Chapter 3

I stretched then recoiled in the blanket on Wally's couch. Sometime in the middle of the night he had given me a warm, purple blanket and a pillow. That was really sweet of him. I heard the television in the other room, and the smell of bacon and toast filled the house. Mmm, I'm glad that there is edible food in this world. "Wally?" I groaned as I started sitting up. He popped his head in the doorway, wiggling his eyebrows.

"That's not all you were saying in your sleep, sweetheart." I clapped my hands over my mouth. Did I say something? Was I talking in my sleep? My eyes widened, and his face changed. "Geez, I'm just kidding. You slept like a rock. Although, you did drool a lot. I thought a river was flowing out of your mouth." I scowled but couldn't deny it; my pillow was saturated. "Hungry?" I nodded, dragging myself off of the couch.

Getting up, I took a better look at Wally's place. Wally's living room was small with a white couch, chair, and small black coffee table in the center. The walls were a deep royal purple and were mostly bare with the exception of two shelves full of odd looking tools and weapons. One lone picture frame hung on the wall. I walked over to the frame, looking at the two things inside. One was a picture of Wally with his arm over a very pretty woman. She was wearing a yellow and white tennis outfit, embroidered with white flowers. Her hair was a tarnished red, and she had a wide smile. Wally was dressed in a purple shirt and athletic shorts, and both had metals around their necks. They looked happy, and I wondered if that was his girlfriend. The next paper was a news clipping. The heading read Tragedy befalls Sarasaland; Memories of the Late Daisy, Princess of the Desert. My smile faded as I realized the article was about the lady next to Wally. That's why he got upset at the mentioning of the desert. The article didn't give details but talked about the achievements that she made to her kingdom. She was described as feisty, outgoing, and loved by everyone. Sorrow washed over me, and I remembered the loss of my family. I shook my head, not wanting to think of that memory. Now wasn't the time to get depressed.

I entered the kitchen and was hit with vibrant yellow. The small black table had two plates filled with bacon, eggs, and toast. He was holding glasses filled with orange juice and motioned me to sit. I looked on the wall and saw a large map; I didn't recognize it at all. I was confused as to why clouds were considered a territory and wondered why the map had an outline of red and black. What also struck me as odd was there were small castles everywhere. And not just on the land; castles littered the clouds, sea, and red-black border. "Wow," I gasped.

"I know, I know, I'm such a stud for making breakfast, especially since I didn't get anything in return and the woman in front of me smells like…"

I glowered. "There are so many castles, and what are these red and black spots?"

"You really don't recognize anything on the map?"

"No. I need to talk to you about that." I decided I needed to be able to trust someone. I felt like Wally, as crazy as he was, had his heart was in the right place. That and I didn't have any other options. But I needed to tell him what happened, because this was not a place where I was able to make up things as I go; it was too strange of a land. I sat down at the table, picking up my fork. "Thanks for the blanket last night, and for the food. And big thanks for letting me crash here. You've been more than generous and hospitable, especially since I probably look crazy."

He blushed but hid it well. "Awe, I usually don't take in your type, but it didn't look like you'd be able to make it to Wario's that late at night." Quite the joker, Wally was. "So, what do you need to talk to me about?"

"I'm not from here." That's it, Jelina, just be blunt. Forward. Less chance to chicken out. "I'm from another world…an alternate universe or something. I haven't quite figured it out yet."

Wally apparently was not expecting me to say that. He choked and spit out some of his juice. His expression was a mixture of bemusement and skepticism. My face reddened with embarrassment.

"Seriously, I think I am." I stood up, pointing at the map. "Have you ever heard of the city Phoenix in Arizona? It's a city in the desert." His face went blank. "I didn't think so. I'm from the United States, located in North America, one of the seven continents on the world, a world that looks NOTHING like this map." I nervously rambled. He continued to look blankly at me. "I think I fell into a hole in the road that led me to your world during a bike ride. I shouldn't have been riding to begin with because I had some alcohol, and Arizona has a zero-tolerance policy, even on a bike. I could have gone to JAIL. But you know what? I was a little depressed because it was my reunion. I drank that entire bottle of wine and a huge margarita that was more like the size of a pitcher, and I don't regret it. The wine wasn't that good, actually, it tasted like shit. And drinking that much did give me a splitting headache. I guess that's what I get for buying cheap wine, so maybe I do regr…" Wally abruptly put his hand over my mouth.

"Hold on. I don't care about your disgusting wine. You're losing me. Please, what is the point?" He wasn't angry, but I heard frustration in his voice. He moved his hand away from my mouth to my shoulders. "Calm down. Focus…you're sounding like a paranoid toad being chased by a bandit."

