(Prologue: ?)
Duster's house reveals itself to be a strange little place. It's traditional, a wooden cabin, similar to many of the other buildings in this section of Tazmily.
Upon entering a brief hallway, we pass a diverse selection of hats, which lead us into a lounge that's dominated by a painting of a family. There is a cross between a double bass and a cello in the corner, alongside a delicate arrangement of plates, some ornamental, some functional. A small, brown dog features in a lot of the pictures strewn across the mantle, and there is a childish drawing of a vase of sunflowers above them.
Duster walks with a noticeable limp, but he outpaces me to the kitchen, babbling on about this and that.
"Do take a seat, m'chap!" He gestures towards a wooden chair that looks as if it hasn't been touched in several years. I sit, willing the chair not to break underneath me.
"Thank you for this," I say. "I've been travelling for a while. It has been an aeon since I ate properly."
"I'll heat some leftover stew," Duster says keenly, rushing over to light the fireplace. "Pork 'n' Apple. Meat's proper cheap round here, m'guy. 'Tis marvellous!"
I smile. There's a particular excitement in Duster's tone; certainly, he seems grateful for the company. I get the overwhelming impression that this man may be very, very lonely.
Duster pours a portion of stew into a big, black cooking pot hanging over the fire. I, meanwhile, look out of the window. Sunflower fields cover most of the view, but amongst them… I shiver in spite of myself. What sort of beastly force could bring the dead back to life? What evil power could have evoked this? No doubt Porky will still be looking for me, but could he even pass by the Dead Alive?
Going to my own home in Onett is, regretfully, far out of the question. Tazmily is at least three days walk from it, and the rumours of bandits in those forests are no fallacy. At least Duster seems to be a reasonable fellow, even if mildly eccentric, but some say I am eccentric too. I'm slightly surprised that he doesn't recognise me, but I'm thankful for it nonetheless. I wouldn't need my origins revealed to anyone unsavoury.
Duster produces a pot of tea from nowhere and pours it, handing me a mug, which I graciously take. He sits opposite me, staring into my eyes with some vigour.
"How old do y' think I look?" He asks.
"Forty years old?" I'm taken aback by the perplexing remark, but I choose to reply politely. It is surely better to underestimate than to overestimate.
"Forty?" Duster scoffs. "For the sake of the Lord above! Everyone calls me an old codger, but forty? Good heavens! I'm thirty, man. Thirty!"
I refrain from raising my eyebrows. Duster must either be lying or delusional. There are lines on his face, what hair he has left is greying, and there's a general air of decrepitude about him.
"Thirty!" I remark. "I am sorry, I did not mean to offend you. I see it now. You have youthful… eyes?" I lie my way through it, but thankfully Duster eats it all up.
"Yes, that's what I say t' those folks, too. But ah well! They're just a load of young ragamuffins anyways."
"Ragamuffins," I repeat. "Uh, we don't have that phrase where I'm from."
"Ah..." Duster takes a sip of his tea. "Then, perhaps, rambunctious scamps?"
We're getting far off-topic, so I decide to steer the boat back in the right direction.
"So, about this Porky Minch-"
"Porky Minch!" Duster raises his hands to the air. "May all the blessings rain upon him!"
"Uh, yes. That." I bite my lip. "Porky Minch is behind all the developments in this village, correct?"
"Correct, good sir!" He nods vigorously. "Ah, what a man. I'd kiss him if he were 'ere. Sadly, he only pays us visits once a week."
"When is the next visit?"
"Why," Duster beams. "Tomorrow, of course!"
.
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~~o00o~~
Chapter 16: The Damage Sustained
(Lucas)
~~o00o~~
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When I was new to Onett, there would be a protest every Wednesday morning. They marched past my window every week, waving signs and shouting, causing as much of a ruckus as they could.
At the time, I didn't understand what they were doing. If I ever asked Father about them, he'd just grunt, and tell me to ignore them. That, or he'd grunt, and ignore me.
I thought it was some kind of carnival, full of placards and colourful signs. We'd had carnivals in Tazmily, those were a lot of fun, and this looked just the same. But if I ever asked to join them, Father would get angry and tell me that we couldn't, that we needed to keep our heads down and be quiet. I didn't understand that either.
That didn't mean I couldn't watch. Every Wednesday, I'd get out of bed bright and early, and I'd watch them go by. After a little while, I started to recognise some of the more regular protesters, and in turn, they started to recognise me. One woman in particular, who always wore a sunshine yellow coat, would wave as she walked past. I happily waved back.
This continued for a year or two. Then, everything ended at once.
The woman had waved. I'd waved back. It was 7:46 in the morning, and her coat was especially bright in the mid-June sun. Her hair was tied back in a tidy bun, and she held a placard that read 'Down with Lies, Up with Equality.'
