"What?! No, no they- Just- just please! I-" Christine didn't even know how to form a proper sentence. How do you tell an officer that your mother had an at home birth and didn't register your sibling for a birth certificate? "I- Th-then come to my house I'll lead you to the cave!" She continued to tell the police officer her address, walking into the living room.
"And where are you going?" Her mother asked, now off of the phone.
"Frisk fell down a ravine mom. I need to lead the police to her!" Christine answered, opening the drawer of the TV stand, finding the batteries and putting them in her flashlight.
"Thank god." Her mom sneered.
Christine had to take a deep breath to hold back from punching her mother. Ever since dad left, her mom had been bitter to Frisk. To both of them actually. But Christine would at least think she would show remorse or worry for her children. She would take Frisk and move out, she was old enough to do so, but she didn't have the money. At least here they had food and a roof over their heads. What hurt the most was that Frisk never knew when it was better. When mom actually took care of Christine, when she actually loved her children. When Josh was here. Then mom got pregnant, and Josh divorced her. He took almost everything, mom's business and savings, spreading rumors that her mom was a cheating whore, stopping so many people from hiring her. Christine didn't blame her mom for being mad, but she sure did blame her for taking it out on Frisk. "I'm helping the police find her."
Christine stepped out the door, waiting forever for the cops to show up. Finally the red and blue lights shone down the street. She got into a police car as they drove to mount Ebott. "Ma'm, there are no caves on this side of the mountain." The driving officer told her as they stepped out.
"Yes there is! We found one and that's where Frisk fell!" She raced up the mountain. *Don't be dead, oh god please don't let Frisk be dead*. She led the officers through the grove and brush on the mountain, spotting the yellow Orchid she had collected from. "We're close, I swear!" Christine ran faster although her legs hurt as if they would fall off. Here! She recognized the weird rock formations! The cave was right- Christine froze. The karst where the cave was was there, but thick vines hid it from view. "It- the entrance was right here!" She pointed to the vines. "You HAVE to believe me!"
The police officers exchanged glances. "W-we believe you." One nodded hesitantly. "We believe that the sibling that doesn't exist is in the cave that doesn't exist, in a ravine dying."
The second officer's face hardened. "Listen, ma'm, I suggest you get a psych evaluation. It's a crime to waste 911 resources, but we'll let you off this time."
"No, it's behind the vines! The cave is real!" Christine grabbed at the vines, struggling as she tried pulling them off the wall, but they wouldn't budge. Tears streamed down her face once more. They didn't believe her. Even she could admit this looked bad. No record of Frisk, no record of the cave, no record they were ever there. How did this happen? Vines never grew this quickly. "Someone must have covered it up! Get a chainsaw or something to cut these! The cave is behind it!"
"How did you get past the vines before?" The first officer asked.
Christine fell silent for a few moments before she stated the answer heavy on her mind. "The vines weren't here before…"
The second officer scowled. "Grow up. Pranking officers don't look good on paper. C'mon. There are ACTUAL people in danger." She turned, walking down the mountain, her fellow officer following.
"Wait! She's still in there!" Christine ran after them, grabbing the second officer's arm. "Please! My sibling is in danger!"
"Shut up!" The officer snapped. "You can't tell us why there's no record of them, you can't tell us how vines blocked your path before, you can't tell us why there's a cave undocumented on Ebott, you can't even tell us the gender of your sibling! Feel lucky we aren't writing you a fine or throwing you in jail. Maybe that'll teach your 'sibling' a lesson on patience."
The officer shrugged her off, continuing to their car. Christine watched, feeling as if her blood had drained from her body. She fell to her knees, burying her face in her hands as she sobbed and heaved. No one was going to help Frisk. No one was going to help either of them. They didn't even believe Frisk existed. It was like the universe itself hated her. No record of Frisk existing, the vines blocking her path, the hole's walls crumbling. Everything was against her.
An eternity passed. The moon moved slowly through the sky. Soon Christine ran out of tears to shed as she looked up at the stars above. And even as her eyes burned and the wind blew through her coat, she wasn't cold. She felt something, something warm rising through her. Like a spark. A small flame that ignited, vaporizing the sadness soaking her soul. And along with it, a kind of weight. Like a string tied to a rock, pulling on her very being. Frisk was alive. She wasn't sure how she knew. But her sibling was alive. Christine stood up, wiping her tears as she began her stride back to their house. She'd save Frisk. At the house Christine grabbed her box of savings, gigs she had applied for and part time jobs she worked to save up to move out with Frisk. She rode her bike to the nearest hardware store, buying a saw, climbing gear and food. Dawn broke as she left the store, the fiery sunrise adding to Christine's resolve.
