Susie awoke inside a dream, or as close to one as possible. In it, the walls were pitch black and covered in stars, sketched free-hand with blue lines. Above her, placed dangerously above her head, were shelves full of trophies that celebrated nothing of descript notice. They reflected a faint pink light which wasn\u2019t actually there, and there was no way of saying what kind of metal they were. If they\u2019d fallen in her sleep, Susie couldn\u2019t be sure if they\u2019d have bounced harmlessly away or crushed her skull like a pumpkin. She was in an idealized space \u2013 it wasn\u2019t actually there, but felt and behaved mostly as if it were.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This wasn\u2019t her world, though she\u2019d fallen asleep here intentionally. She was lying in a place that existed only in her school\u2019s utility closet, as insane as it sounded. A place where non-living objects sprang to life to make friends of themselves and to cherish your every breath. And this wasn\u2019t her room, either. Kris, whose room it was, loomed over her like a motionless scarecrow. Their black hair fell sloppily all about their face, and they wore a vacant expression that must, in Susie\u2019s estimation, have saved a lot of cumulative energy over the years by requiring very few muscles to form. If a frown requires more effort than a smile, Kris\u2019s perpetual deadpan must have been storing up enough energy to power either a hundred frowns or a thousand smiles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Susie sat up, stretching lazily as she yawned. Kris didn\u2019t move, so Susie lowered one arm down in front of Kris, and then shoved them back by projecting her arm stiffly against Kris\u2019s chest, pretending this was all part of a stretch. Kris gave way, allowing Susie to swing her legs out from under the striped sheets of the bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMorning,\u201d she said, leaning forward to get her boots on the floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She\u2019d fallen asleep in all her clothing. She knew some people thought it was rude to put your shoes in the bed, but Kris never slept in their bed here. Still, Kris was standing idly by, as if waiting for something from her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI, uh,\u201d she began, looking around, then patting the bed reassuringly, \u201cI wanted to get some sleep, but I was having a hard time in my room. The spikes kick ass and everything, but they sort of stop kicking ass after laying on them for like an hour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kris didn\u2019t respond, but this was normal. Susie and Kris had quite a lot of one-sided conversations, because Kris barely ever said anything. It meant Susie had to do almost all of the work, which was tedious at times, but she felt like she\u2019d been getting pretty good at guessing what Kris was thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019d have asked, but you weren\u2019t here,\u201d Susie complained, frowning, \u201cWhen I realized I wanted to switch beds, I mean. Besides, we called it really late, didn\u2019t we?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Susie knew this had to resonate. Kris looked tired, even more than usual. Inside this wonderful utility closet where magic flowed around them, which turned dust bunnies into their own unique beings with strong opinions on vacuum cleaners, colors were bent and distorted. Kris\u2019s flesh went from its normal pallor to a ghastly blue, most notably, but even in spite of this Susie could see Kris was the wrong shade of robin\u2019s egg. It was entirely too pale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDid you sleep?\u201d she asked, concerned. \u201cI couldn\u2019t. I went to bed angry.\u201d And Susie wanted to elaborate, but Kris looked away from her. She guessed she could have specified what she was angry about, or who at. Everyone, come to think. Everything. Susie hadn\u2019t had time to piece it together yet, the anger was still a mess in her head, like a broken vase shattered into many, sharp shards. She still felt tired, like she hadn\u2019t slept enough, or maybe had slept too much \u2013 then it hit her. \u201cWait, what time is it!?\u201d She demanded, and she leapt out of bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She gripped Kris by the shoulder. They only looked back at her. At best, she could read traces of sullenness. Maybe some resentment? She was asking a stupid question, then. Of course she wouldn\u2019t have woken up naturally in the morning, the closet was shut completely away from the world outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh, there was no way to set an alarm!\u201d She cried defensively. Then she slapped Kris on the shoulder. It might have been considered a gentle stroke by a lumberjack, but Susie was large. She was something like a tyrannosaurus rex, writ small. By the standards of her species, she was undernourished and scrawny, but in spite of that she was still like a gorilla against Kris\u2019s small, human frame. Kris rocked slightly from the blow, wincing. \u201cYou could have woken me earlier!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And only too late did the absurdity of all this catch up to her. Kris could have woken her if only Kris knew she was here. And she hadn\u2019t meant to hit Kris quite so hard, either, so that had come across as far more harsh than it needed to. She felt the embarrassment creeping up her neck. Quickly, she forged ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut okay, let\u2019s go. The festival goes all night, right? So let\u2019s\u2026\u201d Susie took a mental inventory of the previous night, and the agenda for the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By all rights, the apocalypse was upon them. Or supposedly it was, because the details of how and when that was supposed to come about were almost self-indulgently muddy. There was the town storm shelter \u2013 another world like this one lay there, but inhabited by another person, or possibly persons. There were kidnappings and the victims ended up there. The shelter was digitally locked; which on reflection seemed like an extremely stupid thing to do to a storm shelter since it meant that nobody could use it in the event of a storm, but regardless, Susie had marked down getting into that shelter as her primary objective. She had no idea who was in there \u2013 the mayor, Kris\u2019s dad, one of the local kids \u2013 it could be anyone, with only a few exceptions. Susie could tell someone else, but she wouldn\u2019t know who to tell, or even what the apocalyptic threat was<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then there was also one slightly more selfish thought lurking in the back of her mind, and it was creeping stealthily closer to her forebrain because it was an animal instinct, and stalking was what animals did. She\u2019d said she would take Noelle to the festival, and the festival was today. And this animal came on such long, handsome legs. But\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie tried to shake it off. As Kris made to leave the room, Susie found her hair brush in her back pocket and fought it through the wild torrent of hair that ran past her shoulders. Immediately outside the door, Ralsei was waiting. He was a goat, bipedal and humanoid like Susie was, but as small as Kris and with fur as white as a cloud. Just like a cloud, Ralsei\u2019s personality always gave the sense that his entire existence revolved around the threat of raining. He was one of the many objects given life by the magic of the utility closet, and he couldn\u2019t exist as himself outside of these worlds, which made him especially keen to accommodate Kris and Susie, who could move between them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie grinned, \u201cRalsei! Why didn\u2019t you<\/em> wake me up? You had to let Kris come in and do it for you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ralsei blanched. \u201cBecause Susie, I didn\u2019t know\u2026\u201d he trailed off. The threat of rain loomed ominously over his demeanor, but stayed off once again. \u201cI didn\u2019t know if you\u2019d be… decent? I suppose.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo you thought you\u2019d let Kris go in on their own?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI assumed. Rather \u2013 if \u2013 if Kris wanted\u2026\u201d Ralsei stammered for an explanation, but Susie knew full well he was a doormat in the best of times. Kris hadn\u2019t asked, Ralsei hadn\u2019t dared object. \u201cIt is Kris\u2019s room, and I -\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI would rather<\/em> it was you,\u201d and then an evil thought crossed Susie\u2019s mind. \u201cI don\u2019t know if you\u2019ve seen the kind of books Kris has in their house.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kris turned purple. Their skin was flushed, but in the maniac colors of the utility closet, it made them appear bruised and livid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh?\u201d Ralsei replied, perplexed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Susie insisted, nodding vigorously. \u201cArt books. For drawing,\u201d <\/em>she clarified quite accusingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kris was now so all-around purple that Susie could have painted stars on them and they\u2019d look like the night sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat doesn\u2019t sound so bad?\u201d Ralsei suggested, clearly at a loss. He was trying to defend Kris but Ralsei had no idea what he was defending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie laughed. It was a deep, wheezing laugh that came from far inside her chest. She knew, to start, Ralsei was only trying to get off the hook for some crime he didn\u2019t commit. Kris, meanwhile, had likely committed a few<\/em> crimes with that art book, but few people didn\u2019t have that animal stalking around in their heads, after all. Besides, anything that motivated art couldn\u2019t be all bad. Maybe one of these days, Susie might tolerate sitting for a portrait, if Kris wanted. Clothed, as Susie wanted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThough I\u2019m not sure Kris has actually learned how to draw much,\u201d Susie added, finishing that idea out loud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, well. Keep at it, Kris, and I\u2019m sure you\u2019ll learn in no time!\u201d Ralsei said encouragingly, \u201cIf you like, I think I could find more materials on the fundamentals. I understand it\u2019s sometimes good to practice by drawing basic shapes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSure,\u201d Susie agreed, \u201cBasic shapes, like hourglasses, circles, maybe bigger circles.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI meant boxes?\u201d Ralsei tried, clearly still outside the joke, \u201cThough likely circles might be good for practicing shadows.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kris trudged down the hall and down the stairs. Their hair fell over their whole head as their neck bent at nearly ninety degrees in shame, giving them the appearance of a willow tree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIs Kris really bad<\/em> at drawing?\u201d Ralsei asked Susie quietly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, the worst,\u201d Susie said sagely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMaybe is there something more I could say?\u201d Ralsei asked, wringing his hands anxiously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie grinned wickedly, like the Cheshire Cat. She could keep going, but she was worried that there was so much blood rushing to Kris\u2019s face already that Kris was going to spring a leak and drown if she kept it up. \u201cNah, I think they just need some breathing space to practice,\u201d she replied, stopping Ralsei from murdering Kris with kindness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ralsei nodded, the case was solved! \u201cOf course!\u201d He said, cheerfully. \u201cArt is such a painful process. Poor Kris.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie went on smiling, it was impossible to tear it off her face now, and in less than a minute they were already outside the castle. These were the open streets the utility closet referred to as a \u201ctown\u201d. Every loose object they stored in the closet had made lives here in these streets, and while it might have been nice if any of it felt orderly or purposeful, the truth was it was beginning to feel more and more chaotic. Jacks and rubber balls cavorted with plastic cups and pieces of a church organ. Computer programs had taken shape and worked together with women made from water to erect an obstacle course. It was a menagerie of insanity, but in spite of that, Susie cherished every inch of it. None of the creatures here needed food nor sleep, so they worked tirelessly at whatever deranged tasks took their fancy, and each day was something new. Only Ralsei ever seemed to stay completely on task, but of course, that was something that made him the most special among everything here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking of chaos, Kris was leading them in a straight line directly out of it, which was odd. Normally Kris had what Susie judged to be a bit of a compulsion to dither back and forth between everything, no matter where they were or what they were supposed to be doing. It made walking with Kris confusing, and she always did her best to stay a little behind Kris because they could change direction suddenly, without warning. Kris had the tendency to redouble and backtrack a lot, but usually with the excuse of further examining something. Susie got the impression, or had heard somewhere once, that people with compulsions got especially anxious if they weren\u2019t allowed to carry them out, so she\u2019d never tried to stop it, and to be honest, it normally worked out for the best, because Kris had an unusually keen eye for details during their erratic sweeps. Moving in a straight line was practically unheard of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAre you feeling alright, Kris?\u201d Susie asked. \u201cIt\u2019s just, we\u2019re going straight for the exit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kris stopped, whipping around to look impassively at Susie. There wasn\u2019t really anything there, so much as expectation. It was up to her to fill in the conversation again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI just mean, did you already have a look around while I was sleeping?\u201d She asked. She wasn\u2019t really sure what she was getting at, she only knew Kris was acting off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI believe Kris has already, uh, secured the area,\u201d Ralsei assured Susie. \u201cI saw them in when they arrived. We spent quite a lot of time on the obstacle course.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh.\u201d Susie replied, feeling a little crestfallen. She\u2019d seen the obstacle course while it was a work in progress, and had thought they\u2019d all try it out together. This was a minor betrayal, in fact. \u201cWell was it any good?\u201d She asked, trying not to sound too obviously bitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kris paused. Sometimes when Susie asked a question, Kris would hesitate, apparently giving the question some meaningful thought, and these were the few times Kris would actually speak aloud. At last, Kris muttered, \u201cIt was alright,\u201d but they didn\u2019t sound as though they meant it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI wore a dress!\u201d Ralsei explained, apparently pleased.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTo do the obstacle course?\u201d Susie asked, bewildered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo! I was one of the prizes!\u201d Ralsei replied, clapping his hands together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt was alright,\u201d Kris repeated, with almost imperceptibly less enthusiasm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie was about to ask if Ralsei had been a good prize, but from the sound of it, he wasn\u2019t. She considered asking if Ralsei had been the prize for winning, or if there were any better<\/em> prizes, but realized this would require entirely too much smoothing over, so she left it at that. Sometimes, she realized, she didn\u2019t necessarily have to be there. Not that she didn\u2019t feel sore about being left out, but at least she knew she hadn\u2019t missed anything, exactly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI can try it out on my own later, I guess,\u201d Susie grumbled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat\u2019s wonderful, Susie!\u201d Ralsei said, \u201cI\u2019ll see if I have a more fitting dress. I wore pink for Kris, because it seemed a fine color for a princess, but I really do feel that, well, green is more my color.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA princess?\u201d Susie asked, not sure she wanted to know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOf course! It was part of the game.\u201d Ralsei placed his hands behind his back. He often tried to collect himself when he got too excited about something. He had a habit of believing he was out of line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie turned to Kris and gave them a penetrating gaze, but Kris refused. They turned and made for the exit \u2013 a beam of blinding light at the far end of town. Susie, who wanted Ralsei to fall out of line more often said, \u201cYeah, sure. Pick out a nice one.\u201d She was far from a good judge of fashion, but she\u2019d be shocked if Ralsei were any better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat do you think I ought to wear?\u201d Ralsei asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGreen?\u201d Susie replied, knitting her eyebrows. \u201cA green dress, like you said?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOf course, but\u2026\u201d Ralsei sounded a little desperate. \u201cIs there anything\u2026 how do I ask \u2013 a particular kind of style? Or jewelry recommendations? A tiara?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGreen,\u201d said Susie, firmly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut with purple trim? I\u2019m sorry, it\u2019s actually a bit of a complicated thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ll love whatever you wear! Just put it on!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie was getting annoyed now, so she waved Ralsei off and tromped after Kris. Kris was waiting just at the edge of the light. When the two stepped into it, an invisible force gripped her whole body, at first lifting and then flinging her at some speed into the air. She squinted as the light burned at her retina and she braced herself for the landing as her vertical momentum became horizontal. She was hurled through the doors of the utility closet in a burst, butterflies in her stomach as she hung for a second in the air. It required a bit of a run to catch herself and bleed off the inertia, but by now both she and Kris were pretty good at the landing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This left them standing in the hallway of a school, and this was the real world. Not a dream-like space or anything amazing, aside from the closet behind them. Merely the usual drop ceilings and buffered tiled floors. The halls were empty save the two of them because it was Sunday. Once Kris saw Susie was steady, Kris pressed on without a word, which was again odd. Normally Kris had to check on every room in the school before they left. There was a stack of chairs in the elementary room that Kris seemed especially worried by, because sometimes they would stand in front of it for long seconds at a time. It had become like a ritual, but this time, Kris made straight for the door, and at last Susie understood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Through the windows, she could see Noelle. She was standing there at the foot of the patio, chewing her fingers and looking nervous. She had the look of a worried prey animal, her eyes darting about the bushes as if she expected something to leap out and drag her away. It might have had something to do with the fact that she was a reindeer, and some inner voice was telling her it was a bad idea to be out in the open. Susie grabbed Kris by the shoulders and shoved them away from view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cKris!\u201d Susie cried, flabbergasted. \u201cDid you know Noelle was waiting outside!?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kris nodded, and gave her a pleading look that said Susie was the one slowing things down now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHow long has she been out there?\u201d she demanded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kris gave this some careful thought. \u201cI dunno,\u201d they concluded with total finality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou don\u2019t know!?\u201d Susie whined. \u201cHas she been out there since you got to the school?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kris nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDidn\u2019t you do an obstacle course?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kris shrugged, then nodded again. Susie let go of Kris\u2019s shoulders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou wanted to see how long she\u2019d wait,\u201d Susie accused, grimacing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kris smiled, ever faintly, though they were obviously trying not to. There were times, even in only the few short days she and Kris had been friends, that Susie could tell Kris was the worst monster in a forty mile area, in spite of being the only human.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIdiot,\u201d she muttered, not unkindly. She liked Kris\u2019s wrongness too much to be angry with it. \u201cShe\u2019s going to think I<\/em> made her wait.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie lurched the door open, and Noelle shrieked in terror, leaping back two steps as she threw her knee above her waist and her hands in front of her face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, cheese! Fahaha!\u201d Noelle snorted, doubling over as she realized it was only Susie and Kris. \u201cKris left me out here for so long, I was convinced you\u2019d pop up anywhere<\/em> but the front door!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She laughed again at her own silliness, and Susie grinned after her, despite still feeling guilty, even though she had nothing to be guilty about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah, Kris didn\u2019t uh\u2026\u201d and Susie paused, because everything was fine, and it didn\u2019t seem necessary to throw Kris under the bus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat are you doing at school anyway?