At exactly 7:47 in the morning, twenty trained members of the Onett First Brigade swarmed the protesters, massacring them one by one. I'd watched, horrified, as with slick silver blades, the faces that I'd come to know melted into nothing. I'd watched, frozen, as the woman who I'd come to know became a pile of flesh, a dagger tearing her life into pieces. Screams of torture, brutality, fear, they filled the day, filled my mind, and it was at that moment that I knew.
I knew that Onett was a dreadful place.
Ness hadn't been able to get a word out of me that day. Any remaining shreds of my innocence had been torn and butchered, like the protesters they hung up on display in our street. Examples, they said.
I hung the woman's blood-soaked placard on my wall.
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"I need to tell you something."
We're sitting on Ness's bed. My heart pounds, full of uncertainty and confusion. After delivering his letter, Ness came into the lounge and insisted we have a discussion.
I'm worried about him. I hope this is good news, or a sign that he's improving. Ness always has been a little more fragile than most, and the pressures of the mystery are tearing him down, piece by piece.
"Lucas," he whispers.
"Hey," I say, uncertain. My hand is in his. "What's up? What's happening?"
"I don't know. A lot." Ness's shoulders slump a little. "It's been, well. Manic."
"Manic?"
"Yeah." Ness picks up a pillow, before suddenly launching it across the room. The pillow falls sorrowfully to the floor. "Do you remember what I said before? About, uh. Not really finding girls attractive?"
"Of course."
Ness screws up his face. He looks like a prune. I point this out, earning a prod.
"Lucas," he says, clearing his throat. "You see, the thing is... actually, it's nothing. Forget I said anything."
"Ness." I twist my hands around, uneasy. "There's definitely something."
"Fine. Lucas, I'm, well, I think I might be, well…"
All at once, he plunges himself under the covers. I wrestle with them momentarily, before managing to slip underneath.
"You can tell me anything, Ness."
"Not this time!"
"Why not?"
"You'll think I'm weird." His voice is muffled by a blanket.
"I know you're weird. That's why we're best friends."
Ness makes a small noise, and I take the opportunity to wrap my arms around him.
"Lucas…" He tries surreptitiously to wipe away a tear.
"Ness, tell me," I urge. I'm burning to know, filled with a carnal need to help him. It must be something bad; usually he'd have given in by now.
"I might be into guys," he says suddenly.
"Oh?"
"I'm sorry!" Ness exclaims, plunging his face into a pillow. "I'm sorry I'm so weird! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
"Ness!" I hold onto him tighter. "Don't be so overdramatic. So, you mean, like. You like boys?"
Ness nods into the sheets, and there's short pause.
I mull the new information over. In a weird sort of way, I find myself relating to it. Objectively speaking, boys are prettier than girls, and they give much better hugs as well. To me, girls seem like they would be irritatingly delicate to hold, besides, their hands are so, so small. How could a hand like that fit over my own?
But, when thinking scientifically, homosexuality makes no sense. Surely it is an evolutionary disadvantage, because it goes against that inner root to procreate. If it's population control, a curse, or punishment, then what sort of deity could have invented it? Certainly not one who views homosexuality as sinful. In the simplest terms, homosexuality exists, and it is dynamic, different in every person. Therefore, how could something so far beyond our control be morally wrong? Only fools would pass judgement on biology. It is beyond our understanding, and that's okay.
"There's nothing wrong with liking guys." I take Ness's hand. "No matter what anyone says."
"You really think so?" He looks up slightly.
"I wouldn't say so if I didn't."
"But, Lucas." Ness's expression wibbles, and his head drops back onto the pillow. "It's illegal."
"Even so," I say. "Nobody else has to know, right?"
"That's what Toon Link said. But they would have to, wouldn't they? If I wanted to be with someone."
"Not necessarily. Loads of people pass it off as close friendships... wait. Toon Link knows about this?"
"I told him about an hour ago." Ness deflates a little. "I would've told you first, I promise! But I got kind of nervous."
"Nervous, why's that?" I softly hug him. When he hugs me back, I can sense the relief in his hold. Did he really think I wouldn't accept him?
"In case it would make things weird." Ness says, recoiling slightly, jumpy again. "It doesn't, right?"
"Why would it be weird?" I ask, perplexed.
"It doesn't matter." He eases in my arms. "So long as everything's okay."
"Alright, then." I hug him tightly. "I'm glad you're okay, Ness."
But he slumps against my shoulder. "I'm not okay."
"Is something else bothering you?"
"It's being homosexual that's bothering me, Lucas."
There's a slight pause. I'm suddenly unsure if I'm actually doing any good at, well, helping.
"Ness… I have no problem with you being into guys. I don't know why you do."
"I don't even know if I am or not - I'm a mess, a total mess!"
I hold him closer. His body trembles in little quivers, and I can feel his heart beating rapidly against my own.
"I've felt - st-stupid, and irritable, and tired - so tired, all the time, and I'm always worrying, and the voice in my head won't shut up! Lucas! What do I do!?"
"You need help," I say, my voice catching in my throat. "Proper help, Ness. You can't keep dealing with this alone. I'm not a professional - I, I can listen but, I can't - you know. I'm sorry. The hurting has to end."
