UnderHelp

Snowdin is naturally freezing, but that didn’t stop the morning sun to crawl up from the snowy landscape and paint the sky with peachy colors. It also didn’t stop the birds to perch themselves on house roofs to search for an easy breakfast.

They say that the ‘early bird gets the worm’, well… I’m far from being an ‘early bird’. I’m more of that kind of person who wakes up with Einstein-looking mop hair with a slide of drool running down from my lips to my chin. In fact, that’s me right at the moment. Half my body hanging off the bed and somehow in a backwards laying position, my blanket finding its way at the end of the room and my eyes stinging from the sunlight entering through the glassy balcony door. Yep, nothing beats mornings.

I sat my body up, remembering that I have some plans for today… like looking for stuff to put in the gift basket for Mrs. Toriel.

But what do you give to a stranger who you don’t know- or better yet… even met?

Ideas and suggestions poured in my head, but none of them seem like the best of ideas. Or appropriate…

…

NOT LIKE THAT YOU PERVERT!

I’m just going to have to wing it when I search around the town. And who knows, I might meet some nice people now that I’m new around here.

Once I finished my daily stretches and yawns, I got up from my bed and realized that I haven’t packed any temporary food for the morning. Guess I have to skip breakfast until I come back with groceries. I confronted the piles of dead-weighted suitcases in distaste. I’m going to have to skip unpacking these suitcases too… for health reasons… or something…yeah.

I zipped one bag open and pulled out some warm clothes to wear. I had a quick shower and slipped on black leggings with jean shorts over the top and a big red hoodie. After I finished brushing my nest of a hair, I felt much more refreshed and ready to start my first day in Snowdin. I tug on a pair of knee-high brown boots and exited the house, almost a little too enthusiastically.

The snow is still thick from last night. It came all the way to my ankles. A cold breeze prickled my skin as it blew past. The atmosphere was strangely quiet, but peaceful. I watched the narrow white road in case of arriving cars, but nil. Snowdin is currently a ghost town. Well that’s what I thought until…

A ball- no… much more like a goddamn orange meteor bulleted just in the corner of my vision and smacked itself on my cheek with a hard push that resulted me falling right on my ass, into the snow. The ball plopped itself on my lap as I sat there almost having a concussion.

“Hey lady! Pass us the ball, will ya’?” A little child voice shouted to knock me back to life again.

I groaned as I rubbed my cheek gingerly. It felt like thousands of pins and needles piercing through my skin.

“Uh… is she alright?” whispered another voice, a friend it seems.

I pushed myself off the ground and brushed the snow away as I plucked the ball off the frosted floor. I looked ahead to find the two children waiting patiently. They draw closer to me as I held the ball out for them. It seems that the two is dressed in cute rabbit costumes. One is taller than the other and is dressed up as a purple bunny. The smaller one was dressed up as a creamy colored bunny with droopy ears. They also wore matching clothes. They must be twins.

I internally squealed in adoration at these cute siblings. My eyes sparkles in affection. Just watching these cuties makes me want to just scoop them up and squeeze them until they explode! … in a less gruesome way.

I handed the ball to the smallest child but before they run off, I had to let some of my tucked energy out before my insides burn up from the cuteness.

“Awww... cool costumes, guys! What’s the occasion?” I tried to not make my voice so irregularly high pitched.

They shared with me confused looks. The two siblings looked at each other and then back at me.

“W-we were just about to ask the same thing to you too, M-m-Miss.” Said the tallest one as he shyly tucked his hands away in his sagging sleeves.

My brows knitted together in confusion.

“What do you mean…?”

“U-u-uuuuh… um… well”- Before the tallest kid finished his sentence, the smallest interrupted him with a “Step aside, fool!”

He eyed me up and down as he walked circles around me like some hungry vulture. He stopped in his tracks and wrapped an arm around my leg like it was my waist.

“Listen tiddie-mama. We aren’t in costume; this’s our style, see? Either you one strange lookin’ mother fluffer, or you are just pullin’ our leg. I suggest you not play wit’ us like we are kids. Ya’ dig sugar-babe?”

“B-but… D-bun… we are kids.”

“Shut da’ frick up, fool!”

“Hey! You swore like a quad-billion-TRILLIONS of times! I’m telling mother!” The taller one cried and fled away. Just as I was trying to wrap my head around things, the smallest one chased after their sibling.

“Oi’! Hey! I didn’t mean it! I’m sorry man! I love ya, y’know! Don’t tell ma!!!”

