When the boy - Asriel, he'd said - mentioned going to his mom and dad, Chara felt as though a bucket of ice water had been dumped over their head. Chara had never had good experiences with adults. Asriel's mom and dad would look upon Chara with distasteful eyes while spitting words like "creepy" and "devil child". They'd take Asriel away, and tell him all sorts of horrible things about Chara, and Chara would never see him again. Even worse, they'd make Chara go back home to their mother.

[color=ed1c24]"No! I'm fine,"[/color] Chara said. They tore themselves away from Asriel's supportive grasp even though their legs could barely hold them. Leaning heavily against the wall of the tunnel, they repeated. [color=ed1c24]"I'm fine. Leave me alone."[/color]

Chara tried to inch back to the place they had fallen, away from the entrance that lay ahead, but their body failed them. They collapsed to the ground with their head dizzy and their scrapes and bruises screaming for attention. Chara cursed themself for their weakness.