Riding back to Mount Ebott, she returned to the blocked cave, taking the saw out of her bag. She began to saw through each vine, however the moment she made the first jerk, cutting through ½ an inch, the vines moved. Before her eyes they buried themselves back in the ground, revealing the cave. Vines that could feel pain? She knew of things like ferns moving when touched, but nothing like a plant that could hide in the ground. Walking through the cave, with a fully powered flashlight, she came back to the hole. "FRISK! ARE YOU THERE?!" She called down. No answer. Christine set up her gear, putting on the cheap harness and tying the rope to a stalagmite, and putting on her helmet. She skimmed through the instruction manual before putting it in her backpack. "I'M COMING DOWN! DON'T WORRY!"
Christine descended, slowly rappelling the rope as she went. Glancing over her shoulder, she estimated it was about a 50 feet fall. "Deep breaths. You're okay." She whispered to herself, although her trembling hands told a different story. She had always hated heights, and Frisk's fall only added to that terror. Around 25 feet or so, she wasn't sure, pebbles fell from above. Christine's eyes followed where they had come from to a vine, wrapping around her rope. It had large, sharp thorns the size of a knife. Her blood ran cold at the sight. "Nonononono-!" *Snap*
The vines sliced through the rope. Christine screamed as she fell, wind rushing past her. She hit the ground way too soon, hearing a *CRICK* from her ribs followed by a sharp pain. The air rushed out of her as she struggled to breathe, gasping for air. The rope fell right next to her, now useless. The back of her head and her jaw throbbed as her vision blurred. Minutes passed as she regained consciousness, or the semblance of it. She slowly got up, legs wobbling. The sharp pain in her side felt as if it were stabbing her as she looked around. She had fallen on a bed of golden buttercups, one that already looked trampled. There was no trace of blood, only a few squashed snails. All things considered this was a well maintained garden had it not been for the teenager and adult falling on it.
On the right was a long hallway, leading to a doorway with two pillars on either side. Christine hobbled to it, inspecting the pillars with wide eyes. These were man-made. But that was impossible! If the cave had never been discovered, then how would… Unless… Pieces clicked together in her mind like a puzzle. She walked through the doorway, coming to a patch of grass. She was about to pass it when "Howdy!" Christine froze, slowly turning to see a smiling flower. It was a buttercup, but with a flesh-like center that was bigger than normal. It had a face, two small eyes and a mouth, smiling up at her like this was normal.
"I'm Flowey! Flowey the-" Flowey screamed as Christine stomped on him, terrified. "OW! HEY STOP THAT! I SAID STOP!" A vine grew out of the ground, grabbing her foot. "Do you stomp on everyone you meet?!"
"Wh- YOU'RE A TALKING FLOWER!" She pointed out, motioning to his, well, everything.
He cleared his throat, taking a deep breath before resuming his cheery tone. "I'm Flowey. Flowey the flower! You're QUITE new to the underground, aren'tcha?"
"The underground?" Christine echoed.
"Golly, you must be so con-"
"THIS PLACE IS REAL?!" Christine interrupted, pacing back and forth. She clutched her side as the familiar stabbing of her ribs came back.
"Uh-huh. You must be so-"
"I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST A STORY!" She ran her fingers through her hair, grabbing at it.
Flowey paused, a hint of annoyance on his face. "As talkative as this Frisk, huh?" He muttered.
"Frisk? Did you meet someone named Frisk?!" She asked quickly.
Flowey looked surprised, tilting his head before putting back on a happy smile. "Sure did! But first, I should teach you about how things work down here! First by how to patch up. You got a pretty nasty scar on your chin!"
"I do? O-oh, I have some band-aids-" Christine dug through her backpack, pulling out the first aid kit she had brought and her phone. She went to the camera to use as a mirror when the blood drained from her face. Her eyes. Her usually grey and dull eyes weren't that. She stared into her phone as her purple eyes stared back at her.