Setting Up

Dear Julia,

My name is Frisk. I got your address from Eleanor West and she thought it would be good for me to write you a letter. She told me that you visited the same world that I did and that you are a green soul. I'm a red soul. I have a few questions for you, if you don't mind answering.

First of all, I'm curious about what magic you got and how you learned what it is. Does your magic still work on Earth? Were there any side effects to your magic? I'm asking because I haven't figured out what my magic is yet. I can see other people's soul colours, but it's kind of weird that that's all I can do since my soul is red. Also, my eyes turned red at some point when I was in the Underground.

What was your time like when you were Underground? I heard stories about humans falling down from some of the monsters, only a few of them recognized me as one. Most of them thought I was a weird monster. I'm guessing time passes differently in that world than in this one. So what was it like when you were there? And why did you choose to come back to Earth? I'm still trying to understand my own reasons for leaving.

Also, what did you decide to do when you came back to Earth? What kind of life did you have? I'm still twelve and I don't know what I want to do for the rest of my life yet, so I want to hear about yours.

I understand if this last question is too personal, but how did you find your door?

Hope to hear back from you.

-Frisk

Dear Simone,

My name is Frisk. I got your address from Eleanor West and she told me that writing to you might be good for me. She said that we both visited the same world and that you are a yellow soul. I'm a red soul and if it's not a bother, I have a few questions for you.

Firstly, if it's not too personal, I'd like to hear about your magic. What magic can you do? How did you learn what you magic is? Were there any side effects of the magic? I haven't figured out what my magic is yet. I can see other people's soul colours sometimes, but it doesn't make sense that that's all I can do as a red-souled person. And as a side effect of whatever my magic is, my eyes turned red while I was in the Underground.

Can you tell me about your time Underground? I heard from some of the monsters about what they thought humans were like, and very few were even able to identify me as one. Time seems to work differently Underground than it does here, so I thought that there might be some differences in our experiences. What was your time like? And why did you choose to come back to Earth? I'm still trying to understand my own reasons for leaving.

Also, what has your life been like since you came back to Earth? What job did you pick and what kind of life do you have now? I'm twelve and I don't know what the rest of my life will be like yet, but I'd like to hear about yours.

If it's not too intrusive, how did you find your door?

Hope to hear from you.

-Frisk

Dear Tash,

My name is Frisk. I got your address from Eleanor West. She said that you and I both went to the same world and that I should try writing to you since we've got something in common. She told me that you're a blue soul too. I'm a red soul. I do have some questions for you so if you want to answer them, I'd appreciate it.

First, I'd like to know what kind of magic you have and how you figured it out. And were there any side effects from the magic? I can see people's soul colours sometimes but it doesn't make sense for that to be the only thing my magic does. As a red soul, the magic should be different, or at least be more than that. My eyes also turned red while I was Underground. I think that's a side effect of the magic, but I don't know how or why.

Can you tell me about your time Underground? Time works differently here and there, so you probably had a different experience than I did. I'd like to hear about it if you'll tell me. The monsters I talked to knew about humans, but very few were able to tell that I was one. I was wondering if you had a different experience than me.

I'd also like to hear about your life on Earth. I'm twelve, so I don't know what the rest of my life will be like yet. What is your life like? What do you do? How do you talk about your time away from Earth with other people? And, if it's not too much to ask, why did you choose to leave? I'm trying to understand my own reasons, and I'd like to hear yours.

If it's not too rude of me to ask, how did you find your door?

Hope to hear from you soon.

-Frisk

Frisk spent their Sunday afternoon drafting letters to the other three people who traversed the Underground. Julia was in her seventies, Simone was in her fifties, and Tash was in her late twenties. They all probably had different experiences and they all have had different amounts of time to reflect on their time away from Earth.

They really hoped that the stories of these three people would help them figure themselves out. Frisk knew that they wanted to go back, and maybe there would be clues in their replies.

If nothing else, having more insight into the soul magic of the Underground might help them unlock their own magic, whatever it is. It just had to be more than seeing soul colours. They couldn't even see them consistently and they wanted to figure out why.

Was there something inside them that made them able to see sometimes? Were the other people doing something that made their souls shine? Or was it just random? The only way to figure that out would be to talk to more people.

Talking to people is hard. Most of the students here were high school students, and they were not. Even for a twelve-year-old, they were short. It made the age gap seem much bigger than it was, and approaching so many strangers was intimidating. What if they all thought that they were weird too?