Breathe, Jelina. In…out… "Ok, I went on a bike ride and came across a construction site. I crossed the road and hit a hole. My bike and I flipped, I blacked out, and when I woke up I was here." That sounded better. I waited for his reaction, but he kept his hands on my shoulder, frozen like a statue. "I rode my bike across a prairie, towards the giant castle. I was afraid of all the creatures walking around, so I hid in alleyways. When I saw you, another human, I approached you. I don't know where I am, how I technically got here, and what I'm supposed to do." I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry if I am bothering you," I meekly said. And I really was. This was a lot for a person to handle, and I'm sure this was all over his head. "If you want to kick me out, I understand. Your hospitality has been more than deserved."

Wally frowned, taking in my story, then pointed map. "We are in the Mushroom Kingdom, specifically Toad Town. Those creatures you were talking about in the town were probably Koopas, Goombas, and Toads." He pointed to a castle on the map. "This is where you are. Princess Peach and her court rein over all the towns, villages, and cities in this area," he showed me, circling a large section in the middle of the map. I was glad he wasn't mocking me right now. His sense of humor didn't bother me; I found it harmless. If Wally didn't try to lay a hand on me last night when I was at my weakest, I didn't think he would start now. "Did you see any water where you landed? Or a forest?"

"No, only endless, flat green."

Wally studied the map as I gave him this information. "Hmm…you must have dropped out somewhere around here. Not too far if you were able to make the trip in one day…" He pointed to a spot on the map, but I had no clue where it specifically was. "Were there any pipes nearby?"

I thought of the large pipes I saw along my trip and tried to remember if there were any near where I landed. "I don't think so…it's hard to remember…" I trailed off. "No, I think it was quite a while before I saw anything. By the way, what were those floating question mark blocks? Were they bombs?"

Wally was still staring at the map when he answered. "Those are power blocks. They spit out coins, mushrooms, stars, and other things that might be handy. The kingdom put those out years ago so there wouldn't be piles of dead travelers along the way." I shuddered. "Makes people not want to visit the towns, bad for business. Would YOU want to visit an area if you knew the trip would kill you? Those blocks were put up before modern piping was established. Though, the pipes are not always reliable." He growled the last statement.

I sat back down and continued eating my breakfast while he pondered over the map. He eventually joined me, devouring the rest of his meal. We finished eating in silence, and when done, he stood up to take the dishes. "Babe, don't get me wrong, you're cute and all, but you really need to clean up. You're covering up the wonderful aroma of bacon." I looked down at my shirt and he was right; it was disgusting. I wasn't at the point where I could smell my own stench, but I knew I was pretty bad. "Go take a bath. I have a few things I need to do, but please, go clean up."

"I don't have any clothes besides these." He walked in a door and motioned me to follow. His room, like the rest of the house, was small. A long bed practically took up one side of the wall. Shelves covered the other, holding more of the odd weapons and tools, as well as piles of books. A tv was jammed in one of the shelves, and a radio sat close beside it. Two doors were directly in front of me: one to the bathroom, the other a closet. He walked into the closet and threw out a large purple shirt. I caught it and held it up to me. It looked like it could have been a dress.

"You're incredibly tiny. That should cover you up until your clothes are clean. Unless you want to walk around naked…I won't object if you have the urge." He wiggled his eyebrows and twirled his mustache. "But it won't be a nudist colony. I prefer to keep my clothes on right now. Don't want you to violate me."

I busted out laughing. He joined in, too. "Don't worry, I won't violate you. But I think I'll wear clothes, thanks." He looked at me, more serious this time.

"We'll find where you came from and get this sorted out. I'll throw your clothes in the wash, you enjoy your bath. There should be a new toothbrush under the sink, too. You'll need that to fix your dragon breath." He started to walk away and I headed toward the bathroom. He stopped, turning to look at me. It looked like he was debating on whether or not he wanted to say what was on his mind. "You know, I'm only joking around with you, right? I would never do anything." I stared at him, smiling.

"I know. Do you think I'd still be hanging around if I thought you were going to hurt me?"

He still eyed me skeptically. "Did you have much of a choice?"

I went over to him and gave him a hug. It wasn't a romantic hug, but the type of hug I'd give to an older brother. The type of hug to show I really appreciated his help. He turned red, briefly hugging me back. Then he pushed me away.

"Enough hugging, you stink, and I don't want your smell to rub off on my clean clothes."

