The Next School Year

The next two weeks passed by slowly and awkwardly. Frisk barely spoke to their parents, and their parents barely spoke to them. Instead, they all pretended to be nice and happy. All conversation was kept polite and short.

Their mother still kept calling them a girl and her daughter. A few times, they were scolded for not answering to their old name, but they honestly could not hear it. After a couple of days, their dad stopped using their old name and just said "you." It was better than nothing, but it was still less than they were hoping for.

At supper after the talk with their dad, their mom informed them that they were grounded until school started again. They weren't allowed to leave the property unless one of their parents was accompanying them. Miraculously, their mother didn't complain when they asked to go shopping for a new wardrobe. Their mom convinced herself that, as a prepubescent "girl" that they were looking to explore their tastes in clothing and impress their peers with their fashion choices. Or at least use their clothes to show off what kind of "girl" they were.

It worked well enough to their advantage. Luckily, they were still small enough to find clothes in the children's section, where there were many more options for striped shirts. For the most part, their mom let them browse the stores by themselves while she hung around near the entrance until they came back with a pile of clothes to try on and pay for. It was easy to lie and say that all of the shirts were from the girl's section.

Frisk also asked their mom if they could get a haircut while they were out shopping. She declined after asking what kind of hairstyle they wanted. Was it really so wrong to want their shoulder-length hair cut to a short bob, stopping around their earlobes? They tried to show their mom pictures of women with pixie cuts, shaved heads, and buzz cuts, but she told them that they were too young to be getting into queer culture.

Which was hilarious. Had she never seen Natalie Portman? Or Emma Watson? Miley Cyrus was a bit of a stretch on the straight thing, but she was still famous, clearly a woman, and had short hair. On top of that, it was perfectly reasonable for kids their age to look up to and want to be like celebrities, especially young actors or singers. She was denying them for no reason, even by her own logic. Besides, even if they didn't like it, their hair would grow back in a couple of months. Taking off a couple of inches shouldn't be the end of the world.

Maybe they could try cutting it themselves before their shower. If it looks bad enough after their attempt, maybe their mom would force them to a hairdresser and their hair would be cut even shorter. The thought filled them with such joyful anticipation that they tried it that night.

Sure enough, their mom took them to a hairdresser the next day. Their hair touched the top of their ears and was as long as a boy who hadn't cut his hair in six months. They were overjoyed. This hair combined with somewhat feminine-coloured shirts made them feel like they were properly themselves. On those days, their eyes shone bright crimson.

Their dad brought them to the optometrist and doctor's appointments that he'd scheduled for them. The optometrist found nothing wrong with their eyes and found it very strange that their pigment had changed. There were no signs of damage to their eyes and no signs that they had ever had an operation. The doctor had similar findings. No evidence of malnutrition, physical abuse, or drugs on their body or in their system. Once again, nothing to explain the change in eye colour, but a clean bill of health regardless.

While at the doctor's office, they updated their tetanus vaccination, just in case, and were able to ask for a private chat with the doctor. They were old enough that this request was accepted without question, and their dad was asked to wait outside. The doctor was kind and printed out some packages for them about trans youth and steps they can take during puberty. Unfortunately, they would still need their parents' consent until the minimum age of sixteen, where they could apply for some degree of emancipation.

That gave them a few years to figure something out if they couldn't get their parents to agree to help them. Just thinking about living and growing up as a girl for a few years made them feel nauseous, but there wasn't much they could do. The only thing in their power was to try to convince their parents, mostly their mom, that they were telling the truth and not being brainwashed by some media figure or something.

Other than these few trips outside, Frisk spent most of their time reading or playing cards and board games with themselves. They weren't allowed to visit the library by themselves, so they had their parents pick some books up for them after work. They weren't allowed to use the internet though, so they ran out of titles they knew pretty quickly.

When school started, their life had barely changed. They asked their teacher to call them Frisk instead of their old name, and that was easily accepted. As far as that went, it wasn't really any different than a student asking to be called by a nickname or their middle name. The real problem at school was the bullies.

