Chapter 11 Logic? What's That?

As the party made their way through the town, the sun was starting to set. The ethereal glow of dusk was a beautiful golden color. The houses of the normally gray and stoney Thwompville shined like the gems on a necklace. Star admired the sight, really appreciating how amazing it was. It reminded her of the sunsets she herself would watch back in the real world.

Of course, the sights to see were utterly ruined by the Koopalings casting her angry glares. Star made sure to avert her eyes from them, but even then, that did almost nothing to help. The skin covering Star's arms and the back of her neck was tingling with goosebumps. Goosebumps that Star recognized as shame.

Perhaps what they were saying had merit. Star had written them in the way that she liked. She had gone out of her way to make the Koopalings likeable to her. But that didn't do much to help her. She could make the Koopalings likeable to her, but she could never be seen as likeable to the Koopalings.

And perhaps, there was a good reason behind it. Perhaps, the Koopalings were right in despising her. Star could feel her heart throbbing in pain as she and the Koopalings made their way into the warp pipe.

…

By the time that the party got to the warp pipe, the sun had already set. The golden glow of dust had been replaced with the silver glow of the moon. So, the eight of them set up camp. The Koopalings had seven sleeping bags packed in their hammerspace, but Star had to rest on the freezing ground completely uncovered.

Which, seeing how Star was a professional insomniac, was a big problem. As she laid her head on her designated rock, she looked up into the star filled sky. Her gray string was gripped in her left hand, her right hand was swept over her forehead. Her thoughts were racing at a million miles per hour.

Perhaps she was the bad guy in this scenario. Star always told herself that there were a ton of gray areas in life, and she had done her best to write gray areas into her own stories. And yet, she knew deep down that she was the bad guy in this scenario. The Koopalings, who she had walked alongside for the better part of two years now, absolutely hated her. And really, why wouldn't they? She was arrogant; she wrote herself as having powers because she wanted to indulge in a wishful fantasy. She was a coward; she had no idea what to do with her life outside of her fanfiction, outside of this fantasy.

Star turned over on her side and looked down at the desert floor of Sarasaland. If she didn't have the Koopalings, who was she? Really? If she didn't have these characters or this world, then what could she do with herself? She started to cry, her throat started to tighten up. Just as she started to sob, she heard a yawn come from the Koopalings' camp. She didn't even have to turn around to know that it was Morton.

"Star?" Morton asked. He walked over to the crying teen and leaned down beside her. "What's wrong?"

Star sniffed and dried her eyes.

"It's not important, Morton. Go back to sleep."

Morton did not go back to sleep. Instead, he sat down and scooted in a little closer to Star.

"Star, please don't do this to yourself. You're crying. You're in need of help."

Star turned back to him.

"And you're willing to give that even though you don't like me?"

Morton chuckled.

"I don't like your personality. But that doesn't mean you should have to suffer in silence like I have."

Star nodded. She knew what Morton was referring to. He had gone through a character arc where he was supposed to open up and express his emotions, rather than suppress them. She slowly sat up.

"Well, it's kind of complicated," she said slowly. She started twirling her string around her fingers. "I was thinking. I guess on some level, I am grateful to be here in this world that I've created. Because, honestly, this world is the world that I am most accustomed to. Here I have powers. Here, I have you guys. Here, I can do whatever I want." Star sniffed and wiped her nose. "But in the real world, it's not like that. I have a future ahead of me, with college and a job and...I'm just going to say it…eventual death. And it...it terrifies me, Morton. I want this dream to last forever. I want to spend more time here. But you guys don't like me as much as I wanted you to." Star sighed and held her knees up to her chest. "Without this world, I don't know what I would do with myself. I don't know if I can handle the hurt and disappointment that the real world has to offer."

Morton nodded, a thoughtful expression on his face. When he spoke up, he did it slowly.

"Well, if there is anything that life has taught me personally, is that you can't focus on the bad things. I should know; I spent my whole life focusing on the bad. It drives you crazy, it sucks the life out of you like a vacuum cleaner." Morton chuckled. A tiny grin appeared on his face. "But that doesn't mean you stop living."

Star nodded.

"I know." She sighed and buried her face in her lap. "But how do I know...well, how do I know anything?"

Morton thought about this carefully before speaking up again.

"I guess that's where hope comes in. You just have to hope that everything will fall into place. I mean, if you don't have hope, then what's the point?"

Star digested this thought. Hope. Hope was certainly a word that meant a lot in the time that she was living in. That's all she could really do. It was all that she needed to do. That thought terrified her; she wanted to do more. Yet, hope was so simple. It was so easy and appealing.

"You're right, Morton. You're absolutely right." She smiled at him. "Thank you for helping me."

"Hey, no problem. You're still a person, and every person needs help eventually."

Star laughed. Such a simple sentiment, yet one that she herself wanted to take to heart. She yawned and stretched her hands up to the Starlit sky. Morton opened his mouth in a humongous yawn.

"Well, I think we need to head back to bed," Star said.

"Yeah," said Morton. He got up and started making his way back to his sleeping bag. Before he could get there, however, he turned back around. "Hey, I noticed you don't have a sleeping bag. Do you want to use mine?"

Star gawked at Morton in shock. She slowly stood up.

"Morton...thank you! But what about you?"

Morton chuckled.

"It's alright." He got down on his belly. "I'll just sleep the way ancient Koopas used to sleep."

With that, Morton retreated into his shell. Star laughed as she snuggled into his gray sleeping bag.