Waluigi was right, I did need a bath. I literally had to peel off my clothes. I felt a little strange handing him all my clothes, including my undergarments, through the crack in the door, but he thought nothing of it. I hear the machine starting, and knew he was good on his word that he'd immediately wash them. I slinked in the bathtub. It was huge, big enough to fit a minimum of two people my size. I relaxed in the warm water, letting the heat soak my cool bones. My body was covered in cuts and bruises. I traced some of the scratches, wondering how I even survived the fall. Was there a link between the construction zone and where I landed? Maybe there was a hole between worlds, and I fell through. It didn't make logical sense, but I stopped thinking logically a long time ago. I quit thinking about it momentarily and enjoyed the warm water encasing my body.

After an hour or so, I decided I'd better emerge from the water before I turned into a prune. I wanted to go on a bike ride and clear my thoughts, but I wasn't sure if today I was going to be able to. It was already mid-afternoon, and I didn't know when it would start getting dark. The purple shirt Wally gave me was soft, and thankfully it fell to my knees. I looked under the sink for a toothbrush and found an entire pile of them. Strange, but at least handy I thought. I couldn't say much; under my sink at home, I had mounds of extra personal care products for no reason whatsoever. After brushing my teeth with a soft, white toothbrush, I went towards the kitchen. Wally was on the phone. I stopped short, not wanting to interrupt his conversation.

"Just bring over a bag full…You know you owe me more than that…No, I'm not making up a ridiculous story…Yes, there really is a girl here…Whatever, Wario. It's not mom…Just get here this evening after dark…Don't make me have to go there…And tell Mona I want my tennis racket back." I heard a click of the phone, and decided it was safe to walk out. He didn't notice me; he was too focused on staring at the map.

"Boo," I quietly said behind him. He jumped, hitting his head on the low ceiling. I chuckled. "Gotcha. What are you looking at? Still wondering where I came from?" He nodded, rubbing the spot where he hit his head. I looked over at the map and pointed to the white, black, and red spots. "What are these?"

He looked at where I was pointing. "Just more kingdoms. The red is lava and volcanoes, black is Dark Land, and white are clouds. A lot of these places I've never been to, and hardly hear about. Some places keep to themselves." He scanned the map to show me a couple of examples. "Hyrule…Dreamland…DK Island...We never hear from them. Though I do have a distant cousin in Hyrule, sends me some good bombs from time to time. But that's beside the point. We mainly communicate with this section over here." The map was beautiful, and I thought it was amazing that kingdoms existed in the sky.

"You know, in my world, there aren't really kings and queens, kingdoms and castles…the age of royalty died centuries ago. And there certainly aren't any cities in the skies, unless you are watching cartoons."

"Really?" We walked to the living room and started chatting about the differences between our worlds. He was confused about the way my politics worked, but I told him they even confused me. "Sounds like a fancy popularity contest," he commented. There were other humans and human hybrids, but not many in Toad Town. Wally was part human, part something that was like an elf, but had a fancy name…something related to his distant cousin in Hyrule. He named off different animals and creatures, but I forgot most of the names after he said them. "Most are harmless, unless they're working for the oaf Bowser and he's having a fit. If he's mad, or has his mind set on something, you better cover your ass and run. Most of the time he's just a harmless oaf." Bowser sounded like a big bully to me. We talked about the busy cities, the quiet towns, and the weird places that I was better off not visiting. There was a lot to this new world, but besides the strange creatures, the basics weren't too different than my own.

We started talk about families, and I didn't have much to say. I told him I lived alone and my family had passed a while ago. Everyone else lived on the East coast, and I only met them a few times. Wally didn't care for his family much. "I wish they would move away. They get on my nerves," he griped. I thought this was a strange comment, seeing as I would love to have even a distant cousin take the slightest interest in me. But none of mine did. He briefly mentioned a few cousins that annoyed him, and that he had a sloppy brother. I heard a buzzer go off, and Wally motioned at the kitchen. "Your clothes are done." I excused myself so I could change. "Might as well keep the shirt, you'll need something to sleep in. Unless you want to sleep nak-"

"-I'll be right back. And I think I'll keep my clothes on. Wouldn't want to scare your neighbors." He shook his head and laughed. I must be one of the only people that joked around with him. It was strange, I thought as I walked towards the machine. I never really joked around with anyone when I was at home. I never was given much opportunity, though. My dad and I joked around a lot, when he was around. It was nice, and I enjoyed it. While some of his jokes were crude, they were entertaining. In our conversation he told me he liked to do a lot of pranks. All the weapons were used for jokes, which I scowled out. I told him jokes weren't funny unless both parties ended up laughing about it later. I sounded like my mom, but it was true. He shoved my comment aside, but he looked a little down before we changed topics. It was short, but I noticed it.

I grabbed my warm, freshly cleaned clothes out of the dryer. They felt amazing on. I never thought I'd be this excited to put on a plain white tee and jeans. I went back to the living room, stopping in front of the picture frame. I pointed at the picture. "Was this a friend of yours?" He looked up and sighed.

