Kessie's Short Stories

[Undertale] Adapt

Originally published 10/29/2015

Humans adapt, it's in our nature.

The first adaption was at a young age. An odd name sparks many different questions that the doomed can not answer. With no one to tell you why such a decision was made, one must simply sit through the crowds and assume they'll go away; just like they tell you they should. I gained resilience.

The child walked along the leaf covered sidewalk alone. The leaves crunched under the child's feet as they went along, minding their own business. It did not take much time for the crunching leaves to reveal someone else was walking alongside.

"What'chu doing all alone there Frisk?" The newcomer asked, nothing particularly kind was laced in his words. The child kept moving, not wanting to start a conversation with the newcomer. The newcomer didn't take kindly to this, and put a less than friendly hand on her shoulder. He squeezed the child's shoulder so hard that it felt as if he was trying to detach the arm from the socket.

"What kind of name is Frisk anyway?" the boy taunted with a sneer, "Did your parents hate you so much that they gave you such a fucking stupid name before offing themselves from a gas leak?"

"It means joyful." came the quiet voice. The boy sneered at her, then without warning he threw her to the ground.

"Frisk is a stupid name!" the boy told the child coldly as he gave a hard kick in the ribs. "A stupid name for a stupid kid!"

The child just remained on the ground, accepting the kicks to every inch of their body. Eventually, the boy started to get tired and slowly ceased kicking the child. It was only when he started to walk away that the child reacted quickly and bit him as hard as possible. Letting out a scream that was nearly inhuman, the boy tried desperately to shake the child off, but they had become a leech that had no intention of letting go until blood was shed.

Retaliation can only last for so long, unfortunately, and the boy was able to kick the child off of him.

"You piece of shit!" the boy thundered after looking at his ankle; it was badly swollen, and the child had broke through the skin. The child gave a smile of satisfaction at their work, but the boy wasn't pleased as at all. He gave the hardest kick he could right at the child's face. In a sense of horror the child coughed up some blood, along with a chip from one of their teeth. Content with the turn of events, the boy let out a chuckle of relief before stepping on the child to leave. The child remained on the ground in a small puddle of their own blood before believing that they were safe to get up again.

The second adaption was received when the girls blossomed into bombshells and the boys grew as thick and strong as trees. Some of us remained little stumps on the ground to be stepped on like a cockroach and treated with just as much disgust. I gained patience.

The child sat next to fellow peers as they discussed a party that was going to take place in a few more days. It was going to be one of those parties where everyone smuggles something that they should not have -drugs, liquor, maybe even a racy act or two- and although the child sat near them, they talked as if they couldn't see.

"Do you know if they'll invite... them?"

"Everyone's invited to that party. I mean, who isn't?"

A forced cough and a nudge in the child's direction gave a better understanding.

"Oh... that... Doubt it. No one likes that freak. Remember last week when it sat in the corner of the lunchroom alone and ate that gross looking drink thing? Yuck."

"What do you think that squick was anyway?"

"I don't know, and I hope to never find out."

If they had asked the child right then and there, they would have known that it was a medication to help jumpstart the child's unresponsive pubescent hormones.

The third adaption was brought about unnaturally. An accident that no one can forget left some of us without a voice- but it makes one better appreciate that it only makes those around you ignore you more. There was a second part to the adaption that one could have taken advantage of, but after a lifetime of being ignored, do you really think anyone wants to listen to you when you can no longer talk back and defend? I gained silence.

"... is lucky to be alive right now." the doctor said through the door. "The rib cage collapsed, damaging the lungs and bits of the vocal cords. No internal bleeding, but the heart was reportedly bruised a bit that may need further inspection. Regardless, the survivor will be able to return home in another week or so."

"To be honest sir, I didn't think it was this possible for children that age to be so violent. Let alone going along to attack this kid on this bus. Didn't they say that the kid was dumped out the back of a school bus during a field trip?"

"Unfortunately, it's true. The kid was almost run over by a car directly behind the bus."

"Did that person see who tossed the kid over the bus?"

"No, apparently."

"Are you serious?! No one saw who did it?!?"

"If the child had died we might have pressed forward a bit more, but none of the students the police asked knew a thing. Didn't show much remorse either from what I heard..."

Now, now I have come to terms with a fourth adaption. It will be the final adaption. Everyone knows that the mountain is a point of no return; they all know that anyone who goes up to the mountain never come back down. This will be where the last adaption takes place. This will be where my resilience will be met with a crown of measure. This will be where my patience is greeted with wings of love. This will be where my silence is measured in gold for all the things I could never say in fear of being tormented more. This is where I will gain rebirth.

This is where I will die, because that is how humans adapt- it's in our nature.

. . .

Like a long scream, out there always echoing; Oh, what is it worth, when all that's left is hurt...