Chapter 1

Year: 2017 (Present Time)

Aaron Cadman is trying to keep himself awake as he drove his big-wheeled purpled black striped 1979 Camaro Z28 on the road. At the passenger seat is his little sister, Roxana (prefers Roxy), sleeping peacefully.

It's not easy when Aaron has been driving non-stop (except for getting gas) to get from their home of Durham, Maine to their destination: Overhead.

The United Nations are now allowing humans to live there now and also allowing the Monsters to live outside of Overhead across the globe. But only those... with "gifts". The only exception to allow those without any is their families, not their extended. Humans are apparently getting these abilities eight months ago after the arrival of the Monsters in which the normal ones are treating these people like them. That's why these humans, the Gyflae, are calling Overhead a 'safehaven' until regular humans treat them fairly without fear again. But sadly, the city doesn't have enough room for all the Gyflae across the globe. That's why there are makeshift sanctuary-like towns in the meantime while things cool down. Some Monsters (that left Overhead) decided to live in these makeshift towns too due to the unfair treatment and xenophobic treatment from the humans across the globe.

Another sad addition to this unfairness, is that the regular humans blame the Monsters for people becoming a Gyflae. Some of the Gyflae blame the Monsters for them being like they are as well. Which is why border security and patrols made extra sure that normal humans don't sneak into Overhead and cause trouble.

Aaron and Roxy are the lucky ones to get to move to Overhead due to her getting her Gyflae ability four months ago. She can see "separated souls"; not ghosts, not spirits, just souls that are either delayed to go into the afterlife or they just simply got lost. Roxy described them to be shaped like hearts which Aaron finds it weird while their grandfather on the other hand finds it fascinating.

The older brother sighs sadly. Their grandfather, their only parental guardian and living relative, died from cancer a month after Roxy got her "gift". She managed to speak to his soul and tell her brother what's he's saying before he actually departed.

In their grandfather's will, he gave them exactly one million five hundred and seventy-two dollars (which is all he has in his back account) in which they can be financially okay until Aaron gets a job. The siblings never realized he had that much money... then again, their grandfather was a former top scientist before he quit and worked as a college professor.

Before the start of summer and the end of the school year, he managed to become a legal guardian to his sister (despite being only fifteen years old) and made sure that she doesn't get taken custody by the Douglas', a aristocratic snobbish family that only cares about their appearances than family. Luckily they didn't find out that Roxy was a Gyflae since Aaron was afraid that either Mr. and Mrs. Douglas would either disown her and make sure that he wouldn't get his sister back or use her to further their appearance.

Normally he would drop out of school to take care of Roxy, but that wasn't the case since he graduated early from his high school with some honors. Aaron thought he got really lucky when he worked hard on his schoolwork in the last year. He really doesn't considered himself a prodigy since he has a normal IQ.

The Douglas' believed that he cheated, but the school said otherwise since they too believed he got lucky and probably won't go into any higher educated colleges because of that. But that doesn't stop these snobby couple from finding ways to get Roxy into their custody.

That is one of three reasons why he wanted to move to Overhead. The other two reasons is that Roxy will be safe there, and the fact that there are no taxes in there! The United Nations stated that Overhead won't get any taxes after the first eight years are up.

The moment the Cadman siblings got the chance to live at Overhead, Aaron immediately called packers and movers to deliver their belongings to their new home in the suburbs of Overhead, sold their old home, called both the elementary schools at both Overhead and Durham about the Roxy's transfer, and immediately got into his car as they out the hell out of Maine.

Before leaving, Aaron told his best friend, Kyle Barry, all the reasons why he's moving. Kyle was very understanding and promises to keep Roxy's "gift" a secret. Aaron was grateful to have friend like him since preschool, and he promises him that stay in touch with him.

Despite Kyle being slightly jealous of his friend graduating early, he believes this meant to happen due to the latest misfortune laid upon the Cadmans. He wished Aaron and Roxy good luck while adding to be careful of the Monsters (in a teasing way).

The three of them have never encountered the diversive race... yet. But that doesn't stop Aaron from being prepared. Roxy nags him that the Monsters might not be bad as everyone thinks. Aaron thinks that too but he's somewhat conflicted from both views of the humans think about them.

While their belongings is being delivered and put away in their new home in Overhead, Aaron decided that they should spend the summer having a road trip across the states before Roxy starts her new school year. They had tons of fun by visiting carnivals, festivals, circus', museums, monuments, theme parks, and the scenic views.