"You're right, Lucas." He nods into my chest. "You're always right. I really want it to stop."
I rub his back as gently as I can. I cradle his form in my arms. I knew he was hurting, but not like this. Not to this extent. It should be me, I should take all the pain, I could manage it just fine. But it's not me. It's him. Ness. Ness. Ness.
Time passes, and I knock on Rosalina's office door, Ness firmly by my side. Rosalina has always been there for us, has always helped us out when we needed her. She has a golden soul. She'll know what to do, because she's great with this kind of thing.
Rosalina emerges, but her face falls as she sees Ness's expression. I look down at the ground.
"Can we come in?"
"Of course - good heavens," Rosalina is quick to usher us into her office, shutting the door behind her. "What's happening, what can I do for you?"
"Ness is hurting. A lot. Can you help him? And, uh. Me too."
I look down at the floor.
Rosalina sits down to catch her breath. I think I've worried her. I already want to leave.
"What do you mean by hurting?" she asks, her voice softening.
"I'm worried," Ness speaks up. He looks ashamed, and I grab his hand tighter. "Anxious," he says. "All the time. I have - I have breakdowns, and I'm so tired of it, someone having to pick me back up every day. It's everything happening, the disappearances, the Future Humans, Dark Pit…" His voice trails off. Rosalina reaches out to lightly touch his arm.
"Ness, it's okay to be worrying about it. A lot is happening at the moment. It would be foolish to think you'd be okay."
"Is there anything you can do for him?" I plead.
"Yes." Rosalina stands with a clipboard and a sympathetic expression on her face. "Therapy. It helps with problems of the heart and soul. You can come to me, and vent, talk things through, regularly if you like. I'm a professor, after all. I'm here to help you."
"Not without Lucas," Ness says, childishly grabbing at my sleeve.
"That works too, that's understandable." Rosalina notes something on her clipboard. "Come by any time that I'm here. So long that I'm not busy, I'll be glad to talk things through."
"Thank you, Professor."
"Don't worry." Rosalina sees us off with a gentle smile. "It's the least that I can do."
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"It's good," I promise, when we're walking through the corridor later on. "We're going to get you back to happiNess again."
"That was a terrible pun," Ness says, but he smiles anyway.
"I'm proud of you," I find myself saying. "This is good progress. You're going to be okay."
"I hope so. Thank you for everything, though. For always being there-"
Ness-" I hug him for the millionth time today.
"Lucas-"
"I'm-"
"Lucas, I love you," he says. I'm surprised. Ness isn't usually one for verbal affection.
"I love you too, Ness. What gives?"
"No, no, Lucas, I love you."
Now I'm just confused. "What do you mean?"
"Isn't it obvious?"
"No?" I say, wilting a little bit. Ness just rubs his face. "What do you mean?"
"I don't even know what I mean," Ness says, taking my hand. "But come on. We should find the others. Toon Link planned a sleepover in his dormitory tonight… that might cheer us up a bit."
"Okay," my voice shrinks under the distinct feeling that I've missed something. "Let's go."
We enter the lounge again, after a quick visit to the bathroom to freshen up. My mind swims with thoughts and ideas, but I kick them out for now. Ness was honest. Ness told me what was wrong. At long, long last.
"Everything sorted?" Villager waves, lying lazily across a sofa.
"Yes, thank you." I try to smile. Ness nods.
"Good, good. It's kind of late, so we should head to Toon Link's dorm now before we're kicked out of here."
Villager's voice sounds off. I think he's worried about us. Great.
"We should," Red agrees. I'm not sure when he got here.
"Yeah… c'mon," Toon Link agrees. He sounds even worse. Is this how it's going to be now? Regardless, we take the short walk into Toon Link's dorm, and we just about catch Link on his way to Zelda's room. But as Link leaves, Red typifies himself by instantly noticing a problem.
"There are two beds, but five of us."
"Well, Toonie and Villager can share Toon Link's bed," Ness says casually, with a strange glance at them both. I'm unsure what that's about. "Lucas and I can share Link's," he adds, and I suddenly feel a small, fluttery feeling inside of me.
"That works," I say.
"What about me?" Red folds his arms.
Toon Link shrugs. "You probably don't want to share with one of us, do you?"
"That is true, but-"
"You are hereby banished to the floor."
"Great," Red sulks. "I'll get my bedclothes from my room."
Red heads on out of the door, and the rest of us lie back lazily on the floor. There's absolute silence, yet it's not as awkward as I was expecting.
"You've got a decent room," Villager observes. "Time for me to steal everything you own."
"You wha - Hey!" Toon Link exclaims, as Villager grins, opening the wardrobe. But Villager's disappointed to see it cluttered with piles of Link's stuff, so tries the drawers underneath, which provides better results. He pulls out some paper, some clothes, and…
"Aha! What are these?"
Villager holds up a selection of 'relaxing scented candles'. Toon Link flushes pink.
