~Faye~
Faye was very happy when she found out Toriel's house was really nice. It had a pale wood floor, a staircase leading down to somewhere and wood walls. It was like Faye's aunt's house. Now she missed her cool aunt. At least Melody was smiling at her.
Toriel was standing in front of the staircase. "Surprise!" she said brightly. "Do you smell that?"
"Yeaaahhh, somethin' smells gooooood." Brayden replied, looking hungry.
"Is that pie?" Cody asked eagerly.
"It is, my child," Toriel replied, nodding. "It is a butterscotch-cinnamon pie. I thought we might celebrate your arrival. I want you all to have a nice time living here. So I will hold off on snail pie for tonight."
"Snail pie? Ewww." Melody commented, crinkling her nose. The others nodded in agreement.
"I'd try it!" Brayden said boldly, like he was being challenged. Faye wondered if he was being brave or just crazy. She knew she wouldn't eat snail pie.
"Living here?" Clover asked, folding her arms. "Don't you mean showin' us how to leave 'ere?"
Toriel paused like she was contemplating something. Then she said, "Erm, how about you children have your pie now? I need to prepare your room, anyway."
She led the kids to the left. Clover looked suspicious. Faye felt happy. She liked pie. The room to the left was large with a wooden floor and pale walls. There was a fireplace, a bookshelf with old books (Percy walked right over to it), a large armchair and a fireplace. A brown table was near the corner of the room. It was surrounded by chairs. Plates holding pie were sitting on the table, letting off steam.
"Here we are." Toriel spoke calmly, pointing at the table.
"AWESOME!" Brayden yelled, pretty much running into the chair. Melody sighed.
"This isn't poisoned, right?" Clover asked, eyeing Toriel. The disturbed goat woman shook her head. The eighth human was giving Clover a thumbs-up. Faye smiled at her as well. She liked Toriel. All the kids sat around the table. Melody was trying to get Brayden to not be so messy while he was eating. Cody was asking Toriel about the recipe. Percy was reading a book he'd found on the shelf. Clover was eyeing her bro. The eighth human slipped the pie into their pockets.
"You're saving it for later?" Faye asked, watching them. "That's a good idea. I'll do that too."
She put the pie in her pockets. She wasn't really hungry anyway. Unlike pretty much everyone else, she wasn't the biggest fan of food.
"Ohhh this is AMAZING!" Brayden yelled, making a huge mess.
"Brayden you're making a huge mess!" Melody grumbled, glaring at him and unintentionally copying what the narrator said.
"Toriel said the recipe requires quite a lot of butter," Cody mused, tapping his chin. "That's okay - I think there's butter at home."
"Okay, this is actually darn swell," Clover commented, finishing her pie. She eyed the genderless kid. "I hope you're right 'bout it not bein' poisoned."
"Astonishing," Percy gasped emotionlessly, reading a book. "According to this book, humans attacked monsters. They retreated underground, eventually arriving at a cavern. There, they built a town: Home, named by the king. Apparently he stinks at names. I presume that city we saw is Home - or was Home."
"Humans attacked monsters?" Clover asked, looking up. "What was that war all about, anyway?"
Percy took out his notes. "Recordings say that monsters tried to take our SOULs - as they give them great power. We fought to protect ourselves and sealed monsters underground with a magic spell." He hadn't touched his pie.
"But what about the monsters?" Faye asked, biting her lip. "Are they really that mean?"
"Yeah, I think monsters are nice - if we just give them a chance." Cody agreed. He ignored the look his sister had on her face.
"The perspective from the monsters is ambiguous," Percy answered. "All I could find was the perspective from the humans. That's why I wanted to visit the library - to expand my knowledge."
"I have no idea what you're saying." Brayden commented, looking confused. He stared at Percy's pie. "Hey, Nerd Boy, you haven't had your pie. Can I have it?"
