Chapter 6
I woke up to sunshine filling the room. It was a small, pale blue room with two wooden beds each with a nightstand and a rather large wardrobe closet. Hanging on the wall were various pictures, newspaper clippings, and letters. On the night stand closest to me was a picture of Mario and a woman, who I assumed was Peach, kissing. Holy shit, she looks like a living Barbie. Gasping at the picture, I suddenly became self-conscious, knowing that my beauty was nothing in comparison. I stretched, and noticed I was not in as much pain; my back ached the most, and my face felt a little tight. I got out of bed and shuffled to the living room. Like the bedroom, it was a pale blue. Shelves with trophies and medals were scattered on the walls. I looked at where the couch was supposed to be, but it was gone. Guess they threw it out...not sure how I'll repay them for a new couch. I looked for the brothers and scanned the kitchen. I saw Mario and Luigi sleeping in chairs at the table. I felt bad waking them up, as they appeared deep in a sleep.
I decided to attempt to make a thank you breakfast. I rummaged through the fridge and pantries and thought of making French toast. I loved the smell of freshly cooked food and started going to work. The men slept while I made breakfast. I found some fruit and cut it up to go as a side. Proud of myself for not chopping off my fingers, I put the fruit and toast on a plate. As I walked to the sink to wash my hands, I peered through the window that hovered over it. I could barely make out my reflection, but I saw a long streak that took up the entire side of my left side. I stopped my cooking and ran to the bathroom.
My face wasn't swollen, but it was red. I stared at the girl in the mirror, not believing she was me. The gash extended from the inner corner of my eye all the way to my chin line. I smiled and saw my face contort around the gash. I made several facial expressions, seeing how the gash moved, or didn't move. Raising my sleeve to see the gash on my arm, which looked like a tiger had attacked, I traced the three parallel lines. I hesitated to look at my back, but finally mustered up the courage to lift my shirt. My back had a singular line that went from in between my shoulder blades, curving towards my right hip, and little scratches graced my upper thigh. I collapsed on the cold tile and put my hands in my face. I had a visual reminder of what the beast had done to me. I always thought having a scar would be cool, like a great conversation starter. Scars told stories, but these scars, however, would be reminders of a living nightmare.
I calmed down enough to stand back up. I splashed water on my face and looked in my eyes. Scars are not hideous, I told myself. You are still you. Still alive. I kept looking at myself, repeating the inner monologue that these scars, while they had a painful story, led me to two great people who selflessly helped me. I could not dwell on the mark, and while I knew I would not easily erase the mental pain it caused, I could at least try to overcome it. I've suffered worse and knew I would survive this. I had the urge to ride my bike, but I knew I wouldn't be able to leave anyone's sight. I drew up my shoulders, remembering that this pain was nothing compared to my sister and parent's death, and confidently walked out.
The brothers were still asleep when I emerged from my mini meltdown. I finished preparing breakfast, grabbed some juice from the fridge, or what I hoped was juice, and set it in front of them. I didn't know how to awake them without startling them. I lightly coughed; not a stir. I mumbled; nothing. I had to tap their shoulders. Mario grunted, wiggling his shoulders away from my touch. Luigi, on the other hand, jumped and fell out of his chair. His topple caused me to fall along with him, and we landed on the floor in a jumbled mess. He looked at me, saw I was still only wearing the red shirt, and stammered. His face turned a vivid red, and I thought he was going to wet himself. "Whoops, sorry," I muttered, trying to get up. Our fall had caused Mario to wake, and when he saw us on the floor, he instantly snickered.
"What on earth did you do? Here, I'll help you up." Mario stood and held out a hand for both of us. I made a mental note not to scare Luigi again. "What's that I smell?" Mario turned his head to the table and saw the prepared plates. "Did you make this?" He didn't look at me, though. Instead, he turned to Luigi. "You cooked?" Mario began to beam, but Luigi shook his head.
"No, I did. I wanted to thank you." Mario's face fell a little but was still appreciative for the food. "I'm not the best cook, but it's edible. No fingers were cut in the making of your breakfast. In my opinion, that's success." I held out my hands, wiggling my fingers.
Mario and Luigi immediately dived into the meal. Mario chattered away joyously, excited for a new adventure. I didn't listen too much of what he said; I was nervous to meet the living doll, Peach. Luigi didn't say much in the conversation, still red from our fall. It looked like he wanted to bolt out of the room. "Mario," I interrupted, "why did you ask if Luigi cooked breakfast?"
Mario was on his third helping of food and tried not to talk with his mouth full. "Luigi is an amazing cook. He used to cook all the time, and I miss his food." He kept eating and apologized. "Not that yours wasn't good, it's better than what we've been eating lately. I was just hoping for his triple-stacked cinnamon French toast." Luigi didn't comment.