It was convenient that Frisk couldn't hear their old name anymore. It made the mockery and insults feel like they were happening to someone else. On the other hand, it also made the bullies more angry when they didn't react to any of it.

Kids still stole their lunch and sometimes pushed them around. They didn't have their stash of dry instant noodles to eat, so it was harder to pay attention to class in the afternoon. At least Toriel had already taught them the material, so their grades looked better than they had last year. It was lucky that most of their marks came from in-class work this year, as opposed to regular homework assignments.

While their teacher was nice enough, he couldn't stop everything that the other kids did. He wasn't omnipresent or omniscient. Without evidence, they just ended up looking like a needy, whiny, little kid. It didn't help that their classmates had grown taller over the summer, while they still seemed to be about the same height as before. Where they were once in the middle of the class, height-wise, now they were only taller than the three shortest girls and the shortest boy on the first day of class.

After two weeks, Frisk asked their parents if they could do their schoolwork from home instead.

"The other kids are taking my lunch and calling me names and pushing me around ruining my work whenever they get the chance. They were doing it before, but it's gotten even worse this year!" They complained.

Their mom snorted when she replied, "Don't complain now about the consequences of your actions. You haven't tried to fit in with them, and you ran away when things got "too hard" for you. Part of growing up is accepting responsibility for your mistakes and learning from them. I'm not going to let you hide away from your classmates because they're telling you that running away doesn't fix the problem. Maybe you shouldn't provoke them, and they'd leave you alone."

"But you aren't listening to me, mom." Frisk said.

"Everyone goes through their own version of this as they grow up. The specifics change, but the lesson is the same." Their mom explained, "Your peers are practice for adult society. There are rules to be followed and certain things you need to say and do to fit in and contribute. Eventually, you and your classmates will be the ones leading society, so you need to learn to get along with them before it is too late."

"How is stealing my food related to fitting in with society?" Frisk questioned.

Their mom sighed. "I'm sure you're exaggerating. Your teacher wouldn't allow that to happen."

"It's hard to exaggerate not eating anything." Frisk replied sarcastically.

"Don't take that tone with me young lady."

Frisk sighed and let it drop. Their voice still meant nothing. They might as well not speak at all.

Bringing the matter up with their dad was a different story. When they asked him about other schooling options, he said he'd look into other options, but they shouldn't get their hopes up. Even if they found something that they liked, their mom would also have to agree to let them attend.

As October approached, their father brought up a couple of new schooling options at dinner.

"I've been looking into other schools for kids who aren't fitting in. I've narrowed it down to three possibilities, if you two would like to consider it." He said.

Their mom immediately interjected, "I don't think she needs to change schools. This is just another method of running away from her problems. She needs to learn to take responsibility for herself and get along with others her age."

"Can we at least hear the options? Even if you say no, I'm curious." Frisk said softly.

"There are many public school options, but I discounted most of those immediately. If you're not succeeding at socialising in one public school, then it's unlikely that others will be much different. So I looked into private and homeschooling options." Their dad explained, "The homeschooling option is fairly straightforward, but that would require one of us always working from home or reducing our hours to accommodate teaching a school curriculum."

"Absolutely not." Their mom said.

"I assumed you would not like this option, so I found two private schools that I think could work well, even if they are a bit more expensive. When it comes to our child's education and well-being, I don't think the extra expense is too much. The cost of the private schools are well within our budget." He continued.

Their mom nodded, going along with the explanation for now. Frisk knew that she'd deny both options on principle as soon as their dad was done talking about them.

"First is a private catholic school, all girls. The school is a ninety minute drive from here, and students are expected to stay at the school from Monday to Friday, returning home on the weekends. All girls are made to follow a strict routine and curriculum with constant adult supervision. All classes, meals, and social activities are prepared and supervised by staff. The school has a zero tolerance policy for bullying, and the first infraction results in a one week suspension. Second infraction is expulsion. As part of their mission statement, the school says that they strive to raise girls into young women following the spiritual beliefs and morals of their religion. I have their webpage tabbed on my tablet if you'd like to take a look at it after dinner."

