A Star-Filled World

| Chapter 8 || Search Party || Tommy |

A small house sits in the middle of a tundra. The snow around it, which was piled even higher than the day before thanks to last night’s snow, began to glisten as the sun rose. It was a beautiful day, perfect for lazing around the house and playing board games by the fireplace.

— — — — — —

A light knocking came from somewhere nearby. I tried to pretend it wasn’t there in hopes that it would just go away. A sharp pain stabbed my eyes as something bright shined in my face. Turning away from it, I buried my face in my pillow.

“Good morning sleeping beauty,” I groaned as soon as I heard the Blade’s rumbling voice.

“Go fuck yourself,” I grumbled.

“Breakfast is ready,” He said, causing me to finally sit up and start rubbing the sleep from my eyes. I glanced at Blade, still squinting, only to see him leaning against my door.

“Aren’t you going to wake up Tubbo too?” I asked.

“No,” He huffed.

“Why?” I whined.

“Because Tubbo isn’t a prick that steels my books while I’m in the middle of reading them,” Techno said before turning toward the staircase.

“Asshole,” I muttered. He stopped and looked back at me.

“What was that?” He asked.

“Nothing!” I quickly yelled. He smiled before continuing towards the stairs.

A sigh escaped my mouth as I tossed my blankets off me, abandoning the extra warmth they brought. I brought my feet to the cold floor, hesitating for a moment before finally standing up. I began meandering my way out of my room, turning my light off on the way out and heading toward Tubbo’s. I placed a few heavy knocks on the door and waited a few moments for a response. Nothing came, so I knocked again. Still, there was nothing.

“Tubbo, breakfast is ready,” I called. Again, there was no response. I guess he wants to sleep in today; I’ll bother him later.

I slowly turned away from the door and started walking toward the stairs. My mouth began to water when I was greeted by the smell of bacon, which only grew stronger when I made it to the bottom of the stairs. Dadza greeted me as I made my plate and sat in the living room with him and Blade. We talked and ate for a while, but eventually, Dad and Techno abandoned their plates in the kitchen before going outside to clear the fresh snow from last night off the solar panels. I washed the dishes before deciding to go back to my room and go to sleep.

— — — — — —

My eyes flickered open as I let out a yawn. I was greeted by the familiar darkness my curtains brought me. Slowly getting up, I turned to the window above my head and opened it, momentarily blinding myself with the sunlight that flooded my room. My eyes fell over to the clock hanging on the wall above my desk.

10:48

Tubbo’s probably up by now. A smile fell across my face as I slipped out of bed. A yawn escaped my mouth as I opened the door and walked out into the hallway.

“Big T, you still in here?” I called as I let myself into Tubbo’s room. A wave of warmth greeted me as I scanned the small area. He’s not in here; why the fuck is his heater still on? I took a moment to unplug it before leaving. I passed the bathroom as I headed toward the stairs; the door was open. No one was inside.

The stairs creaked under my weight.

“Tubbo!” I called just as I stepped onto the landing. There was no response. I peeked into the living room and glanced around the space; unsurprisingly, there was no one. My eyes fell over to the shoe rack; I noticed that both Dadza and Tubbo’s shoes were missing. A sigh escaped my lips. Of course, he’s out with Dad. I should probably help out the old man too.

I slipped on my shoes and jacket before finally going out into the cold of the tundra. I followed the familiar, short path to the garden while ignoring the biting cold that nipped through my light clothes. I eagerly opened the door to the greenhouse and ran inside. The gentle warmth was a welcome change.

“Hey mate,” Dadza’s voice called from the other end of the greenhouse.

“Hey, Dad,” I called back as I began glancing around. Tubbo was nowhere to be seen.

The old man suddenly stood up, leaving the cover of the plant he was behind. “Did you want something?” I quickly nodded.

“Yeah, do you know where Tubbo is?” I asked.

“Nope, I haven’t seen him since last night,” He shrugged. “Sorry.”

“Of course,” I sighed, before turning and opening the door to the greenhouse again.

“Good luck finding him,” Dadza called.

“Thanks,” I called back before finally closing the door.

I quickly sprinted to the house, doing my best to ignore the freezing cold. I had put my shoes and jacket back in their places before turning around and jumping when I noticed that Blade was looming over me. He let out a stupid short laugh when my eyes met his.

“Fuck you bitch!” I yelled. He just rolled his eyes as he sighed before turning toward the stairs.

“Do you have any idea where Tubbo ran off to?” I asked, “I haven’t seen him all day, and it’s starting to piss me off.

“He’s outside, right?” Blade asked, looking back at me. I nodded. “Just follow his tracks.” He huffed.

“I won’t be able to tell the difference between his and all the others,” I whined. Blade sighed before slipping on his boots and heading out the door.

“All of our shoes are shaped differently, so it’s easy to tell who’s walked where,” He said, and as if to demonstrate, he placed his on a section of untouched snow on the porch and quickly removed it again. “Mine leaves the most distinct pattern.” He gestured toward the footprint as if to prove his point. “But Tubbo’s tracks look like…” Blade glanced around the porch and then at the section of snow just next to it. “That’s odd. Are you sure he’s outside?”

“Yeah, I checked everywhere he might’ve been,” I huffed, “Are you fucking doubting me?”

“Yes. Unless Tubbo left before it stopped snowing last night, he’s still inside,” He shrugged before heading back in.

“What the hell!” I yelled as I followed him. “I’m not fucking lying. Tubbo’s not in here.”

Blade glanced back at me. “Do you have any idea where he might be?” He asked.

“No-” I cut myself off when I remembered that weird hallway in the mountain, “Well, actually, I might.”

“Get some warmer clothes on.” Blade continued walking up the stairs. “I’ll help you look if you’re so sure.”

1145 Words