"That was Princess Daisy. I used to have the hots for her, but she wasn't interested. After I quit pestering her for a date, we developed a love-hate relationship. She loved competitions and hated to lose. I, on the other hand, loved making her lose. It ended up being a fun game to see who could outwit the other first. It was hilarious watching her get angry, as long as you kept your distance. She knew how to throw a mean right hook." He laughed. There was a pause before he spoke again. "She was amazing…I miss her." I wondered if his more extreme pranks started when Daisy died.

"She sounded fun. I'm sorry for your loss." I didn't know what else to say. He stood up, standing next to me to look at the picture.

"Yes, yes she was." His stomach rumbled, and he patted his belly. "No need to get mopey, I'm ready to eat." He walked to the kitchen and picked up the phone. "Pizza sound good to you?"

Pizza came, and after eating five slices and a handful of breadsticks, which Wally made fun of me for, I was full. I sat on the couch, and he brought in the tv from his bedroom. "Why is that in your bedroom, anyway?" He shrugged, saying something on the order on how he likes to watch tv before he falls asleep, and he's too lazy to buy more than one tv. We started watching a sitcom that starred a pair of dinosaurs when there was a knock at the door. No, not a knock; there was a banging at the door. I thought whoever was on the other side was going to break the door down. "Must be Wario." Waluigi got up, muttering for Wario to hold on.

Wally opened the door, and a short, squat man with a yellow hat stomped through. Like Waluigi, Wario had a mustache, but his appeared to be a thin "W" shape. His face was very round, and he had one of those "butt chins." I was tempted to make a joke, but Wario did not look like the joking around type. Like his brother, he also had a large, pink nose that was like the rest of his features: rounded. His black leather jacket had yellow stripes along the side, and I could see his muscles bulge in the sleeves. He looked like a Hell's Angel's biker, and there was something unsettling about the way his squinty eyes surveyed me. I grabbed the blanket and shielded myself; I suddenly wanted to disappear from the man's presence.

"Ah, so you weren't lying. Who's the chick?" His voice was gruff and husky. I felt a chill when he talked and scrunched myself further into the couch. I didn't want to judge the man, but there was something about him I didn't like.

"Do you have the coins or not?" Wally glared at his brother. I noticed he never answered Wario's question on who I was, and I wasn't about to tell him my name. "Don't make me blow up your…"

"Fine. Take it," he grumbled, holding out a large brown sack. Wally snatched the bag, and Wario grimaced. It was like Wally was hurting him, but it was only a bag of coins; I didn't know why it was so painful to him. "We shouldn't fight in front of your guest." Wario spoke slowly, emphasizing the word guest. "I need to talk to you." I saw him take a quick glance at me and point to the kitchen. "Now, brother." Wario slowly walked past me, and I looked straight into his eyes. His eyes looked at me, hungrily. I held my breath, fear prickling my spine. Wally saw the exchange and pushed Wario into the kitchen.

"Why didn't you tell me you had such a pretty little thing here? Were you keeping her all for yourself?" I couldn't see how Wally reacted, but I heard him slam the fridge. "You know, Bowser is finally tiring of Peach's antics and is looking for a new catch. He's offering a lot of coins to anyone who can direct, or supply him with…"

Wally came in the living room and handed me a drink. "Toad Cola? I never asked for anything…" when I looked at his face, it was beet red. He was using this as an excuse to get away from his brother. "Oh," I murmured, and whispered "Thanks." Wario peeked his head around the corner, angry that his brother left in the middle their conversation. Wally closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and went back in the kitchen.

"Sorry, she wanted a drink right before you came, and I didn't get a chance to give her one." I secretly thanked him for saying "she."

Wario continued his thought. "SHE could make quite a few coins. Think of how rich we'd be." He waited and pressed on when there was no response. "You could finally get out of this shit hole and buy yourself a mansion. Think of all the gold we'd make…" He was practically giddy at the thought of turning me in for a mound of gold. "So, you in?"

"No. We are NOT handing her over to that hard-shelled ass hole." His tone was firm, nothing like the light-hearted prankster I was beginning to know.

"What's with the sudden hospitality? Why not, do you LIKE her? What did she do with you? Did she…"

"I do not like her. And no, Wario, she did not whore herself to me. She was merely in trouble and passing by, so I helped." Wario started saying something in a low tone that I could not understand. Suddenly Wally growled. "Get out, or I will shoot a rocket so far up your…"

"Fine." I saw Wario stomp out of the kitchen and stared at me again. The hungry look in his eyes intensified, and I knew what it was: Greed. I had a feeling things were not fine. Wally entered the room, ushering Wario to the door. He looked at his brother as he opened the door, saying as he left, "By the way, Mona broke your racket."