Percy nodded. Brayden grinned and took it. Melody sighed. Faye thought about monsterkind. Why did the war happen? Why were humans so mean? Or were monsters mean? Now she was tired.
Toriel led the children to a bedroom in a hall (after Cody checked out the kitchen and Percy got more books).
Toriel noted Cody's love of cooking and Percy's love of books.
"You must be an avid reader, my child," she told Percy. "I will find more books for you to read."
Percy looked happy about that. Faye was glad everything was being all cool. Now she could sleep. The bedroom Toriel gave them was rather small. It was a red colour scheme: red carpet, red bed, red chests and wardrobes, toys, lamps, a drawing on the wall and red shoes. The only thing that wasn't red was a large, blue bed in the corner. And a bunch of sleeping bags on the floor. It was a pretty child-like room; it must've belonged to a kid beforehand.
"I apologize for the slight mess," Toriel said, gesturing to the room. "I moved my bed in here so some of you can share it. There are also sleeping beds for those of you who are okay with sleeping on the floor."
"I'm okay with sleeping on the floor." Cody said, making a small smile.
"I don't mind." Faye replied, also grinning. The genderless kid nodded, also cool with sleeping on the ground.
"I BAGS THIS BED!" Brayden yelled, jumping into the little red bed. That left Percy, Melody, Clover and the big, blue bed.
"I'll sleep on the floor." Percy spoke up quickly, clutching his notes. He moved away from the girls. Melody and Clover eyed each other.
"You're not taking your gun into the bed." Melody told Clover, folding her arms.
"Why not?" Clover asked, cocking her head. "You're wearin' your flip flops."
"They're ballet slippers!" Melody snapped. "And I don't wear my shoes to bed, thank you very much."
"Now, now," Toriel spoke calmly. "How about I read you all a bedtime story to help you sleep?"
Faye thought that sounded really nice. Her aunt always told great stories - and so did her parents. They made the world a little cooler.
"Seriously?!" Brayden asked, punching the pillow. "Bedtime stories are for babies!"
"I like bedtime stories." Faye said quietly, frowning.
"I don't mind a story every now and again." Melody agreed. She sat on the blue bed; Clover sat next to her. "One would be nice."
"I love bedtime stories!" Cody expressed cheerfully. He grinned at Clover. "Remember Mom used to tell them?" Clover adjusted her cowboy hat.
"Yeah," she said. "I remember."
"I like making my own stories." Percy commented, sounding very dead inside (as always).
The eighth human simply nodded.
"Tell us a story, Ms. Toriel!" Cody spoke up brightly. "Please?"
"Yeah, do that," Clover agreed, making the blue bed comfortable.
All the kids aside from Brayden sat down on it and stared at Toriel with eager eyes (aside from the eighth human who was emotionless and Percy who was Percy). "If Brayden wants to miss out, then I say let him. He can go to sleep."
"FINE, I WILL!" Brayden yelled, turning over and placing the pillow over his head. Toriel chuckled. She pulled out an old book. Its cover was worn and the pages were starting to tear. Toriel put on her reading glasses. She smiled. Faye leaned forward eagerly, ready to listen. She was a good listener. That's what people had told her.
"This is a story about the peaceful life of humans and monsters," Toriel began. "Once upon a time, there were two races: HUMANS and MONSTERS. One day, there was a great war between them. However, unlike in the story we know... there was a different ending." Brayden looked over from his little bed. Faye guessed he didn't really like missing out. "A BRAVE and KIND monster, instead of fighting the humans, reasoned with them. They convinced the humans to stop fighting as it was wrong."
"Wow, what a nice monster." Cody commented, looking happy.
"However, there was one human who was DETERMINED to destroy monsterkind," Toriel continued. "They killed everything in their path. They could not be stopped, even by their own people."
"That's awful!" Cody exclaimed.
"What a mean person." Faye said sadly, making a face.
"I hope they got destroyed." Clover agreed, glaring at the ceiling.
The eighth human shifted, biting their lip. Brayden came over and sat next to Faye.
