Tall trees were looming over me. My best friend, Aida, and I decided to wander around in the woods and we ended up getting lost.
"Reine, do you have any idea where we are?" Aida nervously said and laughed, trying to lighten the mood.
"No." I replied with a shaky voice, jolting my head in every direction like a nervous bird. We had been wandering around for at least an hour now and the only direction we seemed to be going was up.
"Well, fuck..." Aida groaned. "My legs hurt and I'm tired and let's not forget that we'll be slaughtered if we don't make it back to the orphanage by dinner." I laughed.
Aida and I were 13 (soon to be 14) and had been friends since she arrived at the orphanage. I've been there since I was 5 and Aida arrived around 2 years ago. Since we were both in our teens no one wanted us so the orphanage was basically our home. People had showed interest in Aida but no one actually adopted her. She was beautiful. Aida had black hair and blue-violet eyes. She was pale, tall and model thin.
I had pale, almost white, blonde hair with light blue eyes. I was ghostly white and I was fit - not heavy yet not gorgeously thin. I'm incredibly short for my age, only 4'6". I hope I grow taller. Aida's style reminded me of a celebrity. She always wore cute, stylish clothing. Heels were her thing. I would wear the same thing everyday. A plain black t-shirt, a purple hoodie, blue skinny jeans and black and white converse. Comfy over cute, as I always say.
"Don't need to remind me. Ms. Henderson has a fetish for schedules." I giggled and Aida joined. "So let's figure this out." Luckily it was still light out so everything was still visible. It looked like we were almost to the top of the mountain we were climbing.
"Look!" Aida rushed ahead of me. I gave her a quizzical look. "It's a clearing!" She nearly yelled. She was practically running. I hurried to catch up. We raced to the clearing at the top of the mountain, both ecstatic. "Maybe we can find our way around from up here." I smiled and nodded.
Then she tripped. I rushed up to catch her. She twisted on her heel, trying to catch her balance but she kept falling. There was a large hole in the ground and she was falling straight into it. "Aida!" I yelled out her name and reached out towards her. She reached for me and we clasped hands. I pulled her toward me, throwing her back onto solid ground. However, now I was falling.
"Reine!!" Aida tried her best to grab my hand but I had fallen too far into the hole. I gave a reassuring smile.
"I guess I'll be late for dinner." I laughed. Aida's face darkened at my inappropriately timed joke. I shook my head. "Don't worry!" I shouted just before she was out of sight. "I've always wanted to go skydiving." I finished my thought. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feeling, pretending I was falling from a plane. I fell for another minute or so.
Then I landed on a plush surface. Cautiously, I opened my eyes and looked around. I had landed on a bed of golden flowers. I sat upright, wincing slightly at the pain in my back and shoulders. I looked around. I was in a dark room, the only light coming from the hole I had fallen from. It didn't give much light, showing only the bed of flowers, green leaves and a long corridor that led to another room.
I stood up and began walking down the corridor. I ended up in a large room with a large door in the distance. I started walking towards it. Halfway through the room a small gold and white flower popped up from the ground, a large grin spread across it's face.
"Howdy! I'm Flowey! Flowey the flower!" The flower began speaking in a overly happy and friendly voice that seemed forced. My eyes grew wide and I took a few steps back.
"Y-you can talk!" I stated rather than asked. Where am I? Why is a flower talking to me? How is a flower talking to me?! Am I asleep? Questions flooded through my brain. The flower's smile was gone and it looked unamused.
"You're new to the Underground, aren'tcha?" It smiled again. "Someone should show you how things work around here! I guess little ol' me will have to do!" I looked at the flower confused. Underground? I thought that was a myth.
*Time skip, brought to you by Sans*
A kind monster named Toriel took me in after saving me from the Flowey. Flowey ended up attacking me by tricking me. Toriel explained how I was in a place called the Ruins in the Underground. She showed me a room I could stay in. It was decorated more for an elementary student than a teenager but I added my own touch to it.
I've been living here for 2 1/2 years now. I'm 16 and bored with the Ruins. It's such a small place and there's no one here except Toriel, Flowey and several other monsters. Snail pie is a regular meal for me and Toriel and I'm still not accustomed to the bitter flavor. I've never been to the basement and I'm curious as to what's down there.
"Reine, my child, I am going to go get some ingredients for a butterscotch and cinnamon pie. Please remain here and keep yourself occupied." Toriel smiled at me. I smiled and nodded in response. "I shall be back soon, dear." She walked out and closed the door behind her. I slumped my shoulders and walked to the living room.
I headed toward the bookshelf in the corner of the room, scanning the shelves. All the books were old and I have read most of them. One stood out to me, though. It look much newer compared to the others. I took it out and brought it to my room. I plopped into the bed and put the book in front of me. The words "Guide to the Underground" were spread across the front of the book in silver letters. I flipped open to the Table of Contents page. It consisted of each area in the underground along with it's history.
I flipped to the page about a little town called Snowdin, which read: "Despite being subterranean, Snowdin is somehow covered in a perpetual layer of ice and snow and because of how cold it is, it's mainly home to monsters with thick fur, such as bears and bunnies. The town also houses the two skeleton sentries, by the names of Sans and Papyrus. It is the home to the canine members of the Royal Guard."
"That sounds cool." I said as I read. I flipped the page. There was a description of an area know as "Waterfall". It read: "Largely a dimly lit area, the caverns and open regions of Waterfall house many fields of Echo Flowers, living areas and also the Garbage dump. It is characterized by its blue, black, and purple colors, as well as being often quite rainy. Despite this, the Echo Flowers and the water surrounding them displays a unique bright teal color, which provides light in the dark region."
I flipped the page a couple of more times. Another region stood out to me.
"Hotland is an arid region covered in reddish orange dirt rising above the lava below. Many of the puzzles in the area involve platforms, adding to the hot atmosphere, as well as technology found in the Core."
I flipped through the pages until I found the page I was looking for. Just then I heard the front door open. My head shot up. I made a mental note of the page number and I shoved the book under my pillow. I hopped out of bed and left my room.
I found Toriel in the kitchen preparing the ingredients for the butterscotch cinnamon pie. "Hey, mom." I said cautiously so I wouldn't scare her. She turned and faced me, a smile on her face.
"Hello, my child. I apologize for being gone so long." I raised my hand in protest and shook my head.
"No need for an apology. I was fine." I smiled. "Anyway, can I help with the pie?" I asked. Toriel always made it by herself and I was interested in how to make such a delicious pie. Her smile grew.
"Of course, my child." I joined her at the counter. "Why don't you start by cracking the eggs." I nodded.
