Welcome to Eleanor West's School

Frisk and Eleanor exited the interview room. Frisk's parents were standing around the lobby and talking quietly.

Eleanor approached the couple with a dignified stride. "Excellent news, your daughter has passed our interview. Given your permission, she can move in at any time. All I ask is that you give us at least twenty-four hours notice before arrival. Do you have any questions for me before you make your decision?"

Frisk did their best not to stare. This formal, imposing character was so different from the silly lady that glowed green while encouraging them to describe their adventures. This was probably what she meant when she said that she could convince anyone. She was a brilliant actress.

Their mom immediately returned fire with pointed questioning. "I for one am not impressed by the lack of transparency at this institution. Furthermore, having no contact with our daughter is completely unacceptable. How can you expect parents to knowingly isolate their children from their families and call that helpful towards their development and education? I am truly surprised that this so-called "boarding school" hasn't been sued or shut down."

Eleanor smiled. "Normally, I would prefer to have this type of discussion away from the children and stick to questions regarding structure and schedule. Most parents tend to agree without needing an explanation and wait to discuss these points over lunch. However, [Redacted] doesn't seem particularly surprised or upset. Is it alright with you if I answer these questions here and now? Or would you prefer I speak to your parents in private?" She looked at them and actually seemed to want an answer.

Frisk's eyes widened slightly in surprise. They took a breath to calm themselves and answered, "You can talk here. I don't mind."

"Very well." Eleanor continued, "The lack of transparency is for our students' privacy. We have qualified professionals who teach and provide psychological counselling to the children. The psychological treatment especially can take many different forms. All treatments follow approved guidelines set out by the American Psychological Association, but we do not include details because the details of treatment are unnecessary for advertisement and a breach of privacy for the individuals.

"In terms of education, your daughter will be placed in a small class at her current grade level. She just turned twelve, correct? She meets the minimum age requirement and will be placed in the lowest grade level. Most of the teachers live in the nearby town and will drive up to the school each day to teach, then go home. There should be little difference between this school and a public school in terms of educational material. The major difference is the class size. We do not have many students, but their ages span six years. At the moment we have about fifty students, which means that there are less than ten students per class, on average.

"The lower student to teacher ratio ensures that students get more individual attention to help them improve in the areas that they are struggling, and to excel in the subjects that they succeed easily. We have several students who test out of their grade level in certain subjects and take those subjects with older students.

"As for your final point about the development of the children," Eleanor glared pointedly at Frisk's mom, "We isolate the children from the outside world to help them cope with the traumas they endured while they were gone. All of the children here have had very impactful experiences that changed them in some way. We are here to help them learn to move on from these experiences and re-integrate into our society. As the children progress with their psychologist, brief trips into town are allowed at the discretion of the doctor. Until then, they are to remain here, in a safe environment. They have the time and space to explore themselves and accept what happened, whatever it might be before they are thrust back into a world that doesn't understand them."

"That is the opposite of what should be happening! My daughter should be with her peers. Her normal peers to learn how the world works. How is she supposed to learn that from a school full of freaks?" Their mom accused.

"We do not use language like that here." Eleanor frowned, "You told me your child ran away and was likely kidnapped by some sort of cult that worships monsters. You also told me that your daughter completely believes in this delusion."

"It wasn't a cult! And it's not a delusion! I told you that I fell into a hole and landed in a world of monsters! I think I'd know the difference between real monsters and people in costumes!" Frisk exclaimed.

Eleanor continued, "And you suspect that some sort of natural hallucinogenic substance was used to alter their perception of reality. As you can see, she clearly believes that this is what happened. At this point in her life, experiences have a very strong, lasting impact on character. Whether good or bad, this experience will affect her for the rest of her life. What we attempt to do, instead of convincing her that what she experienced was a lie, we help her to accept that something happened to her, and how to move on.

"In the end," Eleanor looked pointedly at Frisk's mom, "The children who graduate or return home before graduation have a very high success rate in society. They grow up to become lawyers, scientists, entrepreneurs, cooks, athletes, engineers, same as any other person graduating from any other high school. Many go on to higher education at universities, while others choose to apply for internships in the trades. Of those who have attended, none have come back to complain about a negative experience here."

Their mom seemed to actually be considering what Eleanor was saying. It was incredible. "And preventing us from seeing her?"