"The monster heard about this human," Toriel went on, adjusting her glasses. "They knew the human was only scared and they needed a friend to guide them. So they approached this human. The human, aggressive, of course wanted to fight this monster."
"Oh no! They didn't die, did they?!" Cody asked, hugging his sister.
"That would be sad..." Faye commented, looking away.
"A great hero," Brayden agreed, dramatically pointing his fist at the ceiling. "True courage was shown."
"Now you're into this?" Melody asked him, raising her brow. "A few seconds ago you were saying bedtime stories are for 'babies'."
"Some are good!" Brayden retorted, blowing a raspberry at her.
"Ah, do not fear, my children," Toriel said, grinning. "For the monster was DETERMINED as well. Not in the ways of evil, but in the ways of PACIFISM. With their words, their actions, their KINDNESS... They were able to convince the human to stop killing. The human, from there on, spared every monster they encountered. Thanks to this monster, the war was over. Humans and monsters lived in peace, happily ever after." She closed the book. "And that, my children, is why you should SPARE all monsters you encounter - it will reward you beyond anything GOLD can afford."
Cody sniffled. "That was so nice! I love happy endings!"
"The moral was good, too," Melody commented, looking satisfied. "MERCY will bring peace."
"I guess that was alllriiiggghhttt for a bedtime story." Brayden snorted, though he looked like he enjoyed it.
"I am glad you children enjoyed it," Toriel said, standing up. Her eyes were kind. "Now, time for bed."
Everyone climbed into their beds. Faye got into her sleeping bed, which was near Brayden's bed. The eighth human wasn't too far away. Cody looked fine in his sleeping bag. So did Percy. Clover and Melody were eyeing each other as they shared Toriel's bed. Clover got rid of her gun and Melody took her ballet shoes off to make it fair.
"Good night, my children," Toriel told the children, turning the lamp off.
"Night!" Brayden yelled, instantly falling asleep.
"Goodnight, Toriel!" Cody replied. He smiled. "Goodnight, guys!"
"Night, bro," Clover replied. She sounded annoyed. "Melody, get your leg off my butt."
"Well take your cowboy hat off!" Melody snapped back.
"The hat does not come off." Clover replied darkly. "The gun, alright, but the hat - we don't go there, pardner." Melody sighed.
"Goodnight." Percy said, sounding like a drone. He pulled out a little flashlight and started reading a book.
"Goodnight." Toriel repeated, leaving the room. She closed the door.
"Alright, y'all," Clover sat up. "We need to plan ahead. As nice as this place is, we can't stay here."
"We can ask Toriel in the morning," Cody suggested. "She's really nice. I'm sure she'll let us go." Faye frowned. She didn't really want to leave. She liked it here. She liked Toriel. She hadn't felt this nice since her parents were...
"Yes, but we don't know if there even is an exit," Percy added, getting out his notepad. "And even if there is, what might we run into on the other side? Danger level is high."
"We've gotta take risks sometimes, pardner," Clover retorted, winking at him. "Unless ya wanna stay 'ere." Percy shook his head. "Anyway, let's see what Toriel says tomorrow. I darn hope she lets us go peacefully, because I ain't stayin' here if she says no." She clenched her fists. "I hate this place. I wanna go home."
"We all do, dimwit," Melody told her. She sounded angry and upset. "I don't know if we can leave this place. I'm scared. The stick-wielding child almost died today. So did your brother. No - we ALL almost died today. We may never leave this place. I'm really scared." She wiped away a tear. "But I don't think we can give up."
"We cannot," Percy agreed. His notebook was full of hopeful words. "We can never give up. Staying DETERMINED is the only way to survive this world."
"I think it'll be okay if we stick together," Cody spoke up. It sounded like he was crying. "We'll be okay. We just gotta stick together."
"Yep," Clover agreed, smiling herself. "If we stick together, we'll be fine." She paused. "Night, y'all." She turned over and went to sleep.