"I like candles," he protests. "They're pretty, and these ones smell nice."
"C'mon, let's light them." Ness picks some up out of the box, with sudden energy. Maybe he has a secret thing for candles. He's an enigma, after all.
"I have matches," Toon Link says, taking some out of the bottom of the drawer. "How many candles are left in the box?"
"Eleven," Ness counts.
"There would have been more if I hadn't donated a bunch to our passage expedition," Toon Link grumbles. "Where did you all leave yours?"
"I dropped it," I mumble. "Other things on my mind."
"Same," Ness says, his expression darkening.
"Well, I pocketed mine," Villager says, bringing it out. "Wouldn't want to lose your precious candles, Toonie."
"Very kind of you. That's enough candles to light each corner of the room, with enough spare to light everything Link owns on fire!"
"We are not doing that," Villager scolds.
"It wouldn't be the first time a fire had been started to burn something," Toon Link says lightly, suddenly seeming kind of excited.
"What do you mean?"
"The fire that started in Headmaster Hand's office. I took the liberty of, uh, poking around last night…"
"What?" Villager looks at him with alarm. "That area is out of bounds!"
"Nothing says 'come in' to me more than an area being out of bounds."
I ignore that. "Did you find anything?"
"I did."
"What was it?"
Toon Link brings his hand into his pocket, taking something out small.
It's the spine of a book. The edges are tattered and dark, charred, but the writing remains intact.
Magical monsters, and mythical creatures.
That book from the library! The one containing Future Human! The spine must've been pretty resistant to survive all that fire. But why was it there in the headmaster's office? I take it, when something hits me. Something's wrong. How did Toon Link know to find this?
"Why did you pick this up," I ask worriedly
"I don't know," Toon Link says. "But it was in the fireplace. Meaning someone deliberately burnt it."
Phew. Okay. Toon Link doesn't know about Future Human. But someone deliberately burnt it? Why, what could it all mean? I look closer at the spine, hoping to find an author, but just my luck, the author's name is nowhere to be found. Although…
I look closer at the title. There's something else, hidden beneath a flap of curled paper. A small, inscribed V.
…?
Engrossed, I stare at it. What could V be? Is that the author? But no, it's definitely part of the title. Had there been a V before? Dammit - I can't recall.
"Something interesting about that, Lucas?" Villager comes forward as well.
"Uh." I'm quickly aware that I've been staring at it for a while. "It's just strange, that's all. Who would burn a book about magic?"
"I don't know..." Villager eyes it over. "It's interesting, though."
I give Ness a quick talk later look, and I pocket it, my mind swarming with theories and ideas again.
I can see it now. Someone snuck around to find one of the only fireplaces in the school, the Headmaster's, whilst he was out in the conference room, or wherever he said he was. They threw it in the fire, it caught ablaze, but then it spiralled out of control.
Which means it's someone in the school. Someone in the school is behind the Future Human situation, someone is sending them after me perhaps, and they tried to burn the book so I wouldn't… know? Unless someone snuck through the passages to do it, but who, why? Did they have information to hide? This is key evidence!
It's just a shame the book is gone. That's enormously unhelpful. I'll never know the author, so the doors are closed on any further investigations. I'm going to need to keep looking closely. I need to keep looking closely at everything, noticing all of the details. This is crucial.
"...Lucas?"
"Sorry!" I snap out of my reverie, alarmed, but I calm myself fast. "What did you say?"
Toon Link grins.
"I asked if you want to play Truth or Dare."
"So long as there are no big trees," I say, wincing. The injuries from that particular misdemeanour still sting. So do my feet, from going outside, and my head, from the shower attack. I realise that I've been quite accident-prone, this term. And I got sick - hopefully, that means I've fulfilled my damage quota for a while.
"Don't worry, we'll keep it safe," Toon Link assures me. "That tree looked awful even from the ground."
"It was awful."
"And weird," Ness notes. "It was unnaturally tall. Like, really, really tall."
"Mother Nature is weird," I shrug. "The tallest trees are the ones that look most climbable from the ground."
"Are they really?"
I stifle a grin. He's so gullible. "And the sun goes around the Earth."
"I thought it was the other way around?"
"Of course it's the other way around, you goof."
"Goof." He pokes me.
"Goofier." I poke him back.
"Goofiest." He pokes me again.
I grin a little bit, and so does he, our problems momentarily forgotten.
But Toon Link clears his throat. "When you two have finished making out, it'd be nice to begin the game."
"We still haven't lit the candles," Villager points out.
"It is dark," Ness agrees. "We should light them."
"But I was saving them for a special occasion…"
"We should light them all," Ness furthers evilly, and Villager distributes them. They claim to be blueberry scented, and I wonder vaguely whether lighting twelve of them might fumigate the room. Villager lights every single one with great pride, though I do feel mildly nervous. I don't want to start a fire.
"Now that you've butchered all my candles," Toon Link sighs, "Can we start admitting our embarrassing secrets?"