Aaron groaned since they were late getting to Overhead since Roxy's school starts in eight o'clock the morning... which the ten year old girl reprimanded him for.

The teenager looked up at his phone for directions AND the time. It's almost twelve o'clock, and he's close to the border checkpoint to the city of Overhead.

Thank god. Aaron thought as he let out a sigh of relief. The moment we get past inspection and customs, I'll drive quickly to our new home and get Roxy into her room, and set an alarm for her so she can get all ready before her school starts.

Then it occurred to him that the inspector might also be one of the Monsters. That made filled Aaron with uneasiness upon realizing that.

As the teenager got closer to the station, he realized the inspector was hispanic human man. Aaron sighed in relief as he then drove at the checkpoint as the inspector opened the sliding window. He say the inspector's tag reading "Sam Lopez" as the fellow said cheerfully "Hello there, what brings you here today?"

"I'm here to move into Overhead." Aaron replied.

"Alrighty then. I can please see your papers and identification."

Aaron nodded as he then opened the glove compartment pulling out the papers and pulling out his ID from his wallet. As the teenager handed them to the man, the checkpoint inspector looked them over and then handed them back. The young man then placed his ID back into his wallet and the papers back to the glove compartment as the Sam began to speak. "So you're the Cadmans. Both of you were expected to be here a week ago."

"Well we got sidetracked during our summer road trip. Good I got here in time for Roxy's first day of school which starts in the morning."

"Yeah." Sam agreed. "I've know for a fact that a human's first day here in at their new home in Overhead is great. Especially for the human children at their first day at school."

Aaron was about to move along until Sam kept on talking. "When I first moved out here with my wife and daughter, we quickly fit in with everyone. And the Monsters here are very welcoming. Plus it will be my sweethearts first time in preschool in the morning.

Sam sighed happily as he continued "I feel relaxed knowing my little Maria is safe here than anywhere else."

"What a minute, does that mean your daughter is a Gyflae?" Aaron asked.

"Hmhm." Sam replied. "Whenever she laughs uncontrollably, she floats."

The teenager stared at him with surprised expression "Floats?"

"Yup. She loses her gravity and hovers in the air. Hopefully she'll get to learn to control with the help from her teachers at preschool."

"I'm also hoping that the teachers at Roxy's school might help her with her Gyflae ability as well." Aaron said with hopeful grin.

Then the border inspector then stared at Aaron with serious but sad look on his face as he asked "Is it true you and your sister have no other living relatives?"

"Well yeah, didn't you already know that from reading the papers?"

Sam didn't reply as he then sighed and wrote something down on a piece of paper and handed to the teenager. Aaron stared at it with a puzzled look and and then asked "What's this?"

"My phone number. I know what it's like to live on you own without any known relatives. Plus it must not be easier either when you're looking after your sister."

Aaron turned his eyes away with an uneasy frown. Yes it wasn't easy taking care of his sister all by himself, he did it for her sake.

"Plus my wife, daughter, and I live a few blocks and corners away where you two live." Sam added.

The teenager looked back at the border inspector and gave him a small smile. "Thanks, but I think we can manage."

"Alright, but if you need anything, just let us know."

"Sure."

"Before you go, I need to inspect your car and luggage. Other inspectors checked your stuff the moving trucks before they went on where you live. I'll do it quietly so I won't wake up your sister."

"I would appreciate that, thank you."

Then Sam began inspecting both the car and their luggage quietly, gave Aaron a pamphlet about Overhead, and got back into the border station and said lastly. "I hope you two have a great time here in Overhead. My shift is going to end in ten minutes so I'll have enough time to rest before my wife and I see our daughter off to preschool."

Aaron thanked again as he then headed off towards his and his sister's new home. After thirty minutes of driving by the beach (called Overhead Beach and Overhead Boardwalk) and through the city, he managed to find the suburbs. He got see the Monsters for the first time which made feel uneasy... but it wasn't all to bad since they didn't interact with them. Plus he was expecting them to be exactly like the movies, TV shows, and video games but it didn't out like that... sort of. Half of them are just anthropomorphic animals while the others are just either weird/funny looking or just somewhat cartoony in a way.

As he arrived at their home, he was surprised to that one of the three moving trucks remained by the driveway.

After Aaron parked in the garage, closed the garage door, and turned off the car, he turned to Roxy and gently nudged her.

"Hey sis." he whispered. "We're here."