"Goodnight." Cody replied, sinking into his sleeping bag. So did everyone else who was in a sleeping bag, apart from Faye. Faye sighed. She was holding back tears. She didn't really want to leave this place. She faced it: her parents were never going to get better. They would be in hospital no matter how long she waited. She could remember the day it happened...
Faye was at her grandmother's house, playing with her cat Fuzzy. It was a boring Saturday afternoon, even though Faye could usually find something to entertain herself - even dust bunnies.
Anyway, her mom and dad had to go to some boring adult meeting and her grandmother had to look after her. Faye would've gone to Brayden's house, but he'd gone away on a short holiday with his family. So here she was.
The day was pretty normal and boring. But peaceful, too. It didn't really feel like anything could go wrong - which, naturally, is when things go extremely wrong. Well, actually, things didn't go wrong. No. Things went tragic and awful.
It all happened when some police showed up at Faye's grandmom's. They spoke to the grandmom about stuff Faye didn't really understand. But Granny didn't look too happy. Then the police turned to Faye. They kneeled down to her height and spoke in a friendly tone.
"Hey, sweetie," one policewoman spoke gently. "For a little while, you're going to be staying at your aunt's house in Ebott. Your parents are... they were..." She paused. "They're a bit... Sick and can't really take care of you for a while."
"Sick...?" Faye asked. She sounded small and confused. She couldn't really remember who her aunt was. She didn't know how her parents got sick. "Where are they?"
"In hospital," the policewoman replied, trying to sound calm. "They need to stay there until they get better."
"Can I stay there, too?" Faye asked. She wanted to cry.
"No, you can't stay in hospital, sweetie," the policewoman replied patiently. "You'll be staying at your aunt's. We'll take you there."
Faye cried like a little baby. She took her ribbon and toy knife, which her parents gave her before they went to hospital. Then Faye begged the police to let her see her parents before they took her to her aunt's. The police allowed a short visit. Her parents were on those big beds, lots of tubes sticking out of them. They were wearing green garments.
"Why do they look like that?" Faye asked. She cried some more. "Mommy... Daddy...? Are you..." She overheard parts of a conversation from some other family members.
"Car crash..." one guy said. "Yeah, serious... here for a while..."
"They need them to get better, sweetie," the policewoman told Faye. She took her hand. "But don't give up on them - they will get better. You just need to wait. Now, c'mon - we should go to your aunt's."
Then Faye left her old home. She didn't speak to Brayden about what happened - she couldn't bring herself to. She just left without saying a word to anyone. She moved to her aunt's house and went to a new school. She became very sad and lonely. She didn't have anyone to follow anymore, despite how cool her aunt was. She thought about her parents a lot. But she knew she had to keep waiting, because one day, they would get better...
If not, there was a mountain she could climb. But what would Brayden say about that? What would her family say about that? She decided to wait a little longer, just for them.
Lying in the sleeping bed, Faye felt even more hopeless. It'd been ages since that car accident. Her parents were still in hospital. She was still waiting, but it felt pointless. They were never going to get better. Maybe she should stay here with Toriel. Everyone else could leave, but she would stay here. Then she wouldn't get in the way, because that's all she felt she was good for. Besides, she liked it here. Toriel was nice. This was a nice house. She liked the RUINS, too. It would be best for everyone if she stayed here...
Suddenly, Faye heard a weird rustling noise. It sort of zapped her back into reality. Brayden had somehow done a 90 degree turn and now his head was on Faye's sleeping bag. Faye thought it was kind of cute. She pet his head. But he wasn't the rustling sound. In fact, it was the eighth human who was rolling around in their sleeping bag.
They looked like they were having a nightmare. They suddenly sat straight up, fear in their eyes - their open eyes. They were panting. They took a few deep breaths to calm themself, and their eyes closed. Then they stood up and left the room.