He's interrupted again though, as Red finally comes back in, dragging a duvet across the floor. I'm ashamed to say I'd forgotten about him a little bit.
"Why's it looking so romantic in here, lovebirds?" Red asks, seeing the candles and giving us a strange look. "That's a lot of fire."
"We're summoning Satan," Toon Link says.
"What!?"
"I'm kidding."
"You'd better be!" He sits down, mellowing out almost immediately. "What are we doing, then?"
"Truth or dare."
"Oh yes," Red says, fiddling absent-mindedly with his pillow. "That ended in chaos last time, didn't it?"
"It won't this time," Villager promises. "Else I might be forced to castrate dear Toon Link here and hang him up from the clocktower."
"Ha," Red's lip quirks. "You are the most chaos-inducing individuals on this earth. I suppose Toon Link should bid farewell to his testes."
"Can we stop discussing my balls?" Toon Link runs a hand through his hair. "Can we like, and I know this is fastly becoming a radical concept, but can we start the game?"
"Sure," Red says. "All I'm saying is I don't want to end up like Dark Pit, so we had better be safe."
There's a horrible pause.
"Let's not talk about Dark Pit," Villager says hurriedly. "He might be alive. In fact, let's believe he's alive. Let's not worry about that yet, let's just have a nice time, okay?"
We all nod in agreement.
The tension dissipates as Toon Link smirks, looking at us all one by one as he chooses his target. "Villager, I nominate you to go first."
"Of course you do," Villager says. "Go on then. One of your finest dares, please."
"I dare you to sing a love song."
"A love song?" Villager looks unwell. "Do I have to?"
"Just because all of your romantic endeavours have ended in disaster, cough, Zelda-"
"Alright, you can shut up now." Villager prods Toon Link with some force. "Here goes nothing..."
"Forever is a long time,
But I wouldn't mind spending it by your side.
Tell me that every day,
I get to wake up to that smile..." Villager falters, reddening.
"Is that it?" Toon Link pulls a face.
"Sorry," Villager says. "Copyright laws are restrictive. That's all you're getting."
"All I'm getting?" Toon Link gasps. "Well, I'm flattered."
"You idiot." Villager shoves him again, laughing through the embarrassment. "It wasn't about you!"
"You've got a good singing voice," I note. He has, actually. I never thought of Villager as being particularly musical.
"Thanks." Villager blushes further. "Uh, anyway, Ness, truth or dare?"
"Truth."
"What's your most embarrassing memory?"
Ness sighs. I laugh a little, because I'm pretty sure I know which story is coming.
"Alright," Ness says. "Oh gosh, this is so embarrassing-"
I smirk.
"...I got trapped in the bathroom. The one down our corridor. I tried to climb out of the window because Lucas and I were playing tag, but I forgot I was a whole storey above the ground. Lucas had to run and get a professor with a ladder to let me down. So many people saw..."
I burst out laughing. I can't help it. He was so ridiculous back then.
"Lucas, it's your turn, for laughing at me," Ness says, pouting. "Truth or dare?"
"Truth," I say, once I've finally calmed down.
"I've got one," Toon Link says, as Ness opens his mouth. "Have you ever been kissed by anyone?"
"Erm." I blush deeply, puzzled by the question. "No. Unless my mother counts." I wonder vaguely what kissing even feels like. Toon Link gives Ness a significant look, and he blushes as well.
"Me neither," Toon Link agrees. "Guess we're both even bigger virgins than we thought. Who are you gonna ask next, Lucas?"
"I'll ask you," I decide.
"Truth," he says, before I can say anything else.
"On a scale of one to ten, how attractive do you think you are?"
Toon Link thinks hard. "Ten on a good day, one on a bad day. Reddy! Truth or dare?
"Truth, I suppose," Red grumbles.
"Who do you think is the most attractive in the room?"
Red looks at each of us in turn. It's as if he's calculating something when he stares at me, taking in my bony cheekbones and pale complexion.
"Ness," he says, after some time.
I draw the same conclusion.
Many more truths and dares are concocted, until it's finally Toon Link's turn to dare Villager again.
"...And have I got a task for you, Villager," he says, beaming. "You've got to stay inside my wardrobe for five whole minutes."
"That's not even that bad," Villager laughs, standing up. "It's huge, I'm expecting to find Narnia in there or something."
"Well, you know what they say about guys with big wardrobes-"
"I'll stop you right there," Villager says, opening the door. The wardrobe is giant, certainly bigger than the one in my and Ness's room. He enters within, almost knocking down a small clock, for which Toon Link scolds him.
"He'll hate it in there," Toon Link says, once he's inside, and we listen with bated breath.
"GROSS!" Villager yells. "It smells awful! What does Link keep in here?"
"His dirty laundry," Toon Link cackles.
"NOOOOO-"
"Well, he's a dead man," Toon Link says. "Red, your turn to ask someone. Take your pick."
"Ness."
"Yippee," Ness sighs, frowning. "Truth, I guess."
"Would you rather… try and take the honey from a beehive, or try and take a pound coin from Wario?"