What if the bullying didn't stop?

It wasn't something that they wanted to think about.

Frisk was just happy that Susie was spending her Sunday outside. They had plenty of quiet time to write the letters in their room while she was out. They didn't know where they stood with her at the moment. She seemed so nice at first and they were getting along but then they stupidly asked about her candy at supper and now they didn't know.

Susie didn't apologize exactly, but she did say that she shouldn't have gotten angry at them. Was that the truth though? Frisk thought that they shouldn't have provoked her. It was the same with just about anyone else in their life. Their old bullies, their mom, other random kids they met at parks and after school clubs. If Frisk didn't challenge them or bother them, then they wouldn't get upset.

As long as they behaved correctly, they could get by. Shoving down their feelings worked before, and it would have to work now. They could stay out of Susie's way, try to avoid talking to her, and maybe she would forget about them and not yell at them again. If they made themselves stop feeling, it wouldn't hurt.

Good thing that they had a lot of practice.

Frisk showed up to meals early and claimed a seat alone in the corner of the eating area. They ate as quickly as possible so that no one (especially Susie) had the chance to sit with them. In the morning, they looked for Eleanor to get the names and addresses of the other Underground students, and the afternoon was spent writing in comfortable isolation. The only sounds were the smooth scratching of pencil along paper, and the only conversation was in their mind debating questions and words.

Their first proper day at the school was passing as easily as they could hope for.

When they finished writing the letters, they went to find Eleanor again to ask if she could send them tomorrow. She agreed, of course, and told them that they would be meeting with Lundy tomorrow after breakfast to go over the basics of the Compass, complete scholastic assessments, and choose electives.

Without any more explanations, Eleanor shooed them off and told them to go have fun. Frisk obediently left but had no idea what to do with their free time. They didn't know anyone, so they just walked around and tried to find somewhere that Susie would never go. When they found the library, they smiled. Susie said it herself. She's not a books and learning person.

Frisk, however, would happily get lost in the pages of a book. Knights and dragons, adventures and quests, mysteries and grand reveals, and magical worlds that they could get lost in. Books were an escape from Earth, and might be the closest thing they had to the Underground. They picked up a copy of The Hobbit and found a cozy seat behind one of the large bookshelves. It wasn't a long book, but it was enough to last the rest of the day.

When they got back to their room, they quickly changed and put themselves to bed. The less they had to talk to Susie, the less chance they had to bother her. They pretended to be asleep when she eventually returned and didn't see the glare sent their way. Frisk kept their breathing deep and slow and even. No feelings means no fear. They ignored their pounding heart and kept their appearance calm. At some point, they accidentally fell asleep for real.

Susie was gone already when Frisk woke up. For a moment, they were concerned that they had overslept and missed breakfast, but their clock said otherwise. They still had a good amount of time to eat before their first day of school here. They were interested in meeting Lundy. Eleanor and Susie had talked about her a little, but Frisk was curious.

Frisk took their breakfast to their usual table in the corner. Susie wasn't in the eating area either. It was odd, but they weren't going to complain. As they were cleaning up their dishes, they were approached by a young girl dressed in what looked like old woman's clothing.

"Hello Frisk, I'm Lundy. When you finish clearing your table, please meet me in the first classroom. I'll be going over the fundamentals with you and explaining what you should expect from the school during your stay." She said.

How could this kid possibly be sixty like Susie said? Then again, didn't Eleanor say that she had a door too? Maybe her world had some sort of time magic or something else that would make her stop aging. Or maybe she came from a world of mirrors and windows where you existed as a reflection and that made her stay a kid when she came back. It would make just as much sense as anything else.

They nodded and did as she said. She would explain everything in time.

And explain she did. The whole morning was spent discussing the Compass and the different types of worlds that existed. Underworlds, Fairylands, Mirrors, Submerged, Undergound, Nexus, there were many major categories and some worlds refused to fit into any.

"However, all worlds can be mapped on the Compass. By taking accounts of all children who pass through the doors and come back to Earth, we can get a more thorough understanding of the doors and the ways in which they connect. We describe the worlds and connections along semantic directions." Luny continued.

The compass was ever-evolving, apparently. Though there were four major directions and several minor directions that have been identified. Most worlds will fit along at least one major direction, if not two. Additionally, the major directions all have natural opposites. Most minor directions had natural opposites, but some pairs were not quite opposite, though they never occur together.

