Forgotten Phoenix (New Purpose Sequel)

Chapter 4- A New Friend?

(~Serif's POV~)

I take a deep breath. Things are quiet as I stare up at the bottom of my brother's bed. Things have been very tense, even before we came home. Mama went to bed early. Although, we know already that she doesn't get much sleep. I normally don't fall asleep until late either. The nausea continues to plague my head. I stay ready with my trash can beside my bed just in case I need to throw up.

"Pst- Brother.. Brother, are you awake?" Roman is finally speaking to me. I haven't heard him say anything since this morning. I pull my covers closer to my face. "Yeah. Why are you up? You have school tomorrow." I say in a softened mumble. Mom's room is right next to ours. We could get in trouble for being up.

Roman hangs upside down from the carved "door" of his bunk. I flinch, seeing his bright orange eyes staring at me like a creature from the dark. "Be careful..!" I whisper yell. The last thing I need is him falling on top of me again. "You never told me how your day with Mama went. You promised." He explains. As my eyes adjust to the dark, I begin to see more of his figure.

"It was okay. Mom was busy by herself."
.
"And?"
.
"... I read her recipe book again."

My brother smiles at me, "You want to cook someday, don't you? You've read that book like-... a hundred times..!" I turn my head, though I can't really hide myself from him. "I-I.. I can't." I tell him. "Of course you can. I'm sure Mama would love to have you as an assistant." I wish I could believe him. I would love to be a cook, chef, or even a baker like Mama. I'm not picky as long as I get to work with food. However, I can't do anything with this sickness. Every day, I remind myself of how much of a burden I put on my family.

'They just don't understand..'

It's hard. It's hard knowing that I'll never be able to do anything that I like. Even Dad had to give up a lot just to be with Mama.

I'm snapped back to reality when Roman asks me another question, "Did Mama tell you any new stories?" I shake my head. Mama had to close the shop early when Miss Toriel called her. After that, she was busy with handling things with Roman. "She forgot." I state plainly. "Oh... Well maybe she'll remember tomorrow!" I narrow my eyes at him.

'How can he just pretend like nothing happened?'

"What happened at school? Everyone is worried about you." I press. Roman goes quiet at first, then looks me straight in the eyes, "You need to promise me that you'll listen- And you won't tell anyone!" I quickly shush him due to raising his voice. Then, I nod. I'll always be there for my bro, no matter what. Besides, I am the oldest. I'm supposed to be taking care of him and not the other way around.

"I got into a fight.. but I met someone. They are friends with Chara and they said they could help us. They said that they can bring Dad back." At first, I don't know what to say.

'That's not how it works. Dad's gone.'

"Roman, they lied to you." I hate to be a realist but my brother can get his skull stuck in the clouds sometimes. Roman pouts at hearing my comment. His eyes glow brighter. "They didn't! The deal is already done. We're going to make it happen tomorrow, then you'll believe me."

'I have a bad feeling about this. What kind of deal? Roman doesn't have anything that would even equal the value of something like that.'

Before we can argue any further, a muffled noise comes from Mama's room. Roman and I look at each other. We never discovered such a thing as "Twin Telepathy" but I can already tell we're thinking the same thing. I sit up slowly and stand myself up. Roman jumps down from his bunk and onto mine. Mama has already told him to stop doing that and to use the built-in ladder on the side of the bed. As proven, he still doesn't listen.

I stagger a little. It's annoying with these feelings of dizziness and nausea washing over me. My brother soon stands by my side, taking one of my arms and wrapping it around his shoulders. "Wherever you go, we go together." He says with a smile. It's quite contagious and I can't help but smile back.

It takes some time but we make it out of our bedroom and outside of Mama's. The sounds are more noticeable now along with her door being cracked open. Mama is sitting on the edge of the bed with her hands over her face. Her muffled sobs are soft but hard to ignore. I look to Roman.

'What should we do?'

Our souls hurt for her. Mama acts so strong around us, but we've always known...

'She misses Dad more than anything in this world.'

Roman loosens his grip on me and enters the room. I decide to follow even though I'm a little slow. I can only take things one step at a time. He places a hand on her knee. It startles her at first before she looks over us both. "Boys, you should be in bed." Mama says softly while she wipes her tears away. I look at the item placed beside her. It's a book. It is clearly worn out, having been used for some time. I've never seen it before. "What is that, Mama?" Mama looks down at the book. "It's a gift from your father. He gave it to me on our wedding day."

'A gift from Dad?! She's had it all this time?'

I look back to the book. I want to see it. If Dad had enjoyed it, I want to know why. Mama leans over and checks her phone on the nightstand. No doubt she's checking the time. "It's 2 AM. Boys..." "You need to tell Serif a story!" Roman chirps loudly. I give him a disappointed glare.

'Why's he throwing me into this now?'

Mama looks at the both of us. Her eyes glance back to the book and she smirks. "Okay. Come close. Snuggle in~" My soul fills with excitement. It worked! Roman hopped into Mama's bed without hesitation. Meanwhile, Mama picks me up and places me to her left side. Roman is on her right side, tucked underneath her arm. "Grab t-the book for me, won't you darling?" I nod and grab the book, handing it to her.

"Let's see. I-I know just the one." As she opens the book, I'm shocked.

'It's not a book. It's a journal.'

Each page was blank and then gradually filled with writing. She flips through the pages very delicately. "He wrote in it e-every s-single day." I can tell that Mama's learned these words by heart. I can only imagine how many times she's read them. Roman and I's eyes are glued to the writing, Dad's handwriting. We listen as Mama reads one of the pages.

"Dear Y/N,

Today was the most amazing day. I know how many times I keep telling you that... But each day with you is always better than the last. Today, we found out that we're having twins. My soul felt frozen in its place when the doctor told us. Two?! Two wonderful versions of you and I? Beautiful, we'll certainly have our hands full, won't we? A perfect family of four. Who knows? Maybe more if you'd like. I don't know. Am I getting too excited about this? God, Y/N... I love you. I just have to tell you. I love them too, so so so much. Can you imagine what they'll be like? Make sure to love them both equally, which I know you will. Learn everything about them, and make sure to come tell me, okay? Whoever they are or turn out to be, I'm sure they'll be great people. Welp, time for dinner. See you soon!

Your Perfect Husband,
Papyrus"

My soul feels like it stopped while she was reading and it's just now started beating again. I can almost imagine my dad's voice as I scan the words on the pages over and over again. I look over to Roman. He looks to me with a wide smile. Mama tears up again as she cuddles us both.

I don't know why I'm thinking this, but maybe the deal Roman made will work? There are so many types of magic in the world. Maybe this friend has one that can bring Dad back. How would it work? Will we be actually be able to see Dad again? Surely, it would help heal Mama's broken heart. My soul is now ready for tomorrow, filled with hope. Keeping my promise, I don't dare to tell Mama what Roman told me.

'It would be an amazing surprise for her and Uncle Sans. Yes, we'll surprise them tomorrow. I can't believe it. We're going to meet Dad.'