"The honey, any day," Ness says. "If Wario caught me, I'd be skinned alive and barbecued."
"Can I come out yet?" Villager knocks on the wardrobe.
"It's been about thirty seconds," Toon Link calls back, but he's suddenly interrupted by another knock, this time at the front door.
There's a beat of silence.
Red frowns. "Were we expecting guests?"
"I don't think so…" Toon Link stands up slowly, looking back towards us for just a second. He hesitantly advances towards the door. It's strange, it's late, why would anyone be here at a time like this? Maybe Link forgot his pyjamas… but then, why are the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end? Why does the room suddenly feel… colder?
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Whatever it is, it's persistent.
Toon Link glances back at us again, reaching gradually towards the door handle. Why is my heart beating so fast? Why have we all fallen silent? Logically, there is no reason for anything bad to happen. It's just a knock at the door, after all. I trace the spine of the book inside of my pocket, and Ness carefully takes my other hand in his. It's as if we all somehow know, somehow know that something isn't quite right.
All at once, Toon Link pulls the door open.
There's nobody there.
"Hello?" Toon Link peers outside. There's evidently nothing, because he comes back inside again, relief washing over his face. "I'm not sure what that was, but they're gone now."
"What happened?" Villager asks, stepping out of the wardrobe.
"A surprise knock at the door. I opened it, nobody was there."
"It was weird," Ness says, sort of distantly. He still hasn't let go of my hand.
An abrupt jab of fear hits my chest.
"Search the room!" I exclaim, abruptly standing up. A strange heat is coursing through me. "Search it, now!"
"What?" Toon Link half-laughs.
"Quickly" My eyes sting. "I don't think we're alone!"
"Lucas, how would anything have gotten-"
"Just do it!"
Feverishly, I tear through the bedclothes. Ness catches my eye, a worried expression marring his face. He adjusts his hair, but he follows my command and starts to look underneath the wardrobe. I don't know what it is, or what I'm feeling, but something is utterly, inconceivably, wrong.
Sensory check. Smell, blueberry candles. Sound, the clock ticking atop the wardrobe. Taste, nothing. Touch. The air is cold, but it was already cold, the window is hanging open. Sight. It's all the same as before…
I shiver.
I've missed something. I saw something, but I missed it. I retrace, I retrace my steps, shuddering, lost, what was it? I'm stupid, so stupid, what had it been? I let my subconscious guide my eyes upwards, upwards… until…
The clock on the wardrobe.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
A growing sense of trepidation arises inside of me, and I move to bring the clock off of the shelf.
It's just a normal clock. I look closely at it, at every nook and cranny. The polite golden engravings, the tempered glass face. It's old, really old, even. The time is wrong, in fact, it's so old that it's stopped completely. It's probably been stationary for quite a while; the time reads 4:13, but it's definitely past ten.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
Oh.
I know what's wrong.
"Toon Link?" My voice quakes slightly as I penetrate the atmosphere.
"Y-Yeah?" He quivers. They're all on edge. They know that something's wrong. "Can we stop looking, now?"
"This clock," I say, my voice shrinking. "How long has it been broken for?"
"It's - it's Link's… it hasn't worked for a couple of years."
"Then," I gulp. "Why can we still hear ticking?"
There is a horrible silence.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
"It's coming from the wardrobe," Ness says sharply. He's right.
"But I was just in there…" Villager edges towards it. "I didn't see anything unusual."
"It's a big wardrobe," Toon Link comments ominously.
"Let's just get this over with." Red folds his arms, but I can see he's trembling. "Let's just find out what this mysterious ticking noise is."
"Snape, Snape, Severus Snape," Toon Link says, under his breath.
"What?"
"Obscure reference - come on…"
Ness takes my hand again, and I inch towards him. This is weird, too weird. Fear prickles again at the back of my mind.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
Villager takes initiative, and he pulls the wardrobe door open. The ticking gets louder, but there seems to be nothing to see. Toon Link was right about the smell though, it smells like flesh, like one of the slaughterhouses in the Farming sector. It's then notice there's another small noise, buried under the ticking, something less rhythmic, coming from beneath a pile of clothes. It's a noise that fills me with curiosity.
Crying.
"I don't remember this being here before." Villager glances back at us.
"It's a big wardrobe," Toon Link mumbles again. "Well? Are we going to reveal what's under there?"
"It's too dark to see," Red says, looking closer.
Thud.
I jump about a foot in the air. That came from behind us, I've missed something again; I whirl around, frantic. When the knock on the door had come, and when we opened it, and there was nobody outside... There's more than one thing going on here. There has to be. Something has come in. But what, where? Fretting, I turn around again, as Ness pulls the stack of clothes off of what looks to be… some kind of creature.
There's silence as we edge towards it. The ticking gets louder. It seems like it's coming from the creature itself…
My mind flashes. In the middle of the woods. Being chased by Future Human. Screaming.
Ticking.
