Chapter 21 Am I the Bad Guy?
Celia made her way out of her bedroom. Even though a whole day had passed since the news had been revealed to both her and her cousin, there was still a very real, very overwhelming tension in the air. Celia wouldn't be surprised if she found out the air could be cut with a knife and used as a sandwich spread. Seriously, nothing about the house felt right! Nothing about it was comfortable or even pleasant! Sure, that had been the case for the majority of the time that Albert had stayed here. But this morning, there was a…special quality to the vibe. It made Celia squirm. It made her want to leave this place as soon as humanly possible.
In fact…that wasn't such a bad idea. After she ate, showered, and got dressed, she was going to the park. She didn't normally go there because she always feared the possibility of running into nasty Toads and belligerent humans. She didn't feel that today though; partly because school had helped her develop a thicker skin and mostly because…well, she didn't care. She didn't care if the people in town mocked and laughed at her. She was still going to leave the house; she partially felt as if it was a necessity.
With this thought in mind, Celia walked over to the kitchen. She wasn't going to wait for her parents to make breakfast; she was going to make it herself. It wouldn't be anything too fancy, mostly just a bowl of her Fire Flower Flakes (her favorite cereal). She figured the less time spent worrying about the food she was going to eat, the better. She got the cereal box down from on top of the fridge, got a bowl, and retrieved the milk. As she poured, she heard footsteps coming into the kitchen. She didn't even need to look to know that they were caused by Albert.
When he entered the room, Albert let out a long sigh. This verbal expression of the emotions running through his head actually managed to reach Celia's heart. She winced, all at once realizing that Albert was in a much worse place than she was at the moment. His mother, the very woman who he loved dearly and had a very strong connection with…everything about her was being questioned by this young man. The pedestal that Alicia stood on had been destroyed, bringing her down to the level of everyone else in the world. Possibly even lower. While Celia wanted to get out of the house as soon as possible, she was also developing a desire to stay and comfort her cousin.
So, she turned toward him. She didn't know if it was appropriate to smile, so she avoided that particular expression entirely. "Hey." She looked between him and her bowl. "Want some Fire Flower Flakes?"
Albert raised an eyebrow. "What are Fire Flower Flake?" When Celia shrugged and told him that it was a type of cereal (one of the few she actually enjoyed), Albert looked pretty uncertain. "I've…I don't like cereal. It…it never tasted right to me."
Celia opened her mouth, about to tell him to give this one a chance, before she thought against it. "Well, is there anything you do want to eat?"
Albert shook his head. "Not hungry."
"Ah." She reasoned that she probably shouldn't be too surprised. When she in particular was stressed out, it was hard to eat anything without feeling nauseous (as a consequence, she never related with people who decided to stress eat). So, she finished fixing her bowl, not worrying about feeding her cousin. Once she was all set, she went out into the dining room. Albert followed close behind.
"Hey…" Celia took her seat at the table. "I'm really sorry."
Albery cringed. "You…" he shook his head. "You shouldn't be."
"I know." Celia took a bite. "But I still am." She chuckled. "While I can't relate perfectly to this exact situation, I am familiar with the territory of your entire worldview being shattered." She chuckled again, actually managing to smile this time. "It's not a fun place to be in. But…that doesn't mean that you should have to go through it alone."
Albert hesitated, fiddling with a button on his shirt. "Well…thank you. I guess."
Celia felt ticked off by that last sentence. Maybe it was because she had her guard up around him due to his previous disdain she had toward koopas. She was about to say something about it before she realized she was making a mountain out of a mole hill. It was possible that Albert didn't mean anything nasty when saying that sentence. Besides, he was stressed out. It wasn't too out of the question for him to be a little snippy.
She took another bite, looking at him. "And…well, I think it'll all turn out alright in the end." She stood up, abandoning her favorite breakfast food to go over to her cousin and pat him on the back. "I find that, even when you're in the middle of a storm, there's pretty much a guarantee that it'll pass in the end. Sure, some storms can last for a long, long…long long time, and sometimes they even have lasting effects on the course of the rest of your life. But you shouldn't let that get you down. The clouds always clear after a rainstorm. Sometimes, you might even see a rainbow if you're lucky enough."
Albert didn't say anything. He just kept his gaze on the ground. Celia saw the conflict in his eyes, and boy was it strong. She questioned whether or not the words she said could actually be considered helpful. The possibility that they might not be actually caused her to pull away from him a little bit.
Eventually though, Albert did speak. However, he didn't say the words that Celia expected him to.
"Celia…am I the bad guy?"
Celia blinked. "What do you mean?"
Albert bit his lip. "I…I feel so confused. Everything that Mommy has done…every single last thing that she went out of her way to teach me…it doesn't seem to match up with anything. Koopas…they aren't horrible. At least the ones I've met throughout this." He looked Celia right in the eye, an action that Celia realized was a big deal for him given his history. "They aren't monsters. They aren't even bad people. They're just people, like me and Mommy and Aunt Ruby. If…if they aren't deserving of all the scorn I've given them…does that make me a bad guy?"
