AN: Hey, everyone; StarlitDuck here. I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has read or is currently reading this story. Thanks to all of you, this has become both my longest and most reviewed fic ever. Now, it hasn't surpassed 100 reviews yet, but it's getting pretty close. Hopefully, it'll reach that goal soon.

Once again, thank you everyone. I hope you all enjoy this new chapter. :)

Chapter 28 Not So Sweet Home

The next morning, Celia made her way down to the dining room. Her stomach growled, begging to have its empty void filled. She carefully walked down the halls, careful not to disturb any of the people who might still be sleeping.

As she did this, her mind was on her dream. The imagery and the audio still sent shivers down her spine. On top of which, she currently had a dark feeling in her chest and mind. Creeping sensations spider-walked their way up her legs and across her body. She felt like throwing up. Hopefully, when she joined Roy down for breakfast, she would feel a little better.

The stairs creaked underneath her weight, each movement in the hotel made her nervous. Nevertheless, she still managed to get downstairs without passing out. She studied the dining room. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, sending glistening lights dancing across the pristine white walls. A buffet rested on the back wall, ready to be dipped into. The tables were smooth and perfectly arranged; Celia bet that, if she took the time to measure, she would find that they were all the same length apart from each other. Her eyes locked onto Roy's figure, leaning over a pile of pancakes and wolfing them down. Celia went over to the buffet, thinking that pancakes were a good idea right about now.

When she got her breakfast, she made her way over to Roy's table. When she was close enough, she noticed that syrup was dribbling down his chin. He didn't care. He just ate the pancakes like there was no tomorrow. Celia nervously stuck her fork in the top of her stack and took apprehensive bites.

She still could not take her mind off the dream. She thought about her mother. Surely, she wouldn't actually do that. Surely, she wouldn't actually say that to Celia. Right?

Her mind jumped to that last night with her mom. The cries in her memory were so strong that she could almost hear them now. A lump formed in her throat as she thought about them. While Ruby had never said it outright to her daughter, Celia knew that her birth ruined her life. Why wouldn't it? Ruby's lifelong dream was to become a doctor, but ever since Celia was born, she was forced to give up on that dream. Not only because she had to take care of a child, but also because her family had rejected her. Celia felt sick as she recalled those cries now, and not just physically. Her whole being hurt; it ached, as a matter of fact.

"Oh man, this is good," said Roy. He took another bite. "Not as good as the pancakes that Morton has made, but still good." He swallowed and pointed his fork at Celia. "If you ever learn to cook, you need to start with pancakes. That is the primary thing that every chef should know how to do."

Celia nodded. "Okay."

Roy blinked. He looked like he was just now noticing her mood. However, he didn't say anything. Whether it was because he was sensitive to her feelings or because he was too preoccupied with his pancakes, Celia didn't know. Either way, they finished the rest of the meal in silence.

When they finished, Roy wiped his mouth and gestured for Celia to follow him. They went up to the front desk and turned in their key for the hotel room before going back out to the motorcycle outside. Celia made sure to hold on extra tightly to Roy's shell as they pulled out this time. Not only because she wanted to distract herself from the world moving around her, but also because she had way too many negative emotions brewing inside. She had no choice but to ponder them in silence as Roy steered the bike across the Koopa and Mushroom Kingdom borders.

Her life back at her mother's house had been a sad one; there was no getting around that. As a half Koopa living in a world of humans and toads, she had been forced to live in seclusion. She had not wanted it; nobody wants seclusion if given the choice. But because of her heritage, she had often been shunned by her peers. And that was the best case scenario. The worst case scenario was that her neighbors beat her with rocks and sticks, calling her names like Koopa scum and hybrid trash. Celia still had some scars from that time period all across her body. One of the biggest was on the side of her skull, and she had received it after being thrown against the side of a swing set. The scar on her forehead from having a stone thrown at her was a close second in terms of size, or at least it would be if it hadn't closed up properly (thank the developer).

"What town are we headed to?"

Celia blinked. "What?"

"What town are we headed to? Sorry, I should have asked that before we headed out."

Celia sighed. "We need to head to Mushroom Village."