"Everyone, back!" I stand, alarmed. "Future Human, it's you!"
Everyone scrambles back, except for Ness. But it's crying, emitting quiet, hiccupping sobs. Like a dying animal, coughing up the last of its heart. And once again, it has a different face. I remember what Ryu said.
They.
Of course, there's more than one of them. But how did this one get into the wardrobe?
"Hello?" I say, approaching with caution.
"Placet..." It looks up, a dishevelled heap. "...Auxilium."
I usher everyone back again, suddenly finding myself in a strange position of leadership. For now, I am responsible for my friends.
"Please help," I translate. "I know what that means. Explain, what are you doing here?"
The Future Human vibrates. I glance back at the others. They're all white as a sheet. Stay calm, Lucas.
"Cruciatus." It looks up at me, eyes glassy.
"It's Latin." I glance at Red, lost. "Could you-?"
"It means Torture," Red says. He sounds hollow.
A chill runs down my spine. I turn back to the Future Human.
"What are you?"
But it continues to cry, heaving out broken, miserable coughs. I don't understand. I don't understand what's happening. Ness approaches, taking my hand.
"Come out, come out of there," Ness cajoles shakily. "Don't hurt us. We might be able to help you."
That gets its attention. It shuffles, very slightly, climbing mechanically out of the wardrobe. The cogs that tick inside it, continuing to break the silence. In the light of the candles, its face is warlike, peeling away, rotting. Flesh turning grey, eyes turning bloodshot, hair mostly gone. I sense the others holding their breaths behind me.
No wonder it smelt so awful in there.
It's disgusting. It's horrible. I hate it. I don't understand what they are. It still seems different from the one we last saw in the forest, because there's more metal plating over its arms. There are white gloves over its hands, and steel bars over its armour. Blades glisten, seemingly attached to its hands and feet; those same feet covered by steel boots. I step back dizzily, the smell overwhelming me. It's sick. It's putrid. It stands there in dismay, still crying messily into its hands.
I take a deep breath. Toon Link and Villager are pressed back against the wall. Red watches with intent curiosity. Ness is right where I need him, by my side.
"I don't know why you're here, or what you want," I begin, but I'm cut off.
"interficias me."
"Kill me," Red translates, standing back with alarm. I step back hastily as well.
"T-There's no need for that," I stammer. "L-Let's - how about…"
But suddenly, the door to the bedroom bursts open. Ryu steps inside, his hands raised.
"Stand back, at once! I will deal with this."
"P-Professor?!" Toon Link cries out, utterly bewildered.
"Quickly! This being is dangerous!"
"How did you know to find us?" Red asks, staring at him."
"He somehow tracks these creatures," I say, suddenly puzzled by my own explanation. "Exactly how do you do that, Professor?"
Ryu ignores me, advancing with purpose. The Future Human steps back in alarm.
"W-What are you going to do?" Ness asks.
Ryu stares it down. "Destroy it."
"No! Don't!" My voice comes out higher than usual. "It's, it's not dangerous, this one is, it's crying!"
"Crying?" Ryu's expression remains firm, but he slowly lowers his hands.
At that, the Future Human noisily run from of the room, its steel boots glinting in the light outside. Ryu gives chase at once, but it's fast, inhumanly fast, and it turns a corner, down the stairs, to who knows where.
I gasp for air, only just realising that I'd been holding my breath from the stench. I'm wordless. I don't know how to process what I've just seen.
"What - w-what the hell was that!?" Toon Link is still shrunk back against the wall, him and Villager gripping one another like vices.
"Well," I begin nervously. "Erm."
"I don't - you knew it," Toon Link points shakily at me. "Are you in league with it, or something? Explain - please, explain-"
"It's a monster." I tremble, sitting down on the bed. "It's an impossible creature, and there are more like that one. They've been following me around, and mostly they've been trying to kill me."
It sounds ridiculous. They won't believe me. What if they think it's my fault? Is Ryu going to come back?
"I don't - I don't understand," Toon Link shudders, clutching onto Villager like a child. "It was horrible!"
"It was hurting," I say miserably.
"But - But what is it?" Villager asks, his voice faint.
"I first saw it in a book." I withdraw the spine from my pocket. "This one. It was called a Future Human, and ever since then I've been seeing them everywhere I go. In the library, when I thought it was a dream, in the forest, and then in the forest again, and now here - and they're changing every time! They're getting stronger - and Ryu thinks they're after me."
My brief courage breaks all at once, and I start to cry. Where did these tears come from?
Ness swoops down, pulling me into a hug. Toon Link and Villager scramble over, following suit. Toon Link is still shaking, I can feel it against my back. It's my fault; they came after me. I'm putting everyone in danger.
"I'm so scared." I shake, covering my face with my hands. "I don't know what to do."
"Why didn't you tell us about this earlier?" Villager asks, shifting against my side.
"Because I didn't know how to explain it," I say pathetically. "I didn't want to scare you - I didn't think you'd believe me-"
"What are they made of?" Red asks. He's sitting on the floor, staring dejectedly at the wardrobe. "How are they constructed?"