Faye knew it wasn't very polite, but she snuck after them. They went down the hall and came to the room with the dining table. Toriel was sitting on an armchair, reading a book. Faye hid behind the doorframe and watched the kid. They approached Toriel, their head bent down.
"Greetings, my child," Toriel greeted them. "Are you having trouble sleeping? That is alright. You may sit here until you feel sleepy." She moved over and let the eighth human sit on the armchair. They looked content. Toriel smiled at them. "I did not say this before, young one... but you look very similar to a child who fell down here long ago. When I first saw you, for a brief moment, I almost thought you..." She sighed.
Faye remembered seeing a picture in the bedroom: it was called the 'Fallen Angel'. It looked the eighth human but with wings and an awesome suit. Faye wasn't really sure what it represented, but it looked cool.
Toriel composed herself. "Regardless, it is wondrous to have you all here, my child. You are very different from that other human anyway. I'm sure we will live a happy life here. Now, would you like me to read you another bedtime story to help you sleep?" The eighth human nodded. Toriel smiled. She pulled out a book. "This is a story about a human who loved golden flowers..."
Faye listened to the whole story. She almost fell asleep - the eighth human certainly fell asleep. Toriel chuckled and carried them back to the bedroom. She placed them into their sleeping bag and kissed the crown of their head. Then she noticed Faye, who was pretty much asleep in the hall.
"What are you doing out here, my child?" she asked. Faye yelped and woke up. "Are you having trouble sleeping as well?"
Toriel kneeled down, picked Faye up and carried her back into the bedroom as well. She placed her into the sleeping bag. Toriel had moved Brayden back into his bed so he wasn't sleeping on her anymore.
"Mommy," Faye spoke quietly. "Are we staying here forever, or are we gonna go home...?"
Toriel kissed Faye's forehead. "This is your home now, my child. Everything beyond the RUINS is dangerous. But I promise you you will be happy here."
"Okay, Mommy..." Faye replied, yawning. "Goodnight." She closed her eyes and faded away into the world of dreams.
"How can I help you, my children?" Toriel asked the next morning, sitting on her armchair. Everyone was awake now. Faye hadn't told the eighth human she spied on them. That she would keep to herself. She hadn't told her friends she wanted to stay, either. Well, not yet, anyway.
"How'd we exit the RUINS?" Clover asked, folding her arms.
"Erm... do you want to hear about the book I am reading?" Toriel asked, chuckling anxiously. "It is called, '72 Uses for Snails'. How about it?"
"How do we exit the RUINS?" Clover repeated, slower but more sternly.
"I'd like to hear about... um... seventy-two uses for snails!" Faye piped up quietly.
"I have an interest in all books, though I'm not really sure how one could come up with seventy-two uses for snails." Percy commented, making a face.
"Ah, well, here is an exciting snail fact!" Toriel replied cheerfully, ignoring Clover's death glare. "Did you know that snails-"
"Blah blah, who cares?!" Brayden interrupted. He scowled. "Look Ms. Toriel, we wanna leave this place! So show us where the exit is!"
"... I have to do something," Toriel replied. She stood up, removed her glasses and put the book away. "Stay here." She quickly walked away, headed for the stairs.
The eighth human followed her. So did everyone else. Well, Cody was a little hesitant.
"Should we really do this?" he asked, biting his lip. "I mean, Toriel-"
"D'ya wanna leave or not, bro?" Clover asked, tilting her head.
"Well, if it's where you're going, I'll come as well!" Cody replied, grinning.
He followed everyone else. Faye was very hesitant. But she eventually crawled down the stairs, which led into a scary, purple basement. Toriel had a serious expression on her face.
"You all wish to return 'home', do you not?" she asked, sounding upset. "Ahead of us lies the end of the RUINS. A one-way exit to the rest of the underground. I am going to destroy it. No one will ever able to leave. Now be good children and go upstairs." She continued walking.
"Oh I don't think so." Clover retorted, chasing after Toriel.
