Chapter 7

It sounds like it came from over here.

Oh! You're lost, aren't you . . . ?

Here, let me help you up. . . .

Uhhh, you're not from around here . . . are you?

It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you! I promise you're in good hands.

So . . . , what's your name?

Chara, huh? That's a nice name.

My name is . . .

Frisk's eyes flew open. It was a memory, but not her memory. It was Chara's.

Body aching all over, Frisk tried to turn her head to look for Chara, but her neck hurt. Groaning in pain, Frisk fight to remain conscious. She had to get up and find Chara. They could not stay here, not if Undyne knew where they were. Frisk needed to get up and get moving.

Moving slowly to make sure nothing was broken, Frisk sat upright. She then looked around to see where she was. Rock walls surrounded her, and there was a waterfall in the distance. It was almost like an underground cave. Looking up revealed the abyss from where she fell, and looking down revealed that Frisk landed on a bed of golden flowers similar to the ones she woke up on in Ebott Forest growing on a small island in the bordering waters.

"Chara?"

Looking for her floating mask companion, Frisk's heart sank when she saw a mask floating in the water by her island. Crying out Chara's name, Frisk pushed through the pain to crawl towards the mask. Yet when she reached into the water and pulled it out, Frisk saw that the mask did not have a happy smile painted onto it, but the same bored expression as the mask she wore.

Hand reflexively reaching for her face, Frisk felt her own bare skin against her fingertips. The mask she held in her grasp was her own. Wasting no time in case she was not alone, Frisk put the mask back on her face.

"Chara?" she called again as she rose to her feet. She did not see or hear him anywhere. Frisk wondered if it was possible they had lost each other when they fell. Seeing him nowhere on her tiny island, Frisk knew that she would have to get into the water. Frisk, not knowing how deep this lake was, gulped as she thought about swimming in it to find Chara then find their way out.

"All right, Frisk, you can do this," she told herself as she sat on the edge of her little island. "You used to swim with Kris, Susie, and Ralsei at the lake all the time. This is no different."

Sliding in one foot at a time, Frisk slowly pushed herself off the land and into the water. She tried not to think about the dress she was ruining. With a deep breath to gather her courage, Frisk gave herself one final push into the water.

"Huh?" Confused, Frisk stood up. The water barely came up to her knees. She could walk through the water just fine without having to exert so much energy swimming to the next piece of land.

Good thing Chara wasn't here to see that, Frisk thought, then she shook her head. No, not a good thing. I don't know where he is. I don't even know where to look. He has to be around here somewhere, right?

As she began to walk forward, the pain in her body began to fade away. Or at least the worst of it did. There were still some aches in places Frisk knew were going to bruise, but she knew that nothing had broken and that she was going to be all right.

After walking for perhaps five minutes, something floating in the water a few feet away caught Frisk's attention. Walking closer, Frisk saw that it was another wooden mask. Heart in her throat, she approached it, reached down, and picked the mask up.

Her stomach dropped when she saw the familiar expression. It was Chara's mask. However, Frisk was unsure if this was Chara himself, or a mask similar to the one that represented his ghostly form.

"This way!"

Frisk's heart skipped a beat. That was Chara's voice, and it came from a few feet away. Tucking the mask under her arm, Frisk quickly approached from where Chara's voice came.

As she ran towards the direction, Frisk saw a figure in the distance. Coming to an abrupt halt, Frisk considered turning around and running in the opposite direction. If Undyne had finally arrived to finish the job, Frisk had no interest in waiting for the monster to meet up with her.

Yet before she could spin on her heel, Frisk heard Chara shout, "Frisk, stay right there! I found help!"

Chara . . . found help?

For a moment, Frisk was sure she was dreaming, just like with the memory that seemed like it belonged to Chara. Yet as the figure grew closer, Frisk could see that a floating mask approached along with it. Chara was coming, and the figure was walking alongside him.