\u201d Noelle asked, aglow with honest curiosity. She was in fantastic spirits now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie was hit with a jolt. She sought an answer, and landed on the quickest, dirtiest, but most elegant thing. \u201cI was doing school,\u201d she announced. And, that buying just enough time for her brain to figure out a better lie, she continued, \u201cThe project. The school project.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOn Sunday? Why?\u201d Noelle asked, smiling and brushing her long, blonde hair back into place with her fingers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s quiet,\u201d Susie said lamely. \u201cNobody\u2019s here so I can\u2026 you know. Take my shoes off and just, like, walk around and do\u2026\u201d Susie realized she was gilding the lily. \u201cYou know get pencils and things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou walk around the school barefoot?\u201d Noelle asked, looking at Susie\u2019s feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell I have my feet on. Shoes on. Obviously, now,\u201d Susie explained, following Noelle\u2019s gaze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOkay, well I didn\u2019t mean to bother you, but you said the other day that you\u2019d take me to the festival.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie, of course, remembered this. Except she hadn\u2019t asked Noelle if she\u2019d wanted to go to the festival so much as she\u2019d threatened it as a way to intimidate Noelle\u2019s mother. The look on Carol\u2019s face had been something Susie would remember for years to come \u2013 she\u2019d never known she could put such a mix of fear and indignation into a grown adult\u2019s eyes at once, but powerful threat though it was, she hadn\u2019t known if Noelle was on board to carry it out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI was hoping I could call you to ask about it, but I didn\u2019t know your phone number,\u201d Noelle pressed on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah,\u201d barked Susie, who didn\u2019t own a phone. She hoped this fact would get glossed over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo I went to Kris\u2019s house this morning,\u201d Noelle went on, mercifully avoiding the phone issue for now. \u201cI thought Kris must know your number, since you\u2019ve been hanging out, but when I gave them a piece of paper to write your number on, they just rolled it up into like a war horn or something and blew into it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie looked to Kris, whose face was absolutely placid now. She wouldn\u2019t get any help there right now, but she thought she understood the joke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah, well,\u201d Susie began, working into the stride, \u201cKris is an idiot. How many times did they blow the horn?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTwice, I think?\u201d Noelle said. She looked concerned, but she was smiling as if she wanted to hear the explanation to this for all the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cKris knows<\/em> I only come if you blow the horn three times. Once means ghasts are coming, twice means open the gates, three times means run to my position!\u201d Susie threw her hands to her hips. \u201cKris we\u2019ve been over this!\u201d she belted. Kris at once snapped into a mock salute. \u201cThree times! I\u2019ve been opening every door in the dang school because of you!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noelle laughed. Susie met eyes with Kris and gave them a thankful smile before turning back to Noelle. Susie shook her head in mock disgust. \u201cBut, wait,\u201d she said, looking into the sky. \u201cIt\u2019s the broad afternoon. You\u2019ve been with Kris since morning?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYep,\u201d Noelle replied. There was something like a wince there, but not quite. Susie had a hard time reading it. \u201cKris wasn\u2019t exactly direct, but we\u2019ve been catching up a little. Or I guess more like watching everyone set up for the festival.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie looked back to Kris, who was still saluting. True to the fashion of the pose, they were looking at some far off position in space. Susie couldn\u2019t read anything in that, either. The report simply hung awkwardly in the air for a little bit, and Susie had no idea why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo um,\u201d Noelle prodded, now sounding serious, \u201cAre we? Did you still want to go to the festival together?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Susie replied, nodding eagerly, \u201cYeah, of course. I appreciate you coming to find me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGreat!\u201d Noelle clapped once, and apparently the sound startled her, because she immediately pressed her hands down into her skirt afterward, \u201cSo, then, what do you want to do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUh\u2026\u201d Susie looked at Kris, who was still diligently holding a salute, \u201cKris, what do you want to do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cKris?\u201d Noelle asked, adding the question mark as delicately as she could.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kris didn\u2019t blink. Their discipline was immaculate. \u201cAt ease,\u201d<\/em> Susie needled, and Kris slouched back into their usual posture. \u201cBut yeah, Kris,\u201d Susie went on, uncertainly, \u201cBecause Kris has got to hang with someone at the festival too, right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI just thought that\u2026\u201d Noelle\u2019s lips were stretched into a thin smile, \u201cIt seemed like, when you yelled at my mom, it implied that the festival was going to be a big deal?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie\u2019s eyes were wide, like a trapped beast. She really had done this without thinking. She\u2019d promised to go to the festival with Kris. She\u2019d promised to try to involve Ralsei somehow. She\u2019d threatened<\/em> to take Noelle to the festival in the same way she\u2019d threaten to skip rope with someone\u2019s intestines. She hadn\u2019t really intended for today to have so many impending obligations, but everyone probably had a different interpretation of what festival day with Susie must have meant, and before the start of the week Susie wasn\u2019t even sure if she was going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She wasn\u2019t sure how to articulate this, so instead Susie bobbled her head up and down in agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt just seemed like a lot. My mom was not happy,\u201d Noelle stressed. \u201cFahaha,\u201d she added, but it wasn\u2019t a laugh that came through in the eyes. All it did was establish Susie was forgiven for it. For now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRight, well\u2026\u201d Susie reached for a diplomatic answer, \u201cIt is<\/em> a big deal. But also, I don\u2019t think Kris has anyone else to go with, so I\u2019d feel like a bad friend if I ditched them. You know?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noelle bit her lip as she stared at Kris. Kris flicked their eyes down to the ground, deferentially. Noelle stayed locked on them, however, until Kris looked back again, at which point Noelle scowled and cocked her head. Kris looked away again, this time more deeply, turning their whole head at an angle away from her. Susie was used to one-sided conversations with Kris, but this was at some level above. It seemed like they were having an argument and Kris was losing, or possibly wasn\u2019t even putting up a fight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOkay,\u201d Noelle said, showing mercy to Kris, \u201cKris can come too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n And when Kris looked back at her, she gave them an evil eye and a nod, and this one was clear. It meant, \u201cYou had better behave.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie had seen this between Kris and Noelle before, but always further afar. She\u2019d never been right in the middle of a non-verbal discussion like this, and she\u2019d never known any other two people who communicated the way Kris and Noelle seemed to. It made her feel like a complete stranger looking through a glass window, and it came with a vague pain in her chest. She was getting pretty good at reading Kris, but she\u2019d be damned if Noelle didn\u2019t make her feel like an amateur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie rallied. \u201cWell let\u2019s go! Noelle, you pick the first thing!\u201d And Susie motioned for Noelle to walk ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI say we get lunch, in that case!\u201d Noelle decided.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noelle took the lead, and as soon as she got out of ear shot, Susie leaned down to Kris. \u201cHey, listen,\u201d she whispered. \u201cI wanna spend the day with you, but if you don\u2019t mind. Please, just for a little bit, can you be on the lookout for something Noelle and I can do together? By ourselves, I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kris avoided looking at Susie, and as soon as she let Kris go, they moved ahead after Noelle. Kris\u2019s face had been hollowed, very deliberately lacking expression. Susie imagined Noelle probably knew exactly what that might have meant, but Susie had to guess through several possibilities. The most likely was, Kris was going to maliciously obey the request in the worst possible way. No telling what that would be like. Another possibility was that Kris didn\u2019t like the request, and that took deeper thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie followed along, bringing up the rear. Noelle kept looking behind her, like she was worried the other two were going to get lost. Kris walked straight ahead behind Noelle, head and shoulders upright, no sense of anything amiss. But what if Kris didn\u2019t like what Susie had asked? Why not? Maybe because they didn\u2019t like the idea of being left alone. Who would? She could imagine Kris just sitting on the sidelines, watching Susie and Noelle have fun, and that would be patently lame if it were her in Kris\u2019s place. Maybe she could do one ride with Noelle and one ride with Kris, so that way Kris didn\u2019t miss out. But then that made her realize Kris had gone and done the obstacle course in the closet without Susie, so being fair, Kris was being a bit of a hypocrite if they didn\u2019t like being left out. That would force Noelle to sit on the sidelines while she was with Kris, to boot, so it wasn\u2019t a good solution either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But if Kris wasn\u2019t that bothered about sharing the experiences and being together, that left some other troubling possibilities. Such as, Susie could guess too well, that Kris had feelings for Noelle. They might, because Noelle was beautiful, because it would be absurd to not have some feelings for Noelle. And that<\/em>, Susie thought, would make today brazenly uncomfortable for everyone. She wanted to believe it was something else. Maybe\u2026 maybe\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n And then Susie remembered she\u2019d forgotten the end of the world. None of this mattered. You couldn\u2019t date someone who\u2019d died because the world was blanketed in cursed darkness for all eternity. That might<\/em> not be what Kris was mad about. If they were mad \u2013 Susie had to admit she didn\u2019t know anymore because she\u2019d been in her own head too long already \u2013 but it was a good reason for Kris to be mad, if they were. She skipped up to Kris and leaned down next to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHey, I just want you to know, I\u2019m not forgetting about our job,\u201d she whispered, \u201cI just think, maybe if we play our cards right, we know Noelle\u2019s family has the password to the shelter, right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kris rolled their eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOkay, don\u2019t give me that!\u201d she hissed. \u201cI\u2019m not gonna deny \u2013 maybe I\u2019m gonna like playing cards. But -\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kris rolled their eyes all the way to the back of their head and curled their lip in disgust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, shut up<\/em>!\u201d she sneered, pinching Kris on the arm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie caught Noelle\u2019s gaze. This was probably the fourth or fifth time that Noelle had turned around to check they were still following, and this time she\u2019d found Kris and Susie were whispering behind her back. Susie realized, she\u2019d gotten so used to following at a safe distance behind Kris because of the erratic way Kris walked, it hadn\u2019t occurred to her there was no reason to give Noelle such a wide berth. Noelle was walking directly towards a specific destination, they weren\u2019t going to crash into each other. Susie ran ahead so she could walk beside Noelle and have a conversation like a well-adjusted person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSorry, I was just telling Kris I don\u2019t want them to feel left out,\u201d Susie said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kris was still following from a measured distance behind. It felt unusual, since Kris was typically in the lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s really nice of you to be a good friend,\u201d Noelle said, sounding sweet yet neutral.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah,\u201d replied Susie, and because she felt something more was expected, \u201cWe\u2019ve been spending a lot of time together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI know!\u201d Noelle agreed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And there was nothing wrong with the way Noelle had said it. Nothing wrong at all. It was such a perfectly normal acknowledgment of what Susie had said, that Susie began to worry she\u2019d said something terribly wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo you and Kris have already done all the scouting and everything, right? Um\u2026\u201d Susie said, changing the subject. \u201cDid you see anything you were really excited about? Anything you want to do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou bet!\u201d Noelle\u2019s tone brightened. Sunshine appeared from behind the clouds, even though the clouds hadn\u2019t been hiding the sun at all. \u201cThe ferris wheel for sure! And there\u2019s a teacup ride, too, but maybe we should wait a while until after we\u2019ve eaten for that!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTeacups here we come, then!\u201d Susie grinned, but then a dreaded revelation struck. The grin smeared down her face as the bad news moved into her skull. \u201cWe might want to think about stuff that doesn\u2019t cost a whole lot of money, though. Or like any, maybe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie felt the pang in her stomach now. She hadn\u2019t eaten at all yet today, and the pain became more acute when she thought about pretending she was already \u201cfull\u201d just because she had nothing to buy lunch with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSusie, I have money,\u201d Noelle said, grabbing Susie\u2019s hand and smiling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noelle gazed up at Susie, who was tall enough to look clear over Noelle\u2019s head. It didn\u2019t feel right to Susie. It was like being rescued by a dormouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, you don\u2019t have to,\u201d Susie said, hating herself and feeling the bile churn in her empty gut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, I mean, like, I brought a whole wad of cash,\u201d Noelle insisted. \u201cKris never has any money on them either, so I\u2019ll pay for both of you. I\u2019m not going to have a good time if everyone is hungry and sad! Fahaha!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie checked on Kris for reassurance, who shrugged mildly as if food had never registered as a concern to begin with. Then back to Noelle, who was still craning up at her. Susie had too many feelings about this to separate or make sense of any of them. Was it love, to feel this good about someone offering to buy you a hot dog? Susie didn\u2019t know, but she really wanted a hot dog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThanks,\u201d Susie offered feebly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But excitement turned to disdain when it became apparent that Noelle was leading them to the outside of the town grocery store, where the store owner had set up a food stall. Apparently he was selling groceries from his store in the open air. Susie wasn\u2019t sure if that was illegal, but she already hated this guy enough to look for another excuse. He was a little skeleton man named Sans. He was maybe three feet tall, looked perpetually smug because his face was a horrible little skull, and the last time Susie had seen him, she was sure he was about to pork Kris\u2019s drunk mom. In fact that had been just<\/em> last night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHiya,\u201d Sans said as they approached, as though Susie didn\u2019t know he was some kind of sex criminal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGosh, what can we get?\u201d Noelle asked, as she looked over the chalk billboard Sans had put up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On it, Sans had listed virtually every good he had in the grocery store. Milk, eggs, cheese, sunscreen, bacon, dryer sheets, dish soap, and all the rest. The billboard ran on for ages, and was useless as a menu for all the items it listed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s all on the board,\u201d Sans said, indolently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDo you have any hot dogs?\u201d Noelle asked, giving up on trying to find the items she wanted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNah, I don\u2019t like to do the same bit twice,\u201d Sans replied. He winked as he said this, as though he\u2019d told a joke, but nobody laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There was a pause to see if an explanation would arrive. When one didn\u2019t, Noelle said, \u201cUm, okay, how about hamburgers?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, I\u2019ve got burgers. But not ham burgers,\u201d Sans said, to once again a completely dead audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie was trying not to let the hate fly out of her. This evil little guy with his evil little bald head \u2013 which, okay, Susie had to admit that because he was a skeleton, it should be natural to be bald. Yet in some way, she still felt he was being bald on purpose. Maliciously. Here he was doing a comedy routine and it was getting between her and food. She could feel her temper boiling and her stomach screaming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNot hamburgers?\u201d Noelle asked, losing ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, not ham burgers,\u201d Sans replied indifferently, without really putting too much more distance between \u201cham\u201d and \u201cburgers\u201d as he said it. \u201cI\u2019ve got every other kind of burger. Beef burgers, chicken burgers, veggie burgers. Just not ham.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDo you even cook them?\u201d Susie snapped. She was three seconds from ripping Sans\u2019s arms off and eating the marrow in his bones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNope,\u201d Sans said, seemingly unaware of the impending danger to his life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As if it had been on cue, Kris\u2019s mother, Toriel, emerged from the front of the store. She had to duck under the door frame as she did, because she was an enormous goat woman. She looked like the plump, dumpling wife of Baphomet for all she loomed and imposed, yet she had the resigned demeanor blessed of a poor soul that raised difficult, teenage children. Today she was wearing a sun hat, moving slowly, because it was quite likely she was nursing a brutal hangover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat\u2019d be her,\u201d Sans explained, without actually looking at Toriel, \u201cShe cooks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, Kris,\u201d Toriel said carefully. She sat down next to Sans at a glacial speed, doing her best not to disturb her headache. \u201cI see you\u2019ve located Susie.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe kids were just about to order some burgers,\u201d Sans filled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAh, burgers. Yes, we have those. Every kind except ham,\u201d Toriel said, apparently rather more pleased with this joke than anyone else was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou said you wanted hot dogs earlier, and we don\u2019t have them,\u201d Sans said, \u201cBut we might have dog burgers, if you want any.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDog burgers?\u201d Susie goggled. She still wanted to kill Sans, but now that Kris\u2019s mom was here, she wasn\u2019t sure she wanted to be remembered as the girl who killed and ate the local grocer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah, they\u2019re made of a kind of mystery meat, wrapped up into a tube shape, and I guess somebody must have thought it looked like a dog,\u201d Sans explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat just sounds like a hot dog!\u201d Susie accused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cExcept it goes in a burger bun, so it\u2019s not,\u201d Sans replied, blandly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019ll just take two beef burgers and a veggie burger, thank you,\u201d Noelle cut in, saving things from going any further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Toriel climbed carefully to her feet, which was rather impressive given she had so far up to rise. \u201cI\u2019ll get on it. For you three? Don\u2019t worry, I\u2019ll pay for it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, that\u2019s okay, Miss Toriel,\u201d Noelle said, offering up her money. \u201cI\u2019ll cover it, please.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAre you sure?\u201d Toriel asked. But she took the money anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThank you!