"I'd love to try that sometime. Sounds wonderful," I politely replied. Mario mumbled "me, too" while picking up our empty plates. Luigi glared. They gave this look to each other frequently, and I wondered why. "When is Peach getting here?"
Mario looked at the time and jumped "Mama Mia! She'll be here any minute!" He ran in the living room and handed me a pile of clothes. "Here, quickly shower and change. The bathroom is around the corner. There are girly products in the shower." It was Mario's turn to blush. "Peach leaves a set here for when she crashes."
I hopped in the shower and thought of the previous day when I took a bath at Wally's house. Like then, the water felt wonderful against my skin. I could feel all the dirt and dried blood washing down the drain. My feet were a little tender from running through town, but the mushrooms cleared away most of that pain. I heard commotion out of the bathroom and guessed the guests arrived. I rushed out of the shower and hurriedly dressed. Wally had bought me a new shirt. The shirt was a pretty plum color. I liked the color against my tan skin and knew it would look good with my jacket.
Leaving the bathroom, the first thing I saw was a rather large green thing. I had NO clue what it was. It wore red shoes, a red saddle, and had large white eyes. If dinosaurs still existed, I would think it was a dinosaur. Maybe they DO exist in this world…so much for the meteorite theory. Mario saw me approaching and motioned me over. "Jelina, this is Yoshi. And this is Peach." He nodded to the woman standing next to him. She was even more beautiful in real life. Peach was tall, slender, and pale, with long blonde hair that fell down her back. Like the brothers, she had beautiful blue eyes. She wore a pink sun dress, and to complete the look, and gold crown. She smiled and greeted me.
"Hi, I'm Princess Peach Toadstool, but you may call me Peach. You'll be staying with me. Mario tells me you've had quite the time here in the Mushroom Kingdom." Her high-pitched voice chimed while she spoke, and there was a kind edge to her tone. "I hope you can enjoy some of your time here. We'll keep you safe, dear." She looked at the brothers, and then Yoshi. "Are we ready to go?"
Mario patted Yoshi and fed him several cookies. He didn't speak much but licked everything in sight. "What is Yoshi?" I asked. I approached him and patted his large head.
"He's a Yoshi," Mario answered. "He's a great friend and companion. He'll even allow you to ride him."
I looked at the Yoshi and thought of my bike. "Thanks, but I'd rather walk with my bike, if that's ok. Where is it, by the way?"
Peach started walking to the door. "Luigi is outside with it. He was making sure you had everything before you left." We all went outside the house and met Luigi. I ran to my bike, lovingly grabbing the handles.
"Thanks, Luigi, for everything you guys did. And please thank Wally for the shirt, will you? You'll probably talk to him before I get to." Luigi nodded, though I doubted he would. "You two have been a big help, and I'm looking forward to seeing you all soon. Maybe even try some of this cooking Mario was boasting about." I winked, and he flushed, walking back to stand by his brother. Peach met up with me and waved.
"Will I be seeing you tomorrow for dinner, Mario?" Mario grinned, and she nodded. "Luigi, you are, as always, welcome to join us." Luigi gave a slight nod. Peach, Yoshi, and I started walking down the trail to her house, which was hidden amongst the other toad homes. The way back was pleasant. Peach told me all about her kingdom along the way, from the duties she held as a princess to what shops were in the town. She waved at people passing by, and they happily greeted her. She knew almost all the town members by name and would occasionally stop to chat. We made it to her house, which I would have never recognized from the front. It looked like any other toad shaped home, except the spots on the top were pink.
"Thank you for escorting us, Yoshi. You can stay if you'd like." Yoshi's stomach rumbled, and he laughed.
"Yoshi hungry. Bye Princess. Bye Jelina." He waved and parted ways to get something to eat. It was just Peach and I, which intimidated me. I was still nervous about saying or doing something inappropriate around her.
"I thought today we'd do a little shopping. Mario said all you had was your bike and the clothes on your back? I can't imagine how difficult that would be, not to have any of your personal possessions." I rolled my bike to the side of the house.
"That would be nice, but I don't have any money." I shamefully looked at my feet. I didn't want to take anything from her, and I now had two shirts, so it seemed a little more bearable. I already owed Wally for the shirt I was wearing, his ripped shirt, and Mario a new couch. How am I going to pay them back?
She gasped. "Don't be silly! I will take care of everything. The way the boys talked, you will be here for a little while. You need clothes and necessities. And we have to hurry to get you fitted for a dress!" She surprised herself with that thought. "The ball is next week! We don't have much time!"
I spluttered. "B-b-ball?"
"Yes, and you are going." Her voice was firm, challenging me to question her authority. "You are not to be unsupervised until further notice, and everyone will be at the ball." Then she gave a big smile. "Plus, the ball will be fun! There will be music, dancing, drinks, food, and games. It will be a lovely time!"