…Well that just happened.

Murmuring and whispering sounds hummed through the air and attracted my attention. All of a sudden, my eyes widened to dinner plates and my lungs refused to breathe. I watched as various animal-looking creatures… walked around the street busily. Some drove by in trucks and vehicles.

I know for sure that these people aren’t humans dressed in furry costumes! They’re talking and eaten! WITH THEIR ALIVE AND OPEN MOUTHS!!! I MEAN OF COURSE THEY ARE USING THEIR ALIVE AND OPEN MOUTHS BUT THAT’S NOT THE POINT! THE POINT IS, IS THAT THEY’RE REAL!!!

A blobby jelly thingy slivered past and gave me a wink while wriggling their slimy non-hips! In response, I screamed in terror and charged my way back inside of my house and slammed the door, locking it up and shoved the closest thing near me to block the doorway. Which was a flowerpot…

I ran to the safest place I know: my room, and hid under the bed for what seems to be like hours. I calmed myself from panicking and took deep breaths. My thoughts were going wild in my head.

Am I on the verge of madness?

Those creatures I saw out there… they got to be real! But HOW?

WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!

After minutes of thinking… I heard my doorbell ring twice. Which would only mean one thing…

MRS. TORIEL!!!

She has a goddamn lot of explaining to do! I have questions and I want answers! I don’t care if she turns out to be some mutant-looking bear or whatever! I need to figure out if I’m going crazy or not!

I got out from under the bed hesitantly.

“I-I’ll be there! Just wait, please!” I called out.

My hands trembled and trickles of sweat ran down my forehead. I looked like a melting ice-cream cone from the mirror. I washed my face and told myself to relax over and over again. I cleaned myself quickly. I can’t let her think that I’m afraid. I can’t let her believe that I can easily get taken advantage of. I also probably wouldn’t like her to smell my sweat… because that’s gross. (Just thought I should point that out too)

I slipped off my hoodie and wrapped it around my waist before walking down to the door. Along the way, I grab hold of a frypan… just in case…

My hand touches the knob…

Inhale

I turned it around and opened the door with my eyes closed…

Exhale

I opened them up.

Shock strangles my airways. I lost my grip on the frypan and dropped it. It lands with a loud clank. There’s no doubt that I couldn’t believe what I am seeing.

TWO SKELETONS!

TWO MOTHER EFFING SKELETONS!

NOT ONE BUT TWO SKELETONS!

SKELETONS GALORE BABY!

STEP RIGHT UP AND SEE THE TWO SKELETONS WAITING ON THIS VERY PORCH NOW!

GET YOUR SKELETONS HERE! GET EM’ WHILE THEY’RE COLD!

A HUNDRED! DO I HEAR A HUNDRED? HUNDRED OVER TO THE MAN OVER THERE! ON WAIT- HUNDRED AND FIFTY TO THE LADY OVER NEAR THE HOTDOG STAND! DO I HEAR A HUNDRED AND FIFTY AND FIFTY-FIVE CENTS AND A DRIED UP POCKET TISSUE???

THEY’RE DEFINITELY NOT TORIEL!

I SWEAR IF THIS IS TORIEL I AM GOING TO LOSE-

A cough cleared the awkward silence. But it didn’t clear the chaos in my brain. How does a skeleton even cough??? Or better yet… LIVE?

“O-OH… AHEM! GREETINGS NEIGHBOUR! IT IS I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS AND THIS IS MY LAZY SERVENT BROTHER, SANS” The tall one, after oddly retrieving his jaw from the ground and snapping it back into place, welcomed me with a loud mighty roar that popped my eardrums and blasted an echo all around town.

“sup.” The short one said with a comically deep and lower voice than the taller one. He doesn’t really seem interested at all at the moment, despite his slightly creepy glued on smile. Guess it’s my way of reading people…or skeletons at this matter.

I couldn’t bring myself to talk. I just froze there, staring at the two for minutes until I decided that maybe everything will go away if I blinked or pinch myself. I did so multiple times, hoping that soon I’ll wake up back in my bed. Apparently not…

I gathered all my shock and confusion and pushed them aside for later. I couldn’t let this awkward tension to continue… it’s best not to be rude. But as problems become worse, I started having a cackling fit about all of this.

I can’t believe that this is really happening right now! I’ve lost my mind! Hahahaha!

They must think I just escaped from a mental institution!

Then again they probably escaped from a graveyard! Or a science lab!