While waiting for his sister to wake up, he checked the garage being filled with a workbench filled with tools, beach stuff, their bikes, two huge freezers, yardwork essentials (a mower, shovels, gardening gear, etc.), and a foldable ladder.

Then he heard Roxy moving around as he saw stretching as she yawned while slowly waking up.

"Huh?"

She then looked around her surroundings and looked back at her older brother. "Weren't you supposed to wake me up once we get to the border checkpoint?"

"You were dead asleep." Aaron replied. "Plus you're going to back to sleep anyways once you get into your new room."

Roxy stared at her brother with annoyance. "I still wished you did. Then I could've seen the beach and boardwalk, the city, and the monsters."

"I'll drive you around tomorrow after school."

"But I never got to see all of that at night though!"

"We'll do that too. I promise." Aaron added. "Plus I'll take us out for dinner and buy desert afterwards."

Roxy then sighed as she got out of the car and then smiled "Thanks."

Then she stopped smiling as she added with older-sisterly like tone which Aaron hates. "But leave out the dinner and desert part. We need conserve left over money we have until you get a job."

Aaron stared at his sister with annoyance as he too got out of the car. "Oh stop worrying! You sound like we're almost broke! We still have lots of money left over."

"Yeah, but with the bills we soon get, We'll have about three months until we run out of it!"

The teenager frowned. "You're such a buzzkill."

"Well one of us has to make sure we're not living on the streets." Roxy said with a teasing smile.

Then both of the siblings closed the car doors as Aaron locked the car with the fob keychained with his keys.

"Roxy, I'll help you with luggage soon. I just need to check why one of the moving trucks is still here."

"Okay, but please hurry. I don't do it all by myself."

As Aaron opened the door with the house key on his keychain, turned on the lights, and then entered the kitchen. It has a large fridge, a sink (which is next to the window which looks out into the backyard), cabinets, a counter-like table, and a large wooden oval shaped table with five chairs around it. The teenager went into the living room... but with couches and other stuff you would find a living room.

"What the?!"

Then the teenager went to the front door, opened it, and went outside to check the moving truck. Once he got there, Aaron noticed a paper with writing taped to the side of the truck. As he took it, it was written by the movers.

Apparently they're spooked with the monsters and only finished most of the work. The only left thing to do carry the living room stuff, the holiday stuff (including family photos and other memorable stuff) in the attic, bathroom stuff, and the video games, video-game consoles (including the huge stand for them), movies (also the device that play them (VHS, DVD, & Blu-ray Player)), ping-pong table, a big couch, bean-bags, a foldable retangular table, and their huge wall-hangable plasma screen TV to the huge room in their basement (which is next to the laundry room). The movers also wrote advising them to get all of their stuff out of the truck before they could pick it up a week from today. Also they added that some of their video-games and movies are somewhat offensive to monsters (in which illegal) as the border inspectors took custody of them in which the movers also added that he'll ask them if he can get them back.

OH YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!? I DIDN'T PAY THESE GUYS TO DO A SLOPPY JOB! Well it's already too late to get a refund. BUT WHAT THE HECK WITH SOME OF OUR VIDEO GAMES AND MOVIES BEING TAKEN FOR BEING ILLEGAL?! WELL SURE THE ONES TAKEN ARE MY MINE ANYWAYS... BUT STILL!

Aaron groaned irritably as he pinched his nose. Looks like finding a job will be put on hold for tomorrow.

The teenager then went back inside, closed and locked the door behind him, and helped out with his sister with the luggage. Roxy too noticed the living room and her older brother's mood as he explained the note.

"Maybe you can get some help from the neighbors."

"No I'm not. I can do it myself."

Then his sister showed off her disapproving pouty face as Roxy then said. "You're going to have to make friends since we're living here in Overhead. And one of them has to be a Monster at least so it doesn't make you look like a racist!"

"But I'm not!" Aaron said defensively.

"And why are you so weird about?!" Roxy asked. "Are you afraid that one of the monsters might be a living skeleton?"

Aaron nearly jumped fright of the word. His little sister rolled her eyes as she then looked back at him and said "Seriously?! You haven't gotten over your skelephobia! I know the stories how you got it–since I've heard it million times from Grampa–but you should've gotten over it by now! FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, YOU ARE LITERALLY ARE ONE BUT CLOTHED WITH FLESH AND SKIN!"

"Don't remind me." Aaron said as he shuddered. "But you weren't around at the time when it happened!"

"Yeah, yeah." Roxy said. "But what I said about you making new friends here and getting with moving the rest of the stuff is true."