\u201d said Noelle politely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Toriel began to walk away with the money, stopped, pressed the bills into Sans\u2019s hand, and then went back inside the store. It was clear she wasn\u2019t in much state to be working, but beyond that, Susie couldn\u2019t imagine what might have possessed Toriel to come out here and be with Sans during the festival. There was no way it was worth all the pain, and obviously Toriel couldn\u2019t remember what had happened yesterday night. She glared down at Sans, who was sitting there in his chair with his hands folded together, grinning like an idiot. The sex had to have been terrible, Susie was convinced. There was no way Toriel would be here if she could remember it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHey, what is your deal?\u201d Susie demanded. \u201cMaking her do everything like this when she\u2019s not feeling good!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, I\u2019m the one dealing with the customers,\u201d Sans said, as if it were self-evident how much worse this was, \u201cAnd I have an air fryer, so she\u2019s not doing that much.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie tried to think of a good rebuttal. You couldn\u2019t take a woman for drinks, make love to her, and then ask her to operate an air fryer the next afternoon. There was definitely something morally wrong about it, but Susie couldn\u2019t think of how to put it together without sounding crazy. She didn\u2019t have too much time to think of a theory in any case, because a truck rumbled up behind her. From out of it emerged a man so gargantuan it was like seeing a clown car routine performed by a single person: Kris\u2019s father. Asgore, like Toriel, was a goat, but he was such a mountainous figure that the truck\u2019s suspension groaned as he pulled himself out. He couldn\u2019t have weighed less than a ton, and so much of it was natural muscle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHello, Sans,\u201d he said quietly, as if trying not to frighten a small child. In fairness, not a one of them were as tall as even Asgore\u2019s shoulders. \u201cAnd everyone,\u201d Asgore added. \u201cHello, Kris.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kris screwed up their face as though they were expecting to be hit by something. Or… that wasn\u2019t quite right, but there was definitely tension. Noelle was looking at Kris, seeming likewise as though she expected something unpleasant to happen soon. Susie barely knew the man and had no idea what they were expecting, but Asgore frowned. He looked like a sad puppy, if one could have accidentally killed you by sitting in your lap. Wordlessly, he went to the back of the tuck and picked up one of numerous flower arrangements stored in the bed. They were kept in pots, hung from macrame ropes, and though each pot was the size of Susie\u2019s head, he lifted them effortlessly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTime to put up the flowers!\u201d He announced. \u201cI did the macrame myself. What do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s macrame alright,\u201d replied Sans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes,\u201d Asgore agreed. He looked as though he was about to ask if Sans liked any part of the macrame, but gave up on himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThing is, I don\u2019t remember asking for flowers. Or for macrame,\u201d said Sans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, don\u2019t worry,\u201d Asgore replied patiently, \u201cThe town pays for them, for the festival. You could say this is my biggest windfall of the year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Asgore lifted each pot up and hooked them to the facade of Sans\u2019s store. He was so tall, it really was as simple as that. \u201cThere we are,\u201d said Asgore, satisfied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat sounds kind of like, uh\u2026\u201d Sans hadn\u2019t moved. \u201cLike my tax money is paying for them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Asgore opened his mouth. He was smiling, but it drooped away as he must have imagined how this conversation could go. Eventually, he said, \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cJust so long as I know where it\u2019s going,\u201d Sans said, unruffled. \u201cNext year, can I pick what color flowers I get?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Asgore\u2019s smile returned. \u201cOf course,\u201d he said, relieved. \u201cYou can pick any color you like from the back of the truck. I have blue, pink, orange, purple. I try to be mindful of color theory, but – \u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBlue.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut that\u2019s the color already there,\u201d Asgore replied, pointing at the hanging flowers but losing the momentum in his voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI know, buddy, I chose it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sans sat there, smiling. Susie couldn\u2019t tell if this was meant to be a joke, or if he was being intentionally cruel to Asgore, or if it was somehow something wrong with Asgore. Asgore himself looked for all the world as though he blamed himself. Kris was now staring at their shoes, and Noelle was alternating her attention between the conversation and Kris. Altogether, it was a bit embarrassing, but Susie didn\u2019t see the need for the worried expression in her friends until Toriel emerged from the shop carrying a plate of burgers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh,\u201d Asgore mumbled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Toriel froze. Almost in slow motion, Susie could see the hangover taking over and the headache crawling up the back of her neck. Her eyelids drooped, the lack of restful sleep became evident. It wasn\u2019t a grimace, but it was the furthest thing from happy. She said nothing at all, but pulled the plate towards her body as if she feared Asgore might ask for one. It was clear. \u201cThere is nothing for you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cToriel,\u201d Asgore spoke, quietly as a hunter. He didn\u2019t seem to realize that everyone but Kris was staring at him. \u201cWould \u2013 would you like to pick out some flowers?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He held out his hands, motioning for her to wait as he stumbled towards his truck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo.\u201d Toriel said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Asgore halted, mid crab-walk. He smiled, but it was a pleading, piteous smile. Begging, hoping, screaming. \u201cFor the festival,\u201d he explained. It was like a door creaking off its hinges, threatening to break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe have some,\u201d Toriel replied. She wasn\u2019t as tall as Asgore, but she was tall enough the flowers on the facade were at her eye level. She pointed at them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMaybe one more?\u201d Asgore suggested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo.\u201d Toriel said. It was so flat a tone you could have used it as a desk to write on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie wished that Asgore would find an excuse to say his goodbye and deliver flowers somewhere else. He looked so miserable it was becoming contagious. Instead, he went on standing there, half turned towards his truck. He rubbed his knuckles anxiously. \u201cYou\u2019re\u2026 helping Sans with his stall?\u201d He asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s not your business who I help with whose stall,\u201d she replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another long silence settled. It hung there like a guillotine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThanks for the uh\u2026\u201d Sans began conversationally. \u201cFlowers.\u201d He ended. He said it somehow like \u201cgoodbye\u201d, as though there wasn\u2019t really anything else to say about flowers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Asgore, now fully aware of his own enormous body, turned away from the shop and towards his truck with great care as if he were worried he was going to step on his own feet. Using all of his power, he approached the passenger side door without looking back. He put his hand under the handle, hummed to himself once he realized that wasn\u2019t where the steering wheel was, and then he shuffled to the driver\u2019s side, all without looking over his shoulder. He opened the door, squeezed himself inside, then felt blindly around for his seat-belt without looking towards Sans or Toriel. Once he was buckled, he announced, \u201cThanks for the flowers!\u201d to no one in particular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He let himself digest this moment for another incredibly painful, horrible few seconds before he put his foot on the accelerator and drove mere several yards down the road to the next building, where they could still see him. As she watched him get out of the truck and walk backwards on his heels towards the bed so he could get the flowers without looking at Sans\u2019s grocer, Susie realized her face was hot, probably because she was blushing on Asgore\u2019s behalf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Toriel handed Noelle the plate of burgers, and with a sigh Toriel went back inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCheese, that was pretty bad,\u201d Noelle murmured as she took the veggie burger and offered Susie the plate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kris was now facing the other direction, head stooped, fists clenched. Susie and Noelle exchanged glances. Noelle shook her head and held up her hands, empty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHey Kris, don\u2019t worry about it,\u201d Susie said, trying to help. \u201cI bet your dad\u2019s normally pretty cool.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noelle shot a tense roll of the eyes, implying this was not at all the truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOr, like -\u201d Susie tried to save it, \u201cBetter than this. Usually.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It didn\u2019t seem to have much effect. Still feeling responsible to save the day, Susie took the last burger off the plate and put it on top of Kris\u2019s head. She made sure it would stay, and then left it there. Susie wasn\u2019t always good with words, but a little comedy might help. That was usually good with Kris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Or so she thought, but Kris reached up and dumped the burger directly into a trash can near the stall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDude hey! You didn\u2019t have to dump it!\u201d Susie nearly shrieked as she rushed to save the burger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She fished it out. Luckily the bag had been empty, but unfortunately that meant it took a deep dive into the thing to get the prize. When she emerged, Noelle was staring at her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s still good,\u201d Susie assured her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI could buy you another,\u201d Noelle suggested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, it\u2019s fine,\u201d Susie doubled-down, slowly placing the burger in her pocket without breaking eye contact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noelle blinked first, ending the standoff. \u201cThank you for the burger!\u201d She said to Sans before diving in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie was ravenous, and her lizard face was well-designed for quick eating. She had her burger done in about three bites. Noelle saw she\u2019d fallen behind and tried to eat more quickly, but there was just no keeping up. Kris wasn\u2019t eating at all, so this left Susie and Kris staring at Noelle as she stuffed her face alone, an audience she withered under.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think I\u2019m done,\u201d she decided about half way through. \u201cShould I throw it away, or did you want to keep it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie wanted the other half of that veggie burger more than anything, but after that last embarrassment she wasn\u2019t ready to admit it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNah, you keep it,\u201d Susie said, doing her best to stay cool in the face of prior evidence. \u201cIn the garbage, I mean. You keep it in the garbage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noelle dropped the burger into the black, plastic abyss. Susie watched it go, thinking about the bugs and whatever else would get to it that didn\u2019t deserve it as much as Susie did. She contemplated the possibility of going back for it later, but it was likely the can would fill up again soon as more people came by. It was over. The burger was gone. Forever half eaten, forever not in Susie\u2019s stomach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kris approached the trash can and gazed inside. This was their normal, compulsive curiosity, so at least Susie could surmise Kris was over the embarrassment between their mom and dad. They were, at least, acting like their usual self.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHey, I know what you\u2019re thinking, but if you want a burger I\u2019ve still got the one you threw away,\u201d Susie reminded them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI could buy another, I really don\u2019t mind,\u201d Noelle said, this time dramatically placing both her hands on Susie\u2019s arms to emphasize the charity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, it\u2019s cool,\u201d Susie replied, tossing her hair back and doing her best to look well-handled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She had her pride. Well, she had a burger in her pocket anyway, and she was going to swallow that burger later, shortly after swallowing her pride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI guess we oughta ride some tea cups,\u201d Susie suggested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noelle checked her watch. \u201cWe still have about fifteen minutes before the rides open, but some of the other stalls might be opening!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat, do you mean the stalls weren\u2019t even supposed to be open yet?\u201d Susie asked, side-eying Sans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTechnically, my grocery store has been allowed to sell stuff all day,\u201d Sans replied. \u201cAnd,\u201d he added, \u201cI wouldn\u2019t have charged you anything if you hadn\u2019t given me any money.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis is good!\u201d Noelle said. \u201cIt means we haven\u2019t missed anything!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut you did<\/em> take her money!\u201d Susie said, pointing at Sans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sans reached out, took Susie\u2019s outstretched hand, unwrapped her fingers, and put the money into her palm. \u201cYou\u2019re right,\u201d Sans said. \u201cThat\u2019d be illegal. You ought to take it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut\u2026 that\u2019s to pay for the burgers,\u201d Noelle plied nervously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah, which I said could be free,\u201d Sans said. It was a tone that broached no argument, not because it was firm so much as because it did not care. \u201cSo keep the money.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie was a little stunned. She hadn\u2019t expect to get the money back. She offered it to Noelle, who shook her head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut it\u2019s your money,\u201d Susie insisted, feeling like she\u2019d been the subject of a nasty trick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat\u2019s okay. This way, I guess if you see anything you want\u2026\u201d Noelle tried to think about the situation. \u201cWell, if you see anything that you want that\u2019s just for you, that\u2019s what that money is for. That\u2019s okay.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh,\u201d Susie said. She frowned at the small wad of cash. It made her feel guilty, and she wanted to argue, but if she turned it down then the next time she wanted something, she really would need to beg Noelle. \u201cThank you,\u201d she added, not knowing what else to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie stuffed the money into her pocket and Noelle took the lead again. This time Susie kept pace next to her. Kris brought up the rear like before, which gave Susie the awkward sensation that she was being watched, because in fact Kris was watching them. Noelle seemed not to notice. The crowds were still pretty thin, but more people were beginning to turn up and they had to weave between other groups a little while they inspected various games on offer. Susie noted there was an air rifle range and would pointed it out, but Noelle just laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFahaha! No! I don\u2019t know what it is about guns, but they scare the heck out of me,\u201d Noelle said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There was probably some ancestral terror there, Susie imagined. Susie, however, came from a long line of omnivorous predators and would have liked to imagine she\u2019d be innately good at shooting. The balloons wouldn\u2019t know what hit them \u2013 and with a little bit of hot sauce maybe wouldn\u2019t know what ate them, either. Susie figured it\u2019d be like swallowing chewing gum, though it probably wasn\u2019t a good idea, whatever it was like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHow about that?\u201d Noelle suggested, pointing to a tub full of ducks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, bobbing for ducks!\u201d Susie announced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah, I like the little ducks. Sometimes they let you keep them,\u201d Noelle agreed. \u201cLast year I think I came home with like fifty of ducks! They\u2019re all stuffed under my bed now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAw, the poor ducks,\u201d Susie said, a little too sincerely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah, I -\u201d Noelle paused. She caught the slight edge there, but brushed it off. \u201cIt\u2019s like a prison yard! A year in the hole!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie was giving this some genuine contemplation. In the utility closet, and in fact in any world like it, objects came to life. A box of fifty ducks locked away under the bed for a year would have really experienced that, really have been imprisoned for all that time for crimes they couldn\u2019t explain. Susie imagined them all, hanging out in the yard, pumping iron, forming gangs, stabbing each other to death over rivalries. It was obvious Susie was a little concerned, and Noelle was trying to figure out what she\u2019d said wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou ought to let them out once in a while,\u201d Susie suggested, trying to pass it off as a joke but still too awkwardly serious. \u201cOr give them some books or something. To help them reform, I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cB\u2019well yeah, I suppose I should,\u201d Noelle blurted out. Then she laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie smiled. She didn\u2019t know how she\u2019d gotten this far \u2013 which wasn\u2019t that far, really, but it still felt way<\/em> too far given all the good reasons for Noelle to quit \u2013 and she liked Noelle\u2019s laugh. It felt very bouncy, and Noelle laughed often, which made Susie feel clever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The woman behind the stall was herself a small, feathery duck, and she was only behind it at as far as to say she was managing it. She lay in an inter-tube floating in the tin basin that held the little rubber ducks. She was holding a tiki drink, which Susie suspected wasn\u2019t a virgin from the pleased look on the woman\u2019s face. \u201cStep right up, one baby, one dollar!\u201d She called to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noelle handed her three dollars. \u201cOne for each of us!\u201d She said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The woman stashed the money in a jar by the basin. \u201cYou know the rules, right?\u201d She asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOf course I know how to bob for ducks!\u201d Susie said, clearing everyone out of the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie closed her eyes, plunged her head into the basin and opened her mouth. The trick was to keep her jaws just barely closed enough the ducks couldn\u2019t get out once she had them, but she could easily suck new ones in when they bumped her nose. She felt someone else splash into the basin next to her, which she guessed had to have been Kris. Susie managed to get four ducks into her mouth before she needed to surface for air. She came up, grinning, her teeth triumphantly full of squeaking ducklings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Someone else was at Susie\u2019s side, which she assumed was Noelle prepared to make her own dive, but she found herself face to bespectacled face with Berdly, the local nerd bluebird who quite recently discovered an unrequited affection for Susie. He was leaning on one blue wing, smirking up and down his beak in a way he likely thought was seductive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSalutations, Susie! I see you\u2019re practicing,\u201d Berdly announced, as proudly as a cock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHey!\u201d the duck woman slurred, \u201cI said one baby, one dollar! What are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHuh?\u201d Susie asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kris came up out of the basin with only one duck in their mouth. It didn\u2019t look like they could have fit more in, but not from lack of trying. Kris\u2019s long hair was now plastered completely down their face. Susie let the ducks dribble out of her mouth and into her arms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019re getting prepared for the real thing, is what I mean,\u201d Berdly said, puckering his beak into a kiss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d Susie snarled, getting frustrated. The question worked for either party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou paid three dollars, but now you have four ducks and he got one too. That\u2019s five ducks!\u201d the duck woman whined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah, lady, I\u2019m a pro!\u201d Susie snapped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, Susie!\u201d Berdly yowled. \u201cCan it be the case that you don\u2019t know the rules for the duckling game.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWha -\u201d Susie began. She had no idea what was going on now, but there was no way she was going to admit that to Berdly. \u201cLook at how many I got<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYour ignorance is charming,\u201d Berdly informed her, \u201cAnd the privilege of seeing your hair wet is entirely worth two dollars. Not to worry, I\u2019ll clear up the misunderstanding!