Yeah sure, bring yourself here if you feel you need help! I could TOTALLY get you good as new- right before I show you my collection of random people’s hair and chase you around with a fucking squeaky rubber duck!

As I wheezed for air, an ugly loud snort left my mouth. I don’t really care. There’s no point of feeling embarrassed anymore.

The two skeletons looked at each other with faces that asked if they have broken me or not.

As I finally calmed down (after years of waiting…), I started to feel very guilty about all of this. They are only just welcoming me and in return… I laughed in their faces like some psychopath.

I looked at them apologetically and crouched down to slowly grasp the handle of my frypan without avoiding my eyes from the two.

“I’m sorry about that… Y-you two took me by surprise…” I hoarsely muttered sincerely.

I took a step forward, only to feel something swishy underneath my sole. My eyes darted to the ground. Stuck on the porch was spaghetti with bits of plate sprinkled in and around it. The sauce stained the bottom of my shoe, but I didn’t care… not with this guilt swallowing me up.

“Oh my gosh! Sorry!” I jerked my foot away and stepped back into my doorway.

“Wait here” I said quickly. I ran inside and scrambled around to find a broom. With success, I snatch the broom and rushed to the porch… only to surprisingly find the two skeletons still there and waiting but the spaghetti gone!

“NOT TO WORRY, NEIGHBOUR! FOR WE- I MEAN… I- HAVE TAKEN THE CARE TO CLEAN OUR DELICIOUS SPAGHETTI MESS!” The taller one, Papyrus, exclaimed.

“our?” The other one- nah just joking… Sans rolled his eyes in slight annoyance. His smile faltered a little.

“YES OUR!” Papyrus retaliated as his stance changes from goofy to dramatic in seconds. His skull turned to the side while watching the distance as his cape flows with the wind. His sockets shut which made a single orange tear creeped out and dripped down his puffed out rib cage.

“BROTHER, YOU MUST LEARN TO APPRECIATE THAT YOU HELPED OUT WITH THIS MIRACLE DISH TOO…EVEN THOUGH YOU ONLY JUST SPRINKLED THE SALT IN AND SAT THERE HALF ASLEEP AS I DID MOST OF THE WORK.”

That earned a giggle from me.

“Well thanks for the help!” I chimed in… haven’t you people ever heard of closing the god damn-

“BUT OF COURSE! ANYTHING FOR OUR NEW NEIGHBOUR!”

A sweet smile spread upon my lips as I feel my world brightened up. This happy, freakishly tall skeleton just shook off the weirdness from me earlier like it was nothing! I never known someone so gracious and trusting until now.

“It’s- uh… a bit cold out here don’t you guys think?” An idea, probably not the best one, swept into me.

A small chuckle left Sans clenched mouth. I watched him, curious about how he does that without opening his smile. But then again… there’s a lot of things I’m curious about right at the moment.

“hate to correct you there… but we’re skeletons… we’re kinda CHILL about the whole temperature thing since we can’t feel it.”

“SANS!!! WHY WOULD YOU PUN! RIGHT AT THIS MOMENT!!! WE WERE ABOUT TO MAKE A NEW FRIEND AND YOU CHOOSE TO MAKE YOUR DESPICABLE JOKES?! I”-

“Pfft!” was all I got out from my mouth until I became compressed into another fit. This time with giggles. Luckily it wasn’t very maniac-like, otherwise I know for sure they’ll be off. Actually, the giggle fit seemed to make Sans tensed grin relax. I even got a nice smile from Papyrus even though he was about to beat Sans up for that joke.

“ICE one” I complimented with a wink and one finger pistol.

A low chuckle filled the air pleasantly. Sans white glowing eyes lit up brighter than before while Papyrus’s face… oh boy… Papyrus’s face was absolutely priceless! I worried that maybe I have triggered a bomb that’ll explode any second soon. Time to think fast…

“Hey Papyrus… Sans… would you two like to come in anyway?” I tried again, but before I got an answer out of the two, I started to babble. Great.

“I-I…uh.. I mean you two don’t have to! If you’re busy I’m perfectly fine! I was just going out anyway until you came and I thought it’ll be nice to invite my neighbors”-

“HMM… YOU’RE INVITING US TO YOUR HOME? OH MY GOLLY!!! THAT’S A GREAT PRIVILEGE! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS SHALL ACCEPT YOUR OFFER WHOLEHEARTEDLY! NYEH HEH HEH HEH!” Squawked ‘The Great Papyrus’. His large hand grabs hold of Sans and held him at his side as if he was holding a basketball.

