Chapter 23 Forever Running

"Huff huff huff." Breathing now stung her lungs, but nevertheless, she kept running. She got a few interested and puzzled looks by some Koopa troopas she passed in the hallway. They looked like they were just seconds away from putting themselves in her path and asking what was possibly the matter. However, she wouldn't give them the time of day. There was nothing anyone could possibly do. She just had to keep running.

The scent of sulfur and smoke filled her nose once she got outside. The sky clouded over with gray smog from a nearby volcano, toxic and odorous. Nevertheless, she kept running. The scent hit her in the face, filling her lungs and making breathing even harder than it had been previously. She stopped and coughed, just for a few seconds, before she bolted again. Her body became sore, her legs ached, and her feet felt as if there were a few tears in them.

She had to stop, but she couldn't. She wouldn't. Never stop. Stop for no one. Never stop. Stop for nothing.

"I..have...to keep...running…."

Talking proved to be a humongous mistake. The exhaustion grabbed hold of her, tearing into her organs like a glistening sharp knife. She stopped and took a deep breath just as another volcanic eruption occurred. She coughed, hacked, and spat. She covered her mouth with her arm, and when she pulled it away, her eyes grew wide.

Blood.

She tried to gather her bearings, but the sight of the crimson fluid just made her feel even worse. Dizziness overtook her. She wobbled, clutching her head. She fell to the ground, her vision growing blurry.

The last thing she remembered was the sound of someone calling her name before she blacked out.

…

Celia ran home, her backpack flung over her back. There was a very nasty gash in her forehead. She wanted to cry, she really did. It stung; it stung worse than any pain she had even experienced this far. But she couldn't cry. Even as the blood trickled into her eyes.

"Mom!" She cried. She passed by a multitude of colorful Mushroom houses. Their roofs glistened in the crisp sunlight, which was enhanced due to the fact that there wasn't a cloud in the sky. However, Celia couldn't take the time to stop and admire them. Her little legs carried her as far as they could as the blood ran down her cheeks and dripped off her chin. A trail of glistening red droplets littered the path behind her.

"Mom!"

She had finally gotten home. The Mushroom house her and her mother lived in was at the end of the street. Celia would recognize its cherry red roof anywhere. Her mother stood in front of the house, waiting for her daughter to return home from school. She looked excited and happy, ready to embrace Celia in a warm hug. However, that all changed as soon as she laid eyes on the girl.

"Oh my developer!" she shrieked. She ran toward Celia, tears building in her own eyes. She examined her head and face, which by now were coated in blood. She ran her finger up one streak, and then stopped at the gash

"Oww!" Celia shrieked. "That hurts!"

Ruby's face fell into urgency. "Come with me, sweetie!" Let's go clean this up!"

Celia followed Ruby into the house. When they got to the kitchen, Ruby rummaged around for the first aid kit. Her movements were quick and scattered as she rushed to find the box. When she finally did, Celia felt as if she was just seconds away from passing out. She held a cotton ball toward Celia's face.

"This is going to sting sweetie; I'm sorry."

The cotton ball did in fact sting; it was dipped in "the meanie liquid," as Celia called it. Ruby cleaned up the blood all over Celia's face before finishing the job with a band-aid. Once she was done was when Celia finally allowed the tears to flow. She hugged her mom.

"Mom! Mom!" she cried.

"I know, sweetie; I know." Ruby's voice sounded hurt, like it was just minutes away from shattering. She held onto Celia, stroking her back very gently. Celia cried into her shoulder.

"I hate school!" she cried. "I hate it!"

Ruby nodded. "I'm very sorry, sweetie." She rocked Celia back and forth, humming a soft tune that both of them had heard over a thousand times. It made Celia feel a little better, but it did not get rid of the pounding that was starting in her head.

"I...I...I…" she sniffled. "I bet I wouldn't get hit with rocks if I lived with Daddy Bowser."

"That's probably true," Ruby said.

Celia let go and looked into her mother's face. "We'll I be able to meet my Dad someday?"

A tear built in Ruby's eye. "Someday, sweetie. Someday."

…

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The beeping was incessant and annoying. So, so annoying. Celia tried moving her head, lifting her arms, covering her ears; anything that would get rid of the beeping. It droned on and on, forever constant, forever rhythmic, forever dull.

After a while, she opened her eyes. The sight that met her was not the smoggy black sky of the Koopa Kingdom, but rather, a smooth white ceiling. She sat up and saw that she was in a hospital room. A beige partition curtain was drawn around the bed that she laid in. A heart monitor sat near the bed, producing the beeping that Celia had heard. She sighed, taking in a deep breath. Thankfully, it no longer hurt to do so. She began to realize that she must have been dreaming about that memory with her mom. It was so long ago, and it was a memory that she had long since buried deep within her mind. It kind of hurt to have it come back so suddenly like that.