Their mom hummed. It seemed as though she was actually considering this option. Of course, it being all girls and Catholic was probably a big selling point. If nothing else, that would force them to confront their "feminine identity" in the presence of people who believed that not conforming was a sin.

He continued, "If accepted, you'd be baptised as Catholic and would be expected to uphold their values during your stay and after graduating for as long as you remain in the religion."

It sounded like hell on earth.

"The second option is less conventional. It's a couple of states away, but has credentials that span state borders. It's a full boarding school intended for children and teenagers who have previously run away from home. This school has an interview process and turns away many candidates, but the Headmistress keeps all students at her school, which is many miles from the nearest town and in the middle of a large forest, which she owns the property rights for. Students will not be able to run away or escape before she can call the police to track them down. In addition to the school curriculum, students are made to attend group therapy and individual counselling to help them readjust to living in the real world."

Their mom hummed again. Frisk thought that this school sounded better, but they weren't sure they were willing to do the therapy thing. Who would even believe them? And would being with a bunch of troubled kids be worse than normal school kids? Kids who've already been singled out for troublesome behaviour probably wouldn't have limits on what they'd do to their prey.

"This school is co-ed, but primarily has young girls. When I called the Headmistress for information, she said that they currently only had three male students attending. She also said that visits and phone calls from outsiders was strictly prohibited unless specifically requested by the student. Even then, interactions would be limited and supervised." Their dad looked at them seriously, "If accepted into this school, it's very likely that we wouldn't be able to see you until your high school graduation. Parents of the few students who graduate each year are invited to the main building for the ceremony, before taking their kids home. We wouldn't see you for six years."

Frisk considered the options for a moment. So far, their mom was quiet. They didn't like the sound of either of the schools, but they weren't being told they had to go to either of them. They weren't even sure they'd be accepted into either school.

When their mom didn't say anything, they quietly asked a question, "Would I be able to visit the schools on the weekend to look at them? I don't want to commit to a new school if I can't see it first."

"You might not get to go to a new school at all." Their mom interjected, "First, we would have to agree that it's a suitable place for you to learn and grow, if we even agree to let you transfer in the first place. I'm still not convinced that you need to change schools at all. And after that, you'd also need to be accepted, which I think is unlikely. Your grades last year were not the best."

"My grades have gotten better this year." Frisk said.

Their mom laughed, "I'll believe it when I see it."

"You can just e-mail my teacher and ask for my grades. He's required to tell you if you ask."

"It wouldn't hurt to look at the schools, dear." Their father said, "You can even ask the Headmistresses about their policies and structure. And you'll get to see what kind of learning environment they foster. If it's not up to your standards, then all you have to do is say that you'll think about it and never call them back."

Their dad was the eternal diplomat in the family. Once again, they could see a faint yellow shine from his chest, "If either of you has objections to the institutions, we'll be able to talk about it on the ride home. It should be easy enough, and we can turn the far school into a long-weekend road trip. We can afford to use one sick day on a Friday, and call into the school to have our kid excused. We'd just have to call the school ahead of time to arrange the interview and tour."

Their mom sighed. Their dad was always a soft spot for her when she was firmly rooted in her opinions. When he presented calm and sensible arguments that didn't require her to immediately change her mind, she would usually agree to let him do as he pleased and tell him why he was wrong after.

"Fine then. We'll take a look at the schools and let her indulge in her fantasies for a weekend." Their mom conceded. She turned her glare towards Frisk as she continued, "This does not mean that you will be allowed to attend, or that I approve of sending you to another school. If these schools cannot keep you in line, then this would just be another way for you to escape reality. Once we see them, I'm sure I'll be able to see exactly how they won't be able to help you."

