Mario's hunt

Chap. 13: Peach's POV

Where are they? They couldn't have gone very far!

I must've traveled about a mile or so, and I hadn't found them yet!

Wait a second! What if they're just picking berries from that bush next to that creek, which I'm nowhere near...

I felt so stupid about myself being so far from where they were most likely at, I could've punched myself.

As I turned back to return to my castle, I felt a sudden chill run down my spine. I looked all around, but I didn't see anyone. I walked nonchalantly back to my castle so that whoever was watching me—if anyone was—wouldn't know that I felt their presence and they wouldn't be so likely to just straight-up come for me. I still kept shooting my eyes everywhere when I got the chance just in case I saw the stalker (or Bowser and the others), but I had to make it look like I was just admiring nature so that the stalker (if there was one) wouldn't get suspicious.

I was very scared. What if Mario had found us already? How was it he kept finding us? Who was tipping him off? Was it Daisy? Did he actually get into her head? Something suddenly occurred to me: she couldn't possibly have had any idea where we were! Maybe it was Donkey, I thought. No, he didn't know where I was, either.

It must be someone within our group, I thought. Was it Luigi? Maybe his love for his brother is making him backstab us. Or maybe it's Bowser. Perhaps his heart still belongs to Mario. Or...was it Bowser Jr.? But why would he betray us? Oh, maybe Mario's just really good at tracking people...

I was finally starting to see my castle, and just as I was about to come running at it, I felt a hard something hit me in the back of the head, knocking me out.

***

I had awoken to find myself tied to a chair outside my castle. I looked around but didn't see anybody, so I decided to use this time I had to get my mind together. Unfortunately, I didn't haven't much time to do that when Mario came into my view, and he looked nervous.

I asked him what was going on, and he just looked around nervously.

What was his problem?

"Call to them," he said softly. "Call the guys over."

I didn't see any point in listening, since he didn't have the knife, but luckily, the group had just arrived.

Mario started to look conflicted. He was muttering to someone who wasn't there, and it was kinda creepy. Then he started to cry, but he wiped them away quickly and ran off into my castle. He was probably thinking of a way to carry out his plan.