"Mushroom Village? That's not that far away! We should be able to get there before night falls."

Celia's stomach squirmed. "Actually, if it's all the same with you, I want to get there after night falls."

Roy turned his head and gave her a confused look. "Why?"

"No reason; I just do."

"Are you sure that's the best idea? I mean, your mom will probably be asleep at that time."

"Trust me, Roy. We have to get there after nightfall. We have to."

Roy was silent for a few seconds before he shrugged. "Okay…." He took a left hand turn. "I'll make sure to take the long way then."

So, the trip continued. As time passed by, Celia grew less and less nervous about being on a motorcycle. She took notice of the scenery that surrounded her and Roy. The Mushroom Kingdom, unlike a good majority of the Koopa Kingdom, had fertile soil, meaning that soft, emerald green grass was allowed to grow. Birds sang from the meadow and flew from tree to tree. Flowers popped their beautiful heads out from the ground, seemingly craving whatever attention could be lavished on them. The sky was like an endless blanket of pure, azure blue. Just as Celia and Roy passed by a farm full of moo moos was when the girl started to feel sick again. She grasped onto Roy's shell, unwilling to let go.

She was going home. Well, home was probably the wrong word to use, but still. She was returning to the place she grew up in. She was going to see her mom, for better or for worse.

After a couple of hours of driving, the sky began to turn pink. Soon, it was purple. Then, it was black as tar, with the only light provided being that of the stars (it was a new moon that night) and Roy's headlights. Speaking of Roy, he drove in silence as dusk fell. Not uttering a peep, it was like he had turned into an ultra serious statue.

Finally, up ahead, Celia spotted something she had not seen in six years: a group of Mushroom houses. Her stomach did flip flops as she realized that this was it. This was the town of her childhood. The hell that she hoped she would never have to experience again was now staring her right in the face.

Once on the edge of the town, Roy parked the bike. "Okay," he said as he got off. "Lead the way."

Celia took a deep breath and hopped off the bike. Crickets and cicadas made music around her as she walked across town. She pulled her hood up, just in case there was anybody out at this time. Thankfully, she and Roy didn't run across anybody. The town was silent and still, indicating to her that she made the right choice when it came to arriving at the town after nightfall. This way, she wouldn't have to run into any demons from her past.

She and Roy walked for about five minutes. Celia kept her eyes peeled, examining and studying the houses in front of her. Then, she stopped. She would recognize that cherry red roof anywhere.

"This is it," she whispered.

"Your mom lives in this house?" asked Roy.

Celia nodded. "Yep."

Roy smiled. "Good. Then let's go see her."

Celia nodded. To calm her nerves, she did a deep breathing exercise. She went up to the door, grabbed the handle…

...and found that it was locked.

"Oh man," said Roy. "Now what?"

Celia swallowed a lump. She wanted to wait till morning, but she knew that wasn't an option. The town would be waking up in the morning, giving her plenty of opportunities to be spotted by Toads. Which, of course, she did not want.

So, she really had one option. "Come with me, Roy."

Roy followed her as she made her way to the back of the house. Celia stopped just below a window on the wall. She tried opening it, but doing so was impossible from the outside. So, she took a rock and smashed it, causing the glass to shatter. She turned to Roy.

"Hoist me up."

While Roy looked like he was going to protest, he thankfully didn't and did exactly as she said. She wobbled as her feet were cupped in his hands, but didn't fall. She grabbed hold of the window sill and grunted as she pulled herself up.

"Come on, come on, come….AHHH!"

She had pushed herself too fat into the window. She went careening head first into the kitchen sink. She pulled her aching head out before finding herself sprawled out on the floor.

"Celia, are you okay?" Roy asked from the outside.

Celia grunted. "I...I'm fine."

Right at that moment was when the lights in the kitchen came on. "Who's there?" a melodic, frightened voice asked. "Who's…."

The voice paused. Celia groaned and pulled herself to her feet. Before she knew it, she was staring right into Ruby Patch's green eyes. She smiled nervously.

"H...hi Mom."

Ruby blinked, her jaw dropping to the floor. "Celia?"