“yeah, sure. as long as you’re COOL with it.” I covered my mouth from my snicker, trying to hold back another giggling fit.

“SANS!!!” Papyrus the Great squealed like a dying pig.

I stepped to the side to clear the entrance for the brothers.

“Gentlemen…” I beckoned them in with my hand. I bowed in respect as the two strolled inside to mimic a maid. I shut the door to lock out the cold and lead the skeleton brothers to the living room.

Like dumb sheep, they stood there lost and odd-looking, almost like cardboard cut-outs. They stared at me like I have the power to control their life. I shook my head, smiling at their shyness.

“You two can sit down, you know?” A teasing grin found my lips as the skeletons stare at me and then sat themselves down on the couch with- … Well I’ll be freaking DAMNED! Their cheekbones are painted with color. Sans’s cheekbones are a shade of blue while Papyrus’s cheekbones are a shade of orange. I’m not sure what does that mean… but I’m just going to have a lucky guess and say that it’s their blushing?

I gazed at them, impressed. I even mouthed a ‘whoa’ when noticing the new colors splashed on their cheekbones like a canvas. I snapped out of it and decided that maybe my new neighbors want some beverages.

I clapped my hands together loudly to bring the attention back to me- even though the whole time they were observing me in silence with full attention. Okay maybe not Papyrus… he was too busy gawking at the flowerpot near the armrest.

“Anyone up for refreshments? I got water, water, water and I think I have some H2O left over.” I paused for a moment… asking myself that if this was really a good idea considering they’re well… skeletons. Where would the liquid go? They don’t actually have visible organs behind their clothes right?

…

A shiver ran down my back at the disturbing mental image.

“I WOULD LOVE SOME H20, IF YOU’RE OFFERING NEIGHBOR…”

“It’s Frisk…”

“PARDON?”

“My name. It’s Frisk.” I repeated, beaming brightly.

“AH, I SEE!” he bangs a fist to his chest and looked up at the ceiling like it was the most interesting thing in the whole world.

“FOR NOW ON, NEIGHBOR… I WILL INTEND TO TITLE YOU FRISK!” he dropped his dramatic act and nudged Sans with an elbow. I watched him, waiting for a response.

“nah, I’m good…” He tucked his boney hands back in his pockets and examined every inch of my face with a weird expression.

…I don’t like that look… A defensive look it is. A look like screams ‘Try anything funny and I’ll rip out your vertebrae and strangle you with it’. Or maybe it’s just his natural- unnatural look.

I shook it off and trotted myself to the kitchen. I came back with a glass of water, only to stop once I heard murmuring from the living room. I know how nosey and disrespectful it is to earsdrop… but I couldn’t help myself. Besides, Papyrus’s voice made the whole thing too tempting, I listened to all of their discussion.

“bro… I don’t like the looks of this lady…”

“SANS DON’T BE RUDE!”

“no… not like that! she’s just…”,

“papyrus, don’t you remember what happened last time a human pranced around here?”

“WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, SANS?”

“the last time a human showed their face around here… they were so close of killing an innocent monster blindingly. what if Frisk were to”-

“NONESENSE!!!”

“no, papyrus don’t do this…”

“BUT I KNOW IT’S NONESENSE! YOU CANNOT TELL ME THAT YOU DO NOT LIKE HER SANS! I SAW YOU CHUCKLING AT HER PAINFUL PUNS THAT YOU TWO SEEM TO LIKE…”

“i like her, bro. she seems pretty swell. but…”

“GIVE HER SOME TIME!!! YOU WILL ACCEPT HER! ALL OF HOME WILL ACCEPT HER!”,

“SHE IS EVEN HERE TO HELP OUT WITH HER SERVICES!”

“that could be a trap…you don’t know, Papyrus…”

“NO YOU DON’T KNOW!” a loud bang could be roughly recognized that Papyrus slammed a fist on the living room table.

A long silence…

“I’m doing this to take precaution…” Sans mumbled with a bit of impatience slurred in.

“I WILL NOT BELIEVE THIS! THIS HUMAN IS DIFFERENT! SHE’S DIFFERENT! I SWEAR THAT SHE WILL NOT EVEN HARM A VULNERABLE FLY!”

“papyrus you don’t know that.”

“SILENCE WILL YOU?! I WILL NOT SPEAK OF THIS TWICE!”