After supper, their dad made the calls. Next Saturday, they'd get to see the Catholic school. The Saturday after, they would be interviewed by the school for runaways. They were required to bring an up-to-date school transcript and medical record to both schools. The Catholic school required these records to determine acceptance, while the other private school wanted them for placement and counselling in the event that they passed the interview. If they failed, then the school would not look at the records at all.

Apparently this was a bit of an inconvenience for their teacher, since he had to essentially make a mid-term report card for them with only a week's notice. He had to be able to send grades, comments, and behaviour assessments across the nine categories that they are evaluated on. That plus their final report card from last year would make up their transcript. Their medical record was simple and straightforward. It was just their vaccination record since they didn't need prescription glasses or medications and had never attended therapy or counselling.

Records in hand, Frisk and their parents visited the educational institutions and made their judgements.

The Catholic school was exactly as advertised. The instructors showed off the classrooms, dorm rooms, and common areas. The classrooms had posters conveying the religious principles and how they related to education. Stuff about how God always knows the truth, so cheating or bullying would be a mark of sin against you in the afterlife. The actual rooms were standard classrooms with evenly spaced rows of desks, a large chalkboard at the front, and the teacher's desk in the corner.

The dorm rooms were shared rooms, with between two and four girls per room. In each room, the girls would be in the same grade and class, so Frisk would be added to a room of two or three girls from their class. These girls would be their roommates for the entirety of their time at the school. Additionally, they would be expected to attend meals with their roommates and share responsibility for keeping the room and shared bathroom clean.

Having the students share responsibility for chores would help them to prepare for life as an adult, where they would be expected to manage the house on their own while their husband works. Should they choose to work as well, they would need to learn to manage female responsibility on top of their career, which is simulated to some extent in the school environment.

Since family is held in high regard, they expect parents to maintain this routine when their daughter is returned for the weekend. During socialisation hours, the girls are allowed to use any of the common areas and socialise with students outside of their class and grade. Students would be allowed use of the library, gymnasium, courtyard and sports fields (weather permitting), game rooms, and dormitory common rooms. Board games and playing cards would be provided by the school, as well as a computer lab for assignments and leisure. Internet access was monitored and there were administrative blocks to prevent access to any websites that would be considered inappropriate. This includes all social media, sites about tattoos, piercings, and other body modifications, sex, drugs, most medical websites, discussions of violence, war, and evolution, and anything with inappropriate language which included swear words and discussions of other religious views.

Just about anything outside of Catholic websites and basic educational platforms was blocked. The idea is that students can always seek help from instructors outside of class if they have questions about the material. This was also to discourage excessive use of technology. People have been able to live happy and healthy lives before the corruption of technology, so it was meant to be viewed as either a luxury or something excessive. Without access to the propaganda proposed by immigrants and Democrats, the girls at this school are raised as young women of God and to follow His morals, as defined in the Bible.

The routine at the school was laid out for them. Students would be dropped off either Sunday night or Monday morning, depending on how far from the school they lived. Breakfast would be served from 7:30 to 8:30 every morning, though students dropped off on Monday morning were allowed to miss it, so long as they were dropped off before classes begin at 8:45. Student would be in class until 11:45. Lunch hour would last from 12 until 1, followed by class again from 1:15 to 4:15. Students had a study period from 4:30 until 5:45 where they were expected to complete their homework and ask questions if they needed help. Supper would be served from 6 until 7. Then there would be free time until curfew at 9. Any incomplete homework should be completed first, before engaging in leisure activities. Students had from 9 until 10 to get ready for bed and complete any chores before lights out at 10. Students would then be woken up at 7 to prepare for breakfast again the next day. Parents were expected to pick their daughters up on Friday nights either before or after supper.

The instructors took the copies of the transcript and medical records and said that they'd be assessed over the following week. The Headmistress would send an e-mail by Friday informing them of their acceptance status.