Aaron hates to admit it, but his sister is right. Even Kyle told him to make some new friends here in Overhead so he can be friends with them too. And it would take almost all day to get all the stuff into the house. But he's just to stubborn to ask for help, and he's a bit nervous to make a friend with a Monster.

"Alright I'll do it, but you need to sleep. You have school in the morning remember."

"Fine. But I'm going to but my stuff away before I do."

"Alright. Let's head upstairs."

The Cadman siblings then went upstairs in the living room which leads to a hallway with one bathroom, two bedrooms, a guestroom, and a hatch on the ceiling that leads to the attic.

"Make sure you set your alarm an hour before eight so you can get ready." Aaron reminded his little sister.

"Don't worry. I will." Roxy reassured her big brother.

As Aaron got into his room, he was relieved that the movers got his bed, dressers, and computer (with his computer stand which is next to his window) all set up. Then then flopped onto his bed, while taking off his lace-less brown shoes, while not going to unpack all of his things which includes putting his clothes into his dressers and closet; he's not even going to get dressed for bed and out of his sleeveless black jacket, white t-shirt, blue shorts, and white socks since he's all tired.

Before going to sleep, he pulled out the pamphlet that Sam gave to him and began reading. From what it says, only 37% of Overhead's population is human while the rest is just Monsters. It also talks about scenic tourist attractions and a two libraries, a small one in the suburbs and the big one in the city, called Librarby2 (the one in the suburbs)and Librarby3 (the one in the city). He wondered if it was intentional or unintentional for the libraries to be named that. There's also a place called Grillby's (a second one named after the original in the Underground), and other stuff.

The teenager's then became heavy as he then went soundly, loudly, to sleep.

Aaron kept hearing something but it was inaudible since he's slowly waking up from it. When he's mostly awake, he winced as he realized that his sister was yelling at him.

"WHATWHATWHAT?!" Aaron almost yelled as he quickly got up all startled like.

Then he noticed that the sun was up and her sister is now wearing a rosy-magenta t-shirt, blue pants, and black-and-white shoes. She's also wearing a backpack on her back.

"SCHOOL STARTS IN FIFTEEN MINUTES!"

The teenager's eyes are instantly wide. "WHAT?! DIDN'T THE BUS PICK YOU UP?"

"I've been trying to wake you up for twenty minutes! I've missed the the bus five minutes ago because of that!"

"WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST LEAVE?!"

"I was worried that you're not going to wake up." Roxy replied almost teary eyed.

The older brother quickly grabbed her shoulders gently and gave her a reassuring look with a smile as he said "I'm awake now aren't I. You don't have to worry, I'm not going to leave you. EVER."

Then they both hugged for a bit and then he then ran to the bathroom quickly brushing his teeth and using the mouthwash. After Aaron spat his mouthwash into the sink, he asked. "Have you eaten breakfast?"

"There was nothing in the fridge."

"What about the breakfast bars in the car?"

"I didn't want to put my hands into your nasty pockets!"

"Then get to the car! QUICKLY!"

Then they both ran down the stairs and got into the garage (after closing the door behind). As they got into the car, Aaron quickly started the engine as he then opened the garage door as he then drove out of it and onto the street as they headed towards Roxy's school.

As Aaron drove off, they were watched by the former king of the Underground while he was formerly attending to the flowers next to the house the left of the Cadman residence. He wore a purplish pink shirt and brown pants, along with his gardening attire, as he continued to watch the Camaro until it was out of sight.

"Huh. Must be Cadman kids." Asgore said. "The must've arrived very late at night."

The Monster chuckles as he continued with his work. "Looks like Frisk and Asriel might become friends with the younger Cadman today."

Author's Notes

Aaron Cadman's appearance is slightly inspired by both Dexter Gilligan from "Sanity Not Included: Read my Bullets" (by 65%) and Nathan Sharp from the YouTube channel NateWantsToBattle (by 35%), except he has brown-ish green eyes, doesn't have any earrings, and has dark-brown hair in which giving it a black-like colored appearance.

Roxy Cadman's appearance is slightly inspired by Sophia Jones from Lego Elves: Secrets of Elvendale, except she has the same eye color as her brother and has a slightly light tone of hair color that her older brother as well in which you can see a bit of brown showing.

Sam Lopez's appearance is slightly inspired by the actor, Michael Peña.

Gyflae is pronounced "Gif-lay" (basically it's like turning the word "Gift" into a name of a race).