“papyrus”-

“NO!!! I WILL NOT SEE ANOTHER HUMAN GETTING HARMED AGAIN! DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND THAT, BROTHER??? I WILL NOT ALLOW MYSELF TO BELIEVE THAT ANOTHER HUMAN IS GOING TO GET HURT! I AM NOT GOING TO ALLOW ANOTHER HUMAN TO BE…K-KI-…” Papyrus’s voice was too choked, he couldn’t even finish that word. My heart sinks hearing the loud sniffles from the other room.

“I cannot… I cannot allow that to happen…never again.” Papyrus’s voice was very uncomfortably soft and low… despite being utterly confused, I felt a great sorrow.

I walked away from my hiding spot and into the silent living room emotionless. I stood there watching the cup in my hand, not bothering to look up to the skeletons.

What have I done wrong?

What have I done to make things so… touching?

All that I wanted was to feel that this was home.

With success I have. But now…

I’m unwanted…

What happened to the other people who came here?

Were they killed?

What makes them think that I would kill ‘monsters’?

shouldn’t monsters be killed anyway? They’re monsters!

… what exactly is a monster referred to around here?

ALL THAT I WANTED TO DO WAS TO HELP PEOPLE!

NOT THIS!

BUT OF COURSE LIFE ALWAYS HAS A CATCH, HUH?!

Frustration, anger and confusion exploded within me. I had a meltdown and thrust the cup out of my hand and watched it crash onto the floor. Tears burned my eyes as my mind repeated the word ‘unwanted’ over and over again which brings back a past that I thought I would forget.

I heard a surprised gasp from Papyrus.

“kid you alright?” Sans’s tone actually sounds worried. But It doesn’t matter anymore. Nothing does.

A tear slithered all the way down to my cheek. I looked up with glassy eyes that watered and blurred my vision only a smidge. Papyrus and Sans inched closer to me but I stepped away while shaking my head, refusing them to come any closer.

unwanted…unwanted…unwanted…

Suddenly I’m eight years old again, standing in the office of the orphanage. A lady, the same lady from the other countless times of me standing in the office to receive the oh so big news.

‘No luck today…’ was her way of telling me that they haven’t tracked down my real parents or found anyone who would want me because of my… ‘strangeness’.

A freak, they all called me behind my backs… thinking that I would never hear it. I always did. But I don’t mind. I don’t mind being a freak than to pretend to be someone who I’m not. It never really bugged me.

But the thing that still haunts me till this day is hearing the words ‘unwanted’ coming from my own parent’s mouths. When they finally tracked my mom and dad and brought them in with me to have a private discussion, I thought that day was going to be the best day of my entire life. A home was waiting for me… along with my loving parents.

Turns out my parents were drunks that didn’t even give less of a shit about me. My mom told me I was dumped at birth to this place and figured that’s why I turned out ‘strange’… My dad never talked, only just sat there eyeing some lady walking past.

“To tell you the truth… you were unwanted.” Was the last thing she said before I burst in uncontrollable rage, sadness, disbelief and brokenness. It didn’t help that I was developing into a teenager at that time. I gave my mother a black eye and my father gave me my own. The people who worked there pulled us apart and separated us. I never saw them again… not that I wanted to anyway.

But it still haunts me… those words. Those fucking words.

Unwanted…unwanted…unwanted…

I dashed out of my house, not wanting to hear those words again. I ran until I could feel my legs aching and stopped.

I shouldn’t be having a cry over this… I’m a counselor for Pete’s sake! I bet there’s people out there with worse problems than mine! But of course, I’m still bothered by it because it hurts like a son of a bitch. It’s like giving birth to an elephant out of your nose.

And to think… all this time I’m still figuring out why I was called a freak…

I chuckled my pain away, not entirely sure where the hell I am now. I could be in Las Vegas for all I care. I just need some time alone.

I walked with my head down until I bumped it against something hard. I slowly raised my head to find a rich purple stoned door with beautiful violet carved colosseum poles guarding it at its sides. At the very top framed a cloud-shaped border with a winged symbol engraved in the center.

I knocked on the door with one knuckle and listened to the hollow sound that comes after. I then knocked on it twice as if there was someone there behind that sealed door that leads to the unknown. Liking the rhythm and having literally nothing else to do but to stand around and knock on a stranger’s door… I kept knocking in patterns to create some upbeat music to wash away the glum. It’s not like someone even lives past this door anyway…

…

I repeat, it’s not like someone even lives past this door anyway…

“…Who’s there?”

Holy shit!

THAT ACTUALLY WORKED!