"Kade said that the Underground was moderate in Nonsense and Virtue. You said that those are major directions. He also said that it had Linearity as a minor direction. I can understand the Nonsense and Linearity well enough, but I don't understand how it's Virtue." Frisk asked, "It's definitely not Wicked, but it felt closer to Neutral to me."

"You're thinking too much about the labels. The names we give to the directions are just words, and words are not perfect." Lundy explained, "Despite having no contact with the surface and no apparent resource generation, the Underground was still able to support a growing population. Magic made up for almost anything lacking. In this way, it approaches an ideal state in terms of ethics and human or equivalent rights and values. There is little conflict and no one there is treated better or worse for being who they are. That puts it along the Virtue direction."

Frisk frowned, "I spent all my time away from Toriel running from monsters who kept attacking me and trying to capture me. The king was going to kill me. How is that Virtue? How is that human rights?"

"Virtue worlds can have conflict and war. It is more about how the people are cared for by the world and what they fight for if they fight at all. Paradoxically, wars can be fought for peace." Lundy stated.

They weren't entirely sure that the explanation made sense, but there wasn't much they could do. Lundy spoke quickly and used a lot of big words. She might look like a kid, but she doesn't really know how to speak to one. The long-winded explanations were probably interesting, but it was hard to stay focused for so long when all she did was talk and point at a picture of the compass.

After lunch, Lundy went over academics. She administered some quick assessments of their academic level, and much to their surprise, they passed the seventh-grade material easily. They still didn't have a good grasp on the time they spent with Toriel, but it was apparently long enough for them to have covered nearly all of the material in the core subjects for their grade level. For science, math, English, and social studies, they were moved into the eighth-grade class.

It was nice to know that they could do well in school when other kids weren't ruining their work. After that, they had to choose two electives.

"Standard electives are offered here, such as music, art, drama, technology, woodcrafting, and such. These electives generally have very few students, if any at all and are largely self-directed. More structured electives are the ones offered only at this school." Lundy explained, "Eleanor likes to teach the life skills elective and it is fairly popular. She goes over skills that she believes will help the students if they find their doors again. Lockpicking, scaling walls, climbing through windows, whatever suits her fancy on that particular day. If you want to hope against statistics that you find your way back, many enjoy the class.

"The other popular pick is labelled Mapping so that we can write a description that gets past the school board. In reality, it is a class for students to discuss the World Compass and the various worlds and their locations. Many students pick up this elective for a semester or two, and then move on to something else once their curiosity has been satisfied. In the end, your elective choices are yours alone."

"Are there any physical education classes?" Frisk asked.

"A few. We don't have a gymnasium or any other facility like that for the standard class, but we have three broader electives. Outdoor education, which consists mostly of camping skills, is the only standard course that we can offer here. We also offer self defense and martial arts, officially. Those are the names we give to the weapons classes and hand-to-hand combat classes so that the state accepts the credits. Do any of those interest you?" Lundy asked, "They are all student-run, so you can register at any time. There will be supervision if the students decide to spend a night outdoors or hold a friendly competition."

Frisk nodded, "The outdoor education and mapping classes sound cool to me. Also, I'd like to try the self defense class. I want to go back and change my decision in the Underground, and knowing how to use a small weapon would help."

At your age, two electives are recommended, but given your grades, you can register in all three. If your grades fall below a C- in any of your classes, you will be made to resign from one of the electives." Lundy said, "As for your door, it was a one in a million chance that you found it the first time. Additionally, the Underground isn't a world that allows frequent, easy travels between the worlds. Kids go there and stay, or they come back and remain on Earth. It was a very small chance that you found it the first time. The chances of finding a one in a million door twice? I find it's better to think about your future here, than wishing for the doors. If wishing worked, this school wouldn't be here."

"But the Underground doesn't work that way! The magic of the Underground changes all the rules. I don't have proof, but I know of a way to go back and do it again. I just need to find the way down, and I'll be able to choose again." Frisk exclaimed. Their eyes were glowing a bright red, "I will get back there. If nothing else, I have determination, the human magic that can transcend the individual when wielded by a red soul. And that red soul is me."

Lundy looked at them with that look they only ever see on adults faces. Whatever she said next, she didn't believe in them. "Eleanor likes to tell students to keep up hope. If the door opened once, it could open again. Maybe you'll find another hole to the Underground during the outdoor education trips."