"That is up to your daughter and her psychologist. If her doctor agrees that she is ready for interaction with the outside world, and this includes you, then she will be allowed to request a meeting with you or a phone call, since distance might be an issue. However, all students are allowed to send and receive letter at their own discretion. Writing requires thought and consideration, so it generally does not negatively impact the students to write letters. As for receiving them, we leave it up to the students to decide whether they want to keep or read their own mail. If you write to [Redacted] then she will be given the letters. It is up to her whether or not she wants to read or respond to them." Eleanor explained.

Eleanor's face softened as she spoke to their parents, "I know that this is hard for you. You lost your little girl for six weeks, and she came back a different person. Now I am asking, with all my hubris, for your permission to help her as no one else can. I understand your concern for your daughter, and can empathise to a degree. But that does not change the fact that these delusions will persist without treatment. And receiving treatment with people her own age, who won't make her feel weird or different because of her experiences, is very beneficial for her social growth and a positive self image. I'm sure I don't need to tell you about the statistics involving traumatised children as they grow. You've probably done all that research yourselves." She turned towards Frisk and winked with the eye away from their parents. Frisk gave a tiny smile, "We are a specialized school, and I believe your daughter will fit in well."

Their parents looked at each other, seeming to have a conversation with only their expressions.

Surprisingly, it was their dad who spoke next, "I'd like to ask about the lodging here. What kind of environment is fostered here?" he asked.

Eleanor smiled, "All students room in pairs, when possible. Rooms are customized for students who have specific requirements. For example, students who are sensitive to light have windows under a tree and with blackout curtains. Students who are sensitive to heat or cold would be placed on an appropriate floor with a roommate who has a similar need or preference, if available. While meals are shared, dietary restrictions are taken into account and adjusted on a per student basis."

"And a summary of the school structure?" he asked.

"It is structured the same as any other school. Four periods per day, one subject per period. All subjects follow the state's curriculum. All teachers are licensed in this country and have thorough background checks performed yearly. Any teachers who lodge at this school have at least a minor in child psychology and experience working with troubled youth. At the moment, we only have one such teacher and she has been working with us for upwards of twenty years.

"Free time is spent at the students' leisure. Most students enjoy spending time on the lawn or in the nearby cleared spaces. Outdoor spaces are supervised and wandering off into the woods is strictly prohibited. A curfew is in place for all students, but is extended on the weekends because we understand the need for teenagers to socialize and set their own limits in a controlled environment."

"Good to know. We've got a lot to discuss." Their dad said. Their mom was suspiciously quiet. "If it's alright with you, we'll take our leave. I'll contact you once we've come to a decision. Thank you for your time."

"Come on [Redacted], we need to go now." Their mom said harshly as she stuck out her hand. Did she really expect them to take her hand like a little kid?

Frisk briefly glanced at Eleanor, who gave them a smile. They then walked past their parents towards the car. They knew it was going to be a long drive back to the hotel. When their mom was quiet, it meant she was holding something back.

The family got into the car and drove away. They drove in silence for a few minutes before their mom asked a question.

"Do you really want to go to this school?" she asked.

Frisk was confused. Since when did their opinion matter to her?

"It's just that… some of the things the headmistress said put things into perspective. Trying to force you into a normal school when you haven't processed what happened to you is probably doing more harm than good." Their mom admitted.

They weren't quite sure what to make of this. "Other kids still pick on me. They just moved on from calling me a freak to a monster whore. Not much else changed on that front." They said.

"Why didn't you tell me this before! That's harassment and the school should not be letting that happen!"

"I did tell you. You brushed it off saying that I needed to learn to grow up and take it."

"If it was just standard name calling, I'd stand by that. But that language is completely inappropriate!"

Frisk shrugged. "Nothing I can do."

They all sat in silence for a few more minutes.

"You haven't answered yet." Their dad commented, "Do you want to go to this school?"

They didn't need to think about it. "I do."

"But we may not be able to see you for six years! And who knows how long it will be before we can call you! Will letters even be enough? Would you even read them?" Their mom accused.

"Guess you'd just have to trust me." Frisk replied.

"I can't just send my baby girl away! What kind of mother would I be if I sent you to school a day's drive away without any contact? What will the neighbours think of us? And so soon after the whole runaway scandal! We can't send you here at all!" Their mom claimed.