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n With that, Berdly furnished two dollars and handed them off to the duck woman, who took the money. \u201cAlright, that\u2019s uh\u2026\u201d she did her best to get a good look at the ducks in Susie\u2019s arms. \u201cThat\u2019s twenty points, enough for one inflatable hammer. Now put the ducks back and take your hammer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBerdly, I can pay for it,\u201d Noelle suggested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNot at all my dear Noelle!\u201d Berdly waved his wing in her face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe don\u2019t get to keep the ducks?\u201d Susie asked, disgusted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou get a hammer! What do you need the ducks for?\u201d the duck woman demanded. \u201cWhat\u2019s the saying? When the whole world\u2019s a hammer, you gotta be the nail. Now put back my ducks!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Defeated, Susie cast the ducks back into the basin. They splashed into it, making four little bloop<\/em> sounds before resurfacing. Kris grabbed an inflatable hammer down from the stall and clutched it to their body. No one had any idea what to do with it. Susie peered into the basin, and counted up dozens of the things at a guess. Each one a dollar. No wonder the lady wanted them back, the real prize, the real money, was simply buoying there in the water. Next year, maybe, if Susie could find the cash to afford a tin basin and fifty rubber ducks, she\u2019d be the one winning this game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe ought to run a stall next year, huh?\u201d she asked Kris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kris gave this some thought. \u201cCould be fun,\u201d they said, as though Kris didn\u2019t think it would happen, but it could<\/em> be fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah, you say it like we never will<\/em>,\u201d Susie said, but chewed on reality. \u201cBut I guess we\u2019d have to get a business license or something. I guess maybe we won\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell that was fun!\u201d Noelle said, trying to spin the conversation in a positive direction. \u201cI thought you did really good, Susie!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhy did you go in?\u201d Susie asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI didn\u2019t want to get my hair wet!\u201d Noelle protested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAh, and shame that is!\u201d Berdly cut in. \u201cI\u2019d gladly pay another two dollars to see that!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie spun on Berdly. \u201cHey, could you fuck yourself off to another planet?\u201d Susie asked, tapping his chest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut I\u2019ve been looking for you all day!\u201d Berdly whinged, as if this mattered. \u201cBecause I know for a fact, one<\/em> of you doesn\u2019t have a date!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie looked at Kris before her synapses could tell her not to. She snapped back, but now it was lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIs it Kris?\u201d Berdly chimed. \u201cKris, you sly dog! You playful kitten! I knew you\u2019d save yourself for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo,\u201d Susie lied. \u201cKris is dating the hammer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She managed to say it without almost skipping a beat. Kris had been hugging the thing so close, it looked downright romantic, and it had just clicked. To sell the bit, Kris hugged the hammer tighter and gave it a little peck-kiss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe hammer!?\u201d Berdly denounced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes, and it\u2019s serious<\/em>,\u201d Susie said, crossing her arms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, speaking of serious things and other planets! Noelle!\u201d Berdly pushed past Susie. \u201cJust the other night, I had a fantastic dream! It was so vivid, that I believe I have to write it down! I may be a genius of the story-telling persuasion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie winced as the dread flew up her spine. Only a few days ago, Berdly and Noelle had both been cast together into a magic world. Kris and Susie had saved the two, then managed to convince them the entire thing was only a dream, which was fairly plausible so long as Berdly didn\u2019t reveal that the both of them had the exact same dream at the exact same time. Susie wasn\u2019t sure what Noelle might do if she found out, and she could only guess at Berdly, but all the possibilities seemed frustrating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She grabbed Berdly by the collar and yanked him away, back in front of her so she was between him and Noelle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAck!\u201d Berdly choked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHold on, you didn\u2019t tell me you were a genius,\u201d Susie said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cActually Susan -\u201d Berdly began.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy name is Susie.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI believe I have kept you amply informed of my genius. I have an online newsletter, even. I\u2019m looking for subscribers if you\u2019re interested. So far Noelle is my only one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell you didn\u2019t tell me you were a creative genius,\u201d Susie was trying to smile. It was coming across more like a bearing of fangs, but she was trying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh! That\u2019s because I didn\u2019t know! Until the other day, that is, when I was struck by creative vision! I\u2019d often heard that creatives could be struck by such muses, but until just then I had no idea I was a creative genius. I\u2019d considered myself more of a hard math and science type before, but I suppose there\u2019s no reason that several types of genius must be mutually incompatible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOkay,\u201d Susie said, pushing Berdly a little further away from Noelle. \u201cI\u2019m gonna need you to wait right here. And shut up, because now Kris and I have to figure out who\u2019s going to date you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Berdly gasped. He looked so happy now he may have been near to tears. \u201cYou mean all this time I just needed to be creative?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Susie said grimly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut wait,\u201d Berdly said, realizing there might be some dishonesty here. \u201cI\u2019ve tried writing poetry for Kris, but they never seemed, um\u2026\u201d Berdly snapped his wings as he looked for the word. \u201cReceptive? Or maybe impressed, is what I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell that\u2019s \u2018cuz\u2026\u201d Susie decided to go for broke. \u201cPoetry\u2019s not sexy. It\u2019s a, you know, nerd\u2019s game, I guess. Like Edgar Allen Poe? Nerd. That\u2019s why his poems were all about being sad and dying and stuff. Couldn\u2019t get any girls. Fiction, though, that\u2019s like\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie contemplated telling Berdly that fiction was a real pantie-dropper, but she wasn\u2019t sure if the universe could forgive her for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s a real pantie-dropper,\u201d Berdly filled it in for her, and Susie was so mad that the two of them had somehow managed to be on the same wavelength. She wanted to pantie-drop Berdly off a cliff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead, Susie nodded. Slowly. Very slowly. Until Berdly no longer appeared pleased about the thing he\u2019d just said. She kept eye contact until she was sure he couldn\u2019t be happy anymore \u2013 never again if she could have wished it on him \u2013 then went to Kris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOkay, listen, we can\u2019t have Berdly talking to Noelle about Dark Worlds, so one of us has to hang out with him and keep him separate from her,\u201d Susie said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kris scowled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat? Don\u2019t give me that look! You think it should be me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kris folded their arms. The scowl became more of a glower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut Noelle wanted me<\/em> to take her to the Festival! You think that\u2019s fair if I just ditch her!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kris cocked their head and widened their eyes as if they could not believe<\/em> what they were hearing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh\u2026\u201d Susie said as it dawned on her, \u201cBut I did also say I was going to hang out with you, right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kris unfolded their arms and softened. Well \u2013 that was reasonable enough! Susie had promised that, almost emphatically, and she really did want to hang out together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLook\u2026\u201d Susie began, trying to figure out how to work through this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kris scoffed and looked away. There was no \u201clooking\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe have<\/em> to,\u201d she pleaded. \u201cHow about we do shifts. You cover Berdly for a little while now, and then we\u2019ll tag out and I\u2019ll take over for a little bit and\u2026\u201d Susie searched for an idea to make it right. \u201cAnd you look for rides or games you want to play, just you and me, and we\u2019ll do them before the festival is over if we find time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kris looked back. They didn\u2019t seem happy, but it was some kind of middle ground. Kris\u2019s feelings were being considered and it was a form of compromise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI bet Noelle\u2019s mom keeps Noelle on a pretty short leash, so there\u2019s no way she can stay out as late as you and me. We\u2019ll do something, I promise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kris seemed to be rolling this thought around in their mouth. Finally they said, \u201cI bet Berdly and I could have fun,\u201d in a tone that clearly indicated they wouldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDon\u2019t try to make it sound that<\/em> amazing dude. Just tag out as soon as you can\u2019t take it,\u201d Susie said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She held up her fist, and Kris gave her a bump, though it wasn\u2019t very energetic. Susie returned to Berdly and offered Kris forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAlright, so I\u2019ve got good news for some of us and bad news for others, but Kris and I talked it out and it looks like I lost, so Kris is your date for the festival,\u201d Susie announced, waving her hands at Kris like they were the grand prize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAh, well,\u201d said Berdly, thinking it over. \u201cIf it was a competition between the two of you, I\u2019d like to be honest, I\u2019d rather have you, my dear Susie.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie tried not to lose her temper, but here she was offering up her friend to this ungrateful bird and she was being told Berdly thought he could trade up. Never mind that he thought the trade up was Susie<\/em>, it was still looking a gift horse in the mouth and it was more than Berdly deserved. Susie grabbed him and pulled him aside, squeezing perhaps a bit too hard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cListen,\u201d Susie hissed, her voice issuing venom, \u201cHow about you shut up and date my friend, and I will not force-feed you into one of the funnel cake ovens, or whatever it is they use to make funnel cakes. I don\u2019t actually know but I\u2019m going to find out, and if you push me, I am going to find out violently<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey\u2019re fried in hot oil, I believe,\u201d Berdly surmised helpfully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat sounds like the type of thing that -\u201d Susie pointed to some kids on the other side of the street, \u201cThose kids, you see them? They\u2019ll hear your screams in their sleep every time they go to bed. So if you don\u2019t want to be that for them, you will shut your beak and have a wonderful time at the fair.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think I understand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGood, because -\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019ve lost the fight, and the very idea that you\u2019d renege on a fair competition was an insult on your honor. For that, I\u2019m truly sorry. You\u2019re an even better woman than I initially thought.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie opened her mouth. She wanted to say one more thing, to get the last word, but really and truly she didn\u2019t want there to be any more words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOkay,\u201d She said, and let him go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Berdly recovered like lightning. \u201cKris my sweet!\u201d He shouted, drawing the attention of several passerbys. \u201cThe festival awaits! You take the lead!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then, as simply as that, Kris began doing what they normally did. They zigzagged back and forth across the street, checking every stall, trash can, and person there, as if Kris were a child who had only been born a few days ago, who could only wonder at the marvels around them. Berdly stayed behind at a safe distance, offering noisy commentary on whatever Kris was looking at. Susie felt uncertain which of them she\u2019d cursed more by pairing them up. The inflatable hammer, Kris, and Berdly vanished into the crowds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cKris didn\u2019t seem very happy about that,\u201d Noelle mused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, you could tell that?\u201d Susie asked as she tried to wring out her still wet hair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI could tell you were trying to talk them into going with Berdly, since that\u2019s the end result, and I can tell you must have set up a deal with Kris because otherwise you\u2019d already be in a lot more trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019re pretty sharp,\u201d Susie observed. She\u2019d squeezed out about as much water as she could. The sun would have to do the rest. \u201cYou must be some kind of Kris whisper with how you can tell what they\u2019re thinking so easily.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA Kris whisperer implies that I could control<\/em> them, which I have to tell you, I can\u2019t! Fahaha!\u201d This came with a hard laugh, rather than the usual bubbles. \u201cYou must have really wanted to hang out just the two of us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMostly I really wanted Berdly to go away.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noelle frowned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUh, but I mean, so that we could be alone,\u201d Susie scrambled, realizing she\u2019d missed the easiest layup in history. \u201cOr just the two of us. Together in a crowd or wherever.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think I get what you mean.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie still wanted to save it. \u201cLike it\u2019s more intimate this way,\u201d she rambled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOr not intimate. What is it? Um\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noelle grabbed Susie by the hand and began to pull. \u201cDo you want to go ride the ferris wheel?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah, sure, I\u2019m good for cool.\u201d Susie had accidentally mashed up the phrases I\u2019m<\/em> good for that<\/em> and I\u2019m cool<\/em> and hoped it had sounded intentional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s kinda<\/em> intimate,\u201d Noelle said teasingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was, by all rights, not the world\u2019s most amazing ferris wheel. It was cheap carnival fare. An open two-seater that cost entirely too much per ticket for what it was, but Noelle paid for both tickets anyhow. They didn\u2019t have to wait in line long, but the ride consisted of going up a few feet, letting a set of passengers off, letting another set of passengers on, then traveling another few feet before stopping again. Sometimes it kept going, and the ride picked up a little momentum, but the ride manager was obviously more concerned with who should be on or off than they were with a fun time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After they got a little ways off the ground, Noelle turned to Susie. \u201cYou remember at my house yesterday I was telling you about my dream?\u201d She asked. She put it carefully, like she really wanted to talk about it, but didn\u2019t want to force it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah, you said it was a great, magical place, and we rode a ferris wheel together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This thing had really happened, and Susie knew it. It had been an ordeal, part of an escape plan from a mad queen. The moment had been romantic from a bird\u2019s eye, but neither of them seemed to know what to do with each other at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat\u2019s right, but it was huge.\u201d Noelle went on. \u201cIt didn\u2019t stop, and it almost didn\u2019t roll, so we stayed at the top of the ride the whole time. You showed up to rescue me, and the wheel was this easy way out. Like it was waiting, and of course we used it, because otherwise we\u2019d have had to go backwards, fighting out the hard way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The ride lurched to a halt as another passenger was loaded off, another passenger was loaded on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt must have been a lot better than this,\u201d Susie observed as she leered at the new passengers stopping the ride. She would have liked to make a more relevant comment, but couldn\u2019t remember now what Noelle hadn\u2019t already told her about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt was a dream,\u201d Noelle said airily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell maybe, you know,\u201d Susie thought about this. It was possible to introduce Noelle to the utility closet. Perhaps in some fashion that didn\u2019t imply hanky-pank, when she realized what it\u2019d seem like she\u2019d be suggesting, but more to the tune of a life changing experience or\u2026 the introduction still needed work-shopping. Susie wasn\u2019t sure it was a good idea, regardless. \u201cMaybe you\u2019ll have other dreams like that.\u201d She concluded, trying to sound cryptic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHa! Sure,\u201d Noelle replied, shaking her long hair, \u201cBut what I meant is, yeah, a dream is better than real life because it happens in your head, right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Susie said, looking down at her shoes. Her heart began to sink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This was the real deal. This was Susie. Her jeans were ripped, her shoelaces were frayed. She was taking up entirely too much space on the ride. Her hair and shirt were still wet, and the breeze was making her cold. Noelle smelled like peppermint shampoo. Susie smelled like Susie. The ride lurched to a stop again. Passengers got off, passengers got on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut I wanted that dream to be real, right? Because it was so nice. So here I am,\u201d Noelle said. She was smiling faintly, and tried to duck her head to catch Susie\u2019s face. \u201cSorry, I didn\u2019t mean to put you down.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh… I wasn\u2019t.\u201d Susie lied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAfter you yelled at my mom, I got in a lot of trouble, you know,\u201d Noelle accused, firmness suddenly out of nowhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOkay, hey!\u201d Susie threw her hands up in defense. \u201cI didn\u2019t know you were going to trap me up here to put me on trial!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, I\u2019m not mad at you<\/em>. You know what she told me? She said she didn\u2019t like having a girl like you in the house. She said I had no idea who you are or what you\u2019re like. She said you\u2019re dirty. She said you probably have pinworms.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie gritted her teeth. The world began to close in around her. Susie sucked in her breath. What? <\/em>\u201cShe -\u201d Susie choked out, \u201cI don\u2019t have pinworms!\u201d This was too much coming from Noelle, who Susie had always thought of as being one of the most considerate people she\u2019d ever met. She was looking at Noelle\u2019s face now, and it felt like Susie was falling forward, though that wasn\u2019t it. It was the motion of the ferris wheel, moving again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI believe you, I don\u2019t think you do,\u201d Noelle said, holding Susie\u2019s shoulder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie realized she was visibly coming undone. She didn\u2019t want to be mad at Noelle, but she was<\/em>. Even if Noelle was just repeating things her mom had said, how could she say that? The ride stopped. Passengers got off, passengers got on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd I don\u2019t have anyone<\/em> to talk to about it,\u201d Noelle leaned forward. Her voice sounded strained, her eyes were pinched. \u201cCan it be you? Can I talk to you about it, please?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie tried to steady her breathing. She swallowed. Her throat was now very dry. \u201cI don\u2019t have worms<\/em>,\u201d was all Susie could think to say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOkay, I\u2019m sorry I told you that,\u201d Noelle said, soothingly, \u201cBut even if you did, I looked it up, and it turns out you can get worm medicine over the counter and it tastes like bananas, so it wouldn\u2019t even be a big deal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie threw her hands out and groaned. She nearly laughed. This girl<\/em>. The sheer nerve of it. The mind-bending<\/em> audacity!The ride stopped. Passengers got off, passengers got on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt didn\u2019t look like there were a lot of manufacturers so banana is the only flavor. I don\u2019t know if that\u2019s a problem,\u201d Noelle was trying to make it sound helpful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie was struggling to hold in the tears. \u201cI don\u2019t \u2013 I\u2019ll eat fucking\u2026 bananas! I don\u2019t care about the banana flavor. What is wrong with you<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat my mom said \u2013 it made me mad, and it made me worry<\/em> for you. I didn\u2019t think, oh my mom\u2019s right. I thought, maybe I can help<\/em>. Sorry. I really shouldn\u2019t have opened with the pinworm thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI really wish you hadn\u2019t.