Wholehearted Half-Souls

Chapter 24: Sunset (Part 1)

It's raining somewhere else. The wet pavement squeaks with each footstep as Kris and Susie walk together. A large, brown building is ahead.

She places her hands behind her head and sighs. "Did ya have fun at PE, Kris? I'm glad we have it together since we don't share any other classes."

Kris kicks rocks into the gutter as they near the orphanage. "It was fine. It'll help me get stronger, so it works for me."

Susie shakes her head and chuckles. "I'm down with that, except he kept making us do pushups! It got pretty boring."

Kris rolls his eyes. "You shouldn't complain; that kind of stuff is a piece of cake for you. You're the most physically fit student in my class."

Susie shrugs. "I'll give ya that, but he was still a jerk about it! Who even starts at negative 20 for pushups? You start at zero. What a dingus."

Kris' mouth twists somberly. "Life is filled with challenges, Susie. And of all the trials possible, that's probably the easiest one. There's plenty of garbage in this world."

Susie smirks. "Heh, you sound like me."

Kris' eyes narrow. "Maybe it's because I've been through a lot of crap."

Susie stops dead in her tracks. Kris slows to a complete stop and looks up in Susie's direction. "What're you saying, dude?" she asks. "I've dealt with the same stuff as you."

The rain increases as Kris' hands tremble. "It's about HOW my parents disappeared that you wouldn't get."

"Oh...my bad," Susie says. 

Kris frowns. "Look, I know you've dealt with junk just like me. I get that. But with how my parents disappeared...just listen to me, will ya?"

"Gimme the down-low," the purple monster requests. 

Kris' eyes widen as his voice raises in volume. "Remember how I came to the Ebott orphanage and said things like 'Why am I here? Do Mom and Dad still love me?' It's insane, and the change in the orphanage just made it worse. A distant relative of mine dropped me off, too. I always suspected that my parents were murdered, yet I didn't know for sure. But then...my relative pulled out their cell phone, and I heard the news through the speaker." Kris glares at Susie, eyes widening enough for her to see his glowing irises. "I learned for sure just a couple of days ago."

"What was true?" Susie asks. 

"That monsters killed my parents," he snaps. 

Susie nods and taps her foot. "That's tough, man. But they caught them, right?"

Kris' body trembles. Clenching his hands together, he spits back, "that doesn't matter. My parents are dead."

The gray clouds in the sky turn purple and blue thanks to the thunder. Kris raises his voice. "If that barrier never broke, then my parents wouldn't have been murdered...and if Frisk never broke the barrier, then I wouldn't be alone!" Kris grits his teeth. "This could've been prevented, and it's the ambassador's fault because of it!"

Susie shakes her head. "Dude, I get it. But you gotta listen to me here."

"Why should I?" Kris asks.

"It wasn't your fault, and I dunno if anyone could've prevented it," Susie says. "Besides, he's not the one who killed your folks."

"The barrier broke, and he's the ambassador. Who else would it be?" Kris angrily retorts.

Susie groans. "The point is, you can't keep being down in the dumps like this. It's not healthy."

Kris furrows his brow. "I can feel however I want."

"Dude, level with me here...I'm your friend, right?" Susie asks. "I'm not gonna steer you wrong!"