I'm not one of you <Frans>

CHAPTER 30: Determination

Time: Unknown
Location: Unknown
The skeleton is unstable, and may need psychological help. I may be able to influence him through via the psychiatric training I received in college. Nothing is confirmed though.

Questions swarmed through my mind like a busy beehive, madly full of working honey bees. I didn't say a word, too shocked to, really, and stalked my way into the kitchen, where the skeleton sat. Two empty chairs— one across from him, and one next to him on the other side of the table, the right side. I came down and around on his left, knowing that hand was occupied.

He tapped a rhythmic tune with his claw-like fingers, and grinned at whatever measly thing he was thinking about. It probably wasn't good, if it was making him grin. "Go ahead. Take a seat." He said, narrowing his eyes.

It almost seemed like a trap, the choice was so open. Such a simple request made chills run through my spine. The situation could easily go downhill— very fast. I needed to think carefully and quickly. The easy choice would to do as he instructed.

I slowly made my way towards the seat across from him, empty and wooden. The footsteps that I was making echoed once more, filling the empty house with sounds it hadn't heard in what seemed like ages. I pulled open the seat and stared down at the empty, cushioned seat. The skeleton growled. "Papyrus is sitting there." He narrowed his eyes. He wasn't drinking his coffee anymore. "Can't you see? He's obviously sitting there. Go sit in the one chair that's empty. Just because I let you live, doesn't mean you own the place." He snapped, throwing how his coffee mug angrily.

I looked at the empty chair with confusion. He had said Papyrus before. Was that the brother he keeps talking about? Is he... not real?

"No. It's fine, bro." The skeleton said. "She was just lining to the other chair." He growled and motioned towards the other seat. He took another sip of his coffee and watched me take my hands off of the back of the chair slowly.

He's even talking to him. Extraordinary. A permanent hallucination, most likely trauma related, or because he was so alone. If this skeleton is living alone here al this time, it would be enough to drive someone mad, but it's obvious he was clear signs of insanity. This could be apart of it. Asking questions and getting more information is key for another time to better understand his condition. Maybe seeking him help for the skeleton is the best option. Playing along could influence the psychological trauma that his "brain" has endured, thus worsening it, but denying it could anger him, and potentially destabilizing him further.

For now, play along, I guess.

"I'm Sorry. I guess I'm just still tired." I said quietly. "I apologize, Papyrus." I said towards the empty chair, and make my way towards the other empty chair around the other end of the table.

Sitting down quietly, afraid of the loud noises it may bring inside the quiet house, I sighed and the skeleton spoke up. "So the Girlie does talk, after all." He chuckled a bit, setting it coffee cup down gently, swallowing the last bit of coffee in his mug. "Wasn't that hard, was it?" He said, looking at me with a bit of what seemed like boredom in his skeletal features. It was hard to read his complexion with the permanent features that were plastered all over his face. It was so different than a normal human.

"I suppose not." I said quietly. I was still afraid to use my regular voice around the skeleton, as if raising it to its normal volume would anger him in some way or another. "I'm sorry." I said, causing him to roll his eyes.

"Stop apologizing for everything." He grumbled. "I was just making a point." He said, scoffing almost. Looking towards the empty chair, where this 'Papyrus' was, he nodded, and let out a light chuckle. "Ha! Yeah. You are looking like skin and bones. You've lost a lot of weight since I saw you in the woods that first day you were here. I heard your stomach earlier when you woke up too." He said, pausing for a moment. "It must be killing you now, huh?" Was he going to make me food? My stomach twisted and created painful knots in my gut, telling me to eat or I was going to become ravenous. "That sucks." He said, looking at his empty coffee cup.

I didn't say a word to that. I honestly wasn't expecting that of an answer out of anything he could have said. He laughed when he saw my reaction, and changed the subject as my stomach growled loudly again. "So, you're looking for a way out of here?" He said, jumping right into the right questions for the situation I was in. It was obvious I didn't belong here, how long was I going to stay here before I starved to death? "I can help you." He said.

"I don't trust you." I immediately said, causing him to smile. "As much as I want to get out of here so I can find Chara, I just don't think I can allow myself to trust you after what you've done to me." I said rather bluntly, but rather than getting angry, it only made him smile, as if he only listened to part of the conversation.

"Hush for a sec, Papyrus." He said, holding his finger up towards the empty chair, leaning in. "And why don't you trust me? I've done so much for you, Girlie." He said, grinning. "I didn't kill you." He started listing, counting the things on his hand. "Let you stay in my home, healed your foot, and your hand, and I'm offering to help you home." He grinned, and I looked down at where my once broken foot had been. I didn't even realize it had healed. How is that possible? "That's 5 things to count in the small amount of time we've met. So far, all I've done is nothing but good intentions." He grinned.

"I didn't know you did so much." I mumbled, causing him to lean into the table more, grinning when he talked. It almost seems as if he were the fox in the gingerbread man tall tale.

"I can tell you have many questions." He said, circling the coffee mug with the tip of his finger, around and around in circles it went. "I'll even answer your questions for you." He grinned, glancing at the chair to the right of me. "Papyrus and I just love a nice adventure. We would even be willing to get you past the guards at the front of the barrier." He grinned, relaxing back into his chair, tapping the wooden table once more.

"What's the catch?" I narrowed my eyes, grabbing my stomach in pain. "You can't be doing all of this for no gain." I said, and he raised his eyebrows, or— what would be his eyebrows and sighed, looking at the wooden table with sentimentality.

"Well—." He began, grinning. "If you're offering..." He grinned, tapping the wood of the table far faster now. "I want you to lead me to Chara." He said, grinning. "The surface world is too large for me to search. And Papyrus and I can't search the entire surface by ourselves." He said, grinning. There was a moment of silence in the house, not even the sound of my own breathing could be heard through the deafening silence.

He mistook me for Chara, and tried to kill me. That means he and Chara are not on good terms, most likely. If I give away her location, that could be an assisted murder, let alone scar me for the rest of my life.

He could tell I was genuinely thinking about his offer, and his smile grew.

I needed to get out of here, but I couldn't get out of here without his help. He's offering, and could potentially tell me more about this place and why it's so desolate. Maybe even why he hates Chara?
I didn't want to jeopardize Chara's life. But as soon as I thought about that act of kindness I was about to show, the memory of her pushing me off of that ledge with no mercy in her eyes told a thousand stories about her, and what she would do next if I didn't do anything first.

"Is it a deal?" The skeleton asked, holding out his hand and grinning wider than ever before. His eye flared a deep purple color, showing the level of insanity he was actually on. Despite it all, it seemed like he was always calculating something, even the smallest of things.

I looked down at his hand, and back up at his face, mesmerized by the deep violet eye. I looked back at his hand with determination, and I felt as if I gained something I had never had before. It was like I had an unknown power and determination hat had unlocked from the depths of myself. The skeleton's eyes wavered slightly.

"It's a deal." I said.

I was filled with determination.