\u201d Susie choked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m so sorry, I had this whole conversation planned in my head, and it went a whole lot better when I imagined it. I had meant to\u2026 ease into it better, and I really wish I hadn\u2019t brought up the worms.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah, but you did, and here we are.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tears were starting to stream down Susie\u2019s face. Normally, she\u2019d have fought this by grabbing on to the anger. She\u2019d have threatened to rip Noelle\u2019s face off and make her eat her own skin. But this was like a punch to the stomach, and she couldn\u2019t get to that place yet. She still couldn\u2019t breathe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMaybe, can we start this over? I want to try again, this wasn\u2019t what I meant to say.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The wheel had finally come down, and it was their turn at the bottom. Susie covered her face with her hands so no one would see her crying, and planned to leap out and run away as soon as they raised the bar on their laps, but the wheel didn\u2019t stop. It just kept moving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhy didn\u2019t they stop!?\u201d Susie howled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI bought tickets for two whole turns,\u201d Noelle said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And Noelle was now also crying. Not as much as Susie, who had transitioned into full ugly cry complete with sniffles, and heavy breathing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat I wanted to say was -\u201d Noelle stuttered, eyes glistening, \u201cWhat I meant to say was, my mom can be a real\u2026 um, b-word. And I was hoping, maybe, if I did<\/em> get to know you, that I could talk to you<\/em> about that. If we got to know each other, I could go and talk to you about things, and I wouldn\u2019t have to lay in bed just being mad. <\/em>And if you\u2026 had something wrong. You could talk to me, and it\u2019d be okay if something is wrong, because I can be there. Susie, I\u2019m so sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The wheel stopped. Someone else was getting off, someone else was getting on. Susie pinched her eyes and tried to stop crying. \u201cOh my god, Noelle,\u201d she bellowed. \u201cThat was so stupid! You\u2019re so stupid<\/em>!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI know, I know,\u201d Noelle warbled. She set her head into her hands and was now going through silent, heaving sobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The wheel stopped. Someone got off, someone got on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou could have \u2013 you could have told me you wanted me to try this cool banana drink, and I never would have known!\u201d And it came out as a snarl, because Susie couldn\u2019t not<\/em> be mad, but it wasn\u2019t all there was, because it was hard to really hold Noelle under a fire when she was being so damp over there. It simply put the fires out, even if it left the coals simmering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now Noelle was laughing in between the sobs. She was sitting there, a wreck, having screwed it all up. Just completely destroyed everything. And Susie had a cold hamburger in her pocket. And her hair was wet because she\u2019d dunked her head in a basin full of rubber ducks. And Susie began to laugh too. A thin, wheezing, crying laugh. It was so stupid, too stupid. Damnit, stupid, stupid Noelle. Stupid Susie. Stupid ferris wheel. It stopped again as someone got off and someone else got on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe fuck,\u201d Susie said with finality, knifing her hand down for emphasis. \u201cAre you sure the dream ferris wheel wasn\u2019t better?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noelle shook her head. \u201cIt was the whole reason I had to do this!\u201d She almost screamed it, like she was trying to get it out over her own feelings. \u201cI can\u2019t just -\u201d she waved her hands around. \u201cI swear I really meant the worms stuff to be a beautiful sentiment, and I meant it like everybody\u2019s got problems, and if<\/em> you have them, and I\u2019m not saying you do<\/em>, but if<\/em> there\u2019s anything -\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOkay, shut up about the worms,\u201d Susie was beginning to regain control of herself. \u201cI get it. Okay.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The wheel stopped. Someone got off, someone got on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDo you have any goddamn worms I should know about?\u201d Susie asked sarcastically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noelle heaved a painful looking laugh from the chest. \u201cNo!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOkay, you gotta tell me, though, if you wanna be talking about each other\u2019s worms.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noelle was trying to wipe her face down now, but was struggling. \u201cI don\u2019t want to talk about the worms anymore!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, okay, because I have to confess to you now, I do<\/em> have worms.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noelle froze. She could only look at Susie from the corner of her eye. She looked terrified for the other shoe to drop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut I don\u2019t want to get rid of them,\u201d Susie explained, waving her hand, \u201cI\u2019ve named <\/em>them. I have three,\u201d she said, holding up three fingers. \u201cAlbert, Douglas, and Stefan. Stefan is my favorite, and if we\u2019re going to have any relationship at all, I need you to accept Stefan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noelle stared. The wheel stopped. Someone got off, someone got on. The grin crept up Susie\u2019s face, and Noelle began to laugh. She bent over double laughing, and went on laughing until it hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh cheese! Oh cheese!\u201d Noelle wheezed. \u201cDo \u2013 do they play fetch?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOnly Stefan, that\u2019s why he\u2019s the favorite. The other two are kinda slow, but we try to be nice to them anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noelle finally had herself recomposed, although anyone who had seen either girl up close could probably tell they\u2019d both been crying. The wheel reached the bottom again, and this time, they got off. Someone else got on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the ride exit, Susie stopped. This was where, if they wanted, they could both walk away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI gotta say,\u201d Susie said, not sure where they stood now, \u201cThat this is the first date I\u2019ve ever had in my life, and so far, this is the worst date I\u2019ve ever had in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s my first date too,\u201d Noelle said, weakly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI would not have guessed, because you aced it. Casanova could not have bagged a girl better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSorry,\u201d Noelle looked at the ground. \u201cBut at least I tried, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah, well,\u201d Susie tried to see Noelle from her side of things. Susie was still a little upset, in spite of it all, but she could see, even though Noelle had made things deeply, uncomfortably, horrendously personal, that, frankly, she\u2019d been trying to make it personal. Just not in the way she delivered it. \u201cI normally get pretty angry when someone digs on me like that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt wasn\u2019t a dig,\u201d Noelle pleaded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI know. I know, because uh, I\u2019ve gotten to realize you sometimes have to, like\u2026\u201d Susie didn\u2019t want to sound like a self-help book. \u201cNot be an asshole, I guess. Not get mad. Or you can be<\/em> mad, but I dunno.\u201d She offered out her arm. \u201cDo you wanna go do the teacups or something?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAre<\/em> you mad?\u201d Noelle asked, taking Susie\u2019s arm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes<\/em>,\u201d Susie hissed. \u201cDamn, girl.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noelle put her head on Susie\u2019s chest, a gesture of apology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m not that<\/em> mad,\u201d Susie lied. If it had been anyone else, anyone else at all, that person likely would have come down from the ferris wheel with a busted lip. \u201cBut you planned that out<\/em>? In what world do you ask a girl if she has pinworms and it becomes a bonding experience?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noelle leaned back. She looked miserable, but she dipped into some inner well of confidence and spread her fingers out, as if to set a stage. \u201cOkay, so. I had a whole speech planned out. I even practiced in the mirror.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou actually looked in the mirror and said, \u2018girl you got pinworms\u2019, and thought you were on to something?\u201d Susie snickered. She could just imagine Noelle repeating the line over and over to get it just right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo! There was a whole thing! I was going to work into all this stuff about how I want to get to know you, and even though my mom has a lot of opinions<\/em>, well, I have opinions too. And I don\u2019t exist just to accept what my mom thinks. In hindsight I guess it was kinda centered around me\u2026\u201d Noelle paused. She flushed, now embarrassing herself. \u201cAnd then I started my speech and forgot the whole middle part. I got the opening, the dream, and then I couldn\u2019t remember, so I rushed to the finale.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNext time just buy me flowers, jeez!\u201d Susie whined, stretching her head to the sky in protest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt was going to be beautiful, you would have loved it!\u201d Noelle insisted, slapping against Susie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019d have to be the first time in history two women fell in love after a conversation about butt worms. This<\/em> is the smartest girl in school?\u201d Susie shrugged. She felt entitled to give a little back at this point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell you would know all about butt worms because you\u2019re being an asshole<\/em>!\u201d Noelle was still red in the face. She was joking, but also becoming defensive, and waved her finger in Susie\u2019s face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n More than anything, Susie was shocked to hear Noelle swear. She had to process it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSorry!\u201d Noelle said, hurriedly putting her finger away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, it\u2019s okay. I just don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever heard you say the word \u2018ass\u2019 before,\u201d Susie replied, nonplussed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah, well\u2026\u201d Noelle waved her hands around desperately, indicating all this<\/em>, \u201cI fart sometimes, too. But if you tell anyone I\u2019ll kill you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was too much. Susie belted out a deep, wheezing laugh. \u201cYou\u2019re just letting it all out there!\u201d She declared. \u201cNoelle, when you go on a date, you bring a gun to a knife fight!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noelle ran her fingers through her own hair, patting herself down and getting herself back into order. \u201cI didn\u2019t mean to be stupid, I was just really nervous about\u2026\u201d And she glared at Susie, looking her up and down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAbout me<\/em>?\u201d Susie asked, pointing to herself. \u201cWhat about<\/em> me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou stood up to my mom<\/em>,\u201d Noelle announced in awe. \u201cYou must be some kind of iron woman. I\u2019ve known only two or three people my entire life<\/em> who could look her right in the eyes like that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh. Well I mean -\u201d And Susie stopped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The truth was, she\u2019d put absolutely no thought into what she was doing or saying at the time. She\u2019d seen Noelle\u2019s mom, Carol, and she\u2019d just been an enemy. Something for Susie to run down. Of course you looked that in the eyes, but now that she really<\/em> gave it thought, there still was a Carol. It was Noelle\u2019s mom<\/em>. Susie had given Carol a verbal black eye, then left the house and Noelle alone with that to deal with the fallout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd you didn\u2019t think I could swear, but I never thought I\u2019d make you cry,\u201d Noelle carried on. \u201cIt didn\u2019t even cross my mind when I was, you know, planning my speech.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t usually,\u201d Susie muttered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noelle was looking at her, and Susie looked back at Noelle, examining her up close, for what was perhaps the first, honest time. Her front teeth were too large and she needed braces. Her face was a little too long. Her eyes were big, and Susie previously thought they made her look sweet and innocent, but now realized they could be construed as looking a bit dopey. Her hair, however, was luxurious and completely beyond reproach. None of this was to say that Susie suddenly saw Noelle as unattractive. Just that Noelle wasn\u2019t entirely perfect. And Noel did fart, allegedly, probably among a lot of other things they didn\u2019t need to talk about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think we\u2019re cool,\u201d Susie said quietly, and she began to mosey with Noelle attached to her arm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAre you sure?\u201d Noelle asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah, we\u2019re cool,\u201d Susie said with more confidence now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They walked, but without much urgency, and with nowhere special in mind. Susie must have been leering at the food stalls because Noelle pointed at a funnel cake stall. \u201cDo you want to split one, as an apology? I could still eat a little.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The stall was covered in fancy pictures of funnel cakes covered in elaborate desert toppings. Ice cream, sprinkles, candies, fudge \u2013 it looks like a party had exploded into a bunch of fried dough. Susie\u2019s mouth watered from staring at the offerings. \u201cYeah,\u201d she agreed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noelle approached the stall keeper, who appeared to be some kind of onion with a wide, overly stretched out smile. His head balanced precariously on a cartoonishly thin neck. \u201cWhat can I get you?\u201d He asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think just about your sorriest funnel cake, please,\u201d Noelle replied kindly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The man look troubled. His grand smile went to pieces. \u201cMy sorriest<\/em> funnel cake?\u201d He repeated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAh, well\u2026\u201d Noelle stuttered, \u201cIt\u2019s\u2026 for\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI understand,\u201d the man said solemnly, beginning to sweat, \u201cOh dear me, oh heavens.\u201d He went to the back of his cart. When he returned, he was carrying a plate with a simple funnel cake on it, plain and without adornments. His pupils were small, and the sweat was forming in great beads now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, that is really sorry,\u201d Susie observed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt gets worse,\u201d the man informed her. It sounded like he was trying to not to scream. He pulled a tin from a shelf, then came up with an ice cream scoop of pure lard. He let it drop sloppily onto the cake. \u201cMy sorriest funnel cake.\u201d he whispered, as though he\u2019d committed a sin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThank you,\u201d Noelle said, even though she shouldn\u2019t have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She handed the man his money, and once they\u2019d taken the plate away, the man slammed his stall shut and turned off the lights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noelle and Susie, finding nowhere else to sit, flopped down on the curb together. Noelle handed Susie the plate and said, \u201cI don\u2019t know what to do with this, actually.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie looked it over. Yes, it was just lard. A whole lot of lard, slowly melting into a plate of fried dough. Glistening, calorie-filled pig fat. Shiny, like precious gems, and indeed rich with vitamin D. It wasn\u2019t every day someone handed you a scoop of lard for nothing. Susie was used to eating almost anything just to keep the feeling of hunger away, and she\u2019d eaten worse things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou don\u2019t like all this?\u201d Susie asked, pointing at the lard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noelle stuck out her tongue. \u201cNo, it looks like someone sneezed on it,\u201d she complained squeamishly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie grabbed the entire scoop with her hand and stuffed it in her maw. Noelle watched on in abject horror until Susie swallowed it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSusie, that was an entire ice cream scoop of lard<\/em>\u201d Noelle admonished, as if Susie didn\u2019t know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYup,\u201d Susie admitted. \u201cBut now the lard\u2019s gone. You want some?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFahaha! They had a cinnamon and nutmeg cake. Did you see it?\u201d Noelle asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Admittedly, it was all a blur in Susie\u2019s head now. She didn\u2019t remember what was on offer. She\u2019d have taken any of it, so Susie nodded along anyway, trusting it had been there. Noelle picked some dry funnel cake from the plate and ate it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI should have ordered that!\u201d she mused. \u201cMan\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noelle sighed and sank into herself. Susie did her best to eat as little of the funnel cake as she could, to make sure she only took as much as Noelle did at any one time, but Noelle picked at it like a small bird.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat are you thinking about?\u201d Noelle asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie had spent a little too much time staring at Noelle\u2019s fingers, and she\u2019d lapsed into a silence while she focused on when and if she could scarf down the rest of the food in front of her. \u201cOh,\u201d Susie mumbled, trying to think of something more appetizing than the truth. \u201cJust that. Before, you said you wanted to talk to me about things that were bothering you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Noelle replied, curling up to her knees. \u201cNow that I\u2019ve said it, I\u2019m not sure what I want to talk about.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noelle had obviously lost all interest in the funnel cake. This meant she wasn\u2019t touching it, and per Susie\u2019s self-imposed challenge, Susie wasn\u2019t allowed to eat any more either. She tried to will Noelle to pay attention to the plate again, but in no time at all things were lapsing into further awkward silence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, you said you didn\u2019t have anyone else to talk to. That\u2019s not really true, right?\u201d Susie suggested, hoping the encouragement would give Noelle more of an appetite. But this appeared to make it worse. Noelle frowned and squinted away into the distance. \u201cI just mean that everybody likes you. Everyone in school is your friend.\u201d Susie plied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noelle shook her head. \u201cNot really,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie set the plate down between them, trying to forget what was on it. \u201cI mean there\u2019s Berdly,\u201d she said, \u201cBut there\u2019s also Catti, and Jockington, and Monster Kid, and I dunno. Everybody. I see you talk to everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah, but not about, like\u2026\u201d she rolled her head to Susie. \u201cNot about my mom. <\/em>Because I don\u2019t -\u201d Noelle threw her hands out helplessly, seeking answers and an explanation from herself, but found none.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie realized they probably weren\u2019t going to get back to the funnel cake any time soon. She tried to scoot it away behind them, where she could still keep an eye on it in case someone tried to steal it, but where she wouldn\u2019t able to look directly at it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI can\u2019t tell my friends in track<\/em> about my mom. I joined track because of my mom,\u201d Noelle found the words. \u201cThey\u2019re my friends because of my mom. If she hadn\u2019t made me join, I wouldn\u2019t be spending time with them. Does that make sense?\u201d And she asked Susie with all due sincerity, it wasn\u2019t a rhetorical question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo you\u2019re saying,\u201d Susie cupped her hands together and pointed at the ground with both fingers, \u201cYour mom busts your ass, but she busts your ass to make friends and stuff, so you can\u2019t tell those guys you\u2019re tired of busting your ass being their friend.