I didn't ask any more questions; we had a lot to do. We stopped by a few local clothing stores and I got a few more shirts, another pair of jeans, a skirt, under garments, and two pairs of shoes. "If we need more, we can come back. I loved that blue shirt, we might just have to come back and get it anyway." Next, we went to a body type store so I could pick up necessities. I didn't generally wear makeup, but I wanted something to help cover the gash on my face. I was glad that no one asked questions about my wound.
"There are a lot of injured people in the town when Bowser attacked us years back. We know how brutal he can be," she said when I kept hiding my face in the stores. "No one will care about the scar, they'll be more interested in who you are. You are a strange face in the town."
She was right. Everyone asked what kingdom I was from, and when I mentioned I was from the same place as Mario and Luigi, I got a run of questions. The first was always "Did you know the Mario Brothers in their world?!" and I had to let them down with a no. They were still excited, asking me to describe my land. I didn't mind talking about Phoenix; I didn't know anywhere else. When we would leave a shop, Peach would continue asking questions about my home. We chatted from place to place, and I was enjoying the girl talk. We stopped for a drink before hitting the dress shop, and I was confused by the names and varieties of the different beverages. I ended up getting a "Prickly Piranha Plant Soda" and enjoyed the sweet, bubbly taste.
We entered the dress shop and I didn't know where to begin. Rows and rows of gorgeous gowns hung everywhere. There were two stories of dresses, separated by color, length, and style. A tiny seamstress stood behind a counter and happily waved to Peach. "Your dress should be done by tomorrow, your highness."
"I'm not here for me today, Rita. My friend, Jelina, is in need of a gown." Rita looked at me and started walking through the rows and rows of dresses. Peach hurried behind her, and the two started collaborating. I heard Rita mention yellow, but Peach immediately said no. I let them wander about the aisles, pointing at different dresses, rejecting others, and I looked on my own.
I always loved lace. I loved the details of the design, yet the overall simplicity of it. I found myself in the section opposite of Rita and Peach, where all the darker colored dresses were. I passed the satin dresses, dresses that required a petticoat, and dresses that looked difficult to sit in. I kept walking when I saw my dress.
The black lace dress had a simple corset styled top and slightly flared in an A-line. It reminded me of something from the 1950's. I loved the dress's elegancy. I noticed ribbons of gold winding through the lace, adding color against the black. I brought it to Peach, excited for my find. I smiled while she examined it.
"I love the lace, it is quite sophisticated! But are you sure you want black? And tea length? I would imagine a full-length gown would be more appropriate…" and she handed it back to me, along with four other dresses her and Rita found. "Try these on." I sifted through the dresses she gave me and knew the one I picked was the one. I ran to the fitting room and tried mine on first.
Rita came in and helped me button the long line of buttons in the back. The dress was a definitely too long for my short stature, but otherwise it fit perfectly. I was surprised how easily I could move and comfortable it was. I loved it. Rita gasped, "You look radiant!" I stepped out to show Peach; she didn't make me try on anything else. I picked out fingerless hand gloves, a pair of golden heels, and a pair of gold earrings. Peach was looking at necklaces and bracelets, and I told her earrings were enough; I didn't want too much jewelry. She put a lace wrap in the pile, and Rita let us know it would be hemmed in three days. I was excited to come back and found that while I was not generally a fan of formal occasions, I was looking forward to spending time with my new friend.
Peach and I headed to her home. I asked why she lived in town, and she said she desired space away from the castle. After being kidnapped in her castle so many times, she felt it was safer to reside somewhere more hidden. The interior is what one would expect from a princess. Beautifully carved furniture filled the rooms, and elegant paintings hung on the walls. She had a lot of pink, and everything was like Wally said: dainty, feminine, and delicate. I saw a few pictures of her and Mario, pictures with other princesses and toads, and some with her, Mario, Luigi, and the woman I saw in Wally's photo, Daisy. I stopped to look at one. The group was having a picnic. Mario and Peach were looking at each other, with Peach sitting on top of Mario's lap. Luigi was sitting next to the pair with Daisy draped over her shoulders, giving him a kiss on the cheek. They all were so…happy. Luigi's eyes were full of life, and he beamed at the camera. He looked nothing like the Luigi I met hours ago. The Luigi I met looked almost empty.
"That was a wonderful day, a great picnic." Peach came up from behind me, handing me a cup of tea. "We had a lot of great days like that." Peach and I walked to the kitchen, sitting at the table. "I miss those days." I looked at Peach as she looked in her tea cup. "Did you know Daisy was my distant cousin? She was the princess of Sarasaland and came over every summer when we were little to visit me. She was more of a tomboy, and while I liked catching butterflies, she liked to catch baseballs. We were very different, but she was a great friend.