Right when she was thinking about this was when a Koopa troopa, dressed up in a teal pair of scrubs, pulled the curtain back and came in. She smiled at her as she turned off the heart monitor.

"Oh, good, you're awake." She pulled a machine into the room. "I'm gonna check your vital signs, okay?"

Celia nodded. As the nurse koopa put a blood pressure strap over her arm, she wondered what exactly was going on.

"I have a question."

"I have an answer."

"How….how exactly did I get here?"

The nurse's eyes grew somber. "You had passed out after inhaling too much toxic gas during a volcanic eruption. You were brought here as soon as possible, and have been unconscious for a good two days."

Celia nearly reeled back. Two days? Oh man. "I guess I should be more careful," she said.

"Yeah, humans don't typically fare well when it comes to the toxic gas of the Koopa Kingdom." She chuckled. "You're lucky you've got some Koopa DNA in you, otherwise you would have been dead within seconds."

Celia's heart skipped a beat. "How...how did you know about that?"

"The person who brought you in told me." She smiled. "Roy Koopa is a true gentleman. Fitting, as he lives with the king."

Celia could only nod. So Roy was the one responsible for saving her. A noble effort on his part, but not really worth it in her opinion.

"Okay," the nurse said as she removed the strap. "Your vitals look good." She grabbed hold of the machine, ready to take it out of the room. Before she went behind the curtain, she turned back toward Celia. "Oh. I almost forgot. You have a visitor."

Celia blinked. Someone wanted to visit her? "Who?"

"It's Roy Koopa. He's been worried about you over the past few days."

Oh. That made sense, considering that he had saved her. Celia slowly nodded. "Let him in."

The nurse nodded and left. Within five minutes, Roy was right next to her. For once he had his sunglasses off, allowing Celia to see the concern in his violet eyes.

"Hey."

Celia let out a breath. "Hey."

Roy put his hands on his legs and let out a breath. "You gave everyone a real scare."

Celia nodded. "I know. And I'm sorry."

Roy cracked a smile despite the situation. "Next time you run out into the wild blue yonder, make sure there isn't a volcanic eruption going on."

Celia smirked. "Can do."

A silence befell the room. Celia didn't look at Roy; instead, she looked at the curtain. She noticed the brown splotches, indicating that it needed to be washed.

"Hey," Roy said, finally breaking the silence. "I'm really sorry."

"About what?"

"That Bowser isn't your dad."

Celia blinked before shaking her head. "It's fine."

"Then why'd you run away?"

Celia paused, her body stiffening up. She looked into Roy's face, swallowing a lump in her throat as she lowered her head back down. "I don't know why I ran."

Roy took a seat on the bed, looking a little incredulous. "You seemed really upset. You were crying."

Celia felt her face grow warm. "It's not that big of a deal!" She shouted.

Roy narrowed his eyes. "Except it is to you." He paused. "Do you remember when you and me talked in the guest bedroom? You said that you didn't know if you would like being you if you weren't Bowser's daughter." He stared into her face. "Is that why you ran?"

Celia felt as if she had been stabbed. "Look, can we not talk about this now? I'm in the hospital, for Pete's sake!"

Roy blinked before nodding slowly. "Alright." He slowly got up. "Do you want me to leave?"

Celia was just about to say yes, but then she thought about this. She was cold, hungry, and stuck in a hospital bed for who knows how much longer. She clearly wasn't going to be discharged anytime soon. On top of that, she had nobody else to keep her company. Nobody except the nurses, but she wouldn't exactly call them friends.

"No, you can stay."

Roy smiled and pulled the curtain back. "As you wish, Celia Patch."

Celia couldn't help but blush at that statement. Roy sat back down on the bed, smiling at her.

"So," he said. "You feeling hungry?" When Celia nodded, he reached into his hammerspace and pulled out a cookie. "Here. I've been saving this for you."

Celia took it and unwrapped it. She took small bites, unsure of how the cookie would interact with her stomach. "Are you sure that you should be giving this to me right now?"

Roy chuckled. "When else will I be able to give it to you?" He smiled at her. "I think it's a good gift for a really nice girl."

Celia smiled, her face growing warm as hot cocoa. "Thank you." She laughed. "You're not too bad yourself."

Roy beamed. "Thanks."

Celia looked down at the cookie again and laughed. "You know…" she broke off a piece and gave it to Roy. "I think you should have some."

"Oh. No thank you."

"No really; I insist." Celia smiled. "Consider it a present from someone who likes you."

Roy's eyes grew wide in surprise. "You...like me?" When Celia nodded, he blushed. "Like...like me, like me?"

"Mmhm."

Roy's face grew even redder. He slowly reached out and took the cookie.

"Well that's good," he said as he took a bite. "Because I like you too."

Celia felt her heart stop. She stared at Roy, who just smiled at her. He liked her? He actually liked her? Before she knew it, Celia was smiling.

"Thank you."

With that, they ate their cookie halves together, smiling as they did so.