̼̑͒Ǐ̷̪̩̄ṫ̷̜͔̜'̸͚͠s̵͎̔͐ ̶͓̝̓̆̌a̸̰̭̱̒ ̸̡͓͔́̾p̷̬͓̣̓̊͠a̶̪̺̅̐͑i̵̫̦̤͠n̸̨̩̑̈́f̶̲̥̉̆ǘ̴̥͗l̵̗̖̃́͠ ̵̖̈ẅ̷̢̗o̶̼͓̔̑ṟ̸̨͓͂̂͠l̸͉̬͋͑̉d̷͔͖̿̊̚,̴̘̺̗͒ ̸̱̈́͝͠b̶̥͎̀û̵͔̾ť̴̥̘̰̀ ̶̳̟̆̓ͅI̵̩̞͖̒̃̍'̸̬͂͝m̸̹̀ ̸̡̤͕̒͛͑ṣ̵͇̈́e̶̛̤̾̍a̵͕͓̔̏̈́r̵̼̊̀c̷̠̽͌̏h̵͙̼̫̐̕ì̷̛̳̝̀n̷͈̎̐̂g̶̳͗̚̕…̷̳̀ ̴̡̲̖́͋I̵͉͚̓̎͘'̸̺̑͂̍m̷̥̘̈́̈́ ̷̧̻̼̑͋̀s̶̲̐̄é̴̮̼̒a̶͖̣̠̅r̶͙̭̜̔̓c̶̨̜̄́͌h̷̯͑į̸̝̝̇̈́n̸̘̈̊̚g̷͙͐…̵̢̛̗̋͆ ̴̨̼̭͋I̵̹̅̾̇ ̵̡̛͇͛̕g̸͇̲͂o̴͈̊t̶͍͈̝̉ ̸̡̤͓͐ą̷͙͓̊ẁ̴͔̼̪a̵̦̐y̴̧̹͈̌,̵̻̒̍ ̷͕̥̟͑͐a̵̙̤̐̓̑n̷̹̋̃̕ď̵̖̗̎ ̵̗̣̂͋͋I̷̧͕̒͜ ̴̚ͅͅk̴̟̊̈́̍n̶̝̦̭͐̚͝ỡ̷̯͕̩́w̸̺̘̘̆ ̸̱͗̚I̵̞͖͒ ̶̻̍̏̚h̴̺͚̭́̆͌ǎ̶͖ͅv̷̯̐ẽ̶͍̖̇̀ ̴̛̙̠͒͒t̸͉͖̝͆ô̷̫ ̵̨̰̩́̇ş̷̜̮̎́ë̴̢̘̰́ạ̶̰͐̓̕r̶̗̮͗̾c̶̗͕͆h̵̡̹̰̀̚…̴̹̰̈ ̵̨̮̑B̵̞̈́ǔ̶͖͍̤t̴̟̙̓ ̷̨̭̲̈́̈͠I̶̧̼̱̚'̴̣̼͈̆m̶̲̑ ̸̼̟̎ș̴̻͛ͅc̸̢̫̭̃̽a̵̮̮̒̑̐r̵̯̠̎̈́e̸̘̽d̵̗͑ͅ.̶̢̗̹̌͂ ̵͎̹͎̐͂̈Ỉ̸̥̰͇̔'̷̗̙̯̂́́m̵̰̫̺̀̋̈́ ̷̗͕̾̐̐f̶̖̹̍̎̋r̷̞̉í̴͈̱̔ģ̶̼̈́h̸̢̛̗̫͌̋t̷̟͈͚̓̎̌ẽ̸͔n̸͖̗͌ȩ̵̢͝d̵̜̫͝.̶̗̱̃̃̎ ̴̢̱͉̓Ḯ̶̼͙̍ ̴̪̳̿̅͜n̴͇͉̱͑e̶͈͎̠̋̅v̴̞́͗è̸̪r̵̝̄͂̋ ̴̦̙̦̋͝ủ̴̑͊͜s̵͓̯̤̑e̶̢̝̍̂͊d̷̦͉͘ ̸̨̟̜̐̓͘t̴̢̜̉͌ǒ̴̬̬̲̄͘ ̸̝͓̑͊b̵̨͋e̵͇͕̔͌̀ ̸̠͊f̷̢̈́̿̃r̵̳̫̉͘ͅĭ̷̎͜g̷̪̩̮͌h̵͎̋̇t̴̼̬͐̅͂e̷̞̫͋̈ͅn̴̦̫̜̍͗̈́e̴̦̳̯͒̽d̸̨̙̂́͠.̸̢͓̫̀ ̷͈͔̣̌̓B̵̧̜̓̀ų̷̠̯̾͊͝ţ̴͛̔ ̷̛̫͎ͅṇ̷̗͕̽̽͆ọ̶̙̗͗̀ŵ̷̤͚͘ ̸̢͙̀ͅI̴̓͜͠ ̶̭̫́̽̐a̷̤̽̄͘ṃ̵̭̘͐̈́.̵̩̰́̂̚ ̷̝̎̊
̴̌͋͜͠
…
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Help me.
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