"Our visits grew less and less as we got older. We both gained more responsibilities and had obligations to our kingdoms. It wasn't until well after Mario and Luigi had arrived that she started visiting again. Mario and I have always been together, as we bonded so naturally. But Luigi struggled." She stopped and looked at me. "If you haven't noticed, he's very shy, and embarrasses easily. But he has a sweet heart, always is willing to help those in need. Not in the way Mario does. Mario likes to be the hero. Luigi makes sure everyone is happy. He pays attention to details that Mario often skips. They work well together. Mario brings Luigi out of his shell, while Luigi brings Mario down to reality."
Peach took a small sip of her tea, then looked in the tea cup. A small smile spread across her face. "Daisy continued to be more of a tomboy as she got older. She loved to play sports and games and was highly competitive. She was outgoing, strong, and a great leader and image for her kingdom. She had known about the Mario brothers as I told her all about them in letters. She planned a visit to meet the man who had rescued me and stolen my heart. Before her departure, her kingdom was attacked and she was kidnapped. Mario quickly came to her aide, rescuing her, and saving her kingdom. Their kingdom offered Mario compensation, titles, and anything he desired, but Mario declined everything; he said he was just doing what was right. Daisy instantly approved and was proud I had such a wonderful match.
"She eventually came to visit us and met Luigi. I wouldn't say it was love at first sight. I think Luigi was terrified of her…she was very intimidating…but after several meetings and Daisy's persistence, they grew to become inseparable. She still lived in her kingdom and the two made make frequent visits to one another. The visits were not easy. To get to her kingdom you have to take a series of pipes. Many of the pipes led to obsolete places in the desert, some pipes could only be accessed one way, and some would disappear from sight when you emerged. It was used to protect the kingdom so if there was another attack it would be hard to reach the castle. But they didn't mind making the trip. All that mattered was they were together."
Peach sighed, and I could tell the memories were hard to talk about. She looked at the dreads that were left in the bottom of her tea cup and I saw her lip tremble ever so slightly. I gave her a sorrowful look. "You don't have to talk about, Peach. I understand." I didn't want Peach to feel forced to tell me something so personal and difficult, I understood from experience how hard grief and death were to talk about.
Peach shook her head and continued, her voice slightly breaking. "It's ok, Jelina. It's something you need to know." She gave a small sigh and continued her memory. "Daisy was at Luigi's and had been there for quite some time. Her father called for her, as that is what it generally took for Daisy to go back. She could never deny her father's request. Luigi offered to come along, but Daisy said it was official business. I don't know the details of the day, but she left rather late, far later than was ideal for traveling. Luigi waited to hear of her safe arrival, but nothing came. Days passed, and we all began to worry. Her father contacted us, thinking she had not left yet. It was then Luigi and Mario looked for her, and on their travel found one of the pipes had been out of order, accidentally leading her to the middle of the desert with no return pipe…" she trailed off. "There was nothing anyone could do. It was too late. She was gone."
I felt a tear trickle down my face. We sat silently for a while, Peach lost in her memory, and I taking in the scene. My heart ached for Luigi, and I thought of how he looked at me. He was afraid to see another death. Although he did not know me, death is something that cannot be erased from the mind. I knew that, seeing my sister, mother, and father all lay still. Peach quietly spoke again. "Luigi was broken. Mario had to force him to use the warp whistle…Luigi was refusing to leave her side, blaming himself for the accident. That happened over five years ago. The piping system was completely rebuilt and kingdoms began developing new forms of transportation. Everyone grieved, and it took a while for things to return to a normal routine. We are still close with the kingdom of Sarasaland, and recently dedicated a flower patch in the park in honor of Daisy. She will always be a part of us in spirit."
Peach looked over at me. I didn't ask how Luigi was fairing; I already knew he wasn't. When I overheard "Poor Luigi" outside of Wally's house, I never realized it was about something this painful. I felt my chest ache, and I knew it was in regards to my own memories. I did not feel like talking about that pain right now. That was a pain I buried deep in my mind, keeping it guarded against everyone. I couldn't speak.
"The kingdom hasn't had a ball since the accident. This ball is needed to lift the spirits of my people. We used to host balls and parties several times a year, and I know it has been missed."
"When I first arrived, I heard a few toads talking about it. They sounded excited." Peach smiled, as if that statement solidified her reasoning behind throwing a giant party for the town. "Will everyone be going to this?" I asked.
I was implying Luigi specifically. I didn't want to imagine him sitting alone at home while everyone was celebrating. She seemed to know who I was talking about. "Yes, for some people it is mandatory." She got up and took my empty tea cup. "I just thought you should know what happened. I'm sure there will be chatter about it at the ball, and I'd rather you hear the entire story now than bits and pieces of gossip later." I was glad she told me the story. I got up and looked at several other pictures, and after a moment she returned to my side, silently gazing at her memories.