"I don't know," I mumble. "I just want them to go away."
"Me too. I'm scared," Toon Link manages.
"Same here," Villager says, muffled against the rest of us.
"We'll sort this," Toon Link says quietly, as serious as I've ever heard him. "These, these Future Human things, that gravestone, the disappearances, it must all be connected somehow. One way or another, you and Ness are tied up in it, and that means the rest of us are too, right?"
"Yeah," Villager agrees. "We'll help. This is our fight now."
"Thank you," Ness and I mumble in unison.
I wonder if Ryu is still chasing it. I wonder how Ryu has saved me, all those other times. He must have saved me in the library, because he'd been there. He'd said. He must've saved me in the forest, because he'd been there too. But how? What did he do?
With renewed fear, I huddle up to Ness, Villager, and Toon Link, letting their presence keep me warm. I need them. I need them more than ever before.
"Lucas," Toon Link murmurs, but he's lost for words.
We all are.
There's no coming back from this.
"We should sleep," Villager says, after some time has passed. My emotions have levelled a little, but we're still lying in a sort of heap on Toon Link's bed. Red joined us at some point, but he sits a little way away, looking awkwardly out of the window.
"That's a good idea," I say quietly. Tomorrow is a Saturday. Maybe I'll finally be able to have a day of peace. Away from the Face, away from Future Human, from whoever is wishing all of this harm upon me. "Sorry that this turned into a mess."
"It's not your fault," Ness says, but I cannot believe him.
We all scramble up, taking it in turns to change into pyjamas inside the wardrobe to maintain our modesty. Something's still bothering me, though.
The knock at the door.
I don't feel safe.
Regardless, Ness and I take Link's bed, and Toon Link and Villager take the other. Villager falls asleep almost immediately, and Toon Link seems to as well, a modest distance away from his bed. Red is the last to go, laying out his makeshift bed on the floor and quietly hiding beneath his covers. I think he's more affected than he lets on… I have the feeling that he's been through quite a lot throughout his life, but I'm afraid to ask.
I breathe deeply, snuggling up to Ness. I feel very slightly safer.
"Ew, this bed smells," Ness mutters, wrinkling up his nose.
"Of what?"
"Masculinity."
I stifle a giggle, but I sigh.
"Ness, who would try to burn the book with Future Human inside?"
"I don't know," Ness murmurs, taking the spine from my pocket and reading it. "What's that V?"
"I don't know. It's another mystery." I put the spine back away, and there's a brief pause. "It was… crying, this time. Not attacking."
"It was awful." Ness shakes. "It's like - like a nightmare or something."
"Why me, Ness." I bury my face into his chest. "Why do they want to kill me?"
"I don't get it either," Ness replies miserably. He puts a hand in my hair, gently threading it through. It's surprisingly comforting.
Every little detail. Everything.
"Why are they even called Future Humans?" I ask.
"It's as if they were something else beforehand…" Ness begins, but then a realisation suddenly hits him. "What if they were people?"
The idea makes my stomach drop to the centre of the earth.
He continues, sounding unwell. "What if they were people, converted into Future Humans against their will? What if that's why they need help, and why it hurts them?"
"Why would anyone do that?" I ask, nausea rising in my stomach.
"I don't know. I think I'm going to be sick," Ness says, shuddering. He clings onto me, and I try to think harder.
"The author of the book must have created them, and written about them. But - But what if it's not a book, what it was a set of ideas, blueprints, perhaps?"
"Yeah, but who? Who is the author?" Ness asks, and his voice says it all. We're lost. We have no idea.
"It has to be someone in school," I reason. "Which doesn't narrow it down that much."
"But why?" Ness rubs his face. "Why use those metal men, or Future Humans, rather than normal, actual people?"
"I don't know." I shiver.
"And why Latin?"
"I don't know-"
"I'm scared." Ness screws himself up around me.
"I'm scared too."
"At least we're together," he says, and I tremble.
"You sap."
"No, you-"
There's a break in the conversation, where we digest each other's words, and I pull the covers over us.
"Seriously Ness, thank you," I say quietly, into his chest. "Thank you for being there for me."
"We'll figure this out," he promises. "But, let's sleep for now. I'm tired."
"Yeah," I say.
And despite all of the chaos and fear, I somehow feel safe when I cuddle up with Ness, drifting into an easy sleep.
A/N
Yay! This chapter didn't take nearly as long to write as the last two, but it has more words! Are you proud of me yet?
This was pretty fun to write. Things are finally coming together, though… what could be going on? Who do you think is behind what?
Notes:
-The items in Duster's house and his manner of walking mirror his character and his possessions in Mother 3.
-I referenced The Mysterious Ticking Noise from Harry Potter Puppet pals, and it was amazing.
-The song that Villager sings is an extract from a very cheesy song that I found called "I wouldn't mind" by He Is We.
Thank you for reading! See you next time!
~ReadyForTeddy
