VOXISTALE: Novel Edition

Chapter 10

She couldn't hear anything.

See anything.

Feel anything.

Smell anything.

All there was around her was darkness, the vague flickering of dancing shadows around her. She looked around in confusion, finding nothing that stood out. For some reason, she felt like she was falling, yet felt simultaneously steady. She clutched at her chest, heart pounding wildly as she felt like she'd hit the ground at any moment, ready to gasp for air and sit upright to find it was all a dream . . .

But it didn't happen. The feeling of falling just continued. She attempted to take a step forward, finding that she was able to. Out of confusion and an embedded sense of fear, Frisk began to run, hoping to escape this strange cluster of shadows that seemed to mock her from afar.

As she ran, her heart was in her throat, the burning feeling that she was being watched practically devouring her. Adrenaline pumping, SOUL shuddering, eyes watering, she felt the desperate urge to cry out.

But somebody came . . .

Frisk felt a presence behind her, urging her to turn, only to see more swirling shadows. What was going on? Turning back around, the urge to run was still in her, despite knowing it seemed useless. It was then that she saw something different, something that stood out.

Two dim, green-ish lights in the distance, or at least she thought they were green, as it was almost impossible to think of a color that accurately described them. They were unmoving, pointed straight at her.

With a loud gasp, Frisk shot up in her bed, panting heavily, heart hammering against her chest, cold sweat clinging to her skin. She felt like she'd just ran a marathon, but knew it wasn't true, considering she was still swathed in her blanket. Details of the nightmare began to fade away quickly, and as she tried to remember . . .

It all just dissipated. Nothing was left.

Chalking it off as stress, Frisk threw her blankets off of her and swung her legs over the bed, getting up. Still breathing rather heavily, she stared out of her dark window, and saw nothing. No shadows, no mysterious people, nothing of the sort. Closing her eyes, Frisk let out a sigh, trying to calm herself down. Maybe she just needed to go for a walk . . .

She glanced at her clock, seeing that it was a little past 2:00 AM. She still had about five and a half more hours of sleep to look forward to, which was a comforting thought. She could spend about a half hour on her walk, and then get to bed for the last five hours. Yeah. That would be fine. Not like she'd barely gotten to sleep in the first place, and with the resurfacing of her tension regarding what she thought she'd seen last night . . .

Frisk shook it off. She hadn't been in the right state of mind, it had just been her imagination trying to freak her out. She checked her phone to see if she had any new text messages- and there was one, sent at about 11 PM. She swiped on the notification to see that it was a text from Terrence, and that it said 'Sweet dreams, Frisk.' She was a bit disappointed she hadn't seen it sooner, but didn't text him back to avoid the risk of waking him up. She could wait until morning.

The text was comforting, though, and she tucked her phone into her pocket with a smile stretching her face.

Quietly, Frisk closed the door behind her, feeling the cool night breeze brush by her. It was soothing and relaxing, at just the right temperature. Taking in another deep breath, she set off at a brisk pace, choosing to start with some light jogging. That would do her some good.

Voxis, despite being the largest city in the world, was strangely dormant at two in the morning. You get used to it after a while, but to many, it was the oddest thing. Of course, plenty of lights were on, but traffic was practically non-existent. Barely any sounds polluted the air. It was one of the things that made Voxis so unique.

As she jogged, the only sounds that accompanied her were the underlying panting of her breath, and her shoes hitting the sidewalk again and again. It was nice to jog at night. Relaxing, even. She passed by multiple buildings, deciding she'd head up to the school before turning back, that seemed like a good distance. Frisk half-expected for someone to speak to her. Paranoia had always been part of her, but she was able to brush it aside for now in practiced thought, though a little rusty. She hadn't had need for paranoia in years, after all. She looked both ways- no cars, unsurprisingly, so she crossed the street she arrived at.

Arriving at the school was easy enough. The elementary school, at that. Her own high school was located closer to the heart of Voxis. Frisk came to a stop in front of the building, reading the sign.

Dreamhope Elementary School.

It was a little daunting, being here, where Toriel used to work. Now . . . Frisk turned away, deciding not to dwell on it. She needed to take her emotion and use it as motivation to do better, just as Asgore had instructed.

On the way back, however, Frisk decided to take a detour, and eventually came up on a small garden cemetery called Freeway Cemetery. She slowed her jog to a brisk walk, entering the cemetery, heading down a main path before taking a sudden left and entering a long row of headstones.

Finally, she came to a stop in front of a large one, two names inscribed on it. Luthor Brewers and Candace Brewers. These two names were important to her, though she rarely spoke of them. Sometimes she considered talking to someone about them, but something held her back. Maybe it was fear that her emotions would get the best of her? Or perhaps she was worried that the memories would feel more distant if more people knew about them. Frisk didn't know, and frankly, she didn't think she ever would. It was one of the many things she'd kept bottled up for a long, long time.

She stared down at the graves, pursing her lips, "Hey guys," she began. "It's been a while since I came to visit. I've been doing better. No more . . . attempts. Not even after . . ." Her voice cracked, and she halted, closing her eyes. Even after all this time it was still so hard. "I'm going back to school today. And uh . . . I might get back with Terrence," she chuckled sadly, staring down at the headstones. "You'd have liked him, dad. He's just like you. Funny, innovative, selfless, a little bit of an airhead sometimes . . ." her voice trailed off. "I uh . . . gotta get going now. Need to catch some more sleep." Her eyes fell on a set of wilted, dead flowers lying at the head of the grave. "I'll get you guys some more flowers, too."

Frisk stood, giving the headstones and wilted flowers one last glance before turning to head home. She hoped she hadn't woken Asgore on her way out. He was a heavy sleeper, though, so it was doubtful. As Frisk left the cemetery behind, she couldn't help but ache. She still missed her parents- her biological parents. Toriel had been an amazing mother, and Asgore was an amazing father, she loved them with all her heart . . . but that didn't mean she didn't want her parents back. Luthor and Candace.

Once again, she was accompanied by only her thoughts, the sound of her jogging, and the slightly illuminated sidewalk.