Torch of Will

Chapter Ten - Stars Align

      ...now that I think about it, it's kind of nice how fire is my first magic. I mean...that might help with water, right?

...except the fact that it doesn't burn it away, vaporize, or even react with water. Well shit. There goes my hopes and dreams...

Sighing, I put down the glass. I don't care if I need it, or how many times Bon echoes 'Little sips', if something wet is going down my throat again, I'm going to flip my shit. Besides...wasn't too thirsty this time! No nightmare made my throat dry, and I didn't have to wake up in a sweat! That's a win in my book.

"Come on!"  I heard Bonnie whine. Somehow, I knew she was beating onto my shoulder lightly. "You need water!"

Not if I can help it. Sorry Bon, I'd sooner die than have to drink it again. 

Hah...alright...I need something to distract me from her. Ah...

Oh, right...today, I need to do that project thing with Asriel. But...I forgot to study the material. Hopefully, he had something to help...he's a Monster, right? He might have something else that isn't the same crap everyone spews out around here...

...Frisk DID say something about needing me...for math? Yeah...I probably wasn't going to have any choice. I knew her for a day, and something tells me that she was going to find a way to drag me along. She seemed determined like that.

I mean, it isn't that hard anyway. I don't really have the will to start fighting...yeah, let's ignore what I did yesterday. Because the last thing I need is to face the fact that I broke someone's face the first day Monsters came to the surface. Dear God, that was a terrible first impression...

"The dishes are piling up..." I muttered to myself, placing the ceramic into the sink, which was steadily piling up. A feeling of guilt welled up in me. God, what would she think of me if she saw this...no. Stop.

I shook myself out of my thoughts, and walked away quickly, picking up my backpack. Before I left, I felt myself stop, as if something was pulling me back. I was missing something, was I. 

"The book!"  Bonnie pointed at the little coffee table in the living room, and sure enough, the familiar dog eared page caught my eye. After a while, I finally decided to take it with me, and looked down...and promptly shivered. There, printed on the page, was an image of a horribly cracked soul, and I stood there wondering why I had the great idea of saving it on THAT page. I was about to read...but closed it once I saw Bonnie coming over. No. There was no way I was gonna talk about this with her.

I hastily put it in my backpack, and sighed, before turning with a soft smile. "...alright...ready." As ready as I'll ever be, I guess...

She clapped her hands and smiled brightly in return, and I felt my own face try to match it. "Great! Now if we go quickly, maybe we can-"

BEEP!

...you know what, I found it a little charming how both of us jumped at that. And the way she squeaked was kind of adorable...but really, what was that? The last time someone came here by car was her family coming to pay respects to-...why were they here?

The horn honked again, and I groaned, opening the door. "Alright alright! I'm coming, just hold...on...?"

"Hey Ry! I thought you might need a ride?"

...there's a goat driving a car. I never thought I would have seen the day. His charismatic grin and thumbs up almost distracted me from Frisk in the passenger seat, who gave a polite wave and a kind smile, and Chara in the back, who only spared me a glance before turning back to her book, flipping a page. I tried to meet Asriel's grin, but mustered a slight grin and wave. "Hey Azzy..." ...'Azzy'? Where did that come from?

Luckily, he didn't seem to notice, and waved me over. "Come on! There's room for one more weirdo in here!" He honked twice, as if to prove a point. I still think he did prove the point, seeing how Bonnie giggled and went over to the car. She joined Asriel in his whoops, calling me over, and I found myself picking up my feet.

"Alright, I'm coming!..."