Frisk glared at their mom, "Like you tried to send me to that camp?"

"That was to help you!"

Unexpectedly, their dad stepped in. "This place doubles as a school and a treatment centre. You can't use that argument when we were willing to send them to a camp to help her a few months ago."

"But that was before she ran away! How do we know that she won't run off again? Will the school even tell us if she does? We can't properly contact her, so how would we know if they hid this from us?"

"How would the school remain open if they did?" Their dad countered, "The school has been open for decades. If they weren't following proper procedures for reporting incidents, someone would know. Be it the teachers who live away from the school and have plenty of opportunity to report missing students, or other students when they are allowed to phone or meet their parents and the locals. If something bad was happening, there are too many people with too much opportunity to report it. Yet the school is still open. We have to trust that it is safe."

Their dad took a deep breath before his final argument, "Besides, she's been back with us for as long as she's been away. In that time, we haven't even looked at counsellors for her regarding any of the issues. This school has that, and it's something that she wants. It might be the best option we have."

The rest of the trip was quiet and the evening was spent in relative silence. Just before bed, their mom gave her verdict. "Call the school tomorrow. Tell them that we'll bring [Redacted] back for enrollment next weekend."

Frisk smiled to themselves as they went to sleep. Finally, they'd be away from their bullies. They'd have regular meals, they'd be away from their mom, and If they were lucky, they'd be with people like Eleanor who accepted their Underground journey as truth.

And maybe they'd even be accepted as themselves.

On Monday, Frisk was formally withdrawn from their old public school and their complete records were transferred to Eleanor West's school. The next few days were spent packing their favourite clothes and personal items into a large suitcase. Bedroom furniture and furnishings would be provided by the school, so they didn't need much else.

They spent the last few days with their parents trying to get along. Mostly, they stayed quiet and just nodded along with whatever their parents said. They had put up with it all for years. With the end in sight, a couple more days wouldn't make too much difference.

Frisk was brought back to the school on Saturday, the same as the week before. They hugged their dad goodbye and waved to their mom. When she told them to write, they just nodded. They didn't intend to write or reply more than once until she acknowledged them as a not-girl.

Eleanor gently brought them inside before dropping her mask again. Her walk almost became an energetic skip.

"I'm so glad that you're here now! We really do need to get your world mapped out properly so we can find a roommate for you. I've been thinking about what you've said and it seems like a high Virtue world to me. Likely moderate Nonsense and possibly somewhere on Linearity? Thought that's speculation from other accounts, and I'm not even sure if it's the same place!" She rambled, "Oh that reminds me. What is the name of your world?"

Frisk blinked. The whiplash from the change in personalities was a bit hard on their brain. "I'm not sure. Everyone just called it the Underground." They paused for a moment. In the back of their mind, they remembered the voice, "I heard it called my Undertale once, too."

Eleanor clapped her hands together and beamed. The green glow from her chest shone more brightly than it had last time. "Wonderful news! The Underground has already been mapped! I'm pleased to say that my suspicions were correct before!"

Frisk had a few questions for her. "The worlds aren't unique or special for a single person?"

"Some are, some aren't. It is the nature of the doors." Eleanor explained, "Some open only once, while some are traveled many times. Some are generational, while others are more random. Some have highly specific criteria for entry, while others are more inviting. However, all of that does not change that you were lucky enough to find one, and unlucky enough to return."

"I think I was always meant to leave. It was only one way forward the whole time. Going back was never an option, and the way forward always led out." Frisk said to themselves.

"And that is the nature of some doors too. Meant to be entered, to change you, and send you back more yourself than before."

"That sounds like my door. But I made the wrong choice. I want to go back and make a better choice." Frisk said.

"You may find your way back, or you may not. I quite enjoy seeing students find their doors again, as unlikely as it is. I look forward to telling the parents that their child has become another runaway statistic. Runaways are more likely to run again and all that, etc." Eleanor waved her hand dismissively, "That said, I think I've got the perfect roommate for you. She's a handful and can be quite aggressive, but she's a knight with a good heart."

"I'm not a girl." Frisk interrupted. Both of them paused for a moment then Frisk continued, "I… don't know if that's going to be a problem. But if I'm not a girl, should I be roommates with a girl? And is that allowed here? Not being a girl?"