She said that her world was high Logic, made for those who appreciate the disambiguity of following rules and fair treatment. Her world banished her for her hubris in avoiding the rules. The Underground didn't kick them out. They would find a way back and have the voice turn time back for them.

Proving her wrong and going back would be oh so satisfying.

"Before you go, I need to inform you that group therapy is held after supper Monday through Friday. Each night, students from different major directions are encouraged to speak, though anyone can speak on any night. We start with Nonsense worlds, followed by Virtue, Logic, then Wicked. On Fridays, students who do not fall on one of the major directions are encouraged." Lundy said, "As a new student, I would like to have at least one private session per month for the first six months. You can schedule more if you wish, depending on availability, and after the six months, you may also stop if you wish. Only group therapy is mandatory.

"Consider it carefully. Your world fits nicely into tonight and tomorrow if you wanted to speak about your time in the Underground. Speaking about things you like and things you've done can help you process your thoughts and feelings. Who you talk to doesn't matter. At least here, you know that everyone has been through similar experiences, and no one will tell you that you're making it up or wrong for missing your true home. Come to the group session that Susie's in, and I'll schedule you for a private session next Saturday. Alright?"

Frisk nodded. It was a lot of information, but there wasn't anything they could do to argue or fight her about. As long as they were here and not in the Underground, they had no choice but to go to this group therapy thing and the private therapy. Six months of the one-on-one sessions though? That seemed too much. Half a year is a really long time. They didn't know if they could talk about feelings and stuff for just one hour, let alone six spread out over months.

But if they found a way back to the Underground, they wouldn't have to talk about any of it. The sooner they found the hole, the less they'd have to deal with talking to strangers about something so personal to them. Win-win.

Frisk spent the rest of their time before dinner in their room. Susie was absent again. Frisk figured that she was in class or exercising outside or something. Her axe was sitting at the foot of her bed, but that didn't mean anything. She could be exercising without it.

If they were going back, then they needed to prepare for it. They took the lacy shirts and the few skirts that their mom had snuck into their suitcase and placed them in a folded pile on their bed. Later on, they could find Kade and donate the clothes that they'd never wear. Maybe he could give them credit, if they stayed long enough to claim it. Maybe they'd grow in the next few weeks or couple of months before they went back. When they did, they'd like the credit.

They would also need to write letters for people to explain their disappearance. One for Eleanor, one for their parents, maybe one for Susie too? They had a bit of time to sort out what they were gonna say. Right now, Frisk didn't know what they would say to their parents. Would they leave a kind note telling them that it's not their fault? Would they leave a mean letter accusing them of never listening to them and blaming them for the summer camp scandal?

Would they frame it as a suicide note? It wouldn't be too different from what happened the first time.

Maybe that therapy would be a good thing.

Perhaps they should wait for their parents first letter before deciding. Their mom said that she'd write, so Frisk could use that letter as a starting point for their own. If their mom decides to use their name and call them her child instead of her daughter, they would be happy to keep correspondence and leave a kind final letter to be delivered upon returning to the Underground. If she stays the same as she has been for the last two months, then the angry letter is more likely to be the one.

Finally away from them, Frisk had already decided not to read or answer anything after the first letter unless their parents used the right name and pronouns. In letters, every word they write is intentional. They can't say that they made a mistake by accidentally using the wrong name when they have the opportunity to proofread and edit the letter before sending it.

They were also waiting for letters from Julia, Simone, and Tash. As much as they wanted to return immediately, there were still a few things they had to take care of. Until then, they could start drafting the letter for Eleanor. Hers would be the easiest.

Thank her for the experience at the school, tell her that it's because they found their door, and maybe some instructions about what to do next. In the very likely scenario that they wouldn't be talking to their parents when they found the hole, they think they'd like her to put off telling their parents as long as possible. If their parents kept sending letters to their old name, then Frisk wouldn't be talking to them anyways. No communication from them would be normal. It would be easy.

Frisk took one of their notebooks and started making notes. If they were going to go home, they needed to prepare. To prepare, they needed to make a list of everything they needed to do before they leave.

As they were making notes about what to put in their goodbye letters, their bedroom door slammed open. Frisk flinched and dropped their pencil. Instead of picking it up, they turned to the door.

Susie was standing there, glaring with fury in her eyes.