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Noelle agreed, scratching her head. \u201cAnd it\u2019s more than that,\u201d and she repeated herself but more thoughtfully this time, \u201cIt\u2019s more than that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou don\u2019t want to be their friends,\u201d Susie surmised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI wanna be their friends,\u201d Noelle insisted, smiling thinly. \u201cOf course I do. I love them. So I want to say, I hate going, I hate going, but I don\u2019t want them to think I actually hate them or hate being there. I just hate it all, is all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie was doing her best to keep the threads straight in her mind. \u201cUhh\u2026\u201d she ventured, helpless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFahaha!\u201d Noelle laughed out of nowhere. \u201cSorry, that was a really stupid way to phrase that!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo\u2026\u201d Susie lied, trailing away. \u201cYou\u2019re speaking from the heart. It\u2019s all feeling, right? The point is to get it sorted out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah.\u201d Noelle was smiling again, but like a doll, looking up at Susie with her bright, begging eyes. \u201cWhat about you? Is there anything going on with you that you want to talk about?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie took a brief second to look over Noelle\u2019s face. There was a sense of something there \u2013 a hunger, of sorts. Noelle wasn\u2019t satisfied with just venting about her track meets. Susie looked away and thought about the question. There were a lot<\/em> of things bothering Susie, always. More, now than ever, but there were only so many good options. First and foremost, she was frustrated about the funnel cake; she wanted to look behind her to check on it, but now was not the time, and it wasn\u2019t the right subject either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her thoughts drifted to Catti, a girl from school that Susie knew to be one of Noelle\u2019s closer friends. Just the other day, she\u2019d been with Kris. Kris had started up a conversation with Catti in the odd, mostly silent way Kris always did, and then Catti had complained about Kris hanging out with Susie. Susie hadn\u2019t been doing anything to deserve that, especially didn\u2019t deserve it to her face, and frankly she didn\u2019t know what Catti\u2019s problem was with her. At this point, it was just as likely that Catti had a beef with Susie because Susie had a beef with Catti over the beef that Catti had with Susie. There was no telling where it started, but Susie had a feeling it had begun in Catti\u2019s own head, and it kind of pissed Susie off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But that wasn\u2019t the right topic, because Susie could see Noelle eagerly hugging herself, watching Susie like a patient hawk. Little, delicate snaps at their friend groups wasn\u2019t enough. Susie thought of something else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo something that\u2019s been bother me is, just last night, I went to walk Kris home, right?\u201d Susie began. Noelle nodded, frowning, likely because this story started with Kris, and Susie couldn\u2019t help but note Noelle did seem especially attentive<\/em> to Kris. Regardless, she pressed on. \u201cWe couldn\u2019t get in earlier because the door was locked, and we thought maybe his mom was at church stuff, but that was canceled and there was a whole thing.\u201d Susie sighed and twirled her hand about her wrist. It was a hell of a thing. There had been magic, disaster, and a lot more than Susie could have told Noelle about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLong story short, it rained, we stayed out of the rain, Kris couldn\u2019t get a hold of their mom, and we were worried. I thought, you know, Miss Toriel is the kindergarten teacher. She\u2019s the lady that picks you up and kisses your scrapes. If she\u2019s not there for Kris, for her own kid, well then obviously something happened. It gets to be well past midnight, and we try to go back to Kris\u2019s house. This time the door is unlocked, and it turns out, all along<\/em>, she\u2019d been drinking with that guy who owns the grocery store, Sans.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh,\u201d Noelle offered, realization dawning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah, and she was obliterated. Like rolling on the floor drunk. And there\u2019s worse kinds of drunk, don\u2019t get me wrong, she seemed a happy sort of drunk, but still, she was the dead useless, can\u2019t help anybody, no good sort of drunk.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie had to pause. There was a lump forming in her throat and she had to fight it back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo that\u2019s been bothering me. I don\u2019t know that Sans guy. I want to think he encouraged her to get like that and took advantage of her somehow. It wasn\u2019t her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noelle had pressed her lips tight. She looked like she was about the tell Susie that Santa had died and there would be no more Christmas. Instead she asked, as innocently as she could, \u201cWhy do you want to believe that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBecause otherwise why do people do that!?\u201d Susie demanded, feeling anger burning upward. \u201cThere must \u2013 there can\u2019t -!\u201d Susie grunted and sighed, pulling on her own hair to try to regain control of herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noelle chewed her nails nervously. Susie tried to distract herself from her feelings, but it was hard. \u201cUntil just last night, I had all the respect in the world for Miss Toriel. It\u2019s Kris\u2019s mom, so I want to think maybe I still got that right.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell,\u201d Noelle was anxiously smoothing out her own hair. \u201cI think she is<\/em> a very respectable lady, but when I was little she and Mister Asgore used to come over for Christmas parties.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie groaned as she felt the knife go through her heart. She winced and turned away. \u201cNo!\u201d She protested, \u201cBut that means your mom and dad, too!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cJust sometimes,\u201d said Noelle, grinning with dread, \u201cChristmas is a special occasion, and our mansion is huge so the Dreemurr\u2019s would just spend the night. But yeah, I\u2019ll be honest, by a certain time us kids were kind of on our own.\u201d Noelle looked down at the street and a small, gremlin-like giggle escaped her throat. \u201cI don\u2019t think we were all that bothered by it though because\u2026\u201d her face was the picture of mischief, \u201cMy sister and Kris\u2019s brother did wind up dating, after all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie snorted. Noelle snorted too, but hers came out all stopped up and awkward until it garbled into a knowing chuckle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOkay, so that left you and Kris to go and do what?\u201d Susie asked suspiciously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe found stuff to do,\u201d Noelle replied, betraying nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie let out a large sigh and leaned back on her palms, \u201cWell there dies another one of my heroes, I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, she doesn\u2019t get drunk that often,\u201d Noelle scolded. \u201cFor one, it\u2019s too expensive. Have you seen the size of that woman? My dad used to complain that the Dreemurrs had to drink like whales just to get tipsy, and he had to stock the whole fridge with rum to last a single evening. Miss Toriel can\u2019t afford<\/em> to be an alcoholic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie turned this logic over. Too poor to be an alcoholic? It seemed a naive leap on Noelle\u2019s part, because in Susie\u2019s estimation, the fact it costed more only meant a person wasted that much more money doing it. It didn\u2019t stop the problem at all, so much as made it worse. In fact, though Susie was the furthest thing from a good student, she had remembered learning that when they tried to make alcohol illegal, people shot each other and broke the law to get it anyway. When people wanted to drink, they drank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noelle seemed to take Susie\u2019s quiet reflection as a show of disbelief. \u201cAs far as I know, she really only drank on special occasions,\u201d Noelle said, trying to drive the point, but she hesitated. \u201cOr, I guess my dad has a few college stories he likes to tell, but honestly I don\u2019t think my dad\u2019s favorite part of those stories is the drinking<\/em>.\u201d Noelle tittered nervously. \u201cThat\u2019s um, never the part he emphasizes,\u201d She clarified, avoiding eye contact. \u201cBut truth is, I can\u2019t imagine Miss Toriel drinks that much because I can\u2019t imagine there being that many special occasions for it anymore. She and Mister Asgore are separated, they never come to our house together anymore, and I guess maybe she let herself go<\/em> with Mister Sans because she hasn\u2019t in such a long time.\u201d Noelle rested her chin on her knees again. \u201cSpending time with someone new is a kind of special occasion. And I think it has to be that she gets lonely.\u201d Noelle let this sink. \u201cIt gets lonely,\u201d she repeated with certainty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noelle glanced back at Susie, and Susie wasn\u2019t sure what to say. She accepted that people had reasons to drink that weren\u2019t necessarily all bad, but at the same time, she knew Toriel really had gone too far. The whole scene had made her feel just a little ill, and while she wasn\u2019t going to press the attack to insist it made Toriel a bad person, Susie wasn\u2019t prepared to accept any kind of excuse for it. Susie searched herself for anything to say that wasn\u2019t some kind of argument, but was finding nothing. The thought of deflecting blame to Sans again, to make this about him, was gradually creeping up her brain stem, but Noelle cut it off before it got there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s good for her, maybe,\u201d Noelle suggested. \u201cShe\u2019s already gone through the divorce. She\u2019s had time, she\u2019s been able to heal, and now something is changing for her. But if you look at my<\/em> family.\u201d Noelle was weighing the two subjects on her hands. She let the subject of her family drop away to the street. \u201cMy family. My dad is sick, and has been for a long time. He isn\u2019t getting better, but nobody wants him to get any worse. He always tells me he\u2019s getting better, and I always act like I believe it, but I know he isn\u2019t. And my mom avoids it, or says the same things my dad always says, but I know she doesn\u2019t believe it either. She works, instead of thinking about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noelle went mute. Susie waited to see if Noelle would take these thoughts any further, but now she seemed to be wrapped up in herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd this is the kind of stuff you can\u2019t talk to your track friends about,\u201d Susie said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noelle looked from the corner of her eye and smiled. \u201cThis and other things,\u201d she said whimsically. \u201cI got distracted from what I was saying. My point is, I don\u2019t think you should look down on Miss Toriel. Things have really got to change, Susie.\u201d And she said this last bit with just a glint of metal in her voice. Like a vow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The prior night, Kris and Susie had been in the church. In the magical worlds where the inanimate came to life, they learned that the same rule proved true of the dead. A man\u2019s ashes, for example, could become the man again, if only temporarily, and such a man had spent that gave him talking to Susie. He\u2019d called her \u201cthe white pen of hope\u201d, and had told her to make her own changes to the world. Erase the things that didn\u2019t work and replace them with something better. It was all, perhaps, the sentimentality of the dead, who no longer had the ability to do those things on their own, but Susie had really, deeply wanted to be that pen. The man had the chance to live again to tell Susie that, and only a little more, and if nothing else Susie wanted to make the singular opportunity matter. More than anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou kind of want me to be that change?\u201d Susie asked. She wasn\u2019t sure exactly what kind of response to expect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou don\u2019t have<\/em> to be,\u201d replied Noelle. \u201cBut maybe you could be.\u201d Noelle picked her head up and laughed. \u201cFahaha! You\u2019re definitely different, anyway! You ate a whole ball of lard!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOkay,\u201d Susie said, grinning. \u201cYou can\u2019t knock it until you try it. Have you ever eaten a whole ball of lard before?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo<\/em>,\u201d Noelle said pointedly. \u201cThere are some things I don\u2019t have to do to know I don\u2019t want to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHow do you know you don\u2019t want to if you never try!\u201d Susie insisted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI know I couldn\u2019t keep it down! It must be like eating an oyster, but -!\u201d Noelle stuck out her tongue and faked a gag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie, perhaps a little too happy the subject had returned to food, turned around and grabbed the funnel cake. She ripped in half, and held Noelle\u2019s end out to her. No more pecking around at the edges. This way they both knew where they stood and what they were getting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnyway, here,\u201d Susie said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noelle took it, but ripped it further into quarters, handing the other quarter back to Susie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat\u2019s alright, you can have more of it,\u201d Noelle said. \u201cIt\u2019s fine once in a while, but too much of this stuff can\u2019t be good for you, and I can\u2019t see me tolerating it for long without a little sugar!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie took the quarter piece and snapped it down. Well, at least they still both knew where they stood on the funnel cake, anyway. For Susie\u2019s part, she\u2019d have suffered any amount of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut okay! That\u2019s enough,\u201d Noelle said. \u201cLet\u2019s go do a ride, or something. I feel better. Do you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Susie agreed. She didn\u2019t feel good, exactly, but it wasn\u2019t bad, either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Except for the knot in her stomach. It was probably the scoop of lard she\u2019d swallowed now sitting vengefully in her guts. That had, in hindsight, probably been a terrible idea, but Susie finished off the rest of the funnel cake anyway. She still had a food craving, but felt disgustingly, uncomfortably full enough to set aside the hamburger in her pocket for a little longer. She wondered if she was eating so much she might make herself throw up \u2013 she didn\u2019t usually get the opportunity to do something like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It wasn\u2019t a far walk to the teacups, but by the time Susie could see them spinning around, she was sure it wasn\u2019t a good idea for her to get on them. It was barely a good idea to not lie down here in the street. It had been worth it to come this way, however, because Noelle and Susie were treated to the sight of Berdly, Kris, and the inflatable hammer spinning wildly around in circles at a blur that really shouldn\u2019t have been possible. It was as if some otherworldly force had reached down and spun the thing as hard as they could. Neither Berdly nor Kris looked actually happy about it, but they were both gripping the central wheel, gritting their teeth and pulling with all their might. The inflatable hammer flapped about helplessly and looked like it was having the least amount of fun of any of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWow, look at Kris go,\u201d Noelle breathed. \u201cI didn\u2019t know those things could go that fast.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah, I\u2019ve read that if you take too many g-forces it does brain damage,\u201d Susie observed warily. \u201cThat can\u2019t be good for them. They don\u2019t need that. Neither of them do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo,\u201d agreed Noelle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The ride came to a stop, causing the internal breaks on the teacup to grip the thing and wind down its momentum. Berdly let go and laid back in his seat with relief, while Kris continued to try to spin the thing with a manic pressure, as though they hadn\u2019t felt the resistance of the breaks kick in. When the teacup stopped completely, at last Kris gave up. The two of them exited the ride to find Susie and Noelle waiting for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWow, you guys were going so fast you looked like you were gonna die,\u201d Susie told them, dryly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI told<\/em> Kris that we couldn\u2019t make the teacup any faster!\u201d Berdly shouted, pointing accusingly at Kris. \u201cAnd they\u2026 and they\u2026 they proved me wrong<\/em>!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kris nodded and held up two fingers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTwice!\u201d Berdly angrily corrected himself, \u201cBut I\u2019m telling you, we can\u2019t make it any<\/em> faster!\u201d Berdly sounded sure of this, but also like he was begging not to have it proven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kris waved Berdly off, then grabbed Susie\u2019s hand. Kris was holding the inflatable hammer in the other arm, so Kris motioned towards the tea cups with their head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, you think she<\/em> can spin them faster,\u201d Berdly whined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI bet I could, dude,\u201d Susie proclaimed with pride. \u201cI bet me and Kris could twist that thing right off the platform.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kris nodded eagerly and tugged Susie towards the ride entrance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut, uh, sorry dude,\u201d Susie broke the news, \u201cI ate an entire ice cream scoop of lard, and I\u2019m about to throw up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kris didn\u2019t protest. They dropped Susie\u2019s hand by letting Kris\u2019s own arm go limp. They weren\u2019t being overly showy about it, but it gave her the impression Kris was already prepared for her to excuse her way out of it. Probably because she\u2019d already let Kris down once today, and Kris was ready for more blows to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFahaha! I told you it was a bad idea!\u201d Noelle teased.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cClearly,<\/em>\u201d said Berdly indignantly, \u201cIt seems everyone ignores the higher intellects around here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019d have split it with you if you were there, dude,\u201d Susie said, feeling guilty. \u201cI had too much funnel cake, too. I could\u2019a really used you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie began to seriously contemplate going on the teacup ride anyway. They\u2019d wrench the thing right into a hospital visit, and then Susie would puke all her guts out afterward. It would probably be fun for a very short amount of time, and then in every way terrible for a much longer time. On the other hand, she wouldn\u2019t feel like she\u2019d eaten a scoop of lard if she threw it all up, so maybe it was better. If Kris made one more move to indicate they wanted the teacups right this instant, Susie would have gone for it, but they didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead, Kris pointed at Susie and themselves, then swapped fingers, implying they\u2019d like to switch places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, you want to trade, and I take Berdly for a while?\u201d Susie asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kris nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell…\u201d Susie looked back at Noelle, who was silently observing the whole exchange. She was wearing a polite smile. \u201cYou think I can maybe have a little more time with her?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie and Noelle had just been through a near miss. They\u2019d talked it out, and gotten more on each others\u2019 levels, but it didn\u2019t feel finished. Susie knew, deep down, that she and Noelle still needed to do something fun. <\/em>Something that said, hey, we like<\/em> each other, and not just as a sorry<\/em>, but Kris couldn\u2019t have known this. Their face folded into a frown. Traitor<\/em>, it said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOkay, okay, but it\u2019s complicated<\/em>,\u201d Susie tried to explain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat\u2019s alright,\u201d Noelle said, cutting in. \u201cIt\u2019s been nice talking to you, Susie, but if you and Kris made a deal, you better honor it. Last thing you want is Kris on your bad side! Fahaha!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was a bit funny to imagine that not<\/em> hanging out with Kris was something Noelle viewed as a way to get on the bad end of Kris. About a week ago, Susie had still been bullying Kris, threatening to eat their face, or vowing to throw them in the garbage. Though it oddly often involved Kris sniggering at her \u2013 Susie suspected it was because Kris realized how stupid she was being, and she hadn\u2019t at the time. She could have beaten the daylights out of Kris and not gotten much of a reaction from Noelle or<\/em> Kris, but only now<\/em> she had become capable of being the bad guy. It was so surreal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not that beating up Kris would have made her good, either. Susie had no idea who she was hurting, then. She didn\u2019t want to be the bad guy now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou got me. I said you could tag out any time, so tag me,\u201d Susie said, holding out her hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kris reached out and put the inflatable hammer into Susie\u2019s palm. It was hers now, the Inflatable Hammer of Responsibility. Kris walked on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI guess we\u2019re leaving now! Fahaha! Bye, Susie!