"Of course! There are far fewer boys to room with, but gender expression is not a problem here. We do have one boy from an Underworld, and those tend a bit more towards Nonsense than Logic, so it might work…" Eleanor trailed off.

"I'm not a boy either." Frisk said.

"Oh, nonbinary then? That's fine. We don't have any other nonbinary students at the moment, but I'd rather not have you in a room alone at first. Having a roommate to help you get accommodated here would help a lot, don't you agree?" Eleanor asked.

"There's a word for it?"

"For what?"

"Nonbinary."

Eleanor chuckled, "There's a whole spectrum of gender. It's like your own unique colour. Most people fall into shades of one colour or another, but there's others who're a different colour altogether. Some might not even be a colour, but a sound instead! Or a sensation! Why, it's almost as fun to think about as mapping the worlds on the compass. Nonbinary is just a word for anyone who isn't boy-coloured or girl-coloured."

Frisk felt relief. There was a word for it! And here, it wasn't even considered weird! It was just a thing about them, like their hair colour or their favourite food. Tears pricked their eyes and they took a few deep breaths. It hadn't been long, but this place seemed pretty great already.

"That means more than you know."

"Your parents don't know yet?" Eleanor asked.

"No, I told them. But they didn't believe me." Frisk admitted.

"I see. In that case, what pronouns do you use, and would you prefer a male or female roommate for now? Oh, and is there a name you prefer?"

"I want to be called they and them and my name is Frisk. As for the roommate…" Frisk shrugged, "I don't care either way. Whoever you think is best."

"Excellent!" Eleanor clapped her hands again and started walking. She motioned for Frisk to follow. "Then I think I'll put you with Susie. She really is a nice girl, she just has a thing for axes and fighting. She's also from a Nonsense world, same as you. Mixing Logic and Nonsense kids tends to end violently, so I think you two will get along well enough. And if one of you tries to kill the other, then I'll just reassign you."

Frisk was uncertain about that last comment, "You mean that metaphorically, right?"

Eleanor laughed again, "You've all spent who knows how long in other worlds adventuring, doing quests, saving people, learning to live in a foreign land that feels more like home that your parents' house ever did. Murder attempts are much less common now that I consider students' worlds when assigning rooms, but they still happen on occasion. No one has died so far though."

Eleanor led Frisk to a dim room at the far end of the dorm building. "Here we are! Susie, this is Frisk. I told you that you'd likely be getting a new roommate today, and here they are. Please show them around before classes on Monday, and try not to murder each other for a least a week, okay? See you at supper!"

Susie was a dark-skinned girl with plum purple hair and wore a matching black and purple colour scheme. A long black vest, baggy purple pants, and black boots made her appear very intimidating. She towered over Frisk.

"You're a bit of a shrimp, aren't you?" Susie remarked. She walked over and grabbed them by the shirt, "Makes me think you'd be a tasty snack. How would you like it if I bit your face off?"

Frisk shut their eyes and shook with fear. What part of this was nice? Eleanor said that Susie was nice!

Susie laughed and let go of their shirt. Frisk tumbled to the floor. "Oh my god, did you think I was serious? Miss Eleanor just said that I shouldn't try to kill you for at least a week. If nothing else, I respect her. She's earned it."

Frisk stayed on the floor. What the heck was going on with her?

"Nothing to say? Well then, let me tell you a secret. Quiet people piss me off." Susie glared at them.

Out of fear, Frisk blurted the first thing that came to mind. "Eleanor said you were nice!"

At that, Susie laughed loudly. It took a moment for her to calm down, "Hah! I bet she says that about everyone. I'll show you around 'cause I have to, but if you don't bother me then I won't bother you. I'm just killing time waiting for another Dark Fountain to appear so I can go back. Lancer and Noelle are waiting for me."

If nothing else, they had one thing in common with Susie. She had travelled to a magical world too, and apparently it was also Nonsense. They didn't really know what that meant, but it meant that they probably had more in common too, if their worlds had the same traits.

"What was your world like?" They asked.

"It wasn't just one world, it was a bunch of smaller worlds connected to a hub world by Dark Fountains. I lived in the Castle Town, ruled by Prince Ralsei. When Dark Fountains appeared, I'd go with a team to bring the residents back to the Castle Town and completing whatever quest caused the Fountain to appear in the first place. I was the monster Lightener sent to fulfill the prophecy." Susie began. Her chest glowed faintly.