Celia bit her lip. Honestly, part of her was tempted to say yes, mostly because the scene where they played A Thousand Blank White Cards was still relatively fresh in her mind. However, she knew that holding onto the malice associated with that event would just be petty. Albert didn't need someone to berate him for this, he needed answers. He needed concrete answers, concrete reassurance in this time where he had no idea what was even right anymore.
"You're not a bad guy," Celia finally said. "You're still learning stuff. You're figuring things out. Sure, you made mistakes in the past, but…you're not a bad guy. I don't think you are."
Albert actually sniffled when he heard that. "Well…I guess that makes one of us."
Celia felt a pang. She…she hadn't the slightest clue how to respond to that. She figured there was a correct way, but none of the thoughts in her head pointed to what that correct way might be. She hesitated, trying to piece together some words.
"I'm sorry." That was all she said. Really, how stupid was that? I'm sorry? This kid viewed himself as the scum of the Mushroom World, and all she could say was "I'm sorry?" Why couldn't she had said something much more impactful, much more smart? Why couldn't she tell him more about what she noticed from him, how his struggles weren't going to last forever nor that they were going to be in vain? In fact…that's what she should say! She should open her mouth and tell him that right at this very moment! Sure, it would be treading the same ground as a point she already made, but she still knew that it could help Albert!
Unfortunately, she didn't get the chance. Albert walked away, going into another room to possibly think more about everything happening to him. This caused Celia to frown. She could go after him, she could follow him into the next room. But she didn't. Part of her realized that, even if she did deliver the message that she intended, there wasn't a guarantee that it would cheer him up. Part of her realized that the likelihood of it actually working was low, especially when she took into account the "I guess that makes one of us" line.
She looked down at her cereal. She felt guilty. She couldn't say for certain why, but she felt guilty. She picked up her bowl, taking it to the bathroom so she could dump the contents down the toilet. She…she should probably get ready to go to the park…
…
The park turned out to be the perfect destination to go to. Not only was it drop dead gorgeous due to the clear blue sky and emerald green grass, but it was also empty due to it still being relatively early in the morning. Because of this, Celia was able to enjoy it a lot more. She walked around the perimeter a little bit, hearing the birds chirp melodies that put even Ludwig's music to shame (then again, maybe Celia was just saying that because she wasn't a fan of classical). The deep breaths she took helped clear her mind. At least, a little bit. Even with all the exercise she was getting and all the sightseeing she was doing, she just couldn't figure out what to do about Albert.
And now that she was sitting on a bench, it's all she could think about. She leaned forward, putting her head in her hands as she thought about their conversation. She still couldn't get the "I'm sorry" line out of her head. Seriously, she felt as if she made the situation a million times worse! That's all she said. That's all she said…
Celia sighed and leaned back. She wanted to do something for Albert. Something that showed that it was all going to be okay. Sure, he left a horrible first impression. But, the fact that he was this conflicted showed that he wasn't a bad person. He was just a regular person who had been taught bad things. And, unfortunately, since all those bad things got reinforced by his bitch of a mother, he took them to heart. While Albert did need to take responsibility for the horrid way he treated koopas, Celia knew that his worldview partially wasn't his own fault. After all, if someone was told something was bad, without ever really seeing evidence to the contrary…well, would it really be that big of a surprise that they believed that that something was bad?
She readjusted herself so that she was sitting upright. Right as she did, her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out, feeling her spirits lift a little when she saw that it was a text from Roy.
Hello, my beautiful sweetheart.
Celia chuckled at the cheesiness of that line, all while still finding it to be very sweet. Hello, my handsome prince.
Roy's next message contained a laughing emoji with tears in its eyes at the beginning. Hey! That fits because I actually am a prince!
Celia smirked. An adopted prince, remember?
Oh, who even cares about that? I'm still a prince! And I don't know about you, but I think I'm much more handsome than those other princes you read about in fairytales.
Celia laughed. I…I agree. You truly are a fine specimen. I'm lucky that you're my boyfriend.
This time, Roy's message had a blushing emoji. Aw, shucks.
After that, Celia stared at her phone a little bit. Before she knew it, she started typing away, all without much active thought. Hey, I'm kinda concerned about Albert.
Oh. Yeah, Roy replied. He's…he's in an interesting position right at this moment.
Yeah, he is. Celia bit her lip. I wish there was something I could do to help him feel better. Sure, he was a jerk, but he's still my cousin. Celia sent that message, paused, then added onto it. I think I should get him a gift. Something he would really appreciate. But…I don't know what that something should be!
When Celia sent that message, she wasn't prepared by the pure energy that Roy's reply contained. Oh, I know! I know what you should get him! It'll be PERFECT; I know for a fact that it'll blow his mind.
Celia blinked. What would that be?
There was a pause. Give me about an hour and a half. I'll come to the Mushroom Kingdom so I can show you. Trust me Celia, it's gonna be great.
Celia, while she didn't appreciate the fact that Roy didn't give a direct answer, still smiled. Okay. I trust you.