\u201d Noelle announced, and then she skipped off after Kris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWait, are the two of you trading?\u201d Berdly asked, \u201cOh, thank the Angel! I don\u2019t think I could handle another teacup ride!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kris and Noelle vanished into the crowds just as Kris had done with Berdly before, but in under perhaps less than a minute Susie heard Noelle cackling. It was amazing how fast Kris could do it, they seemed to know exactly Noelle\u2019s sense of humor, though Susie had to admit as well that if Kris were alive when silent films were popular they\u2019d have become a world-renown film comedian. Still, it was something to make a girl cry like Susie had, and a far, far different thing to make her laugh so easily like that. Susie could feel an icy little crystal of resentment over it, especially knowing Kris had developed this sense over many unsupervised holidays, and she tried to tell herself that she felt it for herself, for not being clever enough to do it too. It wasn\u2019t fair to point that feeling at anyone else, it had entirely too many fangs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie realized, now much beyond her power to do anything about it, that she wanted to tell Noelle they\u2019d catch up again, and that she wanted to spend more time together. All she could now was hope Noelle understood that without Susie saying it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, I suppose it\u2019s now you and me, Susan,\u201d Berdly said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSusie,\u201d Susie belted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo I was wondering if I might indulge you in a bit my personal genius?\u201d Berdly asked, ignoring that Susie had yet to make eye contact with him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat? I don\u2019t want that! I don\u2019t know where it\u2019s been!\u201d Susie snapped, knowing after she\u2019d said it she was probably leaving herself open to a pretty obvious rebuttal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And though Berdly could have taken a jab about Susie\u2019s own cleanliness and states of being, he didn\u2019t. Instead he said, \u201cI thought it seemed you were excited about my creativity, and well,\u201d he padded his wings together, \u201cI rather hoped that I might\u2026 justify you being charmed with me? I know I\u2019ve spoken with some manner of bravado before, but I am convinced <\/em>you\u2019ll find this tale eminently intriguing!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie knew exactly what the story entailed, because she\u2019d been there. She hadn\u2019t known what Berdly had been up to the entire time, because they\u2019d gotten separated while Berdly had been working for their enemies for a while, but she did know plently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAlright, I want to hear this story,\u201d Susie said, turning completely to him, \u201cBut first of all, I want to warn you. I don\u2019t like stories with roller coasters in them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The look on Berdly\u2019s face was priceless. His eyebrows rose in shock as he began performing multiple calculations. \u201cAh! Not to worry, I \u2013 I -\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSecond thing, queens freak me out.\u201d Susie said, holding up two fingers, \u201cRoyalty in general, actually. It\u2019s because I have a problem with classism. I think because of school. I don\u2019t like being in class so I don\u2019t like needing to be class aware. I especially don\u2019t like upper classes. It reminds me of calculus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Berdly held up his feathered hands and stared between them, as if watching all his potential slipping between his fingers. \u201cYou \u2013 okay. What if the queen were a bad guy? And -\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah, obviously calculus sucks and is bad, dude. I don\u2019t want to hear about it,\u201d Susie replied, looming over Berdly menacingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes, but suppose that \u2013 okay, well there is no \u2013 luckily there is no, um, queen. Or any member of royalty, or high society,\u201d Berdly was desperately trying to improvise a new narrative on fly inside his own head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGoing back on that roller coaster thing, I hate them because there\u2019s too much math. All the gravity and stuff freaks me out,\u201d Susie was now enjoying herself, and realized she had a chance to connect the second lie to the first one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou must find life somewhat frustrating, in that case,\u201d Berdly whined peevishly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah, I hate real life, that\u2019s why I\u2019m attracted to story tellers, because they don\u2019t do all that math junk. Okay, now third thing,\u201d Susie held up a third finger, \u201cI don\u2019t like computers and I don\u2019t like mysteries.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSusie that\u2019s three<\/em> things!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt isn\u2019t<\/em>,\u201d Susie was doing her best not to laugh. She felt like she really had him, here, and it was hard not to get swept up in the moment. \u201cComputers. Solve<\/em>. Mysteries.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo you don\u2019t -\u201d Berdly put his fingers to his temples, \u201cYou don\u2019t \u2013 is it that you think the computer makes the mystery too easy<\/em>!?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, I just hate the idea of them! Like think, you\u2019re wondering how long it\u2019s safe to eat a hamburger that\u2019s been in your pocket, then you get on a computer and it spoils the hamburger.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou mean the answer? <\/em>It spoils the answer<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt spoils the hamburger<\/em>, dude! The hamburger was fine in your pocket, everything\u2019s great, until you check the computer, and now the hamburger is spoiled because the computer says it\u2019s been in your pocket too long!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Berdly pressed his fingers to his beak and inhaled deeply. \u201cSusie,\u201d he began, \u201cI must press upon you, I would like more than anything to write a tale that you would think is divinely inspired. So I\u2019d just like to establish where we are, presently. You want a story with no math, and thereby nothing like a roller coaster or -\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cJust try not to bring up gravity, actually.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOr any gravity-assisted mode of locomotion. It would also be your preference if the setting were low-tech enough to preclude computers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie nodded. \u201cYeah. I got a lot of do\u2019s and don\u2019ts, but I love a good story and a creative person. Once you get started writing, just run it by me and I can let you know if anything else is bugging me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Berdly drummed his fingers along his beak, his eyes darting back and forth as he attempted to calculate his next move. Susie waited, smugly assured in her victory. Until, strangely, Berdly\u2019s face began to light like the rising sun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo you\u2019re saying, you\u2019d help me through the difficult process of writing my book?\u201d He asked, joy cracking through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUh, yeah,\u201d Susie agreed. This still seemed like a good idea. It\u2019d prevent Berdly from talking too much about his dream world with Noelle or anyone else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo you\u2019d be willing to be my muse<\/em>!\u201d he exclaimed, delight ascending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh no. Susie saw what she\u2019d done now. \u201cUh, muse is a strong word,\u201d she tried to temper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut this is what a muse is! A true muse! It\u2019s not just a woman whose beauty inspires you to make art, but rather, a woman who equally partakes of the process! A partner who takes you seriously, who helps forge your inspirations into reality! You\u2019d really read my writing? And help me make a masterpiece?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie sought a way out, but Berdly\u2019s face was now so alight, if she told him she wasn\u2019t interested now it\u2019d be like kicking a puppy. If she went along with it, what was the worst that could happen? She\u2019d have to read a story? No, she\u2019d have to critique<\/em> a story, which wouldn\u2019t be something she\u2019d feel good about trying even if she\u2019d wanted to. Maybe that was the exit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, man, I dunno actually,\u201d Susie said, sucking air through her teeth. \u201cI don\u2019t know if I\u2019m seriously good at writing anything down. Have you ever read my book reports? I know you haven\u2019t because I haven\u2019t actually done any.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSusie, it doesn\u2019t matter,\u201d Berdly said, grasping her by the hand. \u201cAll I need to know is how my writing makes you feel<\/em>. That\u2019s all that\u2019s important to me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie was speechless. She didn\u2019t expect this from Berdly. He put that much stock in her opinion that he\u2019d actually write a whole book<\/em> just based on how it made her feel to read it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAfter all, there\u2019s no reason to be ashamed. Even if you are something of a simpleton, so is most of the world compared to myself, and I need a layman\u2019s eyes to know how a layman would perceive my writing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n That little nerd<\/em>. Oh, he almost had her. Almost<\/em>! For all of one second!<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOkay. Fourth thing,\u201d Susie said, leaning forward, her humor gone. \u201cI don\u2019t want to read it or even hear about it until it\u2019s completely written. That\u2019s the problem with so many creative types, they start going around asking for praise just because they had an idea. No.\u201d And she thumped him on the chest. \u201cYou finish it. You finish that book or you\u2019re nothing. Got it? And if I hear you talked to anybody else about your ideas before the whole thing<\/em> is written, I\u2019ll kick your ass and eat your manuscript.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A silence spread out between them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019re a compelling muse,\u201d Berdly conceded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That was one problem solved, Susie hoped. She looked around, seeing the festival was now into full swing and the crowds had really turned out, at least as much as they could in Hometown. Susie wasn\u2019t with Kris, she wasn\u2019t with Noelle, and she didn\u2019t know what she wanted to do. Truth be told, if she couldn\u2019t have gone with her friends, she wouldn\u2019t have even gone outside today. Berdly might be marginally better than nothing, though he put that assumption to the test with a liberal amount of gusto, but Susie really would have preferred another option. Then, come to think, she did have one other option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHey, let\u2019s go get ice cream,\u201d Susie commanded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf you like, my dearest muse,\u201d Berdly replied. \u201cBut be warned, my cash reserves are already running low! Kris, you see, didn\u2019t bring their own money, and because it was a date, I gallantly offered to buy tickets to all the rides and games with my personal stockpile!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie nearly had a chance to thank Berdly for this, but he thanked himself too quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI almost am too good to be true!\u201d He sighed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The pavement was too good to have Berdly\u2019s face smeared across it. Luckily, Susie didn\u2019t need Berdly\u2019s money. She felt in her pocket for the cash Sans had given her and was relieved it was still there. It might have been just her luck to lose it. She took Berdly with her on a fact-finding mission to each ice cream stall at the festival, and they were spoiled for choice between that and funnel cake. Once satisfied that Susie knew the options at each spot, she settled on a stall selling the biggest, most ambitious ice cream sundae anyone had the guts to offer. She ordered one, then asked for everything on it: peanuts, sprinkles, cherries, hazelnut butter, almonds, bananas, paper umbrellas, dragon fruit, pineapples, everything<\/em>. The stall keeper handed the concoction off to Susie, hands trembling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When Berdly saw what Susie was holding, he balked. \u201cSusan,\u201d he whispered, \u201cThere should be limits.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhy do you keep calling me Susan<\/em>?\u201d Susie complained. \u201cI never call you by\u2026 whatever Berdly is short for.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBerdirigard,\u201d Berdly informed her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat kind of name is that<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI believe you\u2019ve elucidated why everyone calls me Berdly,\u201d Berdly said, as if a magician revealing a fine trick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie rolled her eyes. She tucked the inflatable hammer underneath her arm and held the ice cream container as close to her body as she could without touching it to herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAlright, we need to get to the school,\u201d she ordered Berdly. \u201cSo try to walk a little ahead of me, and get me some space.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe school? Why the school?\u201d Berdly asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBecause it\u2019s\u2026\u201d Susie hadn\u2019t thought of a lie for this in advance, \u201cIt\u2019s air conditioned!\u201d She said quickly. \u201cIf there\u2019s any place in town I can finish this whole thing without it melting, it\u2019s the school!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOf course!\u201d Berdly agreed, surprisingly easily. \u201cWhy didn\u2019t I think of it? We\u2019ll have to make it to the school at once!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n To his credit, Berdly took his job seriously, almost embarrassingly. He walked ahead of Susie, thrusting his arms out while shouting warnings about the festival\u2019s most indulgent sundae making its way across the grounds. People spun and whispered in awe as they saw the thing in Susie\u2019s hands, and soon the crowds were parting naturally of their own accord. She was worried someone might try to follow her to see what she was going to do with it, but it was either slightly too cursed of a thing or entirely too sacred. The people let them pass undisturbed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There weren\u2019t any stalls or rides set up on school property, so the area was fortunately pretty empty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOkay, Berdly, I need you to stay out here and stand guard,\u201d Susie ordered as she approached the front doors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019re going in alone?\u201d Berdly asked, alarmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUh, well\u2026\u201d Susie didn\u2019t fully understand what Berdly saw in this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Berdly, who could clearly see Susie didn\u2019t grasp the gravity of the situation explained, \u201cYou should want someone to bear witness to you eating that sundae, so another person can say you\u2019ve done it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, okay,\u201d Susie replied, \u201cYou may think<\/em> that, but I feel like it\u2019s an experience better savored alone, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI simply must put my feet down, Susan!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSusie.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis isn\u2019t a moment to be taken lightly. Not a soul would believe that you\u2019ve eaten an ice cream that powerful if no one were there to vouch for the event.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOkay, look,\u201d Susie said, frowning. \u201cI\u2019m gonna\u2026 I\u2019m gonna go in the girl\u2019s bathroom and eat as much as I can, okay? And that\u2019s probably going to make me throw up, noisily. Then I\u2019m going to finish this thing, just as noisily. I don\u2019t need anybody to hear that, so I need you to stand guard out here and make sure nobody comes in to hear it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This seemed a good argument. Berdly crept up on his response. \u201cYes, I can see\u2026 how in fact a delicate member of the fairer sex might be embarrassed of her natural body functions.\u201d And with confidence, \u201cI\u2019ll remain here and guard your sense of dignity, Susie! Not to worry!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n At that, Berdly puffed out his chest and stood vigilant before the door. Susie pushed inside, leaving Berdly behind. One day Berdly would be able to meet someone who could look past everything that was wrong with him and appreciate the kernel of goodness that was inside. It wouldn\u2019t be today, since he was hanging around with Susie and she couldn\u2019t get past the obnoxious exterior, but maybe some day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie went straight for the utility closet. She made sure the inflatable hammer was secure under her arm and reset her grip on the ice cream container. She stepped into the closet, and then came the drop. It was always long \u2013 the darkness rushed past her into blind space, then rapidly reformed into shapes until the town was visible below her. She slowed rapidly, ending the descent by planting her feet so hard into the ground that she had to squat her legs to absorb some of the momentum, but she made it, and the ice cream was still intact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The inflatable hammer squirmed out from underneath her arm pit, nearly knocking her prize straight to the floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHey, watch it!\u201d Susie shouted, holding the ice cream over her head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The hammer, now a living creature with arms and legs and two, ridiculously huge eyes threw itself to the floor, kowtowing before Susie. \u201cPlease, please, please<\/em>!\u201d It begged. \u201cDon\u2019t make me go back out there! I can\u2019t do the teacups anymore! I can\u2019t do anything<\/em>! I wasn\u2019t built for this much excitement! They\u2019re going to take my head off! I can\u2019t do it!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhatever dude, you\u2019re free now. Go nuts,\u201d Susie said dismissively, swatting towards the town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThank you! Thank you!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The hammer stumbled to its feet, flopping about under the motion of its own body as it did. It fell over once, but recovered in less than a beat and was gone. Susie didn\u2019t know what an inflatable hammer got up to when it was unsupervised, or where it would try to fit in. It had to stay away from anything sharp, at least.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie carried the ice cream carefully towards the castle at the far end of town. She didn\u2019t get very far before she spotted Ralsei jogging towards her, his white ears flapping. \u201cSusie!\u201d he cried in surprise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHey, dude,\u201d Susie said, grinning. She wasn\u2019t sure how to unveil the ice cream to him, so she went on holding it, waiting for the right moment. It was starting to make her hands cold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSusie, why aren\u2019t you at the festival? Where\u2019s Kris? Did the two of you get into a fight?\u201d Ralsei asked, all worries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNah, nah, it\u2019s fine. Kris is with, uh\u2026 Noelle,\u201d Susie replied, not wanting to elaborate on that if she could avoid it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNoelle? But I thought the two of you agreed to go together,\u201d Ralsei seemed hurt on Kris\u2019s behalf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe did, but I was thinking about you,\u201d Susie said, flipping the subject. \u201cYou know how I said I wished you could come too? And you said to order an extra ice cream, so I could describe it for you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes\u2026\u201d Ralsei said hesitantly. \u201cI remember something to that effect. And I appreciate you miss me, but I didn\u2019t mean that you should give up on the festival just to tell me about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell I\u2019m not<\/em> just telling you about it!\u201d Susie said, holding out the sundae. \u201cI realized, I can bring<\/em> you an ice cream! And I got this for you!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ralsei looked over the confection with awe. He looked like he wanted to cry, but was stopping himself. \u201cOh, Susie,\u201d he hummed wistfully, \u201cI\u2026 I can\u2019t really eat this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, it\u2019s yours, dude,\u201d Susie said, offering it to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, I mean, I can\u2019t<\/em>,\u201d Ralsei said, putting his hands up kindly in refusal. \u201cI\u2019m not able to. You should have it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut I bought it for you!\u201d Susie insisted. This was Ralsei\u2019s greatest problem \u2013 everything was always about deferments and limitations, and it was hard to tell where the actual, hard limits were. \u201cYou mean it\u2019s impossible to put it in your mouth and taste it? Or you can\u2019t digest it? What?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell I can\u2019t\u2026\u201d Ralsei was trying to please her again. It could be frustrating to Susie at the best of times. \u201cI suppose I can taste<\/em> it. But\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell then try<\/em> it, okay?\u201d Susie said, dropping it into his palms. She handed him a plastic spoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ralsei obediently collected the ice cream into the spoon, gathering up the kaleidoscope of ingredients before depositing one bite into his mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s\u2026\u201d Ralsei hesitated, \u201cSweet.