All in all, the day was long and boring. The school was strict, and enforced too many values that Frisk didn't believe in. They would even be forced to wear the stupid school uniform which involved long skirts and button up blouses. The only thing they were allowed to change was their hair, and even then that was restricted to modest hairstyles. Their current boyish hair would need to be grown out to at least shoulder length. As they would be a transfer student, the instructors would graciously look over this transgression until their hair grew, provided that they were accepted.

Thankfully, their mom also had grievances with the school.

"What kind of educational institution prevents students from accessing educational information? I understand the blocks on Internet access to age-appropriate material, but these people teach creationism as a science! I absolutely cannot allow that. God may be real, but that does not exclude evolution as a scientific principle!"

If nothing else, she was deeply passionate about receiving a good, well-rounded education "God may have created the earth and everything on it, but I believe that it was not so direct. I believe that God created the universe and the laws that caused the creation of planets and our sun. He wouldn't create a species directly, but instead guide its creation into the image He desired. Excluding evolution despite the overwhelming evidence is just plain ignorance, especially when the principle does not exclude religious beliefs!"

"I agree." Their dad commented. When their mom got like this, all anyone could do was nod along until she finished. Only after she had finished, would anyone be allowed to voice an opinion. Whether she actually listened to others' opinions depended entirely on whether or not they agreed with her, or at least didn't directly disagree with her.

She continued to rant about similar subjects in much the same way, "While I agree with their strict routine and devotion to the feminine identity, I cannot agree with their dedication to enforcing specific gender-based roles. Not all women want the same thing nor have the same ambitions. A relationship with her husband should be one of equals, not of subservience to the will of the man. Isn't that right dear? I could never imagine just bending down to the will of some man for no other reason that him saying so. And I don't want that kind of mindset ingrained into our daughter. I think that is inappropriate behaviour, no matter how they try to disguise it."

For that reason alone, Frisk could respect their mother's opinion. While she couldn't see them for who they were, she at least wanted them to have a say in their own life. Once they were an adult, anyways. She could accept that they weren't a normal girl and that they would never acts like the stereotype promoted by religious groups, she would not accept that they were not a girl at all. If they said they were a girl, their mom would be okay with whatever their interests were. As long as they had a good relationship with a boy they loved, and they were treated well, then their mom would be happy.

But that couldn't happen. They weren't a girl, and they didn't know if they even liked boys yet. How were they even supposed to think about a relationship if they didn't conform to a gender? They were still a kid, so they had time, but that excuse would only work for so long.

Eventually, their mom would reject them completely. She was already rejecting their opinions and ideas, simply because they were different from hers. It hurt, and they were trying, but nothing they did seemed to reach her yet. They knew they had to keep trying, but it was hard.

At least they knew they wouldn't be going to this Catholic school. Like their mom said, God has his place but ignoring the rest of the world in favour of an idealized version of Him was ridiculous and counterproductive.

Also, they really didn't want to have to attend an all-girls school for six years when they knew they weren't a girl.

Their hopes of escaping their current school depended on the interview and tour of the middle-of-nowhere private school the next weekend.

It was a long drive on Friday to the town closest to the school. They went out for dinner, stayed overnight in the local bed and breakfast, and made their way to the school in the late morning. Upon entering the school, they found the signs strange. No Solicitors. No Visitors. No Quests. Those first two, Frisk could understand. That was outlined very clearly on the website. No Quests? What kind of place was this?

The Headmistress briefly told the parents about the interview process. Apparently, most students who applied were not even granted an interview before being rejected. Only students who met specific undisclosed criteria were allowed to attend the school. Based on what Frisk's dad had told her on the phone, Frisk might meet the criteria, so they were allowed an interview. If they were accepted, they would then be given an overview of the structure of the institution. If they failed, they would be sent away. There was no point in wasting time explaining if they weren't allowed to attend, after all.

Frisk appreciated the efficiency.