Brayden and the eighth human did as well. The rest of the group followed, Faye very behind. She didn't want to leave. She wanted to stay with Toriel and be happy. But she never got her way.
"You naive children," Toriel spoke as the group approached. She sounded serious and solemn. "If you leave the RUINS... they... ASGORE... will kill you. He declared he would destroy any human that fell down here. I am only protecting you all, do you understand? ... go to your room."
She continued walking. Despite the risk, everyone followed. Even Faye, who really didn't like this.
"Do not try to stop me," Toriel warned as they all approached a dark hallway. "This is your final warning." She kept walking.
Faye couldn't really take this anymore. She didn't want to leave. Her parents were never going to get better. She couldn't go back there and keep waiting. She wanted to stay here with Toriel forever and ever and live a nice happy life.
"Guys..." she said it quietly. No one heard her. "Guys!"
They all looked at her. She backed against the wall, breathing heavily.
"I... I'm sorry. I... um... I have something to tell you. I..." She sniffled. "I... I don't want to go with you... I want to stay here with Toriel..." She tried not to cry. "If I come... I'll just get in the way... I always do... you guys can go on ahead. Don't worry about me... I'll..." She cried a little. "I'll be okay here."
"What?" Brayden shoved past everyone else. He glared at Faye. "You're not staying here, FAYE! This is a group and we stick together no matter what!"
"Says the boy who runs off and abandons everyone else." Melody commented dryly. Brayden ignored her.
"I... I think I should..." Faye said sadly, looking away. "I-"
"NO!" Brayden yelled, interrupting her. "Staying here isn't gonna help anyone, Faye! You won't get in the way if you come with us - you'll get in the way if you stay HERE! YOU'LL BE STUCK HERE FOREVER!" He faced everyone else. "GUYS! If we wanna have any chance of leaving this dump we need to stay together! We need to fight for our freedom as a team!" He turned back to Faye. "You can't stay here like a coward, FAYE! If you do, you're just giving into the enemy!"
"I..." Faye frowned. "I... I can't... fight anything... and I like it here..."
"LIAR! I've seen you fight stuff before!" Brayden retorted, storming towards her. "Yeah, okay, this place is nice but it's not HOME! Don't you wanna go home and see your aunt and whoever?!"
Faye shrugged.
"I KNOW you're not a coward - you're being BRAVE for your family, who's, like, sick and all that! All their hopes and dreams will be GONE if you stay here!" Brayden told her.
"He's got a point, pardner," Clover said.
"We shouldn't be shouting like this..." Cody sighed.
"Um..." Faye didn't know what to say. She wanted to ask why Brayden never gave up on her.
"LOOK, you're not staying here," Brayden continued. He sighed. "Y'know, I missed you when you left that old place ages ago. You didn't even say WHY. You just left. Then I met you again at the new school and I was happy - but you were, like, super quiet and sad and kept beating yourself up about stuff. And now you wanna stay here 'cause of all that crap!?"
Faye said nothing.
Brayden crossed his arms. "WELL, I'M YOUR BEST FRIEND AND I SAY NO MORE OF THAT! I'M TIRED OF YOU BEATING YOURSELF UP! LOOK, IF YOU DON'T WANNA COME, I'LL MAKE YOU! I WILL FREAKING DRAG YOU ALL THE HOME! WHY?! BECAUSE YOU'RE PART OF THIS TEAM AND I - WE - THINK YOU DESERVE TO COME WITH US, EVEN IF YOU DON'T THINK SO! YOU'RE NOT STAYING HERE!"
Faye was sitting on the floor now. Melody held Brayden back as she always did.
The eighth human gave Faye a warm smile. She couldn't help but return it. They had so much love to give.
"Look, Faye," Melody sighed. "Don't worry about Brayden. He just really cares about you and wants you to come with us. But if you really want to stay here, then he can't stop you. It's your choice."
"That's right," Clover adjusted her hat. "We're here for ya, pardner."
Faye smiled. "I... I think I'll come."