\u201d He said flatly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah, that\u2019d be the ice cream. And the chocolate sauce. And the hazelnut butter, probably. There\u2019s some strawberry sauce on there too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWow,\u201d Ralsei replied, trying not betray his almost palpable disappointment. \u201cAlso tart?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPineapples and black cherries.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think there\u2019s some bitterness here, too,\u201d he went on, amazed at the number of conflicting sensations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAlmonds, I guess? I think there might also be some coffee flavoring.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd it\u2019s cold,\u201d Ralsei no longer seemed to know what to do with this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat\u2019s the ice cream again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWow, Susie, this is um. A truly amazing\u2026 sensation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah, I might have gone a little overboard,\u201d Susie said, resigning to the revelation that she could have started with something a tad more introductory. \u201cI just really wanted you to get the experience, so I grabbed you the whole<\/em> experience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, thank you,\u201d Ralsei said, small tears forming in the corner of his eyes. \u201cI can\u2019t finish this, but thank you.\u201d He handed the ice cream back to Susie and wiped the tears away. \u201cWell, now that\u2019s done, I couldn\u2019t be happy if I kept you away from Kris any longer. Please go and enjoy the rest of the festival for me, so you can tell me all about it when you\u2019re done!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell what am I supposed to do with all this?\u201d Susie protested, indicating the ice cream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou could share it with Kris,\u201d Ralsei suggested. \u201cI\u2019m sure they\u2019d love it!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUgh, okay,\u201d Susie said, disappointed Ralsei couldn\u2019t get more out of it, \u201cIt\u2019s yours, so I\u2019ll tell Kris it\u2019s a gift from you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, thank you, Susie, that means a lot,\u201d Ralsei said feebly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie said her goodbye and left through the exit of the utility closet, doing her best not to lose the ice cream as the magic of the world tossed her out. Feeling proud for thinking of this for Ralsei, but defeated that it hadn\u2019t work, she trudged past the front door of the school and was only mildly surprised to see Berdly was still there with his chest puffed. He hadn\u2019t dropped his guard, but was shocked to see Susie return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat happened?\u201d he asked, pointing at the ice cream. \u201cIt looks like you barely touched it!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI couldn\u2019t do it, it just wasn\u2019t in me,\u201d Susie replied glumly, shrugging. It was easy to use her real disappointment about Ralsei as a mask to fake her disappointment about the ice cream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat\u2019s alright, Susie,\u201d Berdly said, putting his hand on Susie\u2019s shoulder. \u201cWe all get the better of ourselves sometimes. It was just too many flavors. No one can blame you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah.\u201d Susie agreed, lifting Berdly\u2019s hand away. \u201cLet\u2019s get some help. We can split this thing with Noelle and Kris.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie led the two of them back into the crowds of the festival, searching high and low for signs of either Kris or Noelle. She kept an ear out for Noelle\u2019s laughter, and felt a small blackness churning inside herself to know it was probably the most likely way to find the two of them together. Instead, she was surprised when she nearly bumped into Noelle by herself while turning a corner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh!\u201d Noelle yelped as Susie narrowly avoided dumping an entire container of sundae onto Noelle\u2019s chest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie was glad Noelle snuck up on her. She had to admit to herself, it was because it meant that even Kris had limits and couldn\u2019t keep Noelle laughing non-stop around the clock. However, Kris also wasn\u2019t anywhere to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI was just looking for you guys,\u201d Noelle said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhere\u2019s Kris?\u201d Susie asked, looking around anxiously. \u201cIf they leap out of a bush, I\u2019m going to dump this entire sundae down their shirt!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFahaha. They ditched<\/em> me,\u201d Noelle replied, trying to sound more joking than offended, but not covering it well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDitched you? When? Where?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAbout a minute ago,\u201d Noelle said, pointing back the way she\u2019d come. \u201cWe went by their dad\u2019s flower shop, and when I turned around, Kris was gone. I thought maybe they\u2019d jump out at me too, but the timing kind of came and left.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTypical Kris,\u201d Berdly complained, rolling his eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah\u2026\u201d Noelle said. And it came out a little too sadly, like she was nursing some old wound. The weight on it stirred feelings in Susie that were hard to put a finger on, but none of them were good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell maybe Kris just went into the shop to talk to their dad,\u201d Susie said bravely, trying to fend off negativity itself, in general.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMaybe,\u201d Noelle agreed uncertainly. \u201cI didn\u2019t check. I know how Mister Asgore can get excited about visitors and I didn\u2019t want to wander in looking for a Kris who wasn\u2019t there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell forget that, we\u2019ll all go in. Kris\u2019s dad will understand. Let\u2019s go,\u201d Susie urged them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019re taking your mission with this sundae in admirable seriousness, Susie,\u201d Berdly observed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHuh?\u201d then Susie remembered what she was carrying. \u201cOh, yeah. Hey Noelle, when we find Kris, we\u2019re all going to try to eat this thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noelle eyed it suspiciously. \u201cWhat is all that?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s everything all at once.\u201d Susie explained. \u201cYou up for it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMaybe not all at once! Fahaha!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie shrugged and led the group to Asgore\u2019s flower shop. She halted so fast the others had to circle back a step or two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGosh. He must have closed up. The windows look dark,\u201d Noelle said, biting at her finger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They did look dark. As black as velvet pitch, in fact. Too dark to be possible with the sun still sitting low in the sky. Susie knew to dead certainty exactly what this was. On the other side of the door would be a magical world full of esoteric whimsy. \u201cDark Worlds,\u201d Ralsei called them. It wasn\u2019t dangerous to be in one, exactly. You never knew what might be in one, but most creatures you\u2019d run into weren\u2019t out to hurt anyone, barring a few notable and very concerning exceptions. It was more the person who made them that worried Susie, and what they might have had in mind for Asgore, if he was in there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie handed the sundae off to Berdly. \u201cHold this,\u201d she instructed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019re trusting me with this?\u201d Berdly said in a panic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes,\u201d Susie snapped, annoyed. \u201cYou, uh, are the one who seems most able to understand what a big deal it is. Now wait here, I\u2019m going to check to see if Kris is hiding in the bushes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSusie, don\u2019t do that,\u201d Noelle said, holding out a hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhy not?\u201d Susie asked, truly baffled. Truthfully, she wasn\u2019t even checking for Kris, but rather the whole perimeter of the building for its own security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBecause as soon as we\u2019re all watching you look for Kris over there<\/em>, Kris is going to leap out from somewhere behind us over here,<\/em>\u201d Noelle said, with utter confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI swear, I\u2019m not working with Kris on this,\u201d Susie promised. \u201cBerdly, can you keep an eye behind Noelle?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOf course!\u201d Berdly announced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He spun around, peering dubiously into the shadows and other places Kris could be hiding, though Susie was sure Kris wouldn\u2019t be there. Either Kris had gone off to find Susie to tell her about the Dark World in the shop, or Kris was already inside handling the problem independently. With all likelihood, this had been why Noelle had been unceremoniously ditched. It was just poor luck that Noelle found Susie before Kris had. Noelle, meanwhile, was now chewing on her fingers even more nervously than before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat\u2019s the matter now?\u201d Susie asked her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell now that Berdly is watching my back, we have no idea<\/em> where Kris could leap out from!\u201d She said fitfully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There was a Dark World in the shop, which meant someone nefarious was likely at work, and Susie was now using all her mental faculties gird against the possibility of Kris showing up. Kris showing up was what Susie wanted<\/em>. This was absurd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cKris isn\u2019t going to drop out of the sky!\u201d Susie began. \u201cThey -!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie wheeled about, and primed as she was for a large, dark figure to attack at any moment, she wasn\u2019t prepared at all to collide hard into Kris as they came around the back corner of the shop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGah!\u201d Susie yelled. \u201cKris! <\/em>You maniac, you startled me!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c<\/em>I told <\/em>you!\u201d Noelle shouted triumphantly. \u201cGot us with the old double fake-out! Fahaha! I should have known!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie frowned, but now wasn\u2019t the time to fool around. She wrapped an arm around Kris and pulled the two of them close together, so half their torsos fit together like a comfortable jigsaw. She brushed aside Kris\u2019s hair and leaned down close to Kris\u2019s ear, so the others wouldn\u2019t be able to see or make our what she was saying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWere you checking the back of the shop for the Knight?\u201d Susie whispered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kris nodded. They hung loosely at Susie\u2019s side, not really giving back to this embrace, but not pulling away from it either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDo you think it\u2019s safe?\u201d Susie asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kris nodded again. She held here like this while she thought about her options. She could smell Kris\u2019s apple shampoo. Their breathing seemed a little fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLast time we tried to fight the Knight, we got thrashed pretty hard,\u201d Susie said, squeezing Kris\u2019s arm. \u201cBut don\u2019t be scared, we\u2019ll get them this time. We could just wait here for them to come out\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kris\u2019s back went rigid and they recoiled away about an inch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOkay, inside then,\u201d Susie changed her mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kris relaxed, fading back towards her. Their cheeks touched. But why, though? Oh, but of course, it was obvious. Susie cursed herself for not realizing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019re worried about your dad,\u201d She said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kris didn\u2019t nod right away, but reluctantly they did. Susie could understand. Asgore was, as fathers went, embarrassing, but he was still Kris\u2019s dad. If Asgore was in danger, they had a responsibility to go in and see him out. Susie poked her head out above the embrace, then had an idea. She returned, and Kris made way for her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat if\u2026 what if we got help?\u201d Susie asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kris shook their head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHear me out,\u201d Susie said, rubbing Kris\u2019s arm reassuringly. \u201cWe tried to fight it out ourselves, and we lost, so what if we got two more. Noelle and Berdly are both here, and they\u2019ve both in a Dark World before. Berdly, as much as I hate it, really wasn\u2019t too bad by himself, even.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kris shook their head again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019re worried about them,\u201d Susie suggested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A brief hesitation, then an uncertain nod. Susie breathed in, taking a deep lung full of apples, then exhaled. The hesitation meant that wasn\u2019t entirely correct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOkay, we keep one outside, on the lookout. Back door, hiding in the trees where they won\u2019t get spotted. We ask them not to do anything, and all they have to do is tell us who they saw if they see someone other than us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A longer hesitation. Then, very unsure, a nod. Susie felt she had the shape of it now. Kris didn\u2019t want one of the two in the dark world with them, and Susie had a pretty obvious sense of why. She didn\u2019t want to put up with all the work and babysitting herself. She gave Kris\u2019s hand a squeeze and turned back to Berdly and Noelle. Her heart gave a little jump when she saw the kind of look Noelle was giving the two of them \u2013 she had the same look in her eyes a cat does just before it kills a baby bird. Susie felt goosebumps rise across her body as her instincts told her she was in an indescribable amount of trouble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPlotting something?\u201d Noelle asked, cutting into the hesitation. Then she laughed. \u201cFahaha.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The laugh washed the moment of fear away, but Susie couldn\u2019t quite shake the feeling that, for some reason, she\u2019d been looking death right in the face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah\u2026 actually,\u201d Susie said, recovering. \u201cBerdly, I need you to do something for us, and listen carefully. Take your ice cream and go around back. Watch the back door for anyone other than us or Asgore, and don\u2019t move until we come get you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat? Why?\u201d Berdly asked, looking down at the sundae and then at Susie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBecause we think someone might be in there that isn\u2019t supposed to be. We\u2019re going to flush them out, pincer-style. Don\u2019t wander if we take a while, because we\u2019re likely to take a while. That ice cream is your payment for a good job.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe whole thing? Me?\u201d Berdly asked, lifting the ice cream up and gazing it from the underside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis is a prank. You can\u2019t fool me!\u201d Noelle said, crossing her arms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cActually, you,\u201d Susie walked forward and plucked up one of Noelle\u2019s hands, \u201cI need.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leading Noelle, she walked towards the door of the shop. Kris was standing beside the building, their face as straight as a stone. They were trying to stay as blank as possible. Kris must have been worried. Susie tried to give a surreptitious, reassuring thumbs up. It garnered no response from Kris, but Noelle spotted it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, no, I see what this is!\u201d Noelle accused, digging her heels in. \u201cI should have realized! You guys planed this whole thing! You\u2019re going to walk me in there and I\u2019m going to get attacked by a whole bag of plastic spiders! Aren\u2019t I? Or Kris is going to pretend they cut their own leg off with a pair of garden sheers! I don\u2019t know what it is, but if the two of you are working together, that means it has to be twice as bad as anything Kris could do alone! At least! Assuming you guys don\u2019t have some sort of crazy synergy!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kris didn\u2019t move. Not a muscle in the face. Not even a blink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSee that proves it!\u201d Noelle shouted, pointing. \u201cKris trying not to react! This whole thing is an evil plot! I know a Kris plot when I see one!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cKris isn\u2019t plotting anything,\u201d Susie insisted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat\u2019s exactly what you\u2019d say if you were<\/em> plotting something!\u201d Noelle said, grinning smugly. She tilted her head back. \u201cI don\u2019t know how you<\/em> are during a prank, Susie, but Kris just gave away everything<\/em>. Whatever is going on, Kris planned it all! Look, Kris getting worse.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She was pointing at Kris as if it were obvious, but they were a statue. Nothing had changed. Kris hadn\u2019t moved. Susie had no idea what she was looking for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo, am I going around the back of the shop or is this a prank?\u201d Berdly asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGo!\u201d Susie said, waving Berdly along.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thankfully, Berdly cooperated, taking the ice cream to the back side of the flower shop. Susie just hoped he wouldn\u2019t get bored and wander off, or worse, try to go in the front way. There was a risk here, but they needed a change in tact. The Knight was stronger and faster than they were, which meant they needed more teamwork, more coordination. It would be stupid not to change something before a third encounter \u2013 they\u2019d really have to have learned nothing, and they\u2019d be such fools for it. Susie just had to hope the Knight took their past victories as meaning the Knight didn\u2019t need to adapt as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOr maybe you\u2019re<\/em> being tricked,\u201d Noelle wondered to Susie. \u201cYou know, there\u2019s a classic set up to these kinds of things where you sucker your accomplice into the scam. You think you\u2019re helping Kris this whole time, that you\u2019re the one who\u2019s in on the big secret, and then the reveal is that you were the mark from the very beginning. You\u2019ll walk me in there, and then you\u2019ll<\/em> be the one covered in fake spiders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOnly one way to find out,\u201d Susie begged her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noelle was smiling, wryly. \u201cI have books on scam artists. Magicians. Comedians. I know the tricks, I learned the tricks, but Kris knows I\u2019ve learned the tricks. Fahaha! One<\/em> of us is about to get tricked, I just know it. If you\u2019re going to keep hanging out with Kris you better borrow my books, Susie.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susie grinned. It was part frustration, but also genuine happiness that Noelle was offering to loan Susie something. Susie wasn\u2019t much of a reader, but it was flattering that Noelle, the smartest girl Susie knew, thought Susie might be one. She might just take Noelle up on that offer and try to muddle through a few pages to say she tried. But not now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCome with me?\u201d Susie asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAlright,\u201d Noelle replied, giving in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As they walked past, Noelle squinted at Kris, giving them eyes that said I know you\u2019re up to no good, <\/em>but they were playful. Maybe even a little excited. This changed when Susie opened the front door of the shop. Black, viscous smoke billowed out from the entryway. Not a thing could be seen within the interior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cW- what?\u201d Noelle stammered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019ll see,\u201d Susie told her, tugging gently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And Susie led her past the threshold, into the void.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Susie awoke inside a dream, or as close to one as possible. In it, the walls were pitch black and covered in stars, sketched free-hand with blue lines. Above her, placed dangerously above her head, were shelves full of trophies that celebrated nothing of descript notice. They reflected a faint pink light which wasn\u2019t actually […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-templates\/full-width.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-213","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dawnsomewhere.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dawnsomewhere.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dawnsomewhere.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dawnsomewhere.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dawnsomewhere.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=213"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dawnsomewhere.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/213\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":214,"href":"https:\/\/dawnsomewhere.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/213\/revisions\/214"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dawnsomewhere.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}