Not knowing what else to do, Frisk awaited for their arrival. With Chara was a man who was short and a little wide in structure. His hair was black, and he was dressed in white robes. The mask he wore was painted white with two hollowed ovals in the place of eyes and a small frown painted in black. He carried himself like a man rejected not only by the world, but also by himself.

"Is this the girl?" the new arrival asked.

Before Frisk could say anything, Chara answered, "Yes, this is her. It looks like she is awake now, and she is standing so I take that as a good sign."

Turning to Frisk, Chara asked, "How are you? Are you all right? Do you think you broke anything from that fall?"

Frisk looked between Chara and the man. Answering Chara's question with one of her own, Frisk pointed at the man and inquired, "Who is this?"

"Ohhh, I'm sorry to bother you. . . ." the man said, his voice low and slow, as if sobs were laced into his words. "Your friend here was afraid something bad happened to you, so I offered to assist in any way I could. It seems that you do not need me after all though. . . ."

"Wait, you can see Chara? That floating mask right next to you – you can see that?"

"Yeah. . . . Am I not supposed to?"

"I mean . . . ," Frisk pursed her lips. To Chara, "I thought only I could see you."

"Napstablook's magic is that he can see ghosts," Chara supplied, prompting Napstablook to add, "Yeah, if your floating mask friend is a ghost, I can see him."

"Now that we got that cleared up," Chara then said, "are you okay? That was a long fall, Frisk. I don't know how you are up and walking around."

"Are you in any pain?" Napstablook then asked, leaning forward.

"A little," Frisk answered, "but nothing different from falling out of a tree in my village. I think those flowers did a whole lot in breaking my fall."

Napstablook nodded. "You mean the golden flowers . . . right? They grow in thick bushes and are very absorbent. Falling on them is almost like falling on a pillow. Still, we had ought to examine you for any possible injuries. . . . If that's okay? My house is just outside of the well here . . . if you want to come?"

Unsure how to respond, Frisk look to Chara for guidance. Seeing this, Chara encouraged, "It is okay, Frisk. Napstablook will not hurt you. He is a friend."

Although Frisk had her doubts, she decided that anyone Chara trusted was also worthy of her trust. Besides, she didn't know how else she was going to get out of this place. If Napstablook could also offer her food and a place to rest for the night, then Frisk saw no reason to deny the offer.

They walked through the knee-deep water and eventually came to an incline that lead them onto dry ground. From there, it was only a short journey. There were two houses in the corner, and Napstablook led them to the house on the left.

"Won't your neighbors wonder why you're bringing a wet girl into your home?" Frisk inquired as they walked inside.

"Oh, nobody lives there. . . . Not anymore. . . . Wait here while I get the first aid kit."

While Napstablook walked into the kitchen, Frisk sat on a bench by the front door. She looked around the house. It looked dusty and had cobwebs in the corners, like it hadn't been dusted in years.

"So . . . ," Frisk drawled, "Chara, how did you find Napstablook?"

"Sheer luck, I suppose," Chara said. "When all my shouting would not rouse you, I had to do something. Fortunately, I knew someone tends to lie in the water after lunch to feel like trash, and if anyone could see me, it would be him. Without a solid memory to go on, leaving you felt like a gamble. However, I found Napstablook right where I knew he would be. Just as I suspected, his ability to see ghosts would translate with me. Upon finding him, it was only a matter of explaining who I was and that you needed help."

Frisk furrowed her brows. "But I don't understand. How would you know any of this? Those are incredibly specific things to know without having any real memories to work with."

"I cannot explain it myself, but even though I do not remember, Napstablook still does."

"Chara, I'm not any less confused. How did you know where to find Napstablook, let alone that he would be able to see you?"

Hesitating only for a moment, Chara said, "I did not call Napstablook a friend lightly, Frisk. You see . . . , Napstablook is a friend. While I was still alive, Napstablook was one of the kids with whom Asriel and I used to play."