Shortly, Frisk was led into a side room with the Headmistress for the interview. Once the door closed, her faced relaxed and she smiled, as if lifting a great burden from herself.

"Hello there [Redacted], my name is Eleanor West, headmistress of this school and home. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Now, this interview is short. Only one question, but I will allow you to stay here as long as you like. After all, it is not often us wayward children get a break from the rest of the world that does not understand."

She was super weird, but Frisk couldn't help but be intrigued. "What do you mean?"

"It's quite simple, really. All children accepted here have found and lost their Door. All Doors lead to other worlds where the children found a place they belonged, where they were important. Often, it is where they have gone on quests. It is why we have the sign out front prohibiting quests. The children cannot go back, though most of them really want to. We help you here, by getting you used to life on earth again. This involves no outside influences telling you that what you did and where you were wasn't real, and also no adventures and quests." Eleanor explained.

"As for the interview, the one question is this: tell me about your door."

"My… Door?" Frisk asked.

"Yes. Your father told me that you ended up in an underground world of monsters after getting lost on a mountain. There must have been an entrance into this world, often a door, but maybe an archway, or a large hole in a tree, or ripples in the water, something like that." She said.

Frisk was a bit uncertain, "I fell into a hole in a cave." Technically, that was true. As far as they could tell, that hole was the way in and the rest of the cave was the way out. Talking about how exactly they ended up in the hole wasn't part of the interview. "I was following one of the less-travelled trails on the mountain. It had a weird trail marker that looked like some random person had put it there instead of the park rangers. I followed it to a cave and ended up falling in a hole in the cave. When I woke up, I was in the Underground."

"Oh?" Eleanor raised and eyebrow, "And what was on the trail marker?"

"It was more like a sign," Frisk said, "and it had the words "Be Sure" written on it."

"That's it then! You've passed." Eleanor stated.

"I… passed? You don't even know what my school records say or anything." Frisk said.

Eleanor smiled wider, "Yes of course! At this school, we only accept those who have found their way to other worlds and returned. Often these children return with some change related to their adventures, and they always pass through a Door with the words "Be Sure" nearby before entering. You must be sure that you want to leave your world when you travel through the Door." She explained, "I'm sure you've noticed these changes yourself. Given your colouring, I suspect that those red eyes of yours aren't completely natural. Now give me details. I'm very curious!"

Frisk gave a quick overview of their adventures, mostly telling Eleanor about the time spent with Toriel and things that they learned from her. How humans had magic and that snails actually tasted pretty good, once you got used to them. They told her about how freeing it was to be treated as a human instead of just a girl, even though they were being hunted once they left the Ruins. They told her about the choice they had to make once they reached the barrier and described their choice.

It was a long tale, but they were happy that someone believed them.

"Sounds like a low Nonsense world. Probably Virtue too. If it's the same… It might be. Or maybe it's just similar and it's on one of the lesser directions." Eleanor mused to herself.

Frisk was confused by that, but it didn't matter too much. They'd probably learn what that meant eventually.

"This school is for children like yourself who have run away to distant lands, and for whatever reason, returned to earth. Now that you have been accepted, I must ask if you want to stay here. You will be with other children who are in similar circumstances, though they travelled to different worlds than you."

"You're asking me? But isn't it up to my parents?" Frisk asked.

"Technically, legally, formally, yes all of that. But I've got my ways of convincing even the most stubborn parents that their children would benefit from our instruction. It's been decades and I've never failed." Eleanor proclaimed enthusiastically. Frisk could see a faint green light coming from her chest. "After all, this home was made to be a safe place for all wayward children to find their place, whatever it is and wherever it is. Most never find their door again, so we help you to find a place here in this world."

Some instinct told them that they could trust her. That light meant something good. They knew it must. They didn't know what it meant or why they saw it sometimes but not others, but their instincts were telling them to trust her.

"Okay. I'll give it a try."

"Excellent! Welcome, and I hope you'll enjoy your time here!"

The next portion of their journey had begun.