"Lancer is my best friend and the Jack of Spades. His dad was kind of an asshole and a dictator who ruled over his residents from Card Castle. My team and I led a revolt and put Lancer on the throne before inviting them back to the hub. Noelle is a princess who was captured by the Cyber Queen. Queen was just misinformed and gladly released Noelle and joined the hub once she learned that keeping Noelle captive was pointless. Noelle and I dated for a few years before becoming engaged. I swore to always be her knight if she would be my queen, and the way she blushed, I swear her antlers changed colour too!"

Susie coughed, then glared at Frisk. "If you've got something again me liking girls, I'll bite your face off now and get you reassigned. I'll put up with a lot, but homophobes are an immediate nope. And I'm not into you either. You're way too young and I'm engaged."

Frisk didn't care who other people liked. It made no difference to them. They shrugged. "I don't care. You like who you like. I don't even know what kind of people I like yet, so that was never going to be a question. Besides, I'm not even a girl."

"Really?" Susie grinned and showed all her teeth, "Enby then? Cool. The human Lightener I travelled with was too. Agender, I think, but they never really talked about it. Quiet people piss me off, but Kris is an exception. They're pretty cool, even if they barely talk. Or emote. That stuff doesn't matter. They're pretty good at strategy and they knew how to wield a sword. That's what's important in the Dark Worlds."

It was a shock how easily they were accepted. Why couldn't their parents just get it like this?

The tears that they held in earlier came back. They started crying softly.

Immediately, Susie panicked. "Hey! Don't… Don't just start crying! I didn't even do anything to make you cry! So like… cut it out! I don't want Miss Eleanor to think I actually hurt you or something!"

Frisk sniffled, "It's not you. It's just, my parents don't get it, you know? But then I come here and you just say it like it's normal. It's just nice, that's all. And I'm not used to that yet."

"'Kay good. Just like, calm down and wash your face before we go anywhere. You might wanna get unpacked too. You need to make sure you've still got the right clothes. If not, I'll show you where Kade lives." Susie said.

Frisk took a moment to really look around the room. Susie had a small statue of herself on the desk, piles of black and purple clothing on the floor, and a large axe leaning against the foot of her bed. Her dresser had small cardboard edges poking out of the drawers. Clearly it wasn't used for clothing.

Frisk's half of the room was empty and plain, with just a bed, a desk, and a set of dressers. It wasn't dusty or dirty, but it looked like it had been vacant for a while. Maybe Susie scared off most people, but Frisk could kind of see what Eleanor was saying. She seemed like a decent person, just also a bit aggressive and loud.

They were optimistic that the two of them would get along.

"What do you mean about having the right clothes?" Frisk asked.

Susie crossed her arms and shuffled her feet a bit. "It doesn't happen often, but some parents just can't accept that their child is anything but who they were before they went through the doors. They think that by switching out the clothes you like for your old clothes will help you remember who you used to be and stuff like that. Make you go back to "normal" or whatever."

Frisk quickly checked their suitcase and sighed with relief. They didn't care about the shorts and pants, but it looked like all of their striped shirts were accounted for. It appeared that their mom did pack a few extra lacy, feminine shirts and a couple of skirts as well, when they weren't looking. At least nothing was replaced.

"It's fine. My mom added a few things, but she didn't take anything out."

Susie took a look. "You got a thing for stripes?"

"In the Underground, you wore stripes until you became an adult. Resources were limited, so parents could add more stripes to clothes as kids grew up. When they stopped growing, they didn't need stripes anymore." Frisk explained.

"That's pretty cool." Susie said, "I guess the frilly stuff wasn't your idea?"

"Nope."

"That's fine. You can bring them to Kade some time when you need new clothes or adjustments. He keeps track of clothing and is pretty good with a needle. Normally he charges, but he also does exchanges." Susie explained.

"Payments?"

"In stories. His goal is to make a comprehensive map of the World Compass, and loves hearing stories from everyone's worlds. It helps him figure out how to map your world, and secretly, I think he just likes stories."

"Who doesn't? Fantasies are the best." Frisk said.

They both laughed.

Frisk knew that they'd get along just fine.