I'm not one of you <Frans>

CHAPTER 12: Persuasive

4:00 p.m.

"Shut up." I growled at Chara. "I didn't have to do it you know. You could have been taken in for testing as well if the military knew you went down there." I snapped, walking over to the door. "Not just that skeleton would turn into a biological weapon of mass destruction." I sighed, pressing my back against the door.

"So they're turning the comedian into a WMD?" She hummed to herself. "That's hilarious! To think he would let himself get caught!" She laughed. "He doesn't even know what we're capable of." I could practically sense her grin from beyond the door. The same mechanical grin she flashed me right before she attempted to strike me in the head with her fists.

I slid down the door, landing softly on the hardwood with my bottom. I stared at the hole in the wall, thoughts and questions popped into my head. "I'll broker you a deal." I finally said, huffing.

"Oh yeah?" Chara said, grinning from behind the door. "Shoot then. I'd really like to be let out of here." She laughed slightly.

"If you answer my questions truthfully, then I'll let you out." I said. "It's simple. Just let me what I want to know." I said.

"This is only because you need your precious documents from your room." She said. "It's hideously clean in here." She spat.

"No. I truly will let you out if you answer my questions." I said, "I have most of my documents here. I don't need to get the rest from my room." I sighed. "How about it?"

"Why not?" She grinned.

"Why are you so insistent on not letting me know of the secrets under the mountain? What is so important that even I couldn't know what it was?" I said, getting the first question off my chest. "Was it because of the hidden species?"

There was a moment of silence, as if she needed to think about her answer. "Yes." She said. "This species calls themselves 'monsters'." She said. "They were banished underground by humans. That's why no humans must know of their existence. So they do not perish." She said. "If anything, we humans deserve to perish for locking such nice creatures underground." She spat.

"Okay." I said, taking a mental note. "Who was that skeleton?" I asked, realizing I didn't have very many questions to even ask her. "Do you know him? Was he your friend?" I asked once more.

There was another pause. "No, actually." She said. "I've never met him." Her tone of voice went up in pitch as if she were grinning. "He was often doing his own thing. I wonder what drove him crazy?"

"Me too." I said, sighing. "I just wish I could see the underground myself." I said. "Was it pretty?" I asked her.

"It was beautiful." She said. "Hey, I've got an idea." She said. "Let's go to Ebott. I can show you the underground! It'll be great! Bring your equipment and notebooks! We can do an entire sweep once more." She said. "Just you. And me."

"No." I said, declining. "That skeleton is being kept in the underground. Dr. Hudson said so." I said. "I don't want to be anywhere near that psychopath." I sighed. "To kill that many people without hesitation is awful." I said. "Dr. Hudson said they're keeping him in the underground under strict security anyways."

Another moment of silence ensued. Chara finally spoke up from behind the door with a sarcastic laugh. "Frisk." Chara said. "Listen." She said once more. "Remember that invisible barrier that you couldn't cross to get inside of the underground?" I didn't say anything but nod. "That's to prevent people from going IN." She said. "Guess who's not in the underground if you can't get inside of the underground?" Chara said.

"The skeleton..." I said, wide-eyed.

"You're not the only one who lied, Frisk." Chara said. "They Just Don't want you going inside of the underground until they've taken all of the credit. Remember, Frisk, humans are greedy." She said. "Humans are selfish and greedy beings that will rip you apart at any given moment." She seethed.

I had forgotten about the barrier! How Did I miss such an important detail in the lies?

"They ... lied?" I couldn't speak. "They lied so I couldn't go to the underground and conduct my own research?" I said, bewildered. "All because they wanted it for themselves?!" I said, standing up.

Is there really any point? The military officials will be here tomorrow to pick up my documents. I think I should just stay here.

"Don't get me wrong," Chara said. "The entrance— or should I say— exit is blocked." She said. "There's a hidden entrance where I went into. I can get you in by there." She said. "Just think about it! You'll be back in no time!" She grinned. There was a moment of hesitation in my eyes. I didn't know what was the right choice.

"No." I said finally. "It'll just complicate things. I'd rather stay safe and at home." I said, opening the door slowly. She was sitting on the floor, and her red eyes looked up at me, narrowed.

"Let's at least give them the papers so they don't have to come all the way here." Chara said. "It's the polite thing to do since we're both doing nothing." She grumbled.

"Fine. I can agree with that." I said, gathering the documents and theories I had on the underground. Chara watching me in the background. "I'll grab my keys. You get in the car." I said, looking at her as if she never tried to attack me.

It took my a few minutes, but I finally gathered all the papers and put them into a file folder to keep them neat and organized. The opposite of Chara. I hopped into the car and put the key in the ignition once more. Sighing, I shifted the gears.

Once we reached the mountain, our short, quiet car ride was soon over. We both got out and Chara took a swift left towards up the mountain. "Chara!" I beckoned. "That's the wrong way you jerk!" I said, swinging my keys around.

"Do you WANT to get SHOT?!" She said, "Here. Give me the keys." She said. "You're making too much noise!" I said, catching up to her. Her illogical reasoning for life soon swayed my opinion to trekking up the left side of the mountain with her. Surprisingly, we saw no military officials yet.

Along the way, there was a small cave, where Chara proceeded to go inside of. Distant helicopter and chopper noises came from the other side of the mountain. Most likely people switching their shifts to guard. "What the fuck are you doing??" I whispered as the chopper noises didn't get any softer.

"Again." Chara said, turning around. "Do you WANT to get SHOT?!" She whisper-screamed, pushing me forward inside the cave.

It soon got darker, and the cave's entrance got further and further away. I clenched my files harder. "Uh. Don't you think we've gone far enough—?" I tried to say, stopping abruptly to see a large hole in the center of the cavern. "Whoa! Look at this!" I said. "Big hole." I laughed, pointing at it with childish humor.

"Mmhm." She hummed, grinning as I turned around to face her. She had the same smile she has always had. Wide and long.

"Ch—." I tried to say here name as another bead of sweat fell down my neck.

Her arm extended swiftly, knocking my chest back. With a gasp, the world slowed as I tried to take a step back from the hard shove. I lost my footing, stepping into only emptiness as Chara's figure quickly vanished from the top of the ledge.

"That'll teach you to never take advantage of me, Frisk." She said, snapping. "Like I said, I'd kill to keep this place a secret." She giggled.